Price: $199.99
Website: www.usa.1more.com
Brent said: I can’t think of earphones I like better for $200 -- or even for $300.
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The gist: Great sound and nine sets of eartips!
Price: $39.99
Website: www.alteclansing.com
Rad said: Altec apparently cut costs in the wrong places: in the electronics and drivers. If you’re going to listen only to spoken word or old-time radio, these headphones will do; but if you want even semi-serious sound quality, be willing to spend a few bucks more.
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The gist: Don’t bother with these.
Price: $399 with Cipher and analog cables, $349 with analog cable only
Website: www.audeze.com
Brent said: If you want top-notch, audiophile-grade sound you can enjoy at home and easily take along to your office, cubicle, or hotel room, I can’t think of a more practical and cost-effective way to get it. This is $4000 worth of sound for $400.
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The gist: Unique design delivers stunning sound quality.
Price: $199
Website: www.audio-technica.com
Rad said: Audio-Technica’s ATH-SR6BTBK headphones look good, fit well, and sound excellent.
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The gist: All-purpose, feature-rich headphones for less than 200 bucks.
Price: $299
Website: www.audio-technica.com
Rad said: There’s much to like in the ATH-DSR7BTs. Are they harbingers of the digital future? Perhaps -- but as alternatives to traditional designs of Bluetooth headphones, their time is now.
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The gist: New-tech by AT seems to work like a champ.
Award: Reviewers' Choice
Price: $699.99
Website: www.audiofly.com
Brent said: Their combination of wear-’em-all-day comfort and superbly balanced sound makes the AF1120s one of the most appealing sets of earphones I’ve reviewed.
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The gist: A marked improvement over the company’s AF140 earphones.
Price: $699
Website: www.bluemic.com
Brent said: In my experience, the Blue Ellas were unique in their ability to present all elements of a stereo mix cleanly and clearly, without resorting to unnatural-sounding emphasis of any part of the audioband. It’s hard for me to imagine who wouldn’t like their sound.
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The gist: These look and sound different than most.
Price: $899.99
Website: www.bowers-wilkins.com
S. Andrea said: Bowers & Wilkins’ latest headphone model isn’t just the company’s own best to date; it deserves to be compared against other truly high-end headphones from the best manufacturers, even models priced much higher.
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The gist: Headphone sound to go with your 800-series speakers.