Headphones

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Written by: Brent Butterworth

Created: 10 July 2018

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Measurements can be found by clicking this link.

Even though Audio-Technica’s big open-back audiophile headphones have always been a little idiosyncratic, they’ve also ranked among my favorites. When I got hooked on the 2000s version of Battlestar Galactica -- all streamed through Netflix on a laptop before Netflix was available in Blu-ray players and TV sets -- I used Audio-Technica’s ATH-AD900 headphones because I liked the sound and I knew they’d stay comfortable through all 75 episodes. The new ATH-ADX5000 headphones ($1999 USD) could be considered a super-high-end version of the ATH-AD900s; in fact, they’re more than three times as costly as the company’s next-priciest open-back, the ATH-AD1000X headphones ($599.95).

Read more: Audio-Technica ATH-ADX5000 Headphones

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Written by: Rad Bennett

Created: 15 June 2018

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Marshall Headphones’ Mid A.N.C. on-ear headphones ($269 USD) are the latest in a new crop of headphones combining Bluetooth and active noise canceling (NC). Bluetooth recently became more important when Apple took the headphone jack off the latest iPhones. And because Bluetooth requires a rechargeable battery, amplifiers, etc., adding NC becomes relatively easy.

Read more: Marshall Mid A.N.C. Bluetooth Headphones

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Written by: Rad Bennett

Created: 15 May 2018

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When Apple omitted the headphone jack from new iPhones in 2016, audio manufacturers had to start taking Bluetooth wireless audio seriously. Any new model without Bluetooth would have to connect to the world’s most popular smartphone using a dongle, something most listeners don’t want. Thus, we’re seeing Bluetooth (and the accompanying internal amplification and battery) added to more new models, even some targeted at audiophiles. The new Beyerdynamic Aventho Wireless is not only one of the first Bluetooth headphones built with audiophiles in mind, it’s also -- like the Aventho Wired model -- one of the first on-ear headphones built with audiophiles in mind.

Read more: Beyerdynamic Aventho Wireless Bluetooth Headphones

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Written by: Brent Butterworth

Created: 01 May 2018

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The M4U 8 ($399 USD) might be 2018’s most eagerly awaited new headphones -- PSB’s first new noise-canceling model since the launch of the M4U 2, in 2012. Six years after their release, the M4U 2s remain a benchmark for audiophiles and headphone enthusiasts who want noise-canceling (NC) headphones that sacrifice little or nothing in sound quality. On the opposite end of the NC headphone spectrum are the Bose QC25s: headphones that cancel noise spectacularly well and sound pretty good. While some NC headphones have since approached or matched the M4U 2s’ sound quality and the QC25s’ NC capability and portability, the two models remain the standards of their category.

Read more: PSB M4U 8 Bluetooth Noise-Canceling Headphones

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Written by: S. Andrea Sundaram

Created: 15 March 2018

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Originally published on SoundStage! Xperience

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

These days, it seems as if every major loudspeaker manufacturer has gotten into the headphone market -- but the iconic British loudspeaker brand Bowers & Wilkins has already been at it for the better part of a decade. In 2010, Bowers & Wilkins introduced their P5 over-ear headphones, and since then they’ve released a new or updated model each year. We have reviewed and been impressed with many of these, and 2017’s P9 Signature headphones won Reviewers’ Choice and Product of the Year awards for their high qualities of sound, looks, and build. Bowers & Wilkins’ latest headphones are the PX over-ear model with active noise canceling and Bluetooth ($399 USD). Will it carry on the tradition of excellence?

Read more: Bowers & Wilkins PX Bluetooth Noise-Canceling Headphones