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 →
The Ara has landed, Campfire Audio Ara unboxing and initial impressions
The Campfire Audio Ara (pronounced era) marks a departure from the rest of the lineup. It's a 7 balanced armature design (4 low, 1 mid, 2 high) with an integrated boot to tune the internal acoustic space and arrange all the components without the use of a crossover network. It's got a hot titanium body... 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 →
HiFiMAN Jade II Electrostatic Headphone and Amplifier Review: inviting electrostat
Pros: Silky mids, balanced sound signature, fluid and detailed treble, treble that contrasts favourably to other electrostats, comfortable earpads, lightweight, that cool jade green dust-cover on the drivers Cons: Tangle prone flat cable, amp isn’t completely silent and takes several hours to warm up (leave it on if you like listening), not as comfortable as... Continue Reading →
It’s shopping time! Black Friday a-go-go!
Now that Americans (like myself) have gobbled some soporific poultry, 16 pounds of sugar (more than a stone, for Brits), and eaten copious amounts of stuffing, potatoes and green bean casserole; it's time to waddle our fat asses to the shops, or better yet, place our fat asses in front of the ass-growing wonder that... Continue Reading →
iBasso DC02 vs. xDuoo LinK Review: little dongles that can
Introduction I never expected that I’d be reviewing two USB-C dongles when I already have a pretty good phone for audio, but here I am with two units bestowed by HiFiGo to compare in the circa $50 portable DAC/Amp market. I’m looking forward to seeing how these do in a quick set of tests. Specifications... Continue Reading →
SendyAudio Aiva review: luxurious and energetic
Pros: rocking guitars, pristine percussion and treble, nicely textured bass, excellent resolution, great speed, it’s ravishingly beautiful, high quality cable with stock 4.4mm balanced and included adapter to 3.5mm single-ended, cheekily awesome case, everything about it screams quality, best overall package in this price range, driveable off of my LG V30 and also some USB-C... Continue Reading →

