Sony WH-CH520
Sony's featherweight $40 on-ear — a battery that lasts for days and a sound most call balanced, with comfort and durability that split owners down the middle.
30 sources6 divided topics
Read the overreview A wider view of audio gear
The reviews,
reviewed.
What reviewers agree on.
Where they disagree. What matters to you.
Latest reviews
Browse all reviews
TANGZU OX Demon King
An IEM brand's first planar headphone: liked for its bass and its metalwork, and heard as warm, as lively V-shaped or as balanced depending on who is listening.
25 sources4 divided topics
Symphonium Meteor
Four tiny armatures tuned to hit like a subwoofer and sparkle at the very top — if your ears agree with a shell that has no vent.
54 sources5 divided topics
Focal Shape 65
Focal's walnut-clad nearfield that sits happily against a wall and images like few rivals — with a top end some call smooth and some call unforgiving, and an auto-standby almost everyone wants to switch off.
36 sources4 divided topics
Fosi Audio SK01
An $80 headphone amp with old-school tone knobs and a loudness button — great fun with the right headphones, less so with sensitive IEMs.
20 sources4 divided topics
Cre8audio Programm
A $350 twelve-track sequencer for small hybrid rigs — agreed on its value, size and generative tricks, split on whether its screenless, alt-key workflow ever stops being a puzzle, on how readable its white-on-white grid is, and on how rough its launch firmware was.
20 sources3 divided topics
The dictionary
Know what you’re hearing.
Warm
A boost in the bass and lower mids that gives music a rich, cozy, easy-on-the-ears character.
Soundstage
The perceived three-dimensional space of a recording — how wide, deep, and tall the sound appears.
Bright
An emphasis on the upper midrange and treble — vivid, clear, and sometimes sharp.
Neutral
An even-handed sound with no part of the spectrum pushed forward or held back — balanced and reference-like.