Edifier gave me another white box, so I won't cover the unboxing, this time containing their latest headset, the H690 stereo headset. At the time of writing this, the H690 is already made available in your local I.T stores at RM119 SRP. Before I made off with the sample, I was told that this is to be Edifier's highest end headset yet, needless to say I was very excited after that :) so lets get to business.
Specs
Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20KHz
Impedance: 38Ohm
Connector: 3.5mm Stereo
Sound Pressure Level (SPL): 98dB
Cable Length: 1.3m
The Headset
If you've seen the Edifier W670BT , much of the design is similar, except that the H690 is not a Bluetooth headset. The H690 is very light but sturdy, making it an ideal travel companion.
To give you a sense of the size, here is one of the many product campaign shots done with the actual product. It's really small.
The H690 is overall grey and black overall that gives it a subtle style. Construction is solid even though the headset is very lightweight, mostly due to the high quality plastic used. Branding is kept to a minimum and just printed on the headband.
The earpieces have a meshed design with chrome ring adorning the sides.
Not losing in style, the 3.5mm connector is encased in what looks like aluminium with the Edifier branding etched to it.
Both earpieces can be folded and tilted 90-degrees for ease of transport and storage.
The headband is pretty thin but it should be adequate having experienced the same design in the W670BT.
The headband is of course expandable for up to an additional 20mm on either side. Edifier used stainless steel inserts that adds to the rigidity of the H690.
As for comfort, these soft foam cushions are what's keeping the audio drivers from coming into direct contact with your ears.
The H690 also comes with a handy travelling pouch. You will also find a product information sheet and a users guide.
Testing
Physically, the H690 is very comfortable to wear not just because of the plushy earpieces but also because it's very light indeed. I would like to have a little more clamping force as this one tends to slide off a bit when moving about, walking is fine though, else it stays where you want it to be. This is an open design headset so noise isolation is hardly there which means that I tend to crank up the volume when in public places. Without an in-line volume control, you're left depending on your device for any sort of control, and no you do not get a microphone built-in to the H690 so this is just for pure listening experience.
Sound quality is rather impressive as I can detect no distortions of any kind that can be heard in any level of volume, song genre or instruments. Vocals are clear with good mid tones and though the bass is smooth, it isn't as punchy as some headsets I've tested so pure bass heads will have to keep note of this. Nevertheless it is smooth and enjoyable for songs that doesn't emphasize on that aspect.
Plugging it into the PC for movies, I find that speech is much more clearer and I could detect more vibrance in the BGM; though the explosions sounds realistic enough, I'd like to have it present more kick into it. If I must make a comparison, the H690 is definitely hands-down better than the W670BT in terms of overall sound quality, only losing slightly in the bass department.
Plugging it into the PC for movies, I find that speech is much more clearer and I could detect more vibrance in the BGM; though the explosions sounds realistic enough, I'd like to have it present more kick into it. If I must make a comparison, the H690 is definitely hands-down better than the W670BT in terms of overall sound quality, only losing slightly in the bass department.
Conclusion
As expected of Edifier, the H690 is a fine set of cans despite it's small stature. The construction is good with quality materials which makes it durable and it is even pleasing aesthetically from the meshed design of the earpieces down right to the encased 3.5mm connector. As for sound quality, the Edifier H690 is definitely worth the consideration as I would say that it is more than impressive, especially for first time users looking for the bang-for-buck deal.
Pros
- Lightweight and solid construction
- Excellent sound quality
- Unbeatable price/performance ratio
Cons
- No controls built into the headset
The after about a week of listening to the Edifier H690, I'd say it has no doubt earned the Tech-Critter Gold and Recommended badge.
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