Headphone Reviews | The Master Switch

Over-Ear Headphone Reviews

Review: 1More Triple Driver Over-Ear Headphones

Review: 1More Triple Driver Over-Ears

With very few flaws, and an almost endless number of positives, the TDOEs are among the best headphones you can buy for this price. If you're looking for something a little different, look no further.

Review: ADVANCED Alpha

We had never heard of ADVANCED. Before this year’s CANJAM New York event, they had flown completely under our radar. We have no idea why - normally, we’re pretty good with this kind of thing. Then we heard their Alphas.

Audeara A-01 Review

Perhaps it’s something in the water. For whatever reason, Australia has become the center of personalized sound – audio which customises itself to your hearing. On that note, meet the Audeara A-01s...

Review: AUDEZE EL-8 Titanium

There were plenty of manufacturers ready to capitalise on the new Lightning standard, and Audeze, predictably, were one of them. The EL-8 Titanium is their attempt to create a pair of planar magnetic cans that can operate off an iPhone 7.

AUDEZE LCD-2 Classic Headphone Review

If you’re an audio company, thinking of sending us (or anybody else) product for review, here’s a super handy pro tip for how to catch our attention, and make whatever you’re sending stand out from the massive pile of gadgets we have...

Review: AUDEZE Mobius

When AUDEZE told us they had a secret project in the works, our first thought was not ‘gaming headset’. Why would it be? AUDEZE are known for stellar headphones, but not for gaming. Then they sent us the Mobius.

Review: AudioQuest NightHawk Carbon

It’s always a bit of a gamble, calling something cool. Cool is such an ephemeral term. After all, Limp Bizkit were once cool. So were Capri pants, ironic T-shirts, Blackberries. The Audioquest NightHawk Carbons are cool, and always will be.

Beats by Dre Studio3 Wireless Review

Beats by Dre are arguably the easiest brand to pick out of a crowd. The infamous “b” located on any earcup, bud, or case can be spotted from a mile away.

Review: Beyerdynamic Amiron Home

With headphones, it’s not just about the sound quality. There is so much more that makes a good pair, and it starts the moment you open the box. To be truly excellent, a pair of headphones has to impress from the very start.

Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 Review

The Noise Cancelling 700 Headphones are meant to be Bose’s secret weapon. They are the next salvo in the noise-canceling wars, one designed to take out Sony for good.

Review: Bose QuietComfort 35 II

The Bose QuietComfort 35 IIs are the best wireless travel headphones available. We have absolutely no doubt about this. After spending a month with them, including two international trips, we concluded that, in this regard, they are simply unbeatable.

Review: Bose SoundLink II

Bose made their name with noise-canceling tech. They’ve earned their reputation for it - it’s among the best in the world - but how do they fare when they create a pair of headphones that don’t have any noise-canceling capabilities?

Review: Bowers & Wilkins P7 Wireless

The wireless headphones market is getting pretty crowded these days. Ever since Apple dropped the stink bomb about removing the headphone jack from the new iPhone models, manufacturers have been falling over themselves to issue Bluetooth headsets.

Focal Clear Review

To more established headphone companies like Sennheiser and AUDEZE, it must have felt like getting hit with a freight train. When French speaker manufacturer Focal made the decision to push deep into the market, few would have predicted their success.

Review: Focal Elegia

When you make the best headphones on the planet, you can afford to sit back and enjoy the acclaim. And yet Focal, a French company who produce the astounding Utopia headphones, refuse to settle.

Review: Focal Listen Wireless

The French company Focal are primarily known as speaker makers – but at the moment, they are enormously keen to get the word out about their headphones. Their Listen Wireless is an interesting attempt to hit the budget wireless market...

Review: Focal Utopia

The Focal Utopia are the best headphones on the planet. That’s not hyperbole. It’s not shilling. It’s just the truth. Of all the hundreds of headphone models available today, these are the best. End of discussion.

Review: Fostex TH610

If you love headphones like we do, one of the most annoying things is trying to convince others that they can be objects of beauty. Where we see smooth curves, perfect headband design, and clever use of materials, others only see bulky plastic...

Review: Grado SR325e

Grado's SR325e headphones might not be the newest model, but the company recently shared a little bit of their cachet with us at The Master Switch, and since these headphones are still very much available, we decided we’d give them a full review.

Review: HiFiMan Edition S

The HiFiMan Edition S. You might call them Schrodinger’s Headphones: they’re both closed and open back until you decide which one you want. They are also, just in case you were wondering, bloody brilliant.

HyperX Cloud Alpha S Review

Today we meet the newest member of the HyperX Cloud family: The Alpha S. As the youngest scion of the Alpha bloodline, the Alpha S has a lot to prove.

HyperX Cloud Orbit S Review

Gamers have officially been blessed with the industry’s newest gaming headset: the HyperX Cloud Orbit S. If you’ve been keeping an ear to the ground, you’ll have heard the buzz about this team-up between HyperX and AUDEZE.

Jabra Elite 85H Review

If you want an example of an arms race in the audio world, check out the drive to create the best wireless noise-canceling headphones. Now a new challenger has entered the race, in the form of the Elite 85H headphones from Jabra.

MEZE 99 Classics Headphone Review

Exquisite. That’s the word that came to mind when we first pulled the Romanian-made MEZE 99 Classics out of their carrier case. It’s not a reaction that most audio equipment inspires, and definitely not a reaction inspired by most headphones.

Review: MEZE 99 Neo

How do you top a classic? Because that’s what the original MEZE 99 Classics are – both in name, and in experience, a genuinely brilliant pair of headphones that we previously awarded Editor’s Choice. If you’re Antonio Meze, you don’t

Review: Master & Dynamic MH40

New York’s Master & Dynamic remain one of the most underrated headphone companies around. They produce some absolutely phenomenal gear – such as the wireless MW50s – and it all started with the MH40s.

Review: Monoprice Monolith M1060

How would you like to read a review of the most hyped headphones on the planet? That’s no exaggeration. In the past year, no other pair of headphones has caused as much intrigue...

Review: Nuraphone

Despite what headphone makers would have you believe, major leaps forward have been few and far between. We’re talking tweaks, new materials, advanced tuning. Actual innovations don’t come along all that often. Until Nuraphone.

Review: OPPO PM-2

It’s not often that a company known for making Blu-ray players creates waves in the audio world. And it’s a little sad that no matter how big OPPO gets, they will always inevitably be introduced with those words.

Review: Parrot Zik 3 Wireless

Never before has one pair of cans offered so much. It’s as if the designers of Parrot’s new Zik 3 headphones decided to see just how many things they could pack into its slender frame.

Review: Phiaton BT 460

When you test as much all your equipment as we do, it’s actually quite amazing how impatient you can get. Time and again, we find ourselves getting frustrated...

Review: PSB M4U 8 Wireless

PSB Speakers is a household name. The head honcho, Paul Barton, really wanted to recreate the same PSB sound that we all know and love, and put that tech into something a little more portable.

Sennheiser GSP 370 Review

The Sennheiser GSP 370 has a reputation as a beast. We’ve never tested a pair of Sennheiser headphones we didn’t like; however, we wanted to put these through the nine circles of headset Hell.

Review: Sennheiser HD1 Wireless

Some things in this world just work. Bacon sandwiches. Very cold beer. Dre and Pac on California Love. The relationship between Supergirl and The Flash. And the Sennheiser HD1s.

Review: Sennheiser HD630VB

Whether you’re just getting into the world of audiophile headphones, or you’re an established geek looking for something new, you need to hear these.

Review: Sennheiser PXC 550

The Sennheiser PXC 550s are simultaneously one of the most convenient, enjoyable pairs of headphones we’ve ever used, and also the most infuriating.

Review: Sol Republic Master Tracks

Most headphone companies probably wouldn’t dare attempt what Sol Republic does with their Master Tracks. Put a pair of Sony headphones out the box, and all you have to do is plug them in and put them on. Not these.

Sony WH-1000XM3 Headphone Review

Sony may not be able to come up with snappy names, but they make some seriously snappy headphones. The WH-1000XM3 are wireless, noise-canceling headphones that we believe are the best pair currently available. No doubt, no question.

Turtle Beach Elite Atlas Review

In the world of gaming audio, words like alpha, ultimate, elite get thrown around more readily than insults in Gordan Ramsay’s kitchen. Today, we’re going to unpack a set of Turtle Beach’s Elite Atlas gaming heasset to find out if it deserves the name.

Review: V-MODA Crossfade 2 Wireless

You’re not going to believe us when we tell you this, but you can get everything you need to know about V-MODA by taking one look at their warranty program. See, they don’t call it a warranty. They call it the Immortal Life Guarantee.

ZMF Aeolus Review

Zach Mehrbach is the closest thing the headphone world has to a rockstar. He is one of the most highly regarded engineers in the business – at audio shows, his stall is always heaving with fans wanting to check out his latest creation.

On-Ear Headphone Reviews

Review: Beats by Dre Solo3 Wireless

We recently reviewed the Beats by Dre Studio3 Wireless, and awarded them the title of worst headphones ever made. A little harsh? Not quite. Maybe the Solo3 Wireless can avenge them.

Review: Beyerdynamic Aventho Wireless

Beyerdynamic make some of the best headphones on the planet. They’ve been doing it for quite a long time, so they know a thing or two about sound. But they have surprisingly few Bluetooth models...

Review: Master & Dynamic MW50

The world of on-ear Bluetooth headphones isn’t exactly known being a luxury market. One manufacturer looking to buck that particular trend is New York's Master & Dynamic.

Review: Puro Sound Labs BT5200

One of the things that we, and just about everybody who loves music, are not very good at is looking after our hearing. When there are so many fantastic headphones and speakers to listen to, who cares about resting your ears?

Review: Thinksound On2

Very few audio designers are as accomplished as Aaron Fournier. After stints at Tivoli Audio and V-Moda, the Boston-based engineer started his own company, Thinksound, with the goal of making environmentally-friendly headphones that sounded fantastic.

In-Ear Headphone Reviews

1More Stylish True Wireless Review

True wireless earbuds are amazing technology, but can be tricky to get right. Details like pairing and controls can often defeat the best companies, even if they haven’t stumbled before. Which is why we were so excited to test the 1More Stylish.

Review: 1More Triple Driver In-Ears

It's not easy to create a best-selling pair of earbuds. Doing so without sacrificing sound quality is even harder. And keeping things affordable? That's the grand slam.

Review: Apple AirPods

The Apple AirPods created a wave of truly wireless earbuds, but they never quite made our review list. Until today. They managed to snag a spot in our most recent wireless headphones roundup, and we’d like to go further into why we chose them.

Review: Audiofly AF1120

If it weren’t for the fact that the Audiofly AF1120 in-ear monitors are in the conversation for the best we’ve ever listened to, we would have chucked it in long ago. Because there are so. Many. Tangles.

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay E8 2.0 Review

Bang & Olufsen have always felt like a dark horse in the headphone world. The company makes excellent stuff, but we’ve always associated the Danish audio wizards with speakers, first and foremost.

Review: Beats by Dre BeatsX

The BeatsX wireless earbuds have become stupidly popular. Despite the upsurge in true wireless headphones - in other words, ones without any cable at all - they've managed to sell extremely well.

Beats by Dre Powerbeats Pro Review

Beats by Dre certainly don’t have a great reputation. Despite their purchase by Apple, the headphones they’ve released have been almost universally terrible. But boy, did the Powerbeats Pro surprise us...

Beats by Dre urBeats3 Review

The urBeats3 in-ear headphones are among the company's top-sellers, and we recently spent a month with a pair to find out why. It is a month we will regret until the end of time.

Review: Brainwavz B200

Meet Brainwavz: a company with a slightly strange name, based out of Vancouver, Canada, who make some fun stuff. Most of it is of the portable audio variety, and their B200s are a good example.

Review: Brainwavz B400

Every so often, companies will send us multiple bits of gear to review. We love this – it plays merry hell with our review schedule, but it gives us a chance to compare and contrast, and really get an insight into their strengths and weaknesses...

Cambridge Audio Melomania Touch Review: True Wireless Brilliance

Up until now, if we were to advise someone about the best true wireless earbuds (as in, earbuds that have no wires at all) we would have talked about Sony, Bose, Apple, maybe even Samsung. Now, we think we can add Cambridge Audio to that rarefied list.

Campfire Audio Polaris 2 Review

In-ear technology has come a long way in just a few short years. While wireless earbuds increase in popularity, companies like Campfire Audio keep pounding away with new wired designs, focusing purely on high quality audio.

Review: Focal Spark

Earbuds and in-ear monitors can be a really weird market. Its devotees are legion, and they’re often prepared to give these often very affordable and seemingly inconsequential devices a huge amount of love and attention and analysis.

Review: Focal Spark Wireless

Last year, we reviewed the Focal Spark, an excellent pair of buds that retail for a little under $70. When they were shipped to us, they also included the wireless version, unsurprisingly called the Focal Spark Wireless.

Jabra Elite Active 65t Review

Spoiler alert: we think the Jabra Elite Active 65t are best earbuds currently available. They aren't perfect, but they do so many things so well that it would be crazy to put anything else above them.

Review: Jaybird Freedom Wireless

Although they can initially be bewildering, they’re a real gem, and it’s clear that Jaybird put a lot of thought into the way they work.

Review: Master & Dynamic MW07

We're big fans of New York's Master & Dynamic. They've got a knack for creating headphones with a distinctive look and feel, which also happen to sound fantastic.

Review: MEE audio Pinnacle P1

Reviewing the MEE audio Pinnacle P1 earbuds is quite a challenge. They are both an almost reference-grade high-end set of monitors...

Review: MEZE 11 Neo

We make no bones about being huge fans of MEZE Headphones here at The Master Switch. Why wouldn’t we be? The Romanian company blew our minds with the gorgeous 99 Classics over-ear model, which is probably our favorite pair of this year.

Review: Optoma NuForce BE2

We were curious to try out Optoma NuForce's Be2 earbuds - while the company may be boring, in terms of corporate identity, their equipment has impressed us before.

Review: Optoma Nuforce BE Sport3

We’ll admit: it was a little bit surprising when we got a pair of sports earbuds from Optoma. It may have even been a bit of a “Wait, what?” moment. Optoma? The really good but slightly square company who make projectors, DACs, professional-grade...

Review: Periodic Audio Titanium

We weren’t too familiar with Periodic Audio before. Yes, we know, perhaps we should be, but there are a lot of audio companies out there and we aren’t omniscient. We should have been paying closer attention...

Review: Pioneer C8

We are professional audio journalists, and even we struggle to keep up with the sheer deluge of true wireless earbuds. Several hit the market every week. The latest company to try their luck is Pioneer...

Review: RHA T20i

Through its precision engineering and already acclaimed audio performance, RHA - a Glasgow-based company specialising in in-ear tech - has already managed to attract plenty of attention...

Review: Rock Jaw Alfa Genus V2

Rock Jaw Audio is an independent headphone manufacturer that was founded in June 2012 from a humble bedroom in leafy Leicestershire, England. Focusing exclusively on the earbud headphone market...

Review: Shinola Canfield In-Ears

If you’ve heard the name Shinola, you’re probably familiar with the luxury watches, accessories, or even bicycles that they make.

Simgot EK3 Review

If you want the best in-ear headphones on the market, you have to look to China. Nowhere else matches stunning audio quality with excellent build standards like Chinese audio designers do, and Simgot are a perfect example of expert craftsmanship.

Sony WF-1000XM3 Review

Incorporating noise-canceling technology in a pair of earbuds is incredibly difficult. Doing it well is almost impossible. Fortunately, nobody discouraged Sony from trying.

Status Audio BT Structure Review

While true wireless earbuds are increasing in popularity, traditional wireless earbuds are still being made. Recently, we’ve had a chance to test a new pair from Status Audio. But in a world where earbud tech is advancing faster than we can keep up with/

We're jammin'.

Over-Ear Headphone Reviews

On-Ear Headphone Reviews

In-Ear Headphone Reviews

Wireless Headphone Reviews

Mobile Menu

Megamenu - Desktop Hamburger Menu

Get the best new audio gear in your inbox once a week

© 2024 The Master Switch. All Rights Reserved. No part of this site may be reproduced without our written permission.

© 2024 The Master Switch. All Rights Reserved.
No part of this site may be reproduced without our written permission.