CLAW SM100 monitor & headphones review: Superb audio quality, excellent bass output

CLAW SM100 Professional Studio Monitor & DJ Headphones
Price: Rs 6,490
Rating: ***1/2

Specifications: Over the ear headphones, 50mm drivers, 3.5mm connector, 375 grams


As a new brand, Claw has been focusing on a niche segment of products that are usually sold by other brands at a premium segment. Claw provides similar features at a pocket friendly price – first they launched the cheapest earphones with ANC and now they have launched a professional studio monitor and DJ headphones with the SM100.

Even though they have been priced at almost 1/4th the price, the SM100 looks and feel the same as more expensive DJ headphones available today. It has large over the ear earcups with padding for comfort. The headband is also lined up with thick padding which ensures long hours of usage without any irritation. The only thing for which we docked half a star is that it uses plastic everywhere – most headphones use metal in the headband adjustment slider for added durability. That being said, we liked that the headband slider has number marked levels on both sides – this helps find the best fit easily.

What further impressed us about the build quality is that Claw has managed to deliver a quadratic rotation folding design on the earcups. This means that you can rotate the earcups 90 degrees – handy for use in a DJ setup for one-ear use. Plus the earcups can even fold for packing and carrying around easily. On the left side is the cable connector with a handy twist-lock which ensures a secure connection. You also get two types of cable in the box – a coiled cable to use for professional work (DJ console, studio monitors) and a standard cable with in-line control and mic for personal use with a smartphone/laptop.

Audio quality from the SM100 is superb thanks to the large 50mm drivers. Claw claims that the headphones are capable of frequency response between 15 Hz – 30,000 Hz – most headphones max out at 20,000Hz which makes the Claw SM100 one of the few options available with this wide frequency range coverage at this price. The frequency range combined with large drivers delivers excellent bass output as it can handle low frequencies very well. We used the headphones for EDM, Bollywood, techno as well as for classic rock – the headphones impressed us in every genre. However, we did feel that the sound output leans a bit towards the lower frequency output and doesn’t have the absolute flat sound audiophiles expect from studio monitors.

For the asking price, the sound quality is great for users who are into recording/mixing and require headphones that deliver on comfort as well as sound quality. At the time of writing, the headphones were available for as low as Rs 4,990 making them excellent value for money.