We were mighty impressed by the Mo-Fi headphones from Blue Microphones when we reviewed them last year, but they were a little weighty and quite expensive. Today the company has revealed the Lola headphones, which feature the same 50 mm custom drivers, "ear-shaped" pads and multi-jointed headband as the Mo-Fi, but are lighter and cheaper. They are lacking in one important area though.
"Popular mass-marketed headphones don't live up to their hype, robbing listeners of the emotional impact that can come from listening to their favorite music," said Blue's CEO John Maier.
The new sealed over-ear member of the Blue family sports the same kind of four point, multi-jointed headband with pivoting arms as the Mo-Fi headphones, which we found excellent for long-haul comfort, but in a lighter and slimmer form. The tension adjustment mechanism has also been removed from the new models, making them a little less top heavy, too.
Also included are the 50 mm fiber-reinforced dynamic drivers encased in large acoustic cabinets for the promise of accurate sound reproduction across a 15 Hz to 20 kHz frequency range. But the Lola headphones don't have a built-in amp to help boost, or even improve, the source audio. The lack of battery, too, means the overall weight is reduced from the Mo-Fi's 16.44 oz (466 g) to 14 oz (397 g).
The Mo-Fi headphones offered a quality, detailed listen in passive, unpowered mode, though, so expectations are high that the Lolas will deliver in that regard as well. We can't say for sure without taking them for a test drive, however.
The Lola headphones come supplied with a soft travel case, a 1.5 m (5 ft) cable with inline remote and a 3 m remote-free audio cable. They'll be available in black or white from early next month for US$249.99.
The new headphones are introduced in the video below.
Product page: Lola