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With MH110, CAD answers the question of how affordable can we go before running into problems. These are among the cheapest and best performing studio headphones you can get under $50 right now. Are they worth the money? Let's take a look and find out the answer to that question.
As one could expect, an affordable set of headphones that is this cheap can't really be all that great in terms of design. CAD took the path of least resistance, building the entire chassis of the headphones using those standard cheap materials. As much as such a move is anticipated, it is also welcomed. Choosing to do so means that they've left a larger portion of their funds to deal with hardware and performance. Function over form is something we can get behind, especially in the super affordable segment of the market.
In terms of general aesthetics, you can count on having that same ‘generic headphones from Walmart' type of deal. Build quality is fairly decent all things considered, but don't expect durability without proper care. Showing a bit of caution when using these can really go a long way. Let's check out the features next.
CAD has chosen a set of decent drivers for this build, leaving us to assume that hardware was the most expensive part of the headphones. We have two 50mm neodymium units rated for 112dB sensitivity and 32 Ohm impedance. They are packed into fully closed cups, with decent ear pads on each side. Headband is a typical, heavily padded design. You can adjust the fit by extending the headband on each side. Thankfully, the rails on which the cups extend are pretty well made.
Looking at the cable, you get 9 feet of fixed, decently thick cable. CAD has included a 1/4″ and a 1/8″ connectors as standard. Overall, CAD MH110 feel fairly solid. If you put them to strict home studio use, you should have no problems with them. They can definitely last far beyond what one expects in this particular price range.
Overall, the performance is far from bad. On the opposite, it's rather decent. For starters, those two 50mm drivers feel very responsive and capable of reaching both extremes of the frequency range without distortion. Sure, if you push them hard enough, you will end up in trouble, but that is to be expected. The response is fairly flat, but with obvious bumps here and there. This is where some serious EQ work can really save the day. Spending a couple of hours and finding an EQ map that gets these inline with your needs, can really add to their performance. In essence, CAD's image of what an affordable set of studio monitoring headphones should look like, isn't all that bad. Those who are working with an extremely tight budget could definitely benefit from a platform such as this one.
For more info about the CAD Audio MH110, click here.
For more Studio Headphones Under $50 you might like, click here.
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