M1000 Review by Will Anderson

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M1000 Review by Will Anderson

Will Anderson tests the Studiospares M1000 Headphones

 

Will Anderson tests the Studiospares M1000 Headphones

 

The first thing that strikes you when you put on the M1000s is the incredible isolation you get from the large beefy cups. Absolutely ideal for working in a studio in where you’re in the same space as the performers, in a control room with poor isolation from the studio floor or even if you’re desperately trying to listen back/mix whilst the musicians are having a chat behind you! The frequency response seems to be pretty good going down to around 25Hz comfortably (with some roll off but no more than to be expected) and staying fairly flat to as far as I can hear (around 18kHz) with only a couple of ever so slight dips around 7kHz-10kHz, but these is barely noticeable for all practical applications (unless you particularly enjoy listening to sine waves). This means that they are excellent monitor headphones but aren’t going to be the nicest sounding headphones to listen to your iTunes collection on because, as it was described to me by a non-engineer, “they just aren’t fruity sounding”. If you’re looking for headphones for that purpose, you’re looking in the wrong place, as a good pair of monitor headphones won’t be at all “fruity”. The stereo image (as expected) is very good. The construction feels robust over all; for instance the headband is made of a stretchable fabric meaning it isn’t liable to tear, unlike other headphones (e.g. Senheiser HD 215s etc). The detachable cable is a must and replacements are easily bought. The spare cups help to give your headphones a far longer life without having to shell out more later on. The case they come in is a nice addition meaning that you don’t need to worry about damage when chucking them in the back of a van for a location recording etc. There are, however, a few issues. Some of the ergonomics are slightly disappointing with the headband needing to be fully extended to put them on without feeling like you are about the break them. The shiny plastic connector unfortunately looks slightly out of place on an otherwise high end looking pair of headphones. It would be nice if the cable that comes with them was a coiled cable as the length given is very useful but not always necessary and can get in the way. The headband is also a bit to tight when you first start wearing them but they do begin to loosen up after a few weeks of use and once they’re worn in they are very comfortable to wear for long sessions. In the bigger picture, however, these are fairly minor problems when stacked against the M1000’s many good points about the really important stuff.

All things considered these are very good headphones and for the price, absolutely exceptional value.

Pros:

  • Comfortable
  • Very good isolation
  • Sturdy construction
  • Good frequency response
  • Detachable cable, spare cups and a case
  • Great price

Cons:

  • Have to extend headphones fully to put on
  • Take a while to stop feeling too tight
  • Out of place tacky connector
  • Cable can get in the way

 

Overall – I would highly recommend these headphones especially when considering the price! Will Anderson