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.
Of course they're gorgeous looking, B&W just doesn't make stuff that's not drop-dead sexy. The big surprise here is how good they sound...how damned good they sound in some ways!
Damn! I almost fell over the first time I switched them on...the quiet was physically stunning. I spent my last two flights with the Bose Quiet Comfort 20 in my ears...the sense of having my own space and refuge was extraordinary. Go ahead and yell it at the top of your lungs, I'm sure I'll barely hear...
SANCTUARY!!!
Sure...there's a few trade-offs here and there, but I have a hard time imagining an on-ear portable headset can get much better than this!
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!
Just another "big audio company joins the ranks of headphone makers" or something a bit more special? It's hard to get my hopes up with so many first stabs at making headphones resulting in mediocre introductions. Maybe I should just lower my expectations a bit.
No! The new Onkyo cans are quite a surprise!
If Mary Shelley had written a birthday scene in "The Bride of Frankenstein", the Abyss AB-1266 would certainly have been the perfect gift for old Frankie. Yeah, these are some weird looking cans, and the price tag sure makes you look at them real hard.
Fortunately, it's what they sound like that counts.
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!
You know what's funny about this job? You travel half way around the world and then talk to people you know well. Fang is one of those people. I'm thinking I should go to China one of these days and talk to him again.
Anyway, HiFiMAN had a couple of cool dynamic IEMs that were a good listen. Check it out.
Ed. Note: I've posted my show impressions for Stereophile, you can read them here.
Wait! What!? You want me to go to Munich? Oh baby, I'm totally IN!
What follows are my impressions of a handful of exhibitors that tickled my ears.