Introduction I have always been fascinated by bass in music. That’s probably why I always feel a little bit of a fraud when someone calls me an “audiophile”, as my tastes quite often encompass a little more lower end substance than the current fashion for a more lean and mean sound. I can appreciate detail... 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 →
RHA CL750: excellent value, assuming you have a decent amp on your portable gear
Pros: Stellar build quality, excellent price, comfortable, fantastic quality cable, excellent clarity, good bass control, balanced signature Cons: Hard to drive, average soundstage List Price: £99 ($129) Acknowledgment The RHA CL750 was provided to me in exchange for running the UK leg of the RHA world-wide tour for the release of the DACAMP L1, CL1,... Continue Reading →
Massdrop x MEE Audio Pinnacle PX: the MEE Pinnacle P1 gets even more affordable
Pros: Stellar balanced sound, an absolute steal at $113.99, top of the class instrument separation in the price tier Cons: Difficult to drive, your phone won't do it justice, abandon all hope ye' iPhone as source people. Average soundstage. List Price: $113.99 Acknowledgement The Massdrop x MEE Pinnacle PX was supplied to me by Massdrop in exchange... Continue Reading →
Flares Pro: Unboxing and initial impressions
So, I'll get this off my chest right off. I'm very very impressed with the Flares Pro. This is the only Bluetooth headphone that I've ever heard that is distortion and noise free. I don't know how they do it. I know what the claims are: incredibly simple balanced amplification and distortion cancelling earbud design... Continue Reading →
HiFiMAN Susvara: Unboxing and first impressions
Okay, so I've had this thing unboxed for a few days now. I've played it on my Questyle CMA600i and it was loud enough, but boy was that not all that it can do. Holy moly. Some loaners from SCV Distribution here in the UK just arrived to properly drive this beauty: a set of... Continue Reading →
Audio Primacy – Quarter-Final 1: JH Rosie vs CustomArt 9-driver (custom tuned CIEM)
The general concept One of the downsides of being an IEM enthusiast and amateur reviewer is an ever growing collection of in-ear gear, and only two ears to listen to it with. While pondering the gear mountain that was building up in my man-cave after a few frosty beverages, I set to working out the... Continue Reading →

