Design
Sporting an oddly shaped decal that could be compared to some sort of chrome hubcaps, the HD 438 headphones are a closed-back design, with cushioned fabric padding surrounding the ears. The main body is made of lightweight plastic which appears to be fairly durable but they don't deliver the most appealing tactile experience. That said, they're incredibly well balanced in terms of tightness and resistance once they are on the head, and after a few hours of listening they are still comfortable to wear. It's like a little cocoon enveloping your ears and thanks to the closed style they do a pretty good job of muting outside noise, meaning they're good for use on public transport and even for travelling — if you buy a separate carrying case.
The headphones come packed tightly in a plastic casing that can only be torn open with a pair of scissors, and there's no way to store them after you've ripped open the package. They come with two detachable cables of different lengths, either 1.4m or 3m depending on how far you like to be tethered from your device — good news for those who want to use these headphones interchangeably between MP3 player and home stereo listening. There is also a 6.3mm adapter provided, gold-plated just like the 3.5mm connectors.
Sound quality
Though they proclaim proudly on the box that they're designed for "Outstanding Bass Performance", the HD 438 doesn't really deliver on this promise. Bass is clear and without distortion, but it isn't anything close to a true rumbling experience, even on bass-heavy, low frequency tracks such as Apse's From The North and a range of drum and bass numbers.
Trebles were excellent, however, with a really crisp delivery. Vocals also fared the same way standing out nicely from the surrounding instrumentation. Overall they're nice and sensitive, good for a range of music styles but they definitely favour rock, classical and R'n'B rather than more bass-heavy genres. Volume levels were also good from a range of sources, from MP3 players to computer stereo outputs. One downside is that there's no dedicated volume control on the headphone cables.
The HD 438 comes with a two-year warranty and offer a pretty good listening experience for AU$149.95 as long as you don't expect heavy bass response.
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