HeadphoneInfo.com 2008 Select Awards
The holiday season is an important time for reviewers. The rest of the year, disperate groups might need a helping hand for figuring out the perfect birthday present/wedding gift/graduation surprise, but these events rarely coincide. During the holiday season, however, humanity is united under the banner of obligatory gift-giving for friends and family alike. You might know headphones would be a great gift for your teenage audiophile nephew who's into electronic music, or your daughter who's a recently-hired businesswoman facing a public transit commute. You might not know, however, which set of headphones is the most appropriate for each situation.
That's where we come in. Many sites simply listen to headphones and give a very subjective write-up about whether or not they liked the sound. We, on the other hand, do extensive testing on the headphones we review, using the same testing setup that manufacturers use for their own audio quality testing. We analyze exactly how headphones affect the sound that's fed through them, and base the majority of our scores on objective data.
So, to help the anxious shopper, we've given out a handful of Select Awards, which is a short "best-of" list for the headphones we've reviewed so far. This year we have four categories: Best Portable Headphones, Best Home Headphones, Best Active Cancellation Headphones, and Headphones of the Year.
The Best Portable Headphones need to have a few key traits. First and formost, they need to be easy to lug around. A giant set of over-ear headphones with six feet of cord isn't feasible for someone on the go: they'd be unwieldy, reposition with every step, and necessitate a pocket filled with superfluous cable. These headphones also have to be able to create your own personal private listening environment. If you hear more traffic than music, or everyone else you can hear exactly what you're listening to, your headphones are doing you and those around you a disservice.
The Best Home Headphones refer to those most suited for a private listening environment, one that doesn't have much ambient noise or people around to get annoyed if they hear your playback. This is the environment where audio quality and form factor really matter. On the go, it's hard to knock headphones for having less than perfect audio quality if your music is already accompanied by street noise; in a private environment you can notice those differences. Also, portability isn't as much of an issue when you're staying in one place. The headphones can benefit from a long cord so you can hook up to a stereo system that's not immediately beside your easy chair. It's also important that these headphones are on-ear or, preferrably, over-ear. This form factor will help create a larger soundstage that is able to surround you and sound more immersive.
The Best Active Noise Cancellation Headphones are for those who want the open soundstage of on-ear or over-ear headphones, but aren't going to be listening in an ideal, quiet environment. Active noise-cancellers are also for those who need isolation but don't like sticking headphones into their ears (we feel the need to point out, however, that the average set of in-ear headphones are currently better at blocking out external noise than even the best active noise-cancellers). These headphones need to fill several roles: they need to be portable, comfortable, have good audio quality, and isolate well.
The Headphones of the Year take many factors into consideration. The first is best overall audio quality. We were initially going to have a "Best Audio Quality" award, but we noticed the same headphones won both categories. These headphones also need to stand out for some reason. They could have a great new feature, implement existing technology better than the rest, or simply be a great deal. These are the headphones we'll be recommending to our own friends and family when they invariably ask for our opinion.
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| Best Portable Headphones: Shure SE420 |
The Shure SE420s have the full portability package. For starters, they can block out more sound than any other headphones we've reviewed. Since you'll probably want to hear more of your music and less of the morning bus, this is ideal. They also barely elicit a whisper, so no one else on your commute will be bothered in the slightest. These headphones, as in-ears, are also very portable due to their small size. Their cord is very short: it's the perfect length for reaching a media player in an arm band holster. If you don't like to wear your music on your sleeve, the headphones also come with an extension cord that will reach your front pocket. Finally, and most importantly for some, their $199.00 price is appropriate for what they offer. For more information, head over to our in-depth review, here.
Runner Up: Etymotic Research 6isolators – Review, Specs, $77
Runner up:
Etymotic Research 6isolators
The Etymotic Research 6isolators isolate almost as much sound as the Shure SE420s, are tiny, even for in-ear headphones, and offer great audio quality. This was a close race, so if you're researching the Shure SE420s you should give the 6isolators a look as well. Bargain hunters might prefer these because they're available for less. Also, if the Shure SE420s sometimes-mandatory extension cord bugs you, you will probably prefer the 6is. You can read our full review to learn more.
Sennheiser HD 555 – Review, Specs, $110
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| Best Home Headphones: Sennheiser HD 555 |
The HD 555s offer an incredible listening experience for their price. You'll get absurdly low distortion, a dynamic frequency response, and good tracking for half (if not a third) the price of similar headphones. The HD 555s also come with a cord that's almost ten feet long, and ends in a 1/4-inch plug, which is perfect for hooking up to the high-end stereo across the room (there's also an 1/8-inch adapter). The HD 555s are also open-backed, which means, literally, that the back of the headphones aren't 100% covered by a plastic shield. While this means there isn't much of a barrier between your playback and anyone else in the room, it will give an open, airy quality to your music. For more information on the HD 555s, check out our full review.
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| Runner up: Pioneer SE-A1000 |
The SE-A1000s excelled in all the same areas as the HD 555, only not quite as well, and they come at a slightly higher price point. The SE-A1000s have closed backs, which won't provide as open a soundstage, but the headphones' massive size will help create a sound that feels almost as all-encompassing. You can find out more about the Pioneer SE-A1000s in our full review, here.
Denon AH-NC732 – Review, Specs, $300
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| Best Active Cancellation Headphones: Denon AH-NC732 |
The Denon AH-NC732s are a cut above the rest as active noise cancellers for a few reasons. First of all, they were able to block out more noise than any other active noise canceller, with the exception of the Creative Aurvana X-Fi headphones (which, incidentally, won runner-up). Secondly, they have the ability to switch their active cancellation on and off, or play back music without battery power. This is contrary to the first wave of active noise cancellers, which were an expensive pair of ear muffs when their batteries died. Hopefully the AH-NC732s will help establish this feature as the new norm. The Denon AH-NC732s are also more portable than the average on-ear headphones, with the ability to collapse in on themselves to take up less room. Lastly, the Denon AH-NC732 headphones are alone in their ability to offer relatively good audio quality when their active cancellation feature is on and impressively good quality when it's switched off. This quality does come at a bit of a price, about $300, but high cost is the unfortunate norm for active cancellation these days. To find out more about these headphones, read our full review.
Runner Up: Creative Aurvana X-Fi – Review, Specs, $240
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| Runner up: Creative Aurvana X-Fi |
The Creative Aurvana X-Fi headphones don't offer as complete a package as the Denon AH-NC732s, but they do have slightly better active cancellation and a slightly lower price (mostly due to the Denons' more recent release date). In addition to blocking out slightly more noise, the heapdhones come with an interesting array of options as well. You can choose the noise cancellation curve you prefer, which is interesting, but more often than not you're better off letting the headphones decide for you. The headphones also let you apply a few filters to your music, which is a fun inclusion. Also, like the Denon AH-NC732s, the Aurvana X-Fis can turn their cancellation feature on and off and also play back music after your batteries have expired. For the full review, click here.
Sennheiser MM50 iP – Review, Specs, $100
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| Headphones of the Year: Sennheiser MM50 iP |
The Sennheiser MM50 iP headphones surprised us with their test results. As of this writing, they have the best audio quality out of any headphones we've reviewed. Additionally, these are great portable headphones due to their small size, good isolation and leakage control. The MM50 iPs are also great for cell phone or iPod users, because they also have an in-line microphone and a control button. These features will let you seamlessly answer a call or perform simple media controls easily. The real kicker, however, is they're priced at an absurdly inexpensive $100. One caveat, however: the Sennheiser MM50 iP headphones have a bit of an Achilles Heel around their plug. The cord isn't particularly robust, and can bend very sharply at the plug, which lends itself to rapid wear-and-tear damage. The easy fix for this is to reinforce the plug-cable junction in some way, such as with electrical tape. Even with this flaw, however, the MM50 iPs still manage to be a great buy for their price. To find out more about these headphones, take a look at our full review.
Runner Up: Denon AH-NC732 – Review, Specs, $300
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| Runner up: Denon AH-NC732 |
We think the Denon AH-NC732s deserve runner-up because they're solid headphones, both when the active cancellation feature is on and when it's off. Since active-cancellers play back inverse soundwaves to cancel out incoming noise, they mess around with your audio quality by default. This isn't as much of an issue if you're in a loud environment, but typical active-cancellers offer subpar audio quality when the cancellation is switched off (if they let you switch it off at all). The Denon AH-NC732s show that, although active cancellation technology still loses to a set of ear plugs, it doesn't have to ruin audio quality. Again, if you want to check out or in-depth review of the Denon AH-NC732s, click here.
