(2015) Headphones and Related

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Parent Category: 2015 SoundStage! Network Equipment Buying Guide

Category: (2015) Headphones and Related

• Reviewers Choice

Price: $499

Website: www.AstellnKern.com

Rad said: All in all, listening to Astell&Kern’s AK Jr was pure pleasure.

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The gist: Littlest brother to the company’s mighty AK380 portable media player.

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Parent Category: 2015 SoundStage! Network Equipment Buying Guide

Category: (2015) Headphones and Related

• Reviewers Choice

Price: $249.95

Website: www.audio-technica.com

Rad said: Audio-Technica’s ATH-MSR7 headphones blindsided me. I’d expected very good commuter cans that would be good for casual listening. Instead, I discovered a set of audiophile headphones that live up to the Hi-Res Audio badge they wear.

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The gist: Good sound on the go from a respected source.

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Parent Category: 2015 SoundStage! Network Equipment Buying Guide

Category: (2015) Headphones and Related

Price: $599

Website: www.audioquest.com

Brent said: There’s no contesting that the AudioQuest NightHawks are an extraordinary design with best-in-the-business comfort, and sonic isolation that I didn’t think possible from semi-open-back headphones. They’re also the product of a huge amount of knowledge, research, experimentation, and original thought. I don’t know if you’ll like them, but I do know that they deserve your audition.

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The gist: Controversial voicing in a beautifully conceived package.

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Parent Category: 2015 SoundStage! Network Equipment Buying Guide

Category: (2015) Headphones and Related

• Reviewers Choice

Price: $1295

Website: www.aurender.com

Brent said: The Flow is an upscale product with excellent sound quality and ergonomics, and impressive versatility. I expect it to be a big hit with headphone enthusiasts whose primary source component is a laptop computer.

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The gist: Perhaps the coolest headphone amp out there.

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Parent Category: 2015 SoundStage! Network Equipment Buying Guide

Category: (2015) Headphones and Related

Price: $299.99

Website: www.bowers-wilkins.com

Hans said: If I needed a pair of all-purpose, everyday headphones, Bowers & Wilkins’ P5 Series 2s are exactly what I would buy. Their sumptuous design and luxurious materials make them as much a fashion statement as a declaration of appreciation of high-fidelity sound, while their tailored frequency response delivers easy listening with most any musical genre you can throw at them.

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The gist: Stylish headphones for those with 802s in the living room.

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Parent Category: 2015 SoundStage! Network Equipment Buying Guide

Category: (2015) Headphones and Related

Price: $399

Website: www.definitivetech.com

Brent said: They’re not the perfect noise-canceling headphones -- nothing is, yet -- but they deliver an undeniably appealing mix of sound quality, features, and comfort.

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The gist: Compare these to your Bose headphones and you might be surprised.

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Parent Category: 2015 SoundStage! Network Equipment Buying Guide

Category: (2015) Headphones and Related

• Reviewers Choice

Price: $2999

Website: www.hifiman.com

Brent said: I don’t know if the HE1000s are the ultimate headphones. But considering their impeccable sound quality and above-average comfort, I think they’re the closest thing I’ve found.

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The gist: Brent’s favorite high-priced headphones.

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Parent Category: 2015 SoundStage! Network Equipment Buying Guide

Category: (2015) Headphones and Related

Price: $99

Website: www.jabra.com

Rad said: If you’re looking for an inexpensive pair of headphones for daily use, you could scarcely go wrong with the Jabra Moves. They’re lightweight, durable, have great overall sound, and can be used wired or wirelessly.

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The gist: Not bad, but Rad says spend another hundred bucks and get the Jabra Revos.