Shaping sounds

摘要

Headphones on the hoof, headphones in the home -wherever you look, designs of every size, shape and colour are capturing the imagination of the music-loving consumer. It's the most active sector of the hi-fi market, not only sparking a technological arms race between the likes of Beyer, Sennheiser, Audio-Technica, Oppo and Audeze but also spawning a raft of USB DAC/ headphone amps stretching from the diminutive AudioQuest DragonFly to the awesome Chord DAVE [HFN Apr '16]. Moreover if splashing out on something costlier than a set of jogger's earbuds subsequently kindles an interest in better quality audio, then you'll not find me complaining. The real hi-fi industry needs as many new converts as it can get, after all. Nevertheless, is the passage from costly over-ear mobile headphones to an audiophile's stereo system as smooth a segue as we might anticipate? Sadly, I think not...