Headphones

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Written by: AJ Wykes

Created: 01 April 2025

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Focal’s headphones occupy the higher end of the market, which is to say that they don’t come cheap. The unusual aesthetics contribute to the line’s fantastic looks, and with rare exceptions (like Focal’s closed-back Celestee headphones), their sonic performance has received universal praise. The company’s first Bluetooth headphones with ANC, the Bathys (released in 2022), made a big impact in the consumer portable-headphone space, thanks to their excellent all-round performance. They are up there with the best Bluetooth headphones I’ve had the pleasure of listening to.

Read more: Focal Hadenys Headphones

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Written by: Geoffrey Morrison

Created: 01 March 2025

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Are hybrid headphones the latest trend? Last month, I talked about using MEMS drivers as the “tweeter” in earphone and headphone designs. At one end of the market, Creative’s Aurvana Ace Mimi earphones are great, especially for their low price ($129.99, all prices in USD). At the other end of the market are HiFiMan’s Isvarna closed-back headphones ($2899), another hybrid design. In this case, a planar-magnetic driver is augmented by a dynamic driver that functions as a “subwoofer.”

Read more: HiFiMan Isvarna Headphones

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Written by: S. Andrea Sundaram

Created: 15 February 2025

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The vast majority of over-ear headphones employ one of two driver technologies. Conventional dynamic drivers comprise a diaphragm with a voice coil attached, positioned in front of a magnet or a collection of magnets. Planar-magnetic drivers consist of a thin film with a circuit trace bonded directly to it in front of or between an array of magnets. In both of these designs, current through the circuit induces a magnetic field that interacts with the field of the permanent magnet(s) to push and pull the diaphragm in response to the audio signal. But since 1959, there has also been another technology used to drive headphones. That’s the year that Stax Ltd. developed its first electrostatic headphone model, the SR-1.

Read more: Stax SR-X9000 and SRM-T8000 Headphone System

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Written by: Geoffrey Morrison

Created: 15 January 2025

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As I’ve mentioned often in this space, I travel a lot. Early on, when I started traveling more or less full-time, I was lucky enough to meet an absolutely delightful person who I am even luckier to still call a friend. She’s Austrian and lives in Vienna. As such, I’ve been to that stunning city many times. Walkable streets, endless culture, and, as it turns out, a surprising number of audio companies.

Read more: Austrian Audio Hi-X20 Headphones

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Written by: Geoffrey Morrison

Created: 15 December 2024

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This is my last headphone review of 2024, and while I didn’t plan it this way, it’s ending the year with a bang. Can bangs be comfortable? Can bangs be beautifully detailed with an enormous soundstage? The metaphor breaks down here a bit, clearly. Which is to say, the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro MkIIs ($599.99, all prices USD) are one of my favorite headphones I’ve heard this year.

Read more: Beyerdynamic DT 1990 MkII Headphones