Headroom 2017 was everything I hoped it could be. Metropolis Studios provided a truly iconic setting that was jaw dropping around every corner. Big enough to matter but intimate enough to create a family atmosphere in every room. Smiles were the order of the day and a glorious Spring Day it was. Many a bucket... Continue Reading →
Headroom is going on today at Metropolis Studios in London, and there will be tons of cool HeadFi Audio gear there. Audio Sanctuary, one of the premier audio shops in the UK is the main organiser behind the show. If you can't make it to Headroom today, because you aren't in London or don't have... Continue Reading →
HiFiMan SuperMini: Pint-sized nuclear powerplant for your ears in a Snickers bar size
Pros: Tiny form factor, excellent build quality, nice looking, easy UI and intuitive control scheme, ton of power, good battery life Cons: no external DAC, no line-out, no gapless (on the way?), limited playlist capability, screen protector unusable List price: $399 Acknowledgment Thank you HiFiMAN for providing this review sample in exchange for my honest... Continue Reading →
Noble Kaiser Encore: balanced bliss distilled into a soaring aerie of superlatives
Pros: Vast soundstage with natural placement—doesn’t sound like an IEM, natural body, perfect timbre, speedy, micro-details-a-poppin Cons: Hiss on many sources; pinholes on the small side, making aftermarket cables a bit scary; potential side effects of purchase: living with one kidney, spousal waves of wrath, incredulous friends List price: $1850 (£1699) Acknowledgment Thanks @BangkokKid, otherwise... Continue Reading →
Unboxing: ALO Continental v5 Portable Tube Amplifier
First, I'd like to say thank you to ALO Audio and Headpie for running the Facebook give-away for the ALO Continental v5. I was surprised and happy when I won it. The ALO Continental v5 is a tiny little amplifier. It's only the size of a pack of cards, which I suppose I should have... Continue Reading →
Unboxing: Unique Melody Miracle V2
You may have read about Unique Melody in our interview with Lawrance. Here's a look at the Unique Melody Miracle, a nice universal IEM that audioprimate has on loan from Unique Melody. Until the Maestro was released, the Miracle was the flagship IEM from Unique Melody. It has six drivers that output through two large exposed... Continue Reading →
iFi iPurifier2: USB clean-up value king in a pocketable size
Pros: Increased soundstage width and depth, better note definition, timing smears fixed, cleaner vocals and treble, price better than a midrange USB cable and gives greater performance boost Cons: Didn’t feel like it pushed higher end cables to their limits, not as good as Micro iUSB3.0 List Price: Acknowledgment The iPurifier2 was loaned to me... Continue Reading →
Airist Audio Heron 5: power and grace in form and function
Pros: articulate, silky smooth, neutral, black background like the dark side of the moon, power to spare Cons: doesn’t mate well with low impedance phones, no impedance measurements provided for low and high jacks, stepped attenuator volume control lacks sufficient steps and is noisy on step switches List Price: $1000 Acknowledgment Thanks Airist Audio for... Continue Reading →
Hanging out with “The Party”, Andy Shauf’s 2016 chill pop masterpiece
Andy Shauf's the party presents a story in 10 parts from 10 perspectives. It captures angst, tenderness, jealousy, and the awkwardness of being an outsider, all whilst keeping you riveted to the subtle arrangements of softly played guitar, chugging bass grooves, intertwining female and male vocals softly sung/spoke but with feeling, layered vocal dubs, piano,... Continue Reading →