RHA CL1: the Richard Dawkins of IEMs: insensitive, brilliant, and not everyone’s cup of tea

Pros: Excellent clarity and treble extension, good quality and quantity of bass Cons: intimate sound-stage; recessed mids; some mids details fade, veil or disappear; underdriven by many DACs and DAPs; need forward mids to sound totally right List Price: £349.95 (on RHA’s website)($449.95 from Moon audio in USA) Acknowledgment The RHA CL1 was provided to... Continue Reading →

June 16, 2017 5

Campfire Audio Vega: the diamond constellation with stellar sound

Pros: Huge bass presence while still managing to sound balanced, texture, incredible fullness, detail retrieval, treble clarity, emotional delivery of vocals Cons: Might be too heavy for some die-hard fans of a lean sound signature, not much else List Price: $1299 Website: http://campfireaudio.com/shop/vega/ Acknowledgments Thanks to Ken Ball and the team at Campfire Audio for giving... Continue Reading →

April 23, 2017 6

Fostex TH610 Reference Headphones: luxurious wood and big bass

The Good: Bass - in plentiful supply Mids and highs - nothing grating here The price - it's just been reduced The versatility of a closed can The finish - wooden finish is very tasteful The Bad: Lacking the airiness of an open can Meze 99 Classics are close to this in sound quality (although not quite there)... Continue Reading →

April 3, 2017 0

Arcam rHead: a solid black brick of audio goodness worth building on

Pros: Good power, excellent build quality, compact form factor, pairs well with IEMs all the way to full-size cans, nicely musical Cons: Stage depth not as great as my other amps, some details and natural edges are smoothed over Acknowledgment Thanks Arcam of Cambridge for including me in a UK tour in exchange for my... Continue Reading →