This and That:
Comes with a pouch.
Removable cable, attached to the right cup (the left side is the standard; in this way, the MK801 differs from it, just like the Sennheiser AMperior/HD 25).
Nice design and build quality. Smooth soft-touch surface that doesn't feel cheap.
Cannot be folded.
Side-markers inside the cups (easy to see but visually not really pleasing).
Soft headband and pads.
Pads quite small - more on-ear than over-ear.
Neither weak nor tight clamping force.
Short cable, good flexibility.
Remote control buttons don't feel precise; average microphone quality with voices on the darker side and not the best details.
Sound:
I'm using low impedance sources for listening.
Tonality:
Smooth, bassy, dark.
Bass emphasis starts to rise below 600 Hz, with a quantity of about 7 dB with a warm lower fundamental range and punchy upper bass. The midbass is just as present, and the elevation remains steady until about 50 Hz. Below that, in the real sub-bass, the headphone is losing some bass quantity but the roll-of isn't strong enough to make it sound subdued (the sub-bass is still present and audibly, although at somewhat lesser level).
The mids are on the darker as well as mildly warmer side but don't sound coloured otherwise. They're natural and pleasant sounding.
The highs are evenly in the background and therefore somewhat on the darker side. There's nothing annoying and they're very even and lack any dips or peaks.
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Overall the tonality is very pleasant and natural.
Resolution:
The resolution is very nice, especially for $50 – the sound is cohesive and only lacks slightly behind well-established headphones such as my Shure SRH440 or Sennheiser Amperior; compared to the Brainwavz HM2, the 1More MK801 is definitely an upgrade.
Vocals are rendered with a good amount of details and without any veil. The HM2’s muffled vocal veil is completely missing on the 1More, mids have audible more details.
The highs are very even, seem natural and not really artificial.
The lows sound controlled, quick and tight; no muddiness or softness.
Soundstage:
For a closed-back headphone, the soundstage appears quite natural.
Not congested; with about average width and good depth with decent layering.
Pretty precise instrument separation and imaging as well.
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Compared to other Dynamic Driver Headphones:
Brainwavz HM2:
The 1More is a bit less bassy and doesn't sound as dark as the HM2.
In terms of resolution, the MK801 is audibly ahead and sounds tighter as well as more precise, with the cleaner note separation and finer details. The Brainwavz on the other hand suffers from some veil in the midrange.
The 1More's soundstage is larger than that of the HM2, with the cleaner instrument separation as well as layering.
Shure SRH440:
The SRH440 sounds clearly more balanced/neutral, with quite flat lows and fundamental range plus audible more treble quantity, hence sounding brighter by quite a bit and also leaner in the lows. Bass extension is deeper on the MK801.
Regarding resolution, both headphones are surprisingly close, with a slight advantage for the Shure in the midrange and treble where the SRH440 is minimally cleaner sounding. In terms of bass speed and lows’ details, both are on par, though the Shure sounds subjectively faster as its fundamental range isn't elevated towards warmth.
To my perception, the SRH440 has always had a realyl good soundstage for a closed-back headphone at its price point. Compared to the 1More, the Shure's soundstage is a bit larger and more open, airier sounding, with the somewhat more precise instrument separation.
Sennheiser Amperior:
The Amperior is slightly less bassy. Its mids appear a bit more relaxed and a slightly darker (upper mids). In the middle treble, the Amperior is more recessed but has a brighter upper treble than the 1More, adding more sparkle and compensation for the relaxed central highs.
Both headphones aren’t far apart when it comes to resolution; overall, the Amperior sounds just a bit better differentiated and cleaner. Also, when it comes to the lows, both appear about identically fast and and tight, with perhaps a bit better differentiation on the Amperior.
The Sennheiser isn't known for a soundstage and sounds wuite congested, however the localisation of elements tonal is ironically really precise. That said, the MK801 sounds spatially larger and more open while the Amperior.
Conclusion:
Inexpensive but good sounding; bassy, somewhat warm, smooth and dark; good resolution.