Headphone Reviews

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Headphone ReviewsInnerFidelity
Sony MDR-Z1R Sealed Over-Ear Headphones
Tyll Hertsens  |  Jun 05, 2017  |  0 comments
This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com

Twenty 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.

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Headphone ReviewsInnerFidelity
Soul by Ludacris SL100
Tyll Hertsens  |  Nov 07, 2011  |  0 comments
This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com

At 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.

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Headphone ReviewsInnerFidelity
Soul by Ludacris SL150
Tyll Hertsens  |  Nov 03, 2011  |  0 comments
This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com

After 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!

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Headphone ReviewsInnerFidelity
Soul by Ludacris SL300 Noise Canceling Headphone
Tyll Hertsens  |  Sep 16, 2011  |  0 comments
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!

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Headphone ReviewsInnerFidelity
Spider Cable Realvoice In-Ear Headphones
Tyll Hertsens  |  Jul 06, 2011  |  0 comments
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.

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Headphone Reviews
Stax Lambda Nova Signature electrostatic ear-speaker
Wes Phillips  |  Jun 26, 1997  |  0 comments
"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.
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Headphone Reviews
Stax SR-007 Omega II electrostatic headphones
Jonathan Scull  |  Jul 03, 2001  |  0 comments
"Preaching to the converted," I sighed to myself as I read the manual for the Stax Omega II Earspeaker headphone system. I fondly recalled my headphone reference for all time—the Most Fabulous and Seductive Sennheiser Orpheus tubed electrostatics, which Thomas J. Norton reviewed for Stereophile in 1994. I recalled the Orpheus's heady, open, fast, and colorfully wideband sound, and clutched my palpitating heart.
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Headphone Reviews
Stax SR-Lambda Pro Classic headphones
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 07, 2010  |  First Published: Feb 07, 1994  |  0 comments
You'd probably be surprised to learn that headphones are the most common means for listening to music. No, I didn't get that from a book, but from personal observation. I'm referring here to personal portable stereo listening—the ubiquitous Jogman with which a whole generation has retreated into its own private world, isolated from traffic noise, muggers, and, at home, housemates or parents screaming "Turn it down!"
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Headphone Reviews
Stax SR-Lambda Pro headphones
Dick Olsher, J. Gordon Holt, John Atkinson  |  Jul 12, 2016  |  First Published: Sep 01, 1984  |  0 comments
Stax Kogyo, a small audio company by Japanese standards, has been for the past 15 years steadfastly refining and redefining the electrostatic headphone. The SR-Lambda Pro is their current flagship model, and at a 1984 US list price of $780 it also represents a very substantial investment in headphone technology.
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Headphone Reviews
Stax SR-Omega headphones
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jul 09, 2020  |  First Published: Mar 01, 1995  |  0 comments
Ah, yes, headphones again. The market for super–high-end headphones must be small, but manufacturers nevertheless keep introducing new designs. At least two manufacturers—Stax and Sennheiser—seem to have carved out a big chunk of this market for themselves, and are currently slugging it out with their respective takes on the best that electrostatic headphones have to offer.
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Headphone ReviewsInnerFidelity
Superlux HD 668B and HD 681 Headphones
Tyll Hertsens  |  Aug 15, 2011  |  0 comments
This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com

A goodly amount of forum chatter has been focussed on these two very inexpensive Superlux headphones. (Superlux is a Taiwanese maker of professional audio gear, and is distributed in the U.S. by Avlex.) I thought it would be fun to have a listen and see if the headphone enthusiast community has stumble upon some giant killers.

(C'mon, how much can $30 really get you?)

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Headphone ReviewsInnerFidelity
The Accidentally Extraordinary 51st Studio Sealed Headphone
Tyll Hertsens  |  Dec 19, 2013  |  0 comments
This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com

Accidentally Extraordinary, huh? That's a pretty tricky business plan. Not quite sure how you pull that off. I reckon "jumping into a new market, giving it all you've got, and doing a pretty good job of making a good looking and good sounding headphone" a more achievable goal.

Be hard to fit that on your business card, though.

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Headphone ReviewsInnerFidelity
The AKG K267 Tiesto Headphone with Bass Adjustment Control
Tyll Hertsens  |  Jul 10, 2013  |  0 comments
This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com

Q: Who the heck is Tiesto, and why does he want an adjustable bass control?

A: Some sort of popular European DJ, and because, by golly, the damn thing works!

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Headphone ReviewsInnerFidelity
The AKG K812 Professional Reference Headphone
Tyll Hertsens  |  Feb 25, 2014  |  0 comments
This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com

I like the K701 and variants; I like the K267 Tiesto; I like the K550 too; but no, I don't like the K812.

Woulda kept my mouth shut, but way too many people have asked me to chime in on these new headphones.

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Headphone ReviewsInnerFidelity
The Audeze LCD-X, Fazor, and a Fresh Listen to the Current LCD-2 and LCD-3
Tyll Hertsens  |  May 09, 2014  |  0 comments
This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com

It's no secret I really like the Audeze LCD-3 and LCD-2. When they slotted the LCD-X between the two, I simply had to have a listen to these cans in context with the rest of the line. So I spent some time with the latest Audeze headphones...

...Yeah, rough job, someone's got to do it. :)

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