Echobox appeared on the market quite unexpectedly and immediately announced two very interesting products: the Explorer player and the Finder headphones. According to the company's representatives, the player is now undergoing final development and release just around the corner, and the headphones were already released last year, and that's what they are talking about today.
In Finder, it attracts so many aspects. Their body is made of aluminum, which provides them with lightness and durability. The compact size ensures that there are no problems with planting, even for owners of small ears. A good radiator with a patented polymer membrane and a silver-plated copper cable give an interesting sound. Headphones , at the moment their price is 200 dollars.
Specifications
- Emitters: dynamic, 9,2 mm
- Impedance: 22Ω
- Sensitivity: 96 dB / mW
- Frequency range: 15 Hz to 35 kHz
- Total Harmonic Distortion: <1%
- Cable: not replaceable, 1.2 m, silver plated copper
- Plug: 3.5 mm TRS
- Body material: titanium
Packing and delivery kit
In the design of the box, the company decided to emphasize that titanium is actively used in the aerospace industry, hence the black "dust jacket" with an unusual iridescent picture and a fragment of Mars. On the reverse side, the positive features of this model are graphically listed. The main box is traditionally made of black cardboard, inside everything is very beautifully and accurately fixed. In the case of filters - even too neat, I had to raskkuchit box with a manicure scissors to remove them. In addition to the headphones themselves, in the kit you will receive:
- three pairs of replaceable filters for tuning sound
- four pairs of single-flange silicone tips of different sizes
- a pair of two-flange attachments
- a pair of three-flange nozzles
- tight snake case for storage
Of course, against the background of the first positive impression from the box, everything else is not so important, but the delivery set is also good enough.
Update: The company changed the design of the box, now it looks like the photo above.
Design and comfortable wearing
In the appearance of headphones, the developers decided to use the most minimalistic approach (sorry for the oxymoron). A very small body of a spindle-shaped shape is made of titanium, which provides it with lightness in combination with strength, and a bonus is in case hypoallergenic. Thanks to the miniature, these headphones have almost no problems with fit and are suitable for any ears. You can wear them both in a behind-the-bucket fashion, and traditionally with a cable down, I prefer the first option, as always.
Of interesting design features can be noted filters, they wind up on the sound guide and allow you to change the handwriting model. Also unusually made are the compensation holes - they are located where the wire enters the headphones.
The cable itself is not replaceable, but it is of fairly good quality: silver-plated copper in soft silicone insulation. It does not harden in the cold and makes little noise due to friction about the clothes, although only the earhunting helps completely to get rid of the microphone effect. It's a little embarrassing that the cable entry point in the headset is not protected in any way, so the headphones require a little more care in handling. The splitter is an ordinary plastic one, the plug is made of metal, it is made in a general style with headphones.
Sound insulation is quite good, primarily depends on the selected nozzles, it is enough for most situations except, perhaps, the noisiest like the subway and airplanes. Wearing headphones is very comfortable. The build quality also does not cause the slightest censure.
Sound
The following equipment was used for listening.
- NuPrime DAC-10H and Resonessence Labs Concero HP as DAC and Amplifier
- Apple MacBook Pro Retina 2013 as a source
- Fidelia as a player
- Fiio X7 and Luxury & Precission L5Pro as portable players
- Ambient Acoustics AM10, Lear BD4.2, Campfire Audio Jupiter and Dunu DN-2000J as headphones for comparison
- High Definition Records in Lossless-formats (Dr. Chesky The Ultimate Headphone Demonstration Disc and others)
Before listening to the headphones were warmed for 48 hours.
In Echobox decided that the market is already full of headphones, which try to play neutral and monitored, so X1 ottyuningovan as an antipode of such a filing. Finder - these are headphones with a tasteful U-shaped AFC, accented on LF and HF. Of course, filters slightly change the situation, but their main influence falls on the bass region. With a white filter installed by default, headphones are a good basshead model. They have a lot of bass, it's vigorous, resilient and powerful, while it keeps well in its place and practically does not crawl to medium frequencies, so the sound does not get cloudy and sluggish, as it happens in bad cheap models. The red filter is an antipode, with it there is very little bass, although it still shows itself occasionally, and the high-frequency range appears in the foreground, which is very powerful in these headphones, although without excessive sharpness. In this modification, headphones are good for styles that require resolution and airiness, although for similar genres it is better to choose the armature.
In general, as you guessed, I, as usual, preferred a black filter, offering an intermediate version between the two extremes.
Bass X1 - a powerful, resilient and quite drivey. This is not the fastest bass in the history of headphones, but its speed is sufficient for most genres. LF very deep and on good sources are able to surprise fans of a powerful filing. At the same time, the bass works well in its place and practically does not crawl on the MF.
The average frequencies barely enough body. The developers decided to give the Finder a certain amount of aggression and made their mid-range fast and vigorous, this is due to the slight lightness of the midrange. However, X1 will please those who love emotions - these headphones work as an amplifier of the nuances embedded in the track, they are underlined and served with great effect. Especially good it sounds on all sorts of heavy music, guitars roar, cymbals ring, guitarists growl - beauty. Due to the emotional and colored presentation, the imaginary scene of the headphones data is about average width and slightly below the average depth, but in general they are created for genres not assuming a large virtual volume. Separation of tools at a decent level, their character is well transmitted.
The higher frequencies here are not that much, but not so few. Finder serves HF in a relaxed manner, not trying to hide them. So if you are sensitive to this part of the range, headphones are unlikely to suit you. Not suffering from HF phobia, this modelka will give enough air and micronuans on the "tops". Different percussion instruments and "iron" sound just fine, favorably shading the bass.
Several comparisons.
Dunu DN-2000. Hybrids from Dunu offer a more intelligent and restrained serve, they have least of all - bass, anger, drive. At the same time, MFs are more weighty, although less emotional.
Dunu Titan 1. Despite the general "titanic" nature, the headphones are very little like. The Dunu model has less bass and less straight-line high-frequency, and the open design gives them a more "wide" sound.
LEar AE-1d. Some of the best dynamic headphones are similar to Finder X1 on midrange, and are more restrained on HF. The bass in the LEar is a little less massive, if you do not wind it to the maximum, and in the maximum position it sounds more blurred.
Pinnacle P1. In addition to the similar price range, these headphones actually have nothing in common, their approach differs in everything. P1 is an intellectual with musical education, Finder X1 is a rocker performing at a beer festival.
Trinity Audio Atlas. Atlas are more typical hybrids, in some ways their V-shape response is similar to X1, but Atlas has less attempts to emphasize emotions and give out a drive, especially where it does not exist and in the recording.
Compatibility
Headphones differ relatively low sensitivity against the background of the average impedance. On the one hand, this makes them not very suitable for use with smartphones and low-power players such as Sony products, on the other hand - they will not make much noise with players that have powerful amplification. Since the headphones are dynamic, they are not critical to the output impedance, and due to their own feed they are better served by neutral sources.
Genre headphones are more or less universal, they are not very good for styles that require ultra-fast bass, like brutal technical metal. With bass filter, the headphones show themselves well on electronic music, with neutral ones on most other styles. To the quality of Finder's records are moderately critical, the main thing is that in the recording everything is fine with high frequency, on a 10-point scale I would estimate their criticality at 7.
Traditionally, several examples.
Mark Lanegan Band - Leviathan. The world is already dead, and only Mark Lanegan mourns for him. Slow, melancholic blues with a small touch of rock under a glass of cognac - what else do you need to set the mood? Like most of Mark's tracks, this one wins very much from X1's delivery: an underlined deep bass and emotional vocals are the key to success.
David Chesky - The Zephyrtine. I did not choose one track from this album, because he listens all as one great work. A vivid example of modern classical music, written so as not to make the listener bored: a lot of unexpected moves, catchy melodies, unusual arrangements. A big role in the album is assigned to different big percussion instruments and the Finder here shows itself in all its glory.
Spiritual Beggars - No Man's Land. I do not think that the Spiritual Beggars need a special representation, after all the patriarchs of the stoner of the scene have been pleased for many years with their albums, even though they do not have much of a stoner. Fresh work entitled "Sunrise to Sundown" was no exception: tightly knocked down reefs, returning us in the 70's, an abundance of keyboards, a small plaque of necessary dirt - all this refreshes the memory of the classical era of the heyday of rock music. It's even hard to believe that Michael Emott, better known by Carcass, Carnage and Arch Enemy, is at the head of this band. Earphones from Echobox and then show themselves on the positive side, giving out the necessary amount of drive.
conclusions
Echobox turned out very interesting headphones. While most modern manufacturers compete in the neutrality and soundness of their products, the Finder X1 boils and gushes with emotions. A lot of bass, a lot of drive, unchained high-frequency - all this X1. If you listen to electronic music, rock, not much brutal metal, and at the same time love emotions - these headphones will suit you well.
The article is based on materials .
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