Hello!
A few months ago I was lucky enough to become the owner of a headset Meizu HD-50, which I was extremely happy about. I want to share with you my thoughts on this headset after a short period of owning it. This is not a review or operating experience, but rather thoughts out loud about the headphone form factor, which is unusual for me.
Being more kinesthetic, I involuntarily draw attention to the features of the ergonomics of the devices – I even chose the car from the point of view, first of all, from the point of view of comfort, so I appreciate this parameter in the headphones on the same level with the sound quality.
Introduction
I would like to start with the fact that before owning the hero of today's article, I did not use on-ear headphones as the main ones. Moreover, I frankly disliked on-ear headphones, although at home there is one model of good monitor headphones from Sennheiser, as well as on-ear bluetooth headphones from Beats (donated by my brother for some holiday, but never used). Therefore, having received in use, and then unexpectedly, in possession of this headset, unexpectedly for himself became the owner of overhead headphones. Hereinafter, I will sometimes refer to this headset as headphones, since by and large I use the HD-50 more as headphones.
The first thing I would like to draw your attention to is the materials. Very nice material for ear pads and headbands. Yes, this is not genuine leather, but just an imitation, or, as it is now fashionable to call it, eco-leather, but this does not make the headphones worse, rather the opposite. The material is practical, soft and very pleasant. The aluminum cups and critical structural elements add reliability and allow you not to worry about strength. With this, complete order. However, these pluses are sometimes also minuses, as discussed below.
Ear pads and body
Metal and artificial leather. It would seem like a win-win for inexpensive headphones. However, there are some nuances here. To begin with, after several months of use, the headband and ear pads remained practically in the form in which I took them out of the box, without getting dirty or worn out, which is definitely a plus. At the same time, as a very 'lucky' user in this regard, I had one annoying nuisance – at some point I noticed an adhering speck or speck on one of the ear pads and tried to wipe it off first, and then, seeing the futility of attempts, to scrape it off with a fingernail. As a result, damage to the coating, under which the synthetic base is visible.
Unpleasant, but not fatal. Fortunately, the damage is not in the most prominent place. They still can't get their hands on it (yeah, it's at the repairman). One day I will resolve this issue, but for now I walk like this. ? Most importantly, remember that the eco-leather of this headset is a very delicate material and does not like barbarian nail polishing. But, I repeat, it is very pleasant to the touch and comfortable to use.
Another point is the peculiarity of processing a cup in the form of milled circles. On the one hand, thanks to such processing, there are practically no fingerprints on the case, on the other hand, dirt gets into such a notch over time, which looks untidy.
Size and fit
On this parameter, there is one remark – Meizu did you make a headset for giants? I wear it at the minimum volume setting, pushing the cups all the way into the headband. If you pull out the telescopic arches to the full, you get the feeling that the headset was created to be worn with a hat with earflaps. It becomes truly huge. Moreover, for most of my friends who tried it on with me, the headset turned out to be large, and the headphones turned out to be slightly lower than we would like. This is also worth bearing in mind if you are planning a purchase. Before buying, I recommend trying it on for yourself.
Despite this miscalculation, if it fits you in size, it sits very comfortably on your head and does not cause inconvenience and discomfort even with prolonged wear. It fits the head very delicately and, thanks to the soft ear pads, does not put pressure on the ears at all. For this parameter, plus. The only small remark is that the headband could have been made a little tighter so that the headphones were a little more secure on the head. But this is nitpicking, since then, perhaps, the wearing time without discomfort will suffer.
Construction reliability
During operation, there are only minor remarks on this parameter:
- In the process of wearing, an incomprehensible crunching effect appeared when the headphones were first unbend before putting them on the head. When you unbend the headband to put the headphones over your head, there is a strange crunching sound in the middle, which, however, does not affect the elasticity and strength of the headset. But it's still strange, and a little annoying.
- The second point is the wire plugs at the end of the hinge. On the one hand, the plastic plug sticks out at an angle, and does not want to stand in the place intended for it. I already pulled it out completely in order to establish it as laid out, and corrected it – everything was in vain. I had to accept and walk like that. But I remember this and I am haunted by this fact.
- Hinges. A very successful design in terms of convenience has one flaw – the hinges are loose and the headphones rotate freely for the entire hinge stroke, although in theory they should be fixed in each of the positions. But this is a trifle, since it does not interfere on the head, and it is not visible in the bag.
At the same time, it is worth noting the design itself – it is very successful in terms of compactness. I have never understood from other manufacturers the design in which the headphones simply fold inward while remaining as wide and uncomfortable to carry as their awkward counterparts. In the HD-50, this parameter is in complete order – the cable can be unfastened, and the headphones can be folded inward and sideways, forming a flat, compact design, easy to carry not only in a backpack, but also in a business briefcase. Bravo.
Cable
There are several comments on this parameter at once.
- The cable in the white version (and I have just this one) gets dirty. And it happens unnoticed. And then you look, and the cable is already gray and not white. The issue is solved with soap. But there is a risk of flooding the remote control, so you have to be careful.
- Secure attachment of the cable in the earphone. Flies out at the slightest tension. This is annoying. You sit, listen to music, get up, accidentally catching the cable with your elbow – bam, and it flew out. On the one hand, this way it will last longer, since it will not break off inside, but on the other hand, such flights are annoying.
- Sound quality. Surprisingly, with a third-party cable without a remote control, the headset sounds better. Here's an unusual effect. What is the reason for this is not clear, but the fact is interesting. Meizu is worth taking note of.
Remote controller
Having used the remote control, I decided to make a small 'upgrade' for myself – I gently dripped epoxy resin onto the central button in order to somehow make the remote control more informative to the touch. Before such an improvement, it was very problematic to understand which of the three buttons under the finger, since the remote control, despite its size, is not very informative. Now it's order.
Felt even through thick gloves. Another gripe is the quality of the microphone. It's pretty mediocre. The interlocutors often complain about a dull sound 'like from a barrel', so when making a call I prefer to pull the plug out of the phone and speak without a headset, or bring the remote control close to my mouth.
Also, the size of the remote is not good for him. Sharp large edges cling to clothing (remember the unreliable plug fastening), and strive to pull the cable out of the earpiece with a careless, sharp movement.
Sound
But all these flaws are atoned for by the sound quality. I am not a professional musician, and I cannot boast of perfect hearing, but at the same time I cannot say that a bear has stepped on my ear, and I love high-quality sound. I really liked the HD-50 in this parameter, and I have nothing to add here, except that thanks to this headset I looked at the on-ear headphones differently and started using them on an ongoing basis.
conclusions
Despite minor flaws in ergonomics and design flaws, the HD-50 made a very favorable impression on me, and for several months now it has remained my main headset, and numerous earbuds and plugs are in my bag 'just in case'.
If there are owners of such a headset among our readers, I would like to hear your impressions on this matter. Also, if you have alternatives that you think are better in this price range (3500-5000 rubles), I will be happy to hear your opinion, and as usual, I am ready to discuss it in the comments.