5 Best Headphones for New Year
Words: Violet
The holidays are meant to be a family occasion; a time when people gather together around something wooden (tree, table, fire etc) and just talk. However, you can be a modern family and simply ignore one another. Nothing says ‘leave me alone now!’ like a pair of big effing headphones. And since Christmas has come and gone it’s time to look to what you can exchange your gifts for:
It is difficult to say headphones and not think ‘BEATS’. This is made even harder by the recent Studio Wireless ones. Unfortunately; these have had a little bit of a setback because their advert features both Rio Ferdinand and the sort of shopping assistant who will make you think about whether murdering is really all that bad. In the advert Ferdinand raises his face and mutters ‘beautiful’. (We have to say Dr Dre; TGJ doesn’t think that this is quite the resounding endorsement you imagined when someone said ‘famous soccer player’). Previous celebrity endorsements have included Lady GaGa, LeBron James, Nicki Minaj and Puff Diddy. The addition of Mr Ferdinand suggests a (rather severe!) budget cut in the marketing department of late. However, with these new headphones that gap should be filled. Put simply: they are stunning! We have spoken about speakers previously but very rarely do you get that sort of pure sound in a headphone. There always seems to be an issue with getting the acoustics right in such a small space. However, the wireless studios get it right. This is helped by the noise cancelling software. The good Dr. has also figured out that non-rechargeable batteries in this day and age are unnacceptable! However, what sets these apart is the comfort. They are a dream to use with the foam on your ears and quite light on the head!
Next on the list is the V-MODA m100 crossfade headphones; whilst we are not a fan of the looks (the silver one look a bit like it was assembled in a scrap metal yard). The sound is just phenomenal. There is no way to describe it other than actually being in the recording studio. There is a lot of tech behind it and if you want to look up on it go to v-moda.com All we can say it that it is beautiful; and this is not just us. It has a 4.8 rating on Amazon from 100+ reviews which is damn near unheard of with tech. It has won awards from CNET and DJTECH awards in the “generally better than everyone else at everything” category. The wiring has Kevlar over it, the compact portability does not ruin it, and the thing over your ears is memory foam (yes, just like NASA) and it has dual inputs. From our perspective: it is the best on the market!
Speaking of Awards the iPhone 5s has just won the Hi FI product of the year. This, we assume, means that people have brought some of the things. What better headphone to go with it than the one that won the Hi Fi headphone of the year? Ladies and gentlemen, TGJ proudly presents: The AKG K451. However, in all seriousness this is the cheapest on this brief list but damn it! It packs a punch. Now this is a very unusual set because its predecessor (the K450) won a lot of awards too. It was a brilliant machine and everyone loved it. However, what has happened here is that a AKG, rather than sitting back on their arse and saying ‘now we are done trying’ have actually listened to feedback from customers they have made the K451 even better. What makes this for us it the ability to go from soft to LOUD sound without that annoying loss of quality you get from other headphones (Are you paying attention Mr Apple!). The sound is very akin to the beats in that the ability to cope with small and large changes in bass, treble etc. It shrugs them off like an Arsenal title challenge. It’s the most portable out all of these and if you are on a budget then you really can’t go wrong with this.
From on-ear to in-ear; the amount of food everyone has consumed has led to an unhealthy bout of exercise amongst some people. We here at TGJ are tolerant of others lifestyle choices and would like to include some headphone you can use whilst ‘exercising’. In all seriousness though: the Sennheiser CX 680i would make it on to this list without the equal opportunities stuff. Whilst the headphones themselves look like a pair of mutant wasps they are incredibly comfortable. The in-ear buds stop outside sound getting in and amplify your music without bursting your eardrums. The remote is easy to use and doesn’t flap around when running. It is also sweat and water-proof with the ‘ear-fin’ holding the headphones in place. This is a very good thing as these do produce a great audio to whichever discomforting activity you find yourself doing. In fact; it’s good enough to wear these even whilst not exercising. Just be careful as someone might mistake them for insects and whack you round the head with a newspaper.
Our final headphones are the Phonak Audeo PFE 012. The name suggests that there is a bit of dyslexia in the Phonak Audeo shop. However, where the lettering might be wonky the sound is anything but. What this does which won us over is the ability to somehow make a song sound better. Whether it is in the in-ear effect or the speakers themselves the sound produced is absolutely brilliant. This is helped by the adjustable filter which will match the sound to your tastes. Even more brilliant is that the filter actually works. They are very light (about 14 grams) and the plastic body and wire covering makes it very durable without being too chunky. The only change we would make would be for the ear buds to be made of foam as opposed to rubber but this is a very minor thing. At just under £80 these are very well priced and will help Phonak build upon its growing reputation.
By Edward Hambro-Rabben
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