Here at Headphone Review we have somewhat of a love-hate relationship with companies like Ailihen. Sure, their headphones are super cheap, but you get what you pay for — and sometimes less. Ailihen recently launched a new pair of headphones that they hope bucks that trend– the Ailihen MX-06.
But can the headphones go above and beyond previous reviews? We recently reviewed the Ailihen C8’s, and found that while they had a decent design, the sound quality was way under par. Today we’re going to find out if the Ailihen MX-06 is any different.
Design
The first thing to notice about the Ailihen MX-06’s is their design, and they certainly offer an interesting one. The top of the headband and the side of the earcups is made out of what we can only assume to be a faux leather, and while clearly somewhat cheaply made, it actually doesn’t look all that bad.
Another interesting point to note is that some aspects of the headphones’ build quality seem pretty under-par, while other aspects are built with quite a lot of detail. For example, the bulk of the headphones is made with a somewhat cheap plastic, but then you’re struck with how nicely made the wires seem to be. In fact, they feature a strong braided nylon that can likely withstand quite a bit of abuse. That abuse, however, can really only be directed at the cable — the rest of the headphones probably couldn’t withstand it.
There’s another pretty serious design flaw that intersects with how comfortable the headphones are — the earcups can’t swivel. That means you’re out of luck if you have a different head shape than the one Ailihen designed for. Apparently I have a different head shape — the headphones were a little crooked, and as such put a little too much pressure at the front compared to the back.
In the box you’ll find…nothing. You’ll only get the headphones. Although, we don’t really know what else you would need. These are a little too big to be your portable headphone solution, so you probably don’t really need a case or bag for them.
In general, the Ailihen MX-06 headphones look decent, but they suffer from a lack of build quality and design flaws that hinder how they fit. The build quality issues continue on from the Ailihen C8’s we reviewed, but the C8’s looked nicer and didn’t suffer from the same functional design flaws.
Comfort
We so wanted the Ailihen MX-06 headphones to be comfortable. They have a good level of foam padding on the earcups and some nice padding on the headband too. But the lack of a swivel for the earcups destroys any hope of a comfortable fit. For example, there’s much more pressure right in front of our ears compared to the back of the headphones. Not only that, but the tightness of the grip would be fine if it was evenly applied to the entire ear cup, but since it’s not they feel a little too tight. That’s coupled with the fact that while Ailihen claims the headphones are “over-ear” they still sit on the ears a little — which doesn’t feel very good.
It’s a bit of a shame. Ailihen seems to have put some effort into getting the right amount of padding, but there’s a total lack of effort in other areas of the build.
Sound
So the design and the comfort level of the headphones isn’t the best, but can they make up for it with a decent sound quality? Unfortunately, no.
Let’s start with the bass, which isn’t necessarily that bad, but could certainly use some work. The bass is definitely present in the Ailihen MX-06 headphones, but really only higher bass frequencies. There are little to no sub-bass frequencies, which sucks a lot of excitement out of the low end.
The midrange is where a lot of the sound comes in these headphones — which exactly what you don’t want. On top of that, it seems to be low-mids that are louder, causing the sound to appear a little muddy and unclear.
Of course, part of that muddiness has to do with the total lack of high-end. High frequencies are the most overlooked frequency range in headphones, and the Ailihen MX-06’s are no exception. Problem is, they’re the frequencies that bring a lot of excitement to music. Vocals are brightened in the high end, cymbals largely live in the high end, and guitars get their bite from the high end. Without enough high to speak of, all of that is lost.
On top of that, Ailihen uses a bit of sneaky marketing to make these headphones seem better than they are. According to the Ailihen website, the MX-06 headphones feature “noise isolation.” Technically, all headphones feature noise isolation, but the MX-06 headphones have a lot less of it than many other headphones — in fact, quite a lot of sound is both let in and let out, despite the closed design.
Conclusions
Steer clear of the Ailihen MX-06 headphones. The build quality is cheap, their not all that comfortable, and they don’t sound very good. Sure, they don’t cost much, but if you’re looking for a pair of headphones that come in at under $25, we recommend something like the Sennheiser HD 202 II‘s, which you can get here. If you insist on wanting these, however, you can buy them using the links below.
| Store | Price |
|---|---|
 |
$19.98 |
| Ailihen | $23.99 |
| Frequency response | 20Hz – 20kHz | Active noise cancellation |
No |
| Driver size | 40mm | Noise attenuation | Unknown |
| Driver type |
Dynamic | In-line controls | Yes |
| Design |
Closed | Microphone | Yes |
| Sensitivity | 105dB at 1mW | Earpad material | Foam |
| Rated impedance |
32Ω | Magnet material | Unknown |
| Total harmonic distortion |
Unknown | Water resistance | No |
| Rated input power |
Unknown | Battery life | N/A |
| Maximum input power |
Unknown | Wireless distance | N/A |
| Wireless connection |
No | Cable length | 1.5m (4.9ft) |
| Wired connection |
3.5mm | Case type | N/A |
| Detachable cable |
No | In-the-box | N/A |
| Weight | Unknown | Colors | White, Black, Black and Gold |