Smartphones, mp3 players, tablets:
all need a decent set of headphones. This once humble market sector is now an
industry behemoth
Product of the year
Best portable on-ears: $75-$150
AKG K451
Price: $120
AKG
K451, the best portable on-ears: $75-$150
In last year’s Awards, AKG had a Product of
the Year on its hands in the shape of the K450s, and now it’s done it again.
The 451s tick all the boxes a pair of headphones designed for portables should:
the earpieces are slim, sturdy and adjustable while the soft earcups twist and
fold inwards. The K451s are compact and easy to carry in your bag (a carry case
is also supplied). Smartphone users will rejoice at the inclusion of an
additional cable that has volume controls and an in-line mic.
We took the K451s for a stroll around town.
Their lightweight build is comfortable, while a snug fit around your ears and
head ensures they stay put. They didn’t make our ears to hot, either. But the
real joy is found in the K451s’ sound. Musically, they’re simply exceptional.
Play a ripped-from-CD Where is Everybody? by Nine Inch Nails and the thumping
beats and distorted bass lines are delivered with plenty of bite, and the K451s
do a great job of separating all the parts. They go loud easily too, with that
innate weight and authority keeping the synths in check.
They’re forgiving with lower-bitrate
material as well – so if you have any legacy material you downloaded from
iTunes back in the day, they won’t show it up too much.
The K451s’ deftness with vocals is best
illustrated with the likes of the highly amusing BBC Radio 4 series Cabin
Pressure – all the important nuances are conveyed with clarity and crisp
detail, while a voice-led track such as Adele’s Someone Like You displays all
the emotion you could want.
A highly successful update
Their agility and timing makes the K451s an
enthusiastic-sounding pair of headphones and every bit the successful update to
the K450s.
That character, combined with their
excellent build and compact size, makes them a must-audition pair of cans and
an incredible Product of the Year for 2012.
Best in-ears up to $60
SoundMagic E10
Price: $52.5
Sound
Magic E10, the best in-ears up to $60
The E10s were something of a sensation in
last year’s Awards – they wowed us then with their enchantingly exuberant
performance, and it’s the same story this year.
They might have had a few cosmetic tweaks,
but the E10s seem to let the music go where it wants. You get a lovely, airy
presentation with finely detailed rhythms and excellent stereo imaging. They’re
not as bassy as some, but that’s not a bad thing – it simply makes for tighter,
faster sound.
The fact that you can get this level of
performance for just $52.5 is nothing short of amazing. It you crave excitement
from your portable, the Sound Magic E10s are unbeatable.
Best in-ears $60-$120
Beyerdynamic DTX 101iE
Price: $97.5
Beyerdynamic
DTX 101iE, the best in-ears $60-$120
Like the MMX 101iEs below, these scooped a
gong last year too. There are lots of great earphones around, but these are
perhaps the best performance-per-pound proposition of the lot.
Your money buys you a beautifully balanced
performance with sparkly, controlled treble and the kind of bass that not only
underpins and solidifies the presentation, but adds a lovely fullness to
vocals.
The dynamic shifts of Nick Cave’s The Road
OST are handled with ease, but there’s punchy, giddy excitement to be had, too,
as a quick spin of Friendly Fires’ Pala album quickly proves. They’ll happily
turn their hand to anything you might throw at them.
Best in-ears $120-$180
Beyerdynamic MMX 101iE
Price: $150
Top
tips: most earphones come with a selection of different tips. Try them all
until you get a good seal in your ear canal. The best seal gives you the best
bass
The MMXs are a mic-enabled version of the
DTX 101 iEs. Don’t dismiss them as pricier for the sake of it, though – these
are superior sounding buds that add weight and greater dynamics to an already
impressive delivery. There’s a smidge more detail and drive too.
They might not deliver seismic bass, but
they are unflappable and great at filling out vocals.
While the lack of volume controls on the
mic-remote unit might not be to everyone’s taste, the one-button system works
with non-Apple smartphones – so more users can also enjoy the brilliant sound.
And in-ear headphones this good really do deserve to be enjoyed by everyone.
Best in-ears $180-$300
Sony XBA-2iP
Price: $195
Sony
XBA-2iP, the best in-ears $180-$300
The XBAs here and below are new entries in
this year’s honors. They come from Sony’s mid to upmarket Prestige range of
earphones, and are ‘balanced armature’ models, designed to increase efficiency
and go louder using less power.
The sound quality from the 2iPs is, simply
excellent. Santigold ’s The Keepers in 320kbps sounds tuneful and exciting: we
can’t fault their agility or precision, and their open, spacious delivery
allows for plenty of detail from top to bottom of the frequency range.
The in-line remote/microphone is easy to
get at – it’s placed just down from the left earpiece and call quality is good
while the fit is suitably snug.
Best in-ears $300+
Sony XBA-3iP
Price: $337.5
Living
with it: try running the cable over the back of your ears: this reduces cable
noise as you move, and makes the buds less likely to pop out
The Sony ear-buds above are clearly no
slouches and that’s even more the case with the next model up, these XBA-3iPs.
These ones contain three balanced armature drives one tweeter, one full-range
and one mid-bass which is reflected in their size.
But to criticize them for being a little
bulky is churlish. These earphones sound fantastic.
Their high frequencies are crisp and
expressive, while the low-frequencies never sound tubby or overblown. Elsewhere
there’s a lovely balance that makes the 3iPs effortlessly engaging. Call
quality, similarly, is top-notch.
These are the best in-ears at this price
level we’ve heard – no question about it. if you want true hi-fi on the go,
your search ends here.
Best portable on-ears up to $75
Panasonic RP-HTX7
Price: $52.5
These Panasonic cans were a huge surprise
in last year’s Awards, and we are no less impressed with them this year,
either.
It’s not that Panasonic is a company not
best known for headphones – in fact it has a fairly substantial line-up of
decent units. But it would be true to say that we’d never heard a truly good
pair from Panasonic until these arrived in our testing rooms.
Pop on these retro-looking cans (there are
six colors to choose from) and the leather-effect ear-cups create a seal around
your ears that naturally blocks a decent amount of outside noise. The overall
fit is a perfect blend of firmness and comfort.
The secret to their success lies in
their sonic balance. Vocals are clear; bass is weighty and treble is distinct,
but not harsh
A
rainbow of colors: these cans sound great, and they look fun as well: you can
accessorize your ears with a choice of six funky colors
Good for use at home and on the move
At 1.2m, the standard cable is the perfect
length for portable listening (they’re closed-back, too – so won’t leak sound
on your commute), but you also get a 2m extension cable a 6.3mm adapter for
home use.
The secret to the RP-HTX7’s success lies in
their sonic balance. Vocals are lovely and clear, bass is weighty but resists
getting overbearing, and treble is distinct without ever sounding harsh. In
fact, nothing sticks out more than it should.
Detail levels, too, are impressive for the
money. You get all the introspections and delicacy of acoustic numbers such as
Bon Iver’s Holocene, but the HTX7s are also capable of the kind of punch and
control to keep Van Halen’s latest metal masterpiece both exciting and
listenable.
It isn’t easy to get affordable on-ear
headphones right – we’ve heard enough decidedly poor pairs to be extremely
confident of that. Indeed, the fact that nothing we’ve heard this year came
close to beating the RP-HTX7s proves it. Nevertheless, in this instance,
Panasonic has managed it in serious style.
