I wasn't expecting Blue Microphones to jump into the already crowded headphone market, but hey, why not? And when I finally had the opportunity to try to its high-end Mo-Fi headphones, I was duly impressed. Granted, it was in the middle of a crowded show floor at IFA, but I like what I heard—and, for that matter, saw.
The company's first venture into the space did a terrific job coupling the vintage aesthetics of the company's much-loved podcasting microphone line with a terrific-sounding pair of cans. Announced a few months back, its Lola headphones aren't an update to the existing line, so much as an offshoot.
The new headphones dump the Mo-Fi's built-in amp for a slimmer, lighter fit, while maintaining the rest of its predecessor's good looks and most of its high-end internals. But is it enough to help the maker of high-quality podcast microphones really stand out in an already crowded marketplace?
Design
When I say slimmer and lighter, the focus is on the suffix. If you're looking for a pair of headphones to wear to, say, the gym, it's time to cut your losses and find another review. The Mo-Fis are big, hefty headphones, and that was really part of their appeal. They're the sort of cans you'd want on while pouring your heart out in your home recording studio, or sitting on the old bean bag chair, listening to old Kinks 45s.
For most day-to-day events, however, the things are fairly unwieldy. I probably won't be taking them on the subway or wearing them at the office. The Lolas, on the other hand, can feasibly be tossed in a backpack or worn on the street, though don't expect to blend in with the rest of the headphone-wearing public. These cans are anything but utilitarian.
Like the Mo-Fis, the Lolas maintain Blue's retrofutrist vintage appeal. The headphones harken back to some unspecified bygone era (the '50s? the '60s?) with big chrome touches and deliberate angles and rounded corners.
The headphones rock one of the larger and more complex headbands I've seen in recent memory, like the product of a time before everything became perfectly plastic and round, when cars had sharp fins and chrome Art Deco bumpers. When resting, the headphone forms two right angles, with hinges that pop out a bit from the side.
In use, the whole thing forms a perfect semicircle, fitting tightly on the wearer's head. The ear cups sit on two arms that scoop down below the band, folding up and collapsing slightly when not in use to make them a bit easier to carry around in the included suede bag. The ear cups themselves are not small, owing both to the included electronics and the extremely generous padding.
There are no built-in controls on the headphones themselves, but the Lolas do ship with two, long removable cords (which can be plugged into the left ear), one of which has the requisite built-in volume and Play/Pause buttons. Interesting that Blue (in spite of its name) opted not to build a mic into the headphones themselves, but there's a small one built into the control cable.
Though that microphone's only intended for calls. If you're looking for something to record on, Blue can recommend a few of those.
It all sounds a bit garish, but as ever, Blue pulls it off, making headphones that are at once intricately detailed without appearing over the top.
Comfort
About that padding—there's a lot of it, both on the ears and the hand. And it's extremely nice. The leather padding on the band measures roughly a full inch tall, which more than counteracts the metal design and the fact that these certainly aren't the lightest headphones on the market.
The cups slips nicely over the ears, forming a sort of pillowy cocoon that seals the wearer off from the rest of the world. And they're damn comfortable. As someone who gets irritated using headphones for extended periods, I had no problem wearing the Lolas for hours on end, as no direct pressure is applied to the ears themselves.
Also, in spite of the the size of the cups, my ears never got overheated. I'm not sure how well that would hold while walking around on a hot day, as they're not exactly ventilated, but they're plenty comfortable as I type this in my room-temperature apartment.
Sound
No surprise, the Lolas sound great. They're not quite as powerful as the Mo-Fis, having ditched the built-in amp for reasons of size, but for most users, that won't mean a whole heck of a lot. The Blue Lolas are one of the best-sounding, clearest headphones I've tried in the mid-$200 price range.
Unlike a number of other headphone makers, Blue doesn't bump up the bass to give the appearance of richer sound quality, instead focusing on bringing out the clearest and truest picture of the audio available—and indeed, I was able to hear elements in the music that might have been lost on similarly priced headphones.
The Lolas can also get LOUD without losing clarity or muddying up the sound—not that I recommend turning them up too much, of course. But the headphones are a solid, reasonably priced choice for home musicians looking for a pair of over-ear headphones to listen back to their own creations.
