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 →
Canjam London 2019 – part one
Introduction Canjam London 2019 marks my third trip to the UK's premier headphone convention, and my second as a "press" member (i.e. blogger with a notebook). There were slightly less manufacturers in attendance this year, but more people, with plenty of people rolling through the doors of the Park Plaza in Westminster over the course... Continue Reading →
Stealth Sonics U4: love or hate bass
Pros: Confusingly powerful bass in a fully balanced armature setup—how the heck you do that Stealth Sonics!?, better with faceplate off, high quality stock cable, includes microphone cable (flexibility+), lightweight, ability to alter bass tuning (removable faceplate) Cons: bass rides everything (this may be positive for bassheads, but wasn't for me), midbass distortion (texture loss... 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 →
oBravo Cupid – first impressions of something unexpected and brilliant
Would you believe me if I told you that I'm enjoying the £249 oBravo Cupid as much as any oBravo I've listened to? The oBravo line-up is notoriously picky with amplification, including the £8999 Ra C-Cu. Each of the ERIB and EAMT hybrid series has several flavours with different sound according to housing material (warm wood, neutral... Continue Reading →
Unique Melody Mason V3 review: mastering the details at terminal velocity
Pros: Remarkably detailed, natural treble extension, deep bass extension, speed to dominate even the fastest tracks, flexible tuning with dB-Go and ‘Dual Tone’ cable, big soundstage, timbre, bass texture, revealing details previously unnoticed and giving new life to old music, can battle with full size headphones for stage Cons: large universal shell, price, cable is... Continue Reading →
IMR Acoustics R1 Zenith Review – Part 1 (initial impressions and unboxing)
Introduction and acknowledgement The R1 Zenith is the sophomore outing from UK based IEM manufacturer IMR Acoustics, following on from their well received R1 model. The Zenith is a revision of the original rather than a completely different beast, sporting an improved design and some refinements to the unique tuning and porting system that the... Continue Reading →
Flares Pro: the best Bluetooth headphones I’ve heard
Pros: Extraordinarily clear in Bluetooth, excellent resolution and speed, accurate timbre, black background, completely non-fatiguing, tiny and comfortable, cool packaging, super ergonomic tips, great Bluetooth range and battery life Cons: rolled off sub-bass, microphonic cable, USB micro, prone to electrical interference in Bluetooth, ugly poor quality cables List Price: £349 ($399) Product Website: https://www.flareaudio.com/products/flares Rating... Continue Reading →
Questyle QP2R: my favourite digital audio player
Pros: beautiful natural timbre, full body without sacrificing detail, big driving power, solid and sexy construction, awesome volume knob, top-loaded audio outputs, format compatibility Cons: small screen, wheel control, hiss with a few IEMs (especially out of 2.5mm), no wireless connectivity (Bluetooth, DLNA, streaming, etc.) List Price: £1199 (Audio Sanctuary), $1299 (Todd The Vinyl Junkie)... Continue Reading →

