Headphone Reviews

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The Very Important Sennheiser HD 580, HD 600, and HD 650

This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com


Arguably the most important audiophile headphones of the last two decades, the Sennheiser HD 580/600/650 family of headphones have a history of being both revered and maligned by headphone enthusiasts. I must admit to falling in and out of love with them numerous times.


What a long, strange trip it's been.

The Entry Level #26

I couldn't have known it at the time, but Swans' "Lunacy" (see last month's column) would be the very last song I'd ever enjoy in my cozy listening room. Last times—whether with things, people, places, or, I suppose, especially with ideas—can be difficult to accept, tending to overshadow all other times, their lingering memories leading to remorse and games of "what if."

Focal Spirit One

This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com


The bad news is that there's been a bit of a manufacturing glitch with Focal's introduction of their first headphone: The Spirit One. The good news is they've stepped up to the plate and fixed it, and the cans perform quite nicely.


Wanna hear the whole story?

Listening to the Stax SR-009 and Great Headphone Amplifiers

This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com


With just a few phone calls and emails, I've managed to get my hands on the amazing Stax SR-009 headphones, and some of the world's best electrostatic headphone amps and the gear to make use of them, and set them up my demo room for a week of comparative listening.


Quite the ear opening experience!

The Very Adult Sennheiser Momentum

This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com


The surge of rapper and celebrity headphones over the past five years or so has been annoying in the extreme to me. All the glam and glitter has been an enormous distraction from what the actual purpose of a headphone should be: to sound good. We're not going to be able to go backwards though, the fashionistas have raised the bar and a big, black, plastic blob on your head isn't going to cut it anymore. I just wish some company out there would be mature enough to make a headphone with tastefully balanced sound and sophisticated good looks.


With its new Momentum headphone, Sennheiser, it seems to me, is the adult in the room.

A Basshead's Delight: The V-Moda Crossfade M-100

This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com


Steve Guttenberg and I have gone back and forth on whether measurements are useful to consumers, but we both agree that the measurements don't tell you whether it's a good headphone or a great one. The V-Moda M-100 doesn't measure great, but that sure as heck doesn't mean they don't sound great.


I'll untangle all those double negatives in the article.


The Elegant and Complex Parrot Zik Bluetooth Noise Canceling Headset

This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com


The inside of a great designer's head must be a very unusual place. On the one hand, the world is filled with clumsy, ugly, ill-formed objects. On the other, it's rife with opportunity for utility and beauty. The cacophony of internal dialog must be almost unbearable. Renowned designer Philippe Starck has turned his attention to untangling the mess that is Bluetooth headsets, and in collaboration with Parrot (a French company with significant experience in automotive Bluetooth devices) has developed the most unique wireless headset I've ever seen.

The Surprisingly Good Logitech UE6000 and UE9000

This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com


Logitech has recently stepped up it's game in the world of personal audio with an entirely new line of Logitech UE branded products. There's plenty of muscle there to do the job well, the question is: Can a mouse company apply it with the finesse needed to really produce well balanced audio products?


Fortunately, Ultimate Ears is in the mix, and it seems to me the mouse has some pretty good ears now.

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