New Fakes On The Block.
Fake Audio-Technica ATH-ES7 Headphones
Fake Bang And Olufsen A8 Headphones
Fake Bose Triport IE headphones/earphones.
These three in particular, are the new bad boys on the block. You can often tell a fake, by the fact that the bidding or ‘Buy Now’ price starts as low as 1/4 of the original price. If the ‘Buy Now’ price is below half the retail price, then often enough it’s going to be a very nice (or not) replica, and some unscrupulous person is going to make off with your hard-earned.
Bose Triport IE
I don’t want to point the finger here, but I’ve seen Bose Triport’s starting at £19.99 when the retail is £69.00g(28452)a(1430696))
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Audio-Technica ATH-ES7
The Audio-Technica ATH-ES7 headphones, you can usually get them for around $100 mark or less and that’s on a generous deal. But there are some that are starting at around the $40 mark.
Bang And Olufsen A8
The Bang and Olufsen A8 headphones….they should retail at £96.00 according to the British Airways highlife shop. abt.com have them at $160, yet they’re being banded about at the price as a movie ticket. I stress, this is for the A8 headphones.
My advice is always the same, Buy from a reliable source, like abt.com shop or audiocubes.com. You may pay full whack, but it’s the reassurance that what you’re hearing is the real deal.
The hands and conscience of Headphonedeals are clean. You’ve been warned!
Click the images above, for more information on fake spotting.
With all the holidays coming (Catholic & Orthodox Christmas, New Year, Saturnalia, whatnot…), a bit of reference for headphone prices ought to help.
Headphones are a great gift - hardly anything is as enjoyed by anyone as music, and many good headphones can bring joy, revealing details that were previously unnoticeable, and revealing the true power, energy of music.
Grado headphones have long been a staple for rock, jazz & blues listeners.
SR-60 have been considered one of the best values for money and one of the best choices for a portable player or listening without an amp.
SR-80 are a tad more expensive, but they’re also more comfortable, with larger ear cushions, and have a 4-conductor cable, which improves sounding.
Alessandro MS-1 are a custom-tuned version of the SR-80 produced by Alessandro, a New York-based company specialising in guitar amps and gear. Those are considered to be the best headphones at $100 mark for guitar listening (anything with an electric guitar - metal, rock, even jazz and blues).
IGrado are Grado’s newest product, and one that isn’t entirely made in the USA. The IGrado are a behind-the-neck design with SR-60 drivers. As the name indicates, they are aimed to work with portable players.
All Grado headphones are ventilated.
SR-60, for sale at Amazon.com, US$ 69: listing 1;
listing 2
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SR-80, for sale at Amazon.com,
US$ 95.
Alessandro MS-1 are sold by the Alessandro High-End Products via their website, price is US$100, shipping anywhere in the world included.
IGrado, for sale at Amazon.com, US$ 49, black, 
white, 
and once again white
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Denon doesn’t advertise itself much, but Denon is the oldest Japanese hi-fi maker (dating back almost a century, according to their own history).
Denon AH-D550 is the current entry-level model, with a modest price, but said to produce a “closed Grado SR-60 sounding”. Their low impedance and good sensitivity mean they’ll work well with anything - portable players, notebook computers, and of course amplifiers. A great gift for anyone, both for the receiver and for the producer of gift, especially by the price.
On sale at EBay: $20, from the World Wide Stereo store.
Note that shipping fees vary, so one store’s total price might turn out to be less than that of another.
Denon AH-D1000 are a step up in closed headphones, and quite possibly the best gift for someone who’s already owned hi-fi headphones. Again, those are an excellent value for money, and will bring out the smile in an audiophile.
On sale at Audiocubes: $150, Denon AH-D1000 High Quality On-Ear Headphones, silver/black.
On sale at Amazon.com: $100, Denon AH-D1000K Headphones (Black)
, Denon AH-D1000S Headphones (Silver)
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Denon AH-D5000 are the current top-of-the-line offering from Denon, closed headphones with mahogany enclosures, wide frequency bandwidth, and a sound reproduction everyone loves. That is the kind of gift which, while expensive ($500), can turn an enemy into a friend, and a friend into a lover.
On sale at Audiocubes: $490, Denon AH-D5000 Reference Audio Over-Ear Headphones.
On sale at Amazon.com: $489.53Denon AH-D5000 Reference Headphones
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Denon AH-C700 are the canalphone, in-ear model. It is a perfect match to any portable player. They have been compared to many high-end canalphones, and there are few that can compete in sound quality; as usual with Denon products, those cost a deal less than the competition.
On sale at Audiocubes: $170, Denon AH-C700 Stereo Earphones, silver/black.
On sale at Amazon.com (low price!): $99.99, Denon AH-C700K (black)
, Denon AH-C700K Reference Audio In-Ear Headphones (Black)
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AKG is an Austrian company producing professional sound recording equipment. AKG microphones and headphones have long been loved by professionals for their warm, yet concise and transparent sounding. AKG is famous for a musical sound signature with warm, open midrange and clean, yet unfatiguing treble.
The K-81DJ (K-518DJ in the new designation) are an appreciable gift, especially for a teenager or an aspiring DJ. Stylish looks, rubberised, durable paint, foldable and swivelling cups, a good efficiency and 32-ohm impedance. Sealed. They can be somewhat bass-heavy though - but for electronic music, this means they’ll be capable of reproducing even the heaviest analogue synth instruments, and low frequencies can always be toned down with equalisation.
On sale at Amazon.com: $60, AKG Closed-Back Foldable DJ Headphones - K-81DJ
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K-171 and -141 Studio are closed and semi-open supra-aural (against-the-ear) mini-sized headphones. Those are headphones often used by female singers and pop stars, and could make a refined gift for anyone of the fair sex.
On sale at Amazon.com: AKG K-141 Studio Headphones
, $99; AKG K-171 Studio headphones
, $137.33.
K-24P (K-412P), K-26P (K-414P) and K-27i (K-416P) are the current “mini” portable models. K-24P (K-412P) are open headphones with a full, forward, even bright sounding. Some classical music listeners love those as a portable set, as they present instruments with a good deal of clarity and excitement. K-26P (K-414P) and K-27i (K-416P) are the closed models, different in looks (mostly black for K-26P, and white for K-27i). They’re really the same model, except the K-27i (K-416P) has an inline volume control and comes in a box instead of a blister pack. K-27/K-26 are sealed headphones, providing a decent amount of isolation, and therefore appreciated by a city person who has to commute.
On sale at Amazon.com: AKG K-27i Closed-Back Headphones
, $40; AKG Acoustics K-26P Foldable Stereo Folding Headphones
, $37; AKG Semi-Open Foldable Headphones - K-24P
, $29.11.
The K-240 Studio model is a derivation of the K-240 Monitor, a classic model commonly used at radio stations and in studios. The K-240 Studio are a more efficient version, rated at 55 ohms (against the old model’s 600), and have a 55-mm diaphragm. The K-240S are especially great for acoustic music, like jazz and classical music (a friend once admitted the first time he tried the K-240 in a store, he mistook piano for one being played in the same room), but deal well with anything they’re fed. At the $100-130 mark, those are perhaps the best choice among full-sized headphones, together with Equation Audio RP-21 and Denon AH-D1000. With a headphone amp, the K-240 become the ultimate portable headphone set, too.
On sale at Amazon.com: $96, AKG K-240 Studio Semi-open Headphones
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K-271 Studio, while more expensive than the K-240 Studio, are perhaps one of the best sealed models in the market. They don’t have the same bass response as the K-240, but have a somewhat more refined sounding, with more detail in the midrange and high frequencies (some would say “astonishing” for closed headphones). The K-271 Studio require a headphone amplifier to reproduce sound properly; they will work without one, but a lot of detail will be missing.
On sale at Amazon.com: AKG K-271 Studio
, $154.
Pioneer has recently launched new models.
SE-MJ30 are a portable supra-aural (on-ear) model, with a fashionable black-red-reflective metal design. Highly efficient, those headphones are a rival to IGrado and the “portable” AKG models, and have the Pioneer signature warm-and-detailed sounding.
On sale at Audiocubes: $46, Pioneer SE-MJ3B Portable Headphones.
Pioneer SE-M390 are the “more serious” portable model, semi-open circumaural (around-the-ear) headphones. For the price, they look like quite the performer.
On sale at Audiocubes: $56, Pioneer SE-M390 Portable Headphones.
Audio-Technica’s ATH-A900 are perhaps the best, richest- and fullest-sounding closed headphones in the under-$200 category. They perform equally well as gaming, home theatre, or musical headphones. The -A900 are also very forgiving of the source - they can work just as well with a portable player as with a home stereo system.
On sale at Audiocubes: Audio-Technica ATH-A900 Art Headphones, $180.
with the option for amazon super saver deliver. You lucky people!
