The Costco (Ax700-514)version is now online and available. It differs from the standard Ax5140Q only in leaving out Hisense specific TV features but is otherwise identical and listing for only $249 rather than $399 listed by Best Buy for standard version
Thanks for bringing this to our attention! We’re looking into this, although of course can’t make any promises as to which products we’ll be reviewing next.
It looks like this is the Arya v2. I think you should update the title to show that information (Even if Hifiman is confused about their own editions of this headphone, you shouldn’t be). The v1 and v2 have different frequency response curves. I can tell because the v1 is supposed to have a fine metal grill instead of the cloth covering the drivers on the outside. Here is a picture of the v1: https://audiofi.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Hifiman-Arya-1-scaled.jpg
Thanks for your comment. We do mention that this is the V2 in the “Differences Between Sizes And Variants” section of this review. But we also agree it could be clearer, so we will be updating the review accordingly. Thanks!
Great work as usual! Curious as to why the AirPods Max isn’t the best sounding over-ear headphone on this list since it outscores the Focal Bathys in the sound rating? Both also support USB-C lossless audio.
Thanks for your question. In this case, there are a couple of reasons. First, the Apple aren’t well-supported on Android since they lack a dedicated companion app for the platform, unlike the Focal. That’s important, as we want our picks to be relevant for both Android and iOS users. Second, the Apple’s warm sound isn’t to everyone’s taste, where the Focal’s more balanced frequency response probably better reflects the average person’s preference (per our own research, as well as that by Harman and others). Of course, you can easily EQ both of these headphones to taste using their companion apps…unless you’re an Android user of the Apple, in which case you’d need to use a third-party EQ app.
I hope that helps! You can’t really go wrong with either, and if you’re an iOS user, there’s a lot to be said for the AirPods’ easy integration with the rest of the Apple ecosystem.
Edited 23 days ago: clarification of Android support.
I appreciate the reply and explanation. I use this site to pick the best headphones in a certain price range, so I was just wondering. You mentioned a different test bench; which one has better sound in your opinion? And what weights should I give to the different test bench scores?
And regarding build quality, I noticed their scores were the same, but the paragraph tone associated with the score was more positive for the Turtle Beach Atlas Air, but more negative for the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7, so I assumed that meant you were more impressed with the Turtle Beach. Would you say they are in fact equal?
And I appreciate including it on the next update, but only if it deserves it! Thanks for all you guys do by the way!
Hey!
It’s not really a question of which one sounds better—the underlying sound of each headphone hasn’t changed. While our test benches and scoring rubrics have evolved (SteelSeries was tested on 1.8, Turtle Beach on 2.0), both used the same equipment and target curve, so the frequency response graphs are still directly comparable.
That said, the scoring in 2.0 changed a little, especially regarding the treble range, which may explain some differences in sound rating. But again, that’s a change in how we grade, not how the headphones actually sound.
One thing to note: the Turtle Beach are open-back, while the SteelSeries are closed-back. That means the SteelSeries blocks out more ambient noise. It also comes in an Xbox variant, which makes it a bit more versatile for most people.
And yes, reading the build quality section in the way you’ve done is a good idea. The score gives you a general idea, but the written details are where the nuance shows up, especially when it comes to comfort, materials, and long-term feel.
Hope that clears things up! Let us know if you have any other questions.
I get that but these are a gaming headset from a well known brand. I feel like rtings have gotten a bit lazy with their gaming headset list. Its always audeze at the top(despite failure reports by users)
Thanks for letting us know your thoughts. We’re definitely aware of these headphones and will keep them in mind. Right now, we’re a bit too busy to make promises regarding whether or when we’ll get to them, but we do appreciate you letting us know what interests you. Thanks!
Sorry for criticizing, but its not nice to share a list “best of 2025” and compare headphones half with Text bench 1.8 half with Text bench 2.0. Please (almost begging) finish your update list (From 1.8 to 2.0) as quick as possible (pending almost for 2 months) and then lets discuss about such lists. Half with “Neutral Sound”, half with “Audio Reproduction Accuracy”..like comparing apples and pears :((
Thanks for your concerns. First, we’re hard at work bringing many new headphones up to 2.0. We appreciate your patience while we do so. It’s no easy task to re-test dozens of headphones while also performing tests on new audio gear. Second, the sound profiles of headphones on TB 1.8 and TB 2.0 are measured the same way on the same rig. Some of the scoring has changed with 2.0, but the frequency response measurements haven’t. That means we can still make comparisons across test benches by looking at graphs such as the raw frequency response. It’s also worth noting that the members of the audio team do not just depend on, say, the ‘Neutral Sound’ or ‘Audio Reproduction Accuracy’ scores when making picks or decisions about what to recommend. We also use our judgment and market knowledge, so a higher-scoring headphone won’t necessarily make our lists. All that’s to say that we stand behind our recommendations, even if some of the headphones haven’t been brought up to 2.0, and we feel confident we can compare across test benches 1.8 and 2.0.
But, as I said, we’re working hard on bringing as many up to 2.0 as we possibly can.
Why are these not recommended or mentioned in the wireless earbuds for running/working out article?
Thanks for reaching out! We’ve been hard at work on a number of other articles and projects, and so haven’t had a chance to update all of our recommendation articles recently. That said, we’re now in the process of making updates, so these will likely find their way into some recommendation articles. Stay tuned!
Yes that’s what I mean. I wish to adjust the EQ closer to the reference curve but am not very good at that, it would be great if here can be recommendations on how much values I should set for each of treble, mid and bass on the app, because Bose doesn’t provide the decibel difference of each level.
I’m glad to hear that its getting started with wired headphones! I’ll be waiting patiently for one day that can expand to wireless ones. Thanks you!
Thanks very much for your kind words. You’re right that the Bose app doesn’t show decibel figures, and so it’s hard for us to give precise data. For the time being, take a look at our measurements and then adjust the three bands to taste. It’s important to trust your own ears where possible. Thanks again!
Just to be clear: do you mean will we offer a selection of recommended equalizer settings to match our (and others’) target curve? If so, we are working on that right now, but with a focus on wired headphones. Because wireless headphones use a variety of different companion apps, it’s hard to develop a standard we can use that covers all of them. Is there something in particular you’re trying to achieve?
Thanks for your question. Our Noise Isolation - Voice Handling test measures how much the headphones attenuate the voice of a nearby person talking to you when background noise is present. Essentially, are the headphones just blocking out more general noise, or are they also blocking out the sound of the human voice. We don’t make a judgement as to whether blocking out the noise of a voice is a good or bad thing, because different people want different things from a pair of headphones.
And to your second question, yes. Top tier ANC-equipped headphones such as the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless do a good job blocking out the sound of nearby voices, even when you’re not playing audio. That said, the human voice is a very dynamic sound source with a high degree of variability, so we can’t say that any pair of headphones will block out every voice, but in general our highest-scoring headphones for noise isolation will do a good job.
Hi there! Can someone please tell me if LG OLED55CS6LA is compatible with Soundbar LG SC9S? I’m asking this because of that soundbar stand that you can mount on back of the TV? Thank you!
Thanks for your question. This TV is not compatible with the SC9S stand. The stand is compatible with TVs in LG’s C2, C3, and C4 lineups, but the TV you’ve listed is in the CS series, so it won’t work. We’ve confirmed this with LG. I hope that helps!
Would you mind giving us a few more details about your purchase? Where did you buy them, and what’s the model/serial number? That would really help us. Thanks!
If the Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 is better than the Sony WF-1000XM5 in almost every category, why is Sony recommended over the Jabra
Thanks for your question. I guess the first thing to say is that we’ve been recommending both headphones widely. The Sony have a few premium features that the Jabra don’t, such Hi-Res audio via the LDAC codec. For some users, that’s important and worth the extra money. But where things such as microphone quality are a priority, we’ve not hesitated to recommend the Jabra. Our recommendations aren’t simply a case of adding up the scores and seeing which wins. We try to take into account things like probable use cases, support quality, and user feedback. That said, we’re always delighted to receive feedback and comments from our readers on our recommendations.
The second thing to note is that we’re currently phasing out the Jabra as a recommendation, because they are hard to find now and out of stock with most retailers. So, of the two, the Sony is a more useful and practical recommendation going forward.
I just purchased these and was trying to compare them to the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless 2021 version. I noticed that the older version showed the gaming mode latency measurements for Android and iOS but there’s no such readings for this version. Is it the 83ms that’s listed for SBC?
Thanks for your question. With Test Bench 1.6, we changed how we measure latency. Part of that included removing the specific latency measurements for iOS and Android, as the way we reached those numbers wasn’t directly comparable with our other headphone latency tests. Instead, we moved to analyzing the relative latency of a pair of headphones, because different devices and apps all compensate for latency in different ways, so it’s hard to give an exact figure for our readers, since everyone has a different setup. Therefore, headphones reviewed under Test Bench 1.6 and later do not show different measurements for iOS and Android.
Hello, is there a review of the A50 Gen 5?
For the Astro A50 X on PS5,
is it better to use the HDMI connection with a 24ms delay + 1.3ms video delay, for a total of 25.3ms,
compared to 29ms with USB-C?
Thanks for your questions. At the moment, we don’t have plans to buy those headphones, but you can vote for the product you’d like us to review next here: https://www.rtings.com/vote/headphones
Regarding latency, we don’t expect you to notice a difference in practice between those two measurements. They’re both low enough to game with. The 3.7 ms latency difference we measured on our system is roughly equivalent to the length of time it takes for sound to travel 4 feet in the air. That said, if you want to play it safe, you can follow Logitech’s recommended setup (connect both HDMI and USB to the console) as listed on page 8 here: https://www.logitech.com/assets/70086/3/headphone_150x150.pdf
Hi everyone,
I don’t know exactly where to suggest this so I’ll add it here.
I suggest to add to this pair and in filters the flip-up feature mixed with detachable boom.
I mean, if I want a flip-up mic (or not) I cannot narrow the results in filters and this particoular headphones have both detachable and flip-up, which is really impressive: I’d add this in “Microphone” section (as there’s nothing written, by now).
General question now: open-back headphones are somehow the exactly opposite of “passive” noise cancelling? So I can hear mostly perfectly what’s happening around me, and it’s a plus if you’re talking with someone you don’t hear yourself inside your head (I don’t know if I’ve explained it well) and somehow similar to active transaprency/ambient noise modes?
Also “passive soundstage” means that you “have” to use them like in a studio or quiet room to hear the bouncing and immersing sound you’re leaking off from those in the room?
Thank you
Thanks for your question. We will definitely be considering your suggestion about adding a way to narrow down the table results by microphone style, as you’ve suggested. Unfortunately, we can’t say when or if this will happen, but it’s something we’re definitely thinking about.
Regarding open-backed headphones: they do let you hear more of your environment, yes. Of course, that also means anyone around you can hear your audio, too! Technically, both closed-back and open-back headphones have passive noise isolation, since all we mean by that is that noise around you is blocked out by the physical design of the headphones, and not by active (or powered) noise canceling technology. So it’s not that open-backed headphones are the opposite of passively isolating headphones, it’s that their passive isolation score is generally much poorer than closed-backs’. They don’t block out much audio. But that’s by design.
And soundstage refers to the sense of width and depth a headphone produces. It’s actually something we’re moving away from describing at the moment, because it’s quite technically challenging to determine what contributes to a pair of headphones’ soundstage. Usually, headphones that produce a bigger sense of space are also open-backed headphones, and it’s that design feature which means you’d usually use them in a quiet room. It’s not the soundstage per se, but the fact that the headphones leak a lot of audio.
As a rule of thumb, open-backed headphones are best used in quiet or private environments, and often also have a more immersive soundstage. But there are always exceptions.
Hello, thanks for the review.
Since you guys did this review, how is the hinge problem? Are they still getting cracked like previous generations?
Thanks.
Thanks for your question. We haven’t had any reports of issues, and there aren’t many on other public forums. In fact, this generation specifically changed the design of the hinge compared to the previous generation. They now have swivelling hinges that put less pressure on the yokes, allowing the headphones to better fit your head. Given that these headphones have been out for a while, we think the hinge problem that plagued the previous generation has been more or less resolved. I hope that helps!
Unfortunately, since we haven’t encountered these issues, we can’t say for sure what’s causing them or what your experience will be. If you’re able to buy these from somewhere that has an easy and straightforward return policy, that would probably be the best course of action.
I’m looking at buying this headset, but heard theres a lot of white-noise/static noise. Is this true? And if there is, is it something you can “turn off”. I’ve tried multiple wireless headsets, but the white-noise/static noise really bothers me.
Thanks for your question. Battery-powered headphones often have a subtle noise floor, which is usually masked by your audio. However, some people are more sensitive to it than others. While we typically only mention it if it’s particularly noticeable (and didn’t find it noteworthy with our unit), that doesn’t mean other people haven’t experienced it as a frustration. If you go ahead with this purchase, it’s worth making sure you can return it easily, since it seems your ears might be attuned to this issue. I’m sorry we can’t be of more assistance, but unit to unit variance is common with headphones, so we don’t encounter every possible flaw since we only test one unit. I hope that helps!
So does this thing have HDMI capabilities or not? The description says it doesn’t but the breakdown has it listed. Please clarify, thanks
Thanks for your question. I agree that some of the industry naming norms can be a little confusing, but since this soundbar only has a single HDMI port, no pass-through via the bar to another media source is possible. If you want to use this bar, you should use it via eARC.
I’m wondering: would the mono version test the same as the model that was tested? (but just with one earpiece instead of two)
Thanks for your question. As I’m sure you know, we put a lot of thought and time into our testing procedure here at RTINGS, so we’d be remiss to speak of the performance of a product we haven’t tested. That said, judging from the specs Jabra has listed for this product, mic performance would probably be quite similar, but that’s not something we can say for certain. Of course, the mono version wouldn’t block out sound from your environment as well as the stereo version. I hope this helps!
If adjusting this system to bass (-4) and treble (+1) as you recommended, would increasing subwoofer levels change the frequency response? Or is that a viable way to increase bass feel while leaving the frequency response calibrated?
Thanks for your question. It’s important to note that those settings were what worked in our room. Since every room has different acoustic properties, you’ll want to tune the system by ear for your room.
Nonetheless, yes tweaking the sub-bass level would indeed make the overall frequency response change, but sub-bass frequencies don’t tend to mask mid-range sounds like voices as much as mid- and high-bass frequencies (unless the sub is VERY loud), so they should have less overall impact on the sound.
In your case, I’d set the bass and treble to taste with the subwoofer set at its neutral level. (When doing this, checking your tweaks against content you’re familiar with can be helpful.) Then tweak the subwoofer’s level at the end, nudging it up or down depending on how much thump and rumble you like. If, after adjusting the subwoofer, you then find you need to adjust the bass and treble amounts slightly, you can do that afterward.
The Wired Connection section says that you can’t use the mic with a wired connection, but then the PC Compatibility section says using the USB connection enables the microphone. Could this be clarified please?
Thanks for your question. I agree, the Wired Connection box is a little confusing. We’ll amend that shortly. In this case, we mean that a wired analog connection doesn’t give you access to the microphone capabilities, but a wired USB connection does. I hope that helps!
Hello, I would like to have my experience with these headphones, I bought it in April of last year they were working very well, until in December the charging base stopped working, it did not charge or turn on wirelessly, or using a wall charger, simply dead.
I went to the Sony support service center, and I was recently surprised that the warranty of my headphones lasts only 6 months, when I understood that in other countries it is 1 year, no matter how much I complained they did not accept my complaint, talking to the technical service staff they tell me that when this happens, They cannot repair them and only apply a change of charging base without even wanting to check them, the cost of this base is half of what the product costs (more than 100 dollars).
I already thought the product was lost until today I decided to charge the charging base to see what happens, and out of nowhere they worked again.
I think that a section should be put on technical service, on products.
I don’t know what happened because it stopped working out of nowhere, I just used fast charging wall charger (but I don’t think it has anything to do with it) but even though I went to a couple of technical services they already gave up on the equipment for dead.
Thanks very much for writing to us, and I’m sorry you’ve had this experience with this product. But good news that it’s working again.
Regarding your suggestion about a technical service section: it’s something we’ve definitely discussed internally. Unfortunately, we’re not able to confirm whether such a section will be introduced. But we’ll be sure to bear your comment in mind as we discuss the issue going forward. So thanks for letting us know your thoughts!
Hello, thanks for the reply
Importance of Imaging?
An important factor in playing games.
On the contrary, Imaging is not important if you only listen to music.
Is this the right idea?
It’s not a question of the type of content. If it’s very important to you that the panning of individual instruments you hear be rendered accurately, then imaging is important in music, too. It’s just quite hard to hear problems in imaging in general. I’d say that if you haven’t noticed any issues with imagining so far, you’re good! Hope this helps. :-)
what is going on ?? !! i have been waiting for this review for so long
but nothing happens
Thanks for following up on our testing pipeline. We appreciate your interest in our work! Unfortunately, as we’ve been updating our older reviews to our newest 1.8 Test Bench, we haven’t been able to dedicate as many resources to new reviews. However, these are still in the pipeline and we hope to be getting to them soon. Thanks again!
Hello, this is my first post here. Right out of the bat, love your site! However, and this was prompted by this exact model, I would urge RTINGS to consider adding “known issues” to each review (however difficult it may be with tech testing turnaround). As per MOMENTUM 4, I, along many other users, have encountered an issue that the headphones have a tendency, especially with evaporating sweat, to fog up and damage inner ANC microphones. This results in a very widely known and discussed issue, which is white noise/hissing in one or both of the headphones and diminished ANC performance in affected earcup. I’ve had this problem in the right one, but there were many cases where it was for either one or both. It is directly linked to ANC, since turning it off resolves the issue, but one does not buy ANC headphones to use them without this feature. Apart from that problem, Sennheiser Momentum 4 is a fantastic headset when working properly, noise isolation is decent, sound quality is superb (as per the brands reputation), but aforementioned ANC problem can pop up very quickly (from my research sometimes weeks from initial purchase). To give credit where it is due, Sennheiser replaces affected headphones as long as they are within the warranty period and after warranty repairs can be quite pricey, but it appears to be a model defect (shortcoming?), because the issue has a tendency to return with newly replaced headphones. Just be aware of that. I’ve switched to Sony WH1000XM4 (despite loving the feel, fit and sound quality) because of this problem.
Thanks very much for your kind words about our work here at RTINGS, as well as your helpful suggestion that we include something like a “Known Issues” box in our reviews. It’s a good idea! We recognize that there’s a limitation to our reviews. We do try to retest and mention issues as users like you bring them up, but it’s not always obvious to readers where to find that information. I’ve passed on your feedback to the rest of our team. We can’t make any promises, but it’s a good idea and we thank you for your suggestion. If you have any other feedback, we’re happy to hear it.
Hello
I love Astro A50 X Wireless
But Imaging is not very good
Will Imaging affect game sound?
Thanks for your question.
To a large extent, imaging is a measure of quality control. If both left and right drivers show identical phase, amplitude, and frequency response, then the headphones will do an excellent job of reproducing the stereo characteristics of your audio. For example, a gunshot that the game designers intended to be heard halfway to your left will sound right where it should be. If there are differences in phase, amplitude, or frequency response, then the gunshot may sound a touch off from where the game designers intended, perhaps being reproduced a touch further to your left.
That said, small differences are usually very hard to notice with real-world content, and that’s the case with the Astro A50 X Wireless. There’s a very small difference between amplitude and frequency response between the left and right drivers (mostly in the treble range), but that’s mostly noticeable when running a test signal sweep, which isn’t representative of real-world performance. In general, we don’t expect those differences to matter for the vast majority of gamers. If you haven’t noticed it so far, I’d say you’re in the clear and can continue enjoying your headphones.
ANC really helps in other situations as well. At home in front of a laptop with a loud fan, or when the neighbours are playing music or working with a chainsaw int the garden, etc. The problem is when the ANC is on and generates noise that is quite loud or annoying.
An easy measurement would be to bring the earbuds close to the phone microphone one by one and record the noise using Spectroid or any other sw that displays a waterfall plot (spectrum analysis in time) when ANC is on or off.
The ANC on the Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 may be adaptive, but the noise when ANC is on is still the same regardless of whether there is any noise around or not => I’m not concerned about how effectively the headphones dampen unwanted sound, but how they produce unwanted sound/noise that isn’t in the environment.
@awelotta described it very well: a noise floor when ANC is ON.
HearThrough mode generates loud noise and was unnecessary for my use. Sony sw can turn it off, Jabra sw can’t (at least so far).
Regarding the weight of the earbuds, you mention in the reviews:
Sony Linkbuds: 0.02 lbs
Jabra Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2: 0.02 lbs
The reality is this:
Sony Linkbuds: 4g
Jabra Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2: 5g
and you can really feel the weight difference in your ears.
Sometimes it’s harder to choose headphones based on your reviews.
It would be good to add a more accurate weight measurement for earbuds, and especially an analysis of the noise spectrum with ANC on/off, as this is really important for selection.
Take it as feedback not criticism.
Ah, I understand what you’re saying now. If the buds are generating noise when a feature is activated, I would definitely return them and see if you received a defective pair. We haven’t noticed it with our pair, but if you encounter it in another pair, we’d love to hear about it.
Thanks very much for your feedback, too. We really appreciate it! I’m going to raise your point about more accurate weight measurement with our team, because I think you bring up a good point that grams are a more suitable unit to use when comparing small weights. Thanks for that!
Please let me know if you have any further questions.
Did the frequency response test of jbl partybox encore apply deepbase mode or nothing?
Yes, we set the Bass Boost feature set to ‘Deep’. For future reference, we usually outline the settings we use to test a speaker in the Frequency Response Accuracy box. We pick the mode that most closely approximates our target curve. Thanks for your question, and I hope that helps!
“The Bose QC Ultra Headphones are Bluetooth-only headphones.” (Wireless Gaming section) - This seems to be false. I just got these as a gift and they come with a short 3.5mm jack that I’m able to plug into my Yeti microphone and use wired. They still have to be charged, however, which is the “con” correctly mentioned in the Gaming section (“Needs to be powered on even when plugged in.”)
These are wired and wireless headphones.
Thanks for this question. When we assess wireless gaming, we refer to non-Bluetooth wireless, such as connection via a USB dongle. This is because Bluetooth tends to add too much latency to be useful for gaming. If you hover over the question mark next to the words Wireless Gaming in the Verdicts section, you’ll see a brief explanation of what the verdict refers to. These headphones only work wirelessly via Bluetooth, so they’re not suitable for wireless gaming. However, they are suitable for wired gaming. We give them a 7.3 for wired gaming, which is decent.
We’ll update the Wireless Gaming verdict to make this distinction a bit clearer. Thanks, and I hope this helps clarify things for you!
Hi Rtings,
Are you able to provide your calibration details for the 990D please? Similar to what you do with the TVs
Absolutely. We usually note this in the Stereo Frequency Response and Stereo Frequency Response With Preliminary Calibration
boxes of a review. In this case, we used the default preset, with both bass and treble settings set to 0 (i.e. no change from the standard default preset). That’s the setting that most closely approximated our target curve.
Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 ANC is definitely worse than LinkBuds S.
ANC off - no noise, beautiful silence
HearThrough - loud noise
ANC on - 4s loud deep noise (no problem here)
ANC on - after 4s weak high noise - this is very annoying, LinkBunds is completely silent here, I returned the earbuds because of this constant noise.
Why RTHINKS.com doesn’t measure/talk about this?
Also it’s not possible to set ANC/Off mode in the app, only these:
HearThrough/Off
HearThrough/ANC
HearThrough/ANC/Off
LinkBuds S allows to set ANC/Off mode. So one button press turns ANC on and second off.
Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 has bad case design. The bottom is round with usb-c and it doesn’t stand on a table.
You need to turn it upside down, but then you can’t open the case and the earbuds are upside down inside.
LinkBuds S case is much better - usb-c on side and can stand on the table and you can open it when it stands on the table.
RTHINKS.com states “Weight 0.02 lbs” for both earbuds, but the truth is that the LinkBuds S are much lighter!
Thanks for your questions.
Regarding your first point, it’s worth noting that the ANC on these earbuds is adaptive, so it adjusts to your environment. That means you’ll only feel its full effects when you’re in a very noisy environment such as on a metro train.
That said, it does sound like perhaps you received a faulty pair. I’ve checked with our testers and have confirmed that our pair doesn’t have the high-pitched noise issue. We’ve made a note of it though, in case the issue crops up again.
As to your second point, I understand that you find cycling through HearThrough, ANC, and Off modes is more unfriendly than being able to cycle between only ANC and Off, but it’s a common configuration in many of the earbuds we come across. If you find it seriously impacts your enjoyment of the buds, I can certainly understand why you’d prefer another pair.
Before the test branch, the Neutral Sound rating was 8.2, but now it’s 7.3. What a drastic change in the review! 😂 I purchased these headphones based on the 8.2 rating, but after seeing the updated 7.3, I’ve lost all trust in Rtings’ reviews.
Thanks for writing to us about this.
It’s important to note that sound is a very subjective thing. To begin with, we all have different anatomy which means we perceive sound differently (differently sized ears, heads, etc.), but we also have different preferences. As we note in our article about the Test Bench 1.8 update (https://www.rtings.com/research/frequency-response-1-8), people demonstrate a wide variance in sound preferences. Simply put: one curve does not fit all. Our neutral sound score is our best attempt at a kind of ‘average’ that is a good starting point for many people, but it’s not to be taken as gospel. Ultimately, the question you should ask yourself is do you like the sound of the headphones? If you do, then you’ve made a solid purchase. If not, you can either try to find a new pair or customize the sound of your existing pair using their software’s EQ.
In this specific case, I’d note that a shift from 8.2 to 7.3 is not drastic, and is also impacted by us changing our testing rig to using a more modern head and torso simulator. In fact, that change goes some way toward illustrating my earlier point about our anatomy having a large impact on how we perceive sound. Changing the morphology of our ear simulator means the sound measured, especially in the treble range, will change. The ear simulator we use is representative of an average human ear canal, but it’s unlikely to be a perfect match for your ears.
Overall, if this topic interests you, I’d suggest paying attention to the headphones you like the sound of, then try and find measurements for those using various tools available on our site (and others). You’ll then have a rough idea of the kind of frequency response you like, which can guide you in future buying decisions.
I hope that helps! Thanks for writing to us. We’re always trying to improve our processes and questions like this help us refine our methods.
“Hello RTINGS team, is this the in-ear headphone with the best ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) right now? Am I understanding that correctly? I want to make my purchase accordingly.
Isn’t this the exact same list as the top audiophile headphones?
Thanks for your question.
In general, yes, there is a lot of overlap between the audiophile and music categories, as you’d expect. Audiophiles typically are looking for equipment to listen to music on, rather than, say, podcasts. So headphones that are suitable for self-identified audiophiles will likely also be good picks for music fans.
But that’s not to say the categories are identical. For instance, we’ve currently selected the Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless as our top pick for casual-use music headphones, and the Focal Bathys Wireless as our top pick for casual-use audiophile headphones. Those different picks reflect some of the differences between the two categories. In general, audiophiles value a balanced sound that’s flat through the mid-range. Music fans who don’t identify as audiophiles, on the other hand, might be more amenable to the bassier sound of the Sony headphones, especially when the Sony are also a fair bit cheaper than the Focal.
That said, we expect these two articles to show considerable overlap now and in the future.
The same usual suspects and the inclusion of two Soundcore products, who gift headphones to reviewers in order to get a favourable review, raises a few eyebrows. The omission of the par excellence Cambridge Audio P100 is criminal.
Thanks for your comment.
At RTINGS.com, we pride ourselves on our independence. We do not accept gifted units from manufacturers, run adverts, or review cherry-picked units. We buy all the products we review ourselves, just as regular consumers would, before running them through our test benches. Of course, you might still disagree with our results, and we always welcome feedback on our testing protocols so that we can improve our methods.
The Denon 350 performance is way better when having 2 of them.
You can activate a special stereo mode that only works with the same model.
The many updates Denon did to the (new) HEOS app is also now worthy to mention.
Playing 24-bits 192kHz and DSD files with ease wireless. Sonos can’t..
The Denon 350 shines when going high-res in stereo mode.
Please add it in your review.
Thanks for bringing the updated App to our attention. We will update our review accordingly.
It’s worth pointing out that in the App section of this review, we do currently note that you can pair this speaker with other units to spread audio around a wider space. However, we don’t currently test the effect this has on sound quality, as we only buy one unit of each speaker. We also don’t currently test codec support for speakers, but we will consider doing so in future updates to our test bench.
Thanks for bringing these details to our attention!
What is the specific hardware used in the current and past headphone measurements? What in-ear mics are used?
I don’t see it is specified in the reviews.
Thanks for your question!
It’s tricky to cover every hardware and software setup we’ve used over the years because we regularly update and improve our testing protocols. For instance, in our most recent Test Bench 1.8 update (https://www.rtings.com/research/frequency-response-1-8), we changed how we measure frequency response. Prior to TB 1.8, we were using the HMS II.3 Head and Torso Simulator, which used the IEC 60318-4 ear simulator standard. However, that setup was only specified for measurements between 100Hz and 10kHz rather than the full 20Hz to 20kHz audible spectrum. So with TB 1.8, we switched to the Brüel & Kjær (B&K) Type 5128-B Head and Torso Simulator, which uses the B&K Type 4620 ear simulator and is specified to measure the full audible range of human hearing.
Throughout our tests, we use a variety of equipment. What follows is a summary of what we use for our Sound and Isolation tests.
For Sound, we used to use:
HATS: HMS II.3 Head and Torso Simulator with IEC 60318-4 couplers
Audio Interface: Fireface UFX (I)
Acoustic Software: REW (Room EQ Wizard)
Amplifier (Wired) headphones: Schiit Ragnarok SCH-09 RevA
For our latest Sound TB, we use:
HATS: Brüel & Kjær (B&K) Type 5128-B with ear simulator Type 4620
Acoustic Software/Interface: Audio Precision APx517B Series Acoustic Analyzer
For Isolation, we used to use:
HATS: HMS II.3 Head and Torso Simulator with IEC 60318-4 couplers
Audio Interface: Fireface UFX (I)
Speaker: M-Audio BX8 (to play the sweep)
Acoustic Software: REW (Room EQ Wizard)
Amplifier (Wired) headphones: Schiit Ragnarok SCH-09 RevA
For our latest Isolation TB, we use:
HATS: Brüel & Kjær (B&K) Type 5128-B with ear simulator Type 4620
Acoustic Software: REW (Room EQ Wizard)
Audio Interface: Fireface UFX (II)
Speakers: 4x Yamaha HS8 Studio Monitor
Subwoofer: Yamaha HS8s Studio Subwoofer
I hope this helps. Thanks for trusting RTINGS.com!
These headphones lack any on-headphone mic muting functionality which renders them essentially unusable as office headphones. Massive usability issue which has led me to return them. The rating should be lowered!
Thanks for your feedback.
That’s a great observation and one we will definitely take into account as we move forward with future Test Bench updates. We’re always looking to improve our testing procedures and recommendations, so feedback like this is very valuable.
In the meantime, if a pair of headphones’ control scheme is important to you, we suggest making sure to read through the Controls section of our headphone reviews. Make sure to click on any hyperlinks in the section, too, as we often link to screenshots of user manuals. That way, you’ll at least have an idea of how a pair of headphones works before buying them.
Hi, Can the RTINGS team help me with the Best EQ profile, that i should use for optimum performance.
I have gone through your review in detail, and really appreciate the in-depth process followed.
Thanks
Thanks for your question and the kind words. We appreciate knowing our work is helping people!
Unfortunately, we can’t really give recommendations as to what “the best” is because sound is so subjective. For instance, I personally enjoy a darker sound than our target curve, with less treble and more bass. But other people find the sound I like to be a bit dull. That’s one reason headphone manufacturers include EQs with their companion apps: they let the end user customize the sound to their preference.
That said, the simplest approach would be to start with all the EQ settings set to the ‘flattest’ or most neutral settings, and then adjust to taste. I find this is easiest to do while listening to a song I know very well. With the song playing, I adjust the sliders until I get a sound I’m happy with. Then I just cross-reference it against a few other tunes to make sure I’m in the ballpark, and I’m usually happy with the result. Of course, there’s nothing stopping you from continuing to tweak the settings over the product’s lifetime.
Subject: Inquiry About Audio Ratings
Dear Ratings Team,
I hope this message finds you well.
I am writing to inquire about your decision to favor the Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless 4 over the Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 in the audio category. From what I’ve observed, the Jabra headphones seem to excel, particularly in terms of natural sound, and outperform the Sennheiser in almost every aspect, which makes me curious about the criteria behind your decision.
Could you kindly elaborate on the technical aspects or standards that led to this preference? Were there other factors, such as design, comfort, or a specific performance element, that influenced the final verdict?
I truly appreciate your dedication to providing accurate and practical reviews and look forward to gaining a better understanding of this evaluation.
Thanks for your question!
We agree that this is a tough question, and it’s one we discuss extensively as a team. There are a couple of things to say here. First, numbers don’t tell the whole story when it comes to sound quality, which is very subjective. We have a target curve but, as we outline here (https://www.rtings.com/research/frequency-response-1-8), there’s quite a big variance when it comes to listener preference. So while it’s true the Jabra more closely fit our target curve, the Sennheiser still sound great, and many listeners love them.
In terms of sound quality, an advantage the Sennheiser has is LDAC support. This is often important to fans of premium audio gear, who value high-resolution audio playback. That’s one reason we’ve had the Sennheiser as our pick, along with their better Peaks and Dips performance, which can make EQing the headphones easier, since you’re less likely to further inflate or reduce existing inconsistencies in the audio response.
All that said, we’re actually in the process of making the Jabra our new top pick for the Best Sounding Earbuds recommendation article, for many of the reasons you’ve said.
As you can undoubtedly tell, this is a complex topic, and we don’t take our pick choices lightly. We’re always open to amending our recommendations after further discussion and user feedback, so thanks for writing to us with your thoughts.
In the end, both these earbuds offer great sound quality, and much of the choice comes down to taste.
What’s the best recommended EQ settings for the best audio quality?
Unfortunately, we can’t recommend any EQ settings as “the best’, because it’s a matter of taste. I’d start from flat, or the default preset, and then tweak from there. You might find the default setting is fine as is, with no tweaking necessary.
There is a variant called Logitech G Pro X SE. They are a bit cheaper and come with less accesories in the box. They also have slightly different ear cups.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention! We will update our review accordingly.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention! We’re looking into this, although of course can’t make any promises as to which products we’ll be reviewing next.
Thanks for your comment. We do mention that this is the V2 in the “Differences Between Sizes And Variants” section of this review. But we also agree it could be clearer, so we will be updating the review accordingly. Thanks!
Thanks for your question. In this case, there are a couple of reasons. First, the Apple aren’t well-supported on Android since they lack a dedicated companion app for the platform, unlike the Focal. That’s important, as we want our picks to be relevant for both Android and iOS users. Second, the Apple’s warm sound isn’t to everyone’s taste, where the Focal’s more balanced frequency response probably better reflects the average person’s preference (per our own research, as well as that by Harman and others). Of course, you can easily EQ both of these headphones to taste using their companion apps…unless you’re an Android user of the Apple, in which case you’d need to use a third-party EQ app.
I hope that helps! You can’t really go wrong with either, and if you’re an iOS user, there’s a lot to be said for the AirPods’ easy integration with the rest of the Apple ecosystem.
Hey!
It’s not really a question of which one sounds better—the underlying sound of each headphone hasn’t changed. While our test benches and scoring rubrics have evolved (SteelSeries was tested on 1.8, Turtle Beach on 2.0), both used the same equipment and target curve, so the frequency response graphs are still directly comparable.
That said, the scoring in 2.0 changed a little, especially regarding the treble range, which may explain some differences in sound rating. But again, that’s a change in how we grade, not how the headphones actually sound.
One thing to note: the Turtle Beach are open-back, while the SteelSeries are closed-back. That means the SteelSeries blocks out more ambient noise. It also comes in an Xbox variant, which makes it a bit more versatile for most people.
And yes, reading the build quality section in the way you’ve done is a good idea. The score gives you a general idea, but the written details are where the nuance shows up, especially when it comes to comfort, materials, and long-term feel.
Hope that clears things up! Let us know if you have any other questions.
Sorry, I’m a little confused. Which EQ are you referring to? This soundbar doesn’t come with an EQ.
Thanks for letting us know your thoughts. We’re definitely aware of these headphones and will keep them in mind. Right now, we’re a bit too busy to make promises regarding whether or when we’ll get to them, but we do appreciate you letting us know what interests you. Thanks!
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Become an InsiderThanks for your concerns. First, we’re hard at work bringing many new headphones up to 2.0. We appreciate your patience while we do so. It’s no easy task to re-test dozens of headphones while also performing tests on new audio gear. Second, the sound profiles of headphones on TB 1.8 and TB 2.0 are measured the same way on the same rig. Some of the scoring has changed with 2.0, but the frequency response measurements haven’t. That means we can still make comparisons across test benches by looking at graphs such as the raw frequency response. It’s also worth noting that the members of the audio team do not just depend on, say, the ‘Neutral Sound’ or ‘Audio Reproduction Accuracy’ scores when making picks or decisions about what to recommend. We also use our judgment and market knowledge, so a higher-scoring headphone won’t necessarily make our lists. All that’s to say that we stand behind our recommendations, even if some of the headphones haven’t been brought up to 2.0, and we feel confident we can compare across test benches 1.8 and 2.0.
But, as I said, we’re working hard on bringing as many up to 2.0 as we possibly can.
Thanks!
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Become an InsiderThanks for reaching out! We’ve been hard at work on a number of other articles and projects, and so haven’t had a chance to update all of our recommendation articles recently. That said, we’re now in the process of making updates, so these will likely find their way into some recommendation articles. Stay tuned!
Thanks very much for your kind words. You’re right that the Bose app doesn’t show decibel figures, and so it’s hard for us to give precise data. For the time being, take a look at our measurements and then adjust the three bands to taste. It’s important to trust your own ears where possible. Thanks again!
Just to be clear: do you mean will we offer a selection of recommended equalizer settings to match our (and others’) target curve? If so, we are working on that right now, but with a focus on wired headphones. Because wireless headphones use a variety of different companion apps, it’s hard to develop a standard we can use that covers all of them. Is there something in particular you’re trying to achieve?
Thanks for writing to us. According to Shokz, the AfterShokz Aeropex Bone Conduction have an IP67 rating, as you can read here: https://ca.shokz.com/blogs/news/the-aftershokz-aeropex.
Perhaps you’re thinking of the Shokz OpenRun Pro, which have an IP55 rating?
Thanks for your question. Our Noise Isolation - Voice Handling test measures how much the headphones attenuate the voice of a nearby person talking to you when background noise is present. Essentially, are the headphones just blocking out more general noise, or are they also blocking out the sound of the human voice. We don’t make a judgement as to whether blocking out the noise of a voice is a good or bad thing, because different people want different things from a pair of headphones.
And to your second question, yes. Top tier ANC-equipped headphones such as the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless do a good job blocking out the sound of nearby voices, even when you’re not playing audio. That said, the human voice is a very dynamic sound source with a high degree of variability, so we can’t say that any pair of headphones will block out every voice, but in general our highest-scoring headphones for noise isolation will do a good job.
I hope that helps!
Thanks for your question. This TV is not compatible with the SC9S stand. The stand is compatible with TVs in LG’s C2, C3, and C4 lineups, but the TV you’ve listed is in the CS series, so it won’t work. We’ve confirmed this with LG. I hope that helps!
Thanks for bringing this to our attention. Right now, the manufacturer specifications still say these headphones come with 3 pairs of ear tips (https://ca.creative.com/p/audio-enthusiasts/creative-aurvana-ace-2#:~:text=LE%20Audio%20%26%20Auracast-,PACKAGE%20CONTENTS,-1%20x%20Creative).
Would you mind giving us a few more details about your purchase? Where did you buy them, and what’s the model/serial number? That would really help us. Thanks!
Thanks for your question. I guess the first thing to say is that we’ve been recommending both headphones widely. The Sony have a few premium features that the Jabra don’t, such Hi-Res audio via the LDAC codec. For some users, that’s important and worth the extra money. But where things such as microphone quality are a priority, we’ve not hesitated to recommend the Jabra. Our recommendations aren’t simply a case of adding up the scores and seeing which wins. We try to take into account things like probable use cases, support quality, and user feedback. That said, we’re always delighted to receive feedback and comments from our readers on our recommendations.
The second thing to note is that we’re currently phasing out the Jabra as a recommendation, because they are hard to find now and out of stock with most retailers. So, of the two, the Sony is a more useful and practical recommendation going forward.
I hope that helps. Thanks again!
Thanks for your question. With Test Bench 1.6, we changed how we measure latency. Part of that included removing the specific latency measurements for iOS and Android, as the way we reached those numbers wasn’t directly comparable with our other headphone latency tests. Instead, we moved to analyzing the relative latency of a pair of headphones, because different devices and apps all compensate for latency in different ways, so it’s hard to give an exact figure for our readers, since everyone has a different setup. Therefore, headphones reviewed under Test Bench 1.6 and later do not show different measurements for iOS and Android.
In this case, the 83 ms measured is indeed the latency we measured using the SBC codec following the procedure we outline here: https://www.rtings.com/headphones/learn/research/latency
I hope this helps!
Thanks for your questions. At the moment, we don’t have plans to buy those headphones, but you can vote for the product you’d like us to review next here: https://www.rtings.com/vote/headphones
Regarding latency, we don’t expect you to notice a difference in practice between those two measurements. They’re both low enough to game with. The 3.7 ms latency difference we measured on our system is roughly equivalent to the length of time it takes for sound to travel 4 feet in the air. That said, if you want to play it safe, you can follow Logitech’s recommended setup (connect both HDMI and USB to the console) as listed on page 8 here: https://www.logitech.com/assets/70086/3/headphone_150x150.pdf
I hope that helps!
Thanks for your question. We will definitely be considering your suggestion about adding a way to narrow down the table results by microphone style, as you’ve suggested. Unfortunately, we can’t say when or if this will happen, but it’s something we’re definitely thinking about.
Regarding open-backed headphones: they do let you hear more of your environment, yes. Of course, that also means anyone around you can hear your audio, too! Technically, both closed-back and open-back headphones have passive noise isolation, since all we mean by that is that noise around you is blocked out by the physical design of the headphones, and not by active (or powered) noise canceling technology. So it’s not that open-backed headphones are the opposite of passively isolating headphones, it’s that their passive isolation score is generally much poorer than closed-backs’. They don’t block out much audio. But that’s by design.
And soundstage refers to the sense of width and depth a headphone produces. It’s actually something we’re moving away from describing at the moment, because it’s quite technically challenging to determine what contributes to a pair of headphones’ soundstage. Usually, headphones that produce a bigger sense of space are also open-backed headphones, and it’s that design feature which means you’d usually use them in a quiet room. It’s not the soundstage per se, but the fact that the headphones leak a lot of audio.
As a rule of thumb, open-backed headphones are best used in quiet or private environments, and often also have a more immersive soundstage. But there are always exceptions.
I hope that helps!
Thanks for your question. We haven’t had any reports of issues, and there aren’t many on other public forums. In fact, this generation specifically changed the design of the hinge compared to the previous generation. They now have swivelling hinges that put less pressure on the yokes, allowing the headphones to better fit your head. Given that these headphones have been out for a while, we think the hinge problem that plagued the previous generation has been more or less resolved. I hope that helps!
Thanks for writing to us.
We have not experienced these issues in testing, but some gamers seem to have encountered them. It’s possible they’re caused by WiFi interference: https://www.reddit.com/r/LogitechG/comments/1aufqtn/g_pro_x_2_poppingcrackling_noise_is_there_a_fix/
Unfortunately, since we haven’t encountered these issues, we can’t say for sure what’s causing them or what your experience will be. If you’re able to buy these from somewhere that has an easy and straightforward return policy, that would probably be the best course of action.
Thanks!
Thanks for your question. Battery-powered headphones often have a subtle noise floor, which is usually masked by your audio. However, some people are more sensitive to it than others. While we typically only mention it if it’s particularly noticeable (and didn’t find it noteworthy with our unit), that doesn’t mean other people haven’t experienced it as a frustration. If you go ahead with this purchase, it’s worth making sure you can return it easily, since it seems your ears might be attuned to this issue. I’m sorry we can’t be of more assistance, but unit to unit variance is common with headphones, so we don’t encounter every possible flaw since we only test one unit. I hope that helps!
Thanks for your question. I agree that some of the industry naming norms can be a little confusing, but since this soundbar only has a single HDMI port, no pass-through via the bar to another media source is possible. If you want to use this bar, you should use it via eARC.
I hope that helps!
Thanks for your question. As I’m sure you know, we put a lot of thought and time into our testing procedure here at RTINGS, so we’d be remiss to speak of the performance of a product we haven’t tested. That said, judging from the specs Jabra has listed for this product, mic performance would probably be quite similar, but that’s not something we can say for certain. Of course, the mono version wouldn’t block out sound from your environment as well as the stereo version. I hope this helps!
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Become an InsiderThanks for your question. It’s important to note that those settings were what worked in our room. Since every room has different acoustic properties, you’ll want to tune the system by ear for your room.
Nonetheless, yes tweaking the sub-bass level would indeed make the overall frequency response change, but sub-bass frequencies don’t tend to mask mid-range sounds like voices as much as mid- and high-bass frequencies (unless the sub is VERY loud), so they should have less overall impact on the sound.
In your case, I’d set the bass and treble to taste with the subwoofer set at its neutral level. (When doing this, checking your tweaks against content you’re familiar with can be helpful.) Then tweak the subwoofer’s level at the end, nudging it up or down depending on how much thump and rumble you like. If, after adjusting the subwoofer, you then find you need to adjust the bass and treble amounts slightly, you can do that afterward.
Does that make sense? I hope this helps!
Thanks for your question. I agree, the Wired Connection box is a little confusing. We’ll amend that shortly. In this case, we mean that a wired analog connection doesn’t give you access to the microphone capabilities, but a wired USB connection does. I hope that helps!
Thanks very much for writing to us, and I’m sorry you’ve had this experience with this product. But good news that it’s working again.
Regarding your suggestion about a technical service section: it’s something we’ve definitely discussed internally. Unfortunately, we’re not able to confirm whether such a section will be introduced. But we’ll be sure to bear your comment in mind as we discuss the issue going forward. So thanks for letting us know your thoughts!
It’s not a question of the type of content. If it’s very important to you that the panning of individual instruments you hear be rendered accurately, then imaging is important in music, too. It’s just quite hard to hear problems in imaging in general. I’d say that if you haven’t noticed any issues with imagining so far, you’re good! Hope this helps. :-)
Thanks for following up on our testing pipeline. We appreciate your interest in our work! Unfortunately, as we’ve been updating our older reviews to our newest 1.8 Test Bench, we haven’t been able to dedicate as many resources to new reviews. However, these are still in the pipeline and we hope to be getting to them soon. Thanks again!
Thanks very much for your kind words about our work here at RTINGS, as well as your helpful suggestion that we include something like a “Known Issues” box in our reviews. It’s a good idea! We recognize that there’s a limitation to our reviews. We do try to retest and mention issues as users like you bring them up, but it’s not always obvious to readers where to find that information. I’ve passed on your feedback to the rest of our team. We can’t make any promises, but it’s a good idea and we thank you for your suggestion. If you have any other feedback, we’re happy to hear it.
Thanks again for trusting RTINGs!
Good to know, thanks!
Thanks for your question.
To a large extent, imaging is a measure of quality control. If both left and right drivers show identical phase, amplitude, and frequency response, then the headphones will do an excellent job of reproducing the stereo characteristics of your audio. For example, a gunshot that the game designers intended to be heard halfway to your left will sound right where it should be. If there are differences in phase, amplitude, or frequency response, then the gunshot may sound a touch off from where the game designers intended, perhaps being reproduced a touch further to your left.
That said, small differences are usually very hard to notice with real-world content, and that’s the case with the Astro A50 X Wireless. There’s a very small difference between amplitude and frequency response between the left and right drivers (mostly in the treble range), but that’s mostly noticeable when running a test signal sweep, which isn’t representative of real-world performance. In general, we don’t expect those differences to matter for the vast majority of gamers. If you haven’t noticed it so far, I’d say you’re in the clear and can continue enjoying your headphones.
I hope that helps!
Ah, I understand what you’re saying now. If the buds are generating noise when a feature is activated, I would definitely return them and see if you received a defective pair. We haven’t noticed it with our pair, but if you encounter it in another pair, we’d love to hear about it.
Thanks very much for your feedback, too. We really appreciate it! I’m going to raise your point about more accurate weight measurement with our team, because I think you bring up a good point that grams are a more suitable unit to use when comparing small weights. Thanks for that!
Please let me know if you have any further questions.
Yes, we set the Bass Boost feature set to ‘Deep’. For future reference, we usually outline the settings we use to test a speaker in the Frequency Response Accuracy box. We pick the mode that most closely approximates our target curve. Thanks for your question, and I hope that helps!
Thanks for this question. When we assess wireless gaming, we refer to non-Bluetooth wireless, such as connection via a USB dongle. This is because Bluetooth tends to add too much latency to be useful for gaming. If you hover over the question mark next to the words Wireless Gaming in the Verdicts section, you’ll see a brief explanation of what the verdict refers to. These headphones only work wirelessly via Bluetooth, so they’re not suitable for wireless gaming. However, they are suitable for wired gaming. We give them a 7.3 for wired gaming, which is decent.
We’ll update the Wireless Gaming verdict to make this distinction a bit clearer. Thanks, and I hope this helps clarify things for you!
Absolutely. We usually note this in the Stereo Frequency Response and Stereo Frequency Response With Preliminary Calibration boxes of a review. In this case, we used the default preset, with both bass and treble settings set to 0 (i.e. no change from the standard default preset). That’s the setting that most closely approximated our target curve.
I hope this helps!
Thanks for your questions.
Regarding your first point, it’s worth noting that the ANC on these earbuds is adaptive, so it adjusts to your environment. That means you’ll only feel its full effects when you’re in a very noisy environment such as on a metro train.
That said, it does sound like perhaps you received a faulty pair. I’ve checked with our testers and have confirmed that our pair doesn’t have the high-pitched noise issue. We’ve made a note of it though, in case the issue crops up again.
As to your second point, I understand that you find cycling through HearThrough, ANC, and Off modes is more unfriendly than being able to cycle between only ANC and Off, but it’s a common configuration in many of the earbuds we come across. If you find it seriously impacts your enjoyment of the buds, I can certainly understand why you’d prefer another pair.
I hope this helps!
Thanks for writing to us about this.
It’s important to note that sound is a very subjective thing. To begin with, we all have different anatomy which means we perceive sound differently (differently sized ears, heads, etc.), but we also have different preferences. As we note in our article about the Test Bench 1.8 update (https://www.rtings.com/research/frequency-response-1-8), people demonstrate a wide variance in sound preferences. Simply put: one curve does not fit all. Our neutral sound score is our best attempt at a kind of ‘average’ that is a good starting point for many people, but it’s not to be taken as gospel. Ultimately, the question you should ask yourself is do you like the sound of the headphones? If you do, then you’ve made a solid purchase. If not, you can either try to find a new pair or customize the sound of your existing pair using their software’s EQ.
In this specific case, I’d note that a shift from 8.2 to 7.3 is not drastic, and is also impacted by us changing our testing rig to using a more modern head and torso simulator. In fact, that change goes some way toward illustrating my earlier point about our anatomy having a large impact on how we perceive sound. Changing the morphology of our ear simulator means the sound measured, especially in the treble range, will change. The ear simulator we use is representative of an average human ear canal, but it’s unlikely to be a perfect match for your ears.
Overall, if this topic interests you, I’d suggest paying attention to the headphones you like the sound of, then try and find measurements for those using various tools available on our site (and others). You’ll then have a rough idea of the kind of frequency response you like, which can guide you in future buying decisions.
I hope that helps! Thanks for writing to us. We’re always trying to improve our processes and questions like this help us refine our methods.
Thanks for your question. Right now, I’d actually suggest the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) as the best earbuds with ANC, after Apple’s firmware update in late 2024 improved their ANC. Due to the holidays, we haven’t been able to update some of our recommendation articles to reflect this information. Regardless, the Jabra still perform well. You can compare the Jabra with the Apple here: https://www.rtings.com/headphones/tools/compare/apple-airpods-pro-2nd-generation-truly-wireless-vs-jabra-elite-8-active-gen-2-true-wireless/29490/63957#test_423
I hope that helps!
Thanks for your question.
In general, yes, there is a lot of overlap between the audiophile and music categories, as you’d expect. Audiophiles typically are looking for equipment to listen to music on, rather than, say, podcasts. So headphones that are suitable for self-identified audiophiles will likely also be good picks for music fans.
But that’s not to say the categories are identical. For instance, we’ve currently selected the Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless as our top pick for casual-use music headphones, and the Focal Bathys Wireless as our top pick for casual-use audiophile headphones. Those different picks reflect some of the differences between the two categories. In general, audiophiles value a balanced sound that’s flat through the mid-range. Music fans who don’t identify as audiophiles, on the other hand, might be more amenable to the bassier sound of the Sony headphones, especially when the Sony are also a fair bit cheaper than the Focal.
That said, we expect these two articles to show considerable overlap now and in the future.
I hope that helps!
Thanks for your comment.
At RTINGS.com, we pride ourselves on our independence. We do not accept gifted units from manufacturers, run adverts, or review cherry-picked units. We buy all the products we review ourselves, just as regular consumers would, before running them through our test benches. Of course, you might still disagree with our results, and we always welcome feedback on our testing protocols so that we can improve our methods.
We haven’t currently reviewed the P100, but you can vote for the next headphones you want us to review here: https://www.rtings.com/vote/headphones
I hope that helps!
Thanks for bringing the updated App to our attention. We will update our review accordingly.
It’s worth pointing out that in the App section of this review, we do currently note that you can pair this speaker with other units to spread audio around a wider space. However, we don’t currently test the effect this has on sound quality, as we only buy one unit of each speaker. We also don’t currently test codec support for speakers, but we will consider doing so in future updates to our test bench.
Thanks for bringing these details to our attention!
Thanks for your question!
It’s tricky to cover every hardware and software setup we’ve used over the years because we regularly update and improve our testing protocols. For instance, in our most recent Test Bench 1.8 update (https://www.rtings.com/research/frequency-response-1-8), we changed how we measure frequency response. Prior to TB 1.8, we were using the HMS II.3 Head and Torso Simulator, which used the IEC 60318-4 ear simulator standard. However, that setup was only specified for measurements between 100Hz and 10kHz rather than the full 20Hz to 20kHz audible spectrum. So with TB 1.8, we switched to the Brüel & Kjær (B&K) Type 5128-B Head and Torso Simulator, which uses the B&K Type 4620 ear simulator and is specified to measure the full audible range of human hearing.
Throughout our tests, we use a variety of equipment. What follows is a summary of what we use for our Sound and Isolation tests.
For Sound, we used to use: HATS: HMS II.3 Head and Torso Simulator with IEC 60318-4 couplers Audio Interface: Fireface UFX (I) Acoustic Software: REW (Room EQ Wizard) Amplifier (Wired) headphones: Schiit Ragnarok SCH-09 RevA
For our latest Sound TB, we use: HATS: Brüel & Kjær (B&K) Type 5128-B with ear simulator Type 4620 Acoustic Software/Interface: Audio Precision APx517B Series Acoustic Analyzer
For Isolation, we used to use: HATS: HMS II.3 Head and Torso Simulator with IEC 60318-4 couplers Audio Interface: Fireface UFX (I) Speaker: M-Audio BX8 (to play the sweep) Acoustic Software: REW (Room EQ Wizard) Amplifier (Wired) headphones: Schiit Ragnarok SCH-09 RevA
For our latest Isolation TB, we use: HATS: Brüel & Kjær (B&K) Type 5128-B with ear simulator Type 4620 Acoustic Software: REW (Room EQ Wizard) Audio Interface: Fireface UFX (II) Speakers: 4x Yamaha HS8 Studio Monitor Subwoofer: Yamaha HS8s Studio Subwoofer
I hope this helps. Thanks for trusting RTINGS.com!
Thanks for your feedback.
That’s a great observation and one we will definitely take into account as we move forward with future Test Bench updates. We’re always looking to improve our testing procedures and recommendations, so feedback like this is very valuable.
In the meantime, if a pair of headphones’ control scheme is important to you, we suggest making sure to read through the Controls section of our headphone reviews. Make sure to click on any hyperlinks in the section, too, as we often link to screenshots of user manuals. That way, you’ll at least have an idea of how a pair of headphones works before buying them.
You can even add a Microphone Control filter to our table, to find only headphones that have hardware mic controls. Here’s an example: https://www.rtings.com/headphones/tools/table/154235
I understand this isn’t a full solution to your issue, which is the overall Office verdict scoring, but hopefully it offers you some assistance.
Thanks for your honest feedback!
Thanks for your question and the kind words. We appreciate knowing our work is helping people!
Unfortunately, we can’t really give recommendations as to what “the best” is because sound is so subjective. For instance, I personally enjoy a darker sound than our target curve, with less treble and more bass. But other people find the sound I like to be a bit dull. That’s one reason headphone manufacturers include EQs with their companion apps: they let the end user customize the sound to their preference.
That said, the simplest approach would be to start with all the EQ settings set to the ‘flattest’ or most neutral settings, and then adjust to taste. I find this is easiest to do while listening to a song I know very well. With the song playing, I adjust the sliders until I get a sound I’m happy with. Then I just cross-reference it against a few other tunes to make sure I’m in the ballpark, and I’m usually happy with the result. Of course, there’s nothing stopping you from continuing to tweak the settings over the product’s lifetime.
I hope this helps! If you’re interested in learning more about headphone target preference curves, check out our research article for Test Bench 1.8: https://www.rtings.com/research/frequency-response-1-8
Thanks!
Thanks for your question!
We agree that this is a tough question, and it’s one we discuss extensively as a team. There are a couple of things to say here. First, numbers don’t tell the whole story when it comes to sound quality, which is very subjective. We have a target curve but, as we outline here (https://www.rtings.com/research/frequency-response-1-8), there’s quite a big variance when it comes to listener preference. So while it’s true the Jabra more closely fit our target curve, the Sennheiser still sound great, and many listeners love them.
In terms of sound quality, an advantage the Sennheiser has is LDAC support. This is often important to fans of premium audio gear, who value high-resolution audio playback. That’s one reason we’ve had the Sennheiser as our pick, along with their better Peaks and Dips performance, which can make EQing the headphones easier, since you’re less likely to further inflate or reduce existing inconsistencies in the audio response.
All that said, we’re actually in the process of making the Jabra our new top pick for the Best Sounding Earbuds recommendation article, for many of the reasons you’ve said.
As you can undoubtedly tell, this is a complex topic, and we don’t take our pick choices lightly. We’re always open to amending our recommendations after further discussion and user feedback, so thanks for writing to us with your thoughts.
In the end, both these earbuds offer great sound quality, and much of the choice comes down to taste.
I hope that helps!
Unfortunately, we can’t recommend any EQ settings as “the best’, because it’s a matter of taste. I’d start from flat, or the default preset, and then tweak from there. You might find the default setting is fine as is, with no tweaking necessary.
I hope that helps!
Thanks for bringing this to our attention! We will update our review accordingly.