Focal have introduced probably the most expensive pair of headphones in the world.
Focal call the Utopia by Tornaire the most prestigious headphones in the world.
Focal state “This craftsman jewellery and work of art required more than a year’s work, making these headphones the most prestigious – and probably the most expensive – in the world: Utopia by Tournaire. The product was presented in September 2016 at the Tournaire boutique in Paris.”
I recently reviewed the new AirPods from Apple. To read the review, Click HERE to find out why I was blown away by these and still am.
Tim Cook went on record to say AirPods were a runaway success and based on my views and others, it does not surprise me that these are so successful.
“Now according to a report by Slice, the AirPods made up 75% of all sales in the USA in December 2016. Before the launch on December 13, Beats occupied 24.1 percent of online revenue for wireless headphone sales, according to the report, with Bose following behind with 10.5 percent, then Plantronics and Jaybird with 7.8 percent and 7.45 percent respectively.
For the period after the launch, Apple suddenly became the dominant wireless headphones brand, moving from having no share at all to occupying 26 percent of the market. Revenue derived from Beats wireless headphones dropped down to a 15.4 percent market share during the same time, and though Jaybird and Plantronics dropped down to below 3 percent each, Bose managed to improve its standing to 16.1 percent.”
So it seems and comes as no surprise that out of nowhere, Apple is likely to soon be, if it isn’t already the number one headphone manufacturer in the world!
Can you believe that 2016 is nearly at an end. And what a year 2016 has been. World events have been seismic and so has the technology.
So what are my top 5 phones for 2016?
5th Place – Asus Zenfone Zoom – What a phone and what a clever piece of hardware. With 3 x optical zoom, this was a fabulous phone and camera. As Apple has shown, having optical zoom is so useful.
4th Place – LG G5 – the phone that has every technical specification. Replaceable batteries, micro sd card slot, dual lens system with a super wide lens (so cool), one of the best Bluetooth music using HD APT-X and so much more. Just let down by its build quality versus its competition. If the LG V20 had been sold in the U.K., this would have replaced the G5.
3rd Place – HTC 10 – the phone that everyone forgot about, yet is the phone that has the best audio quality with a headphone jack, solid premium build and super fast. I was going to put the Google Pixel phone in 3rd, but the HTC 10 is a lot less to buy.
2nd Place – Honor 8 – with its dual lens system, infra red blaster, gorgeous hardware and £300 price point, sometimes even less, this is a killer choice and a deserved second place.
1st Place – Apple iPhone 7 Plus. Apple was helped towards this win due to Samsung suffering a PR disaster with their faulty Note 7. However, IMO there isn’t a single phone on sale at the moment that can offer everything that the iPhone 7 Plus provides. Great camera. Superb audio. iOS 10 and the Apple eco system. For me using the Apple Watch, with an iPad Air, MacBook Pro and AirPods is a dream setup. HomeKit integrates tightly and Siri for me works very well.
To catch up on my reviews on all the above phones, and all the other top phones of 2016, click here REVIEWS . Using that link, you can also get to all my Bluetooth headphone reviews and more.
Now in case anyone thinks I am an Apple fanboy or sheep, this is not the case. I just want the best of what’s available. Prior to the iPhone I was using Samsung S7 as my main phone with every Samsung accessory possible. However, after going through a horrific Samsung customer service experience with my Note 7, I have vowed never to use anything with a Samsung logo on it. Following my Note 7 saga I also sold every Samsung piece of hardware I owned.
The Holidays
As we are approaching the holiday period, news and reviews will be slower. This will allow me to look at the website design and try and improve it in a few places. I will also spend more time with family and friends. So whatever you are doing at this time of year, enjoy the next few days if you can and I wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous new year!
In the meantime, if you are buying anything on Amazon UK, using my affiliate link helps me towards the increasing running costs of the website. The good news shopping via my link costs you nothing extra.
Amazon Shopping
If you wish to make a one off dontation (thanks to everyone who has so far) please do so using my PayPal account.
Welcome to my review of the Apple AirPods.
The AirPods are probably one of the most anticipated products from Apple since it removed the headphone jack on the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. Judging by the 6 week waiting time many people are buying these.
I have already experienced Apple’s new W1 chip that is found inside the AirPods with the new Beats Wireless Solo 3 headphones. The W1 chip performs miracles with the connection process, locking on to the audio and then not dropping out any audio ever along with a huge distance possible from the iPhone. So my expectations were really high with the new AirPods.
Setup Process and Configuration Options
Just open the lid of little charging case the AirPods come in, and a message will pop up on your iPhone asking to pair. Tap connect, and voila. The AirPods will get renamed with your name. If you want to give them a different name, though, you can change it at any time via the settings app.
Now the AirPods are paired to your iPhone , via iCloud, the pairing syncs across all your Apple devices. Neat.
So now whenever you pull your AirPods out of the charging case, they instantly turn on and connect to your iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad or Mac. Audio will automatically play as soon as you put them in your ears and pauses when you take them out. The controls work by using Siri. To adjust the volume, change the song, make a call or to get Siri to do anything else, just double-tap to activate to bring up Siri. You don’t need to say “Hey Siri”, just talk.
If you head over to the settings app, tap bluetooth, then look for the Airpods in the list, and tap on the “i” you can now do the following –
– To change the AirPods name, open the settings app from your iPhone’s home screen. Tap on Bluetooth. Tap on the current name of your AirPods under My Devices. Tap on Name. Edit the name.
– By default, double tapping the AirPods activate Siri. Again in the settings you can switch between Siri, Play/Pause, or to disable double tap function. That’s all you can do at the moment in terms of the double tap functionality.
In the settings app you can also tell the AirPods which side you would like the mic to work. Normally, both mics are on, but you can just have the left or right side if you desire. I would recommend leaving this setting alone, as the AirPods will decide where the best signal is coming from.
Do they fall out? No they don’t no matter how hard I tried. The AirPods use optical sensors and a motion accelerometer to detect when they’re in your ears and automatically routes the sound and also engages the microphone. And when you’re on a call or talking to Siri, an additional accelerometer works with beam forming microphones to filter out background noise and focus on the sound of your voice.
Battery life is 5 hours of listening time on one charge. The case is a charging case and provides up to 24 hours of charge. A 15 min charge provides 3 hours of listening time.
Audio Quality / In Use Experiences
I have now used the AirPods for 8 hours. The 5 hour battery life is correct. I got 5 hours 15 mins on my first charge. Recharging them in the case was a speedy affair and I did check that the claim of a 15 min charge provides 3 hours of music. Impressive.
The AirPods are more comfortable than the EarPods. I am not sure why, but it might be because they are marginally lighter and sit better in my ears.
The charging case is smaller than I expected, which is great as it will easily fit in any pocket.
The AirPods have a stronger, fuller bass line that the EarPods and sound good with all genres. The mid and treble are average, but certainly not dull or recessed. The soundstage is middle of the road. The AirPods do sound better than the EarPods. The maximum volume is plenty loud enough for me.
At £159, there are headphones that sound better, but there are none that offer all the connectivity, flexibility, size, style and wire free convenience. The AirPods do not drop bluetooth connection and that in itself is remarkable.
I watched a number of YouTube videos and watched a TV programme. The voices were in sync. Walking down a very busy main road, I was still able to double tab and ask Siri a question. I used Siri to raise or lower the volume, skip tracks and more. It is worth noting, Siri can only change tracks with the official music app from Apple. Using Amazon Music or a third party music player app called Neutron, Siri could not skip to the next track.
I also tried the AirPods with my MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. And as if by magic, the AirPods were showing up ready to select. Double tapping to bring up Siri to change tracks using iTunes work fine, albeit it is faster to manually press the next track on the Touch Bar. The AirPods sound superb when connected to the MacBook Pro.
When it comes to noise cancellation, the AirPods have none. You can use just one AirPod. If you take one of the AirPods out of your ears, the music stops. If you then ask Siri to play the music, it will now play through the other AirPod in mono. So if you wanted to listen to a podcast, and just use one AirPod at a time, you could manage 48 hours worth of battery life.
Overall, the entire package is beautiful to behold and a pleasure to use. The music quality is about 7.5/10.
Video Review
In the video below, I try and shake the AirPods out of my ears, unbox and reveal more about these little gems.
Conclusion
A superb product from Apple. Wire free headphones are the future. The future is now. Highly recommended.
Welcome to my review of the Sennheiser HD 598 cs headphone.
The Sennheiser HD 598 cs are not the first pair of Sennheiser headphones that I have reviewed or used. In fact I have reviewed the Sennheiser HD 598 SE, HD 518 and Momentum Wireless 2.0. To recap on these reviews – Click HERE.
I have also owned the amazing HD 600 headphones.
I currently own the Sennheiser HD 598 SE headphones which are on open back version. This means sound leaks, so whatever you are listening to, everyone can dance to your tunes as well. So for commuting on public transport these are not ideal as you can also hear everything going on around you. But at home, in private, these are splendid and provide a massive detailed soundstage.
The Sennheiser HD 598 cs are a closed back design. This means you music stays private. I had not heard of this model until Amazon had it available as a Black Friday special deal of £89.99. It seems Amazon got Sennheiser to make a special version of the HD 598 SE (open back) headphones. Except, after a bit of digging it seems that the HD 598 cs could be the new Sennheiser HD 569 closed back headphones in disguise. In the useful links, at the end of this review, I left a link to the HD 569’s. See what you think. They look really similar and have the same ohm and SPL figures.
But there are more differences between the open back and closed back models. From a physical point of view, they look identical. However, the technical specifications are different. The 598 SE have an impedance of 50 ohms, whereas the 598 cs are 23 ohms. The 598 SE SPL is 112db whereas the 598 cs are 115db. These 2 technical specs mean the 598 cs version are considerably easier to drive from a phone, MP3 player, or any device for that matter and go louder faster and easier.
The open back 598 SE have a wider frequency range at 12 – 38,000 Hz. The 598 Cs are 10 – 28,000 Hz. The closed back version have a more punchier bass than the open back version, but these are not bass heavy headphones. I would classify them as bass perfect headphones at their price point.
So from a physical point of view there are differences. The 598 cs use velvet type ear cushions whereas the open back 598 SE use a velour material for the ear cushions. See photos. Also the headband on the 598 cs seems less cushioned (its not) but it doesn’t have the air suspension cushioning as the 598 SE. Also the 598 SE have the name Sennheiser embedded in the headband.
Photo above. 598 cs (closed back on left) and 598 SE (open back on right).
Another small difference is the fact that the 598 cs drivers seem to be slightly angled. Also the ear cups are finished differently. See below.
On the bottom is the 598 SE (open) and the speaker grill is perforated to allow the sound to spill out. On top the 598 cs (closed) has a material like finish.
Specs aside, what matters is how these sound. After 100 hours burn in the Sennheiser HD 598 cs absolutely rock. Because they are easier to drive they sound ace straight out of my iPhone 7+ and MacBook. They are so dynamic, engaging and incredibly musical that you just want to listen to every song you ever owned again and again. The 598 cs also rock out with so much ease and have tons of volume from both my iPhone 7 and MacBook.
In case you are interested, the Sennheiser comes with a HD 598Cs headset/ 1.2m cable with 1-button remote/ 3.5mm straight plug; 3m cable/ 6.3mm straight plug. The HD 598 SE have a 1.2m cable with a 3.5mm plug but without the 1 button remote.
In the title I asked “are these the best headphones made by Sennheiser?”. I am going to say yes in the context of most people will love these and more importantly afford them. You don’t need any fancy equipment, amps or dacs. At 23 ohms and with a sound pressure of 115db these are super efficient. Therefore, all you need is your current phone. You then will get the superb Sennheiser sound across the entire sound spectrum, mid, treble and bass. The headphones are not genre dependant either. They just rock with anything and don’t ruin the music.
Looks like I will be needed my Apple Lightning to 3.5m headphone adapter for a while longer!
These are more than recommended, these are probably the first headphone that is a must buy from me so long as you can cope with a wired connection. Even if these cost £150, they would be worth every penny.
Useful Links
More info on the Sennheiser HD 598 cs and the latest pricing
More information and the latest pricing on the Sennheiser HD 598 SE Open Back
More information and the latest pricing on the Sennheiser HD 569 closed back headphones
In the last 24 hours I have kept the music playing through these headphones for two reasons. One to burn them in and the other to test the battery life of 20 hours.
So far I can say the battery life is matching the claimed 20 hours with noise cancellation switched on. Secondly, I want to burn these headphones in to see what difference it makes to the sound. I will keep music flowing through these for another 7 days before deciding on final thoughts regarding the sound quality. I will then update my thoughts after a full month to see if anything has changed and to see whether any issues have arisen.
As mentioned yesterday, the sound quality from the start has been excellent. This has improved over the 24 hours of burn in. I will cover more of the audio aspects in my full review but needless to say the MDR-1000x are proving to be well balanced across the audio spectrum, but more importantly want me to listen to more of my music and leave me with many wow moments. Toe tapping away at times too!
I tried out the noise cancellation by sitting next to the loud washing machine and dishwasher. The sounds of both of these machines was 98% removed and with music playing through the headphones it was impossible to hear anything but the music. I have also tried these headphones under the bathroom extractor fan and the fan noise is removed. Due to the excellent noise cancellation, I would not recommend wearing these outside in a busy street or when crossing a road.
What I want to see if whether after a full week’s worth of burning these headphones in, whether these are the first pair of headphones that can IMO take the mantra as better or equal to their non wireless counterparts. Stay tuned for more!
More information and the latest pricing on the Sony MDR-1000x CLICK HERE
In a rather unusual move, Apple announced that the new AirPods won’t be shipped in October and are now delayed.
I must admit to being slightly disappointed as I was really looking forward to using these.
Fingers crossed the delay won’t be too long.
Oppo have just released the Oppo HA-2 SE which I reviewed yesterday. Click HERE to read the Oppo HA-2 SE review.
However, what you all wanted to know is how does the Oppo HA-2 SE differ to the original award winning Oppo HA-2. First up, check out the video below to see what’s different on the hardware and accessories.
Video Comparison
Sound Quality
So the Oppo HA-2 has the DAC and the HA-2 SE has the new DAC. The new DAC provides a much lower noise floor, which means sensitive IEMs are unlikely to hear any hiss. Also the “SE” now has 32 bit audio instead of 24 bit.
But specs are all well and good, but what matters is the sound quality. So what I did was test both devices using my Oppo PM3 headphones using the 3 tracks below. I have highlighted the audio differences with each song.
Track 1 – Dancing on the Edge, The Louis Lester Band – Down River
The Oppo HA-2 lacks the sparkle in the treble that the HA-2 SE possesses. The HA-2 is more dynamic and provides a slightly wider sound stage.
Track 2 – Bastille – All This Bad Blood – These Streets
The HA-2 SE has better clarity and definition. The original HA-2 feels muddied sometimes. I think the differences I am hearing is due to the lower noise floor, allowed the HA-2 SE to produce better treble and mid range across the track.
Track 3 – Offenbach: Les Contes D’Hoffman (Disk 1) – Prologue: Glou! Glou! Je Suis Le Vin!
The HA-2 SE once again has the edge over the HA-2. The precision in handling all the frequencies and scaling is slight ahead of the HA-2. I also prefer the mid and treble and overall musicality from the HA-2 SE. The vocal parts from this track felt more realistic from the HA-2 SE over the HA-2.
Conclusion
The Oppo HA-2 SE with its new DAC improves the musicality, dynamics, treble, detail and reduces the noise floor too. The Oppo HA-2 SE provides a decent update over the original HA-2 and consequently is highly recommended. I like the HA-2 SE so much over the HA-2 that I spent the whole weekend listening to all my favourite music!
Useful Links
All my Headphone, DAC and Audio Reviews
Oppo HA-2 Review
Sennheiser HD 598 SE headphone review
Oppo PM-3 Headphone review
Oppo PM-2 Headphone review
Oppo HA-2 SE on Amazon UK
Welcome to my review of the Oppo HA-2 SE. The Oppo HA-2 SE is the upgraded version of the legendary Oppo HA-2, that I reviewed back in February 2015. Click HERE to read the original review of the Oppo HA-2.
Since Oppo released the HA-2, the world of personal audio has exploded. However, the improved Oppo HA-2 SE remains in a class of its own. Read on to find out why.
The Basics
– It is a Portable Headphone Amplifier and DAC
– High-resolution USB DAC for Apple/Android/PC/Mac
– Two gain settings for optimal headphone matching
– Mobile power bank for charging your phone
– It looks gorgeous and sounds fantastic
– It has Oppo’s VOCC fast charging. Only 90 mins to recharge the HA-2 SE.
– The HA-2 SE is improved by upgrading the DAC from the ESS Sabre32 Reference ES9018-K2M chip to the new ESS Sabre32 Reference ES9028-Q2M
Video Review
Oppo HA-2 vs Oppo HA-2 SE – What’s Different? I have a dedicated post highlighting all the differences between these models Click HERE..
The Design
Before I go to discuss the specifications and sound in more depth, lets take a look at the box and its contents. The Oppo packaging is top notch. Everything is neatly organised in the box which includes the Oppo HA-2 SE itself, the VOCC charger, a short lightning cable, a OTG micro USB to micro USB cable, a 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable, 2 rubber bands for securing it to another device and detailed instructions. The Oppo HA-2 SE simply stands out as a solid, well built and gorgeous looking device (see photos and video). It does not need a case as it is bound in leather.
The Specifications
Full specifications –
– Dimensions (W x H x D) 68 x 157 x 12 mm
– Weight 175 grams
– Frequency Response 20 Hz – 200 kHz
– Audio-in Level 1 Vrms
– Line-out Level 1 Vrms
– Recommended Headphone Impedance 16 Ohm – 300 Ohm
– Maximum Headphone Output Power 300 mW into 16 Ohm,220 mW into 32 Ohm, 30 mW into 300 Ohm
– Headphone Amplifier Impedance 0.5 Ohm
– Output Jacks 3.5 mm stereo headphone
– 3.5 mm stereo line-out
– Input Ports Analog: 3.5 mm stereo audio-in
– Digital: USB A for iPod / iPhone / iPad; USB micro-B for smartphones with USB OTG feature and computers.
– DAC Chip ESS Sabre32 Reference ES9028-Q2M
– Input Format Stereo PCM, Stereo DSD (DoP v1.1 or native)
– PCM Sampling Frequencies 44.1 kHz – 384 kHz, 16 / 24 / 32-bit
– DSD Sampling Frequencies 2.8224 MHz (DSD64), 5.6448 MHz (DSD128), 11.2896 MHz (DSD256, native mode only)
– Profile USB 2.0, USB Audio 2.0
– Included Accessories Power Supply Unit (Rapid Charging Charger)
– USB A – USB micro-B data and rapid charging cable
– USB A – Lightning data cable (for Apple devices)
– USB micro-B to micro-B data cable (for Android and other smartphones)
– 3.5 mm – 3.5 mm stereo audio cable
– Silicone rubber band (2 pieces)
– User guide and warranty documents
– Battery Built-in Battery type 3000 mAh lithium polymer rechargeable battery
– Battery Operation Time Approx. 13 hours for analog source via Audio-in; approx. 7 hours for digital sources via USB
– Charging Time Approx. 1 hour 30 minutes
The Technology in More Detail
Ok, so what makes the device really special. The Oppo HA-2 SE is a Hybrid Class AB Amplifier with integrated circuits and discrete transistors. Oppo uses hand-picked and matched parts for the discrete transistors. The output transistors are biased to operate in their most linear range for the critical small signal, and deliver their full potential when power is required. This was most noticeable for when I was listening to music that scaled up suddenly.
The Oppo HA-2 SE is “MFI” Apple certified and is compatible with the latest iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, iPod, and iPad, meaning it can be use the digital audio output via the supplied lightning cable. The HA-2 SE does not need the Camera Connection Kit. I tested the HA-2 SE with an iPhone 7 Plus and the iPad Air and all worked as advertised. In fact with Apple removing the headphone jack on the iPhone 7, this is the perfect solution for bringing back the use of the 3.5mm headphone jack and at the same time providing an improved audio experience.
Android – The HA-2 SE’s micro-USB input port works with Android devices that support USB OTG (USB On-The-Go) and USB Audio Class. A special USB OTG cable is supplied with the HA-2 SE to facilitate the connection. When used with a compatible Android device, the HA-2 SE can support the device’s built-in music app, tones and notifications. Additionally, a high-resolution music playback app can use the HA-2 SE as its external DAC to play lossless PCM and DSD audio files eg USB Audio Player Pro app for android.
Audio-In and Line-Out – The HA-2 SE has a 3.5 mm Audio-In port to support portable music players that do not have a USB-compatible digital output. While the HA-2 SE is used with one of its USB digital input ports, the 3.5 mm jack acts as Line-Out for the USB DAC.
And now on to the crown jewels of this device. ESS Sabre32 Reference DAC – The DAC is one of the most important components for digital audio playback. The ES9028-Q2M DAC chip used in the HA-2 SE is the latest flagship mobile DAC developed by ESS Technology. With the ESS patented 32-bit Hyperstream™ DAC architecture and Time Domain Jitter Eliminator, the SABRE32 Reference DAC delivers an unprecedented performance for mobile applications. The performance and quality of this DAC is outstanding and a noticeable improvement over the DAC used in the original Oppo HA-2.
Asynchronous USB DAC – The HA-2 SE can bypass the smartphone’s built-in DAC and headphone amplification circuit that are often cost-constrained. The asynchronous USB DAC input of the HA-2 SE also works with PC and Mac computers to replace the built-in sound card and support high-resolution audio playback with PCM up to 384 kHz 32-bit (the original HA-2 only supported PCM up to 384 kHz 24-bit) and DSD up to 12 MHz (DSD256).
Clean Signal Path – There is no DSP (Digital Signal Processor) in the HA-2 SE. Volume control is operated by a combination of the DAC chip’s internal digital volume control and an analog potentiometer (the volume knob). Bass boost is performed by pure analog audio circuits. By avoiding re-digitising the audio signal for volume adjustment or bass boost, the HA-2 SE provides a clean signal path for the audio. And the difference is noticeable in playback.
Bass Boost – HA-2 SE offers a Bass Boost function. With Bass Boost off, the HA-2 SE delivers a ruler-flat frequency response; with Bass Boost on, the HA-2 SE adds force and impact to the sub-bass region without muddling the important mid- to high-frequency bands. In reality, I found I didn’t need the bass boost, although I can’t deny it wasn’t fun to use at times.
Two Gain Settings – The HA-2 SE offers two gain level settings for optimal headphone matching. The High Gain mode is capable of driving large power-hungry headphones, delivering up to 300 mW into 16-Ohm headphones. The Low Gain mode is intended for sensitive In-Ear Monitor type earphones. With the new DAC in the HA-2 SE this makes a big difference with sensitive IEM headphones, removing the background hiss that did occur with the previously DAC.
Rapid Charging – The HA-2 SE features patented VOOC rapid charging technology from OPPO. Using the supplied rapid charger, the internal battery can be quickly and safely charged to 75% capacity in about 30 minutes. It only takes approximately 90 minutes to fully charge the battery. A quick charge gives the HA-2 SE up to 13 hours of operation time.
Mobile Power Bank – The HA-2 SE functions as an external battery pack to charge your mobile device.
The Sound Quality
So what really matters ultimately is how does the Oppo HA-2 SE sound. For this test I used the following headphones: Sennheiser HD598 SE and Oppo PM-3. Genres used – Jazz, Blues, Pop, Rock, Female Vocal. I used my Apple iPhone 7 Plus and iPad Air as the source. I had zero issues with connectivity. The Oppo HA-2 SE has Apple’s MFI certification and includes a lightning to USB small connector.
Sally Barker – To Love Somebody/Dear Darlin – With both headphones the vocals, guitar and the extra detail extracted by the HA-2 SE was exquisite. Sally Barker’s voice sounded so delicate and emotional. Plus the new ES9028-Q2M DAC seem to extract so much detail. The Oppo PM-3 headphones with the HA-2 SE were such a magical pairing listening to Sally Barker’s voice.
Adele – Rumour Has It/ Lovesong – vocals, drums, instruments and the beat – all so well captured and played. The musicality of the HA-2 SE was present in abundance. Good speed and attack and sound stage. Again comparing the 2 headphones, both sounded excellent but if I had to pick my favourite for these sounds it once again goes to the Oppo PM-3.
Paloma Faith – Can’t Rely on You – punchy, musical and a superb presentation. Plenty of bass but not overkill. The bass boost is nuts and so powerful in the sub bass, I had to turn the volume down. A similar discovery occurred again with the Oppo PM-3 headphones. With this new Sabre DAC and the HA-2 SE the combination is electric. My Sennheiser HD598 SE felt totally outclassed by the Oppo PM-3.
Yolanda B Cool & D Cup – We No Speak Americano – even without the bass boost, the Oppo PM-3 were being phenomenal. Of course, I had to flip the bass boost mode too, and bass freaks will love it in this mode. Again, a detailed musical presentation. Vocals are so good. The timing is astonishing too.
The Louis Lester Band – Downtown Uptempo/ Sweet Mary Jane – such great musicality, beat, bass, vocals, wide soundstage, instruments clearly placed in different positions. If you get this device, you must listen to Sweet Mary Jane – you will be blown away at just how good this track sounds across all headphones. But if you want to be transported in audio nirvana, you need the Oppo PM3 headphones.
Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody – what’s not to like. Superb presentation again.
Bastille – Weapon/ the Driver – the electronic sounds and fast beat really well delivered. Great vocals again and tons of attack.
Nicola Benedetti – The Lark Ascending – mesmerising delivery. Frighteningly amazing. Brought my hairs up on my arms. The music scales up as the drama unfolded too.
Sound Quality Takeaway – The new ESS Sabre32 Reference ES9028-Q2M DAC is a musical beast. It provides superb vocals, separation and low floor noise and made me want to listen again to all my music. Each time I listened to the Oppo HA-2 SE I was hearing my songs in a new light.
Final Thoughts
There are many portable headphone amp dacs available now. However, none match the Oppo HA-2 SE for its style, looks, flexibility, portability and sound quality. At £289 its an absolute tremendous recommendation. I totally LOVE IT !!
Useful Links
All my Headphone, DAC and Audio Reviews
Oppo HA-2 Review
Sennheiser HD 598 SE headphone review
Oppo PM-3 Headphone review
Oppo PM-2 Headphone review
Oppo HA-2 SE on Amazon UK
My Beats Solo 3 Wireless headphones arrived yesterday. I was very excited to open the box and test these for a number of reasons. Firstly, the packaging and presentation is first class. When you open the box, the headphones themselves are folded inside a protective case. Lift the case out and you get the cables and extras that come with the headphones.
The second reason was to see what difference the Apple W1 chip made to the bluetooth process, setup, sound and real world usage.
I had watched the videos from Apple showing how the AirPods that also have the W1 chip, just connect by opening the protective case. I honestly did not believe it would work “magically” as shown, but the Beats Solo 3 Wireless headphones did just connect to my iPhone 7 “magically”. I simply pressed the power on button on the headphones, a big notification instantly appeared from the bottom of my iPhone asking if I wanted to connect. I tapped “connect”. And that was it. The first connection was over in a second. Not only that it named the Beats “Gavin’s Beats Solo 3” as you can see.
Not only does it pair instantly, every time I have turned it on and off and on again, it connects like a bullet. But it doesn’t stop there. Now that I have paired it to my iPhone, it is now paired to my Apple Watch, iPad and MAC using iCloud. So neat.
So what do these £249 on ear headphones sound like? Well, not £249 headphones IMO. More like £150 headphones but I am still burning these in. Over the last hour, they have improved a lot. At the moment they do not sound as good as my Sennheiser Momentum Wireless 2.0 or B & O Beoplay H5 headphones. They have improved since the last hour and I am listening to them as I type this and I am noticing better mids and treble occurring. Once I have burnt these in for 50 hours, I will let you know my final thoughts on the audio quality. However, it is worth remembering part of the pricing is paying for the Beats branding and the Apple W1 processor and included technology.
The headphones have controls on the left earcup to activate Siri, take and receive calls, control your music and volume. They feature dual beaming microphones for clearer calls. Siri worked perfectly, but I need to test voice calls to see how they perform. One feature of these headphones is the 40 hour battery life from one charge, and the quick charge option that gives 3 hours playback after a 15 min charge from a low battery.
So have Apple invented bluetooth. No. But they have made the experience amazing. This is by far the quickest and easiest pair of bluetooth headphones I have ever paired, used and connected. Also, the signal has not dropped, not even once, not even for a blink of an eye.
My final thought is this – “Why are you wasting your energy, plugging headphones into a 3.5mm headphone jack or lightning port?”. Wireless is the future and the future is now!
Gavin's Gadgets & Photography 