Earphones

Details

Written by: Brent Butterworth

Created: 01 January 2022

1 Comment

Sound:
Value:
(Read about our ratings)

Measurements can be found by clicking this link.

Campfire Audio makes so many different earphones it was hard to figure out which ones I should review, so last time I talked with company founder Ken Ball, I just asked him. He was pretty excited about two then-new earphone models, the Holocene and the Mammoth. Asked what the difference was, he said that the Holocenes have a more “reference” response, and that the Mammoths have more bottom end, with a response closer to the Harman curve. This left me thinking I’d prefer the Mammoths, but just in case, I asked Ball if he wouldn’t mind sending a test sample of the Holocenes, too.

Read more: Campfire Audio Holocene Earphones

Details

Written by: Brent Butterworth

Created: 01 December 2021

1 Comment

Sound:
Value:
(Read about our ratings)

Measurements can be found by clicking this link.

Why are the Evos the first Etymotic earphones I’ve ever reviewed on SoundStage! Solo? After all, the company practically invented the in-ear monitor, and it was the first to use balanced armature drivers in consumer earphones. But I still remember the first time I tried Etymotics, way back in the early 1990s, and while the highs sounded clean, I was put off by the lack of bass response, which, as a musician, I knew was not realistic. I respected the brand, but only because it was respected by people I respected.

Read more: Etymotic Evo Earphones

Details

Written by: Brent Butterworth

Created: 10 November 2021

4 Comments

Sound:
Value:
(Read about our ratings)

Measurements can be found by clicking this link.

There’s only one inherent reason why true wireless earphones struggle to sound as good as high-end passive earphones. It’s because most high-end passive earphones use a cable-over-ear design that fits snugly and seals tightly in the ears, as exemplified by numerous models from Shure, JH Audio, 64 Audio, Westone, and other companies. I expect it would be quite a design challenge to squeeze the circuitry and batteries needed for true wireless operation into such a design, but for the Aonic 215 Gen 2 earphones, Shure came up with an alternative: packing the electronics into a separate module that snaps onto each earphone and sits behind the ear.

Read more: Shure Aonic 215 Gen 2 True Wireless Earphones

Details

Written by: Brent Butterworth

Created: 10 October 2021

Write a comment

Sound:
Value:
(Read about our ratings)

Measurements can be found by clicking this link.

Why did I get so excited when I heard 64 Audio was introducing the Duo earphones? Because they’re one of only a very small number of open-back earphones. I have a long history of disagreeing with many of the principles commonly espoused by audio enthusiasts, but when it comes to open-back headphones, enthusiasts are absolutely right: open-back models simply sound better. They have a more spacious sound, and because the driver’s back wave isn’t captured by a resonant enclosure, they have a negligible amount of bass resonance—and thus flatter, more natural-sounding bass. I guess I shouldn’t generalize, but I can’t think of many exceptions to this rule.

Read more: 64 Audio Duo Earphones

Details

Written by: Brent Butterworth

Created: 01 September 2021

Write a comment

Sound:
Value:
(Read about our ratings)

Measurements can be found by clicking this link.

Unless manufacturers tell me otherwise, I assume that all the headphones and earphones I review are intended for mainstream listeners and/or audiophiles. Not the Campfire Audio Honeydew earphones, though. They’re marketed as being an “excellent choice for drummers, bassists, DJs, and electronic beat makers.” Their webpage says they have “a reference level bass response that is fast and detailed.”

Read more: Campfire Audio Honeydew Earphones