headphones Archives - Positive Feedback https://positive-feedback.com/tag/headphones/ A Creative Forum for the Audio Arts Tue, 22 Oct 2024 00:05:39 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 World Premier Review: Audeze CRBN2 Electrostatic Headphones https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/audeze-crbn2-electrostatic-headphones/ https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/audeze-crbn2-electrostatic-headphones/#respond Tue, 22 Oct 2024 00:05:39 +0000 https://positive-feedback.com/?p=90794 Audeze strikes again with its new CRBN 2 reference electrostatic headphones! Weighing in at 480 grams versus 300 grams for the original CRBN, with increased depth of the leather ear cups and housing, significantly improved and perfected 2nd generation nano-tube technology drivers, and a patent pending passive technology to enhance deep bass, the Audeze CRBN2... Read More »

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Impressions:  The TARA Labs Omega Live Headphone Cables with HFX Floating Ground Station https://positive-feedback.com/audio-discourse/tara-labs-omega-live-headphone-cables/ https://positive-feedback.com/audio-discourse/tara-labs-omega-live-headphone-cables/#respond Fri, 13 Oct 2023 17:29:37 +0000 http://positive-feedback.com/?p=79049 David W. Robinson photographing at Icicle Creek, Leavenworth, WA, during the great fires of 2012. (Photograph by Lila Ritsema; image processing by Robinson.) Headphones…dig it! The spring of 1970. Yeah, that's when it happened. That's when I bought my first pair of headphones. I needed them, since I had become very interested in reel-to-reel tape... Read More »

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Feuilleton:  An Interview with Mastering Engineer Christoph Stickel https://positive-feedback.com/interviews/feuilleton-an-interview-with-mastering-engineer-christoph-stickel/ https://positive-feedback.com/interviews/feuilleton-an-interview-with-mastering-engineer-christoph-stickel/#respond Mon, 06 Feb 2023 23:57:16 +0000 http://positive-feedback.com/?p=71269 What does mastering mean? Read and listen for yourself! The way mastering is executed at MOFI caused a lot of excitement among audiophiles, and Analog, the magazine of the German Analogue Audio Association, made mastering the cover story. And here, one of the best mastering professionals, Christoph Stickel, has his say in an interview that... Read More »

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Audeze MM-500 Headphone https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/audeze-mm-500-headphone/ https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/audeze-mm-500-headphone/#respond Tue, 08 Nov 2022 21:56:37 +0000 http://positive-feedback.com/?p=68634 While I was supremely enjoying the Audeze LCD-5 Headphones on my E.A.R. HP4 Tube Headphone Amplifier and the Manley Absolute Tube Headphone Amplifier, Audeze came up with the new Audeze MM-500 Headphones to review. They have a similar ergonomic feel and look, but are smaller and purposed quite differently. The LCD-5 is an assault on... Read More »

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Grado Labs Statement Series 3000x Headphones https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/grado-labs-statement-series-3000x-headphones/ https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/grado-labs-statement-series-3000x-headphones/#respond Sat, 22 Oct 2022 15:34:15 +0000 http://positive-feedback.com/?p=68108 GS3000x Wooden Grado Headphones I want to make it clear that the now discontinued wood body Grado Statement Series 3000e was my favorite go-to headphones for musical enjoyment and monitoring recording sessions. Their dynamic punch, beautiful definition, and excellent imaging rang every bell in the steeple. Frankly, I was surprised to receive the new 3000x. I... Read More »

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Escapism with the Sendy Apollo Headphones https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/sendy-apollo-headphones/ https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/sendy-apollo-headphones/#respond Mon, 10 Oct 2022 18:36:42 +0000 http://positive-feedback.com/?p=67641 I have very little need for escapism. I live in a very peaceful area, surrounded by lakes, trees, and very little traffic. My listening room is in my basement, further isolated still. My marriage is a happy one, and we have no kids at home. Only the occasional visit from the parents, siblings, nieces, nephews,... Read More »

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The Audeze CRBN Headphones, Part Two: The Measurements https://positive-feedback.com/audio-discourse/audeze-crbn-headphones-part-two/ https://positive-feedback.com/audio-discourse/audeze-crbn-headphones-part-two/#respond Sun, 07 Aug 2022 22:04:23 +0000 http://positive-feedback.com/?p=65976 Sensitivity First, I measured the sensitivity of the Audeze CRBN, comparing it to the Stax 007. My headphone measurement instrument is the Mini DSP "Ears," which is far from a standard. However, using my ACO Pacific SPL calibrator, I was able to calibrate the Mini DSP for SPL at 1kHz within about a dB, I... Read More »

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Audeze CRBN Electrostatic Headphones https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/audeze-crbn-electrostatic-headphones/ https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/audeze-crbn-electrostatic-headphones/#respond Sun, 03 Jul 2022 21:39:50 +0000 http://positive-feedback.com/?p=64687 It is a particular pleasure to introduce the latest person to join the Positive Feedback creative community. Bob Katz doesn't need much of an intro to audiophiles who follow those who are masters of mastering...and of recording, EQ, and delivering the recorded performances that we all treasure. No recordings, no audio, eh? His résumé is... Read More »

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Audeze LCD-5 Flagship Planar Headphones https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/audeze-lcd-5/ https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/audeze-lcd-5/#respond Sun, 20 Mar 2022 16:04:13 +0000 http://positive-feedback.com/?p=61711 Cutting right to the chase! I hypothesize that the excellent performance of the LCD-4 was criticized by many for its excess weight, and that the design required a makeover. At the same time, the CRBN Electrostat was bubbling up in R&D and would set a new musical standard for any headphones at half the weight. Most... Read More »

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Brief Impressions:  The Sendy Audio Peacock Headphones https://positive-feedback.com/audio-discourse/sendy-audio-peacock-headphones/ https://positive-feedback.com/audio-discourse/sendy-audio-peacock-headphones/#respond Tue, 15 Feb 2022 01:47:17 +0000 http://positive-feedback.com/?p=60815 David W. Robinson: a Portrait in Winter, 2020. (Photograph by John Robinson; image processing by David W. Robinson) Switching my attention briefly to high-end headphones, with three of them in my queue to write up… Headphones. I do love excellent headphones…always have. Since my high school days in Walnut Creek, CA, every opportunity I had... Read More »

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Audeze CRBN Electrostatic Headphones https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/audeze-crbn-electrostatic-headphones-review/ https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/audeze-crbn-electrostatic-headphones-review/#respond Fri, 22 Oct 2021 20:27:54 +0000 http://positive-feedback.com/?p=57882 My father once said to me that if you live long enough, you will see everything. He was right—at least in this case. After 60 years as an audiophile and music lover, the ultimate in electrostatic headphone technology has finally yielded what I believe to be the most musical and lifelike electrostatic headphones on the... Read More »

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Focal Stellia Headphones https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/focal-stellia-headphones-2/ https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/focal-stellia-headphones-2/#respond Mon, 04 Jan 2021 20:00:49 +0000 http://positive-feedback.com/?p=52455 As a lifelong two-channel audio listener I had my doubts that I could appreciate listening to music through headphones. A good friend of mine extolls the benefits of the personal listening experience, but I never could come around to seeing his point of view. Sure, I have inexpensive ear buds and in ear monitors for... Read More »

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Empire Ears Odin - A Transparency and Sound-Staging Champion! https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/empire-ears-odin/ https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/empire-ears-odin/#respond Fri, 01 Jan 2021 18:58:00 +0000 http://positive-feedback.com/?p=52307 Empire Ears is a family-owned In-Ear-Monitor (IEM) company based in Atlanta, Georgia, that, collectively, brings over thirty years of experience in acoustical engineering and product manufacturing. As I mentioned in a previous review, every audio equipment company's product has it unique voice—neutral, warm, reference, detailed, bright, vivid etc—and its form. The Empire Ears' voice is,... Read More »

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Impressions:  The Warwick Acoustics Aperio Reference Headphone Amp/Preamp and DAC https://positive-feedback.com/audio-discourse/warwick-acoustics-aperio-reference-headphone-amp-preamp-and-dac/ https://positive-feedback.com/audio-discourse/warwick-acoustics-aperio-reference-headphone-amp-preamp-and-dac/#respond Tue, 24 Nov 2020 21:34:49 +0000 http://positive-feedback.com/?p=51423 ...with comments on the Synergistic Research MiG SX Isolation Feet. This is a story long in the coming. Long, long, long. Ye Olde Editor in contemplative mode, Happy Valley, OR, 2017… (Photograph by John Robinson; image processing by David W. Robinson) By way of backstory… You see, I've been following Warwick Acoustics and its predecessor... Read More »

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Obravo EAMT-2C IEM - Breathtaking Musicality, Transparency, and Engagement! https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/obravo-eamt-2c-iem/ https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/obravo-eamt-2c-iem/#respond Sat, 14 Nov 2020 20:25:42 +0000 http://positive-feedback.com/?p=50863 We review products across a relatively narrow band, a niche, if you will. And our niche is dichotomous, generally, in that it supposes that great transparency and superb musicality can coexist in the same piece of audio equipment—headgear. Our research has revealed that we are, indeed, in a quite narrow niche, as manufacturers, to date,... Read More »

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MEZE Audio 99 Classic Headphones - "You've Got the Music in You!" https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/meze-audio-99-classic-headphones/ https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/meze-audio-99-classic-headphones/#respond Thu, 12 Nov 2020 19:18:50 +0000 http://positive-feedback.com/?p=50713 I have become quite familiar with Meze Audio, born in the city of Baia Mare at Romania's northwestern border. Their flagship headphone, the Empyrean, was selected as an AudioKey Reviews Best Product of the Year for 2020, and its In-Ear-Monitor (IEM), the Rai Penta, is an AudioKey Reviews' favorite. And not just because of the... Read More »

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Fiio FH5 - A Beautifully Detailed and Musical IEM! https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/fiio-fh5/ https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/fiio-fh5/#respond Mon, 09 Nov 2020 19:09:29 +0000 http://positive-feedback.com/?p=50543 That so much transparency—detail, macro/micro-dynamics—and music lies within these small and, relatively, inexpensive IEMs is, no doubt, a wondrous discovery. For more years than I'd like to recall, I have chased after the audiophile "Maltese Falcon" (The Maltese Falcon, John Huston, Warner Brothers,1941) only to be left wanting for what a given piece of equipment—speaker,... Read More »

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Final Sonorous III Headphones - "Fun, Fun, Fun, Til Her Daddy Takes the T-bird Away!" https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/final-sonorous-iii-headphones/ https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/final-sonorous-iii-headphones/#respond Wed, 04 Nov 2020 21:23:35 +0000 http://positive-feedback.com/?p=50562 This review of the Final Sonorous III represents, per my directive, bringing those products to light that continue to distinguish themselves brilliantly, despite a host of earlier, positive reviews. In this case, the Final Sonorous III made their debut in 2016, but I find that they are remarkably well suited to 2020! "Fun, fun, fun,... Read More »

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VISION EARS EVE - Astounding Musicality, Transparency, and Speed! https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/vision-ears-eve/ https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/vision-ears-eve/#respond Mon, 02 Nov 2020 20:09:01 +0000 http://positive-feedback.com/?p=50473 The In-Ear-Monitor (IEM) company VISION EARS was founded by Marcel Schoenen, a former guitarist and singer for the band SUIDAKRA (folk-metal), and Amin Karimpour, a design and IEM enthusiast with an "exceptional love for detail1." The two met while working for a leading German IEM company. And it would be a shared vision—for quality, product... Read More »

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Rosson Audio RAD-0 Headphones - A Breathtakingly Musical, Aesthetically Customizable Headphone! https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/rosson-audio-rad-0-headphones/ https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/rosson-audio-rad-0-headphones/#respond Sun, 01 Nov 2020 17:30:24 +0000 http://positive-feedback.com/?p=50412 Alex Rosson, as many may know, was one of the founders of the Audeze line of planar magnetic headphones, which instigated quite an audio revolution at the debut of its first and then successive models. Alex would, however, step down as CEO of Audeze to pursue other opportunities, before accepting a position with Shinola—a luxury... Read More »

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Linear Tube Audio's microZOTL MZ3 Headphone Amplifier https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/linear-tube-audios-microzotl-mz3-headphone-amplifier/ https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/linear-tube-audios-microzotl-mz3-headphone-amplifier/#respond Sun, 01 Nov 2020 17:15:16 +0000 http://positive-feedback.com/?p=50337 Linear Tube Audio has a delicious solution for our headphone amplifier needs—the microZOTL MZ3. We love it! Let me tell you why it now has a well-deserved home in Ann's study. Prologue… I've written previously about our journey into headphone-only audio as the result of our retirement, downsizing, and move into apartment living. We found... Read More »

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iFi Audio's Zen Can Headphone Amplifier https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/ifi-audio-zen-can/ https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/ifi-audio-zen-can/#respond Sun, 01 Nov 2020 17:05:46 +0000 http://positive-feedback.com/?p=50276 Six months ago, I was an infrequent headphone user. At best I listened to an old set of ear buds with balance armatures while riding the elliptical during one my very infrequent visits to the gym. Did I possess a decent pair of closed-back circumaural headphones? Check. Had I attended headphone shows and been exposed... Read More »

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Grado GT220 Bluetooth Wireless IEM Universal Fit Headphones https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/grado-gt220-bluetooth-wireless-iem-universal-fit-headphones/ https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/grado-gt220-bluetooth-wireless-iem-universal-fit-headphones/#respond Sat, 24 Oct 2020 21:41:49 +0000 http://positive-feedback.com/?p=50177 Finally! Bluetooth IEM monitors that present real music in real space without wires! Grado has done it and I am mightily impressed. Surpassing the performance of all other Bluetooth IEMs I have heard or auditioned, the new awesome GT220 Headphones are more authoritative, realistic, smoother, offer a more extended top and bottom end, and present... Read More »

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ZMF Vérité Closed Headphones https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/zmf-verite-closed-headphones/ https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/zmf-verite-closed-headphones/#respond Mon, 12 Oct 2020 20:18:37 +0000 http://positive-feedback.com/?p=49857 ZMF Vérité Closed, ZMF Wooden Case, Cable Bag, and Warrantee Card ZMF has become one of the most well-known names in the head-fi community, producing headphones that sound incredibly good, and perform well above their price tag. They have excellent design that relies on exotic wood finishes, and a passionate team led by Zach and... Read More »

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LSA HP-1 Headphones https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/lsa-hp-1-headphones/ https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/lsa-hp-1-headphones/#respond Tue, 21 Jul 2020 23:41:56 +0000 http://positive-feedback.com/?p=47987 In the audio world, a dealer relationship is still fairly common. As more businesses go online, dealers are adapting and making their products available online as well. Some manufacturers are even starting to forgo dealers and have started selling direct to their customers. The result, when done well, is more performance per dollar. This is... Read More »

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