Audiophilia

Since its founding in 2007 in NYC (now located in Tianjin, China), Hifiman Electronics, known simply as Hifiman, has almost exclusively been offering over-ear, open-back planar magnetic headphones and more recently open-back electrostatic headphones. Noteworthy among their highly regarded planar magnetic releases include the HE400, HE1000 and HE1000se, the Sundara (review forthcoming) and Susvara, and even a wireless model, the Deva. Prices range from $169 for the HE400 up to $6000 for the highest-level planar magnetic model, the highly acclaimed Susvara.

Hifiman’s two electrostatic models are the Shangri-La Jr. and Shangri-La, each paired with a special electrostatic Hifiman amp and sold as a combo. The cost is $8000 for the Jr, reaching a mind-popping high of $50,000 for the truly extraordinary ‘Ultimate Flagship’ Shangri-La combo; its vacuum tube amplifier alone is a masterpiece of art—a must see (and hear, if you get a chance; I have been lucky to do so). There is no serious debate; Hifiman makes some of the finest such high-end audiophile quality headphones available, along with worthy competitors such as Audeze, Focal, Sennheiser, Grado, among others.

Jan 15

Jan 15 Apple AirPods Max

No company takes as much flack for even the merest misstep as Apple. It’s like the social media universe is just waiting for another ‘battery-gate’, ‘keyboard-gate’, or ‘bend-gate’ (not forgetting brand new ‘condensation-gate’ attached to these headphones). I guess a two and a quarter trillion dollar company will have its trolls and haters. As you read on, beware, I’m a fanboy. Also, an audiophile. Yet, rarely do the two universes intersect.

In the latest ‘faux outrage’, Apple has produced an over the ear headphone, the AirPods Max, utilizing its array of computational audio and assembled with premium parts for $549 (the trolls hate the name, and wait ‘till we get to the ‘smart’ case! Well, maybe that hate IS deserved). Of course, other fine manufacturers such as B&O, M&D and B&W produce quality built, great sounding wireless Bluetooth headphones for the same price and above. We won’t get into comparisons with open back, planar magnetic beauties meant for use with high end headphone amplifiers from manufacturers such as Abyss (the finest headphones I’ve heard; remarkable in every headphone way for $5000), T+A Solitaire P (review forthcoming—$6400) Audeze, Focal, HIFIMAN (review of the HE-R10s coming Feb—$5500). They’re for a different purpose, a different market.

Mar 24

Mar 24 Apple AirPods Pro

Late to the game, here. After my excellent user experience with Apple’s original AirPods, I organized a review pair of the AirPods Pro ($249). The AirPods were far from an audiophile product. But, a ‘Pro’ designation, at least in Apple-speak, indicates higher price as well as an upgrade in hardware. And sound?

The upgrades include sound cancellation technology, improved Bluetooth functionality (seal tests for a customizable fit, a ‘Transparency’ mode for walkabout/city safety & ordering coffee at Starbucks without switching off) and new drivers.

Nov 12

Nov 12 Master & Dynamic MH40 Over-Ear Headphones: 5th Anniversary New Wireless Model

Five years ago, at the New York Audio Show, I came across a new Manhattan-based headphone Company, Master & Dynamic, debuting their first headphones. The MH40, at $399; was an over-the ear closed model. I was impressed, and planned on trying to get a review sample at some point soon after.

Coincidently, the next day I went back to the show with my then 3-year old daughter and started by having lunch in the hotel restaurant. At the table next to me, I recognized the two very nice ladies who had been working the show table for Master & Dynamic and they recognized me. They were lunching with a gentleman I did not know; the ladies introduced him to me: Jonathan Levine, Founder and CEO of Master & Dynamic. We had a very pleasurable conversation about his new company, and we ended up with a beautiful and priceless (to me) photo (taken by Levine using my camera) of my daughter in my lap wearing a pair of the MH40. Soon after I wrote a review of the MH40, and in my summary, I stated:

Oct 22

Oct 22 Master & Dynamic MW07 True Wireless Earphones: The new GO and PLUS models

About one year ago, New York City based Master & Dynamic debuted the terrific and classy MW07 True Wireless Earphones at $299.

On October 17th, 2019, Master & Dynamic introduced two new versions of the MW07 to replace the original, and I report upon these here: the MW07 True Wireless Go ($199) and the MW07 True Wireless PLUS ($299) pictured above. I am grateful to Jonathan Levine (CEO of Master & Dynamic) and his team for alerting me of this new development and sending me review samples.

Although both new models use the same superb custom 10 mm Beryllium drivers, both have significant advantages over the original. For example, both now utilize Bluetooth 5.0 (and support both aptX and SBC) as opposed to Bluetooth 4.2 and now with a connectivity range of 30+ meters up from 20, both pack longer battery life, both charge faster, and both have a higher water resistance level. But there are differences between the two that depend on one’s needs or lifestyle. Think of the GO as a more rustic, smaller and lighter version of the MW07 meant for sports in particular (jogging, biking, going to the gym, etc.), and think of the PLUS as a premium, luxury version.

Oct 1

Oct 1 Powerbeats Pro Wireless Earphones

Before rapper Dr. Dre became a billionaire by selling his eponymous headphone company Beats by Dr. Dre to Apple, he propelled the company into first place among the lucrative millennial mobile/computer/home headphone market with relentless marketing and colourful products that were deemed ‘cool’ by the kids. And in marketing and profitability, nothing beats ‘cool’.

His first headphone, the Beats by Dr. Dre Studio (2008), was a bass monster. And not in a good way. Listening to anything but rap or electronica on those things was a waste of time. Complex classical? Forget it. Coherence was a mess. I remember a laughable Mahler 1.

Jul 12

Jul 12 Periodic Audio Carbon (C) In-Ear Monitor

Diamonds are formed of carbon (C) atoms that have been placed under extremely high temperatures and pressures that exist naturally very deep beneath the earth’s surface. This natural process from carbon to diamond takes an incredibly long time—about 2 billion years.

Although widely prized for their beauty as jewelry and treasured since BC, they possess other qualities such as extraordinary hardness that are ideal for various industrial applications including audio, such as diamond styli for phono cartridges. They also, under normal everyday conditions, will last forever. Fortunately, scientists can mimic the process in the laboratory, ‘growing’ diamonds in a matter of weeks. These lab-grown diamonds have essentially the same chemical, physical, and optical properties as the natural ones—but still are expensive.

May 30

May 30 Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless

I’d like to thank Hummingbird Media and Katie Kailus in particular for getting me a set of PXC 550s so quickly. This enabled me to do a shootout of sorts with Master & Dynamic’s new MW65 wireless set and to use the Sennheisers in the ultimate torture test, flying on Air Canada’s Q400 from Victoria to Vancouver sitting between two howling Pratt and Whitney turboprops. They’d give a headache a headache. The short puddle jump was the opening flight before the much quieter Airbus A350-900 took us to Munich for High End 2019. I was grateful for the review product and its practicalities for travel.

The PXC 550 Wireless is Sennheiser’s playmaker in the sub $500 active noise cancellation (ANC), over ear headphone market. And the market is filling up. As I mentioned, Master & Dynamic, known for ultra refined headphones finally mastered the somewhat black art of ANC, enough they felt comfortable releasing the new MW65 ($499). The PXC is priced well below the M&D and equal to models from Sony and Bose. The MSRP is $349.95.

May 6

May 6 Master & Dynamic MW65 Active Noise-Cancelling Wireless Over-Ear Headphones

If you are an erstwhile reader of Audiophilia, you’ll know we have given highly positive reviews of several headphones from New York based Master & Dynamic. Although not yet adopted by some of the ‘cool kids’ as they have Beats, Master & Dynamic have shunned the bass booming, teenage friendly designs favoured by some and produced gorgeous headphones and earbuds with very refined sound and exquisite fit and finish. And like Beats, the audio educated of the cool kids can buy them at the Apple Store. CEO and Founder Jonathan Levine has also mastered a brilliant online strategy.

Audiophilia began by reviewing the M40 Headphones and following the improvement of Bluetooth and the wireless explosion, we reviewed the equally beautiful M60 Wireless Headphones. Those, and the MW65 ANC Wireless Headphones ($499) under review, project a feeling of refinement both outside the ear and the sound within.

Nov 9

Nov 9 Master & Dynamic MW07 True Wireless Earphones

New York City based Master & Dynamic is a unique company. While not aiming for the highest ‘audiophile’ quality in the universe—together with the very high prices that go along with that—they, instead, produce superb sounding audio products displaying a savvy mix of fashion, art and modern culture. They even partner with legendary companies such as Leica Camera and make a special series of headphones in honour of legendary musicians such as Michael Jackson. The result? Gorgeous products of audiophile quality in both sound and construction that engenders pride of ownership. In their own words, ‘We are a New York City based premium audio brand with a deep passion for building beautifully crafted, richly appointed, technically sophisticated sound tools for creative minds.’. How true, and I would add ‘at reasonable prices’.

While the high-end headphone market is now at the thousands of dollars per pair level, Master & Dynamic’s most expensive headphones (MW60 over-the-ear) are only $549 per pair and can be used wirelessly or with wire, and their flagship over-the-ear model is the MH40 at only $399; I use both as my reference. All come in different colours, too. More recently, they have been making earphones, and here I will cover their newest high-tech pair, the stunning looking MW07 True Wireless Earphones at $299. (Keep in mind that at audio shows, I get to listen to earbuds (yes, earbuds) that cost more than $2000 per pair.) Many thanks to Andrew Gretchko and to Jonathan Levine (Founder and CEO of Master & Dynamic) for sending me a pair for review. In line with their sense of fashion, you can buy them at Bloomingdale’s department store, among others, as well as directly from their website (linked below).

Oct 26

Oct 26 Periodic Audio Nickel Amplifier

Amplifiers, Headphones

Much smaller (30x50x15mm) than a smart phone! About the same weight (20.9g) as many USB stick drives! Can easily power (250 mW into 32 Ohms) headphones (not just earbuds) without a sweat! It’s the Periodic Audio Nickel, a super-compact $299 headphone amplifier that can be used on the run.

It is essentially the size of a small box of matches. It is made in the USA. I gave it a quick try at the recent RMAF in Denver in early October 2018, was impressed, and the ever so friendly Periodic Audio Co-Founder Daniel Wiggins offered to send me a review sample (and thanks to Sue Toscano for helping).

May 17

May 17 PS Audio Sprout100 Integrated Amplifier

Analog, Digital, Headphones, Integrated Amplifier, Star Component Award

In February of 2015, I reviewed the original PS Audio Sprout, the brainchild of Scott McGowan. It was a powerful, small, simple to use stereo integrated amplifier with DAC, analog preamplifier, headphone amp, phono stage, Bluetooth receiver and more; I was dazzled by its performance at $799. Now we step forward 3 years to the second generation for review here: the Sprout100—at only $599.

I ran into McGowan recently at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest in October 2017, where he pulled out a prototype of the Sprout100 from his backpack at the hotel restaurant for my perusal; my eyes lit up at what I saw—and hoped to hear soon after. As I will try to convey in this review, some serious thought by McGowan was clearly given to this new version, and by drawing upon the expertise of PS Audio’s engineer Darren Myers, PS Audio has produced a product of exceptional value—and substantially better than the original.

Jan 18

Jan 18 Audeze LCD-3 Headphones

Not many American high-end start-ups have made such a splash as Audeze. Founded a mere ten years ago, the decade has cemented Audeze's place among the very best, brightest and innovative of headphone manufacturers.

Audeze arrived on the scene at just the right time—at the genesis of mass market smartphones, mobile music, streaming, and headphones/earphones in general. Musical kismet.

The LCD-3 is the natural development from Audeze's original headphone, the legendary LCD-1. The back story from Audeze's About page reads as follows: Audeze’s origins go back to 2008 when founders Sankar Thiagasamudram and Alexander Rosson met engineer Pete Uka who developed specialized flexible circuit materials for NASA. They quickly realized the material might be perfect for headphones. That’s when Dragoslav Colich, who has 30+ years’ experience in designing planar drivers, joined the team as CTO to create the LCD-1 headphone.

Jan 3

Jan 3 Apple AirPods

You may be asking yourself why are the Apple AirPods, postgenitus of the Apple Earbuds, the subject of a review in an audiophile magazine targeted 'for the serious audiophile'? Good question. This huge Apple fanboy has done his fair share of hating on the Earbuds, and on earphones/headphones in general. Wireless? Even more so. As such, think of it as a post-Christmas public service announcement for audiophiles.

While you're grinning happily at the goofy look of the AirPods and non-audiophile sound (whatever that means in headphone/audiophile terms?), think of this—the AirPods are most always sold out, make up 85% of the wireless headphone market, and have sold 25 million pairs. Now, quantity usually never means quality—hello, jazz and classical sales in comparison with Bieber and Rihanna—but I thought the numbers and the immaculate technology deserved at least a cursory look. And listen.

May 24

May 24 Periodic Audio In-Ear Monitors

Although in general I do not use in-ear headphones (buds) for personal use, I occasionally try them out at audio shows. The prices for some can be staggering at times, even exceeding $2000 per pair! But there are many fine ones that are reasonably priced, too. At the recent February 2017 CANJAM New York City show, I spotted Periodic Audio. They are easy to find: Their presentation reminds one of a hospital or a scientific lab with even the Periodic Table of chemical elements boldly shown, and the friendly and knowledgeable staff are dressed in classic white laboratory coats. The company started in 2016, they are quite new, and worthy of attention.

Periodic Audio make three models, each one referred to as an ‘In-Ear Monitor’ (IEM) and each one is named after the metal chemical element used in its diaphragm material. The least expensive is the Mg (Magnesium) at $99 (frequency response 20 Hz to 30 kHz), second is the Ti (Titanium) at $199 (frequency response 16 Hz to 30 kHz) and finally the Be (Beryllium) at $299 (frequency response 12 Hz to 45 kHz). [Photo of Be in header -- Ed].

Aug 12

Aug 12 Puro Sound Labs BT-5200 Bluetooth Wireless Headphones

After a flurry of recent Audiophilia headphone/earphone deliveries and reviews, the Puro BT-5200 Bluetooth Wireless Headphones arrival came much like coal to Newcastle. I knew they were shipped for review and a quick visit to Amazon showed real good lookers in gold metal and buttery tan leather and priced at a very (too?) reasonable $129.

Jul 22

Jul 22 Meze 99 Classic Headphones

A restless night last month directed me to grab my iPhone for an email check. 4:30 a.m. A natural selection, of course. Atop my Inbox, a very pleasant review request from Meze Headphones. A perfectly timed email closest to the dawn.

Jan 20

Jan 20 Sennheiser Momentum Wireless Headphones

Just a few years ago, the idea of a wireless headphone with quality sound and solid connectivity was a bit of a dream. The last couple of years have seen large steps taken with the connectivity, now using Bluetooth 4.0 and many (including the Momentum Wireless) supporting the aptX codec (improved sound when streaming over Bluetooth). All major and boutique manufacturers are coming out with wireless versions of their benchmark wired headphone.

Nov 27

Nov 27 Master & Dynamic MW60 Wireless Headphones