+ Amazing battery life (5 to 10 hours on a single charge depending on the codec, ANC, and features used)
+Excellent sound quality
+ Mostly neutral sound with a slight emphasis on basses
+ The lows kick hard, even compared to some full-sized headphones
+ Nice design
+ Very small case which can charge the IEMs several times
+ USB-C connectivity
+ Excellent active noise reduction (ANC)

- Not the most discreet look
- Expensive (279 € base price in EU)

I'll complete this review after a few more days of use.

The Sony WH-1000XM3 is the third iteration of the original Sony MDR-1000X. At the time the 1000X was released, I hesitated between this one and the Sennheiser Momentum M2, and finally went for the latter.

Finally, three years later, I got the 1000XM3 as I wanted a good pair of noise-cancelling headphones for work and travelling.

The first thing you'll notice when getting these on your head is how light and comfortable they are, even when wearing glasses. Not many headphones are as comfortable and forgettable on the head as these ones, and I've been able to keep them for hours without any problem. The only headphones I've tested so far with a better comfort are the Sennheiser HD 58X, which are huge in comparison, and without any electronics inside.

The noice cancelling feature works very well, although it doesn't block every sound, but it works fine. Definitely enough to not have to push the volume up when travelling, which is a huge plus for me.

On the sound quality, now. I've tested these headphones with many, MANY genres. From blues to rap, from rock'n'roll to pop, from heavy metal to classical music, to get a good idea of how they sound. I've owned these for several months now.

So. There is too much bass. This is a very big problem that can't be overlooked no matter what. The problem is that the huge bump in the low frequencies has an impact on other frequencies as well such as the mids, and it gives a slightly dark and muffled sound overall, which is not something I particurarly like, even on electronic musics or rap.

After listening for dozens of hours, I've finally found a good EQ settings to make the headphones sound better (to my ears at least) : +0 dB / +4 dB / +7 dB / + 7 dB / + 5 dB, and -2 on Clear Bass. You can apply these settings through the Sony Headphones app on mobile.

With these settings, you get less bass, the overall presention is more airy, the instruments separation becomes better, the balance between instruments as well, and you get a more neutral yet very engaging sound.

To conclude, after EQing, the headphones sound very good, and with all the features packed in it, I think it's easy to say they are the best-in-class headphones for this price range. If you don't care about noise cancelling for instance, there may some interesting alternatives like Drop + THX's Panda.

For those of don't want to read my whole review, you can just know that if I could give 6 stars to this product, I would. You can jump to the pros/cons list and my edits at the end of this review for more informations.

I've used several amps in the past, ranging from a Shanling M0 DAP to recently the Bravo Audio Ocean, purchased on Drop.

I was very impressed with the price/quality ratio of the Ocean, which if it was not perfect was really incredible for just $55 when using a JJ Electronics 12AU7 tube.

After one month of wait, I received this new Cavalli amp, and after plugging all cables to my DAC (a Topping E30) I was immediatly amazed by the sound.

For a tube amp, it's more on the bright side, probably due to the stock Electro Harmonix 6922 tube which has the reputation of being a bit bright.

The soundstage is incredibly wide. With an HD 58X, which not known as the best performer on this aspect, the music spreads on all axis with ease, and it's very easy to track the location of all sound sources.

The instruments separation is amazing as well, following a specific instrument in an orchestra is a breeze.

On the sound now, the bass quantity is clearly there but the quality as well. You can almost feel the fingers of the bassist playing. Now, if you're a basshead this amp is good enough but may not the *best* in that regard, the Ocean with a JJ tube clearly has more bass, even though it loses on almost all other aspects. I think replacing the stock 6922 tube with a JJ one may increase the bass quantity, but I'm afraid the sound would change and not for the best, unlike the Ocean which had a relatively crappy stock tube this one has a really good one.

Unlike some other tube amps, mids are absolutely not forward. They just sit where they're supposed to, which increases the felling of a very lively and 'natural' presentation.

The highs are very good as well, but this amp being on the 'bright' side (for a tube amp) if you're overly sensitive to highs (like I am) it may require a bit of time to get used to this amp.

The amp itself is very well built, doesn't heats much, and the tube isn't too bright (fortunately, as this is only a pre-amp tube).

To compare with the Bravo Audio Ocean as there are not many reviews on it currently (with a JJ tube as it really does improve the Ocean's sound), the Cavalli does a clearly better job at delivering an effortless presentation with a wide and depth soundstage. It's not night and day, but almost!
The Ocean has more bass, but the Cavalli delivers a better bass quality with more details.
The Ocean has a more forward presentation, where the Cavalli is more neutral.

The Ocean with a JJ tube is more of a forward, bass-heavy amp, while the Cavalli is more on the neutral side while still keeping this warm sound tube amps are famous for.

Overall, if you want a nice and relatively transparent tube amp but with a warmer side, this amp is for you. But if you want an extremely linear amplifier or a very warm one, take either a Topping L30 or something like a Bravo Audio Ocean of if you can afford it an Xduoo TA-20/30.

Hope this will help you decide weither you'll buy this amp or not

NOTE : After getting a new EH tube identical to the stock one (see my edit from 25/03/2021 below) the sound is even better than before, so imagine everything I told in this review, but even better. In some recordings, I truly have the impression that the singer is in the room.

EDIT (10 March 2021) : I just received a JJ Electronics tubed, recommanded by another user on Head-Fi. As I really liked their 12AU7 tube, I wondered what it would be worth as an 6922 in the CTH. Well, the result is as expected a warmer and more relaxed sound, although this is not to the point of the Bravo Audio Ocean, probably due to both the tube being an 6922 and the amp being more on the neutral side itself.
There is an important details loss, the width and height are less impressive, the positioning of instruments less precise, and altogether this gives a less "Hi-Fi" sound, although pleasantly warmer.
Even though I love warmer sound signatures, the drawbacks of the JJ tube is too much a trade compared to the stunning quality of the CTH's stock Electro-Harmonix tube, even though it may please some who like warmer sounds more than everything.

EDIT (24 March 2021): This morning I got a blowing sound in the right channel of my headphones, and after testing I found it to be the fault of the tube. Hopefully this is the cheapest and most easily replaceable part of the amp, but this is still unfortunate. I won't remove a star for this though as the tube isn't made by Drop nor Alex Cavalli's company, but by Electro Harmonix. Just no luck I guess.

EDIT (24 March 2021): Drop generously offered to refund me the cost of the tube at my local vendor (which is a bit higher than in the US due the fact it's not as easy to find). 5 stars for the support as well

EDIT (25 March 2021): Today I got the new tube, and after a dozen hours of burn-in, the sound is more open and detailed than it was before. The bass goes deeper, instruments can go even further in the sound stage, everything is better and more impressive. It seems like the stock tube was indeed defective and was holding back the sound.

I've had these headphones for 2 months now, and I must tell I'm really impressed with these ones.

I come from a Sennheiser Momentum (Over-Ear 2.0) which has a slightly warm but very faithful sound IMO.

These headphones in comparison have a wider soundstage, with a better sense of height and depth.

I started to use the HD58X with a Sound BlasterX G6, which is a very neutral and linear amp. The sound was great, I found it to be really enjoyable.

Then I upgraded my setup with a Brado Audio Ocean, connected to the Line Out of the G6, and the sound improved as the warm sound of tubes goes really well with dark-sounding headphones like the 58X.

I next decided to experiment tube-rolling by replacing the stock 12AU7 tube from Shuguang by another from JJ Electronics, and it dramatically improved the sound. The lows really kicked, I could feel the bass and the drums. The mediums were very detailed as well, and there was a great level of details.

Finally I replaced my G6 due to problems with the drivers and because I wanted a better-looking DAC with multiple inputs (the G6 has both USB and mini-Toslink inputs but only one works at a time and you can't switch manually between them). So I bought a Topping E30 to test. And, oh boy was it good.

Now the sound is so detailed I don't really feel like I'm listening on headphones. The only thing that reminds me I'm not hearing full-sized speakers is the soundstage that isn't, of course, as large and deep as real full-sized speakers would provide. But the sound is really amazing.

Mids are sharp, very nice to listen to, the lows go really low and the highs are crisp but the overall sound is still non-fatiguing, I can use these headphones for hours without any problem.

Comfort-wise, these are not the most comfortable headphones in the world to wear, but they are light enough to not be painful even when you wear glasses and use them for hours. The clamping force is a lot too strong when they are band new though, so it requires a few days for it to soften up.

Overall I'm more than happy with my current setup, and I won't probably replace these headphones before a very, very long time!

So I purchased this little DAC yesterday and received it this morning. I played a little with it and I must say I'm really impressed!

The build quality is top-notch, I've never seen a sub-$200 DAC this well-built, except maybe Schiit products. The main competitor to the Topping E30, the JDS Labs Atom, is clearly not as well-built as the E30 is.

Let's go directly to the main downside: no, there's no knob to control the volume. You must use the clicky remote for that, which means you also have to get two AAA (LR03/HR03) batteries for it. Hopefully, it works with rechageable 1.2v batteries.

The sound great, slightly warm but really slightly. You can hear all the details, and the layering is very nice. This is a great improvement from the Line Out of my SoundBlaster G6, even though I "only" use a Bravo Audio Ocean as the main amp.

Stacking the E30 with the L30 gives a really nice-looking result, and the two produce a very refined, detailed sound. The L30 is quite neutral, so you overall get a slightly warm sound at the end.

The fact you can switch with a simple touch button between the USB input, the Toslink input and the Coaxial input is a good thing, there aren't many DAC at this price point that provide three different numerical inputs. The downside though is that there is only one output, though I must admit I've rarely seen a DAC with multiple asymetrical outputs.

For my personal experience : the pairing with the Bravo Audio Ocean (with a JJ tube at least) and a HD 58X is amazing. The sound is smooth, warm, the soundstage is huge, the layering excellent, and the voices are very realistic.

So for $130 this little DAC is excellent, go for it and you'll be good for years. You can pair it with a higher-level amp without a problem, and it requires very little power to operate correctly.

I received this amp today and I must say its' a great little amp!

So to start with the downsides, the unit can get quite hot, the power plug is UK, but hopefully is uses a standard cord which you can purchased in any store for almost nothing. I used my old PS3's one.
The unit also does not come with cables, so be sure to have Jack <> RCA or RCA <> RCA cables to get sound from it.
Sound-wise, the soundstage is not the widest, and the metal body can get quite hot while in use.
Oh, and the front LED is super bright in the dark, so you'd better cover it with a black sticker.

Now, for the good points!

First, the sweet sound of tubes. Yes, this is an hybrid tube amp, so the tube is only used for the pre-amp circuit, but the sound is notably smoother than transistor amps, especially neutral ones such as the Soundblaster G6. You still get all the micro-details you'd get on other amps, although they sometimes may be harder to hear. The good point though is that the amp is a lot more forgiving than neutral amps when listening to poorly-recorded tracks or poor-quality MP3 files (yes, I'm looking at you, 64 kbps YouTube).

The lows are great but still lack a bit of kick. They are a bit smooth which some may appreciate - I personally like when I feel like the headphones are vibrating on my head because of the bass, so it's a matter of preference.

The pre-amp tube emits almost zero light hopefully, and the unit itself is pretty good-looking. The metal (or is it aluminum?) body is really nice.

The amp automatically switches between the line output to the headphones output when you plug yours in, and switches back when you unplug them, which is nice, but when you power the amp off and power it on again, the default output will be the line out, even if headphones are plugged in.

Overall, the product is really well-built and the sound quality, at $55, makes it an absolute no-brainer. If you want to discover what tubes sounds like, that's the perfect amp to try!

(FIY, I'm using the G6's as a DAC thanks to its line output, connected through USB to a Windows computer and listening mostly to 16 bits / 44.1 kHZ FLAC files)

I also tried some new tubes with this amp, a 12AU7 from Tung-Sol and one from JJ Electronics. The first one gives a drier sound with heavier bass and I personally didn't like it much.

But the JJ tube really improves the sound : the bass is tightier, punches more, and the mids becomes incredibly detailed. The soundstage is wider and more precise as well. You get a drier sound but still relatively warm. Overall, I'm more than happy with this JJ tube and I think the Ocean really benefits from tube-rolling with this one. So I change my review from 4* to 5* as a simple 20€ tube can really improve the sound.

When my old and very low-end headphones died, I decided to step-up and ordered an HyperX Cloud, which was at the time the best overall sub-100$ headphones which didn't required any amp to work properly. They last me for a few years, and then I started to feel a bit limited and started to look at more high-end hardware.

That's how I came to get the Sennheiser Momentum one year ago. To start with, yes, these are great headphones, as many reviewers already pointed out. They're comfortable - while not perfect on this, and some units like mine are sadly less comfortable than other ones, maybe due to a manufacturing problem -, classy, don't require any amp, work well even with low-end DACs, and the sound is clearly worth the money. But there's a point that many here missed.

I first used these headphones on my Honor 5C, just after receiving them. While listening for a few minutes, I was directly disappointed. That was not as good as I thought it would be - at the moment, I didn't know ears required a bit of time to get used to the sound of new hardware. But then, I plugged them in my laptop's (great) output, and it became a lot better. After tricking the equalizer for a bit on my phone, giving more bass and more treble, it became more enjoyable. And it was even better when I got my Pocophone F1, which has a better 3.5mm output though it didn't have a dedicated DAC nor amp.

And then my curiosity was picked up by DAPs. I never understood why some of them were so expensive, and I didn't know much about the quality of outputs (DAC, amps etc.). Finally, I learnt a bit about these things and bought a Shanling M0. The sound was less precise, but a lot more enjoyable than my laptop's output - and the imprecise stereo was all about the DAP's fault, as many reviewers pointed out on this product.

A few weeks later, I got a Fiio M9. And that's where things really began. While these headphones already sound great with low-end hardware, they sound a lot (no, I said A LOT better) with a proper DAC (amplification doesn't help as they have a low impedance and are very sensitive). The sound difference even with these Momentum between my Shanling M0 which already have a good dedicated DAC and my Fiio M9 is HUGE, to the point any come back is really difficult.

Sound is absolutely amazing to my sense, they're classy, lightweight, comfortable, easy to drive - though a good DAC is ABSOLUTELY required to get the best of them -. Soundstage is really wide, though depth is somewhat limited, but here too requires a good source to deliver its best. Instruments separation is perfect, I can easily pick a specific instrument and follow it independently of others, even in messy mixes. This are also very forgiving headphones, as ugly YouTube recordings can be listened to without making an ugly face. Still, don't expect to hear a huge difference between a well-recorded 320kbps MP3 and even a 24bit/94kHz lossless file, though the difference is certainly audible.

So, let's talk about the sound. If you love kicking basses, you will love these headphones. Without being bassy by a bit, the lows slam and hit as hard as you may want them to. I find the lows a lot more impressive on these than on the Sony WH-1000XM3 for instance. The mids are a bit forward, and marvelously present. Guitars and vocals just feel alive, and on very good recordings the impression of having the singer near to you is really impressive - although it's obviously not as impression as some very high-end headphones. The highs are good but not incredible. You will hear many details from your music but if highs are the thing you're looking for the most in a pair of headphones, these may not be the best for you.

I won't put any test music here, as I listen to many genres and always use several hundred tracks to get a good overview of the sound. But I can easily tell the sound is open, airy, loaded with details. Basses go deep with a nice texture. Impacts are great, with punchy lows - which is perfect for electronic musics/rap, but also makes cellos and such classic instruments a lot more alive, without bleeding into the mid's ranges.

If I had to find a con to these headphones, that would be they really require a great source to shine. Not as much as the HD 6XX, of course, but still.

About sources, the Momentum 2 will sound good with absolutely any source (smartphone or pc) but it'll definitely be another world with a great source. I find the Fiio M9 to be perfect with them - delivering a somewhat slightly warmer sound, with extremely crisp mids making it excellent at reproducing soundstage on rock musics and any vocal- and/or guitar-intensive musics. But it will also sound great with any other genre, and that's the main selling point of the Momentum in my opinion - just throw anything at it, and it will sound good.

Word of the end: if you are a looking to nice headphones to look to many different genres, don't look any further. You'll have a hard time finding better overall-performer in the closed-back headphones world without spending at least twice as much - even more if you consider these ones are often sold a lot less below their original price (I had them for €170 while many retailers still sell them at €320). So get a pair of these, sit & enjoy