#Headphones Reviews Apple

[trustedreviewspot]

Welcome to TrustedReviewSpot! Here, you will find honest and insightful reviews of the latest tech products. Whether you’re looking for smartphones, gadgets, or accessories, we’ve got you covered with in-depth analyses and comparisons to help you make informed purchasing decisions.

We believe that technology should enhance your life, and our mission is to guide you in choosing the best products available. Stay tuned for regular updates on the latest trends, product launches, and useful tips!

Feel free to share your thoughts and suggestions in the comments. We’d love to hear from you!

[zeroloop]

Recensione Completa delle Cuffie Bluetooth 5.4 con Cancellazione Attiva del Rumore: Comfort e Qualità Audio

Edifier W800BT Pro Cuffie Cancellazione Attiva del Rumore Ibrida, Bluetooth 5.4, Hi-Res Audio, Riduzione del Rumore delle Chiamate AI, 45 Ore Autonomia, Ricarica Rapida, Pieghevole  Se sei alla ricerca di cuffie Bluetooth che offrano una combinazione perfetta tra comfort, qualità audio e cancellazione attiva del rumore, queste cuffie Bluetooth 5.4 potrebbero essere esattamente ciò di cui hai…

[headfonics]

Room in the 11:11 budget this weekend for FiiO's newest flagship wireless dongle DAC?

Louis finds out if the next-gen 650mW capable BTR17 is a win or bust in today's review, now published on Headfonics!

[sibishal]

Apple Air Pods Max Wireless Over-Ear Headphones, Active Noise Cancelling Review

More information click Here https://bishalreview.com/2024/05/12/apple-air-pods-max-wireless-over-ear-headphones-active-noise-cancelling-review-18discount/

[orangameelectronics]

Discover the Power of Ultra-Low Latency, Dual Environmental Noise Cancelling, Wireless Earbuds

Immerse yourself in a world of gaming like never before with the latest innovation in audio technology. Get ready to experience gaming at the speed of sound with ultra-low latency, dual environmental noise-canceling wireless earbuds. These gaming earbuds are designed to provide an unparalleled level of sound quality and precision, ensuring that you never miss a beat or a crucial moment in the game. With ultra-low latency technology, you can enjoy an incredibly responsive gaming experience, allowing you to make split-second decisions without any lag. The dual environmental noise-canceling feature blocks out external distractions, creating a truly immersive environment where you can fully focus on the game. Forget about the hassle of wires, as these wireless earbuds offer a seamless and tangle-free gaming experience. Whether you're playing on a console, PC, or mobile device, these earbuds are compatible with all major gaming platforms. Elevate your gaming experience to a whole new level with these state-of-the-art wireless earbuds. Don't miss out on the power of immersive gaming at the speed of sound. Get your hands on these gaming earbuds and discover a new dimension of gaming excellence.

[cunninghamchrissie]

apple wouldn’t give me a replacement airpod even though it was a known issue that they said could be replaced and it was half the price of a new one to get it fixed so i just bought 2nd gen ones instead

biggest shmuck of the year award to me

[businessconstruct]

Reviewing The MPOW H10 Wireless Headphones

Are you looking for high-quality headphones or wireless headphones that won’t break the bank? You’ve found the correct location. If you’re looking for a pair of over-ear headphones, the MPOW H10 is an excellent option. The Mpow H10 Wireless are light and portable wireless over-ear headphones with active noise cancellation. These headphones are reasonably priced, given the high quality of their…

[tamaaya68000]

So I got me some AirPods Pro the other day and finally getting to field test then and, honestly they sound about as good as my M50s. They actually have a little more bass (the M50s are somewhat known for being a bit low on bass) and maybe a little more treble (small drivers can only do so much I guess). Probably the biggest thing is the stereo image is not quite as wide but it’s still plenty good.

I’ve never used Active Noise Cancellation before these and it freaks me out how it just shuts down outside noise. You do get this slightly tinny sound leaking in if there’s a lot of noise and there’s also a slight hiss that makes it feel like you’re listening to tape on a Sony Walkman so I guess big ups for the retro vibes there, Apple.

There’s also a “transparent” mode that pipes external sound in, which is really good for listening to two things at once. Also the spatial audio thing is freaky how it can make it sound like audio is coming from your phone.

Overall I’m pretty happy with them, especially because they’re less bulky than the M50s when I’m out and about, which is the main reason I got them. Also the mic works so you can use them for phone calls, so that’s neat.

[sirfrogsworth]

Froggie's Guide to Budget Headphones

@nimrella I am more well versed in traditional audio and home theater with big honking speakers, so I don't have much personal experience with headphones and headphone accessories. But I can tell you what I've learned from other people who are in the headphone world. And since you are starting more within the "budget" range I think I am somewhat qualified to guide you at this level.

You have three paths to choose from...

Wireless, low impedance wired (no amplification required), and high impedance wired (amplification required).

Basically... easy, medium, and hard.

But also... good, better, best.

Wireless Headphones

Wireless headphones have come a long way. Audiophiles used to scoff at them but now there are options that really do sound fantastic and the Bluetooth data rates are good enough to deliver high resolution audio. They also have noise cancellation options which may be desirable. If you do not have a quiet, dedicated space for listening to music you might find high end noise cancellation a godsend. People love them especially for planes, trains, and automobiles.

I don't know if everyone knows how noise cancellation works or not, but basically the headphones have microphones that listen to the world around you. They measure the incoming sound and then generate an opposite sound that just about kills ambient noise. If you play the same sound 180 degrees out of phase it basically nullifies those sound waves. The tech works best between 50 Hz and 1000 Hz. For reference we hear between 20 Hz and 20,000 Hz (lower if you are old). So anything super high or super low pitched can still get through.

In any case, if that sounds appealing, wireless headphones should be a consideration.

The other advantage of wireless headphones would be the ease of use. They pair to your phone, your laptop, your TV. They have controls to help you pause and skip songs and change volume. Some allow you to take phone calls.

But the big downside is the sound quality takes a bit of a hit. As I said, the bluetooth standards have actually gotten very very good. (Though there are audiophiles who will swear it still sounds like a 1990s MP3.) So streaming the actual media files are not really an issue. But trying to cram all of that tech into lightweight headphones you can wear around town all day requires compromises and added expense. Not to mention the battery has a limited lifespan. You may have more limited or inconsistent frequency response, poor dynamic range, distortion problems, weak output, and a high noise floor. Wireless options still can't match wired headphone systems in the same price range. And the wireless options that come close are quite spendy.

Wireless Headphones Suggestions

In your price range the two wireless options that I hear mentioned over and over again are the Sony WH-1000 series and the Bose QuietComfort. They are both well regarded for having a good mix of sound quality and noise cancellation while also being a decent value. You might be able to visit a Best Buy and demo them to see if you prefer the sound and comfort of one over the other.

The Apple AirPods Max are said to work really well within the Apple ecosystem. They have some interesting spatial sound modes and very good audio quality. I've heard the noise cancellation is some of the best currently available. But they seem too expensive and a lot of people feel they are too heavy. I also suspect they are due for an update. That said, if you wait for the new ones to come out and buy used, they could come into your price range. I'd really only suggest these if you have multiple Apple products that you will be streaming sound from.

Before we move into wired headphones, let's go over some terms that you might see pop up when doing research and reading reviews.

Froggie's Glossary of Audiophile Terminology

Driver A speaker is made up of drivers. Some speakers have a woofer, a midrange, and a tweeter. Each individual thing is a driver. And with headphones you will often hear "headphone driver" instead of speaker because it is more specific. Headphones typically have an all-in-one driver that does all frequencies. A woofymidteet.

That's not a thing.

I made that up.

Frequency Response This is the range of frequencies produced by the drivers from low to high. You want to make sure your headphones have good, deep bass. That will make more of a difference than anything else. It's the foundation of all sound and what is sorely lacking in devices with small/cheap speakers.

Music typically doesn't go much below 40 Hz in the bass range. So if you are only interested in music listening, that is plenty deep. Movies can go down to 20 Hz, but this isn't necessary for a good immersive experience unless you have giant subwoofers. So if you find something that can play ~40 Hz with decent output, you should be all good. Every speaker has a frequency response curve. It looks something like this.

The X-axis represents the frequency and the Y-axis represents the volume in decibels. We are most concerned with the 40 to 10K Hz section, as most sound happens there.

I'm not going to go super in-depth and overwhelm everyone, but typically you want this graph to look fairly flat in that range. A flat-ish line will give you a "neutral" response.

The above graph gets a little bumpy in the high frequencies. That means those frequencies will have a higher volume than the lower frequencies. If a higher frequency has a big peak, that could make your sound seem too bright or tinny.

Or you could have the opposite problem. You could have a null in the bass where the output dips below everything else. This can make your sound a bit anemic and lacking punch.

Whereas a more flat speaker will output all frequencies at about the same volume and sound much more balanced and smooth.

Equalization or EQ A flat response is good because it will accept EQ well. Equalization is where you add peaks and dips in volume deliberately to taste.

This can be as simple as 3 knobs.

Or it can be a more complicated parametric EQ.

A lot of digital EQ methods have presets to help get you started. I promise it isn't as intimidating as it looks.

Some people like to buy speakers/headphones that are EQ'd how they prefer out of the box. (Or if you get Beats by Dre they just turn the bass all the way up and say "Fuck them other frequencies!") But this is often a bit of a crapshoot because it is hard to EQ a speaker that sounds good in every room or every environment or just to varying individual preferences.

By making the speaker more neutral, it can be much easier to equalize specifically to your needs and enjoyment.

So if you like the bass a little bassier and the mids a little quieter, you have the power to dial that in with great specificity on a neutral speaker. You can apply any EQ you wish and you won't be fighting the speaker's predetermined response.

Basically if you are reading reviews and the headphones are described as "flat" or "neutral" that's a good thing (in my opinion). Just remember nothing is going to be perfectly flat. We're shooting for flat-ish.

If you do decide to get a neutral sounding pair of headphones you may find them a little bland out of the box. Do not panic. You just need to learn a bit about how to apply EQ, but thankfully YouTube is plentiful with tutorials.

The Harman Curve was researched to be most liked by the most people, so you might start there. (Also, SoundSource is a very popular EQ app for Mac.)

Dynamic Range This is the spectrum of how quiet to loud something can get. If you have speakers that can render both a pin drop and a big explosion with great fidelity and proper intensity, you will be in audio heaven. There is so much emotion and drama that can be expressed by expansive dynamic range and most cheap speakers compress it to an inch of its life. When the soft and the loud sounds are the same you miss out on so much audio information intended by the composer.

Distortion This is just how loud a speaker can go without breaking up. Low distortion is good. While every driver distorts at some point, usually that is at a much higher volume than you will use. This typically only plagues cheap, tiny drivers.

Sound Pressure Level (SPL) This is a measurement of how loud a speaker can get. While you don't want to listen to anything louder than a sustained average decibel level of 80 to 85, you do want peaks over 100, especially in the bass. Bass is less damaging to ears and hearing damage is all about sustained volume rather than quick peaks here and there. Most headphones can comfortably do an SPL between 90 and 110 dB. The ability to go louder is good, but only because that expands headroom, not because you should actually listen to them that loud. So if the headphones can get super loud, that means they will have a much easier time delivering normal levels.

Noise Floor Every sound system has background noise. You know that static you hear when you turn a radio up really loud when there is no sound playing? That is your noise floor. You want that to be as quiet as possible because if you turn up the volume, you don't just turn up the volume of the sounds you want to hear, you also turn up the volume of that background noise.

If you can find a headphone system with a decent low noise floor and you can also find a very quiet space to listen in, you could have a religious experience. I don't think people realize how much the room you are in matters, even when listening to headphones. When you are in a quiet room, you can play at lower volumes. And that can mitigate a lot of the problems associated with cranking the volume. You won't damage your ears for one thing. But the speakers won't have to work as hard so you'll have less distortion and better clarity.

Noise mostly comes from the amplifier, which I will talk about later on.

Froggie Pro Tip: If you want cheap speakers to perform better, go to a quiet room and move them as close as possible. This allows you to play them at a lower output while maintaining your desired perceived volume.

Okay, now we can finally talk about...

Wired Headphones

You have open back and closed back styles.

Open back tends to have a more natural sound and feels more comfortable. Like listening to regular speakers. People generally feel they are able to listen to them longer because they don't create a seal and cause pressure on your ear drum. However, if sound can get out, it can also get in. So with open back headphones people nearby will be able to hear what you are listening to. And if you are not in a quiet room, all of that sound will leak in. Meaning you have to increase the volume and the noise floor and the distortion.

Closed back seals off your ears and gives you a quiet and immersive experience. You can be in a noisier room without having to crank the volume as much. Some prefer this style just because it helps them feel like they are going into their own personal dimension of sound. These are great for ASMR too. But ear fatigue can become an issue and you may need to take little breaks to let your ears breathe and your ear drums rest.

And the last thing we need to discuss is impedance.

The impedance of headphones mostly determines how hard they are to amplify. Impedance is measured in ohms which is this little horseshoe symbol... Ω.

Lower ohms means less electrical resistance and easier to amplify.

Higher ohms means more electrical resistance and difficult to amplify.

If you get headphones rated below 100 ohms, they can typically be driven by smartphones and laptops just by plugging into a standard headphone jack. Though depending on the device, 100 may sound a little quiet so you may want to go lower. 30 ohms is fairly typical if you plan to drive your headphones with everyday electronics.

Above 100 ohms you are going to need some sort of amplification—usually a DAC with a headphone amplifier. (There are DACs without amplification so be sure to check that.)

A DAC, or digital-to-analog converter, is already built into your phone and laptop. But those are very small, don't have a lot of power, and might have a higher noise floor due to interference from other components and heat and just a lot of electrical signals nearby.

By getting an external DAC w/amplifier you separate out the components, make them larger and more powerful, and typically improve the sound quality. Because it is more isolated, the amplification can be much quieter despite being more powerful.

If you plan to stay in a static location and you have high impedance headphones, you can get a little box DAC that sits on your desk. It works like an external sound card for your computer. If you record music or stream, a digital audio interface works great as well (remember to check the Ω).

But if you need to be more mobile with your headphones you can get a little USB dongle DAC, though you will probably not get the same sound quality and power.

Both will be superior to the internal DAC built into your computing devices.

So, low impedance headphones are easier if you need to move around.

High impedance headphones are better for staying put in a single location unless you get a dongle DAC.

Just remember, high and low impedance doesn't necessarily indicate quality. It's just that in order to drive high impedance headphones you need the larger amplifier with the nicer components and, by necessity, you automatically get that quality bump.

You can get very good low impedance headphones. However, if you power them *only* with a smartphone, you may not use them to their full potential. Which is why getting an external DAC is a good idea regardless.

But the nice thing about low impedance is you can get the headphones and still use them until you save up for the DAC. Or you can use them as normal while out and about and have a special listening spot at home with the DAC.

To review...

Low impedance and high impedance can both be high quality.

Low impedance (less than 100 ohms) works with anything.

High impedance (more than 100 ohms) requires amplification.

Both will be used to their full potential with a DAC/headphone amplifier of some kind.

Wired Headphones Suggestions

Again, I have not personally listened to any of these. I am just relaying what experts I trust have mentioned as being nice quality in your price range.

The beyerdynamic DT 770 headphones are some of the most well-regarded budget headphones I've heard of. They come in low and high impedance versions.

The Sennheiser HD 560 high impedance headphones are also praised for their value and performance.

If you can go a little pricier...

The HIFIMAN Sundara headphones have low impedance and can be driven easily by all your devices.

And the HIFIMAN Edition XS are even lower impedance and about the same price.

And if you want to try a DAC, I've heard good things about both Fosi and Schiit (yes, like the poopies), though there are many different brands. Just make sure the DAC has a headphone amplifier rated for the ohms you need.

The FOSI K5 Pro is a cheap "beginner" DAC that will power anything up to 300 ohms. This is the kind that sits on your desk.

And if you want a more portable dongle DAC, you can get something like the iFi Go Link.

I've also heard good things about the AudioQuest Dragonfly, though I hate recommending AudioQuest products due to them claiming they can do magical things. They use scientific gobbledygook to scam customers most of the time. That said, the DragonFly might be their only valid product.

Note from Future Froggie: AudioQuest just can't help themselves. While the Dragonfly itself is a good product and not a scam, they developed the "DragonTail", which is a scam.

It's just a USB A to C Adapter for the Dragonfly. But they have to find a way to justify 30 fucking dollars so they came up with this bullshit.

Definitely need to stabilize my geometry. If I have unstable geometry that could lead to quixotic trigonometry. And we all know that could introduce vertices into dodecahedrons. Which leads straight to accelerated cosmotic entropy catalyzing the heat death of the universe.

Fucking AudioQuest.

ANYWAY...

An inexpensive DAC may be all you ever need but DACs can get crazy expensive—just like headphones. And if you are really fancy you can get a DAC and a headphone amplifier as separate items. Audiophiles claim when you simplify components to a singular function you increase quality. While I think there is some small truth to that, I suspect they just think the tubes look neat.

Froggie's Disclaimer: I am not telling you to get these specific things, but I do think you'll probably be happy with anything I've suggested. But sound is a subjective experience and it is always best to test things out before you buy them, if possible. Or make sure there is a return policy. You might see if there is a brick-and-mortar store nearby that allows you to demo headphones. Remember that comfort can be just as crucial as sound quality for long listening sessions.

Final Thoughts

Good sound has been life changing for me. And I am excited when anyone goes down this journey. While the stuff mentioned is considered "budget" by audiophiles, this can give you a good starting point if you want to upgrade down the road. You'll get to know your preferences and get a better understanding of how this all works and choose your own adventure from there.

Though it is very possible you'll be quite content with "budget" and the sound quality is more than enough.

Personally, while I am very happy with my current home theater setup, I am hopeful one day I can upgrade one budget tier above where I currently am and that will be my endgame. I've heard $10,000 speakers and it is mostly a land of diminishing returns once you reach that level.

I'm fine in "budget" land.

Further Research

I didn't mention the different types of headphone drivers because I didn't want to put too much data in everyone's head. But if you want to do additional research you can learn about the 4 main types... dynamic, planar magnetic, electrostatic, and balanced armature.

[ghostwyvern]

I've been missing having an AUX jack to play music, so I spent the last couple of days researching USB C to 3.5mm adapters. I figured I'd share my findings for anyone else who might want an adapter but finds USB C confusing.

If you know your phone has an internal DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) connected to your USB C port, you can get away with a simple adapter sans DAC and save a few dollars.

If you don't have a built-in DAC and are driving standard headphones, the Apple adapter ($9) seems like a great deal for the price and is compatible with most devices. The exception is Android devices, which appear to lack the ability to configure the Apple adapters' DAC volume to be above 50% by default.

So, for Androids, I would suggest the Samsung adapter ($9), which has similar performance.

If you're driving fancier headphones with a high OHM rating, you'll want a beefier DAC, which is outside the scope of what I was looking for.

I ended up buying both the Samsung and the Apple adapters due to the mix of devices in my household. Waiting for them to arrive in the mail.

Based on reviews, there still seems to be some amount of chance involved when it comes to compatibility, but I think this info minimizes the chance of you needing to return something. I'm also skeptical of the durability of these devices, I sort of wish they had some chunkier leads.

Also, here are some reviews I found helpful: And they even have graphs!

[gender-trash]

so, apple apparently will not replace the charging port in my phone, which is as good a sign as any that it's time for a new phone (my existing phone is Getting On in Years and often annoyingly sluggish, and i want to switch to mobile linux). currently i have $850 budgeted for a new phone; the main things i use my phone for are 1) web browsing, 2) tumblr, 3) signal/discord messaging, 4) listening to music, 5) gps navigation. i don't give a shit about making phone calls as long as the cellular data works. headphone jack a plus but lack of one is not a dealbreaker if bluetooth works reasonably well

THE CONTENDERS:

librem 5: the phone for privacy nuts. comes with pureos installed so i don't need to futz around with unlocking the bootloader. has a headphone jack. 3 GB memory, 32 GB storage which can be expanded with an SD card (vs. 256GB on my current phone, but i've got a lot of cloud storage through proton i could leverage more for photos, etc, and big-ass SD cards are getting cheaper all the time). price: $800

fairphone: the fairphone 5 doesn't ship to the US; the fairphone 4 does, but doesn't support verizon (my current carrier is us mobile but iirc it uses the verizon network). no headphone jack. seems to have good postmarketos/ubuntu touch/etc support. the fairphone 4 with 8 GB memory, 256 GB storage goes for $500 through murena

pinephone: i have heard nothing but terrible things about it so i didn't even bother to look up how much it costs

f(x)tec pro1 x: has a slidey keyboard and a headphone jack (yay!), but gets bad reviews on reddit for build quality. i'm unclear on the difference between the pro1 x and the earlier pro1. linux slightly less well-supported than on the fairphone, per the ubuntu touch devices guide; however, as a device for writing and reading fanfiction on the go, this kinda fucks. out of stock on the website but can be had off ebay for $600ish.

something else?

[headfonics]

7Hertz's debut wireless-capable Artemis39 dongle DAC gives you BT5.3, wired decoding up to DSD256, and a fairly hefty 405mW of balanced output power.

Ahead of the competition at a low price point? Meldrick finds out in today's review now published on Headfonics!

[munchboxart]

Every time I buy a Samsung I go to the store, try to figure out which one has a holo back and from there I just choose the version that's bigger or has a headphone jack. I'll watch some reviews that compare different ones if I can't decide but the details honestly don't even matter, at this point all phones above ~300$ will be pretty good unless you have specific requirements

Only requirements I have is just have a good camera, USB C OR offer wireless charging and fingerprint sensor. I've done a bit of research and it seems like that the A35 G5 seems pretty good, but I still feel hesitant. Maybe it's just me switching from Apple to Samsung, and I didn't really have a good experience with Android for the first and last time I had one. Though, that could also be because my first/last Android phone was a Motorola.

I will keep this in mind, though. Thanks, anon!

[ranmagender]

As much as i love ipods, theres some flaws with them

attempting to increase the storage, mine somehow like broke, its caught in a bootloop and i cant fix it sadly, ive tried everything, even asking around and it frustrated me for months

itunes, dear god itunes i hate it so much. tell me whats wrong you stupid software

thanks to their resurgence in popularity, they are pricey and i feel an ipod 5th gen aint the great value it used to be

apple connector, no usb-c

hence why im replacing my broken ipod with a MECHEN M30

[ID: image of a mechen m30, a flac player, it looks similar to an ipod but the wheel is like an actual wheel in the bottom left corner, with the buttons for controlling laid out on the right. it has an sd card slot, line out, headphone jack and usb-c END ID]

its a cheap flac player from aliexpress but it has good reviews on sound quality, can use sd cards to upgrade storage, usb-c and even line out to use with my hifi system.

like i know this is low buy month but im like, replacing something thats broken that im gonna use and it was 49$

usb-c and sd card is already just way simpler and better than ipod. i love ipods but they can be frustrating.

i still have a ipod mini i love which i use for audiobooks and podcasts but this would be for my music

[blech]

Why I Use An iPod in 2024

Please forgive the YouTube-inspired title. It's a joke. Mainly.

Anyway, yes, I do actually use an iPod (specifically, a fourth generation (2004, click wheel) 20 GB model) as my music player when I'm out and about, or occasionally when lounging around the house. There are a few reasons for this that work for me that probably don't for most people.

Firstly: I still use wired headphones (over-ear at home, in-ear outside). The iPod has a 3.5mm headphone jack, obviously; equally obviously, my iPhone (like almost all recent phones) does not. Sure, there are convertors, but that's faff. So while I still avoid dragging myself into the 2020s and use Bluetooth, the iPod is actually more convenient.

As a digression: it's really nice being able to use my pocket computer without a wire getting tangled up in it. Maybe this argues for AirPods, but I noticed because of the iPod, so why not just keep using it?

Secondly: I listen to albums. All the way through, in artist-decided order. Old ones, that I've had for years, usually. I also don't use Spotify, Apple Music, or any other streaming source. So it's not important for my music device to actually be connected to the internet, ever. An occasional sync to put music on isn't the worst thing, especially as my tastes change glacially nowadays (and have for years).

Like I said, these are almost certainly unusual preferences now, at least if the flood of Spotify years in review and wireless buds are any indication. If I get AirPods, I'll probably switch back to music on my phone (which certainly handles compilations better). Still, it's nice having the music I own on a device, and that's far less likely to change than headphone technology.

I will say: if you're like me, and listen to albums (or rarely-changing playlists) on wired headphones, consider a dedicated device (either an old iPod, or something like the Shanling M0 Pro, which looks like an iPod nano 6th gen, but better). It might work for you, too.