Cowon EH2 Quick Review

Cowon EH2 Quick Review

Thanks to Advanced Headphones www.advancedheadphones.co.uk for the sample (AMP3’s sister site)

Brief:  BA clarity with bombastic bass.

Price:  £139 (they currently have £15 off so £124)

Specification:  Driver Unit Balanced Armature Unit + Dynamic Receiver Unit [2 WAY SYSTEM], Impedance 32Ω, Max Power 100mW, Rated Power 3mW, Sensitivity 105dB Frequency Range 20Hz to 22,000Hz, Plug 3.5mm & 3P, 24K Gold-plated Stereo Plug, Cord 1.2M, Braided & Balanced Type

Accessories:  9 pairs of tips, 6.25 to 3.5mm jack, soft case, “necklace” (lanyard) and a brush.

Build Quality:  Very plush.  The buds are polished metal, the cable is woven and hooker red.  It looks fancy and I’d say is sure to please those who care about how things look on the street.

Isolation:  For something with a dynamic it’s very good.  It’s practically at BA levels.  I’d have thought so sealed would have given me more issues but no.  It’s good enough for everything bar long flights or daily Tube commutes.

Comfort/Fit:  Heavy if worn down but up all was good.  No issue on either front.  I did get a touch of air pressure problems but complies cured that.

Aesthetics:  Pretty, shiny, red and attention grabby.

Sound:  V. Starting with the bad, the mids are recessed.  Nicely clear and cool but the highs are more forward, the mid/high cusp can gut rather shouty at times (looking at you Miss Aguilera.) being a BA the highs are very clean and clear too.  Very nicely delicate if a tad abundant.  Though when we turn to the bass things change to the dynamic driver.  Bass here is big.  Its big potent, punchy and powerfully fast.  It’s got nothing else to deal with so it shows of its talents when you hurl big bassy tracks at it.  Its really capable with slow or fast but which the cool and dry BA taking care of the rest it all works at its best with fast pop.  Its explosively capable and monumentally entertaining to play with.  Rhythmically quick and dynamic it love to get let off its leash and fly all over the place acoustically.  Fun, fun ,fun is the order of the day.  Slow and smooth jazz and whatnot though isn’t really done so well.  There is a touch of integration issues between the drivers and vocals are a bit back.  Still slap on some Miss Perry, Miss Allen or Miss Gaga and you’ll be sure to have a great time with all the EH2’s energy and enthusiasm.

Value:  Cost a bit but sounds super entertaining and looks like every penny.  Looks far nicer than Mr Dre’s offerings and sounds infinitely better too.  Purist audiophiles though may like a more sedate sound signature.

Pro’s:   Bass, its pretty epic. Great detailed highs with a good crisp/delicate balance.

Con’s:  Dramatic V shaped sound leaves mids a bit far back for slow vocal centric stuff.