Times have changed, and it's easier for headphones to reproduce bass depth in affordable ways. Consumers on a budget finally have multiple options that allow them to hear music the way it's supposed to be heard. Coloud, a Stockholm-based headphone manufacturer, creates designs that have a spare, modern look, reminiscent of offerings we've seen from Urbanears and Scosche. The Coloud No. 8, at $29.95, sounds far better than a pair this price would have just a few years ago. There could be a tad more bass response and a little more high-mid presence, but the No. 8 further solidifies that the days of subpar headphones flooding the budget market seem to be behind us.

Design
Available in black, blue and yellow, or gray with yellow and black paint speckles, the look of the No. 8 is simple and understated. Cloth covers the headband and earpads, and the earcups slide along a simple metallic frame. The supra-aural (on-ear) design is comfortable and secure. The headband's cushioned exterior can be easily removed for hand washing, or as the manual describes it, "a streamlined look," though that streamlining will come at the cost of overall comfort—without the cushion, the headband consists of two thin metal strips.

A unique plug at the end of the linguini-style cable allows for easy cable wrapping. The 3.5mm connection can tuck into an opening located near the plug, essentially acting as a cable tie and eliminating any tangled cable issues.

An inline remote control and mic is situated at roughly chin-height along the left ear's cable. It's a single-button remote, and it can control playback, track navigation, and call management, but not volume.

Other than an extra set of tiny plastic caps that hold the headband cloth in place, the No. 8 ships with no accessories. Normally, this would be a little annoying, but at $30, all expectation of extras goes out the window.

Performance
On tracks with powerful sub-bass content, like The Knife's "Silent Shout," the No. 8 delivers an impressive low frequency response. At top, unwise listening levels, it doesn't distort, and at more moderate levels, the lows still pack an impressive punch.

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Bill Callahan's "Drover," a track with far less deep bass in the mix, gives us a better idea of the No.8's overall sound signature. The drums on this track can often sound overly boosted in the lows on bass-forward headphones, but the No. 8 avoids this pitfall. In fact, the drums sound near flat—some listeners might wish for more low-end—but Callahan's baritone vocals get plenty of rich, low-mid presence and enough high-mid definition for things to remain balanced and clear. It would be wrong to call this a flat response sound signature, as there's definitely some boosting and sculpting happening in both the bass and treble departments, but nothing is so far off that its stands out dramatically.

On Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild," the kick drum loop doesn't get quite the amount of high-mid presence we are used to, and so its attack sounds a bit more dulled and less capable of slicing through the mix. The loop's sustain gets a solid amount of low frequency presence, which gives the beat a little more thump, and the sub-bass synth hits that punctuate it are delivered with enough gusto to seem ominous, but enough restraint to avoid upsetting the balance of the mix—we get a little of their sub-bass push, but more than anything, we hear their raspy top notes. The vocals on this track manage to sound crisp and clear without being overly sibilant or too bright. This is a mids-focused sound with some tweaks in the deep lows and highs.

For orchestral tracks, like the opening scene in John Adams' The Gospel According to the Other Mary, the higher register strings, brass, and vocals have the spotlight—things are crisp, edgy, and clear. The lower register instrumentation has its louder moments; occasionally something approaching a sub-bass level sound will appear, and the No. 8 does a good job of recreating these deeper tones without much exaggeration.

Yes, audiophiles can thumb their noses at $30 headphones that don't offer critical listening-style experiences, but if you're a music lover on a budget, the Coloud No. 8 delivers solid, balanced audio for very little money. Sure, we might wish for a little more crispness in the high-mids, or a little more body to some of the bass response, but for $30, it's hard to complain. Other affordable, solid options include the Urbanears Humlan, the Scosche Lobedope SHP451M, and the Skullcandy Grind. The Lobedope is our Editors' Choice in this price range, and offers a more balanced listening experience for just $5 more, though all are solid options depending on which design you prefer. And if you have a little more money to spend, consider the Marshall Major II, one of our favorite options in the $100 range, and another Editors' Choice.

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