Archive for Headphones

User review: V-Moda M80 headphones

Forum member Jörgemeister took the time to write up a nice in-depth review of the near-full-sized closed-back V-Moda M80 headphones.

Hollywood-based V-Moda are known for usually taking a bit of a style-over-substance approach to headphone design, but with the M80 they obviously got the sound aspect right as well – next to the flashy design with changeable ear pad covers and removable cables.

While one of their first products, the V-Moda Vibe (which I reviewed ages ago – back when I was young, stupid, and slightly less caustic in my posts) sounded nice for the median quality available back in the days, they certainly had bad build quality and durability issues. With the M80 however it seems that V-Moda tackled that problem as well, delivering a well built and flexible phone with quality materials.

Sounds interesting? Check out Jörgemeister’s full V-Moda M80 review in the forums.

Soundmagic E30 Review

After being very positively surprised by the Soundmagic E10, it goes without saying that their slightly pricier brethren, the E30, should get the same review treatment as well. ‘Pricier’ here means a difference of a whopping five currency units – 35 vs. 40, either US dollars or Her Majesty’s pounds, depending on where you live.

The E10 and E30 actually look nothing alike, the former being an aluminum barrel-shaped IEM, the latter being a plastic over-the-ear fit one. However, once they’re in the ears, the Soundmagic family resemblance is easily spotted. Read on for an in-depth look at the E30, and a comparison to the earlier reviewed E10. Continue reading…

Brainwavz B2 review

After taking a closer look at the Brainwavz Beta and M2, it’s time to review their current flagship product, the B2.

Contrary to other Brainwavz IEMs, the B2 doesn’t use a dynamic driver; they sport a dual balanced armature to create all those wonderful sounds – not just any armature at that, but the widely used Knowles TWFK, the same one found in the Jays q-Jays, Audio Technica ATH-CK10, Ultimate Ears UE700, or the Fischer Audio DBA-02 (which also use the same OEM design as the B2).

Read on to find out how the B2 fare in the sub-$200 price range of in-ear phones. Continue reading…

Brookstone Clear Dual-Drive IEMs seem to be the Radius TWF21′s affordable twins

Those who read my Radius HP-TWF21 (aka. ‘DDM2′ aka ‘W n°2′) review know that I really like the lush, cinematic, larger-than-life sound of those IEMs. It turns out that Radius Japan didn’t actually develop/design those phones, but seemingly rebranded a Chinese OEM product, as is their usual modus operandi.

Be that as it may, these DDM2 sound exceptionally great to my ears – but their $250 price tag hurts quite a bit (especially considering their questionable build quality, the cheap materials used, and the fact that they have to be imported from Japan).

Enter American jack-of-all-trades retail chain Brookstone. Their ‘Clear Dual-Drive Earbuds’ go for $60 (or for $30-40 on eBay, if you’re lucky), and they are the same OEM design as the DDM2. They’re just a bit less tacky with silver accents instead of gold, and without cumbersome fabric-covered cable. Unfortunately they’re only available with an iPod/iPhone inline remote, there’s no standard non-headset version.

The big question of course is if they can match the glorious sound of the DDM2. Apparently they are somewhat differently tuned, after all. Over on the Head-Fi forums IEM-aficionado ClieOS mentioned that the Brookstones sound closer to the older DDM1 than to the DDM2. This is not a bad thing at all – the DDM1 sound great, they just have a rather awkward form factor. Getting a similar sound in the much more comfortable DDM2 housing might make the Brookstones worth the purchase – not to mention the price difference.

Via Head-Fi. Brookstone website.

Soundmagic E10 Review

Soundmagic (or SoundMAGIC, as they write it) is one of the older Chinese headphone brands that’s available on the international market – and one that I shamefully neglected to review for way too long.

Many of their products got high marks in reviews and are often recommended as inexpensive quality IEMs. Their PL30, priced at less than $30, feature a bass dial like the much pricier Sennheiser IE8, and their PL50 are among the least expensive balanced armature driver IEMs. Both of these have a big fan base and helped to build the reputation of Soundmagic as a manufacturer of good sounding gear for a fair price.

Well, I missed to review those two popular phones, but now I have their newly released E10 in my hands (or rather, ears), and I hope I can make up for my negligence towards the Soundmagic brand. Continue reading…

Hong Kong’s Headphone Heaven

Our man in Hong Kong, forum member Lestatar, took photos of a local headphone store called Mingo’s and posted them in a forum thread.

Reactions from resident headphone nerds were unanimously jaw-dropping. Seems I have no other option than to pack my bags and move to Hong Kong, since I doubt I’ll ever see something like that locally – or in any other place on this planet, for that matter. I wonder if they allow overnight camping in the store. Then again, I’d never want to leave that store ever again, so that might be an issue.

The store has a website too, offering anything from $1 OEM phones to $2800 Ultrasone Edition 10 pimpmobiles. Check out Mingo’s (in Chinese). See Lestatar’s full-resolution photos after the jump (and don’t mind the Blackberry image quality – it’s certainly the content that counts). Continue reading…

Bowers & Wilkins C5s available in August

Bowers & Wilkins will be releasing a new set of in ear models to complement their over the ear portable model, the P5s. The new model is the second set of headphones that the company has released, and they intend to capitalize on their success from the P5s. Bowers & Wilkins is known for producing high end home audio, reference, custom and studio monitor audio equipment.

The passive noise isolating C5s will feature a unique “secure loop design” which will actually forgo the more familiar over the ear cable for one that will loop around the inner ear loop. Surely it might take a little getting used to until they feel comfortable, but they intend for the new design to help keep the in ears securely in place. This “loop,” and a Tungsten tube will help keep the C5s weighted properly in the ears, according to B & W. Pricing has yet to be announced, but rumors point to a lower price point than the P5 model which retail (and street price) for $299.

Owning the P5s myself, I must say the new model should be a solid bet for portable entertainment. The P5s, while not a reference phone, have a very nice warm and balanced sound and are excellent for portable use. The build quality will surely be fantastic, as well as the quality of materials. But, until we get our hands on them, you never know. One nice thing with B & W which will hopefully continue is that they haven’t just thrown their logo on some cheap Chinese models. These are designed from the ground up by B & W, which is refreshing to see now-a-days.

[Bowers & Wilkins]

 

Brainwavz M2 Review

While MP4Nation’s Brainwavz Beta I reviewed some time ago were ok-ish sounding for their $30 price tag – but didn’t really exceed in any aspect over their similarly priced peers – Brainwavz now upped the ante with the introduction of the M2 in-ear phones.

The M2 are a bit more expensive than the aforementioned Betas, going for around $50, but to my ears they sound at least twice as good, so all is fine.

I am quite impressed by how far Brainwavz have climbed the audio quality ladder since the last time I tried some of their products. Read on to find out more about the M2.

Continue reading…

Radius HP-TWF21 “W N°2” aka “DDM 2” Review

Radius Co. Ltd. are from Japan, but unlike fellow countrymen such as Audio Technica or Denon, Radius mostly relies on rebranding Chinese OEM in-ear phones rather than creating original designs. Most of their products are found in the lower price segment, usually competing with fashion brands such as Skullcandy or JBuds.

This however changed when Radius introduced the HP-TWF11 “DDM” phone some time ago. They were priced at around $200 and featured a seldom seen construction that uses two dynamic drivers; a big one for bass and midrange next to the ear and a smaller one for treble behind it – hence the “DDM” nickname that stands for “Dual Driver Matrix”. While these DDM couldn’t quite compete with top-tier dynamic driver IEMs such as the JVC FX700 or Sennheiser IE8, they pulled off a gigantic in-your-face bass while still retaining some very nice stereo imaging, timbre, and good dynamic range.

Now Radius revised their DDM concept and released the HP-TWF21 “W N°2”. Compared to the old DDM, the new DDM2 (as I call them) have an infinitely better form factor, somewhat more tamed bass quantity, better clarity… and of course a somewhat higher price tag than the old ones.

Read on to find out more about them. Continue reading…

MEElectronics A151 Review

When Joe Daileda, VP of Sales & Marketing at MEElectronics contacted me to say they were sending their balanced armature fitted A151 IEMs to test I became very curious. I had already tested their M31s and M16s, finding them to be good contenders within their price range, but neither are driven by balanced armatures like the A151s.

So “who’s the king of the hill”? Depending on whom you are speaking with, what the flavor of the month is and which way the wind is blowing you will hear various responses; JH Audio, Ultimate Ears, Sennheiser, Shure, 1964 Ears, etc. All kidding aside, let me clarify the statement here; this is a review about a single armature universal IEM in the sub $100 target range that competes with rivals in the $175 and under price target. Not the brands I mentioned above – but I got your attention didn’t I?

Are the A151s the best universal IEMs on the market today? No, but if you have never listened to armature driven IEMs and your budget is in the aforementioned range you could be short changing yourself if you do not consider the MEElectronics A151s as one of your options.

With that thought in mind, read on to take a closer look at the A151 IEMs. Continue reading…