IMR Acoustics R1 – unusual ceramic/beryllium hybrid with bags of tone

Pros: 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 →

September 11, 2017 6

Empire Ears Zeus-XR – the pinnacle of the pantheon

Pros: 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: $2399 (empireears.com) Acknowledgment... Continue Reading →

August 30, 2017 4

Unboxing: Echobox Explorer

So the long IndieGoGo wait is over. The Echobox Explorer has taken a long while to get here. This was planned for April 2016, but arrived in March 2017, which actually isn't unusual in crowdfunding. I was prepared. Many were not. The player still has some wrinkles to iron out, but Echobox is projecting confidence.... Continue Reading →