{"id":266436,"date":"2025-09-30T12:01:18","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T12:01:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/266436\/"},"modified":"2025-09-30T12:01:18","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T12:01:18","slug":"we-asked-audio-pros-to-blind-test-headphones-the-results-were-surprising","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/266436\/","title":{"rendered":"We Asked Audio Pros to Blind Test Headphones. The Results Were Surprising"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cThis is not a technical term, but if they feel the most boring,\u201d explained Steph. \u201cIt\u2019s not as clean as A (Sony) but also not as hyped as B (Soundcore), but that doesn\u2019t make them Goldilocks, sounding not very wide, and a bit mid-range heavy.\u201d<\/p>\n

D: Bose QuietComfort Ultra (1st Gen)<\/p>\n

These flagship headphones from the inventors of active noise cancellation first launched in 2023, and have been a consistent best seller ever since, commonly featuring on best headphones lists\u2014including our own\u2014and praised for their great sound and industry-leading noise cancelling. They recently got a number of feature upgrades, like even better noise cancellation, battery life improvements and the addition of wired USB-C audio, but apart from a few subtle tweaks, the overall sound signature has remained the same.<\/p>\n

\"White<\/a><\/p>\n

Photograph: Ryan Waniata<\/p>\n

The results here were a mixed bag. Isabel found them, \u201cvery hyped in the bass, which loses lead vocal presence. And there\u2019s some high-frequency hyping that\u2019s not equating to detail, which feels like it\u2019s masking for a poorer set of headphones.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ian, on the other hand, was initially pleased with the detail, and could \u201chear the hi-hat clearly,\u201d but he wasn\u2019t convinced they were as strong at the top end compared to C (Apple) or B (Soundcore). However, he concluded they were \u201cmuch more balanced and better compared with A (Sony), especially in terms of the bass.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"We<\/p>\n

PHOTOGRAPH: Harry Hall<\/p>\n

\u201cThe others just feel more expansive.\u201d says Kintish. \u201cThese feel like everything is down the center. They\u2019re lacking that wide field of sound, and it all feels very small, whereas others\u2014specifically A, B, and C\u2014had a bit more stereo feel to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Interestingly, Steph got the impression the Bose had \u201ca phone filter, or EQ on them.\u201d And admitted that, I’m almost not sure how I feel about them. I don’t dislike them as much as I did E (Nothing). But I’d say there’s nothing exciting about these either.\u201d<\/p>\n

E: Nothing Headphones (1)<\/p>\n

Nothing\u2019s first over-ear design, tuned in collaboration with KEF, features ANC, support for high-resolution Bluetooth codec LDAC, and USB\u2011C lossless playback, plus an 80-hour battery, custom EQ and decidedly different looks. Reviews have been hugely positive, including our own<\/a>, with particular appreciation of their industrial design and feature-rich performance.<\/p>\n