Recent Headphone Reviews

The terms wireless and audiophile sound have been known to be quite oxymoronic in the community of avid listeners. One company however proposes to change this notion of conflicting ideals and make these terms synonymous with one another. Enter, the Pendulumic Stance S1+ Wireless Headphones– a concoction of careful planning and crafting in an attempt to break down preconceived thoughts. Armed with aptX to enhance the audio transmission over Bluetooth, Pendulumic is serious about offering a non-compromised high fidelity audio experience wirelessly. Have they succeeded? Read on to find out.

The PM-3 is Oppo’s third time around designing a planar-magnetic, closed back headphone after its highly acclaimed PM-1 and PM-2. But the PM-3 stands apart from its higher-end forefathers in a few key ways. The PM-1 and PM-2 are essentially the same design, both high-end luxury open-backed headphones for those willing to pay a premium for uncompromising performance. The PM-3 is designed with portability and more mainstream audience (and price) in mind. Let’s see how the company fared.

The Parrot Zik has been touted as the most technologically-advanced wireless headphones on the market. A recent redesign brings many improvements to an already impressive piece of hardware. These headphones have a wonderful sound. Their forte is in their features, but quite a bit of attention has been paid to sound quality via software. Overall, the Parrot Zik 2.0 is very much worth an audition for Bluetooth listening from a smartphone or tablet if the app is compatible with your device.

Fidue has pulled out all the stops to launch their new A73 in-ear headphones. Combining futuristic designs and a well-rounded sound, the A73s sport a hybrid driver configuration with a single dynamic driver and 2 balanced armature ones. The model departs from its predecessor, the A71, in various ways and brings more things to the table including great top-end extension and a controlled punchy bass. So has Fidue succeeded in winning over the audiophile community? Read on to find out.

AudioQuest’s relatively new device– the DragonFly USB DAC v1.2 offers a great portable way to improve your current computer and smartphone set up. With a flair in creating affordable mid-fi products, Audioquest have not failed to satisfy the market with an outstanding hi-fi sound. The USB DAC draws on the power of the USB port of your computer and overrides the internal DAC to offer its own resolving and detailed sound character. Can you really get audiophile sound from a device that can fit in your pocket? Read on to find out.

RHA have slowly grown to be a company which has strongly impressed the industry with their great value for money offerings. In addition to this, RHA are known to provide unparalleled customer services which is a great testament to the not only the company itself but also the end user experience. The latest in their popular line-up is the T10 and T10i in-ear monitor headphones which feature outstanding build quality, a hand-made dynamic driver and 3 tuneable filter options. To find out more about these, read the review.

RBH may be best known for high-end speakers but they have recently built a niche for themselves with high-performance earphones. The company that has been filling custom home theaters with sound since 1976 has just launched its most ambitious earphones yet. The EP-SB earphones combine an impressive array of the latest wireless technologies from aptX, CSR, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and IPx4 – more acronyms than a brain surgeon’s business card. How did they sound? Unlike any wireless earphones we've ever heard. Read our review and watch our YouTube review to find out the details.

LEAR’s bold statement, the LEAR LUF-4C, in its series of universal IEMs has recently been put under the scrutiny of long-time followers of the company. With a 4-driver technology and host of other engineering feats, the LUF-4C is by no means simple and even puts some of its worthy adversaries to shame. This review will pull apart and dissect these in-ear monitors to truly see whether it weighs its worth in gold. Read to find out more.

The Heir Audio IEM 8.0 in-ear headphones, the latest concoction in Heir’s universal series, has aroused the interests of many audiophiles across the globe. There is no doubt that with a colossal 8 drivers per earpiece and an affinity for a strikingly beautiful design, these IEMs truly combine the best of audio reproduction and aesthetics alike. So with a price tag of $999 is this release a justified one? Read on to find out.

The Oppo PM-1 Planar Magnetic Headphones are the first foray into the headphone market from the company that has already taken the DVD and Blu-ray market by storm. The PM-1s surprised us in their ability to play cleanly and clearly with any device or source material. They were light enough for long listening sessions and forgiving of poorly recorded or encoded material. For $1,100, they aren't cheap but they are very, very good. These are reference level headphones. Check out our recently added YouTube video review and comparison of the Oppo PM-1 and PM-2s.

The Alpine Headphones come from the company that brought you all the head units you coveted for your car back in your high school days. They have an interesting design which is notable in their lack of branding (or Left/Right labels). Alpine's tag line is "Feel your music," one that seems to better fit a subwoofer rather than a set of cans. So what are they talking about? Their "TKR3 Full Frequency Immersion Technology" of course. Still not sure? Well, check out the review to find out more about it and how these headphones surprised us in more than one way.

The XTZ Headphone Divine wireless headphones look to be an interesting offering. While we are always a bit wary of Kickstarters, this one has already more than doubled its initial goal. With Dirac DSP onboard, we expect that these headphones will sound as good as possible. The hassle of having to use the dedicated app might turn some people off, but if the sound is good enough for the $100 asking price, it might be worth it to others. Read on to find out the full feature set of the XTZ Headphone Divine.

At a glance, RBH's EP-SB wireless in-ear headphones have a lot going for them. Priced at $179, they bring Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX, NFC pairing, and up to six hours of continuous talk / listening time. More importantly, if they share any DNA with RBH's EP1s, they'll bring excellent sound quality to the table as well. The EP-SBs will come with a two year warranty, and should be available for purchase this November.

The DD Audio DXB-03 on-ear headphones represent a very good value at their $150/pair sold direct from their website. Their construction quality is excellent and the wood grain dressing really adds a touch of class to the product. Bass is the forte of the DXB-03’s which is no surprise from a company that specializes in car audio boom. The DXB-03’s will play at ungodly loud listening levels with very little input power and they will do it cleanly with plenty of bottom end and top end sizzle. If you’re looking for a rugged, beautifully crafted affordable set of headphones with integrated microphone capability, then the DXB-03’s should be on your shortlist.