Page 2 - Physical Look - Hardware
The ADATA XPG EMIX H30 headphones are big. This is in part due to the large drivers, but also the extensive padding found on each side. Unfortunately, the bigger size means the headphones are heavy. There are some metal accents and the outer headband is also made of metal, which feels much better than plastic but increases the weight at the same time. Otherwise, the black and red color scheme is continued from the packaging. The majority of the headphone is black, but on the outside of the earpiece, there are some nice looking red accents poking through. The black and red sleeved cable is roughly 1.8 m long. Including the amplifier's cable, it is quite long and easily reached all the way around my desk. The cable is really thick and has the classic two 3.5 mm jacks at the one end, but also a USB connection. The USB powers the red LEDs on the headphones. The thick cable is quite frustrating as it is very difficult to adjust. Combined with the lightweight amplifier, if you adjust the cable, the amplifier moves too. Finally, the microphone is removable and easily plugs into the left ear cup.
Both ear cups are large and circular with lots of padding. Covering the padding is some soft leather. The ear cups themselves are plushy, but with this type of headband they do not sit nicely. The headband has a tight fit along the top of the ear, but loosens toward the bottom. This means that at the bottom of your ear the ear cup lifts up. Inside of each of the ear cups of the ADATA XPG EMIX H30 is a 53 mm high fidelity driver. The impedance comes in at 32 ohms, which is not too surprising considering it comes with an amplifier. The sensitivity comes in at 106 dB, while the frequency response is 20Hz to 20kHz. The specifications are good on paper, but we will have to see what it sounds like on the next page.
There are quite a few different types of headphone bands on the market. Each of them sit differently and create a different seal around your ears. When it comes to the ADATA XPG EMIX H30's headband, it does not sit too comfortably. Since the headphones are heavy, they can easily fall off if you shake your head too much. In my personal experience, headbands with this design always sit tightly along the top, but loosen too much around the ear as aforementioned. It is unfortunate, but at least the earpiece cushions are soft and breathable.
The ADATA XPG EMIX H30 comes with the Solox F30 amplifier, pictured above. It features four buttons on the front, which light up once the amplifier is plugged in. Starting on the left, this button controls the pass through connection. You can connect speakers to the amplifier and switch back forth between the headphones and speakers with a push of the button. The next button toggles mute on the microphone, while the button next to it toggles the virtual 7.1 surround sound. The final button on the right switches between the four preset equalization profiles, which are gaming, voice, cinema, and music. Each of these make noticeable difference to the final audio output you hear. The big round knob on the amplifier is volume control, which is really nice to use.
On the right side of the amplifier unit, we find the microphone and audio 3.5 mm jacks as well as the USB connection. The headphone's thick red and black cable combines all of these connections.
On the left side of the amplifier, we have two USB connections, a mini USB connection, and a 3.5 mm pass through. The amplifier is powered by a mini USB connection. The extra USB connections on the amplifier are definitely useful and a helpful addition.
The bottom of the amplifier has some rubber to keep it in place, however, since it is entirely made from plastic, the slightest tug from the cable pulls the amplifier out of place. It would be best to get some double sided tape and set the amplifier in its place so that it will not shift around all the time. ADATA could also include some sort of suction cup to keep this device in place. Otherwise, the bottom has a sticker with some extra information on it.
Overall, the ADATA XPG EMIX H30 has some promising aspects with its technical specifications, but some of the design choices are less than optimal in my opinion with its weightiness and chunky feel in both the headphones and the cable.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware
3. Subjective Audio Analysis
4. Conclusion
