Audio-Technica ATH-SR9 Over The Ear Headphone Review

Everything is going digital, and that is also the case with the new Audio-Technica ATH-SR9. They are a premium over the ear headphone designed for Hi-Res Audio. They are designed from the ground up for Hi-Res Audio, employing 45mm True Motion drivers. The cables we dual sided with A2DC connectors. With a built-in mic and controls on the cable, they are also designed to be used with your smartphone. MSRP is at $449.

 

Features and Specs:

Exclusive 45 mm True Motion Drivers, each featuring a bobbin-wound OFC-7N voice coil and diaphragm with DLC (diamond-like carbon) coating, provide extremely accurate audio reproduction with extended high frequencies.

Midpoint Mount Technology provides a uniform space in front of and behind the diaphragm to ensure the full performance of the driver inside the limited space of the housing.

Acoustic resistor controls airflow inside the diaphragm housing to yield a natural sound.

High-rigidity aluminum housings reduce unwanted resonance.

Includes two 1.2 m (3.9') detachable cables (one standard, one with mic & controls) with A2DC (Audio Designed Detachable Coaxial) connectors.

Ultra-comfortable, soft foam earpads and headband.

Fold-flat, swivel design and hard carrying case for easy portability.

Type: Dynamic

Driver Diameter: 45 mm

Voice Coil: OFC-7N

Frequency Response: 5 – 45,000 Hz

Maximum Input Power: 1,500 mW

Sensitivity: 97 dB/mW

Impedance: 47 ohms

Weight: 270 g (9.5 oz.), without cable

Cable: Detachable 1.2 m (3.9') standard cable with A2DC connectors, detachable 1.2 m (3.9') cable with A2DC connectors and in-line control and microphone

Connector: 3.5 mm gold-plated stereo mini-plug, L-shaped

Accessories Included: Hard carrying case

Type (Microphone): Condenser

Sensitivity (Microphone): -40 dB (1V/Pa at 1 kHz)

Frequency Response (Microphone): 50 – 4,000 Hz

Polar Pattern (Microphone): Omnidirectional

The Audio-Technica ATH-SR9 came in a great looking color printed box with photos and specs of the headphones. Opening the box I found a well protected product held by a semi-hard zipper case. Materials used in the construction was metal and plastic, and memory foam for the soft headband and earcups. Quality of materials used was very good, as was the fit and finish. Also included was the manual and two sets of cables, one standard and one with mic and music controls, and a ¼” adaptor.  Now lets hear how they sound!

 

Disturbed: Sound and Silence –Piano sounded very natural, vocals had excellent texture and timbre with excellent resolution. Guitar had excelled resolution and was extremely crisp and clean. Violin was very smooth with excellent harmonics. Tympani had very good impact, low end extension, and authority. Soundstage was very big and imaging was also very good. Adele: Rolling In the Deep –Guitar had excellent resolution of the strings. Vocals were very smooth with excellent resolution of the texture and timbre. Cymbals and high hat were extremely crisp and clean. Kick drum had very good impact and definition and played with authority. Piano sounded very natural. Bass had very good low end extension and played with a ton of authority. Soundstage was big and imaging was spot on. Junior Wells: Why are People Like That – Vocals were extremely smooth with excellent resolution of the texture and timbre. Bass played deep, tons of authority and definition. Drums were dynamic with very good impact. Cymbals were really crisp and clean. Harmonica was smooth like honey with excellent dynamics and harmonics. Piano sounded really natural. Soundstage was huge and imaging was spot on.  Liquid Soul: Spam Sucker –Bass had good low end extension, was tight and played with good authority. Trumpets were really dynamic and smooth without being too brassy. Drums had excellent dynamics, impact and resolution of the pad. Sax had excellent texture, harmonics, and great resolution for the tonguing technique, and woodiness of the reed. Soundstage was quite large.

 

The Audio-Technica’s put the money in the technology. Their True Motion Drivers provide an excellent amount or resolution. The sound is taken to a new level. The highs were crisp and clean, vocals smooth like honey with excellent texture, and bass had very good low end extension and output. Resolution and detail was excellent, and the soundstage really opened up, with imaging that was spot on.  Based on their design, features, quality, and performance, the Audio-Technica ATH-SR9 has earned our Highly Recommended Award.  For more info and complete specs, check out their website at www.audio-technica.com.

1More Triple Driver Over The Ear Headphones Review

There is a lot of competition in the headphone market, which typically means good sounding products for not a lot of money. This is the case with the 1More Triple Driver. They feature a unique design for over the ear models. They actually incorporate a multiple driver design. It’s a rare design for over the ear models. Usually multiple driver designs are found in IEM’s. Here 1More uses two active drivers. One is for the highs, one is for the mids and lows, and there’s also a passive radiator. So while there are 3 drivers, only 2 are active. Price is also very competitive at $169.

Features and Specs:

Type: Over-Ear Headphone

Name: 1MORE Triple Driver Over-Ear Headphones

Color: Titanium

Weight: 293 g

Wire: Oxygen-free Copper

Cable Length: 1.35 m

Plug Type: 3.5 mm Gold Plated

Speaker Impedance: 32 Ω

Sensitivity: 104 dB

Frequency Response Range: 20-40,000 Hz

Maximum Power: 50 mW

Implementation of Standards: Q / WMSX 003-2016

The 1More came in a great looking color printed box, with photos and specs of the headphones. Opening the box revealed a well protected product, held in a nice semi-hard zipper case. I was extremely impressed with the packaging, which looks like a significantly more expensive product! Materials used in the construction were actually mostly metal, with some plastic and foam. Quality of materials was good, as was the fit and finish. Also included was the owners manual, soft carry bag, and ¼” adapter. And I liked the fact that it has detachable cables. Now lets see how they sound!

Disturbed: Sound and Silence –Piano sounded natural, vocals had good texture and timbre. Guitar was crisp and clean. Violin was smooth. Soundstage was surprisingly big. Tympani had decent impact, depth and low end extension.      Adele: Rolling In the Deep – Vocals were smooth with good texture. Guitar was crisp and clean with good resolution of the strings. Kick drum had good impact, depth and played with authority. Piano sounded very natural. Junior Wells: Why are People Like That –Vocals were very smooth with good texture and timbre. Bass had very good depth and played with a ton of authority. Drums were very dynamic, piano sounded very natural. Cymbals were crisp. Harmonica was dynamic and very smooth. Soundstage was very large and imaging was very good. Liquid Soul: Spam Sucker –Bass is tight, has good punch, and authority. Trumpets are crisp and clean, dynamic. Drums have very good resolution of the pad. Sax has very good texture. Cymbals are crisp and clean!

I was a little surprised at the 1More Triple Driver. They appeared to be aggressively priced for employing multiple drivers. Using multiple drivers however did not provide quite as much detail as I was expecting.  But they still sounded extremely good for their price point, and would give headphones twice their price a run for the money. They provided a sound signature that was just a tad on the warm side. Based on it’s design, features, quality, and performance, the 1more Triple Driver has earned our Recommended Award.  For more info and complete specs, check out their website at www.1more.com.

JBL Everest 710GA Wireless Headphones Review

If you are in the market for some quality wireless headphones, now is a good time. Up for review is the JBL Everest 710GA Wireless Headphones. These JBL headphones are a prime example of how products keep getting more and more advanced. Not only are they wireless headphones, they can also connect to other wireless headphones so you can share your music with friends. There’s even Google Assistant built-in that you can access with the built-in mic. MSRP is a very competitive $249.

Features and specs:

General Specifications:

Headphone cable length (ft): 3.93

Headphones jack type: 3.5 mm

Weight (oz): 9.35

Ear cushion material: PU Leather

Bluetooth version: 4.1

Headphone cable length (cm): 120.0

Audio Specifications:

Driver size (mm): 40.0

Number of drivers per ear: 1.0

Driver sensitivity at 1kHz/1mW (dB): 96dB

Impedance (ohms): 32.0

Control and Connection Specifications:

Bluetooth profiles: HFP v1.7, HSP v1.2, A2DP v1.3, AVRCP v1.6

Bluetooth transmitter power: 4 dbm

Bluetooth frequency: 2.402GHz - 2.48GHz

Bluetooth transmitted modulation: GFSK, π/4DQPSK, 8DPSK

Dynamic frequency response range (Hz): 10Hz – 22kHz

Battery Type: Polymer Li-ion Battery (3.7V, 850mAh)

Charging time (hours from empty): 2

Speed Charging time (hours): 2.0

Talk time (hours): up to 25

The JBL Everest 710GA came in a great looking color printed box with photos and specs of the headphones. Opening the box revealed a well protected product held in a semi hard zipper case. Materials used in the construction was mostly plastic with some metal. Quality of materials used were very good, as was the fit and finish. Also included was the manual, charging cable and audio cable.  Now lets hear how they sound!

Disturbed: Sound and Silence –Piano sounded very natural, vocals had very good texture and timbre. Guitar was nice and crisp with good resolution. Violins were smooth with nice low level harmonics. Tympani had good impact and low end extension. Sound stage was pleasantly big, and imaging was good. Adele: Rolling In the Deep –Vocals were smooth with very good texture and resolution. Guitar was very crisp and clean with very good resolution of the strings. Kick drum had very good impact and authority. Cymbals and high had were very crisp and clean. Piano sounded very natural bass had great low end extension and played with a ton of authority. Soundstage was big and imaging was good. Junior Wells: Why are People Like That –Vocals were very smooth with very good texture and timbre. Bass had very good low end extension and a ton of authority. Drums were dynamic, great impact, cymbals were very crisp and clean. Piano sounded very natural. Harmonica was smooth, dynamic with very good harmonics. Soundstage was very big with very good imaging. Liquid Soul: Spam Sucker –Bass is tight, with really good low end extension, and good punch. Trumpets are smooth and really dynamic. Drums have very good dynamics and resolution of the pad. Sax has very good texture. Cymbals are really crisp and clean.

The JBL’s performed very well for their price point as far as the sound goes. They were more neutral in sound signature. Highs were crisp and clean, vocals were smooth and had great resolution of the texture. The bass had good depth and good authority.  And you have to remember that there was a lot of cost in the wireless features. After all, not all of the cost went into the drivers. Add in the extra feature of Google Assistant, and you get a great bang for your buck!  Based on their design, features, quality, and performance, they have earned our Recommended Award.  For more info and complete specs, check out their website at www.jbl.com.

ASUS ROG Phone II Will Use Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus Mobile Platform

ASUS ROG Phone II Will Use Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus Mobile Platform

-- Next-gen gaming phone is world's first announced implementation of latest Snapdragon 855 Plus Mobile Platform, delivering framerate-shattering gaming performance --

KEY POINTS Upcoming version of the innovative ROG gaming phone is world's first announced to use 7nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus Mobile Platform Kryo 485 CPU is clocked at up to 2.96GHz for world-beating benchmark performance that's 4.2% faster than the current Snapdragon 855 Mobile Platform Adreno 640 delivers 15%-faster graphics performance than the current Snapdragon 855 Mobile Platform

Fremont, California USA (July 15, 2019) — ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced that the next-generation ROG Phone II will be the world's first gaming phone to be powered by the new Snapdragon 855 Plus Mobile Platform. ROG Phone II will offer users the best possible mobile gaming experience, building on and adding to the innovations of the globally acclaimed ROG Phone that made its debut in 2018. Full details and specifications of this exciting new gaming phone will be announced in the coming weeks, but the uprated power of the Snapdragon 855 Plus ensures that overall performance will take yet another leap forward. The Kryo 485 CPU in the Snapdragon 855 Plus will run at up to 2.96GHz — a 4.2% improvement compared to the 2.84Ghz of the Snapdragon 855 — while the Adreno 640 GPU is clocked 15% faster than in the current Snapdragon 855 Mobile Platform. With this high-performance foundation complementing a raft of exciting new features and enhancements, ROG Phone II is once again poised to take the world of mobile gaming by storm.

Beyerdynamic Soul Byrd and Blue Byrd IEM Review

You may have heard the term German Engineering used in a positive context. This is often used when talking about cars, like BMW and Mercedes. But there’s a couple German companies that make headphones and one of them is Beyerdynamic. They have a wide range of quality headphones. And their entry level IEM’s give good bang for the buck. Up for review is their Soul Byrd and Blue Byrd IEM’s.

The Soul Byrd is their entry level IEM with a MSRP of $89. It’s a basic wired model with not so basic sound. And it includes in-line controls. If you want wireless, they have you covered with their Blue Byrd model. Not only does stepping up to their Blue Byrd model give you wireless functionality, you also get their amazing MOSAYC sound customization software.

 

Features and specs:

Soul Byrd:

Operating principle: Closed

Transmission Type: Wired

Remote: Universal 3-button remote

Headphone frequency response: 10 - 25,000 Hz

Sound coupling to the ear: In-ear headphones

EAN: 4010118717802

Cable & Plug: 1.2 m cable (both-sided, fixed) with 3.5 mm plug (4-pole)

article No.: 717800

 

Blue Byrd:

Operating principle: Closed

Transmission Type: Wireless via Bluetooth®

Remote: Universal 3-button remote

weight headphones without cable: 6 g

battery runtime: Up to 6 hours

Headphone frequency response:  10 - 25,000 Hz

Supported Bluetooth profiles: A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP, SPP

Codecs: aptX™ LL, aptX™, AAC, SBC

Sound coupling to the ear: In-ear headphones

EAN: 4010118717659

article No.: 717657

Both the Soul Byrd and Blue Byrd came in a nice color printed box with photos and specs of the IEM. Opening the box revealed a well protected product. The hard zipper case was held in place with custom molded cardboard. Opening the case you see the IEM held in it’s place inside the case. On the other side of the case is a packet to held the additional sized ear tips, and the charging cord for the Blue Byrd model. Materials used in the construction was mostly plastic with some metal. Quality of materials used as well as the fit and finish were better than expected for their price point.

You get a really good value with the Soul Byrd. But what really impressed me was the value you get with the Blue Byrd. Sure, they’re wireless. But the real jewel they came with is their MOSAYC. While it’s sound customization software, the term customization just doesn’t give it enough justice. The human ear has a wide hearing range, but it does differ a small bit from person to person. And as you get older, you lose some of that frequency range. The software does a hearing test per say, with test tones as a base map. And you can adjust the sound to your liking from there. Now let’s see how they sound.

 

When listening to both the Soul Byrd and Blue Byrd, they sounded pretty much the same out of the box.  In looking at the specs, they both had the same frequency response.  Looking at the earbuds, they looked to be the same size.  So……I figured they most both use the same drivers.  So instead of writing up the same sound for both, I am including their listening experience for both of them together as one.

Disturbed: Sound of Silence- Piano sounded natural, vocals had nice texture and timbre, guitar was crisp and clean, violin had nice smooth harmonics. Cymbals sounded only a tad thin. Tympani had good impact.  Earth, Wind and Fire: Let’s Groove- Cymbals were crisp and clean, claps were nice and dynamic. Trumpets were smooth with nice harmonics. Bass had nice low end extension, playing with a lot of output and only a tad muddy. Vocals were also smooth with very good harmonics.  Run DMC: It’s Tricky-Percussion was crisp and clean. Drums were dynamic and had good impact. Bass played pleasantly deep, cleaner than expected, and also hit really hard with a lot of authority.  Adele: Rolling in the Deep-  Guitar sounded really natural with the plucking of the strings. Kick drum had good low end extension with good authority. High hat was crisp and clean and only a tad thin sounding. Piano sounded more natural than expected. Vocals were smooth with good texture and timbre.

When all is said and done, you get a great bang for the buck with the Beyerdynamic Soul Byrd. They provide a great sound for the price. But for a little bit more of your hard earned cash, the Blue Byrd gives an even better bang for the buck, especially with the MOSAYC software. Based on their design, features, quality, and performance. They Beyerdynamic Soul Byrd and Blue Byrd have both earned our Value Award. For more info and complete specs, check out their website at www.beyerdynamic.com.