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 →
Stealth Sonics U9: bass plus refinement
Pros: Precise accurate bass tuning, tasteful bass uptick, timbral accuracy all around, good stage width and height, high quality stock cable, includes microphone cable (flexibility+), light-weight Cons: Upper mids can be a bit aggressive, aggressive elements of presentation reduce perceived stage, case not very usable from a travel perspective, does not look or feel like... Continue Reading →
Stealth Sonics U4: love or hate bass
Pros: Confusingly powerful bass in a fully balanced armature setup—how the heck you do that Stealth Sonics!?, better with faceplate off, high quality stock cable, includes microphone cable (flexibility+), lightweight, ability to alter bass tuning (removable faceplate) Cons: bass rides everything (this may be positive for bassheads, but wasn't for me), midbass distortion (texture loss... Continue Reading →