Sennheiser MX W1 Review Retrospective
|
Added on 2009-03-13 07:31:00
by Mark Brezinski
|
Sennheiser's MX W1s are an interesting look at some technology that might, in the future, be affordable. At the moment, though, it isn't. The MX W1s have audio quality that's about what we'd expect from a good set of wireless in-ears: not good by any stretch, but not horrible either. We suppose the MX W1s will be attractive to some, if only for the novelty factor, but we really, really recommend waiting for the price to drop. At $500, we cannot recommend buying these.
|
| Tags: Sennheiser, MX W1, headphones, review, retrospective |
|
|
|
First listen: Sennheiser MX W1 wireless in-ear headphones
|
Added on 2009-01-28 09:50:00
by Mark Brezinski
|
We just got in a pair of Sennheiser's MX W1s, which are wireless in-ear headphones. Our super-fast initial impressions? The audio quality seems fine for a pair of in-ears, especially wireless ones (in-ears and wireless headphones, separately, often have poor audio quality compared to wired, full-sized headphones). The sound was a bit muffled/blanketed and suffered from some high-pitched noise. We didn't really notice the whine unless we listened to classical or quiet music.
The headphones have two pieces that go into your ear: the first sits in the ear, like Apple's packaged-in headphones, and the second helps wedge the ear piece between your concha and tragus to keep it from falling out. We were very surprised to see they didn't come with any sleeves for the main in-ear piece; the result is some discomfort and very poor isolation. UPDATE: haha, we're dumb and didn't fully empty one of the boxes. They do come with one pair of sleeves for the main part and two sets for the smaller nub.
Keep an eye out for our review, which we hope to get up soon(ish).
|
| Tags: headphones, first listen, Sennheiser, MX W1, wireless, in-ear |
|
|
|
Headline: Headphones to Herd Heiffers!
|
Added on 2008-08-07 08:21:00
by Mark Brezinski
|
 Farmers, who traditionally shake their collective fist at headphone-wearing youths, will soon be employing headphone technology themselves. Cow headphones.
The headphones, called "Ear-A-Round," don't work like the typical invisible fence, either. You know how cowfolk always wisper sweet nothings into the ears of their cattle to get them to move? These headphones will play the farmer's croonings, among other sounds and voice commands. The sounds will help the farmer wirelessly corral his livestock. If the cows don't respond to their owner's dulcet tones, they'll get a mild electric shock.
The most interesting part of this story, though, is each headset will be outfitted with GPS: the farmer will be able to see where each cow is in his field, so he can direct them away from over-grazed parts of the pasture. Is it us, or does this sound like a real life hybrid of StarCraft and Harvest Moon?
[Via Delaware Online]
|
| Tags: headphones, cows, GPS, wireless, farms |
|
|
|
Creative Aurvana X-Fi headphones review retrospective
|
Added on 2008-07-22 08:54:00
by Mark Brezinski
 The Creative Aurvana X-Fi headphones review is up. Our verdict: the X-Fix are on par with the Bose QuietComfort series. The good news: better noise cancellation than either the QC 2 or 3, an on/off switch for the cancellation, and the novel ability to function without battery power. The bad news: they're not particularly comfortable.
|
| Tags: Creative, Aurvana, X-Fi, headphones, review, retrospective |
|
|
|
The perfect way to propose to an audiophile
|
Added on 2008-07-15 09:08:00
by Mark Brezinski
 "You know, baby, before I met you, Sennheiser was just another German-sounding last name, and I would've thought AKG was the name of the Russian secret service. Not only have you taught my ears how to catch every detail, you've taught my heart how to love."
And holy crap had your proto-fiancé better say yes: the iDiamonds (yes, they're called iDiamonds) are white gold sprinkled with 204 diamonds and cost $6,400. They were designed by Thomas Heyerdahl, which might mean something to some of you. There's only 1,000 units available, so if you've got a special someone out there who takes their audio seriously, there are probably less thoughtful ways to go bankrupt.
We're guessing the audio quality isn't the best, but we'll also never know, since we'll never get a review unit of these things in our office.
|
| Tags: diamond, iDiamonds, headphones |
|
|
|
Ultrasone HFI-2200 headphones review retrospective
|
Added on 2008-07-14 10:29:00
by Mark Brezinski
 We've just finished sending the Ultrasone HFI-2200 through our rigorous testing process (here's a link to the review). Our verdict? Not bad for a mainstream audience, but too expensive for the audio quality it provides. The audio quality was either average or sub par -- the one exception was a good tracking score -- but we thought the playback sounded overly boomy. The headphones also weren't particularly comfortable. The HFI-2200s do come with an obscenely long cord, which is just shy of 15 feet, so hooking them up to your home theater setup won't be difficult.
Overall, not the worst set of headphones we've reviewed, but at $300, we can't say they're a good value.
|
| Tags: Ultrasone, HFI-2200, headphones, review, retrospective, review retrospective |
|
|
|
Sony MDR-NC500D review retrospective
|
Added on 2008-06-26 08:24:00
by Mark Brezinski
 The Sony MDR-NC500D headphones made us a bit sad. We thought they would've been a great set of mid-range, noise-cancelling headphones. They don't have amazing noise cancelling or audio quality, but they weren't abysmal either. They were very comfortable, came with a ton of extras, and there was even a fun little feature where you could choose your own noise-cancellation frequency curve. All in all, these headphones would be a good buy for a mainstream listener for $200-$300.
Unfortunately, these headphones cost $400. That's more than the Bose QuietComfort 2 & 3, which are probably the NC500D's biggest competition. At this price, the NC500D is more expensive than the already over-priced at $300 for the QC2 and $350 for the QC3. To make matters worse, the NC500D also features worse audio quality than both the QC2 and QC3, although not by any great stretch. We're guessing Sony was trying to market the NC500D as a premium product, and was using the high price to insinuate the NC500D outclasses the QuietComfort headphones. Unfortunately, the price just makes the headphones a bad deal, which is unfortunate because they're not bad headphones. If you want to pick these up, try to look for a really good sale.
|
| Tags: Sony, MDR-NC500D, noise-cancelling, headphones, review, retrospective |
|
|
|
V-MODA Vibe Duo review retrospective
|
Added on 2008-06-17 08:26:00
by Mark Brezinski
 We just finished our review of the Vibe Duo, and were a bit surprised. Anyone who's visited the V-MODA site can immediately tell they have a more fashion-forward approach to their product than most companies. In the electronics world, this typically indicates disaster. In this case, however, it simply indicated above average, which is far more benign. Audio quality? Not the best. There were low levels of distortion present throughout. These headphones also didn't isolate well, spewing out more sound waves than any other in-ear we've tested thus far. Though you won't deafen those next to you on a bus, don't use these at a library or museum unless you want to broadcast "Barbie Girl" to everyone around you. The Duo had good frequency response, however, and ludicrous bass response. If you like bass-heavy songs, but find your current in-ears have a flat lower end, then you should definitely check out the Vibe Duo. Otherwise, the Duo did well enough for most in-ear users, what with their iPods and overly-compressed music.
The Vibe Duo somewhat made up for its poor audio in usability. These were very comfortable in-ear-canal headphones. While we never forgot we were wearing them, we were also able to get through a six-hour listening session without major complaints. They also stayed in well, even when we took them for a jog.
Do we think the Vibe Duo is a better deal than the Denon AH-C351? No, but the AH-C351 is an unusually good deal. At $99.99, the Vibe Duo is still adequately priced for its audience. Therefore, if you're looking for a pretty pair of headphones for use with your iPod (or another media player that can't play lossless file formats), you should consider the Vibe Duo as an option.
|
| Tags: headphones, retrospective, review, Vibe Duo, V-MODA |
|
|
|
Denon AH-C351 review retrospective
|
Added on 2008-06-03 10:57:00
by Mark Brezinski
 We just finished our review of the Denon AH-C351 headphones, and we have the following to say: these headphones are great for their intended market. This market I'm referring to are people who are sick of crappy packed-in headphones, but don't necessarily want to go out and spend a ton of money on headphones. That means audiophiles or anyone serious about their music probably won't think very much of these, since they really don't offer the best audio quality. Of course, at $50, you really don't expect the best audio quality either.
We like open and shut cases, and the AH-C351s definitely fall into that category. If you've read this very brief synopsis and seem interested, then they're a good buy. If you're looking for home theater cans, then you should probably look elsewhere.
|
| Tags: headphones, AH-C351, Denon, review, retrospective |
|
|
|
Pioneer SE-A1000 review retrospective
|
Added on 2008-05-20 10:29:00
by Mark Brezinski
 We just published our review of the Pioneer SE-A1000 headphones. What did we find? Well, they look crazy, for starters. The band is broken down into two curved, plastic dowels that provide support for the thin strip of fabric that rests gently upon your head. It will look as though the headphones are cautiously hovering above and around your head.
This shouldn't be an issue, though, since these headphones really shouldn't be leaving your TV room. They're intended for home theater use, which is great, because they're annoying in other settings. They come with a cord that's just about 20 feet long, so unless you live in the McDuck mansion the A1000s can stretch from your couch to your sound system. These headphones are also good for movies since fit rather loosely, which lets them be comfortable for long stretches of time. Conversely, loose is terrible if you plan on being active. It's hard to take these headphones on a walk when you have to pocket 20 feet of cord. A final nail in the coffin of portability are these headphones' lack of isolation and leakage control; they performed worse than some open-backed headphones in terms of blocking out external sounds or keeping its playback to itself.
Overall, these headphones aren't bad at $200, but there are some better options out there, especially if you don't mind losing the crazy aesthetic these things give you.
|
| Tags: retrospective, review, Pioneer, SE-A1000, A1000, headphones |
|
|
|
Apple iPod In-ear Headphones review retrospective
|
Added on 2008-05-13 10:09:00
by Mark Brezinski
 We've just finished our review of the Apple M9394G/C headphones, otherwise known as the Apple iPod In-ear Headphones. Our final thoughts? Well, in terms of usability and portability, they only have one flaw. Unfortunately, it's a fairly annoying one: the headphones tend to slide around or pop out of place if you're moving. They're so keen to shift around because they fit inside your ear, but outside of your ear canal. The movement is especially annoying, since in-ear headphones are meant to be mobile. Of course, if you're reading this, chances are you're more interested in how they tested in audio quality.
For the sake of space and suspense, we've hidden our conclusions after the jump.
|
| Tags: retrospective, review, Headphones, In-ear, iPod, Apple, M9394G/C |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
