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 →
Indulgence Show 2017: luscious speakers, hot headphones and cool IEMs. Time to listen. (Part 3)
This was the first show I went to as a member of the press, so I should press on, however slow. Audio Sanctuary and all the other sponsors put on a helluva show and I enjoyed myself, in spite of never feeling like I had enough time to explore everything while having the conversations I... Continue Reading →
iFi Nano iDSD Black Label: great genes in this DAC family, wallet happy price
Pros: Excellent transparent sound, small size, outstanding price, driving power for HD600, iEMatch built in, iPurifier built in, excellent 3.5mm line-out, two good filters, huge format compatibility Cons: Silk-screen writing is damn near impossible to read, doesn’t come with short OTG cable (one would be better than none), doesn’t come with USB3.0 adaptor so not... 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 →
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 →
RHA CL1: the Richard Dawkins of IEMs: insensitive, brilliant, and not everyone’s cup of tea
Pros: Excellent clarity and treble extension, good quality and quantity of bass Cons: intimate sound-stage; recessed mids; some mids details fade, veil or disappear; underdriven by many DACs and DAPs; need forward mids to sound totally right List Price: £349.95 (on RHA’s website)($449.95 from Moon audio in USA) Acknowledgment The RHA CL1 was provided to... Continue Reading →
Trinity Phantom Hunter – unboxing pictures
UPDATE 21/05/17 - new comparison pictures added against various IEMs (Campfire Vega, Andromeda etc) After one of the most awaited (to put it mildly) product launches on the Head-Fi forums, the Trinity Audio flagship 5-driver IEM (the Phantom Hunter) is now starting to arrive in mailboxes around the globe. If you are one of the many... Continue Reading →
Blue Ella – unboxing
Some unboxing shots from my upcoming Blue Microphones Ella headphone review... http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o701/Jackpot77/Blue%20Ella/IMG_20170507_160519111_HDR%20-%20watermark_zpsdkdba2wc.jpg
Sonus Faber Pryma 0/1 – darkly fashionable
Pros: Quality build, unusual look, rich sound with a smooth and velvety midrange and warm, enveloping bass, decent layering Cons: Can sound veiled / rolled off in the treble compared to other over-ears in the same price range, slightly closed in soundstage Price: £399.00 (PRYMA) Acknowledgment I acquired these over-ears in a trade deal with a... Continue Reading →

