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 →
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 →
iFi iEMatch 2.5mm: hiss busting miracle worker in a tiny magnesium suit
Pros: I can listen to sensitive IEMs on the Questyle QP2R now without being swallowed by hiss, nice diamond dust feel and look to the casing, simple to use, lightweight, takes pressure off of 2.5mm jack Cons: 2.5mm jack isn’t flush with barrel, original iEMatch less expensive List Price: $69 Product Website: https://ifi-audio.com/portfolio-view/accessory-iematch2-5 Rating Disclaimer:... Continue Reading →
Questyle QP2R Unboxing and Initial Impressions
Okay, to call these initial impressions from me is not really being honest. Maybe we are getting off on the wrong foot. I have had the Questyle QP2R for about a month. It is my main player. I prefer it to every other portable player that I have, a list comprising 8 other digital audio... Continue Reading →
Questyle QP2R – initial impressions (part 2 of 2)
Introduction This set of impressions follows on from my previous blog post about the QP2R (which you can find here), and concentrates mainly on the sonics and some comparisons with other gear. If you want to get the full picture, feel free to go back and read the first chapter - if you are the sort... Continue Reading →
TheBit Opus #3: stellar sound, Android features still under construction
Pros: Excellent tonality, good soundstage width, very detailed, balanced output with good power, solid build quality, leather case (not included by default everywhere) Cons: Horrible app implementation, navigation niggles, DLNA music app sounds substantially worse than standard music app, tiny hardware buttons, wobbly volume knob Price: $899 (€899) (Haven’t found UK shop with it yet)... Continue Reading →
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 →
Audio-Opus Opus #1: a transparent reference quality DAP and a great start for a promising company
Pros: Uber transparent black background, balanced out, easy operating system, build quality, up to 432 GB of storage, battery saving mode, nice leather case Cons: Android in name only, did not successfully scan all tags, operating system not fully featured List Price: £399 ($399), available from HiFi Headphones in the UK, Musicteck in the USA.... Continue Reading →
Unboxing: Double Helix Cables Symbiote SP V3 OCC Silver Type 4 Litz IEM Cable 8-braid
Peter Bradstock of Double Helix Cables doesn't bullshit. He just makes awesome cables from the most conductive materials available. He uses OCC and Type 4 Litz because these improve sound not because they look fancy. Peter is super refreshing to talk to. He doesn't sell snake-oil, he just sells well-made (in the USA) cables that... Continue Reading →