Brent Butterworth

With hundreds of new headphones coming out last year, S+V got so wrapped up in product reviews that we never got around to covering what I think is probably 2012's most important audio story: a recent research project that should augment the audio world's spotty understanding of how headphones should be voiced.

To reviewers, accusations of bias are just part of the gig. Commenting readers have insisted we’re biased against certain brands, biased against in-ear monitors, biased against headphones with lots of bass, biased against headphones with flat bass, even biased against headphones from non-California companies.

KEF made the LS50 minispeaker for lots of reasons. It’s a celebration of the company’s 50^th anniversary. It’s the first affordable application of the technology developed for the $29,999/pair Blade. It’s a throwback to the LS3/5a, a beloved, BBC-designed minimonitor for which KEF made the drivers.

It’s weird for a 50-year-old audio writer to be reviewing a product that’s targeted at people half his age or less. Guys my age like products labeled “audiophile-grade” or “reference,” not “Nuke” or “Boom.” Meaningless as such marketing terms are, though, you gotta figure Behringer did something to make the iNuke Boom Junior iPod/iPhone dock earn its badass moniker.