Post by solderdude on Mar 1, 2017 19:16:39 GMT
The Superlux HD687 has a similar build as the HD681-EVO, but that’s where similarities end.
The cable on the HD687 is detachable. It comes with a 3 meter and a 1 meter cable which can also be combined to create an even longer cable. Also a clip is included so you can fix the headphone plug to the cord and can’t pull it out any more. Personally a find the removable cable just fine as it is. It doesn’t come off easily and when the wire gets caught it unplugs itself.
Alas, the cable is microphonic. This means that mechanical contact sounds, when the cable rubs against clothes for instance, are transferred to the cups and can be heard during quiet passages and silence.
This headphone also comes with gold-plated 3.5 to 6.3mm TRS jack connector. A soft carrying pouch is also included.
Another pleasant addition in the box is an extra set of velours pads. Stock the HD687 comes with pleather pads already mounted.
The headband has a thin layer of rubber on the underside with ‘air filled cushions’.
The shiny surface of the headphone parts are not fingerprint magnets but scratches will be quite visible. Looks-wise it seems to be targeted at younger people or the classier looking Hi-Fi market though.
People with large heads may not be able to correctly place this headphone properly on the head. Just like the HD681-EVO, HD-662-EVO and HD688 the height adjustment range is too limited.
The height can only be varied 15mm. Most other headphones can be adjusted between 25mm and 60mm. The most common range is around 30 – 40mm.
The impedance is around 40Ω which is excellent for connecting it to portable equipment.
The efficiency is high enough so it plays decently loud from most portable devices such as mobile phones and small players.
It has large 50mm drivers which differ substantially from the drivers found in the HD681-EVO. The dome and voice-coil are a lot bigger (25mm ø vs 18mm ø). The magnet assembly also differs considerably. The centerhole in the magnet is bigger and isn’t driversround. Also the damping of the centerhole (which allows the air behind the dome to flow in and out). The damping on the outer side of the voice-coil also differs a lot. When looking at the driver from the membrane side it looks the same as that of the HD688. Looking at the rear side it is obvious they share the same frame but the damping differs. The paper is different and is much more damped (all holes sealed) compared to the HD688 driver. The reason for this is that the HD687 is ‘semi-open’ and the HD688 cup is closed.
The attenuation from outside noises is poor due to the semi-open design. The difference between semi-open and fully open is that in a fully open system you can clearly see the drivers from the outside and the rear sound is directly sent to the outside where in semi-open the rear sound is coming out though ‘ports’. Outside noises can come in just slightly attenuated. People around you can hear what you are listening to. Just slightly more attenuated compared to a fully open headphone.
The clamping force of this headphone was VERY high. Fortunately this can easily be adjusted by locally bending the rods.
They are a bit cheap plastic looking/feeling. The steel rods connecting the ear-cups are thinner and can be bent and twisted without things breaking off or able to bend back. cheapish look about it you can bend the headphone in all kinds of positions and it always comes back in the original position (within limits of course).
The headphone seems sturdier than it appears to be based on its looks. I have had reports of headbands breaking off from HD681-EVO’s though which share the same headband and connection to it.
In the end it is always about the comfort and sound. The comfort part is excellent ! NO complaints there from me, but my head is average sized.
Where the HD681-EVO (in stock condition) was extremely bassy and the mids a bit too muddy sounding the HD687 is quite the opposite. The sub-bass is there but not in abundance. The bass is ‘tight’ but sounds slightly ‘pinched/rolled off’ as opposed to the HD681-EVO which sounds overblown, fat and muddy. The mids of the HD687 sound detailed, loose and realistic and have a slight hint of warmth to it. Maybe on the verge of lacking some clarity. The sound is very spacious and ‘open’. No ‘boxed-in’ or ‘cuppy’ sound at all.
The elevated treble gives the headphone overly-detailed and with some music a slight ‘edge’. For longer listening sessions this could result in listening fatigue. Treble quality and also quantity is better than the HD681-EVO. Above 16kHz it rolls off.
The new Superlux driver certainly is a substantial improvement over the ‘older’ drivers that are still used in the current Superlux line-up.
Below the frequency response of the HD687 with pleather pads. Left and Right channel.
Channel matching is excellent below 3kHz. From <10Hz to 80Hz the bass is about -4dB compared to the mids. From 100Hz to 1kHz the mids are quite linear and have a small ‘hint’ of warmth (slight downwards slope). The area between 1kHz and 5kHz is slightly recessed. Because of this it is slightly lacking in clarity. When your music source is MP3 and Youtube streams then this may well be beneficial. The treble is elevated. Extension goes up to about 16kHz and then gradually drops off. Still, there is plenty of ‘air’ between instruments and there is no sensation of the treble being rolled off.
More information about this headphone can be found HERE
After some mods (not easy to do) I ended up with this:
Sounds VERY good.
Given the fact that the headphone discussed here is merely a prototype chances are the final version that will be in the store may measure and sound different from this one and may also need other modifications, or maybe even none ?
So for this reason no extended measurements of the modified version. When you want to have a look at even more info and the mods then download the PDF.
The cable on the HD687 is detachable. It comes with a 3 meter and a 1 meter cable which can also be combined to create an even longer cable. Also a clip is included so you can fix the headphone plug to the cord and can’t pull it out any more. Personally a find the removable cable just fine as it is. It doesn’t come off easily and when the wire gets caught it unplugs itself.
Alas, the cable is microphonic. This means that mechanical contact sounds, when the cable rubs against clothes for instance, are transferred to the cups and can be heard during quiet passages and silence.
This headphone also comes with gold-plated 3.5 to 6.3mm TRS jack connector. A soft carrying pouch is also included.
Another pleasant addition in the box is an extra set of velours pads. Stock the HD687 comes with pleather pads already mounted.
The headband has a thin layer of rubber on the underside with ‘air filled cushions’.
The shiny surface of the headphone parts are not fingerprint magnets but scratches will be quite visible. Looks-wise it seems to be targeted at younger people or the classier looking Hi-Fi market though.
People with large heads may not be able to correctly place this headphone properly on the head. Just like the HD681-EVO, HD-662-EVO and HD688 the height adjustment range is too limited.
The height can only be varied 15mm. Most other headphones can be adjusted between 25mm and 60mm. The most common range is around 30 – 40mm.
The impedance is around 40Ω which is excellent for connecting it to portable equipment.
The efficiency is high enough so it plays decently loud from most portable devices such as mobile phones and small players.
It has large 50mm drivers which differ substantially from the drivers found in the HD681-EVO. The dome and voice-coil are a lot bigger (25mm ø vs 18mm ø). The magnet assembly also differs considerably. The centerhole in the magnet is bigger and isn’t driversround. Also the damping of the centerhole (which allows the air behind the dome to flow in and out). The damping on the outer side of the voice-coil also differs a lot. When looking at the driver from the membrane side it looks the same as that of the HD688. Looking at the rear side it is obvious they share the same frame but the damping differs. The paper is different and is much more damped (all holes sealed) compared to the HD688 driver. The reason for this is that the HD687 is ‘semi-open’ and the HD688 cup is closed.
The attenuation from outside noises is poor due to the semi-open design. The difference between semi-open and fully open is that in a fully open system you can clearly see the drivers from the outside and the rear sound is directly sent to the outside where in semi-open the rear sound is coming out though ‘ports’. Outside noises can come in just slightly attenuated. People around you can hear what you are listening to. Just slightly more attenuated compared to a fully open headphone.
The clamping force of this headphone was VERY high. Fortunately this can easily be adjusted by locally bending the rods.
They are a bit cheap plastic looking/feeling. The steel rods connecting the ear-cups are thinner and can be bent and twisted without things breaking off or able to bend back. cheapish look about it you can bend the headphone in all kinds of positions and it always comes back in the original position (within limits of course).
The headphone seems sturdier than it appears to be based on its looks. I have had reports of headbands breaking off from HD681-EVO’s though which share the same headband and connection to it.
In the end it is always about the comfort and sound. The comfort part is excellent ! NO complaints there from me, but my head is average sized.
Where the HD681-EVO (in stock condition) was extremely bassy and the mids a bit too muddy sounding the HD687 is quite the opposite. The sub-bass is there but not in abundance. The bass is ‘tight’ but sounds slightly ‘pinched/rolled off’ as opposed to the HD681-EVO which sounds overblown, fat and muddy. The mids of the HD687 sound detailed, loose and realistic and have a slight hint of warmth to it. Maybe on the verge of lacking some clarity. The sound is very spacious and ‘open’. No ‘boxed-in’ or ‘cuppy’ sound at all.
The elevated treble gives the headphone overly-detailed and with some music a slight ‘edge’. For longer listening sessions this could result in listening fatigue. Treble quality and also quantity is better than the HD681-EVO. Above 16kHz it rolls off.
The new Superlux driver certainly is a substantial improvement over the ‘older’ drivers that are still used in the current Superlux line-up.
Below the frequency response of the HD687 with pleather pads. Left and Right channel.
Channel matching is excellent below 3kHz. From <10Hz to 80Hz the bass is about -4dB compared to the mids. From 100Hz to 1kHz the mids are quite linear and have a small ‘hint’ of warmth (slight downwards slope). The area between 1kHz and 5kHz is slightly recessed. Because of this it is slightly lacking in clarity. When your music source is MP3 and Youtube streams then this may well be beneficial. The treble is elevated. Extension goes up to about 16kHz and then gradually drops off. Still, there is plenty of ‘air’ between instruments and there is no sensation of the treble being rolled off.
More information about this headphone can be found HERE
After some mods (not easy to do) I ended up with this:
Sounds VERY good.
Given the fact that the headphone discussed here is merely a prototype chances are the final version that will be in the store may measure and sound different from this one and may also need other modifications, or maybe even none ?
So for this reason no extended measurements of the modified version. When you want to have a look at even more info and the mods then download the PDF.