Innovative Music Australia | innovativemusic.com.au | Expect to Pay: $449
Blue Microphones have developed a name for themselves over the years for offering unique designs and outstanding audio quality. If you’re looking for a Blue microphone, chances are you’re after something that is a little bit special.
With their first foray into the headphone market, it stands to reason that Blue are going to deliver something that is indeed unique and rather special – and that is exactly what is on offer with their new Mix-Fi Headphones. It’s a bold new direction in headphone design, and it makes sense that Blue are the guys to take the first step.
Let’s start by talking about the physical design of these cans. You find yourself taking a second look when you first see them as they do seem a little askew at first glance. But the seemingly off-balanced look makes complete sense when you put these on your head. The weight dispersion is just right, allowing the pads to rest with the natural angle of your ears.
The bridge sits evenly on the centre of your head, while the support arms bring the weight to the rear so it all sits comfortably and balanced. This ensures they sit comfortably and stay in place as you move about the studio. While they look a little unique to begin with, it all comes together when you’re wearing them. And let’s face it – they do look really cool.
But it’s not all about the looks or the comfort. Great headphones need to deliver great sound, and Blue have made sure of that with the Mix-Fi headphones. They’ve reworked the concept of powered studio monitors into a headphone design by implementing a built-in amplifier for the drivers to deliver perfectly matched amplification and speakers in one housing.
The result is outrageous. You get more headroom then you’d ever expect in a set of cans and a high frequency clarity that is simply stunning. This can be disengaged when running out of a studio headphone amp, and brought back into play when it is needed.
For those of you who regularly listen to music on your laptop from the less-than-special headphone output that most computers offer, this will bring new life to the sound. These headphones need to be heard to understand just how powerful they are and how vibrant a mix can actually sound. Blue changed how we view microphone design, and now they’ve done the same for headphones.
