Acknowledgement The Kublai Khan was purchased with my own money at a small discount from the ever-helpful Andrew at MusicTeck USA for the purposes of writing a full review (which will be published soon). No input or other incentive was sought or received from MusicTeck or Noble - all opinions and words below are my... Continue Reading →
MMR Balmung – broadsword of bass
Acknowledgement The Balmung was purchased with my own money at a hefty discount from MusicTeck USA (https://shop.musicteck.com/collections/mmr) on one of their periodic sales. No incentive was sought or received for writing a review, and all opinions (however misguided) are 100% my own. Rating and specs (From back of main box) Price: $2599 RRP (at time... Continue Reading →
Ambient Acoustics – 24 types of madness
Intro Ambient Acoustics was set up in 2009 in the Ukraine, primarily to service the professional audio and hearing aid markets. They started getting a little notice in audiophile circles a few years ago with their LAM serious of tuneable switch models, and it’s fair to say they are a brand that is now starting... Continue Reading →
Unique Melody MEST Mk II – the bone conductor’s revenge
Acknowledgement I purchased the MEST Mk 2 from Andrew at MusicTeck USA at full retail price (RRP was $1499 at time of purchase), with the intention of reviewing them. No input has been sought or received from MusicTeck or Unique Melody with regards to the content of this review - the opinions expressed below (however... 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 →
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 →
CanJam London 2019, part one: fun with electrostatic hybrids (Jomo Audio, Empire Ears, Vision Ears, WAVAYA)
CanJam London is the biggest headphone and portable audio show put on in the UK every year. It is the highlight of the HeadFi enthusiasts calendar and something that I have attended since the inaugural CanJam London in 2015. This year was the 5th annual edition and it lived up to its billing. I'll be... Continue Reading →
WAVAYA Octa: a porcelain dream
Pros: Superlative upper mids, superlative treble, cymbals and violins are voiced wonderfully, drum timbre, excellent instrument separation, good stage depth, nice looks, well-controlled bass with good extension, beautiful leather case, Linum SuperBaX cable has great sound and fantastic ergonomics, less wax build-up with porcelain Cons: touch of warmth can lean a bit away from neutral,... Continue Reading →
Unique Melody Mentor V3 Review: brilliantly balanced and imminently flexible
Pros: Transparent, balanced sound, excellent resolution, great layering, impressive stage width and depth, speedy, dB-GO module, flexible tune-able sound (copper for warmth/bass body, silver for resolution and space) Cons: large universal shell, price, cable is a touch heavy on the ear, cable housing could be softer material, midrange touch back of neutral List Price: $2099... Continue Reading →