EarPinion

Victory Summer Love

Appearance: Summer Love pours a crystal clear golden body with lots of carbonation activity rising to a thick and pillowy white head. This beer looks very refreshing and fits perfect with the Summer feeling.

Aroma: Unfortunately the aroma is very lacking, I picked up some earthy floral notes, but that was a struggle.

Taste: The taste showcases a bit more than the aroma, mildly bitter from start to finish with an earthy floral presence that is presented by a dry lean body.

Left Hand Stranger

Appearance: Stranger has a crystal clear light amber/golden body with big carbonation bubbles steadily rising to the creamy off-white thin head. This basically just looks like "beer."

Aroma: The carbonation bubbles are pushing up a mix of citrus and floral hops with some spicy earthy hints. This reminds me of a baby Ruthless Rye from Sierra Nevada slightly with the west coast hops and rye aromas.

Taste: Stranger has a clean crisp body with a decent amount going on in it. A tea-like earthy flavor makes up the intro into a spicy rye middle while the citrus and floral hops make up the finish. This is a fairly straight forward beer with hints of rye throughout adding a touch of complexity to what would otherwise be a boring beer.

Head over to your local Walmart and pick up a pair of JVC Marshmallow for your loved one! They are an excellent pair of IEMs for the price and come in a variety of colors. Be sure to get the model HA-FX33, HA-FX34, or HA-FX35. The HA-FX30 are the worst of all the Marshmallows in every aspect. Don't worry about any letters after the numbers, they mean nothing.

Conclusion

You'll see I have no listed cons for the HM5, and deservedly so. For the $120 or so you can pre-order the HM5 for you can't ask for more. The build quality is absolutely top notch from top to bottom, from cable to ear cups. The included accessories is just a huge bonus, Brainwavz didn't need to include two cables, but they did, as well as an adaptor. I think that simply goes above and beyond what they had to. The sound is something that won't immediately please you, it's good out of the box, but it's when you realize the subtleties that make it so good you'll appreciate it. The delicate balance it gives songs that sometimes sound congested on other headphones, the polite yet present presentation is just fantastic.

The HM5 are for the person who wants a musical, neutral, clean and detailed sound. Are these as detailed as the K701 or RE272? No, but never once did I feel like I was missing anything in the music, while enjoying it far more than on either of those headphones that were simply too cold and analytical for me. These are one of the best values in the headphone world.

Conclusion

The M4 are simply put a great headphone. I can't find one con to them from build quality to sound quality. The M4 simply are above average in every department. Some describe the M4 as a v-shaped sound, but I don't feel as if the mids are lacking in the least bit. Like the Beta's the M4 show excellent sound stage, maybe not in width but in perception and depth. Are the M4 going to wow anyone from the start? I don't think so. That doesn't mean they aren't fantastic though. What makes the M4 exceptional is the versatility they have. I can't find one genre I don't enjoy through these. I highly recommend these.

Conclusion

The Hephaes are very fun to listen to with some of the best bass I've ever heard. The build quality is near perfect with an excellent list of accessories. These are definitely for bass heads, but even a fan of the Ad900 like me is very greatly enjoying these as a mix-up to my usual mid-centric sound signature. For the $93 asking price I feel there's some kinks that could be worked out, sibilance and the upper mid hump, but I can't think of another IEM with the quality and quantity of bass the Hephaes have. Bass heads I'm sorry for your wallet!

Conclusion

The HD661 are an excellent addition to Superlux's already impressive budget line up. The HD668b will suit those who want a more flat sound with a tad more bass response while the HD661 will cater wonderfully to those who favor treble, but still want a clear balanced sound with good bass response. The build quality is great for the price, though I wish Superlux would consider a leather band or another option in place of it's wing system. The Samson SR850 are much more comfortable than the HD668b, for example, because of that and are still able to be found for the same price. Either way Superlux seems to have found it's niche, making excellent products at a budget minded price. I highly recommend the Superlux HD661 for it's suggested retail price of $50 for it's versatility though I have to say I highly enjoyed alternative rock the most through these.

For those looking to purchase these, unfortunately they are a bit hard to find. If you e-mail Superlux though I'm sure they will assist you in finding a shop or a place online!