Superlux HD-665

300 Customer ratings

4.2 / 5

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67 Reviews

Superlux HD-665
£48
Including VAT; Excluding £10 shipping
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1
SZ
Good specs, especially for drummers, bassists and studio tracking
Stephan Z 17.01.2020
Looking for affordable monitoring headphones ("cans") for studio tracking, I compared Superlux HD660, Superlux HD665, t.bone HD 990D, Vic Firth SiH2 and Beyerdynamic DT-770M to each other and to my DT-770 pro 80. I know, not a really fair reference, but my idea was to seek for cans that would not cost more, preferably less than my DT-770 and still would have proper, useful sound quality. From the models selected, you can guess that acoustic isolation was also a desirable feature, to prevent the sound from the cans bleeding into e.g. a singer's mic and thus saving time cleaning up tracks from this bleed. That is why I also searched among headphones dedicated to drummers. I will review all of the models mentioned, each in their own product page. Here we go for the Superlux HD-665.

As far headphones ever do, the HD-665 does not make you look sexy, rather like wearing Mickey Mouse ears or the type of noise blocking headphones to protect your ears when moving the lawn - and actually, for a great deal, the HD-665 is just that. It claims to reduce noise by 30dBA, and that claim seems fair: it is the only pair of cans I tested that really blocked outside noise significantly (but not completely), and, reversely, let hardly any sound from its drivers bleed into the world outside (all models compared at a similar, "normal" loudness level, of course). This might be a real time saver when it comes to editing and cleaning up recorded tracks!

Its construction is of a simple but sturdy and one-size-fits-all design, that seems to be able to withstand some "heavy use". The ear shells can not be adjusted actively to the size of your head, but they are fitted to a double arc of sturdy metal wire, with a silicone strap stretched transversely between them to rest on your head. The elasticity of this strap allows for adaptation to the size of your head. The metal arc makes the ear shells clamp to your head tightly, but not too tight, which is not only important for comfort of wearing, but also for making the ear pads seal to your head properly for optimal isolation. I have not tested it with other people and am not sure how it will fit on XS or XL sized heads...

On the bottom side of the left ear shell, there is an "appendix" of about 5cm of cable fitted with a 3,5mm stereo jack. This inserts into a 3m extension cable with 3,5mm stereo connectors on both terminals (female-male). To me this appears somewhat unusual: in other models with detachable cord, the cable had male connectors on both terminals, and a female receptacle in one or both ear shells. The connection between "appendix" and extension cable is tight though, minimising the risk of getting disconnected in the middle of the performance of your life, just as is the connection between the extension cord jack and the 3,5-to-6,3mm adapter jack supplied with the HD-665.

As it seems to be designed for drummers especially, the HD-665 sounds a little "boomy" when no tone adjustment is made. By turning down bass a little, and maybe turning up a little treble to your taste, it produces a sound that is pretty much useful for listening to all kinds of content, including monitoring your recorded tracks.

In summary:
-sturdy construction
-good isolation (best of the models I tested)
-fair sound quality, especially after some tone adjustment

And then its price: fair and decent compared to what you get (and much cheaper than the DT-770, as I aimed for!)

All together, this set of cans meets my requirements best! I am keeping it, and order a few more to be able to serve a complete band on a recording session in my one room studio!

BTW: I also compared the HD-665 to Alesis' DRP-100 (not in Thomann's product line and hard to find in stock elsewhere at the time of writing). Except for some minor brand specific differences in appearance, they are fully identical when it comes to build quality, sound, functionality and price, despite spec sheets showing some differences in freq.range and impedance a.o. So if you do not care for the blue (non-detachable) cable of the DRP-100, then the HD-665 is a totally equal choice!
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A
Good Passive Isolation and acceptable sound quality.
Anonymous 11.08.2016
I live in a noisy avenue and I wanted a isolating headphone to practice piano and also to focus only in my music when producing.

The closed-back design of this headphone prevents the audio to leak and cuts off the external audio by a fair amount, just like when I use earplugs to sleep.

Once I put the headphones on, without music I already can't listen the street noise. A dialogue with somebody one meter away from me is already 50% to 70% eliminated.

With music in the minimum volume of my Macbook I can forget about the world's sounds. It really isolates.

Sound quality: I replaced my broken AKG K 240 Studio with a Superlux HD-668 B. They sound nearly the same. Using the HD-668B as a reference, the Superlux HD-665 sounds less clear in the highs (I can't tell whether I'm listening to a 128k MP3 or 192k MP3, in which the HD-668B is instantly recognizable). I made the comparison with an EQ and the highs start to fall from 1K  about 6db/octave. You also lose loads of reverb because of the highs removal. The mix sounds ?boxy?. There is more stereo separation than in the open-back headphone and therefore you can't have a very good stereo image. The HD-665 has loads of bass, as expected, having in mind this is a drummer/bass player headphone and they are responsible for the rhythm section and should play in sync.

The comfort: The HD-668 B weights 251g and the HD-665 372g. This 121g can be wearing if you want to use it for long hours. The headband is in rubber and has a self-adjusting mechanism. It feels a bit tight for me. The ear pad is in synthetic leather and is not replaceable. There is also the issue of the pressure in the ears caused by the isolating format. In my case, I only use it two hours/day so I adapted well to it.

The build quality is good and seems to be a durable headphone. My other Superlux, the HD-668B is with me for about 2 years already and no problems so far.

This headphone is indicated for drummers to play with a group. I think it does the job really well for that purpose.

I recommend it if you want to have control of external noise, track instruments or play with a band. For mixing or mastering I would recommend other models. For listening to music it is pleasant depending in your style, such as hip-hop or electronic, but at the same time, the heavy weight and the pressure can be uncomfortable for a long period listening.
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Can't beat them for the price
Anonymous 01.03.2017
I bought a pair of these for my home studio. needed monitoring headphones for recording with the band and couldn't stretch to spending £100+ each. I also wanted fully closed back headphones to reduce monitor bleed when re-recording vocals. These are comfortable, reasonable sound (good for the prices) and block out soo much ambient sound that the band have to take them off to have any kind of conversation. Worked perfectly for my needs and budget.
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Great drummer headphones at a great price point.
internetdrummer 20.02.2023
I've been using these primarily for practicing with tracks and click. So easy to put on and take off compared to my in-ears. I've also used them instead of my in-ears for live work when I don't need to care what I look like too much.

Fantastic headphones if you're just looking for something robust and easy to use at a good price point. Maybe very slightly warm to wear for an hour or more, but perhaps this is necessary for the great seal they provide? On this point, they block out a lot of noise and make practice very safe, sound-wise.
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A2
Good sound at a lowest price
Alexandre 27 03.10.2018
These headphones are an excelent option for a low budget. Good isolation makes them ideal for drummers. Excelent relation price/quality. Great sound quality with good bass. In order to insulate sound well they make a little pressure on the head, which can be bad after a few hours. Howeer, this is expected on these kind of headphones.
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SG
Good enough
Studio Groove 12.08.2017
Sound is a little dark but isolation is great. I love it.
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Superlux HD-665