Headphones

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Written by: Geoffrey Morrison

Created: 15 June 2023

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I didn’t intend to write so much about Sony in such a short span. Ironically, this was the article I planned first. But then I bought an NW-A306 portable media player and wanted to write about that, so this review got bumped. After hearing the March 17, 2023, episode of the SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast, Doug Schneider suggested I write an article about the Sony MDR-7506 headphones. I agreed, and these ’phones got bumped again. So here we are.

Read more: Sony WH-1000XM5 Headphones

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Written by: Geoffrey Morrison

Created: 01 June 2023

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One of the first sets of earphones I reviewed for SoundStage! Solo was the Edifier NeoBuds S. I was, and still am, a big fan. They nailed a sound profile I really liked, with some well-controlled bass, smooth treble, and a wide-open soundstage. So it’s no surprise that I was extremely curious about what Edifier could do with the additional real estate of a pair of full-sized over-ear headphones.

Read more: Edifier WH950NB Headphones

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Written by: Geoffrey Morrison

Created: 01 May 2023

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I remember the first time I heard Audeze headphones. It was several years ago, with some predecessors of the LCD-5s, the LCD-3s. I unboxed them with the reverence that something of their stature deserved. I once bought a used Porsche for $2000. These were 50 percent more than that, and I could hold them in my hand. Far less rust, though, to be fair. I connected them up, put on an SACD (remember those?), turned off the lights, and transcended to another plane of existence. What an experience. I hadn’t planned to spend a few hours listening to every SACD and DVD-Audio I had, but that’s how the night went down. I still have those headphones. They’re great.

Read more: Audeze LCD-5 Headphones

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Written by: Geoffrey Morrison

Created: 01 March 2023

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When it comes to noise-canceling headphones, the big three come to mind: Bose, Sennheiser, and Sony. There are countless more, to be sure, but headphones from these three are the heavy hitters. At the very least, they’re the ones people should consider first, and then move outward from there if necessary. Each generation typically gets a little better, with sometimes subtle, sometimes not-so-subtle changes to the sound, and with the NC giving each a particular character.

Read more: Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless Headphones

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Written by: Brent Butterworth

Created: 20 January 2023

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What do you do after you’ve created the perfect audio product? Most audiophiles would counter that there is no perfect audio product, but I wonder. There are plenty of component categories—amplifiers, preamps, cables, and others—in which the best from 30 years ago are 100 percent sonically competitive with anything made today. And one possible definition of perfection is that your work can’t be improved upon. Focal’s original Utopia headphones, introduced in 2016, were probably as close as anyone’s come to perfection in headphones—but at the 2022 CanJam SoCal, Focal announced that it had improved on the Utopias. The new model is still named Utopia ($4999, all prices USD), but to distinguish it from the old model (which we’ll be referring to frequently), we’re going to refer to it in this review and the measurements as Utopia 2022.

Read more: Focal Utopia 2022 Headphones