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 →

October 23, 2019 3

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 →

July 12, 2019 4

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 →

July 30, 2018 3

Double Helix Cables Symbiote SP v3 OCC Silver Type 4 Litz IEM Cable (8-Braid): extravagantly beautiful

Pros: 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 →

February 19, 2018 2

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

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 →

August 17, 2017 1

Jackpot77’s Canjam Impressions

Canjam London will always hold a special place in my heart - this is the first portable audio festival I ever attended, and provided my first taste of true high quality portable audio, and what it could sound like. I was lucky enough to make the Sunday of this year's Canjam London, and while making... Continue Reading →

August 15, 2017 1

CanJam London 2017: Effect Audio, FiiO, RHA, 64 Audio, 1More, iBasso, Final, Advanced, Kennerton (Part Two)

Sorry it's taken a while for me to get this post up. You can see the first set of impressions here. I had a job interview for a job that may enable more paying the bills and more fun purchases. Wish me luck! At the end of the first day of CanJam London 2017, I... Continue Reading →

July 28, 2017 7

Zeus-XR and Effect Audio Leonidas – unboxing

Here are some unboxing shots from my most recent acquisition: a set of custom Empire Ears Zeus-XR, and an Effect Audio Leonidas upgrade cable to go along with it. Both of these excellent items were won as part of a giveaway by @Jack Vang and the team at Empire Ears over on the Head-Fi forums,... Continue Reading →