Beats EP ML992ZM/A

The ML992ZM/A (also known as Beats EP) are on-ear headphones manufactured by the "Beats by Dr. Dre" Corporation. These are black-coloured headphones with 65 mm ear pads that rest on the ears. Although it is an entry-level basic model, it has 40 mm drivers with wide frequency response providing sound quality exceeding average. The in-line remote control (RemoteTalk) is compatible with IOS and non-IOS devices, it is also equipped with a flat anti-tangle cord terminated with 4-contact 3.5 mm size jack plug. This multi-page article has a review, shows how to remove the ear-pads, and how to repair and replace a broken jack plug and wire. If you have a broken set of headphones that are not working, then this article also has a jack wiring diagram that might help with repairs.

Review

It has some good points going for it such as the 40 mm drivers with deep diaphragm, and a magnet with a hole through it. The bass response is extremely good and you will definitely hear the low frequency effects (LFE) in films. Surprisingly, the treble is also pronounced too, which leads me to believe that it might have a special lightweight voice coil. I was impressed with the equalization of the bass and treble and it looks like someone got it right because it has the perfect balance of both. I have often heard headphones that had too much bass and not enough treble, and others with too much treble and not enough bass, however these headphones had the correct balance of both which was impressive. I also did not notice any colouration in the sound; hence the reproduction was fairly accurate.

A major design feature of these headphones is the way the ear cup rests on the ear. If you have small ears, then it may be fine for you, however those with big ears (me) might not like the idea of something pressing against the earlobes for a few hours. However, I did extend the headband to maximum (due to my oversized head) and they were fairly comfortable. Some drawbacks are that the ear-cups cannot be flipped over, which many DJs like to do on one side, and also these are not foldable. However for the rest of us mere mortals, this does not pose much of a problem.

Price/eBay

The model ML992ZM/A is expensive, and the price of a new pair can range from as little as seventy pounds to around one hundred pounds. However, there are other categories such as refurbished and graded which can sell cheaper. The price of a good working pre-used pair tends to be between thirty to forty pounds. I anticipate the price to remain high because they are very popular and they do sound quite good. One thing to look out for is fakes because the design would be very simple to counterfeit due to the plastic fabrication.

There are many broken pairs being sold, where they may require a jack plug replacement. Assuming everything else is in good working condition and all it needs is a new jack plug, then it can be a great bargain if you have good soldering skills. These headphones use a 4-contact 3.5 mm jack plug, and replacements are readily available. However, soldering these can be a challenge, especially all the wires that connect to the common ground.

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