When I got a call from InsideHockey.com’s editor and publisher, Kevin Greenstein, I was expecting him to ask me for an article with some genius fantasy hockey picks to share with you the readers. Kevin quickly (and correctly) reminded me that in our 25-years-and-going-strong legacy, keeper fantasy league that my beloved Hollywood Kneebreakers were far-and-away in last place and that nobody really wanted to hear about my thoughts on the next McJesus (I drafted him at 16 years old) but they might want to hear about something that I am actually expert on these days… consumer electronics.
I recently started another new online publication for younger and more diverse people interested in music and audio called FutureAudiophile.com. The site is brand new but getting nicely populated with products. One of the categories that I am specifically keen on are the latest, higher-end, wireless Bluetooth, over-the-ear headphones which is where in 2022 we finally saw some major technical break-throughs that make it possible to get your music, music and most importantly – hockey soundtracks – sounding really, really good right between your ears. Here is a list of some of the best ones that I found at various price points and styles.
The Value Play: 1More Soniflow $99 (review)
These value-priced headphones do their best to follow the “Harman Curve” which is what the parent company behind JBL and AKG use for their benchmark. They aren’t a fashion statement but they are a good performer for a hundred bucks that look as good in your gym bag as they do when you are on the plane.
The Sneaky-Good Performer: Technics AEH-A800s – $349 (review) (buy at Crutchfield)
I gave a pair of these to my rock-band, guitar tech brother back in Philly for Christmas this year. These Technics headphones are even closer to the Harman curve and come in a nicer, silver finish which I tend to prefer. These are some very well-balanced headphones sonically. They aren’t too bass-heavy like early Beats (pre-Apple era). They sound as good with Silk Sonic cranking as they do with the national game on ESPN and streaming in via Bluetooth 5.0 from your 4K UHD television.
The Pretty Ones: Bowers & Wilkins Px7s – $399 (review) (buy at Crutchfield)
While their bigger and more expensive brothers, the Bowers & Wilkins Px8s priced at $699 and sound significantly better, especially in the bass, the Bowers & Wilkins Px7s were still fought over in my house this winter. My son wanted them to play Fortnite on. My wife want them to use on her all-day Zoom calls as she works virtually. My wife won out with my son getting my old, reference standard Sennheiser HD-1s which were replaced in 2022 by the Momentum 4 model. Bowers & Wilkins loudspeakers are used in places like Abbey Road Studios in the U.K. as well as Skywalker Ranch in Northern California so they aren’t light on audiophile credibility. The draw with the Bowers & Wilkins Px7s are their sexy industrial design and fashion-forward sensibilities. They are also very comfortable even compared with headphones costing more than twice the price. They come in cool colors like an Apple-esque blue and more. You can use their mic to make-and-take phone calls too. I got a ton of complements on a recent trip to Washington D.C. when traveling with some white-tan Bowers & Wilkins headphones. Everything is nice about them down to the milled, metal buttons or the Nappa leather ear cups.
The French Ones: Focal Bathys – $799 (review) (buy at Crutchfield)
The floorstanding loudspeakers that I use in my home are from a French speaker manufacturer company named Focal. They have a full-range of products from speakers that cost $600 a pair to ones costing $300,000 plus per pair. They are gorgeous sounding and equally good looking. Focal also makes killer headphones but only up until recently did they come out with a Bluetooth model – the Bathys (pronounced “bath-ies”). At $799, they aren’t cheap by a long shot. They are a pretty bass forward but many like that more robust low end. They perform fantastically in the mids and highs on all sorts of music and media. They look absolutely stunning with a fit and finish that is simply top-notch – arguably better than anything on the market including our most expensive suggestion. Rocking a pair of Focal Bathys is dripping in style as well as tech. You can be just THAT cool for about $800.
The Ones That Measure The Best: Mark Levinson No. 5909 $999 (buy at Crutchfield)
Remember the Harman curve? Harman makes some of the best headphones in the world and their Mark Levinson brand is their highest end brand thus these thousand dollar a pair headphones get their top treatment. I’ve had the Mark Levinson No. 5909s measured and they measure the best of any of the headphones that I’ve tested in the market place today. They have strong but not boomy bass. They are scary accurate in the mids where you would hear everything from female vocals in music to the announcer during a hockey broadcast. These headphones would be a trip to wear while playing some NHL 23.
I hope this list gives you a range for what’s possible in the world of high performance, wireless headphones. Years ago, Bose and Sony had the best noise cancelation but today most players have ANC that uses multiple mics built-into the headphones. Some advantages that this technology offers is that you can use “transparent mode” to cancel some of the exterior noise but not get run over by an Uber or an Amazon truck when walking down the street. Many of the above headphones have excellent ANC noise cancelation options. On a plane or a noisy location, many of these headphones can cancel out nearly all of the exterior sound which can be pretty damn useful depending on the circumstances.
Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays and may you get a very cool pair of headphones as a present very soon.
