Looking for Sound Quality on a Budget? Look Here!

The Monoprice 8323 (Mono for short) and the Superlux HD668B (Superlux for short) are two sets of headphones that are constantly recommended in various online discussions and articles as the best budget headphones. The Monos are closed back headphones and available for a little less than the Superluxs which are semi-open back headphones. If you're considering either one, you should really keep on reading before you make a decision. The images below are from Monoprice.com and Aliexpress.com respectively.

Monoprice 8323

The Monos offer great sound quality for $25 (it was even less when I purchased them), so it might seem unfair to judge it so harshly on every other aspect. But for anyone considering purchasing the Monos, it will be extremely helpful. Well, it would've been extremely helpful if I had this kind of information before trying it. This also means that I'm pretty much giving up my conclusion on this first set of headphones, so I might as well just come out and say it: I would not recommend this set of headphones. Well, I realize now that I just wasted time writing the next few paragraphs since there's no point in reading them now, but feel free to humor me and read them anyway.

You can see from the picture, these look like the most boringest headphones on this entire planet of Earth (Archer reference). Which would be totally fine, if that were the only issue. It's not, so read on. It's plain black, mostly plastic, and very flimsy-feeling, so if you're trying to prolong its life, handle with care. Even if you do, the earpads will eventually become brittle and crack, probably within a few months. The housing rotates inwards and outwards, and some people have had issues with the plastic around the joint cracking, though I haven't. I've had other cheap headphones that have been demolished in the same amount of time that I've had the Monos, so at least they've stayed in one piece and still function.

But the biggest issue is the skull-splitting pain (I swear, it almost felt like it was literally destroying my head) caused by the middle of the headband digging into the user's head. Do not take this lightly, this is not at all an exaggeration. I made this mistake, assuming that the weenies online were just more prone to crying than me. I mean, there's padding in the middle right? Those three little bumps on the headband? They might as well be made out of knives for all the good they do. However, this is a well-known issue, and the proposed solution is wrapping the headband with something, though it was still uncomfortable for me. It's a little baffling how the designer could've imagined that this was acceptable for any human being whose head isn't shaped like a cartoon frankenstein monster.

So why did I even bother with these headphones, and why are these regarded so highly among the online hi-fi community? The answer to the first part of that question, is the second part of that question. And the answer to the second part of that question is (and must be) the sound quality. Compared to some random gas station earbuds or headphones, yes, these sound like some real headphones. It struck me how I could hear so precisely when sounds began and ended, especially on the lower end of the spectrum. Also, the different kinds of sounds were more distinct from each other. I was coming from cheap earbuds, so the noise isolation was a nice surprise too. There's not much soundstage to speak of (most of the time the music sounds like it's in the middle of your head), but how much can you really expect for $25?

Even with the disparity between sound quality and price, the only reason I could see for purchasing the Monos would be if your absolute maximum budget was $25. That can't be realistic for most of you reading this, so I would suggest upping your budget to around $50, which will open up much better options. And yes, one of those options would be the Superluxs.

Superlux HD668B

The Superluxs sport a more interesting design; not unfamiliar, but not archetypal at least. It's actually kind of funny in the context of my own chance encounter with them (I'm referring to the fact that I picked this pair up after I had the Monos). If you can recall (all the way back to a few paragraphs above), the Monos were constantly trying to burrow into my skull through the top-center of my head. So I wonder if I was subconsciously motivated to get the Superluxs, since the area targetted by the Monos are mercifully devoid of any pressure due to the suspension of the headband. Whoever came up with that has my eternal gratitude, since it probably aided in the rehabilitation of my skull.

Anyway, the headband suspension works wonderfully, and most of the time, you barely feel like you're wearing headphones. Actually, if they all come from the factory like mine, you might feel a little clamping pressure when you first start using the Superluxs. But no worries--the design, which looks like a headphone's skeleton, can be stretched and pressed to your liking. The only thing missing is a way to adjust the height. You could adjust the pads up top, but that also means changing their angles. So you might not get the perfect fit depending on the dimensions of your head.

As far as downsides go, I suppose I could say that the Superluxs don't seal very well against the side of your head, because the earpads are likely too stiff to conform close enough against your skin. How important this is for open and semi-open headphones, I'm not really sure. Okay, honestly, I don't like the Superluxs' earpads--I was being nice when I said they were "too stiff", a more accurate description would be like "they feel like kitchen sponges coated in plastic". But c'mon! You haven't heard the sounds that come out of them yet, but if you did, you would realize how inappropriate that criticism is. I'm listening to music with them right now as I'm typing this, so I already feel terrible for saying that, even if it's true. What I'm saying is, you'd have to be an incredible asshole to get this kind of sound for under $50 and still go on to complain about any aspect of it, that's all.

So while we're on the topic of sound quality, I want to say that the Superluxs actually live up to the hype for once. Even compared to much more expensive headphones, they sound excellent. The first thing I noticed was the wide soundstage, which isn't too surprising. The wideness of the soundstage would probably stand out to anyone who hasn't used a decent pair of open/semi-open headphones. Additionally, there's an airy quality, almost like you can tell the sounds are moving through some substance, especially in music with prominent vocals, making it sound very natural. But the real eye-opener is the precision and clarity.

When it hit me, my jaw literally dropped. Okay, it didn't drop like in the cartoons, but I actually did open my mouth in awe. Even though I had already experienced a better level of clarity with the Monos, with the Superluxs, I was hearing new sounds and rhythms in songs and pieces that I had been listening to for years! Where there used to be some low indistinguishable grumbling, now were very prounounced bass notes. They actually had different textures; they could be guttural and dirty sounding, or round and bouncy, or smooth and wavy, and much more.

This effect was even more noticeable in the higher notes--the drums, just, simply amazing. Honestly, I've never paid that much attention to drums before, but now I couldn't help but hear how the specific parts of a drumkit produced completely unique sounds, and how they had become so easy to differentiate from each other. Really, it was ridiculous; now I could actually hear sounds to the point where sometimes the image of instrument playing would flash in my head.

Listening to my old music was awesome, almost like their replayability had been extended enormously (or in some cases, miraculously resuscitated). Music that had slowly faded with familiarity over time, suddenly became more complex. Everything now was so layered and busy, and I listened intently, finding new details, and explored the incredibly minute intricacies. Sometimes I would find myself smiling, and had to stop, remind myself to be grateful, and then mentally thanked the headphones. Seriously, it's a beautiful experience, especially if you love music but haven't ever listened through nice hardware.

Any major flaws? Not really, but there are a few things worth mentioning. Some people might find the highs a little harsh. I actually do, but it's not enough to really bother me. With 56 ohm impedance, you might find yourself adjusting the volume quite a bit, since that's probably higher than average for portable headphones in my experience. Obviously, being a semi-open set, people will be able to hear what you're listening to and you'll be able to hear what's going on around you, so they won't be practical everywhere. Anyway, I really think these are all relatively small flaws, especially in light of its strengths.

Summary

To sum it up, if you're looking for cheap headphones, you might come across strong recommendations for these two models, the Monoprice 8323s and the Superlux HD668Bs. But I want to make it very clear that the Monos are so uncomfortable that I would really rethink it even if I were on a tight budget. A much better choice for a little more would be the Superluxs, unless a open-back headphones are not an option. Also, if you have the money to spare, just try them for fun and see if you aren't astounded by what a pair of $50 headphones can do. Thanks for reading, please upvote and follow me for more!