SoundStage! Solo | SoundStageSolo.com

Details: Written by: Geoffrey Morrison; Created: 15 October 2023

Sound:
Value: 1/2
(Read about our ratings)

There’s a pervasive mindset among certain enthusiasts that bass is bad. Bass is pedestrian. Bass is for plebes. Call me a plebe, then, because I like bass. Not all bass, mind you, but good bass.

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

Sound: 1/2
Value:
(Read about our ratings)

There are few brands that elicit a more varied response between audiophiles and average consumers than Beats. Perhaps because I’m firmly on one side of that divide, I understand why. Early Beats headphones were pretty bad, even by the standards of the day (headphones have come a long way since then). To counter that situation, Beats had a colossal marketing budget. Honestly, though, I think their mainstream appeal was a huge factor behind the explosion of headphones as an audio category.

Read more: Sivga Luan Headphones

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

Sound: 1/2
Value:
(Read about our ratings)

And now for something completely different—well, at least for SoundStage! Solo. Not completely different. Mostly different. They’re still headphones, but they’re aimed at a different market than we normally cover. However, being Bluetooth and noise canceling, they’re not that far removed from what we normally test.

Details: Written by: Geoffrey Morrison; Created: 15 July 2023

Sound:
Value: 1/2
(Read about our ratings)

Reviewers' Choice Most ultra-high-end headphones peacock some visual indications of their price. Whether it’s size, materials, or the overall design, they exude “expensive.” It’s certainly a choice, and an understandable one. The Yamaha YH-5000SE headphones are almost understated in comparison. They have a delightful, chunky, old-school look that, to the casual headphone fan, could be from 1976 or 1986 or just about any time, including now. No wood veneers, no fancy colors, just structural metal work, grilles, and a hint of yellow where the cables connect to the earcups. I like it. The design shows purpose, and if you know what you’re looking for, they telegraph their price in perhaps an even more impressive way than some other, more visually bombastic headphones.