Acknowledgement The Balmung was purchased with my own money at a hefty discount from MusicTeck USA (https://shop.musicteck.com/collections/mmr) on one of their periodic sales. No incentive was sought or received for writing a review, and all opinions (however misguided) are 100% my own. Rating and specs (From back of main box) Price: $2599 RRP (at time... Continue Reading →
JH Audio Jolene – dual dynamic duo
*build quality scored at a 4 due to the oxidation / deterioration of the original CIEM faceplate, and bears no relation to the Itsfit reshell Acknowledgment The Jolene I am reviewing were purchased from the original owner (thanks MVVRaz) as a CIEM. Given the freakishly straight ear canals of the previous recipient, it was possible... Continue Reading →
Ambient Acoustics – 24 types of madness
Intro Ambient Acoustics was set up in 2009 in the Ukraine, primarily to service the professional audio and hearing aid markets. They started getting a little notice in audiophile circles a few years ago with their LAM serious of tuneable switch models, and it’s fair to say they are a brand that is now starting... 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 →
Jackpot77’s Canjam London 2018 impressions (part one) – StealthSonics, JH Audio, InEar, Jomo Audio
Introduction There is a special place in most European Head-Fi'ers hearts for the global institution that is Canjam. Living in a country where trialling in ear monitors in most stores is prohibited on hygeine grounds, it is the one time of year where you can get to hear all of the new stuff from brands... Continue Reading →
CanJam London 2018, Part 2: Chord, Meze, Campfire, Cayin, HiFiMAN, ZMF Audio, Effect Audio, DITA, 64Audio, Advanced Sound, Jerry Harvey Audio, AKG
One day! So much to do. Better get right into it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6auk1TkGtVQ Chord + Meze The Meze Empyrean, Meze's upcoming $3000 flagship was dotted all over the floor. Meze even had their own room. I never made it upstairs to that room, but I was listening to some Campfire Audio gear with the HiFi Headphones... Continue Reading →
NCM Bella – the Bella of the TOTL hybrid ball
Pros:  Sub bass presence and overall bass capability, beautiful and non-recessed midrange, exceptional treble, lots of air and sparkle, very coherent tuning Cons: Fit is shallow, nozzle bore is very large List Price: 23,500,000 (Vietnamese Dong) / c. £735 (UK) Product Website: http://www.nguyencustoms.com/ncm-bella/ Rating Disclaimer: ratings are subjective. Audio quality and value do not mean... 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 →