Musical Fidelity EB-50 Review by Jamie Grindrod
Musical Fidelity EB-50's
With the headphone market exploding with dozens of different brand names with hundreds of models between them thanks to the popularity of Smartphones as music players, it can be difficult to pick the right one for your needs. With the history of Musical Fidelity, you can be sure of a professional audio manufacturer who understands music and how to produce a product of real quality and high performance.
Design & Construction
Made from military-spec aluminium body with varying textures, you immediately feel the quality and although not heavy in the hand, the Musical Fidelity EB-50 'phones feel very solidly put together. Driving the headphones is a pair of neodymium magnets, which are encased in an anti-resonant material which helps to reduce internal vibrations for clearer sound quality. The outcome is ruler flat frequency response with excellent range and deep bass.
Musical Fidelity eb50 - sturdy constructionPerformance
Now I have to be honest and say that the first time I listened to the EB50s, I thought they felt a little lacking. I couldn’t put my finger on it but decided to give them another chance and I’m glad I did. After having a play with the ear buds (of which the EB50’s come with 7 pairs of different sizes), I managed to discover the right fit for my ears and the difference in the bass was immediately noticeable. While listening to Jamiroquai’s Deeper Underground; I found the bass to be tight and fast, but did not compromise the clarity of Jay Kay’s higher pitched vocals. The sound is equally as clear when listening to Incubus’ acoustic ‘Pardon Me’ in Apple lossless. The clarity and transparency of the guitar work is excellent and gives a really intimate performance. In celebration for The Door’s 40th anniversary of ‘L.A. Woman’, I decided to assess the headphones against the album. After testing them with a few songs, I was considerably impressed and able to pick out audible elements of the album that I felt were exceptionally clear and detailed. The headphones compliment the production of the album and play back the songs exactly how the producer had intended them.
Musical Fidelity eb50 packagingVerdict
Having given the EB50 headphones a full and comprehensive trial, I have no doubt that they are among the best I have listened to. Across the range, they offer brilliant detail as well as solid bass authority (you do have to play with the supplied ear buds to find the right ones for your ears, but once you do; it’s worth it) and as with any high-end headphone, the source material is important; a high quality file will really bring them to life, but even when playing back an MP3 file, the sound is tight and energetic. If you are looking for a refined sound and quality build without going silly on price, then the Music Fidelity EB-50s are certainly worth a personal assessment and an extended listen.
