Philips Fidelio X2: a new favourite

December 4, 2014 ohm

I gush all about the now months-old Fidelio X2 over at headfonia. But that's only because Lieven gave me express orders to talk sound.

“The question I keep asking myself is: “is what I hear closer to a traditional 2,1 set up, or not?” While I’ve not settled on an answer, I can say that the X2 does stereo well enough to melt me into my drinking chair. What’s left of my normal face becomes what my wife describes as ‘stupid lips’. ‘Stupid lips’ are an unfortunate inherited trait, but they denote fully satisfied (and often slightly tipsy) Nathan.

The X2 is a headphone I could listen to for days upon days upon days. And yet it’s neither droll, nor stultifying like some headphones often touted as fatigue-free. They just cut contrasty corners off; the X2 opens the mids wide and smooth, preserving the most important contrast. ”

Source: Philips Fidelio X2: The Evolution In Sound

Lachlan goes two fists on the AKG K712 Pro

October 15, 2014 ohm

Thanks in part to his successful Patreon campaign, Lachlan's videos have been ramping up nice and good. He's put out a lot of great videos since his appearance on OHM AIR, my recent favourite being the above: his unboxing of the AKG K712 Pro.

Why do I love it so?

The big box forced Lachy to film the video from a new, stretchy angle. You can almost feel his seams popping. I hope he didn't dislocate any shoulders. And come to think of it, where's his iconic iMac? Ba-da-boom.

Lachy writes the following:

“I’ve gotta say that the mids/treble is actually my favourite aspect of the K712 Pro. It sounds gorgeous with strings and pianos, fast and energetic without being too splashy. That said this is still going to make ‘hot’ recordings ugly.”

Be sure to check out Lachlan's excellent YouTube channel, and his truantly updated website of the same name. I'll be sure to have him back in a few weeks.

Headfi: Master & Dynamic MH40 review

October 9, 2014 ohm

Headfi forum member, grizzlybeast, just posted a review of the Master & Dynamic MH40, an awesome headphone whose prototype I briefly evaluated.

The short is that it sounds good, but isolates less well.

“While these headphones isolate fairly well, I will make a gripe about leakage. As easily as these seal around my ears I would expect them to leak a little less. They leak a little more than average without striking them out from being portable. If I was on a loud bus I would be able to enjoy my music easily but the person next to me would be hearing much of my music if it was loud. I wouldn’t say you would be obnoxious though. This is not deal breaking leakage but also not ideal.”

Be sure to check out grizzlybeast's review.

Next week I will follow up with by finally publishing my review of them at Headfonia.

8 Bothans: an interview with Master & Dynamic

June 17, 2014 ohm

Three M&D lads, two in plaid, one in navy

Two Fridays ago, Scott, Matt, and Drew of Master & Dynamic sat down to answer a few questions I had regarding their line of headphones including the MH40, which I rather dig. Key to their design/engineering strategy is focus. I digs it.

“M&D: As we move into a society where work spaces open up, we think that creative people will most enjoy our stuff. Our headphones help them tune out sundry conversations in collaborative work spaces around them and tune into their work. We designed our headphones to meet our needs. We are creating something for people like us. We are our demographic. And we think that everyone wants to be creative. And we want our phones to be part of the toolset that enables their creativity.

The other thing is that focus is paramount. If you start with intent, you can focus. By targeting a demographic, we were able to storyboard what we want, and sift out the stuff that we didn’t. We could really hone in on the problems we wanted to solve. And we want to make stuff that really connects to our customers. We want customers to return. It is kind of a Leica approach, where relationship and focusing on the long-term trumps a lot of other stuff.”

The full interview text is up at Headfonia

Master & Dynamic MH40

June 5, 2014 ohm

The above prototype Master & Dynamic's MH40 headphones fell into my hands earlier this week. They are comfortable, well made, and absolutely awesome. The leather pads attach magnetically, the band tighteners bear empirical marks, and there's more metal in them than any sub-400$ headphone out there. Sound-wise, they are smooth, with gobs of good bass, and plenty of space.

Headfi: Audeze' CEO, Alex Rosson on Bloomberg TV

May 24, 2014 ohm

Audeze' creations kick ass. And headfi, is father to much of the DIY headphone movement, kicks even more ass. This time, Audeze' Alex Rosson brings it to BloombergTV.

Thanks Headfi.

Fujiya Avic Spring 2014 - headphones

May 21, 2014 ohm

Fujiya Avic's Spring 2014 show was great. But being the Disneyland of headphone events, no one person can capture it all in one go. In retrospect, I didn't really get around all that well. For better coverage, check out Headfonia's pictorial essay and the official Headfi Fujiya Avic 2014 thread.