Headphones

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Written by Brent Butterworth

Created: 01 June 2017

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Originally published on SoundStage! Xperience

Libratone Q Adapt On-Ear headphones measurements can be found by clicking this link.

My acquaintances in the headphone business often blame the mediocre performance of most noise-canceling (NC) headphones on Bose, which I’m told holds patents on most of the best technologies and techniques. But as digital signal processing (DSP) chips keep shrinking and getting more powerful, we’re starting to see some headphones that approach the awesome noise-canceling powers of the Bose QC25s and QC35s while providing better sound quality, more features, and alternative form factors. Libratone’s Q Adapt on-ear headphones ($249 USD) are one of this new NC generation.

Read more: Libratone Q Adapt On-Ear Headphones

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Written by Rad Bennett

Created: 01 April 2017

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Originally published on SoundStage! Xperience

These wireless headphones seem to have been designed at the same time as the wired UR42i model, reviewed in January. They’re lightweight, with simple-to-use controls and very good sound, and their price of $99.99 USD makes them an attractive choice for those seeking wireless cans that can also be used wired.

Read more: Music Everywhere: Koss BT539ik Bluetooth Headphones

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Written by S. Andrea Sundaram

Created: 01 April 2017

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Originally published on SoundStage! Xperience

Bowers & Wilkins P9 Signature headphones measurements can be found by clicking this link.

In 1966, John Bowers and his friend Roy Wilkins established B&W Electronics Ltd. -- the seed money had come from an elderly lady who’d been deeply impressed with Bowers’s knowledge of classical music and the quality of the speakers he’d built for her. The same year saw the development of B&W’s first loudspeaker, the P1. Now, 50 years later, Bowers & Wilkins has grown into one of the world’s best-known loudspeaker brands, with a huge variety of products and a distribution chain that spans the globe. Its 50th year saw the redesign of B&W’s flagship 800-series speakers, and the introduction of their first flagship headphones model: the subject of this review, the P9 Signature ($899.99 USD).

Read more: Bowers & Wilkins P9 Signature Headphones

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Written by Brent Butterworth

Created: 01 March 2017

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Originally published on SoundStage! Xperience

Blue Ella headphones measurements can be found by clicking this link.

Few companies have the technical chops or the commitment to get into the headphone biz the way Blue Microphones did a couple of years ago. Its first headphones, the Mo-Fis, combined a radically new design, a fresh technical twist, and superb sound quality. Blue’s new Ellas ($699 USD) replace the Mo-Fis’ conventional dynamic drivers with planar-magnetic panels, which have enjoyed renewed attention thanks to the recent efforts of such companies as Audeze and HiFiMan.

Read more: Blue Ella Headphones

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Written by Brent Butterworth

Created: 01 February 2017

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Originally published on SoundStage! Xperience

Beyerdynamic Amiron Home headphones measurements can be found by clicking this link.

The Beyerdynamic Amiron Home headphones represent a welcome reaction against recent trends in high-end headphones. In my opinion, many high-end headphones focus on making a dramatic first impression rather than offering a pleasant experience over the long term. Many are heavy, which might not bother the listener in a quick demo but could make the ’phones exhausting to wear for an hour. Some use uncomfortably strong clamping force to achieve a firm seal around the ear. Many are unnaturally trebly, which, in the short term, gives the impression of extra detail and spaciousness but often proves fatiguing in longer listening sessions.

Read more: Beyerdynamic Amiron Home Headphones