A wider view of audio gear
What reviewers agree on.
Where they disagree. What matters to you.
Sony's bass-first noise-cancelling headphone — comfortable, quiet and tuned for maximum low end, which a majority enjoy and a large minority find lopsided, and whose hinge has a service notice.
The M50x cut loose from its cable — reviewers hear a balanced, sharply imaged wireless monitor; the arguments are over its clamp, its seal and how well it holds up.
The default first IEM got a better cable, a new shell and a box of Sancai tips — and a brighter top end that splits the hobby on whether it is still the Wan'er they loved.
Andrew Jones's step-up Debut: measured flat, praised for its mids and imaging — and argued over for its treble, its drive and how much amplifier it needs.
A quiet, refined-sounding Android player that reviewers rank near the top under $1,000, and that almost everyone wishes had a bigger battery and more power.
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.
The dictionary
A boost in the bass and lower mids that gives music a rich, cozy, easy-on-the-ears character.
The perceived three-dimensional space of a recording — how wide, deep, and tall the sound appears.
An emphasis on the upper midrange and treble — vivid, clear, and sometimes sharp.
An even-handed sound with no part of the spectrum pushed forward or held back — balanced and reference-like.
