Earphones

Details

Written by: Geoffrey Morrison

Created: 01 January 2025

Write a comment

Sound:
Value:
(Read about our ratings)

What do you picture when you read the words “planar magnetic”? If you’re a regular reader of this site, I would guess images of big, over-the-ear headphones like the Audeze LCD-5s and HiFiMan Sundaras come to mind. I’m going to assume what doesn’t come to mind is a pair of true wireless earbuds, and noise-canceling ones at that. And yet, that’s exactly what the Edifier Stax Spirit S10s are: planar magnetic, true wireless, noise-canceling earphones.

Read more: Edifier Stax Spirit S10 True Wireless Earphones

Details

Written by: Geoffrey Morrison

Created: 01 November 2024

Write a comment

Sound:
Value:
(Read about our ratings)

There’s something delightfully angular about the Final A5000 earphones. They look like a sort of eight-bit version of a pair of earphones, something you’d find in your inventory in a PlayStation 2 game. I like this a lot. They’re the opposite of flashy, yet still look designed.

Read more: Final A5000 Earphones

Details

Written by: Geoffrey Morrison

Created: 01 October 2024

Write a comment

Sound:
Value:
(Read about our ratings)

I’m always excited to try high-end in-ear monitors. Bluetooth earbuds have their place and use, but there’s something to be said for multi-driver earphones that aren’t as restricted by batteries, antennas, and rigid, low-end price points. Well, there’s a lot to be said, actually. In this case an entire review’s worth about 64 Audio’s Aspire 4 earphones ($899, all prices USD).

Read more: 64 Audio Aspire 4 Earphones

Details

Written by: Geoffrey Morrison

Created: 15 September 2024

Write a comment

Sound:
Value:
(Read about our ratings)

Change can be a scary thing. The great unknown and unknowable. What you’ve known might not be perfect, but something different could be worse. Then again, it might also be better. Which is a grand and over-the-top way to say that Bowers & Wilkins changed some earphones I liked. The Pi8 earphones ($399, all prices in USD) have replaced last year’s Pi7 S2 earphones. They’re different.

Read more: Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 True Wireless Earphones

Details

Written by: Geoffrey Morrison

Created: 01 August 2024

1 Comment

Sound:
Value:
(Read about our ratings)

I haven’t reviewed many in-ear monitors here at SoundStage! Solo, but that’s a gap I’m aiming to fill with a few upcoming products, starting with the Westone Audio Pro X10 earphones ($199.99, all prices USD). They’re small, and have a single balanced armature inside each earpiece. Westone claims they’re great for on-stage monitoring for vocalists, guitar players, and so on. These days, my live performances are limited to solo in-car baritone belts, so it’s a good thing that Westone also assumes these will be used by fans of bands, not just those in bands.

Read more: Westone Audio Pro X10 Earphones