Dedicated to Headphones and Earphones
Earphones
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- Written by: Brent Butterworth
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Measurements can be found by clicking this link.
True wireless earphones like the PSB M4U TW1 ($149 USD) -- models in which the left and right earpieces communicate wirelessly with each other, and with your phone or tablet -- got hot all of a sudden when Apple launched the AirPods late last year. The true wireless category had already debuted a few months before, with a bunch of mostly clunky and fussy products that left me wondering why anyone would bother with them. But the AirPods showed the world how nice the true wireless concept can be if executed well; analysts expect Apple will sell 25 to 30 million sets of AirPods in 2018.
- Details
- Written by: Brent Butterworth
Sound:
Value:
Measurements can be found by clicking this link.
Although audiophiles haven’t embraced Bluetooth wireless sound with much gusto, the technology is becoming the norm for mainstream users of headphones and earphones. That’s partly because Apple has omitted headphone jacks from its latest iPhone models, and partly because when people experience the convenience of wireless listening, they usually don’t want to go back to cords. Just one transit ride with the HD 1 Frees, from Sennheiser’s latest Bluetooth line, might be enough to make the average user swear off cumbersome cords forever.
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- Written by: Brent Butterworth
Sound:
Value:
Measurements can be found by clicking this link.
In many ways, Campfire Audio’s Comet earphones exemplify for me what high-end audio should be. They use custom-designed components and employ innovative materials and manufacturing techniques. They’re made by hand in a hip place: Portland, Oregon. They come with thoughtful extras. They impose no inconveniences or discomforts on the user. And they look cool.
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- Written by: Brent Butterworth
Originally published on SoundStage! Xperience
Massdrop x NuForce EDC3 earphones measurements can be found by clicking this link.
All by themselves, the Massdrop x NuForce EDC3 earphones tell the story of where the audio biz is headed in 2018. Although the EDC3s pack three balanced-armature drivers into each tiny earpiece, they cost just $99 USD -- about 25% of what three-driver earphones typically cost a few years ago. They’re sold not through retail outlets or even conventional e-tailers, but through Massdrop, a Web-only entity that sells products based on requests and feedback from its own online communities. Five years ago, no one would have believed you could get three-driver earphones for $99, and no one would have heard of Massdrop.
- Details
- Written by: Brent Butterworth
Originally published on SoundStage! Xperience
Monoprice Monolith M300 earphones measurements can be found by clicking this link.
Products like the Monolith M300 in-ear earphones show how different Monoprice is from other audio brands. Other than their name and logo, Monoprice makes no pretense of brand identity in their products. Their focus is working with various overseas manufacturers to deliver products of (usually) reasonably good quality in all sorts of categories, at prices so low that few other companies can match them. However, the Monolith M300 earphones reflect what seems to be a minor sideline for Monoprice: products that look like knockoffs of well-regarded models made by other companies.
- Details
- Written by: Brent Butterworth
Originally published on SoundStage! Xperience
Brainwavz B200 earphones measurements can be found by clicking this link.
Reviewers should beware the influence of manufacturers’ marketing copy, but we’re human and fallible. So a press release promising that a new set of earphones is “tuned to produce a balanced and accurate sound signature, with little to no coloring in the sound” still piques my interest, even when I know manufacturers’ statements aren’t reliable indicators of their products’ performance. But the Brainwavz B200s ($199 USD) have a couple of things going for them that lend credence to the company’s claims.
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