The Sound
Contents
We tested both headphones primarily via bluetooth on our phone (a CAT S62Pro). This is because this is how the majority of users will deploy them. Measurements were done via cable though, as this simply gives better results (bluetooth gives extra compression).
Generous
Now Bluetooth has the name of not really sounding that great. That is not quite right anymore. Developments in the field of wireless audio have been very rapid. For years there have been new codecs that sound much better than, for example, standard SBC. AptX and AAC are much nicer codecs that ensure that audio will sound good…
Now you can create a personal equalizer via the Teufel App. And possibly share a piece of music with someone else. However, we don’t find that very interesting if we are honest. We just play without any additional equalizer to determine what these headphones naturally do. And that’s not bad at all! Both models are a touch warm in sound, but it’s not too bad; we know models that exaggerate it more. Teufel really hasn’t tried to imitate Beats. Thank goodness for that.
Now it does stand out that the Supreme ON has a less coherent bass. There’s a bit of a hump to the experience. Crazy, because the frequency curve would suggest otherwise. But so if we look at how tight the bass, it is noticeable that the Supreme ON has (significantly) more distortion in that area. Perhaps we hear that. Also, the Supreme ON suffers more from vibrations (decay) … there remains some more energy after an impulse.
If we play – for example – Present Tense by Radiohead, then the bass is a bit messier on the Supreme ON than on the Real Blue NC. The latter simply shows more detail which offers more calmness and insight. And that just makes for a better listening experience. However, if we listen over entire bandwidth, the Supreme ON indeed puts more emphasis on the midrange, as the bass has slightly less ‘overall’ energy. However, the balance of the Real Blue NC is a bit better (and a bit warmer).
There is a slight difference in with or without noise cancellation. We think without noise cancellation sounds a bit better. Perhaps due to the spike in distortion around 2500 Hz that creates some sharpness. Our advice is to leave ANC off unless necessary. The extra tightness in the low frequencies is not worth it; other things go wrong and the overall picture without ANC is simply better. Also, the headphones already seal so well that we don’t find it necessary either.
By the way, the ANC works very well… It does not only exclude constant noise, but also other disturbing effects. Speech still comes through somewhat (I think it should), but the system is surprisingly effective. We do NOT hear our mechanical keyboard at all anymore, which is really impressive… it is quite a loud keyboard :-). So for those who want to work in peace and quiet: yes… the ANC is effective.
Overall
If we look at the overall picture, we cannot but conclude that the Real Blue NC paints a more complete picture and that if you can afford the money, you really should go for the Real Blue NC. Apart from ANC which we would not use, the tonal balance is better and the Real Blue NC also gives more insight into the music. The low distortion is much lower which provides a tighter experience. We hear that and we can measure it. However, we can not look into your wallet. And if you can not miss 200 euros and a maximum budget of 100 euros then … we still would not recommend the Supreme ON. The old Real Blue NC goes for about 129 euros. And that too is a better choice, we think.
