Substance or style? Master & Dynamic MH40 headphones

Johnny Darko's latest review is a good one of a good headphone- of a headphone that is one of my favourites. The MH40 is lush, comfy, and full of innovative tech. John says sums up with the following:

“Right out of the gate, this New York headphone company shows how righteous headphone dynamics are possible from a sealed design, even with an iPod touch as source. That Master & Dynamic manage all of this AND have their headphones look so handsome is one heck of an achievement - the MH40 prove beyond reasonable doubt that substance and style don’t have to be mutually exclusive.”

Source: Master & Dynamic MH40 headphones review

And by all means, read my thoughts on the MH40, both at OHM and at headfonia, and if you have the time, read Master & Dynamic's vision for the headphones. 

Poor Man Reviews: Final Audio Shootout

Egads, back in 2009, had I been in competition with today's headfiers, TouchMyApps would have sunk. One such awesome reviewer is thatonenoob, host of Poor Man Reviews of various headphones and related equipment. 

His reviews are easy to follow and to the point. His photography is above average. Well done.

Be sure to check out his Final Audio Heaven VII, VIII, and Lab 1 shootout and tell me what you think.

DAR: Oppo HA-2 review

Terse more than it is tongue-in-cheek, DARKO's newest review is an excellent read. The takeaway is that it drives well, but isn't exactly pocketable. 

Read the entire thing: OPPO HA-2 portable DAC and headphone amplifier review

Headfi: Noble Audio 4C and Ultimate Ears Reference Monitor comparative review

Mistaken though it may have been at the time, my ejaculation that Thomas Tsai's awesome comparo of the above earphones had hit Headfi's front page became prophesy. Again, read the review. It showcases not only why headfi rocks, but why Thomas is one of the ones to read- that is, if he gets around to writing.

Lachlan's hi-res/Sony NWZ-A15 rant

Lachlan gives the Sony A15 about thirty minutes. He adds a number of sighs. It's a rant and review. It's also the one that he and I went back and forth about in the latest OHM AIR, 007: Dick Moves.

Watch it, folks. 

Lachlan likes the Sony XBA-H3

Poor Lachy filmed this excellent 10:25 review with a cold. Nevertheless,  his work is as clear and concise as it is free of distractions. It is also the first review of the XBA-H3 that I personally endorse. 

Check out Lachlan's YouTube channel, and his webpage. 

Headfonia: a look back at portable minidisk

The next instalment of Headfonia's monthly Back to the Future Friday column features my familiar rambling:

“we have come a long way from the elegance and simplicity of the removable optical media world. My memories of MD are bittersweet. I miss it, yet I know that what I listen through today is higher fidelity even if it isn’t as enjoyable an experience. But I will always pine for the elegance and simplicity of the minidisc.”

as well as a small decade-later user essay from Headfonia's kingpin: Lieven. 

“If all the review samples I received sounded like this I would be a very happy guy. I’m kidding, I’m quite happy as it is thank you, but I’m just trying to say that the SQ of this 15 year old device beats a lot of players out there. Sony did that good of a job and I’m lucky to own one of these classic units. I actually saw new old stock versions of my exact unit being offered online for over $500 USD. (Back in the day, the MZR70 sold for around $250 USD.)”

Back to the Future Friday: portable minidisk

Headfonics: Westone W50 review

Headfonics's MarcusD serves up a well-organised review of Westone's new W50. 

“The Westone W50 is perhaps one of the hardest hitting bass signatures I have yet to hear from a universal BA IEM. It is leaps and bounds ahead of the older UM3X, perhaps even a little snappier and more forward than my UM Merlin’s and leaves the UE900 in it’s rear view mirror. Gone are the days when BA IEM’s are avoided when matching with beat heavy genres. Westone nailed this one and the W50 is anything but boring. Yet at the same time the slightly recessed mids and highs suffer with that kind of focus on the bass and it’s inherently dark tonality. It lacks dynamic headroom and top end articulation to really compete with some of the similarly priced heavyweight audiophile customs and IEM’s from AKG and Sennheiser.”

Headfonia: FitEar MH335DW & Private 435

FitEar's MH335DW and Private 435 are excellent earphones, each with a completely different person in mind. Check out Headfonia for my full review of them.

Headfonia: a look back at the the original Apple iPod shuffle 512

My gadget is smaller than yours, big boy. It's true. And that is only one of the reasons I love the original iPod shuffle. I swear, there are dozens of audiophile reasons, too; but I ain't listing them here. You can find a few of them at Headfonia:

Back to the Future Friday: the original Apple iPod shuffle (512)