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 – 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 →
Canjam London – 20th August 2023
Introduction It’s that time of year again for British headphone and earphone enthusiasts - a rare chance to get together in one large room and listen to all the audio goodies that you either a. can’t audition here because of our strict hygiene regulations or b. just can’t find on sale due to the UK... Continue Reading →
Effect Audio Cable tour
Introduction One of the most emotive subjects in the current audiophile "scene" is the effect of cables on sound. Some claim that a good cable can make an IEM, headphone or speaker sound better, fuller, more detailed and is generally able to do everything short of cleaning the wax out of your ears after a... 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 →
CanJam London 2018, Part 2: Chord, Meze, Campfire, Cayin, HiFiMAN, ZMF Audio, Effect Audio, DITA, 64Audio, Advanced Sound, Jerry Harvey Audio, AKG
One day! So much to do. Better get right into it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6auk1TkGtVQ Chord + Meze The Meze Empyrean, Meze's upcoming $3000 flagship was dotted all over the floor. Meze even had their own room. I never made it upstairs to that room, but I was listening to some Campfire Audio gear with the HiFi Headphones... Continue Reading →
Double Helix Cables Symbiote SP v3 OCC Silver Type 4 Litz IEM Cable (8-Braid): extravagantly beautiful
Pros: Â Gorgeous, top notch wire, refreshing company, excellent resolution and stage, made in USA (for those who care) Cons: Expensive, law of diminishing returns, slight treble emphasis List Price: $789.99 (for 8-braid, $409.99 for quad braid) Product Website: https://doublehelixcables.com/product/dhc-symbiote-sp-v3-occ-silver-type-4-litz-iem-cable/ Rating Disclaimer: ratings are subjective. Audio quality and value do not mean the same thing across... 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 →
Empire Ears Athena – unboxing and initial impressions
Introduction At the recent Canjam London expo, I had the privilege of spending some time with @Jack Vang and the team at Empire Ears, working my way through their current and unreleased IEM range. As an owner of the Zeus-XR, I was interested to find out what the rest of their lineup offered in terms... Continue Reading →

