Ask two Head-Fi'ers to name their favorite headphones, and you may get two very different-sounding headphone models. This is normal within our community. As we know, it's also common for a single Head-Fi'er to equally love multiple headphones with vastly different sound profiles. These examples...

Dan Clark Audio E3 Review: Interview, Measurements, Impressions The E3 is the latest headphone from Dan Clark Audio, and, though it's half the price of their actual flagship models, that just makes this very open-sounding closed-back headphone their most cost-effective flagship-class headphone...

Dr. Hans W. Gierlich On The Future of Audio Quality Testing: More Than Just Frequency Response Is looking at a frequency response plot enough to tell you whether or not you'll like a particular headphone? Can someone equally like two headphones that do not sound alike? Is measuring eardrum...

Discussing the HIFIMAN Svanar, Audivina, and EF600 With Dr. Fang Bian HIFIMAN's founder and long-time Head-Fi'er Dr. Fang Bian recently visited us at Head-Fi HQ to give the Head-Fi team a sample of what he and the team at HIFIMAN have been working on for the past three years. The first is an...

(Above) Focal Bathys I've made no secret of the fact that I'm a fan of Focal's approach to headphone driver engineering, and I've explained (and even shown) why in our Focal Utopia videos. So when Focal told me they had developed hi-fi-quality Bluetooth ANC (active noise canceling) headphones...

Focal Utopia 2022 Review, Measurements Six years ago, Focal redefined the high end of the dynamic headphone world with the Focal Utopia. Today, Focal is finally releasing its successor, the Focal Utopia 2022. In this video, we literally take a look inside the new Focal Utopia 2022, subject it...

Dan Clark Audio EXPANSE Review: Interview, Measurements, Impressions As open-back headphones go, there’s nothing quite like the new Dan Clark Audio EXPANSE. While it was developed and built using the platform and technologies pioneered on the closed-back STEALTH, the EXPANSE brings entirely...

HBK Electroacoustics Virtual Conference Next week -- September 28-29, 2021 -- HBK (Hottinger Brüel & Kjær) will be holding their HBK Electroacoustics Virtual Conference. Last year they held their Product Physics Conference virtually, and that covered many different disciplines, but this...

Audeze LCD-5 Review, Measurements, Interview First a new electrostatic flagship with the CRBN, and now a new planar magnetic flagship with the LCD-5 -- Audeze is making abundantly clear they've never stopped developing products for the audiophile market. Audeze CEO Sankar Thiagasamudram...

Dan Clark Audio Stealth Review, Interview, Measurements NOTE: If you can't see the embedded video above, please CLICK HERE to see the video. Having built their business on designing and manufacturing moderately priced high-end headphones, it was only a matter of time before Dan Clark Audio...

Audeze CRBN Review, Interview, Measurements NOTE: If you can't see the embedded video above, please CLICK HERE to see the video. If you ever thought Audeze was shifting its focus away from hardcore audiophile products, think again. As if to make the strongest of statements otherwise, Audeze...

Back in February, I had a video call with Andreas and Daniel Sennheiser to discuss their announcement that Sennheiser would be realigning their company, shifting their focus to their Pro Audio business units and looking for a strong partner to invest in their Consumer Electronics business unit...

Sennheiser IE900 Review, Measurements, & Harman Target Talk NOTE: If you can't see the embedded video above, please CLICK HERE to see the video. We listen to, look at, and measure Sennheiser's latest flagship IEM, the Sennheiser IE900. However, before we get to the IE900, we discuss the...

Focal Focal Mg Review & Measurements NOTE: If you can't see the embedded video above, please CLICK HERE to see the video. The new open-back Focal Clear Mg replaces what is perhaps Focal's most-loved headphone. We take a close look at the new Focal Clear Mg, including several measurements...

Last week I had a quick video call with Andreas and Daniel Sennheiser -- Co-CEO's of Sennheiser -- to find out what's going on with the company after they made an announcement last week about the realignment of their businesses. I'll start by saying I definitely felt better about Sennheiser's...

Focal Celestee Review & Measurements NOTE: If you can't see the embedded video above, please CLICK HERE to see the video. The new closed-back Focal Celestee is a compelling addition to Focal's lineup, as it replaces a well-regarded model (the Elegia). We take a close look at the new Focal...

Sennheiser IE300 Review & Measurements NOTE: If you can't see the embedded video above, please CLICK HERE to see the video. Sennheiser's latest audiophile IEM -- the Sennheiser IE 300 -- is a very strong performer at a reasonable price. With a new and very interesting, innovative acoustic...

Fig.1 (above): Apple AirPods Max frequency response, average of three seatings. Fig.1 (above): Apple AirPods Max THD (total harmonic distortion) at 90 dBSPL, 100 dBSPL, 110 dBSPL. The measurements in this post were made using: Brüel & Kjær High-frequency Head and Torso Simulator (HATS) Type...

Fig.1 (above): Sennheiser HD650 frequency response, average of four seatings. NOTE: When these measurements were made, the Sennheiser HD650 under test had only been worn by measurement fixtures, so the earpads were in new condition. The measurements in this post were made using: Brüel & Kjær...

Fig.1 (above): Sennheiser HD800S frequency response, average of four seatings. NOTE: When these measurements were made, the Sennheiser HD800S under test had only been worn by measurement fixtures, so the earpads were in new condition. ]The measurements in this post were made using: Brüel &...

If you're interested in doing headphone measurements (either in a lab for work or as an enthusiast), Audio Precision's new APx517B acoustic analyzer is an ideal solution. It's also an excellent measurement setup for those engineers who are now spending a lot more time working from home, as it's...

Tomorrow, 15 October (Thursday), I will be presenting a talk titled Did we really need a new hearing simulation standard? Measuring headphones with the HF-HATS Type 5128 The talk is free to watch (registration link below). This year's entire virtual HBK Product Physics Conference is free...

Since 2008, ultra-luxury carmaker Bentley has worked with Naim Audio and Focal to equip their cars with high-end audio systems. Today they're extending their collaboration with two new (far more accessible) products: The Naim Mu-so for Bentley Special Edition wireless speaker system, and the...

Headphone Measurements: The New Standard, Part 1 By Jude Mansilla Head-Fi.org There is a new, substantially more human-like standard for measuring headphones. And as I will show you shortly, this new standard is a very important step toward more realistic, more meaningful headphone...

I think we're going to start seeing a lot more Audio Precision measurements soon, from a lot more people. At the center of our measurement lab at Head-Fi is an Audio Precision audio analyzer. Whether we're measuring headphones or electronics, the Audio Precision analyzer and its companion...