Displaying items by tag: mobile - StereoLife Magazine

AK T5p 2nd Generation is the latest collaboration between Beyerdynamic - the renowned German manufacturer with almost 100 years of headphone-making heritage - and Astell&Kern, the market leader in premium portable music players. A closed-back design, the AK T5p 2nd Generation is tuned for optimal audio performance with Astell&Kern's portable players, providing peerless clarity across all frequencies, plus excellent bass reinforcement. It uses high-efficiency Tesla Technology and comes with an audiophile-grade 2.5mm 99.8% pure silver and OCC hybrid detachable balanced headphone cable. The headphones, which are handmade in Germany, also feature high-quality ear pads, to provide excellent comfort - even for long listening sessions. We increased the perfection of the product with a black metal faceplate.

Born from the million-selling ATH-M50x professional studio monitoring headphones, the critically acclaimed ATH-MSR7 combined Hi-Res Audio compatibility with an ultra-comfortable design for studio-quality music-on-the-move. Audio-Technica is announcing the next generation model of this premium landmark headphone, the ATH-MSR7b, further enhancing the sonic performance and introducing a lighter, more portable design.

Audeze announced their upcoming gaming headset called Mobius. The new over-ears will feature the company's signature planar magnetic drivers, which rely on a micro-thin membrane to create more accurate representations of sound than more typical piston-style speaker drivers, as well as other technology, aiming to bring a level of detail and realism to gaming that has previously been unmatched.

Meze is a rarity in the world of headphones and all audio equipment. It's unique that a small company focused on one type of product has gained so much attention, in just a few years. Okay, maybe it's not on a par with the biggest players like Sennheiser, AKG or Beyerdynamic yet, but probably this is not the point here. Factory located in the town of Baia Mare in Romania started from making simple, but nice headphones with ear cups made of natural wood. Is it just an interesting idea that hasn't been supported by any other success? Well, not exactly. The founder of the brand, Antonio Meze, had to think about everything in all its detail because today his company can be an example for other manufacturers.

The sector of headphones and products designed to accompany them evolves so quickly as if they were invented yesterday. But in fact it's over a hundred years of history - the history of two loudspeakers connected by a stick designed to wear them over the ears. Sudden development of mobile devices seems to have pushed new possibilities into this invention. With the appearance of cassette decks, CD players, and finally DAPs, we saw a huge demand for headphones and now it has happened again thanks to smartphones and tablets. The looks of headphones became important too and many people started to pay attention to the quality of sound as well. Many new manufacturers found their place on this growing market. One of them is Meze offering outstanding wooden headphones.

Mission, B&W, KEF, Castle, Celestion, Rogers, NAD, Acoustic Energy, Naim, Spendor, Harbeth or ProAc are only a few companies whose names all audiophiles should associate with what might be called the British school of sound. Absolutely, this does not mean that the products of all these brands sound the same. You can distinguish here, at least, a couple of trends, but there is no denying that in this part of the world a lot of audiophile legends were created. Recently, another British company reminded us about itself. So far Chord Electronics were mainly engaged in hi-end gear for home use, but thanks to a small, functional headphone DAC everyone heard about it. This DAC was of course the Hugo. Hugo TT is its bigger brother - a typical desktop model, with an expanded functionality. Since we didn't have a chance to review any of them, we took both and decided to compare them.

The mere mention of the Sonus Faber's name immediately attracts attention, and not without reason. This is one of the most recognized manufacturers of high-end speakers and - at the same time - one of the first major companies that have decided to go beyond the audio market and turn tu artists, architects, even people from the fashion world. Surely it would not be so successful if the Italian speakers were just ordinary, angular boxes with drivers. For many years, Sonus Faber has been setting standards and creating fashion copied by others. Sleek lines described by the designers as the 'shape of the lute' inspired many other designers, but the performance was difficult to forge. Italians remain faithful to natural materials and rely on everything that is beautiful, exclusive and - what can I say - expensive. In addition, they show photographs illustrating different stages of production, from covering the leather, polishing wooden boards to grinding metal decorative elements. They do not launch new models during the exhibitions, but rather in amphitheaters. Their speakers can be found not only in music lovers' homes but also in museums and art galleries, as well as in exclusive cars like Pagani Huayra.

Sennheiser's world of headphones is actually 70 years of chasing the white rabbit. The story of headsets bearing this logo - the name of the brand's founder - started for good in 1968, when the world's first open-back headphones, HD 414, revolutionized the market. By the end of 1969, over a hundred thousand pairs of them were sold, and more than ten million unto this day. The introduction of unipolar electrostatic headphones in 1977 was the next milestone for the German engineers. I am speaking about the 2000 model, which in some ways was the ancestor of one of the best headsets in the world - the Orpheus HE 90/HEV 90 electrostatic headphones, presented in 1991. As regards the equipment for home and personal use, the company has focused on designer Momentum series and lifestyle Urbanite headphones, introducing new wireless and in-ear products from time to time.

OPPO's equipment is very interesting although the brand has a relatively brief history. The company hasn't started neither from headphones nor from audio devices. Instead it's an example of a modern company with a purely technological profile, focused on consumer electronics. Its headquarters is located in Mountain View, California, so practically in the heart of Silicon Valley. This is shown not only by its products, but also by the entire background, organized in a flawless manner, typical for really large, wealthy corporations. If you take a moment to look through the company's website, its Facebook page or Instagram profile, you will immediately understand that this is definitely not another garage manufacture, which was more successful than anyone could have imagined. Here, it seems that everything has been well planned and calculated.