The Headphone Review

Monster Beats Solo High-Def On-Ear Headphones with ControlTalk (White) review by Steve Taylor

My Overall Review:
	4 out of 5

Monster Beats Solo High-Def On-Ear Headphones with ControlTalk (White)

These headphones are very neat. They make your music sound immense, they are comfortable to wear, even if you’re laying down in bed and they look totally sweet. The headphones have a volume control, and a steel button that allows you to pause the music, skip back or skip forwards. Although this function only works if you’re connected to certain devices, it works with a Mac and iPod touch.

To get the best sound they do need to be burnt in. After 8 to 10 hours of listening to different genres of music sound quality improves and is very sweet. Indie and Rock music sounds incredible – the electric guitars sounds kill, the drums sound full with the snare pounding nice and solidly and the kick sending shocking vibrations through your body, and the vocals are perfectly clear. Hip Hop has bass so intense you feel your head shake and vocals cut through it all. These headphones also coped well with softer music like Ed Sheeran and Jack Johnson – stripped back guitar and vocals were warm. Overall, for sound quality you can’t complain. At all.

The build quality of these headphones is good. They feel firm and solid, as though they are made to last. There’s a metal band below the padded head rest, so this is rigid and durable, but padded for comfort. The padding around the ear cups is incredibly soft and very smooth. A somewhat unusual feature is the cable; it is detachable. That means you can replace it without having to replace the whole lot if it stops working, or you break off the jack (as I’ve been known to do from time to time).

Key Features
Light weight. High Performance. Beats look.
High Definition Sound
Proprietary titanium coated driver technology
Tri-fold design and travel case for easy storage
Comfortable, lightweight design, perfect for active lifestyles

If you want to buy these headphones they are currently on sale at Amazon through this link.

Here is what current buyers think of the Monster Beats Solo High-Def On-Ear Headphones with ControlTalk (White):

PoeHarp,
Beat Solo HD is a really good product and the sound quality is amazing. I am sure it worths for the price.I love it and I recommend it. Thanks. Read Original Review

Pierre,
Hands down the best headphones I’ve ever had.Great bass and clear sound.Its so durable and light.The downside is the headphones smudge really easy. Read Original Review

	Steve Taylor
	Steve is a professional technology reviewer and writer. He has been reviewing console accessories since 2004 and has reviewed over 100 products.

Sennheiser HD 650 Lightweight Open-Air Dynamic Audiophile Headphone review by Steve Taylor

My Overall Review:
	4.6 out of 5

Sennheiser HD 650 Lightweight Open-Air Dynamic Audiophile Headphone

These headphones have a ‘break in’ period. For the first 50 or so hours of listening you’ll get very average sound. The whole sound will sound quite hollow but after ten or so hours of listening you’ll hear the sound start to improve and after 50 hours of listening the sound will be totally broken in and be sounding sweet.

The sound from these headphones after being broken in is warm and smooth and detailed across all ranges. These headphones are best for rock and pop music, where decent quality recordings will sound outstanding and dance or electro-pop also sounds good. The bass is ample, with some nice deep thudding however classical music is the biggest pitfall. Classic music sounds reasonable but it doesn’t envelope you as much as other headphones do.

These headphones are comfortably. The earcups are deep, so your ears don’t feel any discomfort unless you wear them for a really really long time. Your ears aren’t squished by the earphones, they have room to breathe. You do notice that you’re wearing these but they are not uncomfortable.

The overall quality of construction is high quality. They padded bridge is made from a flexible metal, strong and sturdy enough for sure. Just make sure that when you’re adjusting these cans, you adjust the metal and not the plastic. They feel nice on your head and they also feel nice in your hand. They are reasonable light but made to a good standard.

Key Features
Specially designed acoustic silk ensures precision damping over the entire frequency range
Improved frequency response of 10 – 39,500 Hz (-10 dB) for rich sound
Hand-selected matched driver elements
High-power neodymium magnets deliver maximum efficiency
Lightweight aluminum voice coils for very fast transient response
High power neodymium magnets deliver maximum efficiency
Improved frequency response is 10 – 39,500 Hz (-10 dB)

If you want to buy these headphones they are currently on sale at Amazon through this link.

Here is what current buyers think of the Sennheiser HD 650 Lightweight Open-Air Dynamic Audiophile Headphone:

David F Mears,
Pro audio descriptions are loaded with hyperbole. I have been struggling for 3 decades to record choirs and orchestras, and want to hear natural, full, clear sound that I can picture with my eyes closed. The HD650s do just that. If you want to hear everything and enjoy what you hear, buy these headphones. Read Original Review

Natko Kališnik,
With this pair of Senns you will need a high end amp, and a high end sound source connected with appropriate interconnect cable. Then you will notice that your favorite CD sounds totally different then ever before. The difference is not in details as someone might think right now. It’s different world. You don’t have to be some audiophile expert to notice it. Read Original Review

	Steve Taylor
	Steve is a professional technology reviewer and writer. He has been reviewing console accessories since 2004 and has reviewed over 100 products.

Philips SHN9500 Active Noise-Canceling Headphone review by Steve Taylor

My Overall Review:
	4 out of 5

Philips SHN9500 Active Noise-Canceling Headphone

These Philips SHN9500 active noise cancelling headphones are brilliant. They do exactly what they are supposed to do, cancel noise and pump out excellent sounding beats – they are worth every cent. The headphones won’t set you back as much as a pair of Bose headphones, but they are a good contender in terms of quality. The headphones are made of brushed metal rather than plastic which means they are very durable. The stereo jacks are plated with gold, so you get the optimum sound quality. As an added bonus these come with a carry case, to add a little extra protection for when you’re not wearing them.

These headphones are full sized and cover your ears completely, what this means is that they are super comfy and don’t irritate your ears. I wear these for hours at a time and have no discomfort. I sometimes wear them whilst I’m laying in bed listening to music as I fall to sleep and once or twice I’ve woken up in the morning with them still on my head. After that there is a little bit of a weird sensation but no real discomfort – now that’s saying something about the quality and comfort of these headphones!

The headphone claim to cancel up to 85% of outside noise and whilst I have no accurate way of testing that, what I do no is that these headphones are really effective. I wear them on the train and they get rid of the background noise of people talking, snoring and the general manual noise of the train in motion. This means if I want to listen to my music quietly, I can – I don’t need to turn it up to the top volume to block out the outside noise. I sometimes wear them with no music playing at all, just to give me some peace and quiet.

If you want to buy these headphones they are currently on sale at Amazon through this link.

Here is what current buyers think of the Philips SHN9500 Active Noise-Canceling Headphone:

R Weber,
A coworker recommended these headphones to me, so far I’m very happy with them. I haven’t tried the bose headphones, so i can’t compare, but for the price I’m very happy with it. When the music is off and I turn on the noise cancelling, background noise goes away and the only thing I can hear is the ringing in my ears. I think I need to go to an ear doctor. Read Original Review

Austin M Gall,
I’ve had bad experiences with noise canceling headphones in the past, but these ones are great. They fit all the way around your ears and are not too heavy. The cord can be detached from the headset so you can swap out a longer one if necessary. Overall a great deal. Read Original Review

	Steve Taylor
	Steve is a professional technology reviewer and writer. He has been reviewing console accessories since 2004 and has reviewed over 100 products.

Sennheiser HD515 Dynamic Stereo Sound Audiophile 500 Series Headphones review by Steve Taylor

My Overall Review:
	4.1 out of 5

Sennheiser HD515 Dynamic Stereo Sound Audiophile 500 Series Headphones

These are brilliant all around headphones, much better than any other headphones I’ve owned. The sound quality is amazing and you get a lot for your money. As other reviews say these headphones have a burn-in period, so although the sound is good when you first put them on, after around 80 hours of listening you’ll really get the best sound, it will stun you – the sound once burnt in is phenomenal. You will hear details in music tracks that you never knew existed, the same goes for sound effects on computer games, it gives you the upper hand on your components because you can hear the slightest noise that they are creeping up on you. The sound is solid and clear across all ranges. Part of that is because these headphones are have an open design, which whilst it leaks some sound, the quality is far superior to any closed ear design headphones. That’s just the way the designs work.

These headphones are really comfy to wear. They don’t squish your ears, so if you wear glasses then the arms of the glasses won’t be forced into your ears or the side of your head. I have worn these with and without glasses for hours at a time, most of the day in fact and they have never caused me any discomfort. I’ve actually worn these headphones for a long while after my music has stopped playing. I got distracted by something I was doing on the computer and didn’t realise that I was still wearing these ages after my music had stopped. Now that proves that they are comfy – I didn’t even realise I was still wearing them.

Key Features
Open-Aire, circumaural, dynamic, stereo headphones
Eargonomic Acoustic Refinement (EAR) enables ideal sound channelling for a new kind of listening experience
State of the Art Duolfol diaphragms
Highly optimized, field-strengthened neodymium ferrous magnet systems
Outstanding comfort for long listening sessions

If you want to buy these headphones they are currently on sale at Amazon through this link.

Here is what current buyers think of the Sennheiser HD515 Dynamic Stereo Sound Audiophile 500 Series Headphones:

M Dow,
I have had these for about a year now. I love them. They were $70 at the time and provide great quality audio. I use them in an office environement setup to a standard PC audio card. The sound is clean and crisp, while also providing good bass. Read Original Review

Alejandro Aguilar,
My Autistic son is receiving vestibular therapy and these headphones are pretty much the best in the market, they fit comfortably and are light. Read Original Review

	Steve Taylor
	Steve is a professional technology reviewer and writer. He has been reviewing console accessories since 2004 and has reviewed over 100 products.

Audio Technica ATH-AD700 Open-air Dynamic Audiophile Headphones review by Steve Taylor

My Overall Review:
	4.4 out of 5

Audio Technica ATH-AD700 Open-air Dynamic Audiophile Headphones

These headphones are comfortable to wear. That’s because the headphones are so big that they don’t squish your ears at all. Rather than sitting on your ears they fit over your ears and I can wear them all day long and not have any discomfort. On more than one occasion my music has stopped and I’ve forgotten I’m wearing the headphones only to realise an hour later. Very bizarre, but it means that they are so comfy to wear that you don’t notice they are on your head. That’s partly down to the ‘wing’ design that makes feel that they are floating on your head.

The sound is great. I tend to use them with my iPod or iTunes on my Mac. The volume from my iPod is strong enough and the quality of audio whether it’s speaking, metal or acoustic is amazing across all ranges and frequencies. The sound is detailed and very clear. The highs are fantastic, they are a lovely tone, the mids sound so sweet and vocals sound realistic, very true. The lows are just as good, they are textured and very solid. The quality is immense. Pure bliss!

The actual look of the headphones is dependent on your style. I think they look pretty cool, something a bit different to your standard black or grey set of cans. Others won’t reflect on looks at all, because it’s the comfort and audio quality that is important – but these sound amazing, you can wear them all day long in comfort and they look good too. 10 out of 10.

Key Features
Air Dynamic (open) headphones for natural and high quality sounds with deep resonating bass and vocal projection
Full open-air type headphones produce no sense of pressure on the ears, resulting in a completely natural sensation
Lightweight honeycomb aluminum casing and magnesium frame structure; extremely comfortable velvet ear-fitting pads
Large-aperture 53 mm drivers with neodymium magnet systems and CCAW voice coils for superior sound reproduction
Self-adjusting 3D Wing Support Housing provides comfortable support for a more enjoyable listening experience

If you want to buy these headphones they are currently on sale at Amazon through this link.

Here is what current buyers think of the Audio Technica ATH-AD700 Open-air Dynamic Audiophile Headphones:

M Bucher,
I’ve had these headphones for a month now. They did require a couple of weeks of daily playing, about 80 hours, to break in and get a full bass response. I listen to jazz, classical, and rock, and I have only praise for the sound accuracy, presence, soundstage – these are very high quality headphones. Bass is tight and present, and not over-abundant. My head is small, but moving the “wings” toward my forehead rather than directly on top of my head, created a comfortable and solid fit – I routinely wear them 6 to 8 hours per day while working. I listen to apple lossless files on my ipod, with a low-cost headphone amp from headroom, and the music reproduction is superb. Even directly connected to the ipod, the music from these headphones is great; the amp adds just a little more dynamics and bass response. Read Original Review

Stereo Nut,
They cost one fourth of the highly rated AKGs but are well worth the price and sound amazing. Try them on your ipod, you won’t believe how great they sound even compared to some very expensive Shures. They really sound best through a good headphone amp. Comfortable but you probably need a good size noggin for them. I can’t say enough about their build and, of course, their AWESOME sound. A nice touch is the multiple screw on 1/4″ and 1/8″ inputs. A+++ Read Original Review

	Steve Taylor
	Steve is a professional technology reviewer and writer. He has been reviewing console accessories since 2004 and has reviewed over 100 products.

Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Studio Monitor Headphones review by Steve Taylor

My Overall Review:
	4.8 out of 5

Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Studio Monitor Headphones

The sound quality from these headphones is phenomenal. The highs are perfect. All different types of sounds from cymbals to keyboard notes sound warm and lively. The mid’s are very detailed and very full, you’ll hear notes in songs that you never knew were there! The lows are immense. The bass is really out of this world and it baffles me how such a high quality, textured sound can come from headphones… and when you punch up the volume all the way, there’s no distortion.

The overall sound is very, very good. The detail in the sound is extreme – you will hear everything that’s recorded – even the singer gasping for air after a long note, that I’ve never ever heard before on other headphones or speakers. This gives a real listening experience, you’re hearing the music exactly as it was record, flaws and all, which is pretty cool. And this detail is very useful when you’re playing computer games – I can hear footsteps that I never could on my old headphones and this gives me a significant advantage on my opponents!

The headphones are also comfortable. These don’t clamp around you head too tightly but they’re not too loose either. I’ve worn them with and without glasses and have had no problems either way, they’re comfy and I can wear them for hours without any discomfort.

Just to let you know that these headphones sound better with time – you need to ‘burn’ them in. To start with they will sound ok, but nothing to jump up and down about, but after you’ve used them for around 10 hours they come to life!

Key Points
Collapsible design ideal for easy portability and convenient storage
Proprietary 45 mm large-aperture drivers with neodymium magnet systems
Closed-back cushioned earcup design creates an outstanding seal for maximum isolation
Frequency Response: 15 – 28,000 Hz
Sensitivity: 99 dB
Weight: 284g (10 oz)

If you want to buy these headphones they are currently on sale at Amazon through this link.

Here is what current buyers think of the Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Studio Monitor Headphones:

D Cole,
Holy cow! I don’t know anything about other brands of headphones but when I put these on my head and listen to Bob Seger or Linda Ronstadt, I have these people singing to no one but me. I was a wholesale distributer for audio-technica products in the 1970s and was impressed with the quality v’s cost of their products. Their products still are an outstanding value! Believe me when I say that you absolutely cannot go wrong buying these headphones. What you hear is nothing more than what is there. If you don’t think these headphones are the bomb then you need to buy new equipment. The depth and clarity are amazing. Also, amazon.com is one fantastic company to do business with. Bottom line: you can’t go wrong with this combination. Read Original Review

James M Winkler,
After 10-minutes with the Audio-Technica ATH-M50, I’m writing my first review for one simple reason – to tell the world that your search is over. These are the best cans I’ve ever heard and they have yet to be broken in. After doing a lot of research, I decided to purchase the ATH-M50s without testing them out first. I have owned a number of cans in the past with my last pair being from Bose. All of the previous reviews have nailed it. These are accurate, great low ends and comfortable to boot. Read Original Review

	Steve Taylor
	Steve is a professional technology reviewer and writer. He has been reviewing console accessories since 2004 and has reviewed over 100 products.

Bose® IE2 audio headphones review by Steve Taylor

My Overall Review:
	4.5 out of 5

Bose® IE2 audio headphones

These Bose IE2 earphones are the latest version of the Bose in ear headphones. I had used the first generation pair, whilst on holiday last year. I borrowed a mates iPod and (after cleaning the buds) used his headphones. I thought they were ok and sounded quite good but boy they were uncomfortable to wear! So I wasn’t excited when this latest model was released. The release of these totally bypassed me to be honest. But then one of my friends started to rave on about how good these ones were, so I gave them a try, and they have been improved greatly.

This latest model are comfortable, probably because the earphones don’t sit right inside your ear. These earphones basically sit just above your ear and a silicon cover sends the sound into your ear. These earphones stay where they’re meant to as well, I’ve worn them whilst exercising and they stay put. Ok so the negative is that these aren’t noise cancelling at all, but the upside is that they really are comfortable to wear, your ear can breath and even after wearing them for 5 hours at a time you have no pain or irritation.

Another positive feature of these Bose IE2 earphones is that the sound quality is exceptional. These earphones give brilliant highs, mids and lows – over all different ranges the sound is excellent. The frequence range is also great, and it provides very nice bass indeeed. I like a lot of bass and these earphones but out a great big portion of deep, dark thumping bass lines.

Key Features
A new standard of audio quality for greater musical detail
Advanced design, durable materials for lasting quality
StayHear tips for greater stability during exercise and other activities
Hours of comfortable on-the-go listening
Protective carrying case included

If you want to buy these headphones they are currently on sale at Amazon through this link.

Here is what current buyers think of the Bose® IE2 audio headphones:

B Padilla,
I bought these from the Bose store and they are amazing. I have tiny ear holes and have been searching endlessly for a pair that will fit secure while I run. I have purchased dozens of other brands over the past 2 years and spent way more in the amount over a period of time than the $100.00 for these beauties. Save your self time and a lot of money, go for these!!!! I dig them so much I purchased another pair for my bf for a Christmas gift. Read Original Review

Headphonelover,
These in-ear headphones are amazing! The bass is distortion free with the highs. You would normally think that the only way to get a heavy bass is with over-ear headphones, but these sound as if they were over-ear. No more bass that sounds like a high pitch pecking noise. These sound like mini subwoofers in your ears! They truly are amazing. Read Original Review

	Steve Taylor
	Steve is a professional technology reviewer and writer. He has been reviewing console accessories since 2004 and has reviewed over 100 products.