Status Audio CB-1 Closed Back Studio Monitor Headphones with 50mm Drivers - for Music Production, Mixing, Mastering and Audiophile Use (Black & Gold)

Stumbled across these while looking for a reasonably priced set of headphones for my farther-in-law. Anyway, after looking at the reviews I decided to take the plunge and give them a go.They arrived as expected next day. The external packaging is quite attractive and only the cheap injection moulded insert inside lowers the quality feel of the packaging. I would suggest a 'velour' type moulded insert would elevate the quality feel.Anyway, initial impressions of the build and feel are very good, I simply did not expect them to be this well made. If I had any criticism it would be that the headband material looks rather cheap (because it's very shiny). They are sturdy and easily adjusted, The supplied leads look a good quality and with decent gold plated connectors. The ear padding is substantial and quite deep, making them very comfortable and good at blocking out external noise.I connected the up to assorted hardware sources with a variety of music from vinyl, CD, hi-rez and low-rez compressed audio.WOW!I was not expecting what I heard - very clear and accurate precise audio with good deep and controlled bass, nice mid and clear treble and all the detail the average person would want. On some tracks I heard things I had never heard before via any method of playback and a couple of tracks gave me goosebumps.No colouration or muddiness that I could hear. Compared back to back with my Grado SR60 headphones, I would say these have a similar sound, but with a little more kick in the bass, but for more comfortable on the ears.I did note that they presented a slightly lower volume at a given level than other headphones I own.In summary, these are staggeringly good for the price and compare favourably to headphones costing at least treble the price (and maybe more but I don't own such esoteric phones!).I'm now going to buy a pair for myself.** I am not easily impressed, but these literally 'blew my socks off!' Unreservedly recommended! **

As a music producer/songwriter I'm always looking for that neutral sound that can represent sound as it is. Saw the reviews on these headphones and I had to try them.As in comfort, not going to write too much on it, they are VERY comfortable !!!! I mean very, so that will close this topic!!!Build quality -> is somehow decent...Id's say !!! They will last, as long as you'll not kick them around playing football, or to throw them around , playing with your pets or kids lol .... pretty decent build quality!Sound quality - > The truth from my experience is that the headphones are very accurate,warm sounding in the low and mid range frequency area, but there is a problem in the treble freq area where it needs correction (pretty big peak at 6k and 9k and there is a drop at 10k - 20k) ....BUT!!! ... using the headphone's sound profile I managed to correct the treble peaks with the APO Equaliser and that way it gives the almost flat sound to it which makes the headphones almost a perfect sounding little toy, how about that ??? . Also, sound stage is phenomenal, so I have almost nothing negative to add to it!!!! With the correction in the treble they became my first priority for mixing and even for few attempts of mastering just because they represent low and mid frequency almost perfect in my opinion! I had to give them a 4 * evaluation just because I had to make the correction myself to make them sound almost perfect.I have the Audio-Technica ATM-M40X (which, years ago I taught they are good reference headphones and they are NOWHERE NEAR !!!), also the Brainwavz HM5 (which are amazing reference headphones), AKG K141 (one of the clearest accurate flat sounding headphones I've heard) ...and still when it comes to overall representation of freq response (with the correction mentioned in the treble) I'd probably pick the Status Audio CB-1 over them, probably anytime, just because they are sooo freaking good!!!!! It is not a big value for the price, it's a HUGE value for the price. After using them for a while now, personally I'd recommend it to everyone ! Honestly don't miss these babies!!!! VERY glad I bought them and I'll definitely use them in the future (with the treble freq corrections ofc) !!!!! BUY THEM !!!!

Gotta be honest, while I really do like how these feel. They're comfortable and they sound very good. The build quality isn't entirely what I expected.I know this is a more budget oriented option for "professional" headphones. But I've had headphones before around this price that feel a lot more sturdy. The earcups are adjustable but they wobble around very easily, the plastic feels quite cheap, creaks when moved. I rarely feel confident in moving these around too much.Onto the positives though, while the build quality of the headphones themselves left me quite lacking. The two included cables are very high quality and sturdy feeling. The included adapter screws in and feels locked in tightly, and it has plastic locking nubs on the headphone end to ensure that the cable doesn't come out unless you want it to. Both cables feel great and work great.The audio quality itself is about how anyone would describe it in the other positive reviews, I wouldn't disagree with any of them, they sound great.In conclusion The headphones are very good. They sound exactly as they should for the target market, they're comfortable to wear for long periods of time. (I use them both at home and outside for at least 10 hours a day with no issues), and the only problem I have is that the housing feels a bit flimsy. But they should be fine as long as you aren't reckless with them.