As much as I delight in pagan dreams of sweetly perfumed garden nymphs, I’m embarrassed to admit that my mind also drifts in pleasant reveries whenever I hear the words research and development in the same sentence.
![Gramophone Dreams](https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/5798/222461/591ed73659c51/Gramophone-Dreams.jpg)
A Couple of Closed-back Headphones
I am by nature a greasy gear head. The idea of taking well considered steps of engineering to analyze and possibly improve the operation of any electrical or mechanical system never fails to get my imaginative juices flowing. This is why I’ve spent decades fascinated by perfectionist audio: I like watching and participating in its edgy, eccentric evolution.
So it’s perfectly natural that I’m attracted to what some call personal audio. I’m drawn to the latest headphones because they’re a part of a new, intelligent, fast-paced audio trend that is all about research and development. The leading edge of what’s technologically possible in headphones is advancing so quickly that companies like Abyss, Audeze, AudioQuest, Focal, HiFiMan, and Sony have zero time to bask in last year’s achievements.
One school of contemporary headphone engineering leans toward creating the type of sound I’ve heard in professional recording and mastering studios. This studio sound (bear with me) is typically strong, very clean, and finely resolved: purely Apollonian. It is neither bright nor dull, and energy-wise, it’s evenly balanced across the audio band. At its best, studio sound produces little to no listening fatigue, and has a “listen-into” quality that lets me hear how a recording was assembled and how I imagine the music was composed. I am predisposed to like this type of low-distortion sound.
SONY MDR-Z1R HEADPHONES
Of all the contemporary audiophile headphones I’ve studied, only five models have achieved the type of pro-studio sound described above: AKG’s K812 ($1499); Audeze’s LCD-4 ($3999); Focal’s Utopia ($3999); Sony’s MDR-7520, a pair of which I own ($499); and now, Sony’s new MDRZ1R ($2299.99).
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 2017 من Stereophile.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 2017 من Stereophile.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
![AURAL ROBERT](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1623477/3as7OLE6v1709644356322/AURAL-ROBERT.jpg)
AURAL ROBERT
Another \"outlaw\" country artist
![Nina Simone: Wild Is the Wind](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1623477/NUudrqfCZ1709644189146/NINA-SIMONE-WILD-IS-THE-WIND.jpg)
Nina Simone: Wild Is the Wind
By all accounts, Eunice Kathleen Waymon, aka Nina Simone, who passed in 2003, was a troubled person and a brilliant artist. Why she was not more acclaimed during her lifetime is a question several recent film projects have tried to answer. Did her fierce stand on civil rights lose her fans?
![Vintage hi-fi, old and new](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1623477/9V169qqI41709644015708/VINTAGE-HIFI-OLD-AND-NEW.jpg)
Vintage hi-fi, old and new
Many audiophiles and serious music lovers are passionate about vintage. Vintage has become a popular \"way in\" to the hobby, especially popular among younger folks.
![Tekton Moab Be](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1623477/MR2cBU-h81709642995604/TEKTON-MOAB-BE.jpg)
Tekton Moab Be
LOUDSPEAKER
![ARCAM Radia A25](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1623477/8oNjD9G5g1709641795556/ARCAM-RADIA-A25.jpg)
ARCAM Radia A25
INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER
![Wharfedale Heritage Series 90th Anniversary Dovedale](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1623477/8dqAdSJVJ1709641189760/WHARFEDALE-HERITAGE-SERIES-90TH-ANNIVERSARY-DOVEDALE.jpg)
Wharfedale Heritage Series 90th Anniversary Dovedale
LOUDSPEAKER
![Technics Grand Class SL-1200/1210GR2](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1623477/GDbpcdYe11709640851506/TECHNICS-GRAND-CLASS-SL12001210GR2.jpg)
Technics Grand Class SL-1200/1210GR2
RECORD PLAYER
![Thrax Audio Siren](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1623477/ltgL2K0DI1709638801138/THRAX-AUDIO-SIREN.jpg)
Thrax Audio Siren
Based in Bulgaria, European audio company Thrax has been active since 2009.
![EMM Labs MTRS](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1623477/W6zv_VifQ1709636373331/EMM-LABS-MTRS.jpg)
EMM Labs MTRS
STEREO POWER AMPLIFIER
![SPIN DOCTOR](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1623477/cjvez7_hL1709635587345/SPIN-DOCTOR.jpg)
SPIN DOCTOR
Alternative phono cartridge technologies and the DS Audio DS-W3 optical cartridge system