Headphones

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Written by: Brent Butterworth

Created: 15 December 2017

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Originally published on SoundStage! Xperience

Sony WH-1000XM2 earphones measurements can be found by clicking this link.

Based on what I’ve observed, the greatest challenge in headphone design isn’t building the world’s greatest audiophile headphones. It’s building really good noise-canceling headphones. Consider the challenges Sony faced in creating the WH-1000XM2 noise-canceling (NC) headphones ($349.99 USD). The engineer must deal not only with the incoming music signal, but also with the signals coming from one or two microphones in each earpiece, each mike separately filtered to compensate for its distance from the driver, and for the acoustical properties of the driver and enclosure. The response of the drivers must be tuned to compensate for the effects of NC on the headphones’ sound -- and they still have to sound reasonably good in passive mode, when the battery runs down. Then there’s the noise of the internal amps and microphones to worry about. Perhaps worst of all, I’m told that many of the key patents of this technology are still held and vigorously defended by Bose.

Read more: Sony WH-1000XM2 Wireless Noise-Canceling Headphones

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Written by: Brent Butterworth

Created: 01 October 2017

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Originally published on SoundStage! Xperience

Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC headphones measurements can be found by clicking this link.

Some of the fabled audio brands of my teen years, in the 1970s, seem to be aging even less gracefully than I am as they face brutal competition from online merchants and low-cost Chinese brands. Sure, established names like Sennheiser can still command a premium over such brands as Fleeken, Hiearcool, and Paww. But when consumers can choose between OK headphones for $70 and name-brand cans for $350, most will likely cheap out. I’m guessing this is why Sennheiser has introduced the HD 4.50 BTNC noise-canceling Bluetooth headphones for $199.95 USD -- half the price of their next-least-expensive current models of this type, the PXC 550 Wireless and HD1 On-Ear Wireless, both at $399.95.

Read more: Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC Headphones

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Written by: Rad Bennett

Created: 01 October 2017

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Originally published on SoundStage! Xperience

Audio-Technica is vigorously promoting its new Pure Digital Drive headphone models, the ATH-DRS7BT ($299 USD) and ATH-DSR9BT ($549). But lest you feel left out in the cold by those prices, A-T also offers the dandy ATH-SR6BTBKs for $199 -- $100 less than the ATH-DSR7BTs, which I reviewed in July, and an appealing alternative about which there’s much to like. One catch -- the ATH-SR6BTBKs are available only at selected Best Buy stores and Best Buy’s website.

Read more: Music Everywhere: Audio-Technica ATH-SR6BTBK Bluetooth Headphones

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Written by: Brent Butterworth

Created: 15 September 2017

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Originally published on SoundStage! Xperience

JBL E55BT Quincy Edition headphones measurements can be found by clicking this link.

The E55BT Quincy Edition headphones take me back to the early days of the headphone boom, when it seemed that the primary goal of headphone brands was to get a celebrity to endorse their products. While endorsements were once common to the point of absurdity -- Soul Electronics sold a model endorsed by Tim Tebow -- these days they’re rare. I think the E55BT Quincy Edition ($199.95 USD) is the first set of celeb-endorsed headphones I’ve reviewed in about four years.

Read more: JBL E55BT Quincy Edition Headphones

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Written by: Rad Bennett

Created: 01 September 2017

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Originally published on SoundStage! Xperience

JBL has upgraded its series of Everest Elite headphones with the new 750NC. A price of $299.95 USD might seem a bit much for a pair of headphones made almost entirely of plastic, but as I grew more familiar with the Everest Elite 750NCs, I began to think they might be worth it.

Read more: Music Everywhere: JBL Everest Elite 750NC Wireless Headphones