SoundMAGIC HP150 Premium Full Size Folding Headphones

I have read a lot of reviews on these headphones and decided to try them out as one of my first good pair of closed back's. I currently also  own the HD 598 SE.
 
Low end
The low end/sub bass on these are terrific for those who like a good bass but are not bassheads. They have a good umph in the sub bass, are tight well controlled and not bloated. I was very surprised about how good the low end on these were!
 
Mids
The mids are clear but you can tell some vocals are ever so slightly recessed. Very slight V shape but borderline neutral. 
 
Highs
The highs are bright and found them too bright when first listened to them, but after hours of burning they have sounded more controlled. Though the brightness doesn't take away from the quality at all. Just those treble sensitive may want to give them a try before purchasing. 
 
Cables
One of the problems I've research about this headphone was the propriety cable and how bad it was. I found an adapter that solves all problems! (link below). This adapter connects from male 3.5mm to female 3.5mm and is thin enough to fit through the proprietary locking mechanism! (woot). If you have these headphones and don't want to physically mod to mess with warranty, these are definitely a great option. 
 
USA (https://www.amazon.com/FosPower-Auxiliary-4-Conductor-Smartphones-Microphone/dp/B016AHYRNW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486061257&sr=8-1&keywords=fospower+3.5mm+male+to+female)
CAD (https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B016AHYRNW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
 
Overall 
Amazing headphones for the price. Would highly recommend them to anyone looking for budget (<$150) headphones. I would personally say they sound better than the m40x because of the better low end (tested my brother's pair). If you do get these headphones I would also highly recommend getting the attachment cable for 5-10 bucks!

These headphones sound so magical, that you don't want anything to be wrong with them. There is an Achilles heel, but with some care it can be remedied. You have to be careful how to handle them as the yokes holding the cups are a bit fragile. Soundmagic has replaced this specific model with the HP-151 which has a stronger build but same sound applies so this review also applies to the HP-151. On the comfort side of things, the HP-150's are comfortable but do get a bit hot to wear after an hour or two. But let me jump into the sound quality directly.

Let me first start with the entire frequency spectrum. This is a u shaped headphone nearing neutral. The sub-bass is pushed up a bit and the highs are as well, this creates a fun yet reference sound signature similar to the famous DT-770, but with a bigger soundstage and better mids than those. The soundstage on these are probably best in class and only semi-open headphones will provide a bigger stage. The stage is quite wide, deep and has a good height. The imaging of individual layers are precise and so each element in a soundtrack can be pinpointed with ease. This makes this headphone good for busy genres such as with orchestra and classical music, but it plays well with many other genres.

Now on to dissecting the frequency response from bass to mids to highs. The bass on these are good. They go very deep and rumble at the lowest frequencies. The body is quite big even though it lacks control and speed. The bass also kicks and has a bit of a raised area around the 100hz mark to track kicks in a soundtrack. They are pretty good for tracking and I would call these headphones good for tracking in the studio. The drop in the higher bass from 100-200hz makes this headphone have a bit less body than what I'd consider ideal, which in turn makes the headphone a bit clinical.

The mids do have an impact though lack warmth and body. They are detailed and the headphone is good at layering the details seperate from the bass, though high end headphones will still do better in both detail and layering. The texture is also good. The slightly recessed higher mids make the headphone less fatigueing. I perceive the mids to be a bit dry which I think is good for tracking or being analytical in nature.

The highs are a bit peaky and can be sibilant. The peak around the 8khz mark is good for tracking impacts and makes it also good for tracking. They do extend nicely but can get overly bright on bright tracks. This brightness can give a very exciting and energetic presentation and I actually like that character of this headphone. Furthermore, the highs are a bit thin on impact but have a good decay and so blend nicely with the rest of the spectrum. The recessed lower highs give this aforementioned lack of body though this creates the big soundstage as well

Overall I would recommend these over the DT-770, as these are more neutral and have a more precise and bigger soundstage for the same price. These headphones are a good all rounder headphone though definitely are on the bright exciting side so keep that in mind.

I'm going to keep it short and just add things I thing people either want of need to know about these headphones.
 
I've had these for nearly 6 months and have used them for about 35-40% of my total daily listening time (the other 60% is with my Grado SR325e).
 
Here are the things i want to mention:
1. They are generally built well. There are a few exceptions though. One of the hinges that let the ear cups rotate along your head(the circular thing on the side of the headphone) is much more difficult to swivel than the other one and makes a weird sound. They don't seem to be in any danger of breaking though, and I don't personally use that adjustment. I really can't see anybody using that adjustment at all except for one click to change the place the headband sits on your head. The actual "DJ style" 90 degree sort of positioning is uncomfortable because it puts all the pressure on a tiny corner of the ear cup.
2. The frequency response is flat except for the bass, which is boosted a bit. It's not so much that it makes the bass sound muddy, but it's just enough to make a lot of song sound way more fun. It also does't disrupt the sound of songs that aren't supposed to have a ton of bass, and they don't sound bloated in any way. 
3. I have a couple of issues regarding the cable. First it is extremely stiff and often pushes other things out of the way, such as the iFi nano iCAN it was connected to. I've even had it knock a full sized plastic drinking glass off of my desk. Thankfully it was almost empty. The cable is way more noticeable than the Grado cable, which is one of the thickest things on the planet. The cable is also too short. I'd have liked it to be maybe another two or three feet longer. As it is, the cable is maybe 4 feet long (just my estimate) and the extension cable the HP150s come with is useless. It makes the sound totally crap. I've tried it in several applications including from my iCAN, from the back of my piano, from my receiver, from my iPhone... It just sounds like crap. The sound is similar to if you don't plug a jack in all the way and you only get half the sound. 
4. One more smallish thing. The ear cups are not deep at all. I have a small head and ears and they touch the padded fabric at all times. It only bothers me after an hour or so or when I'm lying down.
 
Even though a really only mentioned bad things about the HP150s, I really do think they are better than their price would indicate and am very happy with them. Sound quality is what counts for me, and these things deliver in that department. Thats why I enjoy them.