Often, after I attend elite, high-end audio-slash-hi-fi exhibits, I discover my thoughts wandering to the dwellings I may have owned – you realize, if I’d ever actually made it. The loft residence in Manhattan with a superb vinyl storage system; the little place no person is aware of about up within the hills in Asturias, Northern Spain; the cottage in Cornwall the place I’d maintain my surf board. I discover myself mentally kitting out all of those imaginary properties with wonderful tower audio system, mono-block valve amps and alien-like turntables. And then I sigh a giant world-weary sigh. Because look, it is by no means going to occur, is it?
But I really feel in a different way on the Paris Audio Show. Here, for the primary time at such an occasion, I understand I do not want this stuff. And it isn’t as a result of these big towers, large chunks of VU-meter and tube-toting metallic energy and otherworldly spherical audio system are usually not right here to covet – au contraire. No, it is as a result of I do not forget that I used to stay right here in Porte Maillot, not 20 steps from the Palais des Congres the place the Paris Audio Show is held, and that I as soon as danced in a world-famous Parisian cabaret (which I’m not allowed to call as a consequence of lifelong contractual obligation – however please know that I used to be a soloist, dearest reader).
Why am I telling you all of this? Because not two days after receiving my first paycheck on that gig, one of many nails on the wall of my tiny seventh-floor residence on Rue de Dardanelles turned house to the costliest set of headphones I may afford – which is a giant factor, as a result of mentioned residence was far too small for a wardrobe, so somebody had resorted to hammering 5 giant nails into the far wall, on which to hold garments. And but, when taking the Metro the subsequent day with my cans over my ears, I felt that I had made it.
While stalking via the halls of the Paris Audio Show on October 25, I gesture to an enormous set of electrostatic audio system and quip to one of many attendees: “No apartment in Paris is big enough for these things surely?” He laughs: “Mine certainly isn’t.” D’accord, monsieur, d’accord. But even in my tiny place in Porte Maillot, I managed to discover a devoted place for a set of headphones that made me really feel like a queen.
So let’s look at four pairs of excellent new headphones that would’ve surely made my list, if 2011 were actually 2025. I got to hear them all at the show, and while no entry in this missive should be considered a review (I had only around 10 minutes with each), I’m prepared to pin my colors to the mast and provide some initial thoughts. What can I say? Paris makes me like this – it makes me feel young.
And believe me when I tell you that bounding around a new city wearing some of the best over-ear headphones you may afford? That’ll make you’re feeling such as you made it.
1. Yamaha YH-C3000
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The closed-back YH-C3000 were announced in September alongside an open-back counterpart (scroll down in case you clocked them in the principle picture of this piece and solely need these, pal) and the drivers listed here are triple-layer diaphragms manufactured from Zylon, in any other case generally known as the identical materials that Yamaha makes use of in its flagship speaker drivers.
Said drive models are ventilated on the again and embrace a patented Y-shaped strengthened mesh damper. The housings are constituted of a beech wooden much like that utilized in Yamaha’s grand pianos – mine are a deep and scrumptious brown. Being each light-weight and inflexible, beech supposedly leads to a extra pure, exact sound.
What to anticipate: silent extension mechanism, consolation and a transparent, exact hear via the higher mids and trebles. I discovered them able to revealing additional texture via the intakes of breath in Jean le Loup’s full-bodied Je Joue de la Guitare (a good Flac file streamed on Qobuz, however direct from a Galaxy Tab A7 Lite with no additional amplification). Is it approaching an open-back headphone expertise in a closed-back design? I’d want much more time, however the expansive presentation and layered supply shouldn’t be too far off – and even at $1,699 (about £1,256 / AU$2,574 earlier than taxes) they really feel value it once they’re sitting on my head. If you’re taking nothing else away from this missive, I’d such as you to strive these headphones. Please.
2. Meze Audio 99 Classics (2nd Generation)
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Romanian high-end audio brand Meze Audio is celebrating 10 years of its most iconic creation, the 99 Classics, with a renewed second-generation model (sensibly called the 99 Classic 2nd Generation) which only launched on October 29. But here I am, trying them out alongside their older brother.
First introduced in 2015, the 99 Classics became something of an industry favorite owing to their warm, expressive sound at not too much money. And for Meze, 10 years requires “10 meaningful refinements” to produce a new set that retains the signature walnut wood aesthetic while introducing what Meze Audio calls a “balanced, more neutral tuning”, improved acoustic engineering, a USB-C DAC/amp and fully recyclable packaging. Not too shabby for $349 / £349 / €349 (or around AU$715), eh?
What to expect: larger, cosier ear cups and bigger, 7mm-diameter input sockets. The unvarnished quality of the wood is extremely tactile and the cast zinc hardware with deep gold accents plus vegan leather makes for a build that feels more expensive than it is. The new ear pad system (with six-point clip-in for consistency and easy replacement) is also a nice touch. Sonically, where the first-generation pair featured a V-shaped sound signature (where trebles and lower frequencies are slightly augmented for fun and emotion) this new set is all about neutrality, expanse and faithfulness to original recordings. Now, what you like is what you like – and V-shaped sonic recipes have proven very popular to the human ear – but once you know the sound signature is being toyed with slightly, you may feel as if you’d like to hear it unaltered. And these headphones emphatically do that.
3. Audio-Technica ATH-ADX7000
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We covered the launch of these huge headphones from the Japanese cartridge, headphone and turntable specialist simply three days in the past – they’re that new – so if you’d like a extra thorough appraisal of their innards, we have got that. But for now, know that they are the corporate’s most high-end open-backs ever, with newly developed HXDT 58mm drivers (sure, 58mm), a honeycomb aluminum and magnesium alloy building and – I’ll simply blurt it out – a $3,499 (about £2,600 / AU$5,400) price ticket.
Somewhat upsettingly, I didn’t get a good image of my (comparatively small) head carrying these giant headphones, and as you may in all probability think about the ATH-ADX7000 had been fairly the belle of the ball on the Paris Audio Show, so my time with them was a bit restricted. So, please settle for this image of my colleague Kob, as an thought of how formidable and, cling all of it, spectacular they give the impression of being when worn.
What to anticipate: fortunately, I received to take heed to the set wired as much as Dark Side of the Moon on vinyl (all the time good to take heed to albums you realize and love, when gleaning the preliminary sound of a set of cans) and was practically delivered to tears by Time – and never simply because it was one in all my mother’s favorites. The chimes, tick-tocks and bells had been crystal clear like sonic articles to be pulled down from a shelf; the electrical bass was even inkier and extra foreboding than I keep in mind as percussive notes emerged from the abyss with additional affect and aggression. It’s verging on heat (and never simply due to the vinyl) however for element, the sound these cans are able to is extremely addictive…
Yamaha YH-4000
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At $2,499 (about £1,849 / AU$3,785), the very new YH-4000 are effectively a more affordable version of the incredible (and incredibly expensive) YH-5000SE headphones which Yamaha launched again in 2022 with an eye-popping $5,700 / £4,799 / AU$7,499 asking worth. So, sure, they are a half-price different that also features a surprising quantity of very related flagship acoustic structure from Yamaha.
The open-back YH-4000 headphones sport the newest model of the corporate’s “orthodynamic” drivers and in case you have not but been launched, enable me: these are the planar magnetic drivers that Yamaha has been refining ever since first launching them within the 1970s. This time round, the sound-absorbing materials of the YH-5000SE has been eliminated and the brand new headphones have been fine-tuned to what Yamaha calls a “a uniquely responsive, natural and precise sound.”
What to anticipate: an upfront, revealing and oh-so-forthright hear. The putting aesthetic of those headphones seems to be virtually like an excessive closeup of the top of a flying insect and when worn, their lightness and coolness even when engulfing my ears means I may put on them for hours on finish. I additionally did not discover as a lot sound leakage as you get from some open-back designs. What did I hear? The hovering keys, triangle and three-dimensional cymbals in Eddy Mitchell’s Couleur Menthe a L’Eau and a vocal supply that revels in relaying Mitchell’s voice, celebrating each additional inflection and barely sombre lyric at this, his derniere seance.
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