Engadget's back-to-school headphone guide
I expected this to be sort of a shit show, but It’s not too bad. Here’s my nitpicking:
- They seem smitten with Klipsch’s in-ears. I was not particularly impressed when I reviewed the S4i for Macworld. Although looking at my text, I may have been too easy on it. But I have it a 3.5/5, and at $100, that’s not a very good value. They also mention the pricey Klipsch X10i (which I haven’t heard and so can’t comment on), continuing their Klipsch love-fest.
- It’s good that they at least mention Etymotic in their runners-up, but it’s bizarre they recommend the one-button remote mc2 instead of the three-button mc3 (which is the same price)—despite their Klipsch recommendation having a three button remote. Also, it’s odd to see the Klipsch and Etymotic on the same list; I’d say they’re pretty much polar opposites.
- Their recommendation of Pioneer’s washable headphones (which I’ve mentioned before) is bizarre since there’s not mention of audio quality, and I suspect they don’t recommend a good value at $60.
- No recommendation of inexpensive non-in-ear headphones.
- The $300 Bowers & Wilkins P5 are a great design, but not the best audio quality for the money.
- I’m mystified by the recommendation of AIAIAI’s TMA-1, when there are truly great DJ-style cans available for the same $225 price, as well as other great small on-ear headphones.
- Their high-end picks are two custom IEMs and the Sennheiser HD800. Which is fine, although I’m surprised they recommended anything that expensive—Engadget and Gizmodo so often bitch about expensive audio equipment1. There’s lots of great stuff around $300 that got passed over.
So, a few OK picks, and some mystifying ones, few of which represent great value in terms of audio quality or design—exactly the opposite of what a back-to-school buying guide should cover.
-
Don’t worry, there’s plenty of bitching about the price of the HD800 in the comments by people who’ve never heard truly great sound. ↩
