![]() ![]() Recently I discovered the Audio Technica’s SJ-series headphones, and in a way it was a good product as a whole, but I think it was too “generic” and too mainstream to catch on with the enthusiasts crowd. There were other recommendations, of course, but everything in the ultra portable range (i.e Koss PortaPro or Senn PX100) is not going to give you the isolation and the tight and punchy bass that you get from fully sealed models. And though the build quality is very tough, it was not foldable, something that happens to be a very important factor for a portable headphone. Previously, the HD25-1 was one of the most recommended portable headphones I’ve seen, but the $199 pricetag in the US (and up to $350 in Asia) is way higher than what most people are willing to pay for a portable. Portables should be fun sounding, lively, toe-tapping, be comfortable to wear, tough build, and with high mobility factor. But as with the other portables I’ve reviewed, I don’t think that perfect sound is what portables about. The upper mid is one area that I’ve mentioned earlier that would be better had it been lower some 2-3dB. ![]() The Major is the kind of headphone that won’t stand up to total scrutiny. The clarity factor is not quite up to par with the Senn, probably due to the differences in treble presence, but listening to the midrange, I think the resolution of the driver in the Major is better than the old drivers in the HD25-1. The upper midrange may be a little too much on some recordings, so in my opinion Zound Industries can still improve the tonal balance a little more. The overall sound is also a little darker than the Senn, as the mid and upper treble is less prominent on the Major. ![]() Although the Senn’s bass is a little bit punchier, the Major has a little bit more bass body for an overall weightier sound. ![]() All of these for a good $100 less than the Sennheiser, but accordingly I am not going to confuse the Major as a superior headphone than the Senn. The bass is not too much or overpowering, but it carries the beat very well for most modern alternative, progressive, or hard rock bands. It has the same forward character that is good for rock. The Marshall Major can somehow be considered as a baby Sennheiser HD25-1. So these Marshalls are clearly more than just a re-badged product. And again, in the case of the Urbanears Medis to the Marshall Minor, Zound Industries was wise enough to make the sound different and so to justify the added price on the Marshall Minor. Even if the drivers were the same (something I haven’t yet confirmed), the difference in housing, damping, and pads can make enough differences in the resulting sound quality that you’re not going to confuse the sound of the two as being the same. I don’t know if the drivers are the same, but the tuning of the Major is clearly ahead and better than the Urbanears Plattan. In a way, the Major had a similar timbre to the Urbanears Plattan which retails for $60. I realized that the Marshall headphones were manufactured by Zound Industries, an OEM headphone company that manufactures headphones for a lot of different brands, including the Urbanears label. In addition to the Major, I’ve also received the Marshall Minor, and so I decided to make this into a double review. Up until that point all the impressions seem fairly positive, so despite failing to obtain a sample from Zound Industries, I pressed on to get a sample for a review, and finally I’ve gotten one, courtesy of and Indonesian headphone retailer. Most of them returned with quite a positive impression: that the Major was a fun, toe-tapping headphone that works well with the music that they were listening to. I got a few of the local forum members to go check out the Marshall Major and tell me what they think of it. The overall fit was comfortable, the sound isolation very good, the dimensions are quite compact and can be folded, and the build quality seems quite solid overall. I thought it was a fun headphone with a good voicing for rock. My impression with the Marshall headphone was around a month ago, in a brief in-store audition. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |