SoundStage! Solo | SoundStageSolo.com

Details: Written by: Geoffrey Morrison; Created: 01 January 2025

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What do you picture when you read the words “planar magnetic”? If you’re a regular reader of this site, I would guess images of big, over-the-ear headphones like the Audeze LCD-5s and HiFiMan Sundaras come to mind. I’m going to assume what doesn’t come to mind is a pair of true wireless earbuds, and noise-canceling ones at that. And yet, that’s exactly what the Edifier Stax Spirit S10s are: planar magnetic, true wireless, noise-canceling earphones.

Details: Written by: Geoffrey Morrison; Created: 01 November 2024

Sound:
Value: 1/2
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There’s something delightfully angular about the Final A5000 earphones. They look like a sort of eight-bit version of a pair of earphones, something you’d find in your inventory in a PlayStation 2 game. I like this a lot. They’re the opposite of flashy, yet still look designed.

Read more: 64 Audio Aspire 4 Earphones

Details: Written by: Geoffrey Morrison; Created: 15 September 2024

Sound: 1/2
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Change can be a scary thing. The great unknown and unknowable. What you’ve known might not be perfect, but something different could be worse. Then again, it might also be better. Which is a grand and over-the-top way to say that Bowers & Wilkins changed some earphones I liked. The Pi8 earphones ($399, all prices in USD) have replaced last year’s Pi7 S2 earphones. They’re different.

Details: Written by: Geoffrey Morrison; Created: 01 August 2024

Sound:
Value: 1/2
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I haven’t reviewed many in-ear monitors here at SoundStage! Solo, but that’s a gap I’m aiming to fill with a few upcoming products, starting with the Westone Audio Pro X10 earphones ($199.99, all prices USD). They’re small, and have a single balanced armature inside each earpiece. Westone claims they’re great for on-stage monitoring for vocalists, guitar players, and so on. These days, my live performances are limited to solo in-car baritone belts, so it’s a good thing that Westone also assumes these will be used by fans of bands, not just those in bands.

Details: Written by: Geoffrey Morrison; Created: 01 June 2024

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These true wireless earphones cost $18.98 (all prices in USD). I bought them on Temu, along with two other pairs, for just over $60. I chose these because of how they look. I mean, obviously! Look at them! They’ve got little bear ears. I didn’t even notice until I received them that the front face rotates 360 degrees, revealing in turn a creepy smile face, an unhappy face, or the Onikuma logo. Rotate slightly more and it reveals the earbuds themselves. I’ve seen worse, and uglier, designs on mainstream products.