GLADIATOR CABLE FLAGSHIP CLEO CABLE REVIEW SPECS Japanese Gold Silver Copper Wire 8-core 45 strands/core 25 AWG/core 15 strands pure OCC copper, 15 strands silver plated copper, 15 strands gold plated copper Pure OFC Gold-plated Copper plug Pure Copper connectors INTRO Upcoming Flagship from Gladiator Cable. Very long waiting time, about ~1 month total. Alright it's finally here. Let's get started. The package. Judging from the packaging, there's definitely not enough protection. No case nor box used for protection, just padded bags. Nope not...

TL;DR Bamboo2 has arrived. Try it. Package IEM, tips, 0.78 cable, pouch, QC card, etc2 Build Tiny with Full metal. Nice. Cable The wire actually looks good. The plug & connectors looks bad, like an unfinished product but they actually aren't. First thought/What to expect Can this beat rival OLA? PART I Setup E44 + xinhs crapty 4.4 cable? Fit Not that easy. Tried with like 5 so far, only 1 fits easily, 1 needs tweaking, the rest no go. Not sure if the cable plays an effect or not. SOUND Bass Will show itself there, invitation not required...

TL;DR Just get one. Package Device, Cable, USB adapter, manual, etc2. Build Smooth silvery metal. Cool to touch. Awesome. I think it's aluminium? There's a volume knob the '+' and '–' are joined together. The one with the bump is a '+' but it doesn't say or have any indication on it. There are two modes of operation. One is individual clicks which is responsive without lag (usable for small volume adjustments). The other is push and hold, not as responsive and has a bit of lag (usable for big volume adjustments). Did I mention this knob +...

TL;DR Get OLA instead. Package IEM, Tips, 0.78mm cable, pouch, etc2x. Build Cheap plastic. Cable Thin cable but pretty long which is handy. First thought/What to expect Just another chi-fi. SOUND Bass Quality wise it's quite good but the quantity may be a bit too much in some tracks but ok in others. Bass got speed though which is good. Mids Men vocals are alright but female vocals are not. Especially female vocals with high pitch. They just sound muted, lack of excitement. Same thing with instruments. Electric guitars sound blunted, violins...

TL;DR This thing sucks power. Package IEM, Tips, 0.78mm modular cable, crappy pouch, modular plugs etc2x. Build Full Metal build. Nice and solid. Excellent fit too which is unexpected. Definitely a big plus. Cable Pretty good cable. Good looking + modular. First thought/What to expect Fist planar + Open back. Not sure what to expect. Chin slider works. SOUND Bass Right planar bass. Lets get into it. Hmm not sure what too say. Quality wise it's quite good but quantity is mixed. In some tracks it sounds alright, in some it lacks impact but in...

TL;DR What do you know? Package IEM, Tips, MMCX cable, pouch, warranty card, etc2 Build Plastic resin + metal hybrid. Tiny size. Cable Decent looking cable. First thought/What to expect Bought T-APB, was impressed. So got Ola, first Tanchjim set. SOUND Bass It's just good. Despite what the graph shows, the quantity is actually sufficient. No bloat, no boomy none of the sorts. No issues whatsoever. Quality though, is really good for the price. You won't need to worry about speed because it's one of its strength and it has impact too. Mids One of...

TL;DR What a nice surprise. Package IEM, Spinfit tips, MMCX cable, cable clip, pouch? (Can't really remember) Build Plastic resin + metal hybrid (brass). About same size as Nagi. Cable Good looking + quality cable and it actually works, unlike last time. First thought/What to expect After Nagi, not much expectations really. (Damn was I ever wrong!) SOUND Bass Quantity may be just a tiny weenie above the desired level but it's not a biggie. Still ok and acceptable. It's not boomy or bloaty. Nope. The quality on the other hand is superb. It...

TL;DR If you don't use demanding earphones, you can use this as your all-in-one DAC/AMP. No need for separate desktop/portable DAC/AMP. Package S9, 2x usb-c cable, full usb to usb-c adapter, pocket clip Build Aluminium. Smooth, cool and clean. Feels nice to touch. First thought/What to expect Velvet Sound because it's AK. TEST TOPIC 1. Sound Quality (SQ) 2. Power Consumption 3. Heat TEST EQUIPMENT Android micro-usb, Android usb-c, PC Linux. You'll probably need micro-usb to usb-c adapter OTG adapter for older mobiles. PC setup done with the...

TL;DR Don't ask, just pull the trigger. Package IEM, AET07 tips, MMCX cable, cable clip, pouch? (Can't really remember) Build Plastic resin? + metal hybrid (brass/titanium?). It's a bit longer/bigger than sora-2. It looked better too. Cable Better cable than sora-2. Longer with 2x protection but the left MMCX connector is kinda loose. First thought/What to expect Next toy level up after sora-2, probably already been brainwashed by intime by now. Expectations are bass along the line of e3000 and +VST2 -HDSS showdown. From the law of diminishing...

TL;DR Best under $100, basshead excluded. Package IEM, AET07 tips, earhook, cable clip, pouch. (Hmm what else...) Build Full metal finish stainless steel? (Can't remember the exact material) First thought/What to expect First foray into Japanese IEM after budget chi-fis. Expecting some good things? Bass Quality bass with power. Punchy, rocky etc2, not so much in quantity. Mids Thought the treble is the cream of the crop. Guess again. The mids is where the IEM really shines. No muddiness, clear and transparent mids. Vocals just sounds really...

TL;DR A steal for $20. Package IEM, BQEYZ tips, cablex2, pouch? (Yes two cables, very generous) Build Aluminium feels premium. Not bad looking either. Lightweight. Cable Standard cable one with and one without mic. First thought/What to expect Heard about BQEYZ for a while, never had the chance to try one until the $20 vending machine came along. Not expecting anything really at this price point. SOUND Bass Well rounded bass in terms of quality and quantity. Probably not up to e3000 standards but still good and not overpowering. Mids Didn't...

Disclaimer: I would like to thank Jade Audio for the review sample. I don't have any affiliation with any company or review site. Audio were reproduced from Topping D50 and JDS Atom. SPECS Impedance: 18 ohms Earphone sensitivity: 108 dB (1mW) Frequency response range: 5Hz-40KHz Driver: Dynamic (13.6mm) + Knowles BA (33518) Weight (with cable): 21g PACKAGE Good accessories with pouch, cable and two type of eartips, black and red. Red tips have wider bore compared to the black one. CABLE Silver plated copper cable with 96-cores and ear-hook +...