Definitive Technology Symphony 1 Over-Ear Bluetooth Wireless Headphones – Black
Definitive Technology Symphony 1 Over-Ear Bluetooth Wireless Headphones – Black
- Immerse yourself in precision-crafted, audiophile-grade sound wherever you are with the Definitive Technology Symphony 1 executive Bluetooth headphones
- 50mm drivers offer detailed, full-fidelity highs and mids-and rich, deep bass-for a big, natural soundstage
- Convenient Bluetooth connectivity for wireless listening and phone calls
- Closed back, over-ear design seals out external sound while active noise cancellation (ANC) technology dramatically reduces ambient noise. Built-in rechargeable battery lasts up to 15 hours with noise cancellation on
- Refer the User manual available under Product details
If precision and attention to the finest details are the marks that Definitive Technology lives by, then Symphony 1 is a true embodiment of that spirit. With Bluetooth connectivity, active noise cancelling (ANC) technology, and 50 mm drivers for the broadest and richest soundstage, Symphony 1 is the ultimate headphone for the most discerning audio aficionados. Symphony 1 also features a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery that that last up to 15 hours with noise cancellation engaged. Plus, it
List Price: $ 399.00
Price:
Edifier H840 Audiophile Over-the-ear Headphones – Hi-Fi Over-Ear Noise-Isolating Closed Monitor Music Listening Stereo Headphone – Blue
- 40mm driver units fine tuned for quality sound output in enclosed ear cups
- Ergonomic fit with around the ear design, comfortable soft leather earmuffs for prolonged wearing
- Leather headrests with steel reinforced headband for flexibility and durability
- Extremely durable and flexible – 1 year warranty
- 3.5mm gold-plated audio plug, High performance and durable stereo headphones
Superb studio monitor sound quality made affordable
The Edifier H840 Studio Monitoring Stereo Headphone is an incredibly low priced entry-level stereo headphone. These headphones are engineered to give you the most life-like audio quality. Featured with a simple, classic yet elegant style, exquisite material and workmanship, the H840s provide you with all day comfort. These headphones are made with an around-the-ear closed back design, which amplifies the effect of these noise-isolating head
List Price: $ 39.99
Price:
A solid premium Bluetooth headphone for the discriminating buyer–this one’s a keeper!,
In the fast-growing “premium Bluetooth headphone” market, Definitive Technology’s first foray into the headphone space strikes the right featureset balance for a headphone with great sound quality, great build and design, and little in the way of unnecessary technology frills. I’ve owned/tried a variety of these kinds of headphones, including the Sony MDR-1RBT and Samsung Level Overs, and the Symphony 1s trump them hands down.
What’s great about the Symphony 1s:
1) Design
+ The design is dark, understated, adult, and all-business–especially compared to the more colorful, urban-oriented stylings of the Samsung Level Overs or the Beats Studio Wireless.
+ Solid build quality, but relatively lightweight. (I weighed these at 310g, compared to the 348g Samsung Level Overs, which are definitely heavyweights. The Sony MDR-1RBTs compare similarly at 297g.)
+ Metal headband stems, soft touch plastic earcups.
+ Earcups can swivel flat, and the earcups smoothly and easily rotate and tilt for secure seal/fit (the Level Overs had somewhat limited adjustability here)
+ Inside the earcups is a tasteful, thick woven protective fabric.
+ The earcups are thick, supple, and offer some of the best passive noise isolation I’ve heard yet
+ The earcups are quite big and feel roomy for my (average) ears
2) Noise Isolation/Active Noise Cancellation (ANC):
+ (Roughly) 20-30% better passive noise isolation than the Sonys or Samsungs
+ (Roughly) 20-30% better ANC than the Samsungs
+ Yes, switching between the Symphony 1s and Level Overs with ANC on, the difference is dramatically better (50+% better, and I thought the Level Overs were really good when I first tried them).
+ ANC can be turned on and off
+ I can’t perceive *ANY* of that typical active noise cancellation hiss (that you can hear with the Level Overs); the only indication that ANC is on is the subtle veil of silence.
3) Sound Quality
+ The sound is exactly what I was looking for: a wide soundstage (wide for closed back headphones and wider than the Level Overs and 1RBTs), accurate details (though not as analytic as the Level Overs), and a warm-leaning sound signature, so tastefully accentuated bass and mid-bass. Though I thought the Level Overs had detailed, accurate sound and were impressive for Samsung, the sound profile was a bit too neutral/flat, and without EQing, they just were not as fun to listen to for me–they didn’t offer the same warmth and bass impact of the Symphony 1s or MDR-1RBTs. The Symphony 1s offer the warmth of the 1RBTs that I liked, but with a sound that is a bit less muddied.
+ No huge sound characteristic changes with ANC on/off
+ Others did not notice sound leakage while listening to music at my typical listening volumes (in a quiet room)
4) Features
+ Can be connected with a computer (or other device that supports USB audio out) via the microUSB cable for a *digital audio* connection, bypassing the computer’s DAC for the headphone’s internal DAC (this is really cool and fairly rare, the only other headphone I’m aware that does this is Sennheiser’s $500 Momentum Wireless)
+ Can be used passively with 3.5mm audio cable
+ Comes with a really nice leather (or pleather?) hard case, with foam padding, USB/3.5mm cables, and a little nylon baggie.
+ Supports aptX codec (as tested on my PC with an aptX USB dongle)
So overall, the Symphony 1s are a keeper for me, and have dethroned my Level Overs and MDR-1RBTs as my personal go-to Bluetooth circumaural headphones. Though they are not inexpensive at $400 MSRP, I think they exude quality (in both sound and build) that is appropriate for the price (even despite the few niggles I had with this first offering, see below).
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So all that said, prospective buyers should be aware of the areas that could use improvement (or may be personal dealbreakers) on the Symphony 1s:
– The controls/user interface could use some work. I actually prefer physical buttons (versus the Level Over touch interface that one can easily inadvertently activate while taking them on/off). That said, the Symphony 1s have all the buttons on the right ear cup, there are SIX of them, and they are all the same size, so there’s a bit of a learning curve: you’ll have to feel for and count to make sure you’re hitting the button you want. Worse, there is no delay for the power button, so you can lightly tap it thinking it’s the ANC button and *whoosh* your headphones power off. It seems to be a fairly trivial design improvement to require the user to hold the power button for 2-3 seconds before committing to a power off/on like most consumer devices do. The same goes for the Bluetooth button; it’s too easy to accidentally turn off. I would love it if some kind of firmware update could change this.
– The case is HUGE (roughly…
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|The Clear Winner for Sound Quality with Active Noise Cancellation,
I first tried the Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 Wireless, and really wanted to really like these, but the sound was much too colored and bass forward for my liking. I was also looking for a more three dimensional sound stage, and it just was not there. The Bluetooth connection to my iPhone 6 plus was also inconsistent, so these were returned.
I ruled out the QC25 due to only marginal improvement over the QC15, and very minimal improvement in sound quality. I am looking for audiophile quality while traveling by plane, and these sounded almost exactly like the previous model to me. These are still probably the best option if you care most about active noise cancellation and comfort, but others models are starting to catch up, as I will mention later.
The B&O H8 were quickly ruled out for being on-ear rather than over-ear. The ear cup touch controls were nice but i prefer actual buttons.
Next I tried the PSB M4U 2, and had high expectations as I have long used their bookshelf speakers in my hi-fi setup. With a built-in amplifier and ANC, I found the sound to be a vast improvement over the Bose headphones with clear highs and very tight bass. The soundstage and separation was also much improved over the other models I tried previously. These would be my second choice. Even though they are foldable, they are still heavy on the head and a bit clumsy (The design is now 3 years old at this point).
Finally, I tried the Symphony 1 and was absolutely blown away. As others have mentioned, the packaging is really exceptional and the understated design comes across as very mature and of the highest quality. The massive earcups accommodate huge 50mm drivers, allowing for an exceptional soundstage exceeding all other options I tried. The bass is a little less forward than in the PSB’s but overall they are extremely well balanced. All controls on the right ear cup are easy to access and I was quickly able to work all functions including answering calls, which will probably never be used, but very cool anyway. As for the ANC, the large earcups already provide a great amount of sound isolation, but the ANC is still helpful. I have not had the chance to try these on an airplane, but I would guess they are very close to my Bose QC15’s for noise cancellation. For me, change in sound quality from bluetooth to wired is undetectable. Definitive Tech has managed to create a bluetooth headphone that sounds better than many wired units in their price range. The only negative for me is the headband. It could use a little softer padding, but with some careful adjustments I have found a setting that worked fine for a 3 hour listening session. Once you hear these, you will want to make the headband situation work. To Summarize:
Pros:
-Exceptional soundstage. 3 dimensional and balanced. The only better sounding headphones I have heard are open-back and more expensive.
-Understated mature design
-Wireless capabilities work well without sacrificing any sound quality
-Great battery life 10-15 hours
-Large earcups are comfortable and provide excellent noise isolation
-Effective active noise cancellation with no pressure feeling when activated.
Cons:
-Headband requires some getting used to. May be difficult for large heads
-Large case. High quality but very large.
I will provide an update once I have traveled with them a few times. There are not many reviews out there since these are very new, so please let me know if you have any questions
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|Absolutely Stunning Sound Quality,
http://www.amazon.com/gp/review/R3SXFXXTXKK5NK/ref=cm_cr_pr_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00FJISZ0A
Some of my review will be comparing these to the Sony’s as they are my main point of reference.
The Good:
I know some people could care less about the packaging but when I buy something at this price point I expect the unboxing to make me feel like I bought a high quality product. The Symphony 1’s certainly do that. It comes with not only a very nice (but quite large) leather case but there is also a convenient travel pouch as well. My only knock against the Sony’s was that they didn’t come with a nice hard case and the soft pouch they did provide was a bit too snug. Also included with the Symphony 1’s is a USB charging cable and a somewhat flimsy headphone cable which most people will never use since these are wireless headphones. The headphones themselves seem well built and sturdy.
The Bad:
Though these are comfortable they could use a bit more padding in the headband. The ear cups are quite comfy but are also a bit bulky. Unlike the Sony’s and a few other pairs I have tried, you will definitely notice that these are on your head. They are stylish but not as fashionable looking as other pairs of wireless headphones out there. These are all fairly minor complaints though. My only major complaint is the sound leakage. People around will certainly be able to hear what you are listening to. When my wife put these on I was surprised how much sound was leaking out.
The Amazing:
The sound quality. When I listened to these at CES in January I knew I had to get a pair. The sound quality is well beyond any other pair of wireless headphones I have tried and better than just about all the wired headphones I have tried with the exception of some of the very high end Sennheisers (HD 700 & HD 800). They have a very open sound that makes you feel like you are in same room with the musicians. There doesn’t seem to be any sort of discernible difference in the sound quality whether you are listening with the ANC on or off which is often a fatal flaw on other wireless models. I have not yet listened to them in wired mode.
Summary:
If you are looking for a pair of wireless headphones for around the house these are a great choice. The sound quality is simply incredible. Due to the sound leakage and them being a bit bulky, they might not be the best choice if you want to use them around the office or for traveling/commuting on a plane/train.
***Update***
After using these a bit longer, I have found that the sound leakage isn’t as bad as I originally thought. It only seems to happen at higher volumes. Unfortunately, the lack of headband padding is a bit bigger issue than I originally thought. These do seem to get a bit uncomfortable during longer listening sessions. I’m still thoroughly impressed by the amazing sound quality.
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|wont find a better sub 30 dollar headset.,
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|An Impressive headset with some minor drawbacks.,
I’ve had slight reservations with some of Edifier’s other headphones, in particular the very thin wiring .
The connecting wiring is thin here as well but the c comfort and the generally flat-response speakers makes this an attractive gift because of its versatility in playing back a wider range of music without sound reproduction becoming compromised because of either excessive bass.
The 840’s as I mentioned are very soft and comfortable to hold and to wear.
It has a standard 3.5mm head that one can plug into a variety of sources.
Where the highlights are the sound, feel and fit, one can also make the case that the headset’s thin wire means that one will have to be extremely careful.
Also, speaker doesn’t have a volume button if you wanted to jam out. Even on the maximum level, these weren’t loud at all.
So, Edifier has a very nice around the neck headphones, but it must deal with the speaker volume and the connecting wire.
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|A good value for the price,
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