Blue Microphones
Mo-Fi Powered Hi-Fidelity Headphones – $349
PROS: Excellent sound quality, unique design.
CONS: A tad weighty, long sessions may cause fatigue.
For any serious musician or engineer, good headphones are a must. But finding a set that works for personal listening as well as in a professional setting can be difficult. Blue’s new Mo-Fi headphones are built with the same quality that they build their microphones with, and work at the personal and professional levels equally well.
These cans are super beefy, so know that going in. The over-the-ear design provides excellent isolation from the outside world. The headband contains a nice, adjustable control for a snug fit, and the leather-like material feels comfortable and durable. With separate pivot points that provide plenty of adjustment, the ear cups have an excellent fit, as well. Connecting to a device is by a selection of cables, a 1/8” stereo jack with a control pod that has a play/pause and volume controls, best suited for iPods/iPads/iPhones, and a 1/4” stereo connection for most other applications.
With an internal rechargeable battery that’s charged via a USB connection, the active mode has a life of about 12 hours. A neat power saving feature is that the headphones shut off when they’re in the closed position, and turn on when opened. There are three listening modes: passive, on, and on+, the latter of which engages a well-designed (and non-muddy) bass boost mode. The selector is built in to the connection point for the cables, making it easy to find and operate.
The passive mode works and sounds great, but the volume level is considerably lower than the other two modes. The on mode brings it into active mode, excellent for personal devices, and the on+ has more than enough bass for even Dr. Dre (sorry, Beats). The downside of the active modes is some slight noise or hiss, which is to be expected on active headphones. The overall sound quality is excellent, however, don’t get us wrong. We found the best application is using the passive mode for listening to mixes, and the active modes when listening to mp3s and the like.
It’s hard to find a set of headphones that work well in the studio, and on the subway. At a street price of $349, they’re on par (price-wise) with other models of similar quality. The only downside is wearing them for a long time can be a bit tiring, no doubt owing to their hefty weight and bulk (although we must admit that given their weight, Blue did a commendable job minimizing this issue). But that weight shows the quality of components and design, which makes for a great set of cans.
FEATURES
-Integrated audiophile amp and custom-matched drivers
-Personalized fit for superior comfort and performance
-Powered system improves performance of all your devices
-50mm titanium-reinforced ultra-responsive dynamic drivers
-Comes with 1M cable with Mfi Mic, 3M cable, and 6.5mm to 3.5mm adaptor