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dalethorn

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Everything posted by dalethorn

  1. My review of this midrange-centric monitoring headphone, which I'm actually enjoying greatly on a wide variety of music: http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/forum/headphone-reviews/3884-krk-kns-8400-studio-monitor-stereo-headphone-review.html
  2. Here is my review of a headphone that's been around for some time, but I hadn't tried it until recently. Highly recommended, even at the original MSRP. http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/forum/headphone-reviews/3880-sennheiser-hd-380-pro-studio-monitor-stereo-headphone-review.html
  3. I reviewed the Bose OE2i white edition nearly 2 years ago, and while I can't say that Bose made any specific improvements, I've been very impressed with the new OE2i (black edition) for hi-fi listening. http://headfonics.com/forum/index.php?topic=145.0
  4. My review of this great sounding USB DAC and "headphone amp". Excellent sound, dynamics, weight, impact etc. - as long as your headphone isn't too power-hungry. http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/forum/headphone-reviews/3865-audioengine-d3-usb-dac-plus-headphone-amp-review.html
  5. Update: I was really optimistic about the SRH-1540, being the high-quality headphone that it basically is. But the treble rolloff has become unbearable after a few days. Going back and comparing to the B&O H6, B&W P7, Beyer COP and others, all of the others have the treble extension which is recessed on the SRH-1540. So I enabled the old reliable iTunes Treble Booster, which brings the SRH-1540 treble up to a comparable level (with no noticeable peaks or roughness), I gave it a long listen comparing back and forth among these headphones, and am satisfied that the result sound is OK for the $500 USD I spent for the SRH-1540. The problem with the SRH-1540 seems to be the design - a much stronger than neutral bass, a more distant than normal midrange perspective, and a slightly reduced treble - all combining to render the highs much weaker than the other headphones.
  6. This is an all-new review based on the H6 agave green limited edition, and my comparisons to several new headphones, plus a new list of sample music tracks. http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/forum/headphone-reviews/3860-bang-olufsen-h6-agave-green-stereo-headphone-review.html
  7. Here is a new review for the just-released RHA MA750 earphone/IEM. To say the sound is really good would be an understatement. As far as I can tell this IEM is better than the B&O H3 that costs twice as much. http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/forum/headphone-reviews/3853-rha-ma750-stereo-earphone-iem-review.html
  8. Here's my review of the B&O H3 IEM - it's been available for a few months, but I hadn't considered it until now. I'm glad I finally snagged one of these. http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/forum/headphone-reviews/3852-bang-olufsen-b-o-h3-stereo-earphone-iem-review.html
  9. Here's the first Shure closed 'flagship' they say, now the same price as the SRH-1840. This is a very good headphone. http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/forum/headphone-reviews/3849-shure-srh-1540-stereo-headphone-review-dale.html
  10. Youtube review: http://youtu.be/_L2naYeonHQ Sources: iPhone5 alone, iPhone5 with FiiO E07k using LOD, iPhone5 with v-moda Verza DAC/amp, various computers using the v-moda Verza DAC/amp. First impressions of the B&W P7: Average soundstage for a closed headphone, which is actually good since the recording makes a much bigger difference than the headphone.The overall signature is what I would describe as slightly dark, influenced mainly by the midrange. The B&O H6 for example has a lighter than average sound, so the P7 is a perfect alternative to the H6. The P7 has an excellent treble - lots of detail and harmonic extension, but no tendency for harshness or sibilants. The bass of the P7 is strong low down, up through the mid-bass, but the upper bass is not inflated, so the wide variety of music genres that I play have a decent amount of warmth and impact without getting muddy or overly boomy. I'm aware that burn-in with headphones is a controversial subject, but I would strongly recommend giving the P7 at least 12 hours of burn-in with fairly loud music before making a final judgement of the sound. Most headphones that I've tested and used sound better with real headphone amps and DACs than with just an iPod or iPhone, but other than an obvious improvement in soundstage and a better sense of "air" around the voices and instruments, the signature doesn't change that much with most headphones when switching from the i-device alone to the various amps. The P7 is one of those headphones where it makes a big difference. With the i-device alone, the sound is darker and the bass is looser or more boomy. With a computer running the HRT Microstreamer DAC plus headphone amp, the bass becomes much tighter and the upper range smoother. I can't be sure why there's such a difference, or that my experience will carry over to anyone else's gear, but there it is. After a few days with the P7, I'm enjoying the sound immensely, and I even ran several test tone sweeps - not to evaluate the results in a vaccuum, but to compare the results with other top-quality headphones I'm familiar with. The bass is smooth from the bottom (~20 hz) to top, on up through the mids into the lower treble. I found the area around 1.5 to 2 khz slightly elevated (~2 db or less), 3 khz slightly recessed (2 db possibly), 4 to 8 khz fairly even, and 9 khz slightly elevated (~2 db). The amplitudes are just guesses, but the relative deviations from theoretical flatness should hold up unless the design were to change down the road. Comparing to the v-moda M100, if I take the M100 and use iTunes Bass Reducer EQ with it (but no EQ with the P7), the M100 then would sound very similar to the P7 except that the M100's mids are more forward. The P7's mids are ideal in my judgement. Isolation with the P7 is average or better for a good closed-back headphone and leakage is very low. The leakage is so low in my tests that users should be able to play the P7 at medium-loud volumes in quiet offices without bothering other workers who are close by. The P7's physical design is one of the most perfect that I've ever encountered. The black colors over brushed aluminum are elegant, and the "headphone bulge" while wearing the P7 oudoors is inoffensive - it doesn't make me look like an astronaut or robo-cop. Instead of designing the earcups to fold flat like some headphones, the P7 is designed so that the cups fold in on top of each other into the headband area. The P7 is an ideal portable headphone in my view, since the earcups can be pulled down and the headphone worn around the neck all day when not being used, with perfect comfort. The P7 earcups completely enclose my ears without pinching, making it very comfortable for hours of listening. The P7 that I bought from the Apple Store comes with two 4-foot cables - one with a generic plug and no controls, and one with the Apple-style miniplug and standard Apple controls (volume up/down and start/stop). The literature says that the P7 cable has a microphone, but I don't see where it's located. The cables are single-sided and much thicker than the P5's cables, thankfully. The earpads are the standard B&W removable type with magnetic fasteners. The carry case is neither the hard type nor the useless cloth bag that some manufacturers issue - it looks usable in luggage or backpacks since the headphone is folded inward on itself, providing additional protection. A 3.5 mm to 6.5 mm adapter plug is also provided. The music tracks below were listed in only one prior review (B&O H6 Green), and are a random sample selected from the 400 most recent tracks I've acquired. Since these tracks cover a wide range of genres, and were selected when I was using several different headphones, there won't be a bias toward the P7 headphone with this music. My suggestion is instead of reading each comment below as an absolute unto itself, you could compare these notes to the prior (H6) review and other reviews as they get posted, and see how the P7 compares with each individual track. Ana Victoria - Roxanne (Pop Vocal): Spacious sound, good bass tone and impact, and the vocal sounds very natural. Excellent reproduction by the P7. Ben Goldberg - Root and Branch (Jazz): Realistic you-are-there sound with great instrumental reproduction. The P7 plays this extremely well. Benedictines Of Mary - O Come Emmanuel (Medieval/Female Choral/Acapella): Very spacious sound and natural reverb for a large recording venue (cathedral). The P7 makes the voices come alive. Black Sabbath - Iron Man (Classic Rock): Excellent instrumental detail - the vocal sounds very natural. As with most classic rock tracks, there is very little or no deep bass. The P7 plays this music very smoothly, and the lack of deep bass doesn't unbalance the treble. Candy Dulfer - Lily Was Here (Jazz): Narrow soundstage, but excellent detailed instrumental tone. The P7 gives this a reasonable sense of space, but in spite of being a modern recording, the net effect is only slightly better than enhanced mono. Cantus - Danny Boy (Traditional/Male Choral/Acapella): The P7 plays the voices with enough low end warmth and weight to sound very natural. Chris Isaak - Wicked Game (Pop/Rock): The P7 plays this high treble energy recording with perfection - the voice and instruments are highly detailed but very smooth. Daft Punk - Lose Yourself to Dance (Electronic/Disco): Less than hi-fi quality recording, but the voices are very good. There's a decent amount of bass impact, but the bass doesn't have much detail. David Hazeltine - Fur Elise (Jazz): A very high-quality recording from HDTracks. The P7 reproduces the instruments perfectly with a you-are-there ambiance. The wire-brush-on-cymbal harmonics are very extended and detailed. David Lynch-Lykke Li - I'm Waiting Here (Soundtrack/Vocal): Dark, moody song - Lykke's voice is very detailed, the strong bass impacts are very good, but most of the instrumentation is soft and kept in the background. The P7 plays this music very well given the sonic limitations. Dream Theater - Take The Time (Metal): The sound quality here is limited, but the P7 is smooth enough to bring out the details in this very busy music without verging on harshness. Genesis - Follow You Follow Me (Pop/Rock):The P7 plays this old and less-than-ideal recording well enough to enjoy, but the soundstage is fairly narrow. Giant Drag - Wicked Game (Pop/Rock): Annie Hardy's version of the Chris Isaak hit has a lot of energy, but the quality is limited - still the P7 pulls out enough detail to be a pleasant listen. Grieg (Beecham-Royal Philharmonic) - Peer Gynt-Solveig's Lullaby (Classical): This very old (late 1950's) stereo recording must have been made on the most expensive gear in the world, since the overall sound quality and especially Ilse Hollweg's amazing voice are as close to "being there" as I've heard with some of the better classical recordings made since the year 2000. The P7 makes this an outstanding listen. Hubert Kah - The Picture (New Wave): This track has great bass detail and weight at the same time, which I find unusual for this type of 1980's pop music. The P7 plays this music very well. Hugo Audiophile - 15-16 (Electronic): I'm not sure what the 15-16 stands for - perhaps track numbers from a CD album. The strong deep-bass tones that start around 33-34 seconds into the track reproduce very well with the P7. This is a great recording for evaluating whether a headphone's bass will be sufficient for most environments, since for many headphones that have a weaker bass, the deep bass gets absorbed and mostly lost when the environment contains a lot of low-frequency energy. Korn - Another Brick In the Wall (Rock): Aggressive rock that's very satisfying for hard-rock fans. The P7 plays this perfectly, which is to say, with proper edginess and bass impact, yet without unintended sonic harshness. Kunika Kato - Fur Alina (Vibraphone): A very unusual instrumental - the tone quality is unlike anything I've heard before. Recording close-up is part of the magic here, but the P7 does the rest in reproducing the full harmonics of this amazing instrument. Michael Buble - Nice 'n Easy (Easy Listening/Jazz): This is the only track I bought by Michael Buble, but it's a great recording and vocal performance. The sound of the backing band here is rendered extremely well by the P7, and the voice isn't pumped up for Loudness Wars thankfully. Michael Tilson Thomas - Rhapsody In Blue (20th Century Classic): Great sound and soundstage, and terrific piano playing and tone, brought to life by the P7. There are some very deep bass impacts starting around 38 seconds into the 17:24 length track, and those impacts have a very impressive weight with the P7. Muse - Madness (Rock): The bass in this track has great impact and detail with the P7, but the voice is so forward that I have to keep the volume lower than what's ideal to appreciate the bass line here. Phaeleh - Afterglow (feat. Soundmouse) (Electronic/Vocal): The instrumental sounds that begin this track are played very nicely by the P7, but the voice tends to overwhelm those background sounds - until the heavy bass impacts kick in. If there is any doubt about whether the P7 will play heavy impactful bass with good detail (if such sounds are really in the recording), this track is the proof. If you were to begin your P7 listening with this track, you might think you were listening to a headphone that has a very boosted but tight and detailed bass. Simply amazing. Richard Strauss (Mester-Pasadena) - Also Sprach Zarathustra (opening) (Classical): The granddaddy of bass is in the opening 1:50 of this recording, and I've heard it only once on a large and expensive loudspeaker system in Cleveland. For most people, that experience would be indistinguishable from being in a fairly strong earthquake. The P7 conveys as much of that experience as is possible on headphones. The tympani also have excellent impact here. Sargis Aslamazian - The Sky is Cloudy (Classical/Armenian): The National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia has a great classical program, and the P7 plays this music with good separation, tone, and big-orchestra precision. Satri-Tomoko Sonoda - All The Things You Are (Jazz): This track came from Bakoon Products, who make high-quality audio amplifiers. There's a lot of upright bass plucking in this track, and the P7 plays it well, although it's recorded pretty close-up and may sound somewhat boomy at times. Tommy Smith - Johnny Come Lately (Jazz): Small-combo jazz - sax, piano and drums. The sound is fairly close-up but well-recorded, and sounds very nice with the P7, although the wire-brush-on-cymbal harmonics are not as extended as on the David Hazeltine track above.
  11. Here's an all-new review of my newest M100 in matte black: http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/forum/headphone-reviews/3829-v-moda-m100-matte-black-stereo-headphone-review.html
  12. Some people don't like the MOE because they don't like any on-ear, but it's the most comfy on-ear ever I think, with the extra-soft cloth earpads.
  13. Youtube review: http://youtu.be/MtQKxrQFGm8 Sources: iPhone5 alone, iPhone5 with FiiO E07k using LOD, iPhone5 using v-moda Verza DAC/amp, various computers using HRT Microstreamer DAC/amp. First impression of the Sennheiser Momentum On-Ear (MOE): A smooth treble rolloff, easily fixed with the iPod/iPhone/iTunes Treble Booster EQ. This EQ boost is perfectly matched to the MOE's treble shyness, so I will be using that EQ for this review, and every comment I make about the MOE's sound will assume that the treble boost is ON. Some users have commented about peaks or roughness after boosting the treble, and there may be a very minor peak or two that will show up as significant on a few tracks (less than one percent of my tracks), but in those rare cases I just adjust the volume. Most headphones that I've used have treble peaks to one degree or another anyway when played flat (no EQ), so the mere mention of that is more a disclaimer than a criticism. The MOE's bass is fantastic and amazing - I've also heard a complaint or two about the bass from certain users, but those users were not boosting the treble, hence the bass sounded 'off' to them because it wasn't properly balanced by the treble. The mids are Sennheiser good - warm and lush, like the best kind of live performance. Realizing in advance that many reviewers will ding the MOE for various technical shortcomings, I'll make a bold statement here: The MOE is one of the best sounding headphones I've heard below a thousand dollars (USD), its build quality and appearance is a ten out of ten, and the comfort is superb - the earpads for example have the cloth-type covering that doesn't get nearly as warm as plastic and pleather earpads. The treble is perfectly balanced from top to bottom (noting EQ as above), it has good harmonic detail, and the bass has great impact and control with a decent amount of detail. The overall experience is marvelous - highly recommended. Soundstage seems at least average or better for a good closed headphone, and it improves noticeably with a good headphone amp. Note that Sennheiser specifies the MOE's impedance as 18 ohms, so headphone amps that have a high output impedance may act unpredictably with the MOE. Isolation seems good - average or better for a closed headphone, but leakage is such that if you're in a very quiet office in a cubicle right next to other cubicles, the adjacent co-workers will likely hear some of the sound when played at audiophile volume levels. That should be less of a problem on public transport, since the ambient noise will mask the leakage unless the user is playing the MOE at dangerously high volume levels. The MOE's earcups don't rotate, but they're small and they pull down far enough for ideal portable use, so I can wear the headphone around my neck all day long when not listening. A semi-stiff cloth case is also provided. The MOE has a stainless steel headband with an under-pad that's stiff, but the headphone is so light and the earcups easily support its weight that I don't think it would be a problem for anyone. If so, just pull the earcups down some and let them support more of the weight. The headband clamping force is enough to keep the MOE in position when moving around, as long as your head doesn't make extreme movements such as tilting far forward or backward, in which case the earcups may slide off of your ears. The earcups are just like the Momentum's - high quality metal, but available in much better colors than the original Momentum. The cables, one with Apple connectors and one with standard connectors, are single-sided and detachable, with 2.5 mm plugs going into the earcup (left earcup only). The 2.5 mm plug has a locking connector on its sleeve, but since the cable snaps in securely a generic cable could possibly be used, but note that both cables' earcup end has an extra ring compared to generic 2.5 mm plugs. Summarizing, and as an owner of several Sennheiser headphones, the MOE is easily my favorite. Certain other Sennheiser headphones cost more, but along with whatever advantages they afford comes their own imperfections. I've seen where other reviews mention a "fun" sound for headphones they consider less than ideal in terms of their fidelity or hi-fi accuracy, but I can't subscribe to that notion because it leaves too many holes for unpleasant colorations to get through. The MOE isn't just a good sound after I got used to it, it impressed me favorably right out of the box, or more accurately, after letting the headphone warm up for a few hours while I finished the day's work. Outside of the Sennheiser product line and comparing to other brands, headphones that I find comparable without regard to price include: ATH ESW9a (soft treble); B&W P5 (soft bass and treble); Grado PS500 (slightly brighter with upper bass hump); Philips L1 (bassy); Senn Momentum (uneven highs); and v-moda M100 (bassy). In previous reviews I've included the following music examples with comments about how the headphones sound with each track. My suggestion is instead of reading each one as an absolute unto itself, you could compare my notes here to those other reviews and see how the MOE compares with each individual track. Note that the comments below apply to the MOE's sound played with Treble Booster EQ as noted above. Animotion - Obsession (1980's New Wave/Techno): The upper bass synth has very good detail and tone, and both male and female vocals sound natural, without favoring either. The MOE plays this perfectly. Ben Heit Quartet - Suite-Magnet and Iron (Jazz with a Bebop flavor): The piano that leads off sounds realistic and the saxophone sounds appropriately soft. Overall, the MOE plays this music extremely well. Cath Carroll - Moves Like You (1980's New Wave/Techno): This track's percussion and voice are crisp and well-balanced, and there's a good sense of space or soundstage around the voices and instruments. The MOE reproduces the space and detail convincingly. Chromatics - I'm On Fire (Synth-Pop, female lead): This track has a good amount of space around the voice and instruments, making for a very pleasant stereo image. The voice is excellent, and the tambourine is clearly identifiable. Crystal Castles - Wrath of God (Electro-Pop): The bass in this track has a strong impact but little detail, while the ambient electronic effects are clear and distinct. The MOE plays this track very well given the limited quality of the recording. DJ Shadow - Building Steam With a Grain of Salt (Electronic/DJ): This track opens with what sounds like very high and very low piano notes, and the MOE renders those notes extremely well. The ambient voices are slightly indistinct though. Franz Ferdinand - Ulysses (Pop-Rock): The moderate level of bass in this track is played with good detail by the MOE, and the percussion and voice are crisp and well-balanced. This track has a huge amount of high-frequency energy, but the MOE plays it very smoothly. Halie Loren - Sway (Jazz vocal): Bass instruments here may sound boomy on some headphones, but the MOE is better than average in this regard. The trumpet sounds natural but soft, and the voice is done just right. Hans Zimmer - Dark Knight-Aggressive Expansion (Soundtrack): The percussion in this track hits really hard, and the bass tones beginning around 0:45 have the ultra-deep "shuddery" kind of sound and feel that indicates an excellent deep-bass response. Overall, the MOE plays this music extremely well. Kaskade - 4am (Electro-House): The bass that kicks in around 1:01 into the track is subtle, but the MOE plays it well. The percussion and female voice balance well with neither overwriting the other - the MOE gets this right. Katy B - Perfect Stranger (R&B-House-Garage): The heavy bass that begins at 0:27 into this track is played very well by the MOE. The voice is slightly forward, but it doesn't overpower the instruments or get lost in the mix. The MOE balances the different elements in this music very well. Machine Gun Kelly - All We Have (Rap/Hip-Hop): The heavy bass beats that begin at 0:23 into the track do sound like drum impacts, although they're not sharp impacts. The male and female voices have a good balance, and the MOE plays this very well given the limited quality of the recording. Massive Attack - Angel (Trip-Hop): This track begins with a steady low-frequency sound and some slightly soft deep-bass impacts. The voices blend well with the music and have just the right presence, although the recorded quality of the instruments isn't great. The MOE plays this very well given the limited quality of the recording. Morcheeba - Bullet Proof (Trip-Hop): Bright percussion and medium-strength bass impacts make up most of this, with some dance-club spoken intonations thrown in. The MOE plays the percussion pretty well, and the voices sound good too. Peter Tosh - Get Up Stand Up (Reggae): The bass here has a fairly strong impact, and the lead and backup voices have good separation that's not too narrow or wide. The MOE renders the bass with good detail and the voices sound very natural. Porcupine Tree - Trains (Pop-Rock): This track opens with some nicely-detailed string sounds and a forward-sounding male voice with a higher-than-average register. There are a series of "clip-clop" effects starting at 3:19 that may lack clarity and proper harmonic detail on some headphones, and although the MOE makes those effects audible, the 'clop' sounds light (for lack of a better term) - i.e. the effect should have a more-or-less hollow quality, but with the MOE the sound is higher pitched, lessening the hollow effect. Rachmaninoff - Prelude in C-Sharp Minor Op3 No2 (Classical, Piano): Grand piano played mechanically from an original recording by the master himself. The bass is unusually light with most headphones, but the MOE renders the notes with enough weight to be convincing. Scarlatti-Kipnis - Sonata in E Major K381 (Classical, Harpsichord): The harpsichord here is fairly bright and highly detailed, and the MOE renders the tones and transients superbly. Trombone Shorty - Backatown (Jazz-Funk): The deep bass impacts here are unusually strong, and work very well with the horns and other instruments. The MOE delivers the impacts with proper weight and great detail, and the horns have the kind of bite that gives them a wonderfully realistic sound. William Orbit - Optical Illusion (Billy Buttons Mix) (Electronic): This is about as close as I want to get to easy-listening music. The string tones beginning at 0:18 are fairly soft, and while the bass isn't very deep, it still adds a good underpinning to the music. The short poetic rap at 4:14, preceded by an etherial female voice, works very well with this track.
  14. Um, no they don't. On this headphone forum, it's known that each headphone sounds different. Some are good and some are terrible. Saying that "Beats have awesome sound" identifies you as a spammer, since not every Beats sounds the same, and in fact some are terrible.
  15. Here's a nifty little headphone that I'm finding both useful and enjoyable: http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/forum/headphone-reviews/3764-bang-olufsen-b-o-form2-stereo-headphone-review.html
  16. The plots are so close that it's obvious they were made in the same factory, probably the same day.
  17. Not even in the same universe. Nothing in common. If you want to compare something to the DT48, try the B&O H6.
  18. If the fakes sound the same or almost exactly the same as the real ones, that just means the real ones are made in the daytime at the factory in China, and the factory opens at Midnight for a few hours to make the "fake" ones.
  19. The brown is similar to the Sennheiser Momentum, and the black is just black.
  20. I'm a late arriver for the COP. And maybe I waited just long enough, because I would rate this COP in the top 6 of all headphones I've ever had. These are the headphones and the comments in the parens () are how that headphone sounds compared to the COP: Sennheiser HD800 (too bright). Shure SRH1840 (weak bass, distorted at 30 hz and below). Beyer COP (). Grado PS500 (upper bass hump). V-MODA M100 (potentially better, but needs bass EQ). ATH ESW9a (very close, but the COP has better treble and no significant peaks).
  21. For sure. Not only were there a lot of fakes, which probably earned Dr. Dre a lot of bad publicity because the sound of the fakes was bad, and people assumed wrongly that that was Dre's real sound -- but there was heavy spamming on headphone sites for Beats, and those were probably fake sellers also. So the other headphone manufacturers have lots to worry about now. The new editions of Beats are sounding much better, and they will probably retain the majority share of all headphones sold, or they might even increase their lead.
  22. Here is only the 3rd headphone of the last 60 I purchased that I can play with EQ disabled: http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/forum/headphone-reviews/3732-beyerdynamic-custom-one-pro-16-ohm-stereo-headphone-review.html
  23. Here is the new B&O headphone having high quality build, excellent hi-fi sound, and also very portable: http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/forum/headphone-reviews/3730-bang-olufsen-b-o-h6-stereo-headphone-review.html
  24. Good to hear your experiences. The FiiO E12 is one of those things that you hang onto more than anything, because it's got the power and sound to be reliable with almost any headphone.
  25. This headphone was a big surprise - has already discounted a lot, but has a great potential for sound: http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/forum/headphone-reviews/3703-sol-republic-master-tracks-stereo-headphone-review.html
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