Acknowledgement I would like to thank Ken Ball, Caleb Rosenau and the team at Campfire Audio for giving me the opportunity to hear their new Solaris 2020 model. The unit was provided free of charge for the purpose of review. The opinions stated here (however misguided!) are 100% my own, and no incentive was provided... Continue Reading →
Campfire Audio Ara Review: engaging fluidity, impactful dynamics
Pros: The tonality is gorgeous, full bodied signature, fluid mids, excellent drum impact, satisfying richness, good treble energy, chiseled and handsome titanium shell, water-resistant and attractive eco-friendly cork case, excellent selection of tips, good cable Cons: Deep insertion can be uncomfortable due to the angles on the chiseled titanium shell, some dips in mids that... Continue Reading →
RHA CL2 Planar Review: exudes class but sonically outclassed by less expensive units
Pros: Generally crowd-pleasing sound signature: not bright like RHA’s other products, more warmth; forgiving sound signature; ceramic shell is pretty, nearly indestructible, and ergonomic; 3 good cables included alongside tons of tips; build quality; 3 year warranty; active customer service Cons: soft veil over the mids, some mid-bass emphasis and minor bleed, needs more treble... Continue Reading →
RHA MA750 Wireless Review: my daily driver
Pros: Approachable balanced sound, good bass quantity for on the go listening, Bluetooth range, 9-10 hour battery life, convenient & comfortable—I really like the neckband, magnetic ‘clasp’ earpieces are useful, IPX4 water resistant, excellent call quality with the microphone, less prone to interference from electrical sources than other Bluetooth headphones I have, 3 year warranty... Continue Reading →
Lark Studio LSIV (Custom) Review: all about that bass
Pros: Big warm booty-ful bass, easy to enjoy sound signature, excellent build quality, perfect fit, nice cable Cons: compressed soundstage, uneven upper mids and lower treble, could use more treble extension, a legit travel case would be nice List Price: $441 (Lark Studio), £369 (Audio Concierge) Product Website: http://lark-studios.com/ Rating Disclaimer: ratings are subjective. Audio... Continue Reading →
WAVAYA Tria Live! Review: balanced beautiful porcelain
Pros: balanced sound, crisp clear mids, good bass texture, value for money, beautiful leather case, Linum BaX cable has fantastic ergonomics and has a solid tour-proof connector, less wax build-up and better thermal management with porcelain vs. acrylic Cons: case not big enough for most aftermarket cables, case not a bombproof piece of tour kit,... Continue Reading →
Stealth Sonics C9 – where rocket science meets rock and roll
Pros: excellent balance of detail and power, fuller and thicker bass presence than U9 with deep sub-bass, extended treble, Klarity Valve eliminates listening fatigue, good set of accessories, tough build and impeccably crafted Cons: large price difference between universal ($999) and custom, trades some resolution for musicality, carry case doesn't scream high end Price: from $1499 upwards,... Continue Reading →
Dunu DK-4001 -hybrid excellence
Introduction and acknowledgment Dunu are a Chinese brand that as a UK based audiophile I had heard a lot about over the last few years, but not actually managed to hear until pretty recently. Coming across their Falcon-C model (review here) at Canjam London 2018, I was impressed enough with their approach to tuning and... Continue Reading →
Stealth Sonics U2: soul-shaking bass
Pros: Big smooth bass (faceplate on), big rumbling sub-bass murder by death machine (faceplate off), smooth mids (faceplate on), mids balanced between smooth and well-defined (faceplate off), high quality stock cable, includes microphone cable (flexibility+), light-weight, ability to alter bass tuning (removable faceplate) Cons: Sounds substantially better in its less attractive faceplate off configuration—why you... Continue Reading →