Earphones are probably one of the most used accessories for smartphones. Bluetooth based wireless and true wireless earbuds are all the rage these days. They definitely come with convenient wire-free experience and takes less space in your carrying bag or pocket. But they do come with few caveats like battery recharging and inferior audio quality and high latency(if you play competitive multiplayer games like PUBG/Fortnite as compared to their traditional counterparts e.g wired earphones. Well the Xiaomi Mi Pro HD is a wired earphone and pretty much free from the codecs mess of wireless earphones. They boast two dynamic drivers and one balanced armature. The drivers claim to increase the dynamic range of sound by assigning different frequencies to each driver as compared to the conventional configuration.
Unboxing:
Earphones came with a minimalist package that felt more like unboxing of more expensive earphones. There are not a lot of earphones that have the same kind of box presentation at this price bracket. The box content includes:
- Carrying case
- Cloth Pouch
- Extra Earbuds (S/M/L)
- Instruction Manual
Box Unboxing Extra Earbuds Box Contents
Hi-Res Audio?
Well, Hi-Res Audio or HD Audio are all kinds of terms that are marketed sometimes on the boxes of earphones. But what does it really mean? Well, The earphones with the Hi-res Audio logo tend to have a wider frequency response. Therefore, they tend to produce more detail in sound. They are supposed to support higher than standard CD-Quality audio e.g 24bit audio. This term is more pronounced by Sony earphones and headphones because they’ve pioneered the standard “Hi-Res” by marketing it on their audio equipment. But these days, more brands are re-branding their audio equipment with the same logo. It used to be more likely to be seen on expensive audio devices. But now, it seems to be available even for cheaper audio products.
Testing:
In our personal experience. we weren’t really able to explain the difference between 16bit and 24bit file audio quality differences. At this point, some frequencies of sound aren’t even noticeable to human hearing. Well, that wasn’t the only disappointment, the biggest caveat being the storage requirements. The file size is almost 3-4 times and sometimes even more of the 16bit file.
High-Res Audio Logo
Build Quality:
The build quality is pretty impressive. The entire frame including earbuds, volume controller and its buttons, the headphone jack is all made from metal. The headphone jack is gold-plated that allows resistance to corrosion. The wire is 1.25m long. It is protected by a soft rubber texture coating and feels premium to touch. The volume controller has three buttons for Volume Up/Volume Down/Pause. We came to the conclusion that these are easily one of the best-built earphones in this price segment.
Mi Pro HD earphone 
Disc Shaped Pattern 
Gold -Plated Headphone Jack Metal Buttons
Comfort:
Mi Pro HD is pretty comfortable even after hours of listening. They are very lightweight and earbuds fit into ears perfectly. Moreover, Extra earbuds are present in the box to fit your size.
Sound Quality:
The most important factor about earphones is its sound quality, right? This section will be defined in terms of low, mid and high frequencies sounds produced by the earphones. The sound quality will be explained with a few songs we have streamlined for this and future reviews. All of them are 16bit FLAC files. Those songs will be a mixture of a few popular genres :
- Ed Sheeran – Photograph
- Starboy – Daft Punk
- Passenger – Let Her Go
- Linkin Park – Numb
- Marshmello – Alone
Note:
These earphones are tested with 70-80% volume from the phone as they can get unbearable sometimes to listen.
High Frequencies:
When it comes to highs, the earphones represent bright and crisp sounds. The sound seems to be more focused on the treble and high pitch details. The guitar details were much pronounced in ‘Photograph’ and ‘Let Her Go’ and sounded pleasant. ‘Numb’ had a pretty bell sound in a few parts of the song that I have never noticed before. But the excellent treble response sometimes causes piercing sounds in some songs. ‘Alone’ had strangely overpowered treble in the chorus which felt a bit overwhelming for ears.
Mid Frequencies:
Mid frequencies sound pleasant and sound great on these earphones. There are very few earphones that excel in this department but they have a surprisingly warm sound. ‘Photograph’ had a lot of background vocals and piano sounds in the background that was noticeable. ‘Starboy’ has a very distinct piano in the background which sounds perfect. But these earphones are not perfect as sound can get a bit distorted at the chorus of ‘Numb’ which has lots of instruments being played at the same time.
Low Frequencies:
The bass is present in a very conservative manner. The bass is pretty punchy but nothing to write stories about. It sounded very good in pop, classical and jazz songs. But for all the hip hop and EDM lovers might not be happy because the bass is lacking for these types of genres. Therefore, the bass heads might have to look somewhere else.
Microphone Quality:
The microphone quality is decent. The other person was able to listen to the voice adequately. The microphone needs to be a bit close to the mouth for a better reception. Calls can be received or ended by pressing the middle button of the volume controller.
Microphone Hole
Sound Leaking and Isolation:
Mi Pro HD isn’t the most silent earphones for others. They leak sound quite a bit and the other person might be able to observe what you are listening to if you are lying in a quiet space. For outside public listening, they are absolutely fine.
Speaking of sound isolation, they are pretty decent at covering outside sounds from your ear canal. But there are definitely better ones that can perform passive noise cancellation in a better way.
Pricing:
The Price of the Xiaomi Mi Pro HD earphones is 25($) or 3999(RS).
- https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32815107137.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.33946d86GbmFGb&algo_pvid=a1d71464-7a61-4bfe-a3b3-56cffe416e87&algo_expid=a1d71464-7a61-4bfe-a3b3-56cffe416e87-0&btsid=694061c8-3ffa-4199-b992-e8fefaa78e4e&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_4,searchweb201603_53 (International)
- https://mistore.pk/products/mi-in-ear-headphone-pro-hd (Pakistan)
Conclusion:
The earphones overall are really well suited for people listening to the songs focused more on details and instruments. Bassheads might not be impressed by the lack of bass. The value for money for the Xiaomi Mi Pro HD is impressive. It deserves a recommendation.
Pros:
- The packaging is really impressive.
- Build Quality is top-notch.
- Comfortable for long period.
- Detailed Sound.
- Good Microphone.
- Impressive Price.
Cons:
- Lacking Bass.
- Highs can be a bit shrill sounding.
- Distortion at maximum volume.
- Sound leaking.
- Sound isolation could be better.
