M-Audio Q-40

M-Audio Delivers Quality Yet Again.

I bought a pair of Q40 headphones from Dolphin recently with the intention of using them in a small studio - particularly of organ music - with the intention of using them later in the evenings, when using reference monitors isn\'t possible. Having always relied on the M-Audio name for both quality and affordability, I was not disappointed on either count.

My main reason for buying these headphoens was the quoted frequency response, which really does go all the way down to 10Hz - or seems to, anyway. Knowing that I needed to get good, flat response as far down as 16Hz - the bottom end of 32\' rank on a pipe organ - I looked around, and found these headphones which seemed to fit the bill. What I discovered on trying them out was that they most certainly do - the clarity of the lowest pitches of various recordings with which I\'ve tested them is phoenomenal: I believe at times indistiguishable from being in the building where the instrument is housed. In addition to this fantastic low-end response, the treble detail and imperfections which are always present in a pipe organ - pipe chiff, blower noise, key / mechanical action and acoustic imperfections - are all (wonderfully) apparent.

I found the situation no different when I listened to some of my own productions: the Q40\'s do what every artist might wish for by bringing out new details never-before-heard in previous compositions and prompting with them a whole stream of new ideas for modifications and improvements. In only a few days of having them, I\'ve made a whole list of moments of old compositions that I want to revisit and rework. This is no doubt, in part a product of the impressive isolation the Q40\'s afford.

Whilst not entirely capable of giving the isolatory, \"what-world-outside?\" effect one could desire, the headphones were still capable (via my girlfriend) of giving me a hell of a fright. Her raised voice having failed to get my attention in the studio the first afternoon I tried the headphones out, she sneaked up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder. I could well imagine a health warning on a big orange label on the side of the box: \"to prevent palpitations, arythmias and infarctions, always face the entrance-way of the studio whilst using our product\"!

When I opened the package and found the Q40\'s, I was again impressed by M-Audio\'s sleek packaging and design. Like the headphones, the packaging oozes quality, but inevitably didn\'t maintain my attention for long. Having unpacked them and discovered in the box the leather case, detatchable cable and 3.5mm adaptor, I was keen to try them out straight away. For their first session out of the box I wore them for four hours straight and hardly noticed any fatigue or discomfort. The headphones are easily adjustable (and do not slip unlike a previous pair I owned) and are well padded and comfortable. The provision of a detatchable cable is extremely useful in a small studio - rather than having to dig round on the floor for the right output to disconnect, one can leave the cable in place and remove the headphones from it - something which improves further a high-quality listening experience.

The one disappointing feature of these headphones is the leather bag they are supplied with - I would have appreciated (and paid a little extra for) a hard case, which would afford better protection of the headphones, when carrying them around in a backpack or travel bag. However, when I made the choice to buy the Q40\'s, I knew that the majority of their use would be in a single place, so the lack of a hard case did not feature strongly in my decision to buy.

In conclusion, these are a fantastic pair of headphones, of a quality for which I would have expected to pay significantly more. The lack of a genuinely protective case prevents me giving ten stars out of ten, but for those who need quality headphones on a limited budget, the Q40\'s will not disappoint.