Prefacing with - "I've never done a review before". This community has offered me a lot of help in the past, so I'll do my best to contribute. Recently acquired Blue's first headphone "Mo Fi" @ $400 CAD.
These headphones have a few points that they market strongly as re-inventing the headphone.
- Built in headphone amp
- They're not round, or square, they're the shape of ears, as they should be (according to blue).
- They have a newly designed headband that ensures they rest on your ears flush, and not angled in/out.
- All Metal Construction
- Detatchable cables feat. in-line mic.
- Superior Isolation with virtually no bleed.
Sound: 6.5/10
Comfort: 9/10
Price for Value: 8/10
Once again, not a professional reviewer, so here's the layman's overview and pre-lim cons / pros.
First off, these would not have been my first choice for sound, by far. Sound stage is one of the most important bits of a good headphone to me. The Mo Fi has an extremely gimped sound stage due to it's completely closed back and zero bleed construction. ... It really nearly is... ZERO bleed. At full volumes without the amp engaged... your peers could barely catch a whisper.
The headphone amplifier has 3 settings, which are right where the jack connects. At a turn... from "Off", to "On", to "On+" (Bass boost). 4 hours for a 12 hour charge. Does not drain quickly. I listen to them 6 hours a day, rarely engaging the amp, and 4 days later it still has a charge. Yes, it does operate even if the amp is dead. The amp is built to be as analog as they could go, not to color the sound in the slightest. Color it may not, but it definitely as you can imagine, change the sound when engaged. You'd find yourself switching between engaging the amp and not depending on the genre you're listening to. Most notably is without it engaged, you'll hear a lot compression in guitars, distortion etc. When engaged, the compression is just opened right up. It's down to the user but some styles of music are better with and without. Their mission was apparently to make a solid hi-fi headphone that could double for monitoring without being too clinical. They've honestly achieved what they set out to do in my opinion.
What ... forced my hand to open my wallet? ... The construction is unbelievable and unlike any other headphone I've held. In no way whatsoever, do you feel you are holding something cheaply made, and that inspires a lot of confidence for the product's life. I'm replacing the headphones I use in my office, and the lack of any bleed... made it a suitable choice - more for my peers than for myself as I'd have rathered a great sound stage and they could deal. Finally, in-line mic. No longer needing to use my laptop mic when engaging in conference calls and the like. "Are you buying a quality audio set man, or are you buying a corporate device with a hefty price tag?" ... When it came down to it, both
.
Why the downer? ... :/. I will forever feel like I have regrets with this set of headphones, ... and at the same time I can't imagine having made another decision. The most brutal, bitter-sweet purchase I've made. And so... the cons:
Because of the construction and it being more sealed, ... I'd say that you need to lower your listenable volume. The pressure doesn't escape these headphones at all, taking that into consideration the higher volumes you might chance with other headphones will not fly with these. You will injure yourself, making the headphone amp even more dangerous. Just beware, ... and I think you'll be fine. Comfort on the head is fine, even though they're heavy - they sit very comfortably.
The amp can pick up signals and interference. Doesn't happen all of the time, but it's pretty irritating when it does.
Would I make the same choice again?
Yes. I'd make it because of the environment I spend the majority of my listening time in. Would not buy these under other circumstances. If isolation, keeping your tunes out of your peers ears, rock solid construction, detachable cables with option of in-line mic with controls, as well as the wild feature of the built in amp feel worthy of your dollar, ... you won't be disappointed. If you couldn't bare to sacrifice sound stage with the potential of injury at your regular peak volumes... just don't pick these up. Don't hold them. Don't go near them, for I fear you wouldn't have much of a choice if you did, and in a way... it's wrong. I wish I could better explain that sentiment.
I hope this helps your community, and I apologize for not being able to provide lab results or a precise or professional review for you.
Best Regards,
T.
