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I don't like noise canceling headphones.
I have a deep dislike for noise canceling headphones. Generally they sound bad, and many don't cancel noise very well. But "Noise Canceling" has become a big buzzword, so much so that many people want it without even knowing what it is (I explain it here), which just drives the market up for crappy noise cancelers. I hate it when stuff like that happens.

Bose can take the blame—and the credit—for that. They marketed the heck out of noise canceling and sold the public on the idea…

Isolation (noise canceling)
In a word: Stunning! You'll have to look at the measurements on the next page to see what I mean, but the odd thing about the Bose QuietComfort 20 is the evenness of the isolation. At about 25dB down across the board, the QC20 has the most even isolation of any headphone/earphone I've measured.

Again, I'll speculate a bit here: If you look into the nozzle of the QC20, you'll see a short metal cylinder just inside. I think this is one of the microphones used in the noise canceling circuit. It seems to me the advantage of this type of in-ear noise…

Compensated frequency response plot shows a headphone with a very linear response between 30Hz and 2kHz, with normal subsequent dip, and then a peak at 10kHz that does not exceed the line drawn from 30Hz to 2kHz. Other than maybe 5dB more response at 6kHz, response to 10kHz is near ideal. Response above 10kHz should be about 15dB higher; these cans do lack air and finesse above 10kHz.

You'll notice bass is nicely extended and flat to 30Hz, but the 30Hz square wave has a…

Bowers & Wilkins P7 ($399)
I think we're entering a wonderful time: Full-size, sealed headphones are getting better and better! In roughly the past year we've seen the Sennheiser Momentum, NAD VISO HP50, Focal Spirit Classic, and V-Moda M100 (for the bassheads) appear, all of which represent significantly better sound quality than models previously available. In years past, the Denon ADH-D5000 was my benchmark for over-ear, sealed (even though they don't isolate well) headphones. When I now compare them to the above cans,…

The Accidentally Extraordinary 51st Studio ($99)
Hundred dollar headphones are usually cheap plastic affairs; I'll gladly take a little stainless steel and wood in the mix, which is what you get with these dandy little cans. I really like the look of the 51st Studio, it's obviously not up to the sumptuous quality of the B&W P7 but I think they're pretty tasty for a headphone 1/3rd the price. Accidentally Extraordinary was going for a "lifestyle" headphone at $100, and I think they've pretty much nailed it. This is a very…

Sound Quality
This headphone is not going to overly impress audiophiles, but I'm pretty sure it's going to impress your average casual listener....quite a bit. It's warm, laid back, and surprisingly responsive without a trace of harshness. On the other hand, the bass isn't particularly well extended and has a modest measure of mid-bass bloat. It's also a bit excessively laid back; "veiled" would be a good word for it. The treble, however, was particularly good...very resolving, in fact. Pairing it up with my reference rig (Ayre QB-9 USB DAC, AURALiC Taurus Mk2) didn't…

Measurements

Little variation in raw frequency response show the headphone was able to seal reliably and repeatably. Compensated response clearly shows the broadly humped bass centered at 100Hz. The dip in the mids wans't as audible as I would have thought. From the presence range (~1-2kHz) and onward, the plot is relatively well behaved with a nicely modest peak at 10kHz. Overall, 1kHz and above should be tilted about 10dB less, it's this response I think I heard as laid-back and veiled somewhat.

Focal Spirit Professional ($349) and Spirit Classic ($399)
Focal is pretty new to the world of headphones. They had a bit of a stumble with their Spirit One initial headphone offering a year and a half ago, but they seemed to have learned in the process—and learned a lot—as evidenced by their lates offerings in the Spirit Professional and Classic. These are two very fine headphones. Amazingly good actually, considering how new Focal is to the category. I'm reviewing them here together as they're quite similar in many regards—…

Sound Quality
Neutral is a word we love to throw around...but none of us really know what it means with regard to headphones. Thing is, the moment you hear it—or something quite close to it—you know it. The Focal Spirit Professional is simply one of, if not the most, "neutral" sounding headphones I've ever heard. It's not just me either, check out this thread on Head-Fi, or this one on GearSlutz.com (a pro audio gear forum). Most listeners have the same reaction: "O.M.G! These headphones are sooooo neutral!" Thing is, I've also got the Focal Spirit Classic and the NAD VISO HP50…

Spirit Classic Measurements

Measurements of the Focal SPirit Classic and Professional are very close, so I'll comment on both sets of measurements simultaneously and highlight differences as needed.

Raw measurements of the headphones show little difference in response with positional changes on the head. These cans should reliable provide a good seal.

Compensated frequency response of the…