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Product summary
The good: Crisp midrange frequencies and a subdued low end work for all types of music; sleek, minimalist, and lightweight folding design.
The bad: Open-style headphones aren't for everyone; uncomfortable headband.
The bottom line: For the audiophile with champagne taste and beer money, the EDS-200F is an enticing option.
CNET editors' review
- Reviewed on: 09/26/2005
The EDS-200F is part of the rare breed of open headphones, which sit on the ear rather than enclosing it. Though they're lightweight and mostly comfortable (the headband isn't shaped right for every head), they rest loosely on the ear, and some listeners will find it annoying to feel them shift slightly when they turn their heads; in some cases, a quick head turn can even make them fall off. Still others may fear that the lack of enclosure means everyone can hear what they're listening to; however, the EDS-200F's sound leakage is surprisingly minimal considering its open design. The earpieces do swivel on the head strap, which can make them a bit annoying to take on and off, but this is a minor flaw. Visually, MM Gear has hit a home run with the minimal white-plastic design (also available in black), which folds down compactly.
The main--actually, the only--feature here is the two-way speaker design. Each earpiece contains a woofer and a tweeter. Just like with stereo speakers, designating different drivers for different frequencies provides more clarity than having one driver take care of the entire range. Though distortion is less likely with this 20Hz-to-20KHz pair, turning the volume too high will not sound pretty.
It's rare to see a company design lower-end headphones with sound accuracy in mind. Usually, manufacturers boost the bass to hide a headphone's deficiencies. MM Gear has made a clean, crisp (or "crispy," if you prefer the obviously translated manual's description) headphone pair offering real-sounding bass, not the boomy messes that most headsets in this price range offer. On the Arcade Fire's "Neighborhood #2 (Laika)," the kick and tom drums had a natural, generous resonance and thud, while the guitars and vocals were suitably bright and clear. Movie watching and gaming were another story--the low-end rumble was missing, and gamers probably wouldn't want an open-ear design anyway. Overall, though, the EDS-200F is a fine musical headphone pair for the price.
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