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 Very Well Balanced Noontec Zoro II HD
This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.comIn late 2011 I reviewed the Monster Beats Solo and found it simply horrible. Knowing there were a bunch of Chinese knock-offs, I set out to find one better than the original. I eventually stumbled onto and reviewed the Noontec Zoro. I found it much better. The subsequent Noontec Zoro HD was better yet. Fast forward to the middle of last year, and Beat releases their next generation headphones including the Solo2, which I loved.
The Wonderfully Competent AKG K550 Sealed Headphone
This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com
Full-sized, sealed headphones are a bugaboo. They're either too woolly or boomy sounding, or they're too uneven, or they don't seal well enough. Sealed headphones are just plain hard to make sound good. Darn few that jump through those hoops and work well enough to be worth the money.
Wanna watch the K550 make the leap?
Thinksound On1 & On2 headphones
Before he left Stereophile for AudioQuest at the end of March 2014, Stephen Meijas asked Thinksound to send me the On1 closed-back heaphones. He thought I might like them.
Cool beans, Stephen. I do. These are among the nicest 'phones I've come across lately. List price is $299.99, but the street pricesometimes directly from Thinksoundis usually $249.99. You save an imaginary $50. That's $50 of your savings that you can share with me in Bitcoins.
Three March 2022 FollowUps: iFi, Pro-Ject, Canton
One reason Stereophile publishes a FollowUp is when the original review leaves an issue unresolved or where further thoughts would be useful. Such was the case with the magazine's March 2022 issue, which had followup reviews on the iFi ZEN CAN headphone amplifier and ZEN DAC Signature V2 D/A processor ($599/pair). the Pro-Ject Phono Box RS2 phono preamplifier ($1999), and the Canton Reference 7K loudspeaker ($6995/pair).
Three Modified Grados
This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com
Some modified Grado cans have shown up in the lab. I don't know what my problem was getting to them in a timely manner, maybe it's my dislike in general for Grado cans, maybe it was the trouble I was having getting my corporate shipping set up, but I've finally managed to get around to listening and writing this post.
Oh, well, here we go ...
Time to Rethink Beats, the Solo2 is Excellent
This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com
Yes, I've been very vocal about my disappointment with Beats product, especially the original Solo.
Well, it's time to change my tune, and I'll be vocal about that too.
ToTL Madness! 24 Top-of-the-Line Custom In-Ear Monitors Reviewed
This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com
It's extremely hard to compare custom IEMs. Few users have more than one pair, so direct personal comparisons are rare. They can't be measured by InnerFidelity because they don't fit in the measurement head's ears. What to do?
Damn the torpedos, full speed ahead! In this review 5 InnerFidelity writers, blessed with the generosity of manufacturers willing to put their ToTL CIEMs through the ringer do a massive comparative review of 24 of the worlds best custom in-ear monitors.
Epic!
Two in the Strike Zone: Focal Spirit Professional and Spirit Classic
This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com
Boy is it a good time to be in the market for a $300-$400 sealed headphone. Offerings like the Sennheiser Momentum, NAD VISO HP50, and B&W P7 provides consumers with some very good choices. Now you can add two more: The Focal Spirit Professional and The Focal Spirit Classic.
Two Vintage AKG Headphones: K240 Sextett and K340 Electrostatic Dynamic
This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com
I can't tell you what a treat it is to measure and listen to the unusual headphones I get from enthusiasts. This time, rythmdevils from Head-Fi has sent in a couple of vintage AKG cans.
He's also a photographer, and has kindly allowed me to use his sweet pix of these two cans for the article. Very nice! Thanks!