Blue Lola Headphone Review

Last year Blue came out with the Mo-Fi. They were a big hit among audiophiles, especially with the built in amp. Now, Blue is expanding their line-up with the Lola. The Blue Lola has all of the unique features of the Blue Mo-Fi, only with no headphone amp built in, and lack of headband tension adjustment. The lack of these feature has resulted in a price drop from $349 to only $249. On paper, this is an extremely aggressive price point given the features. We'll see how they actually perform.

      Features and specs:

      Type and Size:  50mm fiber-reinforced dynamic driver

      Impedence:   42 ohms

      Frequency Response: 15-20,000 Hz

      Enclosure Details:  Sealed enclosure with tuned damping material

      Weight:  397 g

The Blue Lola came in a great looking box, with photos of the product and it's specs. The materials used in the construction was actually mostly metal, with some plastic. Quality of materials used was very good, and the fit and finish was excellent! The Blue Lola is a premier product, and built like a tank! Also included in with the Blue Lola is the owners manual, soft carry bag, and longer cable.

I love the design of the Blue Lola. Starting with the Blue Mo-Fi, they started from the ground up in designing a headphone. And the design, especially the headband, was totally out of the box thinking. It allows you to not just adjust the fit, but also the tension. All of this is done by incorporating a lot of metal arms and joints. This makes it not only well adjustable, but very sturdy in build, so it should be able to last a very long time.  The Blue Mo-Fi performed so well last year, I was excited to see how the Lola would sound.

David Bowie: Let's Dance, kick drum had very good depth and had good output. Knockers showed a huge soundstage, percussion was crisp with really good resolution, vocals were natural with great texture. Journey: Don't Stop Believing, keyboard sounded extremely natural and detailed, vocals were silky smooth with excellent texture and harmonics. The soundstage was really big, and imaging was spot on. Also Sprach Zerathustra, really nice clean ultra deep bass, with very good authority. Silky smooth brass with nice detail without being too brass, and throws a big soundstage. Tympani had nice impact. Junior Wells: Why Are People Like That, bass had really good depth and authority. Vocals were silky smooth with excellent resolution and timbre. Harmonica was smooth, really clean, and very dynamic. Percussion was crisp with good resolution. Gershwin: Rhapsody In Blue, clarinet was very clean and smooth with good texture and woodiness from the reed. Brass was also smooth without being too brassy. Piano sounded very natural. Bassoon had excellent depth and air. Imaging was excellent as was the soundstage big.

Blue knocked it out of the park with the Mo-Fi.  And they have done it again with the Blue Lola.  They have a great reputation for their microphones.  And I can see that same reputation becoming a reality for their headphones as well.  The soft earpads fully engulfed the ears, providing a great seal, allowing all of their resolution to come out in spades.  And the all metal headband was built like a tank.  I did notice the drivers did seem to be more power hungry, as the volume was noticeably lower than usual.  If you like your music really loud, they would benefit from a portable headphone amp.  I like my music a bit on the loud side.  When listening to them thru my iPo, they were plenty loud enough for me, but I also had the volume up all the way.  Based on their design, features, quality, and performance, the Blue Lola have has earned our Editor's Choice Award.  For more info and complete specs, check out their website at www.blue-headphones.com.  You'be be glad you did!