Audeze Sine
Audeze opts for Lightning sound – even before Apple does
$499 Manufacturer Audeze, audeze.com
Features 10Hz-50kHz frequency response, 6 watt power, leather design
The Audeze Sine, unlike most other headphones, are ready for a future that actually may not come to fruition. Specifically, that’s the possibility of an iPhone 7 devoid of the traditional 3.5mm headphone socket, and how Apple’s move could signal a big change in the way manufacturers make headphones.
If Apple does decide to juke the decades-old standard, Audeze will be prepared with the Sine. If you’re an iPhone user, you should really be listening to them through the Cipher Lightning cable, which features an amplifier, digital signal processor and digital-to-audio converter. It houses all of these components because the Lightning port bypasses the iPhone’s default audio system, which means that the data coming out of the iPhone to the Sine hasn’t yet been converted and processed.
While wireless is certainly the trend, Audeze is keeping things a little more old-school with its cable-only approach. When you first plug the Sine into a Lightning port, you’re prompted to install the app. This is recommended, because it will keep the hardware up to date with the latest firmware, and also because it lets you tune two equalizers to your taste. These are stored on the cable, and usable on multiple Audeze devices. The Cipher Lightning cable gives the Sine all of the modern powers we love to see in a set of wired headphones. There’s a multifunction inline remote that can adjust volume, pick up phone calls and switch songs. It also features a microphone so your phone can remain in the pocket.
The audio is excellent, too – full of attack, warmth, and detail. Everything sounds neatly balanced in the closed-back cup and, to our ears, nothing seemed out of place or disproportionate in the presentation.
If you have an Android phone, or are just listening through a non-Lightning port, the 3.5mm cable option is appreciated and totally serviceable, too. But by comparison, audio coming through the 3.5mm cable sounded more reserved and didn’t have the immediacy or the warm quality that we loved from the Cipher cable.
When it comes to use with a Mac or non-Apple phone or tablet, there’s not much to see here other than a nice set of fancy headphones. But on your iPhone, they’re pretty great.
the bottom line. The Audeze Sine are excellent headphones, with a big feature that rewards listening on iPhone or iPad, but they’re less impactful elsewhere.