Audio Pros Blind Test Headphones: The Shocking Results
▼ Summary
– Modern headphones offer features beyond sound quality including noise cancellation, wireless connectivity, and customizable smartphone apps.
– WIRED conducted a blind listening test with audio professionals to evaluate headphones purely on audio performance.
– Six popular over-ear models were tested including Sony, Nothing, Soundcore, Bose, Bowers & Wilkins, and Apple headphones.
– Experts listened to The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” with active noise cancellation enabled and Spotify Premium streaming quality.
– The test eliminated visual and tactile cues by keeping participants blindfolded and preventing physical contact with headphones.
What truly defines an exceptional pair of headphones in today’s market? While sound quality remains the fundamental benchmark, contemporary models deliver a suite of advanced features including active noise cancellation, wireless connectivity, and sophisticated companion apps for personalized audio tuning. Modern listeners expect premium design, long battery life, and seamless integration with voice assistants, making the choice more complex than ever before.
To cut through the marketing hype and visual appeal, a rigorous blind listening test was organized in a professional East London recording studio. A panel of distinguished audio experts was assembled to evaluate the core audio performance of six highly-regarded over-ear headphones, with all identifying elements concealed.
The listening panel featured top industry talent: Isabel Gracefield, a producer and head engineer at RAK Studios; Ian Lambden, an audio post-production specialist with decades of experience; songwriter and producer Steph Marziano, known for work with Paramore’s Hayley Williams; and Mike Kintish, an award-winning producer who has collaborated with major artists like Becky Hill and Jonas Blue.
The headphones selected for this evaluation represent the current cream of the crop, each celebrated in numerous reviews. The lineup consisted of the Sony WH-1000XM6, the Nothing Headphones (1), the Soundcore Space One Pro, the Bose Quietcomfort Ultra, the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3, and the Apple AirPods Max.
To ensure complete objectivity, each expert was tested individually with no prior knowledge of the models involved. They were prohibited from handling the headphones to prevent identification by physical characteristics, such as the AirPods Max’s distinctive metal build. For consistency, every pair was tested using a single, universally recognized track: The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights,” which held the title of Spotify’s most-streamed song at the time with billions of plays.
All headphones had their active noise cancellation activated during the test, a condition that some experts found less than ideal. The audio was streamed at Spotify Premium’s 320kbps quality, another point of contention for the high-resolution audio purists on the panel. However, this setup was chosen to reflect the typical listening habits of the general public. Each model was assigned a random letter from A to F, allowing the testers to freely switch between them for direct comparison and thorough analysis.
(Source: Wired)
