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Song from my Soundtrack: Fang Bian and “Telegraph Road” by Dire Straits

The HiFiMAN founder picks a Song from his Soundtrack
- By Geoffrey Morrison
- Posted March 15, 2013
- 2
Dr. Fang Bian founded HiFiMAN in 2006, which has become one of the leading manufacturers of audiophile headphones and portable audio products. Here he picks a Song from his Soundtrack.
In the audio industry, we are constantly listening to music so there are many songs that have special memories for me.
One in particular though stands out and that is “Telegraph Road” by the British rock band Dire Straits and written by Mark Knopfler.

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Review: Audeze LCD-3 Planar Magnetic Headphone

An audience with the world's least likely reference headphone
- By Michael Berk
- Posted February 5, 2013
One of the most interesting success stories of the new wave of headphone audiophila is Audeze. The company, which specializes in planar magnetic headphones with wooden ear cups, luxurious appointments, and you're-got-to-hear-it-to-believe-it sonics. We got a chance recently to spend some time with their flagship, the LCD-3 ($1,945), a headphone that's become the top choice for many of today's personal audio enthusiasts. Obviously, we needed to hear why.

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Review: HiFiMan HE-6 Headphone and EF-6 Amplifier

What does a $2,900 headphone setup sound like?
- By Brent Butterworth
- Posted October 29, 2012
Like wine, sushi, and plumbers, headphones can get a lot more expensive than most people realize. At Sound+Vision, we focus on under-$500 models. But when Dr. Fang Bian, the visionary entrepreneur behind the HiFiMan headphone company, asked if I’d like to try the company’s top-of-the-line, $1,299 HE-6 headphone and its new $1,599 EF-6 headphone amplifier, I thought it’d be a great chance to give our usual listening panel a sample of what only the most devoted and/or wealthy headphone aficionados usually get to hear.

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Review: PSB M4U 2

A full-size noise-canceler that competes sonically with the best audiophile headphones
- By Brent Butterworth
- Posted June 25, 2012
- 1
When PSB’s Paul Barton recently called me to chat about headphone measurement, it soon became apparent that he’d read every scientific paper ever written about headphones. The first headphone to which Barton brings his ultra-scientific approach is the M4U 2, a noise-canceling model poised to go up against the likes of the Bose QC15.

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Review: Denon AH-D7000 Headphone

A farewell to the closed-back king
- By Michael Berk
- Posted May 24, 2012
When we got our hands on the latest iteration of Denon's flagship headphone, the AH-D7000, we had no idea it would be the end of the line for these spectacular wooden-cupped cans (and for the entire Dx000 series, at least as we know it today). Suffice it to say that however curious we are to learn what the Denon headphone design team has up its collective sleeve, we will be sad to see 'em go.

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Tech Trends 2012: Headphone Haven

This year, veteran firms and upstarts alike gave us an earful
- By Michael Berk
- Posted March 27, 2012
THERE WERE countless headphone exhibitors at CES 2012: familiar names showing incremental upgrades to longstanding models, Chinese OEMs showcasing suspiciously familiar designs under house brands, upstart firms testing the waters with hybrid driver designs and innovative fit systems, automotive and furniture firms muscling their way into the latest hot retail category.

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Review: HiFiMan HE-400 and HE-500 Headphones

Can planar magnetic drivers really be done right for just $400?
- By Brent Butterworth
- Posted February 8, 2012
Ask any group of audiophiles what kind of speakers they have, and I guarantee you at least one and probably several will answer “Magnepan.” Why do audiophiles so love this relatively obscure brand? No, not (just) because it’s obscure. They love Magnepans because of the incredible detail, soundstaging, and natural timbre of their planar magnetic drivers. For the same reason, headphone enthusiasts are embracing planar magnetic headphones.

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HiFiMan HE-300
- By Brent Butterworth
- Posted January 27, 2012
IT MAY BE ONLY 4 YEARS OLD, but the HiFiMan brand has had a major impact on the growing world of portable audiophilia. The new HE-300, which uses conventional dynamic drivers, is the company’s most affordable over-ear headphone yet. With its solid, mostly metal construction and audiophile-grade detachable cables, it sure doesn’t look like it costs $249. You even get an elegant hardshell case in the deal.

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CES 2012: Random Audio Goodness

Highlights from the high-performance audio suites at the Venetian
- By Geoffrey Morrison
- Posted January 16, 2012
Poking around the Venetian for a few days at CES is one of the better activities possible at the show. Tons of amazing audio products fill dozens of rooms over multiple floors.

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CES 2012: Headphones

The hottest new cans and in-ear monitors, from low-priced to luxury
- By Brent Butterworth
- Posted January 12, 2012
Surely there’s never been such a vast display of headphones in the history of the universe as at CES 2012. From super-high-end models to bottom-feeder stuff, there was something for every budget and every taste.

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iPad: The High-Rez Digital Transport for the Rest of Us?

Getting the best sound out of your tablet, by any means necessary.
- By Michael Berk
- Posted December 8, 2011
- 1
Does the iPad have a role to play for audiophiles, or for the new breed of iDevice-inspired audio enthusiasts? It's hard to beat the touchscreen interface for music listening — it provides a tactile browsing experience that hands-down beats the UIs on most high-zoot audiophile servers. On the desktop there are plenty of audiophile file players that load audio into RAM for supposedly improved fidelity — but the iPad offers all-solid-state audio storage to begin with, freeing your bits from jitter-inducing hard-drive-access. But is iOS — and the circuitry within — up to snuff?

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Headphone Roundup: Hi-Fi To Go

Eight 'phones that'll get you excellent sound on the move, whatever your budget
- By Geoffrey Morrison
- Posted October 10, 2011
- 6
Maybe celebrity headphones aren't quite your speed, and whether you're looking for something with a little more timeless style, bang-for-the-buck, or maximum fidelity at any cost, you've got more in-, on-, and over-ear options than ever to let you take your music along.

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