Introduction and acknowledgements Fatfreq are a Singaporean in-ear monitor manufacturer, originally producing IEMs for stage and recording musicians. Over recent years they have built up a bit of a cult following in audiophile circles for their more "audiophile basshead" tunes models in the Maestro series, using some interesting proprietary tuning tech to deliver models with... Continue Reading →
Canjam London 2025 show impressions – everything else
Introduction After posting about my stars of the Canjam show (see previous post [here]), here are the impressions from all the other gear I managed to listen to at this year's show. Please note that even though this stuff didn't make my "top 4", most of it was equally as impressive - this was a... Continue Reading →
Canjam London 2025 show impressions – stars of the show
Introduction Living in Western Europe, being a head-fi hobbyist is a little like being a Ferrari enthusiast. Unless you have an unlimited budget and access to your own air transport or have suitably well-heeled friends, you can admire the beautiful technology from afar, but never actual get to test drive any of it. In the... Continue Reading →
Meze Liric II
Acknowledgement The Liric 2 was purchased direct from Meze’s UK distributor SCV Distribution, with a review discount being very kindly provided in exchange for me writing this review. No editorial input was sought or received from SCV or Meze, so the words below (however poorly informed or misguided) are 100% my own. Rating Technical specs... Continue Reading →
Questyle QP2R: my favourite digital audio player
Pros:  beautiful natural timbre, full body without sacrificing detail, big driving power, solid and sexy construction, awesome volume knob, top-loaded audio outputs, format compatibility Cons: small screen, wheel control, hiss with a few IEMs (especially out of 2.5mm), no wireless connectivity (Bluetooth, DLNA, streaming, etc.) List Price: £1199 (Audio Sanctuary), $1299 (Todd The Vinyl Junkie)... Continue Reading →
Bristol Sound & Vision 2018: iFi, Audeze, Astell & Kern, Atlas Cables, Klipsch (part 1)
Introduction Bristol Sound & Vision is the longest running audio visual show in the UK. Bristol has been running since 1985 in the Bristol City Centre Marriot. The location has never changed over 30+ years, and in some places the facilities look like that also. The outside of the building is of the severe concrete... Continue Reading →
IMR Acoustics R1 – unusual ceramic/beryllium hybrid with bags of tone
Pros: Â 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 →
Empire Ears Zeus-XR – the pinnacle of the pantheon
Pros: Â Sublime detail retrieval, very coherent tuning, switchable crossover modes, mid range clarity and expression, non fatiguing but truly transparent sound, superb build quality Cons: A little on the expensive side, prone to hiss with most sources, not a drastic difference between the two modes on some DAPs, not much else List Price:Â $2399 (empireears.com) Acknowledgment... Continue Reading →
Questyle QP2R – initial impressions (part 1 of 2)
One of the most popular and critically acclaimed digital audio players (DAPs) in audiophile circles over the last few years has been the QP1R from Questyle Audio. Audio Primate have been lucky enough to be given a sneak preview of the successor to Questyle's current flagship (the QP2R), which is due for global release in... Continue Reading →

