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Superlux HD330 Review [With Video]

by Stuart Charles Black
Published: Last Updated on

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1,966-word post, approx. 4-5 min. read

Updates:

  • 6/30/19. Added links to Ali Express.
  • 9/9/19. Added some buttons and a Pros & Cons box at the bottom.
Superlux HD 330 Review

A Bass Head’s Dream.

It’s not everyday you come across a headphone that looks exactly like a DT770.

But that’s exactly what we have in the Superlux HD330.

Should you buy it?

I would say that’s most certainly a resounding YES.

Why?

Here are 5 reasons:

  1. Price to performance ratio. This this is very affordable but sounds a lot better than it’s price would indicate.
  2. It can be easily modified and in fact should be. The pads are very interchangeable and take almost no effort to swap out.
  3. Build quality is rock solid. It’s astounding that a headphone in this price range could feel so rugged. It does borrow a lot from Beyerdyanmic in terms of aesthetics and materials, but everything is of high quality here.
  4. The sound is fantastic. There’s plenty of bass, detail, and articulation here. This is a headphone that will get you really pumped up about playing music.
  5. It’s extremely comfortable with velour pads. I can wear these for hours on end without needing to take a break.

Interested?

 

Need a full review?

Let’s get right into it!


Table of Contents

Click to navigate the review!

Introduction
Specifications
Comfort
Build
Sound & Imaging
My Video Review
Photo Gallery
Genre Pairing
Amplification
Final Word


Introduction

I got a chance to demo the HD330 because a friend of mine from YouTube was nice enough to send them to me. He (Cory) also sent me the Tin Audio T2 which I absolutely loved as well.

The HD330 resembles a standard Beyerdynamic headphone in nearly every aspect.

As my friend Trey so eloquently stated on YouTube: “LOL they said F it we gonna jack the Beyer design.”

Jack it they did, Trey.

The headphone fits and feels like a Beyer, but actually feels a bit more durable if you can believe that.

All in all, I really enjoyed my time with them.

End of review.

Just kidding.

Let’s get into Specifications…

Specifications

  • Price: Check Amazon! | Check Ali Express!
  • Type: Semi-Open.
  • Fit: Circumaural.
  • Driver: Dynamic. What is a Headphone Driver?
  • Impedance: 150 Ohm.
  • Sensitivity: 96dB/mW.
  • Cable: Coiled.
  • Termination: 3.5mm. with 1/4″ adapter.
  • Weight: 324g with cable, 244g without.

What about comfort?

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Comfort


This is just about the best comfort level I’ve experienced on a headphone in quite awhile. I’d compare it to something like a Sennheiser HD600 or HD650.

It’s just that good.

Not once in my 2 months of demo did I have to really take them off because I couldn’t stand it anymore.

In fact, I rarely even made an adjustment when they were on my head. Do keep in mind that Cory modified these with the HPAEC940s. Highly recommended. They are some of the best pads ever.

They are velour and fantastically snuggle bunny supreme.

Clamp force is just right, and the headband has some nice padding, again, similar to something like a DT770.

All in all?

COMFORT SCORE: A+

How about build?

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Build


The build on these is top-notch.

The piece that connects the ear cup to the headband is vintage Beyerdynamic and is made of metal. I feel like you could drop this headphone multiple times and it would be just fine.

It doesn’t fold up, but the ear cups move inwards and outwards.

The headphone jack terminates in a 3.5mm, and I do believe comes with a standard 1/4″ adapter.

The cable itself is coiled and seems more well thought out than something like the Sony MDR V6’s coiled cable. That one tends to tangle in on itself after a year or two of heavy use, but the HD330’s seems like it will retain its shape a lot better.

The headband padding also borrows from the DT line from Beyerdynamic, as it’s button-up and feels great on my head. I don’t find the headphone digging into my skull after extended use, which is another positive about this model.

On the outside of the cups, we have a very solid grille, which kind of resembles the look of the HD600/650’s grille. I’m not exactly sure what it’s made of but feels durable enough. There’s a blue strip indicating that this headphone is indeed made by Superlux, and reads their name, logo, link to their website, and the HD330 text towards the right-hand side.

As a minor nitpick I didn’t like the fact that they displayed the website, as it wasn’t written correctly. There was no colon after “http” so it looked kind of awkward and unprofessional.

The other thing that was a bit confusing is the 150 Ohm lettering on both sides of the ear cup/headband connector. It says “professional right 2x 150 Ohm” Not quite sure what that means. I think it would have been less confusing if they just put “150 Ohms” which is what the Impedance is. But I digress.

Those minor things aside, the overall build on the HD330 is nearly immaculate.

BUILD SCORE: A+

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What about the sound?


Sound & Imaging


I like to think of this as a slightly more subdued V-shaped headphone. It reminds me a lot of the excitement I get from the Sennheiser HD25 even though the two signatures aren’t really that similar in terms of raw frequency response/graphs.

Here’s a measurement I did with the HD330. Do take note that there’s a typo where it says “With Brainwavz Velour Padding.” The measurement was done with Cory’s pads that I linked earlier. This measurement isn’t perfect as I’m still learning, but it will give you a pretty good idea of how these sound. I do plan on doing some more sweeps with these, so stay tuned!

Superlux HD330 Graph and Measurements
Superlux HD330 Review
Superlux HD330 Graph and Measurements

There’s a bit too much treble energy around 6-7k resulting in some fuzz, but other than that I love the overall sound that this headphone delivers.

Cory was spot on when he told me about how good the Soundstage was for an open back like this. It really does space things out considerably well, and makes an excellent Gaming headphone should you need something very affordable. Related: The Best Headphones for Gaming

The other thing I noticed right off the bat was how well the bass is rendered. It doesn’t sound cheap, clammy, bloated, or any of that. For a headphone in this price range that’s fairly astonishing.

Yes, the treble around 6-7k can get a bit metallic and kind of fuzzy/artificial sounding. Luckily it’s not a deal-breaker and doesn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the sound signature as a whole.

The mid-range is a bit recessed, but there’s a presence peak around 2-3k that sounds really good and really revealing without being irritating. I don’t feel as if the vocals or instruments are shouting, and that’s most certainly a good thing.

For rock music, this is one of the best headphones you can buy alongside something like an HD25. The HD330 sounds incredible with Rage Against the Machine specifically. There’s an intense amount of weight and impact to the tracks, and though the treble is definitely a hare bright, it ends up being just the right amount. You can see me demoing the HD330 with the ifi micro iDSD Black Label in the video below.

Mike over at Headfonia wrote a great review on the Superlux HD330, HD440, and HD660, echoing my sentiments exactly:

“But these Superluxes are different. Take the usual standard of Superlux headphone drivers (which is excellent for the price), and tune them to be forward, engaging, and fun with punchy bass. Say hello to the best Rock headphones under $100.”

Yeah, that pretty much sums up how these sound. Incredibly engaging to the point of you wanting to bang your head.

SOUND & IMAGING SCORE: A-/A+

Let’s take a break and watch a video!

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My Video Review

Note: This was right before I changed up the logo/tagline. 🙂

Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe to my growing channel. Any support is much appreciated 🙂

How about some photos?

Photo Gallery

Click to see the HD330!

Superlux HD 330 Review
A Bass Head's Dream.

What do they pair well with?


Genre Pairing


This type of sound works extremely well for stuff like Rage Against the Machine, Chon, Plini, Animals as Leaders, Scale the Summit, anything with real crunchy guitars, Rap, and Hip-Hop, as well as pretty much anything that strikes your fancy. Of course, you can include Rock in there as well. I found that it also did extremely well for Jazz. I was really surprised by this all things considered.

Expect to sit down and be able to watch movies and Games as well. They just do a really great job with Imaging and width, which is also why Jazz sounded so good. You’ll start to hear things outside of your immediate vicinity which was a nice added touch to an otherwise more intense sounding headphone.

It just seems to be a great all-rounder which is fairly surprising if you look at a graph. Upon first glance, it looks like a typical V-shaped headphone, but I think the fact that it is semi-open has a lot to do with how great of a job it does with separating instruments and vocals.

You’ll be really pleasantly surprised by the bass response first, followed by the nice clarity, and then later on Soundstage. What is Soundstage?

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Will you need an amp?


Amplification


Like a DT770, it’s not that efficient at 96dB Sensitivity, but has a lower Impedance at 150 Ohm vs. 250, although the 770’s also come in 80 and 32 Ohm as well. What is Headphone Impedance?

I would say an amp is highly recommended but not outright mandatory for a headphone like this.

You’ll definitely be better off with one than without though. If you need some help in choosing, check out: How to Choose a Headphone Amp

I used the HD330 out of an Oppo HA2, as well as the ifi micro iDSD Black Label which sounded phenomenal.

What I would recommend starting out is the FiiO E10K. It’s got plenty of power for the HD330 and is a solid all-around first investment as it’s very affordable.

Please don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe to my growing channel. Any support is much appreciated!

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So what’s my final grade?


Final Grade


These get an A- today. Not a perfect headphone but very very good.

The treble does hold them back a bit and indicates that you did in fact pay less than $100 as opposed to something in the mid-fi audiophile range. Still, this headphone comes dangerously close to being on par with something in the $300 range, which is extremely impressive considering it’s basically a Beyer knock-off.

Clarity, Imaging, Soundstage, and especially the bass response are all phenomenal. The mid-range is a bit scooped but has some nice presence around 2-3k.

All in all, the Superlux HD330 is a more-than-worthy investment, and I wholeheartedly recommend it if you’re a fan of music, movies, and gaming.

Interested?

 

 

Well, that’s about it for today my friend. I do hope you’ve enjoyed this Superlux HD330 Review, and came away with some valuable insight.

Questions? Comments? Requests? Did I miss the mark on something? Please let me know down below or Contact me!!

So would you consider investing in this headphone? I would love to hear from you. Until next time…

All the best and God bless,

 

 

-Stu

[Xtr@Ba$eHitZ]

Can’t decide which headphones to purchase? Interested in a complete buyers guide outlining over 40 of the best options on the market? Click on over to the best audiophile headphones to learn more!!

Be sure to also check out our Reviews and Resources page for more helpful and informative articles!

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Superlux HD 330

4.75

Sound Quality

4.8/5

Build

5.0/5

Comfort

4.9/5

Soundstage

4.3/5

Pros

  • Great Build
  • Fantastic Comfort
  • Exciting, Lively Sound
  • Versatile with many genres

Cons

  • A bit sibilant/essy around 5-7k

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2 comments

Jack March 25, 2021 - 4:28 pm

What a thorough & detailed review. Really looking forward to getting my hands on these cans! I left my SR850s (same as the HD681 I think) under a bar table 🙁 they’re the only open back headphones I’ve tried- the soundstage and rattling but tight deep bass amazed me. If these are as good as those I’ll be a happy chappy. Cheers mate!

Reply
Stuart Charles Black March 27, 2021 - 3:55 pm

Thanks, man! Let me know how it goes! I really loved the HD330 with those pads. It’s a headbanging, butt slapping good time! LOL.

Reply

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