Arguably one of the most legendary headphone in audiophilia. A stable that’s practically a part of every single conversation when high end headphones are mentioned. And now we’ve the supposed “successor.” The HD800 S coming at us in a IMO tacky all black look and a new dampener that is claimed to fix treble spike which is considered to be the only fault of the original 800. So after many, and let me stress MANY months of saving and gear selling I was finally able to buy this endgame headphone…..off a total whim. Yup, I bought this $1800 behemoth...

I was first introduced to Effect Audio when they partnered with the company Empire Ears to create their Arthur and corresponding Excalibur cable. I was unfortunately unable to hear this unit personally but as a huge fan of the Empire Ears brand I had to look into this Effect Audio company a little bit more and was very impressed by the quality and appearance of their products and grew to understand why Empire Ears would offer up their flagship Zeus to create what turned out to be an amazing product (again I haven’t personally heard this product and...

Over the last 2ish years I’ve really enjoyed being a personal audio reviewer and that only continues to grow every month. Having the honor and opportunity to listed to products and brands that otherwise seems strongly unlikely, if not impossible, is incredible. A really cool aspect that I personally think doesn’t get enough credit is the ability to be introduced to new companies I’ve never heard of, such as Mixcder (pronounced Mix-c-der). A couple weeks ago I seen a forum on here that they were looking for reviewers for their new HD601 (not to be...

There’s a popular saving that the best is always saved for last. Well for this one I really like the saying that patience is a virtue, for I’ve hit delay after delay with getting this review underway and it’s finally time for me to get it written and provide my opinion of the well known and current flagship (at the time of writing this review) of the Audio-Technica brand. I couldn’t be more grateful to the good friend of mine who allowed me to take part in this review period and for being patient with me during my fire academy. Sir, you know who you...

Continuing off of my Bifrost 4490 review, the Schiit Lyr 2 is the amp. side of my upgrade from the Aune X1s. ‘So Army, you’re saying in one step you went from a $350 amp/dac combi unit to a $850 setup?’ And yup, I certainly did which goes even further into me being a prime example of this hobby being a Pandora’s box; that once you open it and have learned what true quality audio sounds like, you’ll always crave better. So after having this unit for right at a year now, how do I feel the Schiit Lyr 2 performs? Can it compare and hold its own...

Several months ago I was approached by the company Edifier again who asked me if I was interested in reviewing their new Bluetooth headphones, the W855BT. So from the angle of being a product reviewer of course I would accept; but also from the angle of being fortunate enough to have tried a few other products they offer, including their infamous H850’s and being overwhelmingly impressed at the quality per their asking price. So I very quickly, and admittedly eagerly, accepted their offer. So my hopes with the W855BT’s were that they would...

I often say when talking to either audio enthusiasts or people inquiring about my gear that this is a never ending quest in finding what’s better. I compare it to opening Pandora's box. Before we get a taste of what's possible, we’re more than content spending $10-20 on headphones. But once we’ve been tainted we grave to make it better and find the sound that we enjoy the most, often times spending multiples more money on a product that’s fractionally better than our current gear. And I am of no exception to this. In fact it’s what led me to the...

Now that I’m finally finished with the fire academy I can begin getting back on track with all these reviews I’m beyond behind on. So, what better one to start than with than a product that’s all too well known and received over the years? I am of course referring to the Audio-Technica ATH-W1000Z. I was given these, along with a few other models, a while ago and simply asked to listen to them and see what I thought. So now I’m finally able to share my thoughts. A little about me I would like to say that first and foremost I am NOT an...

        Lately, it seems that I’ve found myself more and more frequently using high power requirement cans on the go. The downside with that is that my phone & likely not even my DAP has enough juice to properly power them. This is where portable headphones amplifiers come into play. They provide the needed power so i can fully enjoy the high end product I’m wanting to play with.     Audio-Technica and their respective representative was kind enough to invite me to take part in reviewing a few of their product line. And one product in this line...

    It’s not too often that someone other than a company reaches out to me asking if I would be interested in reviewing a product. The majority of my reviews come from my own legwork and throwing my name out there and hoping for the best. But that’s not the case in this instance, this time I actually had the pleasure of having a fellow head-fier @grizzlybeast ask if I would be interested in taking part in a tour he was putting together. So to you my friend I give my heartfelt thanks for it means a lot to me for someone who hasn’t even met me to give...

          Every now and then I get a pleasant surprise in the form of an email inquiring about my interest in reviewing a product. And this was most certainly the case with Unique Innovation Technology (henceforth UIT) and their Perfect Music Purifier (henceforth PMP) 353 (desktop application [3 TRS connectors]) & 354 (mobile application [4 TRS connectors {allows use of microphone while having this product connected}]) P products. Seeing as I was so impressed with the iFi nano iUSB3.0 who shares a similar concept as these which are in a portable...

          Every now and then I get a pleasant surprise in the form of an email inquiring about my interest in reviewing a product. And this was most certainly the case with Unique Innovation Technology (henceforth UIT) and their Perfect Music Purifier (henceforth PMP) 353 (desktop application [3 TRS connectors]) & 354 (mobile application [4 TRS connectors {allows use of microphone while having this product connected}]) P products. Seeing as I was so impressed with the iFi nano iUSB3.0 who shares a similar concept as these which are in a portable...

                                                                                             Yet again (with several more to soon follow), I find myself owing a great deal of thanks (and at this point a steak dinner) to a good friend of mine (you know who you are) & also the company Audio-Technica. Not only has he been, by far, the most knowledgeable and personable representative I’ve ever personally met and shaken hands with, but also the most professional. Prior to his invitation I was only vaguely familiar with the Audio-Technica brand. Now...

           I was introduced to the iFi brand  during the Carolina CanFest 5 head-fi meet back around March of 2016 and was seriously impressed with how powerful and clean their products performed. It didn’t matter if I used my personal hyper sensitive ciems (Empire Ears Hermes VI), mildly power hungry Sennheiser HD650, high demanding headphones such as the Hifiman HE1000v1 or any of the Audeze line. iFi met every challenge with a smile and delivered one just as big to the listener. The product I’m most specifically referencing was their iFi Pro...

        This has been a product that I’ve been wanting to try out ever since fellow Head-fier @nmatheis spoke so highly of it; so a couple months ago when I was offered an opportunity at a review, I quickly accepted. So thank you to Cayin for allowing me to spend some time with one of your prestigious products.       The Opening Experience                         Overall I really liked the “handshake” that Cayin provided. The box holding the i5 is presented in a way that doesn’t wow m but also doesn’t disappoint me...

         Beyerdynamic has been a tried and true brand for me over the years. In fact, their T70p was my first ever headphone I purchased over $200 (how the times have changed). Their quality and craftsmanship has always impressed me and this continues to the T5p model that lays here before me. I’ve some prior experience with this headphone, but it’s thanks to a subscriber of mine who reached out to me and asked if I would review a few products for my take on them, that I’m now comfortable enough to write a full review of them. So without further...

          My goodness, these last few months have been crazy busy. From life changing career opportunities, to marrying my better half, to a plethora of products on my doorstep to review. I’ve been humbled beyond words this year and to add icing to the humble pie a subscriber of my YouTube channel reached out to me a few weeks ago asking if I would be interested in reviewing some of his gear for he’d like my opinion on them. Amongst them was the Beyerdynamic AKT8ie mk2. This product in particular I’ve had my eyes on ever since I first seen them...

                                                                                        As I touched on in my 11 Neo review, it’s very humbling when a company sends you not just a product of theirs to review, but their entire lineup. At least to me, that means a lot that a company values my input to such a degree. Recently, I was sent the 11 Neo & 12 Classics to review and also compare the two and then to share my opinions with this amazing community we have.     Short introduction but I pretty much gave my thoughts already. Anywho...

    This year I feel that I’ve been truly blessed with an abundance of opportunities and humbling experiences. From marrying the woman of my dreams, to finally achieving my dreams of earning a position with the Concord Fire Department. God has truly blessed my family. I say all that to say this. I was honored earlier this year by being allowed to take part in a review of their 99 Classic model headphones and truly fell in love with them, and now I find myself being allowed to not only review one of their famed iems, the 11 Neo, but also their 12...

    There’s no way I can start this review without giving a shout out and massive thank you to my friends over at Hifiman. This is the second time they’ve sent me some of their products to review and I’m just as thankful and appreciative, probably more actually, than the first time. Like myself, there’s a lot of people who’re interested in purchasing a DAP and Hifiman allowing me the opportunity to share my opinions with others is both very humbling and something I appreciate so again, Hifiman thank you for time with your product.   Like the...