Tagged: headphones
11 articles we've published with this tag.
Audeze's LCD-5s brings SLAM bass technology to its $4,500 flagship planarAudeze's LCD-5s arrives with SLAM acoustic bass technology — a passive, non-DSP system promising deeper, tighter low frequencies on its $4,500 open-back flagship planar.By Eleanor Shaw
Meze Audio's ASTRU: An $899 Titanium Single-Dynamic-Driver Flagship IEM That Bucks the TrendMeze Audio's ASTRU arrives at $899 as a titanium-bodied, single-driver flagship IEM. Is its 10mm composite dynamic the antidote to multi-driver complexity?By Eleanor Shaw
Astell&Kern AK HC5 review: a flagship AK4499EX DAC chip in a $450 dongleAstell&Kern's AK HC5 dongle brings the flagship AK4499EX DAC chip and an OLED display to your pocket for $450. Is it the serious listener's ultimate USB-C companion?By Eleanor Shaw
Final's DX10000 CL puts a true-diamond diaphragm in a flagship closed-back headphoneFinal's DX10000 CL debuted at Winter Headphone Festival Mini 2026 with a 26mm CVD pure solid diamond dome — and a price to match its ambition.By Sofia Laurent
Australia's biggest hi-fi show locks in Melbourne for October 2026The StereoNET Australian Hi-Fi & AV Show returns to Melbourne's Pullman Albert Park in October 2026 — here's what's confirmed and why you should already be planning your trip.By Dave Okafor
Audeze's LCD-5s borrows electrostatic airflow tech for a planar flagshipAt NAMM 2026, Audeze relaunched its reference open-back as the LCD-5s — the first planar magnetic headphone to use SLAM airflow-control tech born in the 2024 CRBN2 electrostatic.By Sofia Laurent
Silicon speakers arrive: xMEMS Cypress and Sycamore explainedxMEMS hit two milestones around CES 2026: Cypress entered mass production as the first MEMS driver for ANC earbuds, and Sycamore became the world's first silicon full-range loudspeaker. We explain howBy Sofia Laurent
HiFiMan puts a planar flagship on Wi-Fi — not BluetoothHiFiMan debuted the HE1000 WiFi and Arya WiFi at CanJam NYC 2026 — open-back planars with onboard R2R DACs that use Wi-Fi as the primary wireless link. Here's why that matters.By Sofia Laurent
Auracast, LE Audio and LC3: the broadcast era of Bluetooth beginsGoogle's Android 16 update put Auracast on Pixel phones. Here's what LE Audio and LC3 actually mean for your headphones and wallet.By Dave Okafor
Lossless over Bluetooth stops being a flagship luxuryXiaomi Buds 6 and EarFun Wave Pro X bring bit-exact CD-quality Bluetooth under EUR 150. Here's what aptX Lossless actually requires — and why it matters.By Dave Okafor
Kiwi Ears Halcyon claims the world's first dynamic-plus-MEMS-plus-BA tribrid IEMKiwi Ears launched the Halcyon on Kickstarter on 2 May 2026, claiming it's the world's first 1DD + MEMS + 3BA tribrid IEM. We examine what that means and why MEMS matters.By Sofia Laurent