Superlux HD 330PRO,150 ohms, Over-Ear Headphones, Professional Semi-Open Wired Headphones with 40mm Neodymium Drivers and Solid Bass, 3.5mm Jack for Recording Music, Podcast, Studio Monitoring, Mixing

Excellent (After Some Modifications)
I’ve been interested in Superlux since their older 330 model that looked suspiciously like Beyers, but I never got around to trying them. The HD330 Pro 150ohm are a good value at their price, but it took some modifications to make them suit my tastes.First, a PSA: I’ve seen a few reviews that mention that their phone/laptop gets the 150ohm version loud enough — don’t fall for it; you MUST have an amp. While low power devices can make these “loud enough,” volume isn’t the only variable — they need a constant supply of power that a phone or most computers are not meant to deliver. It was never my intention to use these without an amp, but done for testing purposes, I noticed overly-recessed mids, intermittent peaks in the frequency response, and random audio artifacts. Plan to use an amp, or just buy the 32ohm version.Upon first listen [with an amp], the first thing I noticed was that bass response was not as controlled as I’d expect from something labeled as “professional” regardless of price point. I then let the headphones burn-in unattended for 120 hours (there is no significance to this number other than my availability). After that time, the bass was more controlled and the headphones revealed a pleasant V-shaped sound. I then noticed that the soundstage isn’t as wide as other reviewers had led me to believe — in fact, it’s quite similar to that of some of my closed-backs — it’s fine, but not impressive. Further listening revealed what I would best describe as a “veil” that is most obvious in the vocals but present throughout the frequency range — not muddy or muffled, but not quite right. They’re competent headphones as they are, but not the superstars the reviews described. It was time for changes.The included earpads are fairly comfortable, but they cause some mild itchiness after prolonged wear, and I suspected that the velour was to blame for the soundstage and veil, so changing the pads was the obvious starting point. After pad rolling four different sets from my cavernous parts bin, I noticed that regardless of earpads, vocals can sometimes sound a little farther away than I’d prefer — I wouldn’t call them “distant,” just not as close as I’d like. I settled on some AHG perforated sheepskin angled earpads (pics included). Any round 100mm pads will fit, allowing you to find what works for you. With the new pads, the most obvious difference is a soundstage that now rivals some of my open-backs, followed by no more veil — the vocals are clearer, and, well, everything else is clearer, and the highs are so sparkly that some may not like it (I think it’s better that a veil any day). The HD330 Pro have been my go-to headphones since I made the pad change, which means something, because I have more expensive units to choose from.Next on the list was changing the terrible earcup swivels — they work just fine, but their angular design is baffling for an item that is meant to be manipulated by hand. The angles are sharp to the touch — not in a dangerous way, but they feel irritatingly cheap and are actually mildly uncomfortable to my fingers. I swapped them out for some lightly-modified HyperX Cloud II swivels, whose rounded design should have been what Superlux aimed for in the first place (see picture with black pads).Still to do is a detachable cable mod. The built-in cable is prone to tangling, particularly if you insist on rolling it up between uses as I do, and it’s also a pain to stick into a headphone case (not included) without using a cable tie (also not included).Regardless of pads, clamping force is never painful, and the headband (and the headphones as a whole) have remained comfortable throughout continuous multi-hour use — this was an important factor in deciding to spend the time to make the aforementioned modifications. I really like my HD330 Pro now… The thing is, their price (not counting the cable mod to come) would now be $112, not $60. I think these are good enough to try, but if you’re picky, you’ll probably end up spending more than $60, too.