CAD MH300 Review – The Underdog With A Lot To Give

Design:
Features:
Performance:
Value:

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CAD is one of those brands that stays on the fringes of mainstream. However, they have a couple of awesome models in their lineup. Today we are going to take a look at CAD MH300. It's an affordable pair, and honestly one of the best performing studio headphones under $50.

Design

While we definitely stand behind our claim that CAD MH300 is among the best choices available under $50, we aren't blind. These headphones don't look all that good. CAD didn't focus on aesthetics nor form when they were designing MH300. The end result is a set of bulky, heavy headsets which are reasonably comfortable. Materials used are decent, although ear pads could have been better. Much like with other cheap ear pad designs, the ones on MH300 take some getting used to.

With all that said, aesthetics depend on personal taste for the most part. MH300 aren't atrocious, but they just don't offer that level of refinement we would expect even from an affordable pair. One good thing we can name is the fact that MH300 come in all black. That makes them pretty stealthy despite their larger size.

Features

Feature wise, CAD MH300 pack a set of capable 50mm drivers. The sheer real estate you get makes these quite promising from the start. Cable is a fixed one and offers some 9 feet of length. In terms of padding and comfort, there isn't really much to look at aside from ear pads. The head band is actually just a thin strip of faux leather that sits in a metal frame. It can be adjusted, but is ultimately meant to serve as a stabilizer only.

If you are looking for a set of headphones which ‘hug' your head, these are not the ones. Other than that, MH300 doesn't offer too many features. Raw specs show an impedance rated at 38 Ohm, as well as a sensitivity that maxes out at 90dB.

Performance

With all of its downsides already mentioned, let's talk about what makes MH300 interesting. First of all, the size, weight and shape is something you get used to fairly quickly. It is all worth it for those two 50mm drivers. Their performance is fairly flat with no noticeable bias anywhere in the frequency range. Speaking of which, these will go from 20Hz to 18kHz. The sound clarity is impressive for the price, which makes them one of the prime choices for a budget studio build. You can hear even the more subtle imperfections in a mix, especially below the mid range. On top of that, there is some room for upgrades as well, which can solve a good portion of the comfort issues you might have.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4VRhQkhMdI

Conclusion

At the end of the day, CAD MH300 are definitely among the most capable, no-nonsense studio headphones on the market. They aren't without issues of their own, but when you weigh things out, the pros and benefits are overwhelming. If budget is an issue, CAD MH300 are a good answer.

For more info about the CAD MH300, click here.
For more Studio Headphones Under $50 you might like, click here.