Headphones

It seems that most people are content with the performance they get from their white iPod earbuds – subpar audio in a convenient package. Has the performance of a humble set of headphones been forgotten in favor of something more compact, and to some more fashionable? Yes is the answer according to an informal study by Stanford Professor of Music, Jonathan Berger, and apparently it doesn't end there - young people actually prefer the “sizzle” sound of MP3’s.  Read More

Home shoppers have long been aware of the miraculous properties of Zirconia of the cubic variety. Now audiophiles can discover these wonders through Panasonic’s high fidelity in-ear headphones, which promise ultra-clear sound reproduction with virtually no distortion thanks to a sound chamber made of Zirconia, which has less resonance than plastic or aluminum.  Read More

While we covered the Beats by Dr. Dre headphones back in July 2008, it took a trip to the Monster Audio booth at CES 2009 for Gizmag's Tim Hanlon to get his ears on a set. So how do they compare with the benchmarks set by the German engineering coming out of companies like beyerdynamic and Sennheiser? To put it bluntly, he was blown away.  Read More

Pioneer's latest high-end HDJ-2000 professional DJ headphones promise new levels of sound quality and durability in a lightweight magnesium swivel/fold design that's both comfortable to wear and easy to transport. Key specs include a frequency response of 5 Hz to 30,000 Hz, 50 mm driver units, a zero resonance heavy-duty build and the capacity for 3,500 mW of input which prevents distortion at sustained loud volumes.  Read More

Able Planet has introduced a new model of noise canceling headphones aimed at cost-conscious audio-philes who also like to protect their hearing. The new USD$99 Clear Harmony NC200 foldable headphones utilize the company’s patented LINX AUDIO and state-of-the-art active noise cancellation (ANC) technologies.  Read More

July 23, 2008 Beats by Dr. Dre headphones are the result of collaboration between Dr. Dre, Monster Cable and industrial designer Robert Brunner. There's certainly no question that they look the part, but with an impressive list of features and specifications to back them up, you might just consider dropping USD $349 on a pair this Friday.  Read More

Hearing Components’ latest noise reducing earphones, the $79.95 Comply NR-10, share a common design with earphones used by the US Army and Special Forces. The Comply NR-10 uses the military technology to deliver 48 decibels of noise reduction, blocking out more noise than the alternatives, without requiring additional battery power.  Read More

March 7, 2008 As the rapid growth of VoIP communications continues (Skype for example, had 276 million user accounts at the end of 2007 and almost 8 million people are shown as online as this article is being written), its no surprise to learn that computer peripheral specialist Logitech has entered the wireless headset market. The Logitech® ClearChat PC is the company’s first wireless stereo headset designed for Internet calling with a PC and uses 2.4 GHz wireless technology and a USB transmitter to deliver a cordless link that's effective at up to a distance of 33 feet (10 meters) from the computer.  Read More

February 4, 2008 Callpod Inc’s Dragon Bluetooth headset for mobile phones, PDAs, VOIP products and computers boasts a range of 100 meters or 328 feet – a big step up over the standard 10 meter or 30 feet range common for Bluetooth headsets. The Dragon also silences ambient noise and annoying pops and clicks with its proprietary Dual-Mic Noise Suppression technology, which isolates the user’s voice while removing background noise. In addition, the Dragon can connect with the PC for Skype calls while on a mobile call, allowing users to switch between the PC and mobile phone with a press of a button.  Read More