Headphones

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Written by: AJ Wykes

Created: 01 July 2025

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Last year, the acclaimed French loudspeaker manufacturer Focal released two passive, wired headphone models, both of which take aesthetic cues and utilize the drivers from the popular Bathys wireless headphones with ANC. I reviewed the open-back Hadenys headphones on Solo in April, and was impressed. This month, I’m offering my thoughts on that model’s closed-back sibling, the Azurys (US$599, CA$699, £499, €549).

Read more: Focal Azurys Headphones

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Written by: Geoffrey Morrison

Created: 15 June 2025

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Sendy Audio, along with its parent company Sivga, has a mixed record here at SoundStage! Solo. Brent Butterworth wasn’t a fan of the Apollo headphones, giving them a 3.5/10 for sound quality, but he really liked the Peacocks, giving them a 9.5/10, which earned them a Reviewers’ Choice award. I thought the Luans were OK, but I liked the P2 Pro headphones more. So I had no idea what I was in for with the new Aiva 2 headphones ($599, all prices in USD).

Read more: Sendy Audio Aiva 2 Headphones

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Written by: Geoffrey Morrison

Created: 15 April 2025

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The Shokz OpenMeet headset is a bit different from what we normally cover here at Solo, but no less interesting. Shokz, if you’re not familiar, is best known for bone-conduction workout and swim earphones. As you can see from the photos, that’s not what this headset is. The OpenMeet uses a combination of bone conduction and “air conduction,” aka traditional drivers, for a lightweight solution for people who spend long hours in Zoom meetings and on calls. Because it’s open, the earcups sit in front of your ears, so you can also hear the world around you. Since the headset doesn’t cover your ears at all, and in fact barely touches your head, your ears never get hot.

Read more: Shokz OpenMeet Headset

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Written by: AJ Wykes

Created: 01 April 2025

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Focal’s headphones occupy the higher end of the market, which is to say that they don’t come cheap. The unusual aesthetics contribute to the line’s fantastic looks, and with rare exceptions (like Focal’s closed-back Celestee headphones), their sonic performance has received universal praise. The company’s first Bluetooth headphones with ANC, the Bathys (released in 2022), made a big impact in the consumer portable-headphone space, thanks to their excellent all-round performance. They are up there with the best Bluetooth headphones I’ve had the pleasure of listening to.

Read more: Focal Hadenys Headphones

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Written by: Geoffrey Morrison

Created: 01 March 2025

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Are hybrid headphones the latest trend? Last month, I talked about using MEMS drivers as the “tweeter” in earphone and headphone designs. At one end of the market, Creative’s Aurvana Ace Mimi earphones are great, especially for their low price ($129.99, all prices in USD). At the other end of the market are HiFiMan’s Isvarna closed-back headphones ($2899), another hybrid design. In this case, a planar-magnetic driver is augmented by a dynamic driver that functions as a “subwoofer.”

Read more: HiFiMan Isvarna Headphones