MartinLogan Mikros 90 Reference On-Ear Noise Isolating Headphones Preview

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The proof is in the pudding, so to speak, and while the Mikros 90s look great on paper, we're still unsure how they sound. At $300, they are in a very popular "entry-level high-end" bracket. At this price point, the MartinLogan name will certainly turn heads but those heads will have discerning ears. If MartinLogan wants the Mikros 90 reference on-ear headphones to be successful, they really will have to live up to the famous MartinLogan sound. They certainly can't promise that the Mikros 90s are like "having your own private MartinLogan listening room wherever you go" and not deliver at this price point.


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*** At $300, they are in a very popular "entry-level high-end" bracket.***

The price escalation of headphones continues to amaze me.

Not too long ago, $250-350 is whatall but the "super statement" models (Senn Orpheus, Stax, AKG K1000, those Sonys with the diaphragms made out of living bacteria, etc.) were.

And, frankly, the best of those $250-350 headphones (Senn HD580/HD600, Denon/Foster D2000, etc.) sounded a lot better than any of the super-statement ones of the day. While I've never heard (or seen) those Sonys, I did do direct A/B comparisons between the '580s, driven by a HeadRoom Total AirHead Mk. 1.5, and the Senn Orpheus/AKG K1000; the Orpheus was beautiful and man that amp looks good but were basically useless for anything but girl-and-guitar type audiophile specials. The K1000's were ugly and I remember thinking that they didn't improve on the 580 in any material way, though there wasn't any aspect of their sound memorable enough for me to recall today.