Hidizs EP3, initial impressions ($25 IEM shootout)

When Penon Audio sent me a box of under $50 review units for this $25 shootout and for the upcoming $50 IEM shootout, I wasn't expecting the EP3 or the Penon IEM v2. I didn't expect the EP3, because I already had one that came with the Aune M1S when I got that for review... Continue Reading →

June 27, 2018 12

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 →

January 4, 2018 4

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 →

June 16, 2017 5

Unique Melody Miracle: a smooth operator

Pros: Smooth pleasing signature, laid back, isolation, deep rich bass, detail retrieval and imaging Cons: Soft tonality, slightly diffuse bass, soundstage merely average, like some amplification to sound their best List Price: $1049 (musicteck.com) Acknowledgment I’d like to thank Lawrance of Unique Melody for loaning audioprimate.blog the Miracle V2 in exchange for honest opinions. You... Continue Reading →

May 18, 2017 5

1MORE Triple Driver IEM: bang, bang, bang … out of damn bullets for your buck

Pros: Balanced, energetic sound with a decent soundstage, insane value, red carpet unboxing experience Cons: Has a touch of midbass bloom, big nozzles List price: $99 (£99) Acknowledgment Thanks 1MORE UK for providing this review sample in return for my honest opinion. An earlier version of this review was posted on HeadFi. Introduction I heard... Continue Reading →