Headphone Arts

LSA HyperDrive 2 – Review

You might laugh at me for beginning my review of the new LSA headphone amplifier with my Pikachu headphones, but it’s somewhat of a torture test. Read More >

REVIEW – Dan Clark AEON 2 Headphones

As you read into the Dan Clark website, about their new planar driver, they use the word knurly to their approach to this design. Read More >

REVIEW: The Technics EAH-AZ70 Wireless Earbuds

Ever since Apple got serious about wireless headphones, with their Apple Buds, everyone else making headphones has stepped up the game. Read More >

The Questyle CMA Twelve DAC/Headphone Amplifier

Removing the Questyle CMA Twelve from its black cloth bag is instantly exciting. Aficionados of fine design, machining, and assembly will really appreciate the exquisite detail and high level of finish the CMA Twelve offers. Read More >

The Manley Absolute Headphone Amplifier

If you happen to be a dog person and you’ve ever owned or spent time with a Fox Terrier, you know where I’m going with this. Read More >

The Focal Utopia Headphones

Having lived with a number of Focal speakers over the last five years, the family resemblance between the Utopia headphones and their floorstanding speakers is unmistakable. Read More >

The RHA S500 Phones

Let’s cut to the chase, our first experience with RHA is fantastic. Their $39.95/pair S500 in-ears are incredible for less than a pair of Apple ear buds. Read More >

The New PS2000e from Grado!

We’ve just received the new flagship PS2000e headphones from GradoLabs.

These beautiful new phones, have not abandoned the familiar wood that makes
Grado’s famous, but now it is clad with a metal alloy, offering a more modern,
sleek look. Read More >

The Stereo Pravda SB-7 Headphones

What do in ear monitor (IEM) phones lack? Big bass and dynamics. Am I right?

Much like the music of Dmitri Shostakovich, the Stereo Pravda SB-7 in ear monitors are bold, dynamic and almost scary – offering bass, dynamics and coherance I’ve always found lacking with other IEM’s. Read More >

Just in, From Stereo Pravda!

All the rage at last year’s Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, the Stereo Pravda SB-7 IEMs are here and our review is almost finished.

What makes these $2,500 in ear monitors so incredible? Quite a lot actually. Read More >

AudioQuest NightHawk Headphones

Staring at all the crappy headphones lined up next to the PlayStation games, I knew I had something cool waiting at home. The AudioQuest NightHawk headphones just arrived and yeah, I could listen to Kind of Blue and tell you how well they capture the texture of Miles Davis’s horn, or to Dark Side of the Moon and tell you that the stereo image they throw is psychedelic. Read More >

MOON by Simaudio Neo 430HA

Switching from the subtle harmonies embedded in Van Halen’s “Jamie’s Cryin’,” to John Bonham’s massive drum sound via the recent HD remasters of the first two Led Zeppelin albums, I am stunned by how much musical depth, detail and sheer dynamic energy the MOON by Simaudio Neo 430HA reveals, especially in light of its $4,300 price tag. Read More >

Woo Audio 234 SET Monoblocks

You can look at the Woo Audio SET monoblocks one of two ways:  a dreadfully overpriced $16,000 headphone amplifier, or a $16,000 pair of SET monoblocks that give you output tube flexibility (45, 2A3 or 300B output tubes are accommodated) that eclipse a pair of $125,000 Wavac SET amps with a free headphone amp thrown in. Read More >

Master & Dynamic MH40 Headphones

It takes the growling bass line of “Bitch, I’m Madonna” just 10 seconds to convince me that the MH40 headphones are winners, but not just because of their sound. Read More >

OPPO HA-2 Portable Headphone Amplifier/DAC (PREVIEW)

High-performance portable listening is a phenomenon that continues to grow, with new enthusiasts constantly looking for a way to take their tunes on the go, without having to sacrifice audio quality. Read More >

Astell&Kern AK240

Don’t freak out—the AK240 high-resolution pocket player costs $2,500. Now, before you crucify me for even floating the suggestion that a souped-up iPod costing as much as (if not more than) a monthly mortgage payment is somehow worth it, please let me state my case. Read More >

Aurender Flow Headphone Amplifier and DAC

Aurender first teased their portable DAC / headphone amplifier at the 2014 Munich High End Show. Back then it was called the “V1000” – not exactly catchy. Read More >

Bowers and Wilkins T7 Portable Speaker

Listening to Bryan Ferry’s recent release through the T7, it hits me.  Bowers and Wilkins has finally outdone Apple.  The fit, finish, quality and packaging exceed everything I’ve come to know and love from the Cupertino giant. Read More >

Light Harmonic Geek Out 1000 DAC and Headphone Amplifier

Building on their momentum of successful Kickstarter and Indiegogo campaigns, Light Harmonic added to their Geek Out line of products: the remarkable Geek Out 1000, designed to drive larger headphones. Read More >

Oppo HA-1

Listening to the complex timbre of Joni Mitchell’s voice, it’s hard to believe that the $50,000 hifi system I’m listening to is utilizing the OPPO HA-1 headphone amplifier as its front end. Headphone amp you say? It’s more than a headphone amplifier, but if the HA-1 were only a $1,199 headphone amplifier, it would still be a screaming good deal. Read More >