Senal SMH-1000 headphones (1 of 11)

Currently I have two pair of headphones I rely on, a low price pair of Panasonic RP-HTX7 headphones (check out the review here) for ruff situations where I just need to hear what’s going on and a pair of AIAIAI TMA-1 headphones for mixing and recording applications. Both sets have served me well but I’ve been looking from a comfortable pair of headphones that folds up into a small space for travel.

After doing a little bit of research, I came across the Senal SMH-1000 headphones. At $89 a piece the SMH-1000 doesn’t quit fall into the low cost range, but they’re a little less than half the price of my AIAIAI TMA-1 headphones I use for studio work. The SMH-1000 had mostly positive reviews, so I thought I’d give them a try.

Senal SMH-1000 headphones (2 of 11)

When you open up the package you’ll find the SMH-1000 folded up in a molded plastic cradle. Included in the box are the headphones, 2 different lengths of headphone cable, and a thread on 3.5mm to 1/4 inch headphone adapter.

Senal SMH-1000 headphones (3 of 11)

The included headphone cables are designed with a twist lock mini plug for the headphone attachment side and a standard 3.5mm plug on the other side. The shorter 3 foot cable is intended for short runs when you plan to have a field recorder in your pocket or around your neck, while the curly 10 foot cable works better for music monitoring applications.

Senal SMH-1000 headphones (10 of 11)

The twist lock on the headphone cable is simply a plastic nub on the headphone side of the cable with 2 flat sides and a lip. Slide the plug into the headphones and rotate a quarter turn to lock, or leave unlocked as a breakaway point for safety.

Senal SMH-1000 headphones (6 of 11)

Like more expensive headphones, the Leather ear pads are replaceable on the SMH-1000 and you can find replacement twist lock cables as well. The SMH-1000 headphones feel comfortable so far, but i’ll post more once I’ve had a chance to wear them for a few hours. Build quality seems reasonable and all of the folding joints are made out of metal.

In the little bit of testing I’ve done so far the Senal SMH-1000 headphones sound pretty good with slightly more low end then I was expecting but still fairly flat response. Overall sound quality so far seems to put them firmly in the upper middle level of audio quality. I’ll post more once I’ve had a chance to spend some more time with them, for now I’d say the Senal SMH-1000 headphones are pretty decent headphones for the price.

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