Shure Aonic 50 Gen 2: A variety of us appreciated Shure’s authentic Aonic 50 headphones, however they’d fairly middling noise cancellation. Properly, 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 characteristic) and likewise shrunk the headphone’s carry case a bit, although it is nonetheless not that compact. These upgrades make the Aonic 50 Gen 2 a high noise-canceling headphone. Whereas 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 characteristic wonderful sound high quality with excellent readability and well-defined bass. Shure name 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 (participating the Spatializer setting within the app expands the soundstage barely however does not make a giant distinction).
Bang & Olufsen’s Beoplay HX: Bang & Olufsen’s Beoplay HX headphones are the successor to the corporate’s H9 sequence headphones (the X is the Roman numeral for 10) and, like these earlier H9 fashions, the HX headphones carry an inventory value of $599 (some colours are discounted at Amazon). That value makes it a direct competitor of Apple’s AirPods Max, that are 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 periods, and these do characteristic the standard swanky B&O lambskin-covered reminiscence foam earpads. Their sound measures up effectively to the AirPods Max’s sound — general, it is well-balanced, with deep, well-defined bass, natural-sounding mids (the place vocals stay) and alluring element within the treble.
V-Moda M-200: V-Moda’s M-200 is without doubt one of the few wired headphones on this listing. Launched in late 2019, these clean- and detailed-sounding over-ear headphones have wonderful bass response, and the comfortable 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 just’d anticipate from studio monitor headphones. They arrive with two cords, considered one of which has a built-in microphone for making calls. It might be good if V-Moda supplied Lightning or USB-C cables for telephones with out headphone jacks. Notice that final yr V-Moda launched the M-200 ANC ($350), a wi-fi model of those headphones that features lively noise canceling. In addition they sound nice, however their noise cancellation, name high quality and general characteristic 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. However 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 durations, 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 good headphones for a exercise. They sound surprisingly first rate and have moderately good noise canceling with a transparency mode (which has a slight audible hiss, nonetheless). The headphones even have excellent battery life. No, they are not 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. However they did exceed my expectations and include a good carrying case, even when the OneOdio emblem 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 isn’t 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 characteristic a giant, energetic sound with highly effective bass and good element, though they take a day or two to interrupt in.
