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Evolution is not like a car wash; it's not some process with a beginning, a middle, and an end. It's messy; it makes mistakes; sometimes it moves in a particular direction; sometimes it just goes in circles refining things. Evolution doesn't really know where it's going until it gets there.

Since 1997 Shure has been evolving its line of in-ear headphones. It seems to me they've both run in circles on the ergonomics, and made a bee-line for good sound. Let me explain.

The Battle Ground
The struggle to make a great in-…

Shure SE Series Ergonomics
The latest Shure SE535, SE425, SE315, and SE215 earphones are the best universal-fit earphone I’ve experienced regarding the ergonomics of insertion into your ear. The body of the headphones is small, and easily fits within the concha of the ear. An ample array of tips are included --- I personally like the “olive” tips, which are the black, rounded foam tips --- and once you’ve found one that fits, the nozzle is very nicely designed in angle and length to fit perfectly in the ear. The new rotating connector ends, and the angle at which the wire leaves the…

Not long ago I lamented not having heard the Beats Pro. Brian at Headphones.com took note and sent me pair, noting that he thought they sounded okay, but were hard to wear for long periods of time. Damn, that means I’m going to have to have long listening sessions with them.

Monster Beats by Dr. Dre Pro ($449.95)
$449.95!!! Holy F#@&!!! That’s a lot of dough. You can buy two pretty good headphones for that price; or one really good one. I really had my doubts at the beginning of this review --- actually I was warming up…

Just a year and a half ago I walked into the CanJam area of RMAF, and right smack-dab in the middle was Fang Bian, head of Head Direct and the HiFiMAN brand of headphone gadgetry. Fang always has something new going on; I wondered what it would be this time. He smiled, stood, and cheerfully greeted me, then pointed towards center-stage on one of his tables.

"Would you like to hear my new planar magnetic headphones?"

You’ve got to be kidding me, I thought.

The New Cans Appear
I had seen the threads on Head-Fi…

Some Notes
Rapid Development --- HiFiMAN has taken some heat in the forums for coming out with new versions of these cans in rapid fire succession. I appreciate folks feeling distressed after just spending hard earned dosh on a pair of expensive headphones only to find them superseded shortly thereafter. I hope HiFiMAN takes this to heart. But it’s also important to understand the problem from a product developer’s point of view --- I’ve been a manufacturer before, and I can tell you that it’s very difficult.

Almost every product development I’ve ever been a part of has…

After start up and running this business for nearly 6 years, I really appreciate all my friends in headphone community. I've gotten help and good suggestion from time to time from this great community, especially on my sponsor's forum at Head-Fi.org.

I hope to add my 2 cents about HE-500 and HE-6 headphones: HE-6 is a headphone who has reached the planar magnetic driver's limit. Low efficiency is what HE-6 paid to get to this level. HE-500 is a more "friendly version" of HE-6. While the HE-500 lacks the HE-6's ultra clarity, its sonic signature…

I’ve heard so many conflicting opinions on the Ultrasone Edition 10 that I just had to get my hands on a pair. At $2,749, you’d reckon the praise ought to be a little more consistent. So I gave my buddy Todd (the Vinyl Junkie) a call to see if he had a pair I could play with, and sure enough, he had a slightly used pair for me to audition.

Wow! What an experience!

The Ultrasone Edition 10 ($2,749!)
The Edition 10 is truly a beautiful headphone. The Ethiopian goatskin on the ear and headband pad is soft and luxuriant.…

All looks fairly normal up to about 1250Hz, then it takes a 15dB nose dive, followed by a weird humpty-bump frequency response curve, and quite a bit of energy above 10kHz. No wonder I hear them as confused and bright.

Distortion

Fig. 2 shows the Total Harmonic Distortion plus noise curve for the Edition 10.

The upward trending curves in the low frequencies is typical of headphones unable to contain and control the low notes. Escaping pressure from the earcups…

According to a February 2011 NPD Group study, celebrity endorsements are extremely/very important to nearly 30 percent of consumers when deciding what headphones to buy. Moreover, there was a 75% increase in sales of headphones over $100 from 2009 to 2010 ... in a bad economy, no less. Headphones are a hopping commodity.

So sure, why not nab a big name like Quincy Jones and extend the life into an aging, but still very good headphone.

The AKG Quincy Jones Q701 (MSRP $479.99, $299 street)
In late-2010 AKG decided to go…

The Sound
It's pretty easy to take for granted a headphone that's been around for six years, so I'm very glad the folks at AKG sent me the Quincy Jones Q701 to re-experience. The sound of these cans is very good, and I'd forgotten just how good. No, these are not headphones for bass lovers; though the bass is well extended, it is not emphatic in the least. I'd say the Q701 is well balanced with a slightly less present bass than perfect. The low notes are, however, tight and nicely textured, and well integrated into the whole.

The treble has been the troublesome spot with…