Hear the true sound of music

It seems that, just like in fashion, trends in technology can be cyclical. We started off with large mobile phones, followed by a drive to go smaller. The past few years have seen the trend reverse again, and now we're seeing mobile phones with screen sizes of more than 4 inches. Headphones, too, have followed a similar cyclical trend — we went from large over-the-head ones to small in-ear ones. Look around now and you'll see many wearing the over-the-head phones again. The Sony MDR-Z1000 is the flagship model of its new line-up. One among four, the set is targeted at audiophiles and sound professionals. The design is very simplistic, featuring a metal band and black leather padding around it with black ear muffs. There is nothing loud or obnoxious about the design and the result is very classy indeed. It is because of this leather padding around the band and on the ear cups that the set is very comfortable. You could wear these for hours. These headphones are aimed at both studio professionals and music enthusiasts who want to go beyond their standard issue stock headphones. I'll leave the technicalities to the acoustic professionals, but in terms of specifications the earphones feature a frequency response between 5Hz-80,000 Hz, a low impedance of 24 Ohm and a sensitivity of 108dB/mW. From a consumer point of view, these headphones offer a noticeable improvement in sound quality. While many headphones offer a punchier sound by pumping up the bass, these Sony headphones focus on the mid-level frequencies and aim to bring the true sound out. They aren't noise-cancelling, but since these ear cups cover the whole ear, they do a good job of drowning out external sound. Push the volume up to a moderate decibel level, and you'll have your peers waving their hands frantically to get your attention. These headphones don't come cheap, though. Priced at Dh1,999, the MDR-Z1000 is definitely on the higher scale. They don't come with the glitz or glamour of many others on the market, but they do offer form and function. Bhavishya Kanjhan is a digital marketing professional and an early adopter of all things digital. Follow his tweets on @bhavishya