Sony PFR-V1 headphones

The Japanese didn't just give us more tentacle porn and terrific anime in 2008, it also gave us some radically different headphone ideas. I'm Nate Lanxon and today we're looking at Sony's PFR-V1 headphones. And as you can no doubt tell on your own, they're a bit odd. In fact, I think it looks like a head brace. But what they are, as Sony has called them at least, are Personal Field Speakers. Essentially they're just smaller speakers mounted a distance from your ear to create an audio experience less like what you get from conventional headphones, and more like what you expect from bookshelf speakers -- an open sound that doesn't appear to be completely audible in the centre of your skull. It works by using these two prongs. Both sit inside yor ear canal keeping these ball-like enclosures an inch or so from the ear itself. In fact, these prongs are hollow and conduct bass that's naturally generated inside these enclosures. I can't say they're immediately comfortable, but you do sort of get used to them. It's a bit like having a spoon stuck in your ear -- you'll know it's there, but you'll forget about it after a while. Now they do succeed at producing a more speaker-like sound and sound quality is excellent, although bass-enthusiasts won't appreciate the delicate low-end. Also, their super-open design means they leak excessively. I'm going to put on some embarrassing music. Imagine I'm on the Tube wanting to keep Daphne and Celeste to myself, and you're one of the many guys with horrendous BO problems quashed up against a wall near me. This is what you'd here: It'd be extremely embarrassing to be caught listening to this, or indeed any other rubbish I don't want other commuters to hear, such as Duffy. But that's not what these are for. They're exclusively for home use, in bed or on a sofa, when it's not convenient to have speakers on at high volume. They're a good happy medium and it also means other people won't be around to stare at you with pointed fingers saying, "Ooh look at him, he must've been in a horrible accident to need a brace like that. Poor bloke." Despite their odd appearance, they do serve a purpose but it's an incredibly niche purpose, and it comes with a little headphone amplifier to boost volume. I certainly wouldn't spend the £230 I'd need in order to get a pair, and I've paid hundreds of pounds on a single pair of headphones before now. But if you're after that truly open sound that improves upon open-backed headphones and takes the sound further out of your head and a little more in front of you, be prepared to consider buying a very unusual bit of equipment. I'm Nate Lanxon and these are the Sony PFR-V1 headphones.