HiFiMAN HE-5, HE-5LE, HE-6, and HE500 Planar Magnetic Headphones
This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com
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.
HiFiMAN Sundara Around-Ear Open Planar Magnetic Headphones
This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.comLike pretty much all headphone makers, I've found HiFiMAN planar magnetic headphones a little hit and miss. Some have been a too bright and sizzly, some have not had the build quality I'd like to see at the price. On the other hand there have been some really nice surprises. The HE1000 had an uncannily pleasant, floating in the clouds, sonic character, and the HE-400S was dandy at a very affordable price. One thing has been very consistant though, the folks at HiFiMAN keep trying...and that's turning out to be a very good thing.
House of Marley Exodus
This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com
Bob Marley's "Exodus" ... wow, what a great album. I must have heard it a thousand times. It's a total classic. Prior to receiving these, I wondered skeptically if Bob Marley "Exodus" the headphone would be a classic. Time will tell ...
... but I think they're off to a good start.
I Love These Headphones...The NAD VISO HP50
This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com
Okay, I know you're not supposed to give away the story in the headline...but I just can't help it. The NAD VISO HP50 is an awesome headphone!
I Made a Bad Call: MrSpeakers Ether C Flow Makes "Wall of Fame"
This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.comWeird how these things happen. Checks and balances make it right.
If it ain't broke...the Massdrop Sennheiser HD 6XX
This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.comOoooooooo baby! If you don't have a Sennheiser HD 600 or HD 650, you need to read this!
iFi ZEN CAN headphone amplifier & ZEN DAC Signature V2 D/A processor
It had been a while since I'd done any serious, critical listening through headphones. That changed when Editor Jim Austin asked if I wanted to review the iFi Audio ZEN Signature Set ($599). Figuring I could use more Zen in my life, I agreed.
UK-based iFi Audio, which operates under the auspices of the Abbington Global Group, has released several compact products in its ZEN series: DACs, headphone amps, a Bluetooth receiver, and a network streamer.
Jabra Move Sealed Bluetooth On Ear Headphones
This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.comOver time Jabra has moved from little Bluetooth dongles that dangle from one ear to sports headsets and is now entering the wider headphone world with straight-up headphone headsets. Or is it that the headphone world is moving towards phone headsets? It's hard to tell...welcome to convergence.
JBL Everest Elite 700 Wireless Noise Canceling Over-Ear Headphones
This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.comSean Olive and his crew of researchers have been at it for a while now, and I reckon some their work should have trickled down into JBL products by now. One likely candidate is their recently released JBL Everest Elite 700, a wireless, noise canceling, over-ear headphone, which contain Harman's whiz-bang TruNote technology that is claimed to calibrate the headphone to the wearers ears. Let's check it out.
JBL Soundgear Personal Speaker
This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.comNot long ago I wrote enthusiastically about the Bose SoundWear Companion neck-worn speaker. It was my first experience with such a device and it was, and continues to be, a very pleasant one. Way better than I expected. So, I figured I should look into some of the other options for this new type of device.
JBL was kind enough to send me their Soundgeara $100 less expensive alternative to the Bose. Having experience only one other device of this type, it's probably best just to compare and contrast the JBL directly with the Bose for this review.