Harman Kardon CL Precision On-Ear Headphones with Extended Bass

CUSTOMER REVIEW



What I like:

-Aesthetics: presentation, packaging, beautiful and unique sophisticated design, nice pleather carrying case

-Option of 2 sizes (small vs large) of metallic headbands

-Magnetic leather earpads are easily removable and thus replaced

-Balanced sound, more than capable (though not booming) bass. Suitable for movie-watching and all sorts of music (instrumental soundtracks, vocals, hip-hop, pop, haven't tried rock yet)

-Easily driven by Galaxy Nexus using PowerAmp app with slight boosting of the treble, no amp necessary

-On-ear design makes music more vivid than around-the-ear design of other headphones. It also does a fair job of passively isolating noise (good enough to drown out 70% of engine noise during air travel)

-Minimal sound leakage

-More premium sound and design than direct competitor B&W P3. $100 cheaper than B&W P5, and after a quick test I could not tell the difference, probably only a very discerning audiophile could



What I don't like:

-Unlocking mechanism for earpieces may disengage them from the headband if you rotate them 360 degrees inadvertently

-Comfortable for half an hour but then clamping pressure on ears causes them to start throbbing

-Cable is proprietary. It also has a straight end rather than an L-shape to connect to device

-A little bit of noise when you move around, whether from squeaky leather or rubbing the metal headband



Sound and comfort when compared to Klipsch Image One, Harman Kardon CL, B&W P5, Bose QC15, Sennheiser Momentum:

-Klipsch Image One is too bass-heavy. Comfort is merely OK because the cushions are so small they straddle the line between circum-aural and on-ear

-UE6000 will have more prominent bass with active noise cancellation function turned on with better clarity in the mids and highs with noise cancellation turned off. It is very comfortable, superior to CL due to plush memory foam. However the UE6000's earpads cannot be replaced at all, and it is somewhat heavy/bulky especially with 2 AAA batteries installed. Plus you may noticed a "hiss" due to the noise cancellation

-B&W P5: Although this was by far the best-looking out of all the headphones, I found it to have a somewhat hollow sound especially when compared to the Harman Kardon CL. A very tight (and unadjustable) clamping force made listening very uncomfortable even for brief periods. That, plus the questionable durability (just go into any apple store and see how beat up the leather pads get over time), made me feel this was overpriced at $300

-Bose QC15 have best active noise-cancelling effect (and does not generate any hiss/white noise). In terms of sound quality, however, it is the worst of the bunch as bass is one-tone and highs sound shrill and hurt my ears. Its plush ear cushions make it the most comfortable around-ear headphones I have ever used

-Sennheiser Momentum has crisper highs and has less bass. Comfort is superior as long as your ears fit into the plush cushions, and overall weight is a barely-there 190g



For sound quality I would rank Sennheiser Momentum>Logitech UE6000=Harman Kardon CL>B&W P5>Klipsch One=Bose QC15

For comfort Bose QC15>Sennheiser Momentum>Logitech UE6000>Harman Kardon CL=Klipsch One=B&W P5

For noise isolation Bose QC15>Logitech UE6000 (active mode)>Harman Kardon CL>Sennheiser Momentum>B&W P5=Klipsch One



What you should do if you buy this product:

-For 90% of users, switch out the pre-installed small size metal headband for the larger size, it'll fit better

-Stretch out the metal headband a bit with your hands, it will reduce the clamping pressure

-If you wear glasses, put the headphones on then put your glasses so the earpieces are sitting on top of the headphones. This will further alleviate clamping pressure

-Buy AudioEquip's NEW! Replacement Upgrade Headband Comfort Cushion Pad in Leatherette with snap locks. Universal fit most Headphone models; Grado SR SRi-series, Sennheiser HD-series, Beyerdynamic and more. for more comfort as the included elastic band is somewhat hard when resting on your head. In fact, I've found this particular headband cushion very useful for the UE6000's, Monoprice 8323's, and HK CL's

-No need for an amp, just tune up your treble through an EQ

-Best for listening at home, on the train, on an airplane. Not while working out or moving a lot