Articles
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Headphones, Earphones & Personal Audio at CES 2012, Part 1
|This is Part 1 of a four-part Playback report and new headphone, earphone, and personal audio products seen at CES 2012. This section of the report covers products from: ACS Custom, AKG, Alpha Design Labs/Furutech, ...read more -
Audeze LCD-2 Planar Magnetic Headphones (Playback 47)
|I first heard Audeze LCD-2 planar magnetic headphones ($945 – $995, depending on options chosen) about a year ago at a Can-Jam event organized by our friends at www.head-fi.org. When I visited the Audeze demonstration ...read more -
Can Jam/RMAF 2011 Report, Part 3
|This is Part 3 of a three-part Can-Jam report. Please check out Part 1 and Part 2. Qables •iCube V3—Portable Headphone Amp/DAC. ($799) A little over a year ago, Drew Baird of Moon Audio opened ...read more -
Can Jam/RMAF 2011 Report, Part 2
|This is Part 2 of a three-part Can-Jam report. Please check out Part 1 and Part 3. Fostex •HP-A8—Desktop headphone amplifier/32-bit DAC, shown in pre-production prototype form. (Due in early 2012, priced at about $2000). ...read more -
Can Jam/RMAF 2011 Report, Part 1
|This is Part 1 of a three-part Can-Jam report. Please check out Part 2 and Part 3. Audez’e •LCD-3—World-class planar magnetic headphone. ($1995) Those of you who have already heard Audeze’s famous LCD-2 headphones (especially ...read more -
Headphones and Personal Audio at CES 2011, Part 3
|This is part 3 of Chris Martens' 4-part CES personal audio coverage. Click here to read part 1. Click here to read part 2. Click here to read part 4. Kanto Kanto demonstrated an appealing ...read more -
V-MODA Crossfade M-80 On-Ear Headphone/Headset (Playback 49)
|V-MODA is one of those firms that at first blush seems to be European—right up until you discover the marketing tagline that proclaims the company’s headphones are “inspired in Italy, designed in Hollywood.” That fascinating ...read more -
Fischer Audio FA-002W Master Series High Edition Headphones (Playback 49)
|Fischer Audio is a relatively new European headphone manufacturer whose performance aspirations are high, but whose products are not yet well known in the U.S. Judging by the sample of the firm’s flagship Master-Series FA-002W ...read more -
High Performance Audio, CEDIA 2011—Part 1
|This is Part 1 of a four-part report on High-Performance Audio at CEDIA 2011, which highlights new products from: AKG, Anthem, Atlantic Technology, AudioQuest, Audio Research Corporation, Bryston, Canton, Cambridge Audio and Cary Audio. Part ...read more -
High Performance Audio, CEDIA 2011—Part 2
|This is Part 2 of a four-part report on High-Performance Audio at CEDIA 2011, which highlights new products from: Definitive Technology, Focal, GoldenEar Technology, Harman/Kardon, Integra, JBL Synthesis, KEF, Klipsch, Labgruppen, and Lexicon. Part 1 ...read more -
First Listen: HiFiMAN HE-500 Planar Magnetic Headphones
|Those of you who have followed Playback’s coverage of HiFiMAN planar magnetic headphones on AVguide.com know that we hold the firm and its products in high regard. The HiFiMAN HE-5LE ($699) is without a doubt ...read more -
HiFiMAN HE-500 Planar Magnetic Headphones (Playback 47)
|If you’ve been reading Playback for a while, you will know that we hold HiFiMAN planar magnetic headphones in pretty high regard. No manufacturer is perfect, but HiFiMAN has managed to impress in its short ...read more -
KRK KNS-8400 Professional Monitoring Headphones (Playback 47)
|For many years KRK Systems has been known for its extensive range of near-field monitoring speakers, which are intended for use in both amateur and professional recording applications (visit most any professional music store and ...read more -
Follow-Up: Audeze's Rev 2 Drivers for the LCD-2 Headphones (Playback 47)
|This is a follow-up to my recent Playback review of the Audeze LCD-2 planar magnetic headphone (click here to read the review). First, bit of background is in order. Just as I was putting the ...read more -
Phiaton MS 400 Moderna Series Headphones (Playback 47)
|Phiaton is a fast growing company that specializes in building sleek, stylish, affordable, and good-sounding headphones, earphones, and music docks. In a fascinating background statement found on the firm’s web site, Phiaton explains the origins ...read more