Flares Pro: the best Bluetooth headphones I’ve heard

Pros: Extraordinarily clear in Bluetooth, excellent resolution and speed, accurate timbre, black background, completely non-fatiguing, tiny and comfortable, cool packaging, super ergonomic tips, great Bluetooth range and battery life Cons: rolled off sub-bass, microphonic cable, USB micro, prone to electrical interference in Bluetooth, ugly poor quality cables List Price: £349 ($399) Product Website: https://www.flareaudio.com/products/flares Rating... Continue Reading →

October 1, 2018 0

Questyle QP2R: my favourite digital audio player

Pros: beautiful natural timbre, full body without sacrificing detail, big driving power, solid and sexy construction, awesome volume knob, top-loaded audio outputs, format compatibility Cons: small screen, wheel control, hiss with a few IEMs (especially out of 2.5mm), no wireless connectivity (Bluetooth, DLNA, streaming, etc.) List Price: £1199 (Audio Sanctuary), $1299 (Todd The Vinyl Junkie)... Continue Reading →

August 20, 2018 13

Initial impressions: Unique Melody Mason v3

Introduction The Mason v3 is the flagship of the Unique Melody line. It is designed to be the technical master of the line-up. It doesn't disappoint. These are my first impressions off the Head-Fi Official European Unique Melody Mason v3 and Mentor v3 Tour. I posted an unboxing gallery here, and impressions of the Mentor... Continue Reading →

May 30, 2018 1

Initial impressions: Unique Melody Mentor v3

Introduction Over the weekend I gave you some pretty pictures, and I'm sure folks were thinking I was such a tease. I'm not! I put out [content], regularly. I'm not giving anyone blue-eyes here. Here are my initial impressions from the Unique Melody Mentor v3 to lead off the Head-Fi Official European Tour for the... Continue Reading →

May 23, 2018 2

Double Helix Cables Symbiote SP v3 OCC Silver Type 4 Litz IEM Cable (8-Braid): extravagantly beautiful

Pros: Gorgeous, top notch wire, refreshing company, excellent resolution and stage, made in USA (for those who care) Cons: Expensive, law of diminishing returns, slight treble emphasis List Price: $789.99 (for 8-braid, $409.99 for quad braid) Product Website: https://doublehelixcables.com/product/dhc-symbiote-sp-v3-occ-silver-type-4-litz-iem-cable/ Rating Disclaimer: ratings are subjective. Audio quality and value do not mean the same thing across... Continue Reading →

February 19, 2018 2

Unique Melody ME.1: a spacious stage with an organic and euphonic sound

Pros: Big sound stage, smooth organic sound, no harshness to be found, euphonic, comfortable, open but not leaky Cons: Some detail is lost to give the euphonic sound, not extended on either side of the audio spectrum, source has bigger than average impact on sound (matching is important), isolation, big shell will not fit some... Continue Reading →

January 15, 2018 6

64 Audio U8 – bass over APEX

Introduction I have always been fascinated by bass in music. That’s probably why I always feel a little bit of a fraud when someone calls me an “audiophile”, as my tastes quite often encompass a little more lower end substance than the current fashion for a more lean and mean sound. I can appreciate detail... Continue Reading →

November 14, 2017 0

Campfire Audio Andromeda – another stellar constellation from the stargazers at CA

Pros: Great value, classy metal build and accessory package, superbly balanced tuning, clarity, large and airy soundstage, neutral yet musical Cons: Sharp edges on the shell casing can cause discomfort for some, not for bassheads Introduction Anyone with more than a passing interest in high-end in ear audio gear costing more than $100 will most... Continue Reading →

October 13, 2017 4

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 →