What is it?
Stylish performance headphones.
How will it change my life?
The French have a reputation for style and transforming the mundane into suave delights such as cuisine, fashion and cinema. I now know this also translates to technology with the VK-1 (short for Valkyrie) headphones from Aedle.
I view myself as a particularly practical person when it comes to daily life due to a modest upbringing and can often fail to appreciate the finer things (usually taking my cue from my far more well-travelled and cultured wife so I know when to nod in the right places).
That said, I did immediately notice the aesthetic appeal of the VK-1 headphones as I unboxed them which brought a modicum of pride akin to successfully identifying a vintage wine while blindfolded (although to be fair, it's rare I'm called upon for such a task – I'll leave that to my learned colleague Tom Bruce-Gardyne over on the food and drink pages).
Good points?
The design is very easy on the eye and will garner positive comments and enviable glances. Machined titanium drivers, a leather-covered manganese head strap and choice of slick wire encased jack cables adds up to a stunning look. The sound quality is on a par with most of its high-end competitors while outperforming in some benchmarks such as classical, acoustic, pop and soft rock.
Bad points?
The lambskin leather ear-pads don't quite dampen the pressure on the ears from the head strap and can be a tad uncomfortable after prolonged usage. Although the drivers do a great job at picking out individual tones there does seem to be a definitive limit with instrument-laden musical overlays coming across a little tinny.
Best for ...
The real music connoisseur who wants a note-by-note experience without any merge or washout. I was really impressed with how well the headphones brought acoustics to life for the likes of Mexican acoustic guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela.
Avoid if ...
You like to listen on the move as the weight of the pair is very noticeable when walking and coupled with the pad pressure can become a tad uncomfortable.
Score: 8/10, quality sound and stunning looks.
Aedle VK-1 Legacy Edition, £238 (aedle.net)
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