It may be a marketing and manufacturing conglomerate, but I still love the whole Shinola Detroit concept—its revival of a vintage brand, its restoration of factory jobs to a once-powerful city of
It may be a marketing and manufacturing conglomerate, but I still love the whole Shinola Detroit concept—its revival of a vintage brand, its restoration of factory jobs to a once-powerful city of sweat and iron and American dreams, and its retro take on lifestyle products. It’s no surprise the Canfield On-Ear Headphones ($350 street) look lush, warmly techy with a dash of John Wayne cool (especially the silver/cognac model, as tested), and fashion forward. The brand made its bones producing stunning designs for hipsters, so if you want to strut some rock and roll attitude while actually listening to rock and roll, these are absolutely the headphones to glam you right up.
Yes, they are expensive, and, yes, if you want critical-listening headphones for mixing tracks, you should probably invest in a studio-quality reference model. The Canfield is not particularly accurate or transparent, but, to be fair, neither are the ultra-popular Beats headphones. What you do get is a very comfortable headphone and a pleasant listening experience. High frequencies are clear, though not airy or dimensional. Midrange frequencies lack punch, but they are articulate, and the low end is a tad flat. There’s little butt shakin’ going on, but no woofiness or boomy bass, either.
But let’s face it—you’re going to look good while boppin’ to your fave jams. And if you’re the type to go for the flashy Corvette over the serviceable Ford Escort, then you’re not going to worry whether you’ve overspent for the level of audio quality the Canfield provides. What’s more rock and roll than that?
Kudos Beautiful design. Luxury appointments. Comfortable.
Concerns So not reference monitors.
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