Mark Levinson No. 5909: These are premium audio model Mark Levinson’s first headphones, and sure, they’re actually costly at $999. 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), they usually’re snug to put on over lengthy durations, due to their properly padded and replaceable leather-covered earcups and headbands. Learn our Mark Levinson No. 5909 hands-on.
Soundcore by Anker Area One: The Area One is an efficient worth for round $100, providing a robust characteristic set together with good sound high quality and efficiency. They cannot fairly compete sound-wise with lots of the premium noise-canceling fashions, however you do not really feel such as you’re giving up that a lot on the sound entrance to save lots of a great deal of cash. They lack a little bit of that pure, refined high quality you search for in a terrific set of cans, however the Area One sounds respectable, with respectable readability and bass definition and measures up effectively to the costlier Soundcore Area 45.
Technics EAH-A800: There is a little bit of an old-school vibe to the Technics EAH-A800 — and it is not 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.
Standing Between 3ANC: Standing earbuds aren’t precisely the sleekest or most engaging earbuds you should purchase, however if you happen to do not thoughts their utilitarian look and big stems, you are getting an excellent-sounding set of earbuds. The Between 3ANC, the corporate’s first noise-canceling earbuds, additionally do a superb job muffling ambient sound, although they are not as much as the extent of the Bose QuietComfort 2 earbuds for noise-canceling prowess. They did carry out very effectively in my voice-calling check, decreasing a lot of the background noise round me within the streets of New York whereas choosing up my voice clearly, or so callers instructed me.