It seems like these days there is a frustrating dichotomy in the digital audio player (DAP) market:  you can either get a cheap mass-market player or a hyper-expensive boutique player with nothing in between.  Questyle’s QP1R digital audio player attempts to split the difference, offering top-tier build and sound quality at a price that sits in between the two extremes.  How successful you consider their endeavor will depend on your priorities in a DAP.     The Sound   Questyle (pronounced like “quest style” without the second “st”) is known...

If you’ve read my review of the ZMF x Vibro mk II, you’ll know that I enjoy ZMF Headphones.  I’ve had a review Omni unit for some time now and I’ve been procrastinating writing this review because, once it’s complete, I’ll have to return it!  But the time has come to put my thoughts down for all to see; your enjoyment will make me feel better about the whole “returning it” thing.     Oh, if you did read that review, you’ll also have a great amount of background on Zach and ZMF so I am going to eschew that section of this review and just jump into...

    I have a confession to make: for a long time, I didn’t think of modded T50rp headphones as “real” headphones.  I found it odd that people could modify a cheap headphone and sell it for hundreds (or even thousands!) of dollars.  But then I listened to a few and realized that there may be something to this after all.   Here’s the thing: these mods are often extensive including completely replacing the cups, the internal wiring, and even sometimes modifying the driver itself.  They are done by hand and custom built to order.  And the sound can...

Not too long ago, I was a lowly noob looking for my first headphones.  I waded through the murky waters of terminology I couldn’t understand and brands I’d never heard of before.  Over time, some patterns started to emerge and I started getting an idea of what the community considered bad (I’m looking at you, Beats) and what they considered good.   Of course Head-fi is a very diverse community so I rarely saw a product or brand that everyone could agree on.  But one brand name that was always spoken of with respect was Cavalli Audio.  The Liquid...

Oppo PM-3 – Entry Level Luxury       Intro and Background   Entry-level luxury -- this term may seem like an oxymoron, but many people realize that even entry-level luxury can be a significant improvement over the best of the rest.  As it is with the BMW 320i or the Nikon D3300, so it is with the Oppo PM-3: top-tier quality and performance at a manageable price for mere mortals.   Oppo made a big splash last year with its PM-1 and PM-2 headphones.  They had the full package:  great sound quality, great build quality and great looks.  The...