The first Headphone Shootout event was held last week in midtown Manhattan and we were in the room when it happened. Hosts Value Electronics and Dealerscope magazine brought together eighteen highly rated pairs of headphones, priced from $149 to $1,799 to see which performed the best.
The event was judged by a group of audio professionals, engineers, audiophiles and equipment reviewers, each with many years of experience listening to all manner of earbuds, wired and wireless headphones. The first part of the competition featured five sets of in-ear monitors (aka "earbuds"). You can find the results of that competition here - Best Affordable IEMs Revealed at Headphone Shootout.
For the second part of the day, the competition moved on to over-the-ear headphones with thirteen different models considered from seven different manufacturers. Because of the wide price range ($349-$1,799), the competition was broken down into three price categories.
Judges were tasked with rating each model on four different aspects of sound quality as well as overall comfort. Judges ranked each competitor from 1 to 10 for dynamic range, tonal balance, clarity/detail and soundstage/imaging. The convenience factor (wired vs. wireless) was not specifically considered in the scoring, nor was the peformance of any of these headphones' advanced features like active noise cancellation (ANC), custom EQ or transparency modes. Ratings were purely based on sound quality and comfort.
The event hosts used the QoBuzz streaming service for the competition, due to its high resolution and lossless streaming options. A Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition streaming player was used as a playback source, along with the new Technics SL-G700MK2 SACD/CD player for physical media playback. Judges also used their own phones as sources for some parts of the competition.
The over-the-ear headphones in the Headphone Shootout were broken into three price categories: entry level ($349-$399), mid-range ($699-$799) and High Performance ($1499-$1799). The entry level category was made up entirely of wireless (Bluetooth) models, the mid-range category included two wired and two wireless models; the high performance category included four wired models.
If you choose to buy a wired model, keep in mind that many phones today do not include headphone jacks, so you may need an adapter in order to use wired headphones with a phone or tablet. Also, some of these models are less efficient than others and may require a dongle DAC or headphone amp of some kind in order to drive them to reasonable levels. Here's how the scoring went for all three categories.
Note: pricing listed is suggested retail price. Actual prices may vary. See bottom of article for links to buy or find out more on each model. Purchases made using the links on this site may earn Big Picture Big Sound a commission.
In the entry-level price category of the Over-Ear competition, all five contenders featured wireless Bluetooth connectivity with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). They also included built-in microphones so you can use them to take calls or participate in video conferencing like Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
Two of models in this price range dominated the competition: the Sennheiser Momentum 4 and the Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S2. The Bowers and Wilkins model was also judged the most comfortable. This combination of great sound and comfort gave the Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S2 the win in the $349-$399 category with the Sennheiser Momentum 4 bringing up second place. Sony's WH-1000XM5 put up a strong showing in third place, just 0.5 points behcing the winner and 0.2 points behind second place.
In this the "mid-range" category, we saw (and heard) two wired models - the Denon AH-D5200 and the Sony MDR-Z7M2 - and two Bluetooth wireless models - the Focal Bathys (pronounced "Bat-EESS") and Bowers and Wilkins Px8. One might have expected the wired headphones to run away with the sound quality part of the competition, but this wasn't the case. In fact, it was the two wireless models that took first and second place.
Focal's new Bathys won the category with the top overall score, as well as the top individual scores for each element of sound quality. The Focal model tied the Sony headphones for second place for comfort while the Bowers and Wilkins Px8 was judged most comfortable overall. This was a very tight race, with only 0.3 points between first and second, and a tie for third place with both the Sony and Denon models a tenth of a point below the Bowers and Wilkins.
The judges all noted that there was a noticeable step up in sound quality from the lower price range wireless over-ear models, with more even balance and clarity, as well as aesthetics and design improvements. I personally listened to The Focal and Bowers and Wilkins models at the event and concur that the sound quality on both was superb. Judges were surprised that the wired and wireless headphones were extremely close and commented that the bar has been raised for wireless headphones.
In the Grand Finale, the big guns came out, with high-end wired headphone models from Denon, Focal, Sennheiser and Sony priced from $1499 to $1799. In this category, the highest scores for sound quality were split between the Focal Clear-MG and the Sony MDR-Z1R. If sound quality were the only factor, the Focal would have won, but the Sony MDR-Z1R was rated much more comfortable to wear - 9.0 compared to the Focal at 8.3. This pushed the Sony's score up enough to tie the Focal for first place with an 8.6 out of 10 overall score.
The Focal Clear-MG took the top scores for dynamic range, tonal balance, and clarity/detail, while the Sony won for soundstage/imaging and comfort. As with the mid-priced category, the top tier competition was extremely tight. The winning models each scored 8.6 out of 10 while the other two models were just below the winners at 8.3 out of 10. Judges remarked that they enjoyed all the headphones in this price tier. For $1500+, what's not to like?
All in all, this year's Headphone Shootout was an interesting event. It was a bit haphazard getting started as the event hosts were working out issues with the playback devices and the venue's wireless networking. The event would likely have gone a bit smoother with an emcee to keep judges and attendees informed and keep things moving along, but the scheduled emcee Caleb Denison (from Digital Trends) had to bow out at the last minute.
It's not often you can get all these great headphones in one place for instant comparisons, nor can you get a half dozen professional judges together to rate and compare their overall quality and comfort. And even though I opted not to participate as a judge, I did sneak a listen to most of the over-ear models.
I concur with the judges that the Focal Bathys wireless and Clear-MG wired 'phones sounded superb, as did the Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S2 wireless headphones. The excellent (but expensive) Sony MDR-Z1R not only sounded great but felt really nice on the head - snug and secure without excessive pressure on the ears. I had previously used Sony's now discontinued (and much more affordable) MDR-V6 'phones back in the 1990s for on-location recordings and studio playback, so I admit I have a soft spot for Sony 'phones. But headphone design and sound quality has come a long way since then.
As the judges noted, wireless Bluetooth headphones, which were previously only a choice for convenience and portability, now rival even the best wired headphones for sound quality. With Bluetooth aptX HD and aptX Adaptive technology, that wireless link between source and headphone has been beefed up to the point that even the most discerning audiophiles would likely be happy with many of the wireless models.
If the hosts repeat the event next year, I'd suggest expanding to more brands (perhaps Apple, HiFiMan, Grado), though I do understand that adding more models will draw things out a bit. Also, it might help to have a few extra pairs to go around for attendees. Unlike the TV and projector shootouts, Headphone reviewing is definitely not a spectator sport.
Thanks go out to Value Electronics and Dealerscope for the invitation and I'm looking forward to the next Shootout.
Check out a narrated video of these results:
Related Article:
> Best Affordable Earbuds (In-Ear Monitors) Revealed at 2023 Headphone Shootout
