I was completely immersed in the tone of Jonathan Wilson’s stereo guitar on “The Desert Crow” and could hear almost every draft pick on jangly strum. The stereo image is wide and you can expect from a pair of closed headphones. It still tends toward each side rather than spreading it completely into space like a speaker or an open headset, but the gorgeous tone of duplicate never makes any feeling smaller than it should be.
The ability to fully recreate the entire soundstage in warm and rigorous details is like a French chef, which can be simple with just the best ingredients. These headphones won’t add the tone of the Hi-Fi Instagram filter to your favorite music; instead, they’re like a beautiful Leica Lens. Old favorites sound better when played through these headphones, especially in DAC mode.
Photo: Parker Concert Hall
Plug into your laptop via USB-C and using DAC mode essentially allows you to use these headphones as their own digital audio decoder (rather than Bluetooth), and in the vast majority of cases, if the device even has one, compared to using a 3.5mm port on a laptop or tablet. By plugging in the USB directly, you can enjoy full digital fidelity so you don’t enjoy it wirelessly, which allows you to carry these enjoyments with you.
You don’t have to bring a dedicated headphone amplifier like the Astell & Kern HC4 ($220), but just bring these and USB-C cables. The dongle I usually bring isn’t big, but I do one less thing in my travel kit.
I like to prompt old favorites like Commodores’ “Simple” to hear the difference between DAC mode and wireless listening. At the high end, it’s especially noteworthy, and hat and cytobals seem to be more glittering when listening with a USB-C cable. That said, wireless playback is shockingly on PAR, which is to those who continue to do any form of Bluetooth listening at the high end. I was able to deeply enjoy wired and wireless music on the bathtub milligram.
As an all-around audio accessory, you can think of this pair as a Bentley or Rolls-Royce class, rather than a Ferrari. Of course, they aren’t as clear, shining or perfect as a real simulator nerd (againly it can be made), but this pair is the type you really want to drive every day. They are comfortable and sound good enough that you can really forget the chaos of the world around you, at least one or two songs. Isn’t that much money?
