Now arriving online and on the high street – at the much-loved and ever-resilient Richer Sounds – are a new series of headphones and Airpod-competing earphones from new LA-based business Ausounds. They’re a new name to us but their pedigree includes the engineering team behind products from Beats, JBL, Bose, and Sennheiser, as well as a former Rihanna… Continue reading Headphone Brand Ausounds Arrives in the UK

John Pickford finds out whether these aerodynamically designed open-back headphones heighten the listening experience. For many audiophiles, headphone listening is a serious business, and on test here is a serious set of headphones. Audio-Technica’s ATH-ADX5000 is the company’s new flagship model and when they claim they’re “a new reference in home listening”, they aren’t kidding; they haven’t been designed to plug into your phone. As … Continue reading Audio-Technica’s ATH-ADX5000

Master & Dynamic MH30 Headphones. Long Live Vinyl tests a pair of on-ear headphones set to compete with those from more established brands… Launched in 2014, New York-based Master & Dynamic are relative newcomers to the world of personal audio. While competitors such as Sennheiser, AKG and Beyerdynamic can boast decades of innovation in pro-audio design, M&D take their own philosophy of high-quality sound reproduction … Continue reading Master & Dynamic’s MH30

1. HIFIMAN SUNDARA, price £449 Planar magnetic, over the ear and open backed. Offering deep bass with good control over sub-bass and some bloom into the smooth mids, the Sundaras add a warming effect, although the high-end remains rather energetic. 2. AUDEZE  LCD-3 FAZOR, price £1,699 The Fazor elements are the bits that really makes these headphones sing. They move sound around the internal magnets, allowing it … Continue reading The Top 3 High-End Headphones for Vinyl

1. KEF’s M500, price £200 Looking for a quality pair of wired headphones for both your turntable and mobile use? Try this comfortable design; the mids are rounded a touch, bass is excellent and detail remains very good.   2. MEZE’s audio 99 CLASSICS. price £279 Over the ear, closed-back designs with solid walnut earcups. Based upon 400mm dynamic drivers, they come with two sets of … Continue reading The Top 3 Mid-range Headphones for Vinyl

1. AKG K72 (£35 at time of writing) Stylish and comfy, this is a closed-back design that sits over the ears and is light in weight. The mids are quite smooth in nature, but the bass performs well, too. A nice blend of the two.    2. GRADO SR80e (£89 at time of writing)It’s the ‘e’ bit that makes all the difference. Detail fiends will love these, … Continue reading The Top 3 Budget Headphones for Vinyl

John Pickford checks out the Meze Audio 99 Classics, a sub-£300 set of headphones offering great sound and comfort for the price… The Meze 99 Classics arrived with me just after the similarly priced Master & Dynamic MH30s, reviewed in issue 12. The M&Ds impressed me enormously, so I was prepared to be underwhelmed by the 99 Classics if they didn’t live up to the hype … Continue reading Meze Audio’s 99 Classics

John Pickford tries Pioneer’s flagship DJ headphones to see how they fare at home… Headphones, like loudspeakers, are designed and marketed for both professional and domestic use. Domestic equipment often has a more relaxed, musical sound, bringing out the best in whatever music it’s asked to reproduce; it loves all of your records. Paradoxically, pro headphones usually offer anything but an accurate or musical sound, … Continue reading Pioneer’s HDJ-X10

They’re pricey, but aimed at vinyl lovers. Andy Jones checks out Blue’s Ella headphones… Blue’s Mo-fi and Lola headphones threw away the rule book when it came to headphone design, largely down to the way they encircled your head, almost clamping on with a neat, uncurling headband design that has six joints – resulting in a perfect fit. They were received very well by the … Continue reading Blue’s Ella