Recent Headphone Reviews

Venerable high end speaker maker B&W has launched an entire family of headphones to fit our mobile lifestyle. The C5 headphones bring some unique and innovative approaches to in-ear monitor designs. The new loop-design and tungsten weight balancing will keep the earphones from falling out of your ears so that you can hear rich, detailed sound. Keeping with their pedigree in the high end audio market, B&W's C5 in-ear headphones will appeal to both the audiophile and active lifestyle user.

Bowers & Wilkins has released their new P7 over ear headphones. These are the flagship of the B&W headphone line. We had a chance to A/B them with the rest of the B&W line and they are clearly the best. At $400 MSRP, they should be. Sporting 40mm drivers, removable cushions that reveal removable cables, and a rating down to 10Hz, these headphones sounded clear and clean when we checked them out at CEDIA 2013. Shipping now, if you are a B&W fan, you've got to hear these speakers.

We took a close look at the Westone W-Series all-weather earphones on the show floor at CEDIA 2013. They looked be be very solidly built. The cable connection at the earphone was very small and proprietary but fit securely. The cable is completely shielded and sealed for maximum water resistance. These are very ruggedly constructed headphones and should be able to survive anything you throw at them. They utilize the traditional silicone and foam tips and have interchangeable faceplates. We particularly like how you can upgrade the number of drivers up to four. We weren't able to try them out (and we were one of the first ones at the booth) but we're hoping to get some in for review.

Phiaton isn't a name that's been around for terribly long, but it's Korean parent company Cresyn, founded in 1959, has been making headphones or headphone components for quite some time. These are the Phiaton Bridge MS 500 headphones, which Phiaton describes as over-ear, but we'd humbly tell you are actually on-ear, unless your ears are the size of walnuts or you really manipulate them to get them inside of the leather pads.

The Audio-Technica ATH-CP700 "Inner Ear" (basically, fancy earbuds) headphones have a lot going for them. The back head band keeps them securely in place. The rubber surrounds on the earbuds makes them much more comfortable than normal earbuds. The angled entry and rotating buds try to aim the sound down your ear canals. They have a modular cable, an inline mic and control, and are mostly waterproof. But their focus on letting in outside sounds to keep you safer when exercising outside comes at a sonic price.

What we find most exciting about the new MA600i and MA750i in-ear headphones from RHA is the handmade drivers. Often we see manufacturers putting the same drivers in every one of their offerings. Here, we have different, purpose-built drivers for each tier of their line. They've even included measurements showing how they perform (the fact that they are different is more interesting than how flat they are). We've had some good experiences with RHA offerings in the past and we're very curious to hear how these new, top-tier offerings sound. The MA600i and MA750i headphones from RHA feature aircraft grade aluminum construction, the RHA "aerophonic" design, and a three button inline remote and microphone. With higher prices to match, this in the new top-of-the-line from RHA.

The G-CUBE BH-860s are Bluetooth enabled with all the latest formats and codecs including HSP, HFP, A2DP, and AVRC. With Bluetooth v3.0, the G-CUBE BH-860s brag faster transfer rates and incorporated aptX technology for near CD quality bit rates. In addition, the G-CUBE BH-860s can connect with up to 2 Bluetooth devices at a time. The G-CUBE BH-860s have a 24 hour battery life, are HD Voice ready, and sport an integrated six setting EQ. They collapse down for easy transport in the included case, have an integrated mic with wind and outside noise canceling, and have an Uppercase 'G' on the side. Uppercase is better than lower case, right?

This review is about an experiment. Can consumer-level in-ear headphones be used as live in-ear monitors? We thought so, so we acquired a dozen of them from audio-technica and set them to work at a local church. You see, the worship band was converting from on-stage monitoring to in-ear monitors. Here's what happens—you throw a bunch of guitarists, four singers, a bassist, a keyboardist, a pianist, and a drummer on stage. Now give them each a monitor that fires up at them so they can hear when they need to perform well.

The Wicked Audio WI-8500 Evac Headphones are $60 headphones that you can find on sale for much less. Much less. When you compare them to their $60 competition, you'll find the other $60 headphones have features such as in-line controls and microphones. While the Wicked Audio WI-8500 Evac Headphones don't have any of those features, what they do have is a very similar sound to those other, feature rich $60 headphones. When you pay much less for them than the MSRP, you are getting quite the deal.

The Griffin WoodTones Over-The-Ear Headphones promise hand-turned real wood enclosures. At the $100 price point, that is nearly unheard of. With 50 mm moving coil neodymium magnet drivers, a 32 ohm impedance, 108dB sensitivity, and a claimed frequency response of 20Hz to 20kHz, they have a lot of real technology behind that wood. Each headphone, because of the real wood, is unique. They have a removable cord with in-line controls and microphone for calls. They are designed to work perfectly with your iDevice and Siri. If you've got a C-note to spend on headphones, you should probably put the Griffin WoodTones Over-The-Ear Headphones on your list.

What do the Outdoor Tech Tuis wireless headphones sound like? We won't know until September when they come out. But the Tuis are wireless, have a built in microphone, earcup controls, a 3.5mm input for bypassing the wireless, and a battery indicator. For wireless, the Outdoor Tech Tuis utilize Bluetooth A2DP V1.2 for high quality stereo sound streaming and AVRCP V1.4 to control track and volume remotely. They look unique, have an amusing website, and, frankly, have our attention. We can't wait to test the Outdoor Tech Tuis out and see if they are more than just snarky marketing. For $150, they have a lot of competition. In the end, it is all about how they sound.

Building on over 50 years of earphone history, Westone has tailored the Adventure Series for the active user. Featuring a light, magnesium body, over-ear hook design, in-line controls and mic, and a reflective cable, the in-ear ADV Alphas are headphones that will not only sound good, but stay in place and keep you safe. With IPX-3 water resistance, you don't have to worry about your daily exercise damaging them. Add in a rigid travel case, tons of different tips, and a removable cord, and you've got something special. At $200, these aren't cheap headphones, but with the technology included, they shouldn't be. For the jogger, cyclist, or spelunking addict, the ADV Alpha's are worth a look.

Kinivo took the winning design of the BTH220 Bluetooth headphones and upgraded them based on users' comments to create the BTH240 Bluetooth Stereo headphones. With thousands of reviews on Amazon, they had a lot of feedback. While other manufactures might have taken the comments with a grain of salt, it seems Kinivo has made some substantial changes to their new offering to address the concerns while keeping the price the same. An upgraded offering at the same price point? The BHT240 Bluetooth headphones are sure to be a big seller for Kinivo.

Audio-Technica's new SonicSport headphone line features two in-ear models and one earfit model. If you prefer in-ear but find they tend to slip, you can choose between the ATH-CKP200 with loops around your ears and the ATH-CKP500 with a C-shaped wedge to keep them in your ear. The latter are particularly good for those with glasses that can't use the over-ear loops. If you don't like having speakers shoved in your ear, the earbud type ATH-CP-700BK has an around the back of your head loop and in-line mic and controls. All of the SonicSport headphones come with Audio-Technica pedigre for quality headphones. Listening to music while exercising just got easier. With their waterproof rating, cleaning up after also got a lot less stressful.