All ears!

Lucky me, I recently reviewed three of the world's very best headphones, the Audio Technica ATH-W5000, Denon AH-D7000 and Sennheiser HD 800 for Home Entertainment, due in the September issue.

But the advancement of high-end headphones doesn't stand still and now I've heard something even better: The WooAudio WES headphone amplifier and Stax SR-007 Mk2 headphone.

A mini survey of ear-bogglingly good headphones and headphone amplifiers

I'd like to let you in on a little secret: You can buy terrific headphones for next to nothing. That's not to say they all sound great, but a bigger budget definitely buys better build and sound quality.

For this roundup I've selected three contenders for the world's best headphone: the Denon AH-D5000, Grado Labs GS-1000, and the Ultrasone Edition 9, plus a pair of headphone amplifiers, Benchmark's DAC1 USB and Woo Audio's WA5-LE.

A milled aluminum core houses this first-of-its kind custom tuned dual armature driver configuration. The drivers are encased in a layer of silicone, protected by military-grade carbon fiber sidings and held together with a titanium hexagonal fastener. (Optional kryptonite carrying case).

The SA7 drivers are tuned by Sleek's acoustic engineers to offer clarity with brilliant highs, strong mids and accurate, powerful bass. To enhance the audio experience even further, the SA7 boasts Sleek's acclaimed VQ ^TM Tuning system, allowing you to acoustically tune your music to match your individual sonic preference. The manufuacturer claims its ESC (Environmental Sound Control) blocks more than double the ambient noise of larger, noise cancelling earphones.

As part of Sleek's Signature series, the SA7 also offers Wireless Hybrid Technology, offering the ability to go from wired, to wireless and back again using Kleer^TM lossless technology.

To purchase online, click here

Germany's Ultrasone AG has unveiled what are arguably the world's most off-the-hook headphones. The Edition 10 is a result of years of R&D. Drawing inspiration from natural forms, the Edition 10's ear cups feature high levels of air permeability through the grills, high specific torsion strength, extremely low resonance ...and in a lightweight design. The outer ear cup is finished with a Zebrano wood inlay, coated with eight layers of clear lacquer. The Edition 10's inner ear cup, as well as the head-pad, is made of Ethiopian sheepskin, known for its supplenosity(?), achieving maximum comfort level and sound isolation. There's a punchline hiding here somewhere but it escapes me.

The Titanium-plated 40 mm drivers have been specially tuned for open back application. Each set of drivers has been individually paired with a tolerance of +/- 0.4. The Edition 10s reduce sound pressure on the eardrum by up to 40% and also provide shielding from EMF radiation up to 98%. Attention to detail can also be seen via silver-plated OFC 99.99% pure copper wires in Kevlar casing, achieving increased current flow, improved flexibility and lower overall weight.

Each Edition 10 headphone comes with a hand crafted Zebrano wood headphone stand and is housed in its own wooden box for safe storage and transportation. Only 2,010 Edition 10 headphones will be produced, each one will be embossed with its own serial number.

The Edition 10 headphones have a MSRP of $2,749 and will be available at www.ultrasone.com and high-end audio retailers worldwide. To learn more about Ultrasone's Edition 10, go to www.edition-10.com