SoundStage! Solo | SoundStageSolo.com

Details: Written by: Geoffrey Morrison; Created: 01 August 2024

Sound:
Value: 1/2
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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.

Details: Written by: Geoffrey Morrison; Created: 01 June 2024

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These true wireless earphones cost $18.98 (all prices in USD). I bought them on Temu, along with two other pairs, for just over $60. I chose these because of how they look. I mean, obviously! Look at them! They’ve got little bear ears. I didn’t even notice until I received them that the front face rotates 360 degrees, revealing in turn a creepy smile face, an unhappy face, or the Onikuma logo. Rotate slightly more and it reveals the earbuds themselves. I’ve seen worse, and uglier, designs on mainstream products.

Details: Written by: Geoffrey Morrison; Created: 01 June 2024

Sound: N/A
Value:
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What in your everyday life costs $12? If you’re careful, maybe a meal from McDonald’s? A trip to the grocery store is way more. A movie matinee? Not in my area. Do you have any electronics gear that costs $12? A cable perhaps, or some spare silicone eartips. Certainly not fully functional true wireless earphones, and yet that’s what I found on Temu.

Details: Written by: Geoffrey Morrison; Created: 01 May 2024

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PSB is one of those companies that doesn’t get the mainstream recognition of the Boses and Sonys of the world, but among audiophiles and enthusiasts, they’re well known and widely respected. Decades of great-sounding and well-made speakers, almost all of which also measure objectively well, have done a lot to endear the company to a wide, if still vaguely niche, audience.

Details: Written by: Geoffrey Morrison; Created: 01 January 2024

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Though better known for its big, planar-magnetic, over-ear headphones, HiFiMan has released a variety of earphones over the years. On the true-wireless front, that list includes the Svanars, descended from a $1999 (all prices USD) wired model. What we have here are a pair of earphones in the middle of the range, the Wireless LE ($299). Other models include the Svanar Jr. ($179), which use a different amp and DAC, and the Svanar Wireless (no LE, $499), which include wireless charging and the LDAC Bluetooth codec.

Details: Written by: Geoffrey Morrison; Created: 01 December 2023

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On a recent episode of the Audio Unleashed podcast, Dennis Burger and Brent Butterworth talked about how far the Beats brand has come. As I had, they had reviewed early Beats headphones to much consternation. All that money and reach, and the ’phones sounded terrible. As bad as the early over-ears were, the on-ears that followed were even worse.