The HiFiMAN MegaMini – now in plastic, with a far better $99 price

Pros: Tiny form factor, excellent build quality, nice looking, good even keeled sound, easy UI and intuitive control scheme, excellent value at $99 Cons: no external DAC, no gapless (on the way?), limited playlist capability, somewhat thin sound, dismal battery life (especially with HiRes) List Price: $99 Product website: http://store.hifiman.com/index.php/hifiman-megamini-high-res-music-player-531.html Rating disclaimer: ratings for audio... Continue Reading →

December 9, 2017 0

Glassmonkey’s Headroom at Metropolis Studios 2017 Impressions

On March 25 I hopped on a coach from Southampton to London with the Effect Audio Arthur IEMs in my ears and the Aune M1S pumping tunes through my cranium for the two hour coach ride. Upon touching down in Hammersmith and marching my way down to the study I immediately asked where I needed to... Continue Reading →

April 7, 2017 2

HiFiMan SuperMini: Pint-sized nuclear powerplant for your ears in a Snickers bar size

Pros: Tiny form factor, excellent build quality, nice looking, easy UI and intuitive control scheme, ton of power, good battery life Cons: no external DAC, no line-out, no gapless (on the way?), limited playlist capability, screen protector unusable List price: $399 Acknowledgment Thank you HiFiMAN for providing this review sample in exchange for my honest... Continue Reading →

March 24, 2017 3

Noble Kaiser Encore: balanced bliss distilled into a soaring aerie of superlatives

Pros: Vast soundstage with natural placement—doesn’t sound like an IEM, natural body, perfect timbre, speedy, micro-details-a-poppin Cons: Hiss on many sources; pinholes on the small side, making aftermarket cables a bit scary; potential side effects of purchase: living with one kidney, spousal waves of wrath, incredulous friends List price: $1850 (£1699) Acknowledgment Thanks @BangkokKid, otherwise... Continue Reading →