Sonneteer Headspace Reviews
35+
This thing is pretty cool! Really stops the music from feeling like it’s “stuffed” in your ears along with the actual plugs. Lots of “space”. It definitely works, can’t understand how it does, mind! ha ha
Natalie White
Very interesting little gadget, pretty much a must buy for every headphone’s lover.
Mysiak_M
So I placed my order on the Sonneteer site and a few days later my headspace had arrived. It’s tiny and it just looks like a small piece of black plastic, but inside that piece of plastic is where all the goodies are doing the job reside.
In my humble opinion everyone who listens to headphones should have one.
Owen
I’m not one for audiophile flowery language, I like to put things in very simple terms, such as I like that, it’s OK, and I don’t like that. Also when I buy something I like to hear an immediate difference to the sound, not struggle to discern any differences. Gladly with the headspace the difference is very noticeable straight away, I had the headspace plugged in to a pair of Perfectsound D901 headphones which are smooth and bassy sounding and the sound became much more open, greater soundstage width, the sound also didn’t seem to be sitting right on top of my head but had moved a few inches forward, which I like, the sound also became more dynamic and lively.
A positive result for me, it really is a steal in this day and age of insane pricing, it’s a no brainer for those wanting a more lively and open sound to their headphone listening experience.
Adam
…it’s a no brainer for those wanting a more lively and open sound to their headphone listening experience.
Adam
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Sonneteer Headspace£19.95 – £21.00
Won’t be listening to my music on headphones without this clever bit of kit again!
Lucy R
I bought this direct from Sonneteer a few weeks ago, to use with my Sennheiser Momentum 2.0.
It definitely adds “space” to the listening experience. The sense of music bouncing around the inside of your head is substantially alleviated and while you don’t get a massively wide soundstage, the presentation is very much more natural than the typical headphone experience. I also found listening fatigue was pretty much eliminated, which is something I’ve always sufferd from when listening with headphones.
I have also used the Bards Headspace with a variety of earbuds and the result is similar, a more natural, airy presentation.
This is a great little gadget at a great little price that has had a welcome positive effect on my experience of headphone listening.
Robert Conroy
Fantastic little product, very competitive price and improves the sound on my IPod Touch greatly, well done and British too.
Mrs C Theobold
I just listened to the music without Scrutinizing it, it seems more open and mellow.
Mortsnet (Steve Hoffman forum)
I’ve been using it almost daily…I think what it does best is presents a very enjoyable, easy to listen to sound. It takes away some of the digital fatigue of mid priced dacs. without rolling off the high frequencies. As I said before, I can’t listen without it. PS. Works best with my Grado SR325e.
Chris Zainea
Do you listen to music using headphones?
Have you ever heard real acoustic sounds in front of you in the same room?
Have you heard some really nicely setup Hi-Fi speakers or Studio monitors and wondered why your headphones kind of get some things right, maybe better, but they also kind of flatten what you hear in your ‘Headspace’ compared to the sound of real instruments or even stereo speakers in a room.
Then let me introduce you to this little device.
It is a little over an inch long or 35mm and you can obviously look at the pictures or ask Sonneteer about the other stuff… I know something though. You want to read a review to see if this might be for you. Yeah?
I lost My Headspace, I can’t listen without it!
Chris Zainea
Well, I will start by saying this little device does not make the ‘sound’ radically different. In that I mean it doesn’t add a big bass thump to drums or add a twinkly sheen to cymbals or miraculously untangle Bob Dylans drawl or does it make Buddy Rich any less flamboyant and carefree on the tubs. What it does change in a subtle and positive way is how the music seeps into your consciousness. It highlights when musicians shift direction or interplay with key changes or subtle rhymic patterns that need space in relation to another sound. It helps you relax into the music. A little less wired into separate ears and giving more clues in your head about the communication in the music. Not in a more familiar way but in a balanced informative way.
I use mine every time I use my headphones now.
Darryl B
A kind of ‘natural’ sense of order becomes a little more noticeable. A less fatiguing, more temporal, less literal feel to the events unfolding in your cranium. It’s just more ‘correct’ if you are used to hearing real-life acoustic sounds and even just used to mainly listening to speakers and the sense of occasion they add to the recorded event. I like it.
I use mine every time I use my headphones now. For the money this little well made and neat crossfeed device is well worth the investment. Especially if you desire a little more intimacy from your headphone sound. I mainly use Sony Studio CD900s or Audio Technica models and some Shures and even cheapy in-ears too. Hope this helps you.
Remember, The ‘soul’ is in the listener.
Darryl B
Also, some months later:
I lost My Headspace, I can’t listen without it!
Chris Zainea
I like the Headspace too. The reason I like it is becuase it blends and L & R on phone which makes the central image more err..central and the weird left / right stereo effects of modern music is much more natural. It’s a gamechanger for myself who usually avoids phones. It’s subtle, and long term phones users possibly won’t need or want what it does.
Clive.
I’ve done a lot more headphone listening since I got the Headspace and I’ve found that listening fatigue, which is something I’ve always experienced with ‘phones, has virtually disappeared.
Rob998 on Pink Fish Media
I listen a lot on headphones, always use the Headspace widgets. Have done for many months, I must have racked up many hundreds of hours over a very wide range of material. Probably 9 or 10 different headphones and several amplifiers.
Never ever heard any distortion! … the first time in ages I’ve done a comparative listen with / without the Headspace.
It’s nowhere near night and day. Subtle differences.
If you like / dislike the sound from your headphones I think it’s very unlikely to reverse your opinion.
What it does for me is relax and expand the presentation making it an easier and more natural listen.
Slightly less precision, while the virtual space created for the music to be in enlarges and becomes less constrained and more 3D…
Much bigger difference on my phone for some reason, quite like plugging in a proper headphone amp – there it may well make the difference between wanting to listen and getting out a book to read instead.
I’ll be keeping mine.
Jerry on The Audio standard forum.
…it simply works. Depending on the source material, effect can be negligible or quite strong (but only in a positive way), yet at the same time very natural and unobtrusive.
I have no idea how these guys do it, but it sounds like a combination of a crossfeed with virtual surround.
You simply can’t go wrong with the [Sonneteer] Headspace, plug it in and just enjoy your music or movies.
Mysiak_M
I love my the Bard’s Headspace. It makes my late night headphone listening much more enjoyable! I bought one off your website a few months back. Definitely worth the price!
David (Steve Hoffman’s Forum)
Listening to Youtube it sounded better again than the mp3, the sound moved away from the ears a little bit more and sounded more enjoyable to listen too. It also sounded more musical and that seem to stick out the most. I listened to “pagan place” by the waterboys, “Great gate of Kiev” by Mussorgsky , “Theme for a new world Largo” by Dvorak, “The Robots” by Kraftwerk and videos of people doing covers on a guitar and singing just to test it out on different material.
A good test for the Bard is listen to someone on youtube solo singing with a Guitar and you will hear it a little more in front/out of head than without the Bard. Also it seems to clear the sound up a little, so you could enjoy the music more and listen for longer.
What struck me the most is the music was the main focus, I just listened to the music without Scrutinizing it, it seems more open and mellow. If you don’t like un natural bright sound then maybe this might be for you I got mine after about 2 weeks to West Coast USA. It helps with long term listening fatigue. I’ve switched from the suede pads back to the pleather earpads for my Nighthawk Carbon headphones using the headspace.
Mortsnet (Steve Hoffman forum)
…I used it with my in ear beats and it absolutely transformed them. I thought the sound on these headphones were good as standard, until I introduced them to your box of tricks.
It improved the sound to the point I could close my eyes and it felt like I was there live listening to them. The sound was much sharper and the bass was awesome.
Dez
Well it finally arrived today (Thursday), i got in from work after midnight and opened the package. Everything comes in a little blue pouch with the Sonneteer logo on it, the bard[Sonneteer Headspace], a 3.5mm cable and card. I had a spare 4 inch length of kimber pbj with 3.5mm stereo jacks on each end so used that instead.
Thought I would start LO FI with my Sony NW A35 mp3 player and sound magic E10 ear phones. I tried the bard both ways and found it sounds slightly distant and less defined one way (this is the wrong way) put it the other way and leave it (it is directional) [ Editor’s note: There is no technical reason to suggest it might be directional, but some customers have noted this :-)]
I Played “Sunday morning” by the Velvet underground first and it seemed to sound a little more out of the head and took away a bit of the harshness/brightness without robbing the mix of it’s original sound, this made it more enjoyable to listen to the music and a lot less fatiguing.
Next i plugged a pair of heavily mod’ed superlux 681 headphones (AKG K240 clones) in to the Bard [Sonneteer Headspace] and then in to a Toshiba Laptop running Windows 10. Listening to Youtube it sounded better again than the mp3, the sound moved away from the ears a little bit more and sounded more enjoyable to listen too. It also sounded more musical and that seem to stick out the most I listened to “pagan place” by the Waterboys, “Great gate of Kiev” by Mussorgsky , “Theme for a new world Largo” by Dvorak, “The Robots” by Kraftwerk and videos of people doing covers on a guitar and singing just to test it out on different material.
A good test for the Bard [Sonneteer Headspace] is listen to someone on Youtube solo singing with a Guitar and you will hear it a little more in front/out of head than without the Bard. Also it seems to clear the sound up a little, so you could enjoy the music more and listen for longer. What struck me the most is the music was the main focus, I just listened to the music without Scrutinizing it, it seems more open and mellow
If you don’t like un natural bright sound then maybe this might be for you.
I’ve done listening tests without and with the Bard, make sure you listen to all of the song and not just bass treble etc. Well worth the £15 and i will be trying it on more expensive headphones and equipment, plus after it has “burned in” it will sound better again. I would upgrade the supplied cable for a better one though. Again I am not affiliated with sonneteer
PJC68 (Steve Hoffmans Forum)
I Played “Sunday morning” by the Velvet underground first and …this made it more enjoyable to listen to the music and a lot less fatiguing.
PJC68 on Steve Hoffman forum
Short version: Very interesting little gadget, pretty much a must buy for every headphone’s lover.
Long version: I am a big fan of crossfeed effects emulated by a software on a PC, as listening to “pure stereo” on headphones can get fatiguing over long listening sessions and often feels just “unnatural”. At the same time, I do not like how crossfeed congests the sound and not all songs/sources need it.
Listening with DVD/TV/etc. as a sound source doesn’t allow usage of software implementation of a crossfeed. Dedicated HW is needed and HW cross-feed circuits/amplifiers are very hard to come by and can get extremely expensive. This is where Sonneteer’s Headspace comes in handy – cheap, extremely small, portable and universal. You can use it with a headphone amp, PC, TV, mobile phone (it even keeps volume control buttons and mic fully functional!) and best of all, it simply works.
Depending on the source material, effect can be negligible or quite strong (but only in a positive way), yet at the same time very natural and unobtrusive. I have no idea how these guys do it, but it sounds like a combination of a crossfeed with virtual surround. You simply can’t go wrong with the Headspace, plug it in and just enjoy your music or movies.
Mysiak_M12 eBay buyer
These work . Fantastic upgrade for headphones . 2nd pair here . Many thanks .
BMclean2957 eBay
And from some other eBayers:
Very pleased. Sound improved considerably as well as getting a bit louder. Worthy.
Item exactly as described, well packed, fast delivery.
Great little gizmo.
Improved the sound from my earphones, great product.
Excellent …Thank you……Highly Recommended.
Excellent! – it really does make my headphones sound even better!
Jandl100 on eBay
Shipped fast, surprisingly effective product, only positive!
Very pleased with purchase. Many thanks.
Excellent item quickly delivered.
Super fast delivery, intriguing product!
Haha!! – how I laughed when I read in that PFM thread that people liked the way it sounded but couldn’t quite describe it.
Numpties. 🙄
Well, I have now received the Sonneteer Headspace – and I like the way it sounds but I can’t quite describe it. 🥴
Mikeyb, The audio standard
Got my Headspace and I’m pretty happy with what it does. I need a better source than my iPad and better cans than SR80s but within these constraints it does add space.
Cartman on Pink Fish Media
I’ve done a lot more headphone listening since I got the Headspace and I’ve found that listening fatigue, which is something I’ve always experienced with ‘phones, has virtually disappeared. You’ve made a great little thing.
Rob998 on Pink Fish Media
I love my the Bard’s Headspace. It makes my late night headphone listening much more enjoyable! I bought one off your website a few months back. Definitely worth the price!
Listening to Youtube it sounded better again than the mp3, the sound moved away from the ears a little bit more and sounded more enjoyable to listen too. It also sounded more musical and that seem to stick out the most.
I listened to “pagan place” by the Waterboys, “Great gate of Kiev” by Mussorgsky , “Theme for a new world Largo” by Dvorak, “The Robots” by Kraftwerk and videos of people doing covers on a guitar and singing just to test it out on different material. A good test for the Bard [Sonneteer Headspace] is listen to someone on Youtube solo singing with a Guitar and you will hear it a little more in front/out of head than without the Bard [Sonneteer Headspace]. Also it seems to clear the sound up a little, so you could enjoy the music more and listen for longer.
What struck me the most is the music was the main focus, I just listened to the music without Scrutinizing it, it seems more open and mellow. If you don’t like un-natural bright sound then maybe this might be for you.
David on Pink Fish Media
Truly mind blowing experience from such a simple, inexpensive device.
@audio.java on Instagram
I have to say that the Headspace is great, particularly for music recorded with a crossed pair or mid-side mics. It works very well with most classical music and with mid-side recordings that I Have made myself, and is not too far behind the SPL Phonitor 2 that I use for headphone listening at home (which cost about 100 times as much!). The Headspace also improves the listening experience with multitrack studio recordings, and I never listen on headphones without it when I am out and about. Also, with the Headspace BBC concert broadcasts and recording are very enjoyable, even with a portable Roberts DAB radio.
In my humble opinion everybody who listens on headphones should have one.
Owen Clingan
I have to say that the Headspace is great, particularly for music recorded with a crossed pair or mid-side mics. It works very well with most classical music and with mid-side recordings that I have made myself, and the sense of space it generates is not too far behind that generated by the SPL Phonitor 2 headphone amp that I have been using for some time. The Headspace also improves the listening experience with multitrack studio recordings, and I never listen on headphones without it when I am out and about. Also, with the Headspace BBC concert broadcasts and recordings are very enjoyable, even with a portable Roberts DAB radio.
The Headspace is outstanding value for money and in my humble opinion everybody who listens on headphones should have one.
Owen Clingan again
It definitely sounds more natural the best way I could describe it is that I feel like the headphones are further away or I am in a bigger room.
Tim
This is an Instagram review:
#Sonneteer #Bard #Headspace @sonneteeraudio came in today, at the recommendation of my audio guru at Kazoo-Audio. Mated it up to my @_audioquest_ #Dragonfly #Cobalt and @ditaaudio #IEM #Audirvana with @mqa_sound #takemethere #musicfirst
Truly mind blowing experience from such a simple, inexpensive device. Lot of space between instruments, an engaging soundspace (not distracting like 360 Audio or Atmos) For a shade under 20 dollars, one of the best value add-ons to my listening experience.
@audio.java
Very impressed with the Bard received the other day . So much so that a mate here also wishes to order another one.
Chris Wheatly from Tenerife
I’ve been using this quite a bit lately. It’s a better thing than I initially realised. Taking it away is an absolute no-no for me now.
What does it do to music? Well it’s similar to what speakers that don’t fire straight at you do, It stops that feeling of being direct in the firing line (which is a real turn-off for me). With Grados it takes them more in the direction of other headphones. They lose a little of their forthrightness but in return they stop being fatiguing and seem to have a smoother top end and fuller bass. More balanced is a good description. It’s definitely a less intense experience but ultimately more enjoyable and more able to let you relax.
Bigman80 Audio Addicts Forum
I’ve done a lot more headphone listening since I got the Headspace and I’ve found that listening fatigue… has virtually disappeared. You’ve made a great little thing.
Rob (end user)
I’ve been using this quite a bit lately. It’s a better thing than I initially realised. Taking it away is an absolute no-no for me now.
Bigman80 Audio addicts forum
I love my The Bard’s Headspace. It makes my late night headphone listening much more enjoyable! David (end user)
It improves the sound noticeably from the Apple dongle…I like it.
Daniel J (End User)
I wanted to write more thoughts on the device, the issue is that I never really use my headphones without it since it arrived. I own an audio technica m50x and hifiman he-4xx. I grew to hate the m50x over time, especially because I felt the sound was way too condensed, which I found very unpleasant. With Headspace, I get to enjoy the headphones again! That’s a great improvement for me, it addresses my main issue. An even though I’m looking forward to replacing them with a different closed-back model, it made a night and day difference for me. Audio Technica should put the one headspace unit in every box.
For the He-4xx – I loved them ever since I first used them. But even so I am very happy how the sound improves. I get to enjoy music more without losing any details or clarity, the effect is surely not negligible.
I think I will soon buy one for my father in law and maybe one back-up unit for myself.
Thank you for creating such a nice product!
Stefan
I must say first impressions are good. Tried it with several sets of headphones. A real cheap set didn’t really make a difference in my opinion. The standard ones that come with an iPhone and standard ones with a Samsung phone were definitely improved. The sound seemed sharper and the bass was certainly improved. I then used it with my in ear beats and it absolutely transformed them. I thought the sound on these headphones were good as standard, until I introduced them to your box of tricks. It improved the sound to the point i could close my eyes and it felt like I was there live listening to them. The sound was much sharper and the bass was awesome. I definitely think you could have something good here.
Dez
I’ve been listening for a couple of days. I can’t put my finger on it, but I do think everything I have listened to has sounded better with your magic, but it’s quite subtle.
It definitely sounds more natural the best way I could describe it is that I feel like the headphones are further away or I am in a bigger room. I’m using B&W p7’s.
Tim
Mine arrived. I like it – it’s very good. More ‘natural’ sounding than the digital crossfeeds I’ve predominantly used in the past.
Priest from Pink Fish Media forum
I have been a satisfied user since the Headspace was introduced.
HiFlight Head-fi forum comment.
Mine arrived in early December and something is definitely going on in terms of spaciousness. I’m losing a tad directness (for want of a better description) but it’s small enough not to worry about and the Bard Headspace has stayed on. I’m using Master and Dynamic ME-05 in ear phones.
Rana PFM
I like it – it’s very good. More ‘natural’ sounding than the digital crossfeeds I’ve predominantly used in the past.
Priest PFM
Well so far I have turned off all the DSP enhancements from Windows and Foobar and I’m liking what it does on a variety of material. As you say its hard to describe in words what difference I hear but there is a difference and so far I think beneficial.
Engels PFM
Received mine before xmas, and I don’t do an awful lot of headphone listening, but a recent business trip gave me the chance to give it a whirl. Listening gear is low end stuff – sansa clip into akg k451 closed back on ear phones. I’ve only listened to a couple of albums, and was trying to quickly A/B test unplugging and plugging in. There definitely seemed to be more of a 3D space with it plugged in, tonally pretty much the same. Subtle difference, but made the whole thing sound more realistic, especially with fairly sparsely recorded material. Definitely a worthwhile little gadget, and I’ll do some more testing on upcoming trips.
James Evan PFM
Never again will I be without this gadget.
Natalie White
Thought I’d write an update for you…. been using it for over a year now[Closer to two, we looked it up], and thought I’d try a two week test of not using it, just to test the magic… I lasted one and a half train commutes! Never again will I be without this gadget.. I use good in ear headphones (not cheap costs-a-fiver ones)… and this spacey head thing just gives you that space away from your ears, all groovy like. Yep, I can recommend this to anyone who enjoys their music, but hates the stuffed-in-your-ear headphone feeling.
Natalie White
Tremendous little piece of kit! It’s remarkable how this little gizmo makes such a big difference to the range and depth of the sound quality. I even tried to un-plug it and then plug it back in so that I could compare the difference and it really does have a massive impact. Won’t be listening to my music on headphones without this clever bit of kit again!
Lucy R
Definitely sounded more clear and overall felt less tired after a session
Billy Fletcher (Sim car racer and commentator)
Sonneteer have supplied me with an amazing gadget that my headphones plug into and then runs directly into my PC, proven to help with fatigue and concentration, I have already noticed better performance while using it. Also everything sounds clearer through this amazing little gadget!
On Call of Duty he said:
Tried it on call of duty last night and was awesome on that, can hear everything so clearly. Having clear sound is absolute crucial in Call of Duty Warzone. The maps are vast, so you have 140+ players on the map and if you can pick up minor sounds from people around you, it makes a big difference.
Billy Fletcher (iRracing simracer and commentator)