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The Superlux HD681-EVO is put on the market as an 'upgraded version' of the still available HD681 (red trimming version).
Superlux makes the following statement about the HD681-EVO:
The best-selling model HD681 is a high quality headset with rich bass, crystal clear high
resolution and accurate sound field positioning. Now the new HD681 EVO upgraded version
has a completely new, more slender shape and an improved smoother, more neutral, treble
tone. The HD681 EVO easily meets the requirements of stage and studio professionals for a
high-quality sound in monitoring headphones.
The HD681-EVO is in NO way reminiscent of the 'original' HD681 version(s). The looks are
different, the cups are different, the pads are different, the headband is different, the cable is
different, the sound is different ,the price is different and the driver is different.
In stock form the HD681-EVO is a very 'dark' sounding headphone, overly 'warm' with 'fat' bass
but indeed doesn't have piercing highs that characterizes the HD681 series. I think in stock
form it may be popular with young people that listen to a lot of electronic music. A few seconds
of listening was all it took to realise this is NOT an HD681 that has EVO-lved or 'improved' to
MY ears and it doesn't have much of the sonic qualities the original HD681 has (except for having lots of bass). Personally I would have
given it a completely different type- number simply because it IS a completely different headphone in ALL aspects.
There are some similarities though and that is.. the cable is also microphonic (but this cable is detachable like that of the HD668B) and the
pads are still a bit 'sticky' and 'sweaty' after a while, they are also made of vinyl (thick pleather). Admittedly the pads are not exactly the
same. The EVO pads are better looking (stitching and mounting method differs) and are also a bit 'softer' to the touch and slightly thicker.
The headband has a thin layer of rubber on the underside with 'air filled cushions' and
is a bit more friendly to follically challenged heads (like mine) than the plastic ones on
the HD681-series. The shiny surface fortunately is not a fingerprint magnet but
scratches will be quite visible. Not the greatest asset when viewing it from professional
usage standpoint where headphones usually aren't treated gently to say the least.
Looks-wise it seems to be targeted at mobile younger people or the classier looking HiFi market though.
Stevie Wonder and Jeff Healey might actually like the HD681-EVO as it has Braille
markings on it, indicating the letter L and R.
People with good eyesight have to recognise L and R
by a very small and hardly visible small R in a
brownish/red circle on the inside just below the small
headband screw. The newer EVO has a clearer R
The cable concept is similar to that of the also well known and liked HD668B. In other words a very short
piece of cable is dangling out of the left cup. It is a single entry headphone cable and just like with the
most other Superlux headphones the two metal rods that are part of the headband construction are the
'connecting wires' to the other driver. The HD681-EVO comes with 2 wires of different lengths which can
also be connected in series making an even longer wire. A bonus of this construction is that when for
some reason the cable is pulled upon it simply disconnects instead of ripping the whole headphone of your head or breaking a cable or
expensive equipment. Purists, however, will frown about these extra connections as well as the EVO not being dual entry, I have no such
reservations and feel re-cabling is only needed if you want different lengths or a more supple or less microphonic cable, not everyone will
agree with me there though.
The big question is if this headphone is worth the price..... well that depends. If you are looking for a headphone that sounds neutral and
doesn't need any modifications I would suggest the HD668B, If you want a more 'fun' headphone with a modern look perhaps the HD661
(although a bit shrill at times) . If you aren't afraid of hot treble the HD681 and HD681-B could make a better choice. Only when you hate
hot treble and love excessive warmth and pronounced bass (as in opposed to 'tight' clean bass) the EVO is a good choice.
In various forums there have been some remarks about the HD681-EVO and it seems they listened and
above all acted on the comments.
Only a few months after it's initial launch an improved version of the HD681-EVO is
already out there. Sound wise it did not change much at all but the newer version has
an improved headband tensioning mechanism. The differences between the tension
rubbers (silicone) are shown on the left. Upper one is the 'older' version, the bottom
one is of the newer version. Another difference is the addition of velour pads, velvet
pads included is mentioned on the box of the newer version.
Another change that is made becomes visible as soon as the pads and foam disc is
removed. The 'acoustic paper' that covers the 6 holes and let some of the sound waves from the rear of the
drivers enter the 'ear chamber'. The differences are shown on the
picture on the right and is the best way to tell the two 'versions' apart as there are no visual clues on
the outside. The differences in sonic signature are negligible in my opinion though. Can't tell if
Superlux also changed the drivers themselves but measurements suggest this is probably not the
case. The addition of the velour pads with NO increase in price is admirable !
Of course, those reading this article will probably like to know IF this headphone can be made to
sound a lot more neutral. The good news is.... yes... it can be made into an excellent sounding
headphone with some effort. With very few extra funds, the modified HD681-EVO will give more
expensive headphones a good run for their money.
Superlux headphones are excellent value for money anyway and can easily compete with MUCH
more expensive headphones. Those that like to read about the HD661 as well as the HD681 and it's
modifications can do so in the article 'HD681.... revisited' and 'Superlux HD-661'.
These articles can be found here: http://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/schematics/headphone/
If you find the HD681-EVO way to bassy and lacking clarity and mids, all it takes may be to remove the original pads, pull off the felt (only
glued around the edges) and fit the (oval) T50RP pads.
A little bit of searching on the web will yield a few addresses where these pads can be purchased. In the Fostex T50RP modification scene
some people might be able to supply you with a pair of those pads as well.
Driver properties
So far we have been looking at one driver only to make comparisons and see what changed but headphones have 2 drivers and they have
to 'match'. Both sides have to play equally loud at each frequency. Even with more expensive headphones there can be considerable
differences between both drivers that may reach several dB's.
On the left the FR plot of the left and right driver of a stock
HD681-EVO (so with felt over the driver) in one plot.
Blue trace is Left driver, Red trace is Right driver.
As this wasn't a review sample that could have been selected to
perform best but was bought in a store we can assume this is a
representative sample of what has been put on the market.
Driver matching seems excellent. The differences above 10kHz
should not weigh too heavy as they could very well be caused by
slightly different positions on the test rig as well.
Some headphones have wildly varying impedances indicating
resonances. When the impedance rises a factor two or more and
the headphone is driven from an amplifier that has a high output
resistance these headphones can sound a lot different. This is
explained in the article 'resistance, impedance and other issues' found on: http://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/tutorials/articles/. We can
measure the impedance but would have to calculate the effect it has on the sound. It is thus easier to measure the effect different output
resistances have on the HD681-EVO from an amplifier (Project Ember) in 2 settings (0.1 and 120).
Blue trace = 0.1 output R, greenish trace = 120 output R
It seems there is very little influence in the frequency response
aside from the 13dB drop in SPL which was compensated for.
The plot was compensated in amplitude so it is easier to see
what happens in the frequency domain. At the point where the 2
lines deviate there is some influence and this generally points to
resonances. For the higher frequencies the deviation is not
caused by resonances but rather by a rising impedance caused
by the inductance of the voice coil.
The deviation at the main resonance point (around 50Hz) is only
boosted about 0.5dB indicating the impedance has not risen
much at that point. We can also see a VERY small deviation
around 800Hz, 3kHz and 5kHz indicating resonances. Above
10kHz the inductance of the voice-coil makes the impedance rise
and thus starts to deviate. The original HD681 shows similar
behaviour regarding a change in FR. The drop in overall SPL,
however, can easily invoke the feeling the sound changes
considerably while in reality the real change isn't that big.
Of course frequency range behaviour doesn't tell the whole story and the most feared,and on 120 considered 'ruined', damping factor
might show itself more in CSD (waterfall) plots as these plots show how the sound decays over time when the sound is suddenly muted.
As can be seen the HD681-EVO does not behave very different on vastly different output resistances. This IS a very good thing because
the electronic filter that is going to be discussed on page 6 uses resistors in this range.
The addition of the velvet pads is something that increases the comfort
significantly and at no extra costs is a really nice gesture.
The quality of these velvet pads is very nice and very feel quite comfortable.
The pads are easy to replace.
Using velour pads from the AKG K240 headphone was one of the very few
possible fixes for the pleather pads that become 'sticky' and hot after a
while. Also the material has slightly different properties for sound also.
The price of the K240 pads (included shipping) is about the same as that of
the HD681-EVO by itself. With this newer version this is not needed
anymore.
On the left the differences in sonic signature between the pads.
Stock pleather pad versus Velvet pad, left channel only.
As can be seen there is no difference in the lows. The mids between 200Hz
and 1kHz are slightly raised (max 1.5dB). The biggest differences can be
found in the highs above 5kHz. The sharp dip at 6kHz is now gone and the
response is less 'ragged' above 10kHz as well. Subjectively it sounds that
way as well.
To have a small look in the kitchen of headphone manufacturers it is always fun to play with 'vents' and holes present in the headphone
cups and find out what they do and if that can be used to (drastically) change the sound by (partly) covering them. Some experiments.
Above the influence that covering (some) of the rear vents on the
rear of the driver enclosure has on the sound.
All vents sealed with tape
Only round vents sealed with tape
Only upper and lower vents sealed with tape
all vents open (stock)
Covering the ports/holes does not influence the lows but does
influence the sound between 400Hz and 2kHz. Covering the vents
changes the frequency and the amplitude of the dip around 1kHz.
Covering the upper and lower vents on the rear combined with sealing 2 'ports' on the baffle around the driver gives a nice tonal balance.
In this case 2x 22F/25V polar electrolytic capacitors will become an 11F/25V bipolar capacitor which is close enough to replace the
10F. Of course 22F/35V or 22F/50V can also be used.
R1 and R2 can be small sized resistors, power rating can be anything between 0.4W & 1W.
Resistor R1 determine how MUCH lows are filtered. The effect of a few
different practical values is shown on the left.
Magenta trace = 0
Yellow trace = 22
Red trace = 33
Blue trace = 68
Green trace = 100
You can select the amount of 'bass' and 'warmth' you will need. This will
depend on the used pads.
For K240/stock/velvet EVO pads 82 is optimal for a 'flat' sound.
For K240/stock/velvet EVO pads 56 is optimal for a 'fun' sound.
For SRH-940 pads 68 is optimal for a 'flat' sound.
For SRH-940 pads 47 is optimal for a 'fun' sound.
The filter section that controls the highs consists of L1 and R2. The felt pads have to be removed for this trick to work. This will also extend
the higher frequencies and make instruments sound more 'airy'.
L1 = 1mH, it's resistance should not be higher than 2.5 and must be
able to handle 150mA. Mind the physical size when ordering as low
resistance types can be huge in physical size.
Because the highs don't need to be lowered that much smaller steps can
be made. On the left the effect of a few resistor values is shown.
Blue trace = 0
Yellow trace = 10
Orange trace = 22
Green trace = 33
Values above 39 won't affect the filter action any more.
For those that don't like highs 33 will do just fine.
For those that want a bit of extra 'sparkle' 15 to 22 might be better.
In case half of the felt disc is used a 470H and 22 is needed this
modification is described on page 12.
A very fairly familiar sight to those who have seen the drivers from many
other Superlux headphones and of the Samson SR850 and Presonus
HD7. The picture on the right is of the Samson SR850 driver.
Notice the 'acoustic Damper' sticker that is present on these models
and is NOT present on the HD681-EVO.
On the right the 3 different parts and their relative sizes. The small felt disc is the
one that will be removed for this modification. Of course it can always be glued
back in case you like what it did to the sound. Some people prefer rolled off treble,
others don't.
After the screw has been removed the side panel can be pried off.
It won't come off easy though, so you have to bend /wiggle the side
panels a bit outwards. Pull it ONLY sideways near the headband.
When it came loose slide the plastic side panel a bit downwards.
This is needed in order to free the plastic side panel as on the bottom
side it is hooked. Observe how the side panel slides over 2 pins near
the cup. The 'chrome' insert is loose and you need to remember how
it was placed and be careful when re-assembling this part later on.
The rods carry the signal to the right channel driver, similar to how this is
done on the original HD681 as well as MANY other headphones.
Personally I am not bothered by this construction and am of the opinion
such a construction is NOT detrimental to the sound in any way.
Purists may hold another belief and might question the 'quality' of the
conductors (rods) and fear extra solder joints are detrimental to the sound.
Remove the screw that holds the cup.
You will end up with the cup looking like the picture on the right.
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In case you want the lowest part (20Hz to 100Hz) of the frequency
range lowered a bit more you can add some wool in the driver
compartment. The effect of this is discussed on page 5 and as a
reminder shown below. The turquoise trace is with very densely
packed wool, the blue trace is without any wool.
Make sure to use the exact same amount of wool on both drivers !
Place the paper filter as shown on the left and carefully align the cup holder (the holes
must be aligned) and push it back in place.
Mount it on the headband assembly and tighten the screw.
Resolder the wires exactly like they were connected before. Isolate the blue wire, that
is connected to the red wire from the driver assembly, with some shrink tubing or
isolation tape. Tuck all the wiring nicely inside the boundaries of the headband part so
the plastic panel can close correctly and doesn't catch or mutilate any of these wires
while putting it back together.
Observe how the headband tensioning mechanism works and make sure everything
slides freely in its proper position and everything aligns perfectly.
Make sure the plastic side-panel catches onto the hooks (highlighted in the picture on
the right) of the driver assembly and pull it upwards towards the headband. The chrome
top plate (shown below in red) has an indent and the side-panel must be aligned so it
falls into a small slot in the side-panel. Press everything together till it snaps shut.
Mount the small screw that holds the side-panel.
Repeat the process for the cup on the right side. Make sure to
note the wire orientation from the driver assembly to the rods.
If these wires are accidentally swapped you will get a weird fuzzy
stereo image.
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All these modifications have one goal and that is to obtain a much 'flatter' and accurate frequency response that is more true to the actual
recording. The results shown below are made with the 'older' HD681-EVO without the felt discs and R1 = 68 , L1 = 1mH and R2= 39.
When you are of the opinion the HD681-EVO sounds perfect as is and you like the overly warm sound signature with huge bass you need
not bother doing all these modifications, just enjoy it as it is. If, like me, you feel the headphone needs some improvements I can highly
recommend the described modifications.
If you would only like the bass to be slightly less than all you need is a lot of dampening wool behind the driver or only the C1/R1 section
and use 10F with 22 for R1. If you feel the highs are good as it is leave the felt in place. If you like to spice up the highs slightly simply
remove the felt disc.
However if you want this headphone to become a far more accurate headphone and/or tune it to your taste the complete filter in an
extension cord with the resistors replaced by small linear potentiometers or trimmer potentiometers. When you have set it to your
preference you can replace the potentiometers by fixed value resistors and leave it in an extension cord or mount it inside the cups.
I found the values for R1 = 68, R2 = 39 and L1 = 1mH to give the
'flattest' sound. The headphone went from 'dark' to 'accurate',
a total transformation of the sound.
For a more 'fun' headphone I recommend R1 = 33-56, R2 = 10-22
and L1 = 1mH
The sound also changes slightly with different pads .
I found the Shure SRH940 pads to be the most comfortable and best
sounding option, closely followed by the AKG K240 velour pads.
On the left, a plot of the filtered HD681-EVO with SRH940 pads and some
dampening wool in the rear of the driver (blue trace) compared to the
stock (orange trace) version.
A plot of both channels of the end result (filter, SRH940 pads and some
wool). Some very slight imbalance between L and R drivers below 200Hz
is visible but below audible detection. This could be 'tuned' a little by either
varying the value of R1 or changing the amount of damping materials. In
this case the imbalance is caused by both drivers having somewhat
different amounts of wool.
The sound of this headphone is very 'balanced' and may not be liked by
every one. For this reason I recommend to play with filter values in order to
find the sound that suits your taste.
As with everything in life each upside has a downside. On page 4 it can be seen that different output resistances of amplifiers have little to
no effect on how this headphone sounds. WITH the filter, however, a different output resistance will have a pronounced effect on the sound
as the filter action is (partly) undone.
In order to make the headphone perform as in the frequency plot above the output resistance of the amplifier must be low (<5 ).
Most modern amplifiers and portable equipment fall in this output resistance range by the way.
For those using amplifiers with different output resistance settings this dependency provides a fun 'tuning' possibility.
The higher the output resistance of the used amplifier the more V shaped the modified HD681-EVO becomes.
The turquoise trace is taken with the output resistance of the amplifier (in
this case the 'project Ember') in 120 setting. The orange trace is taken in
0.1 setting. The 35 setting is not shown but falls exactly between these
2 traces.
This plot is made with the stock pads.
With the filter and different output resistance settings this headphone can
be made to sound either accurate, a bit more fun and to have a big, but not
overwhelming, bass by a simple selection of another output resistance.
For those interested in the amplifier designs used (all with selectable output resistance) and the original HD681 as well as the HD661
modifications these can be found in the links below:
HD681, HD681-EVO and HD661 modifications: http://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/schematics/headphone/ (scroll somewhat down)
Project Sunrise-II, Horizon, Starlight and Ember amplifiers: http://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/schematics/amplifier/ (scroll down a bit)
Remark, comments, discussions and more background information can be found on this forum: http://diyah.boards.net/ in the HD681-EVO
thread. I can be contacted on this forum as well in case it is needed.
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Velour Cushion For Superlux hd681 Series hd681f hd681b hd 681f 681b Headphone
I believe these are the same pads as the descriptions listed below.
Ear pads earpad replacement for AKG K240 K240S K240 STUDIO K240 MKII headphones
Velour Cushion For SUPERLUX HD668B HD669 HD 668B 669 Pro Studio Headphones
The finish quality is not great but they are comfortable and soft and are easy to fit on the
HD681-EVO and sound very good on the HD681-EVO but not good on the HD681/K240.
Similar pads can be bought from Ryan's store on Aliexpress:
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/606703 look for: Ear pads earpad for
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