Blue Ella headphones

UNIQUE FEATURES AND AUDIO WITH A HEAVY PRICE.

FROM THE COMPANY that brought us some of the world’s best value podcasting microphones comes an audiophile set of cans with some striking features. Instead of the typical conical drivers, the Ella uses planar magnetic drivers, which are less than 50 microns thin and offer a variety of advantages relating to signal accuracy and lower distortion levels. There’s no doubting that these headphones sound beautiful – the planar drivers and large cup design make for some incredible clarity and distinction in the audio, and the two amplifier modes add a good degree of presence, warmth, and (in one of the modes) extra bass. The integrated amplifier can run for 12 hours before needing to recharge via the microUSB port, which on our model was misaligned, but thankfully this was the only real sign of fault in the manufacturing.

On the one hand, the headphones are some of the sturdiest we’ve encountered, but this lends them towards being more rigid than they should be, and while novel, the tightness of the multi-hinged design caused fatigue even after short listening periods. The main issue the Ella suffers from is a confused purpose – the built-in amp is clearly aimed at mobile listeners while the bulky design and planar drivers are more at home in the studio. As far as portable cans are concerned, the Ellas are up against wireless, noise-cancelling headphones that are twice as comfortable, less than half the price and, frankly, sound almost just as good. While we’ve seen these headphones retail for as low as $899, they’re still difficult to recommend unless you’re specifically chasing a home audiophile solution that doesn’t involve external amplifiers or speakers.