SOL Republic Tracks
This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com
The Little Monster himself, Keven Lee (son of Head Monster Noel Lee), jumped out on his own to start a new low-cost headphone company: SOL Republic. Their first headphone, the Tracks is a bit of a mixed bag, but quite interesting nonetheless.
Let's have a look and listen...
Sonoma Acoustics Model One Electrostatic Headphone and Amplifier System
This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.comOne hell of a story here. Interesting roots in a buncha places. I'm going to power through it with pics and links if you're interested in a deeper dive. Here we go!
Sony MDR-1000X Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones
This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.comWow, these headphones are bee-you-tee-full! Not at all in a flashy way at allthey're understated; elegant; shapely. It's as if someone drew the perfect idealized headphone, and then Sony brought it to life.
Sony MDR-EX600 and MDR-EX1000 In Ear Headphones
This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com
I've spent a lot of time with good balanced armature monitors stuck in my ears. Mostly it's a pleasure --- there are some darn good headphones out there of this type: Jerry Harvey Audio JH13, Shure SE530, Etymotic ER4P, and Audéo PFE come to mind. I've also spent a good bit of time with in-ear monitors that use dynamic drivers. That hasn't been nearly as pleasurable.
Lately, that's begun to change, and with the Sony MDR-EX600 and MDR-EX1000 I'm thinking we've got a real horse race on our hands.
Sony MDR-Z1R Sealed Over-Ear Headphones
This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.comTwenty five years ago when I started HeadRoom and built the first commercially available portable headphone amplifier I said to myself, "The day Sony decides to enter the fray with a portable headphone amp my mission will be complete." That happened a few years ago and I've found it quite entertaining to watch this humungous consumer electronics company try to snuggle into our tiny headphone enthusiast niche.
Soul by Ludacris SL100
This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.comAt the bottom end of the Soul by Ludacris headphone line is the SL100. I was impressed by the more expensive SL150, and hopeful for another good showing here.
Um ... didn't quite work out.
Soul by Ludacris SL150
This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.comAfter spending time with the Beats by Dre Solo HD (high definition or heavily distorted, I'm not sure) it was a real pleasure to acquaint myself with the Soul by Ludacris SL150.
Surprisingly satisfying!
Soul by Ludacris SL300 Noise Canceling Headphone
This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com
Today, I start a journey into the wisdom of pop-culture ... oy vey. In the last few years of economic upheaval and outright disaster, the headphone market has flourished ... blossomed even ... it's the fastest growing product type in consumer audio. Why?
Damned rappers!
Spider Cable Realvoice In-Ear Headphones
This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com
I'm a bit of a curmudgeon when it comes to the word "voicing." I want neutrality; I want absolute transparency; I want to hear exactly what's on the disk, nothing more nothing less. Problem is, it rarely happens ... if ever. Pretty much every headphone I've ever heard has its own character. I'm pretty sure most headphone makers shoot for neutral and miss; the resulting "voice" is a bit more random than by design in most cases, I suspect.
The folks at Spider Cable say they were shooting for a "voicing" with an "emphasis on strong vocals or smooth sounding classical music."
Well I'll be damned, I think they did it.
Stax Lambda Nova Signature electrostatic ear-speaker
"When I find something that works," John Candy leered, "I stick with it!" I have no idea if the folks at Stax Industries are fans of Splash or not, but they've certainly taken Candy's philosophy as their own. Despite manufacturing superb—if demanding—loudspeakers and electronics for the last 15 years or so, Stax has been best known for producing one thing: electrostatic ear-speakers, aka headphones.