Pros: Sub bass presence and overall bass capability, beautiful and non-recessed midrange, exceptional treble, lots of air and sparkle, very coherent tuning Cons: Fit is shallow, nozzle bore is very large List Price: 23,500,000 (Vietnamese Dong) / c. £735 (UK) Product Website: http://www.nguyencustoms.com/ncm-bella/ Rating Disclaimer: ratings are subjective. Audio quality and value do not mean... Continue Reading →
IMR Acoustics R1 – unusual ceramic/beryllium hybrid with bags of tone
Pros: Smooth and organic sound signature, good all metal build, serious bass prowess, nice texture and weight to the sound, smooth and clear treble, very coherent and musical tuning, multiple tuning options with filters, capability to open up the soundstage with the open/closed port mechanism Cons: Not massive amounts of micro-detail, could potentially be a... Continue Reading →
Campfire Audio Lyra II – the comeback constellation: a smooth and soulful sequel to the original Campfire Audio single dynamic driver
Pros - Warm and engaging sound, powerful but not overdone bass, great build and ergonomics, beautiful midrange, smooth and clear treble Cons - Treble may be too laid back for some, not for fans of lean "audiophile" style bass List Price - $699 (Campfire Audio) Acknowledgement The Lyra II were provided to me free of... Continue Reading →
Blue Microphones Ella – the new first lady of planar magnetic headphones
Pros: Crisp and detailed sound, good dynamics, excellent sense of musicality for a “neutral” tuning, exceptional spatial cues, good comfort, onboard amp circuitry to make the driveable by just about anything, ON+ mode for a more “analogue” sound Cons: Unusual headphone construction leaves you feeling like an extra from Dr Who, could do with a... Continue Reading →
Trinity Phantom Hunter – unboxing pictures
UPDATE 21/05/17 - new comparison pictures added against various IEMs (Campfire Vega, Andromeda etc) After one of the most awaited (to put it mildly) product launches on the Head-Fi forums, the Trinity Audio flagship 5-driver IEM (the Phantom Hunter) is now starting to arrive in mailboxes around the globe. If you are one of the many... Continue Reading →
Blue Ella – unboxing
Some unboxing shots from my upcoming Blue Microphones Ella headphone review... http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o701/Jackpot77/Blue%20Ella/IMG_20170507_160519111_HDR%20-%20watermark_zpsdkdba2wc.jpg
iFi iDSD Black Label: Swiss Army knife utility, top tier sound and flexibility that does everything extremely well, so much value it’s just unfair to the competition
Pros: enough power to drive an HE-6 while having enough finesse to feed a Kaiser Encore, plays everything natively, flexible inputs and outputs, flexible sound through XBass and 3D that leaves the core of the mids alone Cons: 3D can sound artificial on some tracks, black on black fonts, difficult to see volume knob level... Continue Reading →
Astell & Kern / JH Audio Angie V1 – the original Siren song
Pros: Clarity of sound, spacious soundstage, pinpoint imaging, engaging sound, adjustable bass, great vocals Cons: Like sticking a carbon-fibre gobstopper in your ear cavity Acknowledgment and preferences This unit was purchased for listening pleasure (and review purposes) from the For Sale boards on Head-Fi – I have no affiliation with Astell & Kern or Jerry... Continue Reading →
Unboxing: Echobox Explorer
So the long IndieGoGo wait is over. The Echobox Explorer has taken a long while to get here. This was planned for April 2016, but arrived in March 2017, which actually isn't unusual in crowdfunding. I was prepared. Many were not. The player still has some wrinkles to iron out, but Echobox is projecting confidence.... Continue Reading →

