Headphone Reviews

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A Survey of Foster 443742 Variants: Inside Photos

Tyll Hertsens Sep 28, 2016 First Published: Sep 28, 2016 0 comments

This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com

They're certainly a family of headphones...but like any family, there's lots of differences. Small differences in most of the baffle plates and rear damping...could be lots of stuff going on around the driver that can't be seen.

Headphone Reviews InnerFidelity

A Survey of Foster 443742 Variants: Measurements

Tyll Hertsens Sep 26, 2016 First Published: Sep 26, 2016 0 comments

This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com

I'm going to spend the week parsing the differences between a number of the variants of the Foster 443742 (seen on page H-4 of this .pdf). This survey will include: Fostex TH900, TH900mk2, and TH610; Massdrop THX00; Denon ADH-D5000; and the E-Mu Teak stock, and with optionally available Rosewood and Mahogany cups.

Headphone Reviews InnerFidelity

The Competent and Low-Cost Noontec Zoro II Wireless

Tyll Hertsens Sep 23, 2016 First Published: Sep 23, 2016 0 comments

This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com

Wireless headphones are hot, hot, hot these days. I'm going to make a concerted effort to cover quite a few in coming months. Here's a start...

Headphone Reviews InnerFidelity

The Etherial Mr. Speakers Ether Flow

Tyll Hertsens Aug 18, 2016 First Published: Aug 18, 2016 0 comments

This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com

I had only two days with a pre-production Ether Flow before my house was invaded by the French. I was quite enjoying the pre-production Flow, but the Focal Elear and Utopia turned my world upside down. By the time Dan Clark, CEO and Founder of Mr. Speakers, sent the production unit my world was in a bit of an uproar. Though I didn't mention them, the Flow was ever present in my listening tests...it kept whispering to me, "It's not about "The Best" anymore, it's about character."

Headphone Reviews InnerFidelity

World's Best Headphone: The Focal Utopia

Tyll Hertsens Aug 08, 2016 First Published: Aug 08, 2016 0 comments

This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com

And then, at 21 second in, right after she sings, "When God gave out rhythm...", two chords are gently played on the piano. My goodness, I've never heard such sensitively percussive, harmonically rich, filled with weight and substance sound from a piano. Most astonishing is the interplay of tones, harmonics, and intermodulation making the whole of the chord a rich textured wave of sound. I was transfixed until track's end.

Headphone Reviews InnerFidelity

Enter the Next Generation: Focal Elear Headphone

Tyll Hertsens Jul 28, 2016 First Published: Jul 28, 2016 0 comments

This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com

THIS is what a $1000 headphone should be. Unapologetically masculine styling...and sexy; confidently strutting exquisite materials and build-quality; and delivering sound of a quality I've not heard before on any headphone. It walked in my office, swept all the headphones off my desk in one grand gesture, and said, "Here I am. Deal with it."

Headphone Reviews InnerFidelity

The Outstanding Bose Quiet Comfort 35 Wireless Noise Canceling Headphone

Tyll Hertsens Jul 22, 2016 First Published: Jul 22, 2016 0 comments

This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com

"Value packed" is not a word I typically use to describe a headphone. I really thought the Beyerdynamic DTX 350 m was great for the money; definitely a good value...but not packed with value. Sennheiser's HD 600 is an extraordinary value...but no carry case; doesn't have a mic/remote; isn't useful portably. Still a great headphone and an extraordinary value, but packed with value? Okay, maybe. HD 800 S? Great headphone, but no friggen way anything over $700 is "value packed." The Quiet Comfort 35, on the other hand? Oh yeah, this thing will be a delightful traveling companion with technological, comfort, convenience, and solid sound quality characteristics abundantly.

Headphone Reviews InnerFidelity

The Inexpensive and Great Sounding Beyerdynamic DTX 350 m

Tyll Hertsens Jul 15, 2016 First Published: Jul 15, 2016 0 comments

This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com

Were it not for the fact that I'm about to tell you so, there's nothing that would clue you in: The Beyerdynamic DTX 350 m ($59) looks about like any cheap plastic headphone you might run across at WalMart...but beauty runs deep with this one. Check it out.

Headphone Reviews InnerFidelity

The E-Mu Walnut: A Creative Aurvana Live! Woodied-Up

Tyll Hertsens Jul 02, 2016 First Published: Jul 02, 2016 0 comments

This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com

Originating with the Foster OEM design (model 443741, page H-4 of this .pdf) and seeing the light of day first as the Denon AD-H1001, then the Creative Aurvana Live! (CAL!), this model has now been refreshed as the E-Mu Walnut. This is a lovely example of a companyin this case Creative Technologies in the form of its subsidiary company E-Mu Systemsrecognizing they have a solid-performer on their hands, and incrementally improving it. I wish I saw this more often.

Audacious Audio Headphone Reviews

Audeze LCD-4 headphones

John Atkinson Jun 21, 2016 First Published: Jun 21, 2016 0 comments

Life is too short to put up with poor-sounding headphones, I mused the other morning, during my 60-minute commute on the NYC subway. All around me, straphangers gripped smartphones and listened to multicolored Beats, noise-canceling Boses, white Apple earbuds, and, only rarely, Sennheisers and Grados.