Lauren Dragan

I’ll come clean: when I heard that HBO was making a series version of Westworld, I more or less shrugged. I never saw the 70s film, but had heard it was campy sci-fi fun, which generally isn’t my speed. And perhaps because my father raised me on the romantic west of Roy Rogers and The Lone Ranger, I view all new westerns with a somewhat disappointed eye. As a result, I only watched Westworld because my husband seemed enthusiastic. Had he not persuaded me, I definitely would have passed it by. Don’t be like me. There are so many great reasons to watch, even if you’re not into sci-fi or westerns.

In a press conference at CES this week, Audiofly announced a partnership with Tiësto, world renowned DJ and record producer, in the creation of three new in-ear headphones. The line, called “Club Life by Tiësto” will range in price from $30-$150, and will be available this spring 2014. But what really goes into the creation of headphones, especially one with someone like Tiësto attached? After all the press had cleared their tripods, I got invited to sit down for an informal chat with Tiësto and Dave Thompson, CEO of Audiofly inside their booth on the CES show floor to find out.

Most of the time, when I get headphones in to review, it’s a pretty standard experience: unbox, burn in, listen, evaluate. While I still get excited when a headphone sounds really fantastic, it’s rare that I get jazzed before I even open the box. Modular tube amp fans will know what I mean; that giddy glee like a new box of LEGOs on Christmas morning: a feeling of potential and playtime. Something to open, adjust, and make your own. And I miss it. So as I grabbed my kitchen shears to crack open the shipping box for the new Torque Audio t402v (customizable headphones several years in the making), I was surprised to find I was smiling, and giggled to myself. Holy crap, I’m actually excited to play with some headphones! Don’t worry, I did well in kindergarten. I’ll share.

Fledgling company Echobox recently released their first headphone, the Finder X1. Pitched to me as in-ear monitors that are delicate in size but durable, I was curious to hear what the X1, recently into production after a crowdfunding campaign, had to offer.