Headphones Archives - The Absolute Sound https://www.theabsolutesound.com/category/awards/best-headphones/ High-performance Audio and Music Reviews Mon, 03 Mar 2025 18:44:07 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.2 2024 Recommended Products Under $1,000 https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/2024-recommended-products-under-1000/ Thu, 22 Feb 2024 21:19:24 +0000 https://www.theabsolutesound.com/?post_type=articles&p=54699 We’ve done quite a few product reviews in the last […]

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We’ve done quite a few product reviews in the last year or so, and we thought it was time to do an annual roundup of our favorites. When you review products one at a time, it is tricky to provide comparative context – you haven’t heard all the competing products, sometimes you have to wait for a key competitor to go into production, sometimes two reviewers in two different cities review the competitive product, etc. However, since we hew to the philosophy of using the absolute sound (the sound of music performed in real spaces) as a method of judgement, we can highlight the products that did particularly well in sounding real according to our reviewers. This list of recently reviewed products that we can recommend for your consideration is based on that criterion of getting closer to the absolute sound. 

We also want to pay some attention to the reality of high-end audio catering to very different budgets. We’ve reviewed audio gear from $80 to $150,000 in the recent past. Some of that is because speakers are more expensive than headshells simply by dint of their complexity, but some of those price difference reflect the desire of manufacturers to target different buyers on different budgets. To help with this, we’ve organized our recommendations around price ranges. 

This video covers the products under $1000 that we greatly enjoyed as referenced to the absolute sound.  

Sony MDR-7506 headphones 

These $100 (or less on the street) closed-back wired headphones outperform many models at 3-5 times the price. That’s largely because Sony did a reasonable job of following the Harman curve that is often used to approximate the effect of your outer ear on frequency response. The MDR-7506 has a few drawbacks, but so does practically every headphone.  

Audio-Technica ATH-M50X headphones 

Audio-Technica offers a closed-back, wired headphone that sounds quite good. At $150, we consider it a worthwhile step up in frequency balance and comfort from the Sony MDR-7506. But, if you’re really on a tight budget, the Audio-Technicas are mathematically almost twice the price. And we think you should be the judge between the Sony and the Audio-Technica because the differences between headphones, with their inevitable deviations from perfect and human-to-human differences, may play to your hearing differently than they did to ours. 

Korf HS-A02 Ceramic Headshell 

If you are using a standard removable headshell, this would seem to be the one to beat. We like removable headshells because they make cartridge swapping fairly easy and they save the expense of multiple arms. The Korf has good mechanical rigidity measurements and is reasonably priced at $215 or thereabouts.  

AudioQuest Dragonfly Cobalt Amp/DAC 

We generally recommend wired headphones, because Bluetooth by design imposes severe data rate limitations on your music. Wired headphones generally perform better with an amplifier and you can certainly get a better DAC than the one in your phone or PC. The Audioquest Dragonfly Cobalt addresses all these issues in a tiny, easy to carry package. The Dragonfly amp works with higher sensitivity headphones and the onboard ESS DAC chips are impressive. At $329.95 (or lower on the street) the form factor plus sound quality are easily recommended.  

Fluance RT81 Turntable 

If you are interested in investigating the “vinyl thing” or need to replace an old turntable without breaking the bank, the Fluance RT81 is an excellent place to start your shopping. This turntable is nicely finished, comes with the Audio-Technica AT95E cartridge, a favorite of Fremer’s, and has a built-in phono preamp. At $249.99 it is an amazing deal and delivers key elements of the analog magic with simple, but careful, setup.  

Audioquest Powerquest 303 AC Conditioner 

You can spend thousands on power conditioning and, once you have a feeling for how electrical signals actually work, you might be open to that idea. Some people can’t go there, either intellectually or financially, and for them Audioquest offers the $459.95 PowerQuest 303. This can be the AC hub of a reasonably-sized system with the security of linear noise-dissipation filtering designed by a real power delivery expert – Audioquest’s Garth Powell. Having a hub like this is also a great enabler to have a common grounding point for all your gear.  

Stein Music The Perfect Interface Carbon mat 

We have had good luck with LP to platter interfaces that are on the firm side. When such a mat isn’t stock (as it is on some ‘tables) both Michael Fremer and I have had a good experience with the Stein Music Perfect Interface Carbon mat. It is made from a special Japanese paper and seems to slightly tighten up the image and the bass from various turntables. For $468, this is a worthwhile tweak for already refined and well-set-up vinyl systems. 

Focal Bathys Headphones 

At $699, the Focal Bathys headphones are around twice the price of the well-established wireless headphones from Sony and Bose and Apple. But from a sound quality standpoint, we’d say they are also “so much better”. One way the Focals are better is in frequency response. The Focals just seem to follow the difficult Harman curve for HRTF correction more closely than less expensive models. Music sounds deep, balanced and clear without stabbing you with a knife in the upper range. And, the Focal Bathys can be connected via a cable when you are in the office or at home, so that you can get around the horrible data rate limitations of Bluetooth that the tech community has imposed on the world.  

Magnepan LRS+ speakers 

This one is kind of a miracle of modern science. The $999 Magnepan LRS+ offers more than a taste of what the high-end can do at 10X its price point. From the upper bass to the upper treble, the LRS+ is detailed and balanced. As a dipole, it can image with the best when properly set up in a small to medium room. Like all dipoles, it is bass-shy, but we there are subwoofer solutions available and more coming to address this. The LRS+ also likes a powerful amp, though these can be had without breaking most banks.  

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Best Headphones: Over $1,000 https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/best-headphones-over-1000/ Tue, 07 Nov 2023 19:28:27 +0000 https://www.theabsolutesound.com/?post_type=articles&p=53741 The post Best Headphones: Over $1,000 appeared first on The Absolute Sound.

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2022 Golden Ear: Meze Elite Headphone https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/2022-golden-ear-meze-elite-headphone/ Tue, 10 Jan 2023 15:38:57 +0000 https://www.theabsolutesound.com/?post_type=articles&p=50507 Meze Elite Headphone $4000 Meze headphones hail from Romania. Its […]

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Meze Elite Headphone

$4000

Meze headphones hail from Romania. Its products are the result of a unique design collaboration between Meze and Rinaro Isodynamics. During the last 30 years, Rinaro has focused all its design efforts on perfecting planar-magnetic transducers. The Rinaro Parus planar diaphragm achieves an extremely low mass by utilizing an ultra-thin, biaxially oriented, semi-crystalline film. This film is produced through a special process that involves stretching it in transverse directions at high temperatures. Instead of one unified voice coil the Elite uses a dual-driver system. The switchback coil, located in the upper section of the planar diaphragm, is more efficient on lower frequencies. While the spiral coil, located in the lower section, is more efficient on middle and upper frequencies. Meze has also developed a unique headband design that originated on its Empyrean headphones to increase the Elite’s wearability. Instead of the standard U-shaped curve to the leather lower part of the headband, the Elite’s is almost W-shaped, which spreads the headphones weight over a larger portion of your head, making them more comfortable. The Elite is an open-back design whose sonic attributes reflect that. It produces a huge soundstage that is comparable to other reference headphones with a similar backless design, such as the Warwick Sonoma system. The Meze Elite is, in every way, a reference-quality headphone that earns its flagship status and justifies its price. The Meze Elite is the kind of headphone that quickly and conclusively elevates listening to the point that after some time spent with it, it’s hard to go back to headphones that are merely extremely good.

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2018 Editors’ Choice Awards: Headphones $700 and up https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/2018-editors-choice-awards-headphones-700-and-up/ https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/2018-editors-choice-awards-headphones-700-and-up/#respond Fri, 06 Apr 2018 13:00:17 +0000 http://localhost/tas_dev/articles/2018-editors-choice-awards-headphones-700-and-up MrSpeakers Aeon $799 This closed-back planar-magnetic headphone offers far more […]

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MrSpeakers Aeon
$799
This closed-back planar-magnetic headphone offers far more sophisticated performance than its price suggests. These headphones are outstanding in every way, from the ergonomic design to the sound. The midrange is particularly articulate, transparent, resolved, and emotionally communicative. In this last quality, the Aeon sounds like much more expensive offerings.

Stax SR-L300/SRS-3100 System
$999
Stax headphones hold a special place in the heart of music lovers, and for good reason. The SR-L300/SRS-3100 system extends the brand’s reputation, bringing its famed electrostatic sound to a more moderate price. The SR-L300 is based on the venerable Lambda design, and driven by the dedicated SRS-3100. Although the SR-L300 gives up a bit to dynamic headphones in drive and power, the transparency, resolution, and detail may have you hooked.

Oppo PM-1
$1099
With a basically neutral harmonic balance the PM-1 will appeal to anyone looking for an easy-to-drive, extremely comfortable, open-back headphone suitable for a wide variety of musical genres and electronic devices.


HiFiMan Edition X V2
$1299
This newly revised version of the Edition X takes what was already a very fine headphone and makes it better. The lighter weight V2 is not only more comfortable, it ups the ante in across-the-board resolution and openness. What’s more the price has been reduced from $1799 to $1299.


Stax SR-L700
$1400
The Stax SR-L700 ranks as the third-best earspeaker in Stax’s lineup. It is also the least expensive earspeaker that uses Stax’s latest electrostatic technology. As such, it is the first new design from Stax that could, due to its combination of lower price and higher performance, lure many longtime Stax owners to replace their older Stax models with an SR-L700. For those audiophiles who want to experience the latest Stax tech, the new SR-L700 is simply the most cost-effective way to arrive at a new level of uncolored sound.

Sennheiser HD 800
$1400
The HD 800s derive their claim to excellence from good bass/treble balance and a rock-solid delivery of musical fundamentals. Bass is deep and articulate, while the lower midrange is clean, with good reproduction of power instruments. The upper midrange can seem a bit depressed, however, necessitating real attention to amplifier matching.


Audeze LCD-X
$1699
If you’re looking for the state of the art in headphones, look no further than the Audeze LCD-X. These planar-magnetic ’phones have extraordinarily wide and even frequency response and very low levels of distortion. Infinity co-founder and hi-fi legend Arnie Nudell, who reviewed the LCD-X for TAS, wrote: “It is my opinion that the LCD-X can compete with all of the very best high-end loudspeakers.” RH concurs; the LCD-X redefines headphone performance.


Grado Labs PS2000e
$2695
This new open-back, dynamic-driver flagship from Grado Labs is like an incisive studio monitor, capable of exposing without coloration the full expression of the source. The midrange is a study in sophistication, with velvety textures, timbres, and harmonics.


HiFiMan HE1000 v2
$2999
This newly updated version of the HE1000 is based on the thinnest planar-magnetic diaphragm of any headphone. With an impedance of 35 ohms and a sensitivity of 90dB, the HE1000 v2 is best driven by a stout amplifier. The HE1000 v2 offers a quick, extended, open, and highly detailed treble without a trace of peakiness. These ’phones provided more musically meaningful information than virtually any transducer VF has heard at any price. Throw in beautiful build-quality, high comfort, and an included cable set that will work with virtually any source, and you have a recipe for a winner.


Audeze LCD-4
$3995
The flagship LCD-4 takes the superb performance of the company’s LCD-X to new heights. The clarity, transparency, soundstaging, and dynamics must be heard to be believed. Although massively detailed, the LCD-4 is anything but etched or analytical. A true reference.


Focal Utopia
$3999
While SS hesitates to call any component “the best,” the Focal Utopia certainly ranks as overall the finest dynamic headphone he’s experienced to date. Its faults are minor (the cable), and easily remedied. If your primary listening space is a quiet spot in your home and you want the ultimate in dynamic headphones, the Focal Utopia will have few, if any, peers. This is a true reference component worthy of the finest systems.

Stax SR-009
$4450
One of the best headphones money can buy, the SR-009 offers almost perfectly neutral tonal balance, terrific extension at both ends of the audio spectrum, very good dynamics, and almost shocking levels of resolution, transient speed, and transparency. In all seriousness, this headphone can stand tall in comparison with most any high-end loudspeaker, which is pretty amazing when you consider the huge price differentials involved.


Sonoma Acoustics M1
$4995
This new electrostatic design is packed with proprietary technologies, including an innovative electrostatic panel. The result is a headphone of extraordinary clarity and cohesion, a “whole cloth” sound that can only be achieved with a single full-range transducer and no crossover network. The speed and clarity of the electrostatic panel are presented within a harmonically neutral tapestry along with spot-on pitch precision in the bass. A world-class design.


Abyss AB-1266 Phi Deluxe
$5495
The original AB-1266 was already one of the greatest achievements in headphones ever produced, but this new version takes that performance a step further. The new model retains the bass depth and power of the original, but tightens up pitch definition and transient performance. The mids are slightly more forward for a more neutral overall balance. The top end is even more airy and extended. Finally, the Phi model is much easier to drive. One of the few legitimate contenders for the state of the art.


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