Acoustune This was the stall I most wanted to spend time at over the course of the weekend, after becoming a recent convert to the Acoustune "house sound" with the acquisition of one of their older models (the HS1503al) off another Head-Fi'er on eBay recently. For the uninitiated, Acoustune are a Japanese brand that specialise... Continue Reading →
Campfire Audio Solaris – sound like the sun
Acknowledgement The Solaris were very kindly provided by Ken Ball at Campfire Audio for the purposes of writing a full review. I paid nothing for these, and there is no obligation to or input from Campfire Audio with regards to the content of the review. Allegations was (politely) asked for was a few brief impressions... Continue Reading →
Unique Melody Mentor V3 – the pupil has become the master
Pros: multiple tuning options with the bass port and multi-metal cables, solid design, great build quality, supremely musical signature, detail retrieval, ability to capture emotion Cons: Proprietary cable system limits cable swapping, DB-Go bass ports are a little loose in use, not a huge amount of difference in the tuning when switching cables or tweaking... Continue Reading →
Empire Ears Athena – the goddess of Olympus
Ratings Pros: Impeccable build quality, balanced but musical tuning, incredible sense of smoothness, good note weight, fantastic midrange, good clarity Cons: May lack air in the treble for some, can take a little time to adjust to the tuning, extension/quantity in the sub bass area could be better Price (as of Dec 2017): $1299 Website: Empire Ears... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
CanJam London 2017: Empire Ears, Stereo Pravda, Sony, Dinner with Axel (Part 1)
Wow! That was hectic but fun. I got to meet some folks I've wanted to meet for a long time in Jack and Dean Vang of Empire Ears, and Eric Chong of Effect Audio. I've been chatting with these guys on HeadFi and Facebook for a while. It's great to finally meet these lovely people... 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 →
Questyle QP2R – initial impressions (part 1 of 2)
One of the most popular and critically acclaimed digital audio players (DAPs) in audiophile circles over the last few years has been the QP1R from Questyle Audio. Audio Primate have been lucky enough to be given a sneak preview of the successor to Questyle's current flagship (the QP2R), which is due for global release in... Continue Reading →