A day after this year’s CanJam show in New York City, electronics retailer Value Electronics and Dealerscope magazine held a headphone event of their own just a few blocks away in midtown Manhattan. It was a Battle Royal of in-ear monitors, wired and wireless over-ear headphones competing to be crowned the “King of Headphones.” The event was called the “Headphone Shootout” and the hosts plan for this to become a regular occurrence.
In this article:
- In-Ear Monitors
- Over-Ear Headphones
- Observations on the Headphone Shootout
- Final Rankings Across All Categories
In all, eighteen of the top performing headphones from seven different companies, priced from $149 to $1,799, competed. To judge the event, several golden-eared judges, including professional audio engineers, audiophile headphone experts and audio equipment reviewers made the trip in to the Company building near Grand Central Station to participate. Our own Editor in Chief Ian White was invited to be on the panel of judges.
Value Electronics is already well known for their Shootout Events, starting with the first TV Shootout in 2004, which has been held annually ever since. The TV shootout proved so popular that the hosts decided to branch out to a Projector Shootout in 2021 and 2022, and now the Headphone Shootout in 2023.
Because of the wide price range of the headphones and the inclusion of both in-ear and over-ear models, the event was broken into five categories, organized by type and price range.
Judges rated each model on different aspects of sound quality as well as overall comfort. The specific elements of sound quality considered were tonal balance, dynamic range, clarity/detail and soundstage/imaging. The convenience element (wired vs. wireless) was not considered in the scoring, nor were any advanced features like ANC (Active Noise Cancellation), transparency mode or custom EQ curves. If you’re shopping for in-ear-monitors or over-ear headphones, you can use these results as a starting point, then do some additional research to see whether each model has the features and form factor that you need.
The event hosts used the QoBuzz streaming service for the competition, due to its high resolution and lossless CD quality streaming options. A Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition acted as the streaming source, while the new Technics SL-G700M2 SACD/CD player was used for physical media playback. Judges also used their own phones as sources for parts of the competition.
Part I: In-Ear Monitors, a.k.a. “Earbuds”
$149-$199 In-Ear Headphones:
- Sennheiser IE 200 ($149) – wired IEM
- Technics EAH-AZ60 ($199) – wireless Bluetooth IEM
For the first category, in-ear headphones ranging from $149 to $199, only two models competed (a third pair was considered but ruled out on event day). The competitors in the entry-level category were Sennheiser’s IE 200 ($149), and Technics’ EAH-AZ60 ($199). These are list prices. Actual street prices may (and usually do) vary. In fact at the time of publication, the Technics EAH-AZ60 were just $105 after a $40 instant coupon on Amazon).
Though the street prices of these in-ear ‘phones are similar, the headphones themselves are quite different. The Sennheisers are traditional wired earphones while the Technics AZ60 is a Bluetooth wireless model with noise cancellation. The Technics earbuds support multipoint Bluetooth for connection to multiple devices and even have Alexa voice control built-in. So while you can compare the sound quality and comfort directly, other factors like the ability to connect wirelessly or the requirement that your phone or playback device has a headphone jack should be considered.
Also, since the Sennheiser ‘phones use a hard-wired connection to the source, this gives them an upper hand in sound quality as the music doesn’t have to go through the digital compression inherent in Bluetooth wireless communication.
When judged for sound quality and comfort, the Sennheiser model was ranked higher than the Technics in all categories. This earned the Sennheiser the win. With such a limited selection, and so many other great choices available in this price range, I’d hardly rate this win as “definitive,” but the fact that the judges scored both of these two different models generally favorably suggests that either would make a decent choice for the budget-conscious music lover.
$279 – $299 In-Ear Monitors (IEMs) – “Wireless Earbuds”
- Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II ($299) – wireless ANC Bluetooth IEM
- Bowers & Wilkins Pi5 S2 ($299) – wireless ANC Bluetooth IEM
- Sony WF-1000XM4 ($279) – wireless ANC Bluetooth IEM
In the higher price category ($279 to $299 in-ear ‘phones), the playing field was a bit more level as all three competitors were wireless Bluetooth models with Active Noise Cancellation. In this category, the Sony WF-1000XM4 brought home the win, outscoring the Bowers and Wilkins and Bose IEMs in all four of the sound quality categories.
The Sony placed last for comfort, however, with the Bose Quiet Comfort II Earbuds judged the most comfortable of the three pairs. As with the entry-level in-ear category, there are many other true wireless earphones out there that could be contenders, including the Grado GT220 and Apple’s AirPods Pro (second gen), to name two. The Sony WF-1000XM4 is generating some buzz lately though, so it’s interesting to see how it performed against two of the top performing IEMs in the price range.
Part II: Over-Ear Headphones
For the second part of the day, the competition moved on to over-the-ear headphones with thirteen models from seven manufacturers included. The Over-Ear competition was 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 Bluetooth wireless models, the mid-range category included a mix of wired and wireless models; the high performance category included four wired models.
If you choose to buy a wired pair of headphones, keep in mind that many phones today do not include headphone jacks, so you may need an adapter or dongle if you’re going to be listening from 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.
Entry Level: $349 – $399 Over-Ear Wireless ANC Headphones:
- Bose 700 ($379)
- Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2 ($399)
- Sennheiser Momentum 4 ($349)
- Sony WH-1000XM5 ($399)
- Technics EAH-A800 ($349)
In the entry-level price category of the Over-Ear competition, all five contenders featured wireless Bluetooth connectivity with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). All models also included built-in microphones so you can use them to take and make phone calls or to participate in video conferencing such as Zoom or 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 deemed the most comfortable by the judges. This combination of great sound and comfortable fit 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 behind the winner and 0.2 points behind second place.
Mid-range: $699 – $799 Over-Ear:
- Bowers & Wilkins Px8 Wireless ($699)
- Denon AH-D5200 Wired ($699)
- Focal Bathys Wireless ($799)
- Sony MDR-Z7M2 Wired ($799)
In 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.
High Performance: $1,499 – $1,799 Over-Ear:
- Denon AH-D9200 ($1,599)
- Focal Clear-MG ($1,499)
- Sennheiser HD 800 S ($1,799)
- Sony MDR-Z1R ($1,799)
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. Although each includes a standard 1/8″ (3.5mm) headphone plug, so you can use them with phones or tablets, you will get the best results from a headphone amp. There are many headphone amps available at all different price points. Some are made for portable use and some are made for home. Check out our latest headphone amp recommendations and news.
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?
Observations on the 2023 Headphone Shootout
All in all, this year’s Headphone Shootout was an interesting event. It was a bit slow getting started as the hosts and organizers 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 Dennison (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 Focal’s Bathys wireless and Clear-MG wired ‘phones sounded superb, as did the Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S2 and Px8 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 technologies, that wireless link between source and headphone has been improved to the point that even the most discerning audiophiles would likely be happy with many of the wireless models included in the competition.
In our Editor-in-Chief Ian White’s own words, “What’s becoming very clear is that high-end wireless headphones have reached the point where their performance is comparable to their wired counterparts in the $400 to $700 range. Products like the Focal Bathys and Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2 are going to make a lot of mainstream listeners consider high-end products for the first time and the importance of that can’t be ignored.”
If the hosts repeat the event next year (which I hope they will), 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 in participate and I’m looking forward to the next Shootout.
Headphones included in the competition are available in store and online at Value Electronics in addition to online retailers such as Amazon.com. Links to purchase at Amazon (where available) are included below. If you purchase any of these items using our links, we may earn a commission.
Final Rankings in Each Category (with links):
$149-$199 In-Ear Headphones:
- Sennheiser IE 200 ($149) – wired IEM – final score: 6.8 – winner
- Technics EAH-AZ60 ($199) – wireless Bluetooth IEM – final score: 6.1
$279 – $299 In-Ear Headphones (Wireless):
- Sony WF-1000XM4 ($279) – wireless ANC Bluetooth IEM – final score: 6.6 – winner
- Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II ($299) – wireless ANC Bluetooth IEM – final score: 5.9
- Bowers & Wilkins Pi5 S2 ($299) – wireless ANC Bluetooth IEM – final score: 5.9
Entry Level: $349 – $399 Over-Ear Wireless ANC:
- Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2 ($399) – Overall Score: 8.0 – winner
- Sennheiser Momentum 4 ($349) – Overall Score: 7.7 – second place
- Sony WH-1000XM5 ($399) – Overall Score: 7.5
- Technics EAH-A800 ($349) – Overall Score: 7.1
- Bose 700 ($379) – Overall Score: 6.8
Mid-range: $699 – $799 Over-Ear
- Focal Bathys Wireless ($799) – Overall Score: 8.4 – winner
- Bowers & Wilkins Px8 Wireless ($699) – Overall Score: 8.1 – second place
- Denon AH-D5200 Wired ($699) – Overall Score: 8.0
- Sony MDR-Z7M2 Wired ($799) – Overall Score: 8.0
High Performance: $1,499 – $1,799 Over-Ear:
- #1 – Focal Clear-MG ($1,499) – Overall Score: 8.6 – winner (tie)
- #1 – Sony MDR-Z1R ($1,799) – Overall Score: 8.6 – winner (tie)
- #3 – Denon AH-D9200 ($1,599) – Overall Score: 8.3
- #3 – Sennheiser HD 800 S ($1,799) – Overall Score: 8.3
