Shure Aonic 50 Gen 2: A whole lot of us favored Shure’s authentic Aonic 50 headphones, however they’d fairly middling noise cancellation. Nicely, the 2nd-gen model addresses that situation — the noise canceling is way improved — and Shure has greater than doubled the the battery life to round 45 hours (they now have a quick-charge function) and likewise shrunk the headphone’s carry case a bit, though it is nonetheless not that compact. These upgrades make the Aonic 50 Gen 2 a prime noise-canceling headphone. The Aonic 50 Gen 2s are fairly heavy at 334 grams, they’re constructed sturdily and are additionally snug to put on, with properly padded ear cups. They function glorious sound high quality with superb readability and well-defined bass. Shure calls them a “studio headphone,” so the sound profile is pretty impartial, however you may add extra bass within the EQ settings in Shure’s companion app for iOS and Android (partaking the Spatializer setting within the app expands the soundstage barely however does not make an enormous distinction).
Bang & Olufsen’s Beoplay HX: Bang & Olufsen’s Beoplay HX headphones are the successor to the corporate’s H9 collection headphones (the X is the Roman numeral for 10) and, like these earlier H9 fashions, the HX headphones carry a listing value of $599 (some colours are discounted at Amazon). That value makes it a direct competitor of Apple’s AirPods Max, which is heavier at 385 grams versus the HX’s 285 grams. I do not know if the HX headphones are extra snug than the AirPods Max, however I discovered the 2 fashions fairly equal within the consolation division over longer listening classes, and these do function the same old swanky B&O lambskin-covered reminiscence foam earpads. Their sound measures up properly to the AirPods Max’s sound — general, it is well-balanced, with deep, well-defined bass, natural-sounding mids (the place vocals stay) and welcoming element within the treble.
V-Moda M-200: V-Moda’s M-200 is without doubt one of the few wired headphones on this record. Launched in late 2019, these clean- and detailed-sounding over-ear headphones have glorious bass response, and the soft earcups imply they’re additionally snug to put on. That includes 50mm drivers with neodymium magnets, CCAW voice coils and fine-tuning by Roland engineers — sure, V-Moda is now owned by Roland — the M‑200 is Hello‑Res Audio-certified by the Japan Audio Society. Different V-Moda headphones are inclined to push the bass just a little, however this set has the extra impartial profile that you simply’d anticipate from studio monitor headphones. They arrive with two cords, certainly one of which has a built-in microphone for making calls. It will be good if V-Moda provided Lightning or USB-C cables for telephones with out headphone jacks. Word that final yr V-Moda launched the M-200 ANC ($350), a wi-fi model of those headphones that features lively noise canceling. Additionally they sound nice, however their noise cancellation, name high quality and general function set do not match these of the AirPods Max.
Mark Levinson No. 5909 (At present on backorder): These are premium audio model Mark Levinson’s first headphones and, sure, they’re actually costly at $999. They’re additionally actually good. They’ve a sturdy design with out managing to really feel hefty in your head (learn: they’re substantial however not too heavy) and so they’re snug to put on over lengthy intervals, because of their properly padded and replaceable leather-covered earcups and headband. Learn our Mark Levinson No. 5909 hands-on.
OneOdio A10: The OneOdio A10s ship greater than you’d anticipate for his or her comparatively modest value, which is why they’re featured on a number of of our greatest lists. They’re constructed higher than you suppose they’d be for round $90 and are fairly snug to put on. They’ve a dual-hinge design and really feel sturdy, weighing in at 395 grams, making them perfect headphones for a workout. They sound surprisingly first rate and have fairly good noise canceling with a transparency mode (which has a slight audible hiss). The headphones even have superb battery life. No, they don’t seem to be as snug as Bose’s and Sony’s fashions (they do really feel a tad heavy) and their sound lacks that additional little bit of readability, bass definition and depth that extra premium headphones are inclined to ship. They did exceed my expectations and include a good carrying case, even when the OneOdio brand splayed throughout it’s a bit garish.
Technics EAH-A800: There is a little bit of an old-school vibe to the Technics EAH-A800 — and it is not simply the Technics model, which Panasonic resurrected in the previous couple of years. Their design is one thing of a throwback, however these headphones are snug and each fold up and fold flat. They function an enormous, energetic sound with highly effective bass and good element, though they take a day or two to interrupt in.
