CanJam London 2016 Show Report
CanJam London 2016 Show Report By Maurice Washington

Headphones

1MORE MK802 Bluetooth Over-Ear Headphone

  The MK802 headphone is in some sorts, an anomaly. How can a headphone that offers much, have a price tag that doesn't quite match? Well, that's good for the consumer, I would say! The colors that are available are vibrant and have a very nice sheen to them. The blue and red matte glossy colors really do pop! Not only does the MK802 headphone have Bluetooth capability, but it also has a bass boost and bass decrease! The bass boost works as advertised and works well with devices or songs that need just a tad more boost in the lower frequencies. Having the bass switch in the middle leads to a sound that has bass, but won't overbear you with gobs of bass in your ears. Having the bass switch in the minus (decrease) almost sounds like a bass decrease and treble boost as a result. The switch alone is a very good selling point. The headphone is lightweight as well, and the earpads may be a little small for large ears, but my regular-sized ears fit in the earpad openings without any issue. The overall sound is a warm, sufficiently detailed, and has good sounding vocals (male and female). This is not the most resolute and coherent sounding headphone, but for the price, and features, it's a great headphone to try out.

What I liked as well was the 1MOREAssistent application on my iPhone!

Extensive burn-in is only a couple of button presses away.

You can set the 1MORE button to launch any music, phone's camera, and third-party chat apps. You can set Hearing Protection to the MK802 also. One of the most interesting features of the application is the "Smart Burn-in", where it goes through several phases by emitting a combination of pink noise, a soundtrack that last about 15 seconds, and also silence as well. The whole process takes around 100 hours. I would advise putting the app on an iPad or a device that doesn't need to be used all of the time, as trying to do the burning in on my phone took on and off about a week and a half.

Sennheiser HD 630VB

The first time I heard this headphone was at CanJam London last year, and to tell you the truth, I didn't like the tonal signature of the headphone. The look of the headphone is perfect for those that like to be seen and want a conversation piece, but not so recommended for those who want to blend in with their surroundings or want to stay largely unseen when it comes to the public not noticing most headphones that are out in the market. Fit is pretty good as it is a very large headphone (the earcups are humongous), but the headband and earpads are very plush and comfortable.

The next year, I heard another one at The Source AV in Torrance, CA, USA a few months ago, and that was when I started to like the HD 630VB more. I have come to the determination that the headphone is especially source/amp dependent, and depending on what you pair it with, can change your interpretations of the headphone based on my experience, and more of a factor than some headphones when I've listened to those with different sources and DAC/amps. Also, the bass level dial is a nice concept, but, you need to make sure to use it sparingly. With a lot of sources, the bass level can sound pretty muddy if the bass level dial is set to its maximum. Halfway at its maximum is a good compromise between higher bass quantity and quality, and a signature that starts to sound smothered with a gob of jumbled and incoherent bass. Once you establish a preferable bass level position and pair it with your favorite source and/or DAC/amp of choice, is when you will find the HD 630VB has a lot to offer.

Bass as mentioned above needs to be dialed in to reach bass delightfulness, the midrange is forward in nature but is coherent, and the treble can be perceived as non-fatiguing, or slightly fatiguing at least partly based on where you set the bass quality/quantity level with the bass level dial. The soundstage isn't the widest and the overall sound isn't the most filled with depth, but what it does do is give you good customization, on-the-fly, to literally dial in a sound that is the best to your ears. Worth an audition!

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Ultrasone Tribute 7 (one of my favorite headphones at CanJam London)

Snazzy looks, very comfortable fit, with such a glorious sound to match. Only 777 are being made, and from the listen with my QP1R, it was a headphone that would be on my short list for overall favorite closed-back that I've ever experienced. So much so that I didn't want to listen to it any longer because then I would be tempted further to purchase one.

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