Best Hi-Fi of 2022
The best of the best that we have reviewed on the Ear over the last 12 months
Headphones
Sennheiser Momentum 4
More than one fellow reviewer has suggested that I find some noise-cancelling headphones to to use on my travels. Goodness knows who’s previously used the ones supplied on long-haul aircraft and, as far as European travel is concerned, passengers are left to their own devices. That in mind, I was very excited to read the […]
Sennheiser IE600
Even before my days working behind mixing desks in BBC studios, I was a fan of headphones. They provide a unique and personal listening experience as well as the ability to shut oneself away from the surroundings and enjoy music without interrupting others. Over the years I’ve used a variety of headsets from a variety […]
Meze Liric
This review has been a little emotional for reasons other than musical. Although Meze is a Romanian company, Rinaro Isodynamics, their drive-unit partner, is based in Lviv, Ukraine. I am informed by the distributor that they have not been attacked so far, I pray this remains the case as events are developing quickly. Rinaro Isodynamics […]
Warwick Acoustics Bravura
Rather a lot of technical hoo-ha, as well as typographical capitalisation, attends the Bravura electrostatic headphone from Warwick Acoustics. That’s not to dismiss as trivial the development work carried out by the Nuneaton company in the engineering of the Bravura. But all the technical smarts in the world count for nothing if the Bravura doesn’t […]
Chord Electronics Mojo 2
I have been looking forward to reviewing this product for some while as its predecessor marked the very beginning of my journey into the realms of hi-res audio. I have fond memories of balancing a Samsung Galaxy S7 smartphone and the original Mojo on my leg whilst watching my children’s karate sessions in the school […]
Audeze LCD-5
It’s been such a long time coming that some people in the head-fi community were beginning to wonder whether California’s Audeze had lost interest in the high-end headphone market. After the launch of the company’s flagship LCD-4 in 2017, which Stereophile’s John Atkinson claimed was the finest sounding headphone he had heard in 45 years, […]
Astell&Kern A&norma SR25
The A&norma SR25 is the latest addition to Astell&Kern’s entry-level, portable, hi-res DAPs aimed at a those seeking an affordable improvement in sound quality over their smartphones without sacrificing user experience and connectivity. The AK70 and SR15 models the Korean company released in 2016 and 2019 demonstrated that even its most affordable offerings have a […]
Woo Audio WA8 Eclipse
New York-based Woo Audio was founded in 2004 and specialises in tube powered headphone and loudspeaker amplifiers. Taking three years to develop the WA8 Eclipse reflects the company’s desire to bring the undiluted performance of their big amps to a smaller product for audiophiles who want an authentic tube headphone listening experience without being confined […]
Dan Clark Audio Aeon 2
Spending time with MrSpeakers’ debut open-back headphone in 2015 convinced me that high-end earspeakers could rival the listening experience that had previously been the preserve of full-range loudspeakers in a well-appointed room. The extended frequency response, speed, detail retrieval, expansive soundstage and on-head comfort of the original Ether made it the most immersive headphone I’d encountered at […]
Audioquest Dragonfly Cobalt
It’s hard to believe that it has been eight years since the release of Audioquest’s ingenious Dragonfly, the memory stick-sized USB DAC/preamp/headphone amp that provides a simple, effective and affordable solution to the problem of mediocre sound quality from computers. The original Dragonfly was supplanted in 2016 by two new models; the even more affordable […]
Sennheiser HD660S
“The legend continues…”, said Sennheiser, upon the release of their HD660S dynamic open-back circumaural headphone, the successor to the venerable HD650 that has brought aural bliss to music lovers around the world for the past 15 years. As a long-time admirer of the HD600 series, I was both eager and anxious to discover whether the bold […]