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ZiiGaat Lush: The Sleeper Hit That Silenced My Skepticism
ZiiGaat's Lush seems to present something not only unique for ZiiGaat's lineup, but unique for the IEM market in general. Join listener as they discuss why.
CrinEar Project META Review: Crin's Best, With Room To Improve
Project META intentionally aligns itself with the tuning approach undertaken by other IEMs in the "New Meta" category, like the Hisenior Mega5EST and Kiwi Ears KE4. But does it fall victim to the same perceived deficiencies that other “New Meta” sets exhibit?
Sennheiser HD 550 Review — An Absolute BANGER That Took Us By Surprise
In this video, Resolve, DMS and Listener give their Sennheiser HD 550 review. Find out which of the two new releases is best, and whether the new ones can dethrone the legendary HD 6XX, or HD 600 over ear open back headphones.
Sennheiser HD 550 Review: A Legitimate Gamechanger
Sennheiser has indicated that new headphones named “HD x50” should be neutral, but does HD 550 live up to that standard? Join listener as they break it down!
Sennheiser HD 505: Senn Steps Forward
With HD 505, Sennheiser demonstrates that they’ve been listening to the criticisms about the HD 560S being too thin and bright... but is it enough for the HD 505 to be a valid alternative to the 6 series?
Truthear Zero: BLUE 2 - Upgrade Path from the Ultra-Budget?
The IEM market has no shortage of Harman-tuned options at low prices, so does the BLUE 2 do enough to represent a compelling alternative that’s worth the extra money versus less expensive options? Join listener as they break it down.
Moondrop Edge: Budget ANC Headphones are Getting GOOD
The EDGE is Moondrop's first wireless ANC headphone that Listener thinks people should be paying much closer attention to. Join them as they discuss why!
Softears Volume S - 2024's Best IEM
Join listener as they discuss the first IEM that truly signals where IEMs are (hopefully) likely to be going in the years to come, and one of the only IEMs they feel wholly earns the designation of “neutral” from top to bottom.
Focal Lensys Professional: Better than Azurys?
Focal's Lensys Professional is a new closed back headphone that looks very similar to Focal's new Azurys—listener's Best Headphone of 2024—but is $150 more expensive. Which raises the question: which is actually better?
Soundstage Is (Much) More Complicated Than You Think
Many listeners end up disappointed upon hearing the best headphone soundstage, realizing it's not as big a game-changer as they'd expected. Join listener as they discuss why soundstage is more complicated than we think, and how audiophiles can better manage their expectations and understand this elusive quality.
Kiwi Ears KE4: The Next Step Forward
Kiwi Ears' new KE4 might not be perfect, but it’s close enough that it's probably one of the easiest IEM recommendations I can give in 2024. Why? Let’s talk about it.
Sony IER-M7: Sony's Sleeper Hit?
IER-M7 has been perpetually overshadowed in our discourse by it's more expensive (and incredibly well-liked) big brother IER-M9, but I think it deserves more credit then it’s gotten in our discourse up to now. Why? Let’s talk about it.
Moondrop Cosmo: Surprising Sound, Blunderous Build
With Cosmo being their most expensive over-ear headphone to date, Moondrop is clearly aiming to provide something different sounding from their prior designs, while perhaps not trying to shirk their established visual design language. But do they do enough to make Cosmo a headphone worth recommending? Let's discuss it.
DUNU Titan S2 & Letshuoer S08: The Sequel & The Dark Planar
The DUNU Titan S2 is the sequel to what many people consider the sleeper-hit single DD of yesteryear, DUNU’s Titan S. On the other hand, Letshuoer’s S08 seems to be their latest—and potentially most unique—offering in their lineup of “S series” planar IEMs. How do they stack up against each other? Let's break it down.
Grell OAE-1: Why You Shouldn't Care About Soundstage
Grell's new OAE-1 has some rather unique design goals: extreme openness and frontal driver orientation. Join listener as they evaluate the headphone, the theoretical underpinnings of its design and marketing, and why consumers should be a lot more skeptical when a headphone is claimed to have "speaker-like soundstage".
Sennheiser HD 620S - Does It Deserve A Spot In The 6 Series?
Any headphone laying claim to a spot within Sennheiser's hallowed 6 series needs to have the chops to back it up, and therein lies the question: Is the HD 620S actually good enough to be *the* 6 series closed back, or has the HD 620S been placed in a series it neither lives up to nor competes with? Let's talk about it.
Truthear GATe - New Ultra-Budget King?
The Hola was Truthear’s first entry into the ultra-budget space, and it was an exceptionally-balanced offering. Now we’ve gotten its replacement with the GATe, and the question must be answered: after Truthear discontinued what was arguably their most universally-beloved IEM, is the GATe actually a worthy replacement?
Sennheiser HD 569: Sennheiser's Best Kept Secret?
A headphone being old and scarcely mentioned doesn’t automatically mean it's bad. In fact, HD 569 might be my favorite mid-fi closed back headphone. Why is that, and more importantly, why does nobody talk about this headphone? Join me as I try a headphone from seven years ago in the hopes of finding an undiscovered gem.
DUNU x Gizaudio DaVinci: Are we in the Renaissance of IEMs?
The DUNU x Gizaudio DaVinci is an IEM that’s making waves in the community for its compliance with what many are calling “the new tuning meta.” But does it live up to the hype? Join listener as they discuss why—with IEMs like DaVinci—we may in fact be in the midst of an IEM Renaissance.
Sennheiser HD 660S2 vs. HD 600 and 650: Which is REALLY better?
Sennheiser is the only company that gets the entire headphone sphere excited when they release a new product, but it seems they've forgotten why people love them—and the 6 series—in the first place. Let’s talk about why I think so, how their new HD 660S2 embodies this disconnect, and what I think they can do to fix it.
Moondrop x Crinacle DUSK: An Inconvenient Truth
Crinacle's new DUSK was an IEM that was uniquely positioned to fulfill the wishes of consumers asking for an IEM tuned with the Brüel and Kjaer Type 5128 in mind. However, due to the reliance on the DSP cable to grant that wish, saying "Buy DUSK" isn't quite as simple this time around.
Sennheiser HD 490 Pro: Incrementalist
In a world that doesn't include HD 600 or 650, I might actually take HD 490 Pro over most of the other stuff in its price range. While it's not as good as I had hoped, I still found myself using it without EQ for extended periods of time without glaring comfort or sound issues... and frankly, I’m not sure I could do that with most of the other headphones at its price.
Diffuse Field: Calculate, Characterize, Calibrate
Head-Related Transfer Functions have become a common topic of discussion now that Headphones.com have incorporated the Brüel and Kjaer Type 5128 into our roster of measurement fixtures, but some still aren't sure what HRTFs are, how we're using them, or most importantly—why we're using them. Join listener as they break down the myriad reasons why Headphones.com chooses to calibrate measurements using the Diffuse Field HRTF.
Audeze MM-100: Mid-Fi Mainstay or Missed Opportunity?
MM-100 is advertised to target those who need a solid headphone for mix referencing, similar to what it’s big brother MM-500—as well as the legendary Sennheiser 6x0 series—attempt to offer. But does it do so well enough to be a compelling option in the headphone world's most competitive price bracket?
Hisenior Mega5EST: Task Failed Successfully
Hisenior claim their $550 tribrid is tuned to Harman's IE Target, yet it has garnered recognition for measuring closely to the beloved—and not Harman IE compliant—Subtonic Storm. Is it Harman? Is it a "baby Storm"? Join listener as they discuss why Mega5EST is one of the happiest accidents in today's IEM market.
Symphonium Crimson: The Heir Apparent
With the Crimson, Symphonium is seemingly counting on a sonic midpoint between their two best performing products being compelling enough to justify placing it in the flagship seat of their catalog. Does Crimson live up to the expectations placed upon it by being the next in Symphonium’s already stellar lineup?
The Case for Comfort: Why Sound Quality Isn't Everything
Is sound quality really the most important quality of a headphone, or could it be something else? Join listener as they share research and hands-on experience in an effort to answer this question, as well as options they feel excel at a variety of things a headphone user may find important.