Pros: Size is nice in the hand, solid build, 2 micro-SD slots for tons of storage, Google Play Store, minimal skinning on Android, good functional interface, Quick Charge, excellent USB DAC function, full-featured Cons: Sound is very mid-fi, hiss with sensitive IEMs, button layout not terribly ergonomic, weak/poor Bluetooth, limited amplification, crowded bottom end, coaxial... Continue Reading →
Effect Audio Ares II+: Smooth shimmering heavy metal value
Pros: Beautiful, a bit more airy and detailed than stock cable, smoothed some sharper treble on Kaiser Encore, perfect size pins, precise tight bass with good impact, bigger stage than stock Cons: chunky, a bit heavy on the ear, paint wears off easily, 2-pin connector shell is glued List Price: $219.90 Acknowledgment I received the... Continue Reading →
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 →
Unboxing: Double Helix Cables Symbiote SP V3 OCC Silver Type 4 Litz IEM Cable 8-braid
Peter Bradstock of Double Helix Cables doesn't bullshit. He just makes awesome cables from the most conductive materials available. He uses OCC and Type 4 Litz because these improve sound not because they look fancy. Peter is super refreshing to talk to. He doesn't sell snake-oil, he just sells well-made (in the USA) cables that... Continue Reading →
iFi iDSD Black Label: Swiss Army knife utility, top tier sound and flexibility that does everything extremely well, so much value it’s just unfair to the competition
Pros: enough power to drive an HE-6 while having enough finesse to feed a Kaiser Encore, plays everything natively, flexible inputs and outputs, flexible sound through XBass and 3D that leaves the core of the mids alone Cons: 3D can sound artificial on some tracks, black on black fonts, difficult to see volume knob level... Continue Reading →
Shanling M2s gear gallery and first impressions: a pint-sized performer
In a little bit of a different take on gear galleries, this post has some initial impressions. Things I like: Tiny. Super tiny. This thing is smaller than a pack of cards. It looks like the perfect mate to a Mojo. Can be used as external DAC Bluetooth receive and transmit (Cayin N3 does this... Continue Reading →
Lear BTC-01: a sound surprise in wireless
Pros: Good sound, clean amplification, good driving power, lightweight and comfortable, price, many pin outs [2-pin (standard CIEM, UE CIEM, UE TF10,), MMCX, IE-8/80, AudioTechnica (IM, LS series), FitEar] Cons: Pin fit (standard 2-pin CIEM), Bluetooth noise floor and EMI (Bluetooth general flaw), no aptX, not sweatproof, limited battery life List Price: $65 at time... Continue Reading →
Effect Audio Arthur: $3800 of win? Yes.
Pros: Stunningly beautiful statement piece, exceptional natural sound, Excalibur cable ergonomics are excellent Cons: Price, difficult fit, huge shell, narrow nozzle doesn’t fit several Comply Isolate series tips or similar size tips (200 series fits), probably better to buy as custom List Price: $3799 Acknowledgment Thank you Eric at Effect Audio for making the HeadFi... Continue Reading →
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 →