Publication date: 03.01.2017
For a long time we did not talk about the monster of the Chinese economy - Xiaomi and its products. She, of course, has not yet released players, but she has produced so many headphone models that I personally have long been confused in them. This is not surprising, since the manufacturer gives them surprisingly similar names, and they look amazingly similar. With difficulty, but it is possible to follow only the line of flagships, which some time ago was replenished with a three-driver hybrid model Xiaomi Hybrid Pro. Let's talk about her.
Xiaomi does not sell ultra-expensive headphones, even the flagships are very budget. The hero of the review did not break the tradition and is sold for only $25. If you want something more expensive and more interesting, but from the same creator, then you can look towards models manufactured under the 1More brand, which, in fact, develops all Xiaomi headphones. On our website there are reviews of several models of this company, and a superficial look at its entire line as a whole is also present.
So what are they offering us for $25 this time? As mentioned above - as many as three drivers, two of which are dynamic, and one is reinforcing. Headphones arrive in a box that is not typical for Xiaomi. She is strict, but not brutal, as it was some three models ago. Rectangular, white, with an image of Xiaomi Hybrid Pro headphones and a tempting "Hi-Res Audio" icon. We are waiting for pictures with satisfied models. On the sides and bottom, the carton of the package is very strong, but on top the contents are protected only by a thin layer of the top sliding paper cover. This, of course, is better than the last thin "envelope".
Inside the cardboard box, we find the plastic one that is most familiar to Xiaomi headphones, where additional silicone tips of different sizes are attached to special pins, and the Xiaomi Hybrid Pro headset itself is wound on a piece of rubber-like plastic. I think many are interested in the question - does this silicone pillow smell? Yes, it smells, flavoring is definitely added. A similar smell once had imported stationery erasers. Nice and not chocolatey.
There is also a monstrous short instruction manual in Chinese and English, as well as a cloth bag with a cord, packed in a whole separate box. This is the fashion these days.
Made by Xiaomi Hybrid Pro very carefully. The quality is at a very high level, which is not surprising.
Headphone cases are mostly metal, have a visually and tactilely pleasing finish, compensation holes, metal meshes on the sound guides and long conclusions hard plastic wires. Of course, there are indicators for the right and left headphones, but there are no tactile marks. I understand that it is difficult to confuse anatomical cases and place them in the wrong ear, but recognition in the dark still takes time, even a few seconds. Is it really difficult to make a convex point on one of the conclusions and thereby make life easier for future owners?
Everything looks very cool. It is not for nothing that 1More ascribes the word "design" to its name everywhere, because it is really strong in design. Visual for sure. Here, take at least the headset control unit, located on the wire of the right earpiece. Everything seems to be simple, without frills, but all the lines and contours have clearly become the fruit of labor, and not chance. It looks and feels very cool in the hand. Again, the material was metal. The case and all three buttons are made of it.
The body of the straight plug is also made of aluminum, while the wire divider is miniature and made of soft plastic.
As for the wire, this time there is no fabric braid, only plastic on the outside. The wire is a little stiff and stubborn. It already comes out of the box with a memorized shape, which is not very good.
The Xiaomi Hybrid Pro headphones sit very well in the ears. In terms of landing, More had miscalculations, but not critical ones. This time, even without minor flaws.
Talking about sound should start with a comparison with its predecessor - Xiaomi Hybrid without the Pro prefix, because this is indispensable and many are waiting for such a comparison. I will not analyze this issue in detail, I will only say that the hero of the review sounds definitely better. Although I also liked the predecessor, despite the dislike of the audiophile community for him.
Xiaomi Hybrid Pro was created with an eye on a wide audience, as Xiaomi has always been. Therefore, the sound can be called smooth. No need to talk about the V-shaped frequency response graph, now it's not about him, but about perception. There are no bright dips or peaks in the sound of these headphones. If it seems to someone that they have too much bass, then I can advise not to push them deep into the head with all your might, and if you decide that low frequencies not enough, on the contrary, I recommend putting the headphones deeper. You should not write off individual anatomical features and the reluctance to select nozzles for the miscalculations of 1More designers.
However, the bass is far from perfect. I would say it is too soft. It does not pull on the dregs, but personally I would like more definition.
I'm a little dissatisfied with the upper middle. There is some kind of digital rigidity in it, which is not thrown into the ears, but is still felt. It does not make the sound less pleasant, but there is a feeling of some masking of the instruments. The sound seems to lack resolution in this part of the frequency range.
In all other respects, namely in the lower middle and in the high Xiaomi Hybrid Pro are good. More than enough energy and airiness. There is something to complain about, but only from the fact that it is not customary to forgive the mistakes of the Chinese giant releasing them. He set the bar too high with his smartphones. At least they think so.
In general, the headphones are good. They are best suited, however strange it may seem, for live instruments of any nature. Vocals, especially male ones, sound impressive too.
I can safely recommend Xiaomi Hybrid Pro to everyone, except for ostentatious audiophiles. Headphones are not the best in sound, but the combination of all their advantages allows us to consider this model a very successful purchase. Do not expect revelations, for your $25 you will get a beautiful, comfortable, reliable and very good sounding model paired with your smartphone for every day.
Comments:
#5 protoaudiophile, 04.01.2017, 04:41
# 3 RAM111, It’s better not to look in the direction of KZ ZST, after all, many times they have unsubscribed that there are different specimens by sound, they have already counted 3 types. So I would not advise. Urbana, and remax 690D I recommend.
#7 _grey_, 04.01.2017, 11:16
I also wanted to take it, I’m waiting for it to drop below $ 20, but I’m afraid they won’t impress me according to the description. I didn’t like the first hybrids at all - high wrinkling (as if there were no reinforcing driver at all) and low viscous, smeared ones. The middle seems to be good, collected. But in general they upset me and I put them aside. For several years now, #1 has been Xiaomi Piston 2 for me. I took them as soon as they went on sale on Ali - I was interested in what I could get for almost $30 and in general appearance Liked the photo. And when I listened to them for the first time, it was really WOW! Now I also took 1More Piston for testing (those that are liners) - and I also VERY liked it. In terms of sound, I’m still at a loss to say which is better than 1More Piston or Xiaomi Piston 2 (for now I’m leaning towards 1more), but in terms of fit, Xiaomi in-ears are much more convenient for me. The earbuds sit loosely, fall out easily, miss a lot external sound. But this is individual, so you have to try it yourself.
P.S. Somehow my hands are itching to get my first review in my life comparing different headphones from the same manufacturer 1more (xaiomi). Now I have x.piston2, x.capsule, x.hybrid, x.piston basic ed, x.piston colorful starter ed, 1more piston, 1more hybrid voice in my hands (these have not even reached my hands to unpack yet, I look forward to it). Well, I still want to take these new x.hybrid pro, but I don’t want to pay more than 20 for them - as I was convinced, not all headphones from 1more are worth the money that they ask for them.
#9 Somaniac, 05.01.2017, 10:57
Well, Gearbest has become a good store over the past 1.5 years, with very good prices. There used to be a lot of complaints about the service and delivery, but now everything is fine and this is one of my favorite stores. I suspect that the author has approximately the same motivation.
P.S. And if, nevertheless, the author is somehow interested in promoting the store, then what do you care. What's the point of counting other people's money?
#10 AntonyKor, 05.01.2017, 18:18
Greetings!
I want to buy myself a player (something like Hidizs AP60), but first headphones. Headphones from what cost are suitable for such a player? What models can you recommend?
Decided to get headphones first. I want to say right away that I would like to get an even sound. There are also problems with the form. Straight headphones (like Piston II) fall out for me, but more “anatomical” ones (I tried piston 3, piston basic edition) fit well.
Thank you in advance!
The company's first attempt to make hybrid headphones - Xiaomi Hybrid - was a success: the capabilities of the dynamic driver were expanded by the reinforcing one. At the end of 2016, Xiaomi released another product developed by the famous acoustic studio 1More.
The Pro HD model received an additional dynamic driver. This micro-audio system includes three emitters: two dynamic and one reinforcing. It turns out that this is not a copy of the 1More Triple Driver, as many would like to believe: the latter has two armature drivers and one dynamic.
Be careful: there is xiaomi version Hybrid Pro, which has two drivers - dynamic and armature. Its other names, which appeared due to negligent sellers, are Xiaomi Pro, Xiaomi Hybrid, Xiaomi Piston Pro. It was her Lifehacker last time.
Characteristics
Equipment
Instead of the traditional cardboard box, Xiaomi Hybrid Pro HD received a festive set:
- plastic case-box;
- rubber holder;
- fabric bag;
- three pairs of ear pads.
The latter were both in conventional hybrids and in other solutions of the company. In Pro HD, the material has changed: now the ear cushions are slightly softer, but denser at the base.
A rubber holder may be suitable for storage, but it will not work with a bag, for example. The box is obviously unportable: scratches remain instantly. Yes, and the loop is made of very dense tape.
So in fact, the extended delivery set turns out to be a marketing ploy. But if you combine a bag and a box, you get excellent protection, albeit a very large one.
Appearance and ergonomics
The design of Xiaomi Hybrid Pro HD is different from its predecessors. Headphones have become larger and more impressive. The main feature that attracts attention is the spherical milling of the back surface of the earpiece. The previous model had a straight cut.
The metal cup of the headphones is no longer polished, but matte. This type of coating is less prone to scratches. On the sides there are slot-like phase inverters - real, working ones. With sufficient volume of the music being played, a tangible air flow comes out of them.
There is a lot of plastic in the design. In fact, this is a good idea, which is easiest to appreciate in the cold: the ears are less cold.
Another change was the wire. It is now silicone, soft and flexible, does not stiffen in the cold, retaining all the necessary properties. The memory effect was not detected, and the knots are untangled without much difficulty.
Xiaomi Hybrid Pro HD received an updated control panel. Previously, it had three flat rectangular buttons that fit snugly together. Not very comfortable, especially on the run or in the cold. The new version received three large round buttons. It's almost impossible to miss.
Of course, there are several buts. The three buttons only work with Android. The upper and lower controls the volume, the middle one is multifunctional. When playing music, it plays the role of Play / Pause. At incoming call a single press starts a conversation, a long press hangs up, and a double press turns off the microphone.
On devices under iOS control Only the middle button works and only when playing music. A single press starts or pauses the music, a double press starts the next track, a triple press the previous one.
Metal plug, straight, gold-plated. To some, this solution will seem less convenient than the usual L-shaped. My headphones with a straight plug last much longer.
sound
The main thing in headphones is their sound. Many stylish and popular models sin with disgusting sound. The sound of the Xiaomi Hybrid Pro HD is quite specific due to the armature driver, so I had to approach the testing meticulously. Two sources were used: a Little Dot MK II amplifier connected to a desktop PC, and Meizu Pro 5. So, let's see how the new Xiaomi Hybrid Pro HD cope with various tasks.
Metal(Therion, Voivod, Testament, Obituary, Meshuggah). Tracks with a pronounced middle sound very good. Voivod tracks sound the most advantageous in headphones: there are a lot of high notes, complex guitar parts are as detailed as possible, and low frequencies are represented by exceptionally high bass. With all this, hybrid headphones cope with a bang.
Hip-hop(Infectious Grooves, Rage Against The Machine, "Krovostok"). The second dynamic driver helps the Hybrid Pro HD handle sub-bass, which is noticeably more than any other cheap hybrid headphones. Although I would not recommend this model to bassheads. The beat sounds bright, precise, without drowning out the high frequencies. Here, the dip in the mid-range is imperceptible. On the contrary, the mids work really well, especially compared to the regular Hybrid.
Electro, D'n'B. By the time of listening to this part of the test compositions, the ears have got used to the sound of the new Xaiomi. This allowed us to appreciate the depth of the scene: it is magnificent. Even when the software gadgets are completely turned off, there is a feeling of Dolby 3D or another kind of 3D sound implementation.
Jazz, psychobilly. With an eye on the cost, I definitely recommend Xiaomi Hybrid Pro HD to all fans of this genre. None of the versions of budget armatures or hybrids that I have tested reproduce the double bass when playing slap in such detail. The saxophone sounds great. Even in the most difficult moments, the compositions remain as legible as possible: here are the drums, here is the double bass - separately from the vocals and other instruments.
Classical music. The effect is about the same as when listening to extreme genres. The balanced fullness of all components of the orchestra is not overshadowed even by individual shortcomings of the brass section.
conclusions
Unlike previous version Xiaomi hybrid headphones, the new Hybrid Pro HD received a richer sound with an excellent midrange. The detail and scene loved by many fans is still there.
At the same time, it is worth noting the bright coloring of the sound. Xiaomi engineers are looking for their sound, and they succeed. However, it will be difficult to tune certain frequencies. Factory equalizing affects all reproducible ranges, and there is no need to talk about any smooth (monitor) sound. Everything is done in accordance with the psychoacoustic model of hearing: detailed lows, accurate upper bass, detailed vocals.
But is it worth wanting more from a headset for mobile devices for 30 dollars? I assure you, you will not find a brighter and more pleasant sound in the price range up to 50 to 70 dollars. Fans of extremely low sounds should pay attention to headphone models without fittings - these are the properties of this type of acoustics. But if you suddenly want something interesting, unusual, then Xiaomi Hybrid Pro HD will not disappoint.
I met in 2015 when I bought myself the first hybrid headphones of this Chinese manufacturer - Xiaomi Hybrid, they were also called Xiaomi Iron or Piston 4 in Chinese stores. I was so impressed with the sound of these little ones that I seriously thought about the audiophile future and began to download music during flac. I really heard notes and sounds in my favorite compositions that were previously hidden from me by my native headsets, be it Samsung or iPhone - the difference in sound was really noticeable. Over time, I cooled down a bit and realized that for these headphones and my inexperienced ear, mp3 at 320 kbps is quite enough, especially since audio paths my devices are unlikely to boast audiophile performance, flac was over, and I safely used the headset for quite a long time and did not think about buying a new one. But geeky curiosity, of course, took over and Xiaomi Hybrid Pro HD appeared on my desk.
Components and packaging of Xiaomi Hybrid Pro HD
Xiaomi has supplemented the familiar cardboard box with a rather elegant plastic case.
Headphones come with:
- plastic case
- rag bag
- three pairs of different size ear pads
- rubberized coil holder
As you can see, the kit is a little “extended” and if you don’t surprise anyone with ear pads, then the rest of the kit is not quite familiar, although rather useless 🙂
The plastic case easily collects scratches, and even if you put it in a complete bag-pouch, it is too big for comfortable carrying such a kit in your pocket, perhaps in a backpack. The rubberized coil holder is very reluctant to climb into the bag, so it everyday use also disappears.
It remains only, twice mentioned by me, a rag bag-pouch. It is made of pleasant to the touch fabric and performs its task to the fullest.
Xiaomi has released headphones together with a fairly well-known acoustic company 1More, we are told about this by the inscriptions located on almost all elements of the kit.
Appearance Xiaomi Hybrid Pro HD
The new hybrids have become a little larger, which adds some impressiveness to them, but there are fewer “hard corners” - the body has been made more streamlined, which, in my opinion, has slightly deprived the new headset of brutality. On the sides there are real and really working phase inverters in the form of small slots. At high volume, quite a noticeable air flow comes out of them. The main part of the body is metal, but there is a lot of plastic in the design.
At first, I attributed plastic to the disadvantages, but after a little thought, I came to the conclusion that the use of such a combination of materials allows us to maintain an adequate weight of the structure and will not allow us to freeze our ears in a cold winter, because plastic has much lower thermal conductivity.
The wire has also undergone changes, in the previous version it was covered with a rag sheath, this time the manufacturer managed with a soft silicone braid. There is no memory effect in it and it should not “tan” in the cold.
You know, I used to be rather skeptical about the talk about the fact that this or that wire gets tangled more easily and did not laugh at memes about chaotically tangled headsets. It seemed to me that if you carefully twist your headphones, then they can just as easily be untwisted. But it was on this headset that I learned all the hardships associated with unraveling the wires. Many people say that such a wire, on the contrary, does not get confused and unwinds easily, but I don’t think so. I carefully roll up my headphones and put them in the included pouch, but every time I listen to music, I have to unravel the headset. Perhaps my hands are sharpened for a different type of wire;) This moment is not critical at all and should hardly influence the choice of these headphones, but it is unpleasant. The length of the wire is more than enough 1.25 meters.
In Xiaomi Hybrid Pro HD, the control panel has also been updated. Three narrow rectangular buttons have been replaced with more convenient large and round ones - it will be problematic to miss them. Traditionally, the full functionality of the remote control works only on Android, on iOS only the central key works, with a single press - play / pause, with a double click the next track is turned on, with a triple click the previous one.
Plug - the usual, straight, with gold-plated contacts, made of metal.
Key Features of Xiaomi Hybrid Pro HD
Sound in Xiaomi Hybrid Pro HD
Of course, in any headphones, the main thing is the sound. Xiaomi Hybrid Pro HD has three drivers installed: two dynamic and one armature. Fans of juicy basses will definitely like them. I like a more balanced sound. These headphones gave me too much highs - I had to turn the equalizer, despite this I am delighted with these headphones. Considering the price of the headset, the sound is amazing. How many $25 three-driver headphones do you know? Me not.
As I already said, I am not an audiophile and I can talk about sound from the height of my little musical experience. But how many people who really understand sound will buy Chinese headphones for $25. So for you and me - ordinary lovers of pleasant sound, these headphones will be full-fledged comrades on many trips to the subway and minibuses 😉
conclusions
So from the last paragraph about the sound, a small conclusion about the headphones came out :). The headset fully justifies its price. Tweaking the equalizer a bit will give you a very decent sound and you can really hear new notes in your favorite songs and it's only $25! It was not by chance that I mentioned the price of headphones several times in the text, but this is really amazing. How did the manufacturer manage to stuff such hardware into such inexpensive headphones?! Seriously, we'll get a similar sound with headphones that start at around $80.
Xiaomi Hybrid Pro HD cannot be attributed to the audiophile class of devices, but for the inexperienced, expensive acoustics, ear of an ordinary geek, they will really like it.
BADGEEK recommends! By the way, you can buy headphones
Most recently, we recognized the Xiaomi Mi In-Ear Headphones Pro (aka Xiaomi Hybrid) the best headphones- gags worth up to 2000 rubles. Last year, the manufacturer updated the line of headphones, and Mi In-Ear Headphones Pro appeared on sale. HD(aka Xiaomi Hybrid Pro) and today we will try to figure out whether it is worth paying extra 300-500 rubles for this update. Looking ahead, I can immediately say that the changes turned out to be very ambiguous. But first things first.
(updated on 01/21/2019):At the end of 2018, another update of the Xiaomi Mi In-Ear Headphones Pro 2 model appeared, which is easy to distinguish by its black color. Unfortunately, the sound in them has become worse and we still offer to choose from two old models: just Pro and ProHD.
Dealing with the zoo of names of the same models
Before we go ahead, it is worth sorting out the names of the headphones. Xiaomi loves to confuse the lines, and in the case of headphones in general, it took it and at some point renamed the models a couple of times. Now they are not only called almost the same, but they also echo the old names. The situation is aggravated by the fact that in different stores, headphones can be called both new and old. As a result, it is not always easy to understand what kind of model is in front of us and how much it actually costs.
So, for order. First there was the Xiaomi Hybrid model (they are also Xiaomi Hybrid Dual Drivers, as this name reflected them design feature, plus sometimes they were also called Piston 4). Then the model was slightly updated and renamed Xiaomi Hybrid Pro. Later they were renamed as Mi In-Ear Headphones Pro. And when it came out radically updated version, they attached an HD prefix to it. As a result new model now officially called Xiaomi Mi In-Ear Headphones ProHD.
The most interesting thing is that on both models, on the case of the headphones themselves, there is an inscription HD Audio, which confuses uninitiated users even more. Therefore, some sellers sell the old model as simply Hybrid Dual Drivers, and the new one as Hybrid Dual Drivers Pro, rightly believing that the Pro prefix reflects the essence of the changes much better.
Confused? Still would. Therefore, the easiest way to understand what kind of model is in front of us is to look at the control panel. The remote with three separate buttons is a new, improved model. If these are three fused black buttons, we have an old model.
How good is the old model?
The first Xiaomi Mi In-Ear Headphones Pro (let's forget about all the renaming for a moment) stood out very good value price/sound. The sound quality was achieved through the use of two so-called hybrid drivers (in fact, two speakers). If you are uncomfortable reading a long text, then below is a 10-minute video that talks about the same thing, only shorter. If the text is more convenient for you and / or details are important, then welcome below.
A bit of theory, as they say, on the fingers. Frequencies are high, medium and low (bass). As a rule, a high-quality driver can work well only two sets of frequencies out of three. Those. either highs and mids, or mids and bass, etc. Drivers are dynamic and reinforcing. Reinforcing ones give out a better sound, however, due to the peculiarities of the technology (which came, by the way, from hearing aids), handles high and medium frequencies well. But with the bass there is very bad. Therefore, reinforcing headphones, as a rule, are made with two drivers, so that a separate driver takes care of the bass.
But, two drivers are very expensive. Therefore, Xiaomi (even with the correct pronunciation of the company has obvious problems, because even the first persons at presentations manage to call it differently), instead of the second armature driver, they put a cheaper dynamic one. As a result, theoretically, high and medium frequencies are heard in detail, and the basses are well bassed due to the dynamic driver. Well, the price was good. That is why we called them the best headphones under 1500 rubles.
However, these headphones also had drawbacks - they were not very balanced in terms of sound: high and low frequencies seemed to be lifted up, which caused the sound to fall into a mess. Let's see if these problems are fixed in the next version.
What has changed in the new model
First of all, the price has changed. New headphones now cost 500 rubles more; very close to 2000 rubles. Whether such a rise in price is fair, we will now see. Well, let's start with the appearance and equipment.
The packaging of the new headphones has become larger (they are on the right in the photo and the contents of the box have been extended).
Inside the box was a small plastic case, inside which the headphones themselves and interchangeable ear pads are located. Plus, the new model now puts a simple carrying case, with the logo of 1More Design, the company that designs designs for Xiaomi. The presence of another brand on the packaging also brings confusion, which is why people often look for Xiaomi 1More headphones. This is not entirely true.
Thus, the equipment has improved markedly - the old model in the box had only the headphones themselves and silicone tips sealed in a bag.
Now about the headphones themselves - outwardly they have not changed much. Except that the wires to the headphones themselves are connected a little differently, the speaker housing has become matte instead of shiny, and the weight has increased a little - more metal has been used in the headphones.
LeftoldheadphonesXiaomi Headphones Pro (theysame Hybrid Pro or Xiaomi Pro) . On right– new Hybrid HD
If you don't know, you won't really notice the difference. Only the remote control has noticeably changed - finding individual buttons by touch has become much more convenient. Another change (already for the worse) affected the cable itself. It used to be in a nice braid, now it's regular rubber. By the way, just as the volume up buttons did not work on the iPhone, they do not work on new version. Those. functionally, nothing has changed.
LeftoldXiaomi Hybrid Dual Drivers, aka Mi In-Ear Headphones Pro. On the right - new with a prefixHD
About the main thing, about the sound
As you can see external changes are minimal (except for the package itself and the remote control). The main changes have taken place under the hood. Judging by the presentation of the Mi In-Ear Headphones Pro HD model, Xiaomi has significantly worked on the dynamic driver. According to the authors, some kind of double graphene membrane is used in the headphones, which significantly improves the reproduction of low frequencies.
I must say that the bass really got better. The old (or now it is more correct to say, the younger model) bassed quite strongly, and the bass was very booming. Now the bass has become much less noticeable, and it seems like the detail of the rest of the frequencies should have increased. However, this did not actually happen. The sound now looks as if the basses were cut a lot and the mids were screwed in half. The same first Hybrid Dual Drivers have a richer, I would say, more colored sound. Which, damn it, comes through the booming bass.
In order not to be unfounded, I will give the so-called AFC (amplitude-frequency response) - a characteristic, clearly, without any subjectivity, showing the real capabilities of the headphones. To begin with, let's look at the ideal frequency response for headphones of our type and sign in which part of the graph the bass, mids and highs are located.
The top graph shows how ideal headphones should behave when playing music as is. The yellow dotted line is headphones for lovers of "bass", but the blue dotted line is "ears" protruding vocals. For more detailed information you can follow the article on doctorhead.ru, where these graphs were taken from.
And now let's look at how similar frequency responses look for Xiaomi Mi Headphones Pro and Pro HD
The graph clearly shows how the bass was pushed up in the first Xiaomi Pro, and that in the new Pro HD they are reduced, and they are reduced along with the middle frequencies, which in the past HD were responsible for subjectively pleasant vocals. Well, the graph clearly shows how any Xiaomi headphones lead at high frequencies, raising them to an unpleasant squeak. However, alas, this is a disease of almost any budget headphones.
One could stop at this place and just advise to buy old version headphones, however, this booming bass leads to the fact that on compositions that are complex in terms of low-frequency differences, such as the same “This is the new shift” from Merlin Manson, the music generally merges into an indistinguishable mess. And here the HD version sounds objectively better. However, on jazz compositions like "Who will comfort me" by Melody Gardot, in the old "ears" we hear quite pleasant highs and mids, while the HD version of the headphones clearly cuts them.
Fortunately, this problem has a solution. The point is that in the version Pro HD under the nozzles there is a small hole that releases air in front of the low-frequency driver.
If you stick it, the headphones start to bass just like regular Mi In-Ear Headphones Pro. It is clear that in this case it makes no sense to overpay for HD. However, the trick is that this hole is oval. And by sealing it partially (for example, halfway) or sealing it completely, but pricking 1-2 holes with a needle (precisely pricking so that the needle does not go inside and damage the membrane), you can achieve an increase in bass level and a slight increase in mids. In other words, you can physically, without an equalizer, adjust the sound of the headphones for yourself. In this case, the headphones sound pretty decent.
By the way, if you pay attention to the photo, you can see how people are trying to solve the problems of ultra-high frequencies by partially sticking the headphone output with adhesive tape. The effectiveness of this method personally seems doubtful to me. However, everyone's ears are different, it helps someone.
Why you shouldn't buy Pro2 (updated 01/21/2019)
At the end of 2018, Xiaomi introduced an update to its Headphone Pro, adding the index "2" to them. Headphones received black design and L-shaped plug. Otherwise, the appearance has not changed much, and the main difference now lies in the sound. Interestingly, from now on, the headphones are not made by the third-party company 1More, which was previously responsible for hybrids, but by some internal division. And judging by all this unit is still learning and learning.
So what happened to the sound. Imagine that you took a song and equated the vocals. As a result, the voice sounds great, but the music on background loses some of the detail. Moreover, this is like the same Pro series, characterized by strong bass. However, even here it got worse, because the basses became noticeably “dirtier” and less detailed.
Thus, these headphones should be considered not as a step forward, but marking time and even half a step back. Therefore, if you are just looking to buy, it is better to prefer older models. New Pro We categorically do not recommend 2 and in the following article we pretend that they simply do not exist.
Additional improvement in in-ear fit and sound quality
Since both models are budget, the complete ear pads (silicone tips) here are of very, very mediocre quality. As a result, in my personal ear, the headphones are held very poorly. Because of this, both comfort and sound quality suffer.
Fortunately, there is such a thing as interchangeable memory foam nozzles. You take the earpiece in your fingers, squeeze it, and while it slowly straightens back, stick it into your ear. As a result, the earpiece is shaped exactly under your ear canal, providing excellent sound isolation.
The most well-known manufacturer of these foam ear pads is Comply. There is a section on their website that allows you to choose the size of nozzles for specific models. From it we learn that nozzles with an index of 200 are suitable for our model and that such a set will cost $20 for three pairs.
Luckily, foam tips aren't the hardest thing to do, and a search on Aliexpress for t200 (4mm diameter) makes it easy to find an offer of $60 a pair. Since our headphones are Chinese, we will also take nozzles from China.
What do we get for 60 rubles. The tips fit perfectly and work exactly as they should - expanding in the ear and "sealing" the ear canal.
As a result, the headphones hold up very well. And the musical details become audible much better. On the forums of other headphones, it is often said that such foam nozzles change the sound somewhat (supposedly the upper ones are slightly cut), but I did not notice this. All the advantages, as well as the disadvantages of both headphones, are heard in the same way. Except now they can be heard better.
As for the shortcomings of the foam nozzles themselves, they have only one - the ear pads quickly get dirty and fail. The lifespan, depending on the intensity of use, is about 2-3 months. In essence, these are expendable materials with very low cost.
conclusions
Both models, and Pro and ProHD are far from ideal, but for such a price you forgive them a lot. It remains only to choose which model is right for you. Therefore, if you are a fan of heavy or electronic music, if you like bass, you really like it, take simple Mi In-Ear Headphones Pro for 1000-1200 rubles (now the sales period and you can get them for absolutely ridiculous 800 rubles). In addition, you will get well-distinguished and uncut frequencies of other ranges (problems only with the middle ones). Well, the price is more than reasonable.
Pro2 - as already mentioned in the relevant section, we do not recommend it, unless you are fans of audiobooks. This is where voice selection comes in handy.
If your phone is Android and rooted
If your phone is rooted, then the sound of the device can be "fitted" to the headphones. To do this, first you need to install ViPER4Android FX (V4A), global system equalizer. Then install the profiles from this message on the w3bsit3-dns.com website.