When I'm reviewing the best headphones and best true wireless earbuds, there are certain artists I always play, picked from lots of different genres and eras. Taylor Swift is one of them, because the production work on her records is the best that very large sums of money can buy. And Midnights is no exception. It's been mixed to sound good on anything, but on really good quality kit it sounds absolutely spectacular.
It's particularly good on Apple Music, where it's available with the Dolby Atmos, Apple Lossless and Apple Digital Master logos to tell you that it's going to be in good quality. And so far I've tested it on AirPods Max, on Astell & Kern UW100s and on Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2, as well as on OG HomePods and the HomePods mini. It's definitely the kind of record that makes you happier if you hear it on really good hardware. I've been grinning my face off.
Better headphones mean you hear more
I'll admit it, Taylor Swift probably doesn't care if you buy better headphones. But I reckon she'd want you to hear the music in its best possible presentation, and that means a basic pair of Apple's EarPods or a pair of ten-quid buds from the local supermarket isn't going to cut it. You're missing some of the most fun bits, especially the vocal effects and the low, low synth bass that underpins so many of the tracks.
I like bass, but on lesser headphones it's often disappointing because the frequency response and drivers aren't up to the job of delivering low frequencies without it all turning to mush or distorting. I want to feel my face vibrate but I want to hear everything too.
That's why I like the aforementioned earbuds and headphones so much: they don't lose their clarity at the low end, so when you present them with something as beautifully mixed and mastered as Midnights (or Folklore, or Evermore, or Lover, or...) they get to do what they were designed to do, and they do it beautifully.
Upgrade to smarter living
Get the latest news, reviews, deals and buying guides on gorgeous tech, home and active products straight to your inbox.
Writer, musician and broadcaster Carrie Marshall has been covering technology since 1998 and is particularly interested in how tech can help us live our best lives. Her CV is a who’s who of magazines, newspapers, websites and radio programmes ranging from T3, Techradar and MacFormat to the BBC, Sunday Post and People’s Friend. Carrie has written more than a dozen books, ghost-wrote two more and co-wrote seven more books and a Radio 2 documentary series; her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, was shortlisted for the British Book Awards. When she’s not scribbling, Carrie is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind (unquietmindmusic).
-
Apple TV+'s new thriller series could be the most disturbing thing you'll watch this year
And the trailer will really freak out Liverpool fans
By Rik Henderson Published
-
Spotify gets a great free offline listening update
The streaming service will create an offline playlist for you so you'll never be without music
By Rik Henderson Published
-
Spotify and Apple Music listeners united by Deezer's free new cross-service feature
All together now
By Andy Sansom Published
-
Spotify's price rise has me eyeing Apple Music - unless they change one thing
The music streaming wars amp up as prices go up an octave
By Andy Sansom Published
-
Apple Music just got a cool new upgrade for wannabe pop stars
There's still no sign of the Apple Car, but Apple's invented Apple Karaoke
By Carrie Marshall Published
-
Apple Music just got 3 awesome free iOS 16 feature upgrades
iOS 16 brings some great audio upgrades to your iPhone
By Carrie Marshall Published
-
Apple Music could soon get AI smarts to personalise how you listen on iPhone
Apple's latest purchase is a small company with big ideas
By Carrie Marshall Published