Greetings! Today we're checking out a budget friendly single armature earphone from retailer turned earphone manufacturer, the NiceHCK X49. I've been a fan of NiceHCK from the early days, well before retailers like them, Penon Audio, and LendMeUrEars started developing and selling their own products. It was a little odd to see them head in this direction, but using a small amount of brain juice and foresight could see that it made sense. Chinese HiFi was taking off and they were sales leaders. Why not make and pitch their own products to steal some...

**It has been made known the Blon has one of the nastiest contributors in the industry tuning one of their upcoming models. As a result, I can't recommend this or any product of theirs moving forward, regardless of how amazing they are.** Greetings! Today we're checking out the Blon BL-05, a follow up to the well-loved BL-03. Blon has been around for a while now with a number of different earphones and headphones under their belt, though they didn't become a household name in the Chinese hifi community until the hype train that was the BL-03. The...

Greetings! Today we're checking out the Luna, a new flagship single dynamic-based earphone with some “world's first” technology running the show. Beryllium is a pretty sweet material to use for speakers. Dangerous to collect and manufacture, but the resultant qualities are worth it. It's extremely light and stiff resulting in breakup/distortion later, and at higher frequencies than other more common materials, such as titanium. Whereas most earphones utilize materials like carbon nano-tube and titanium as a coating to improve the integrity of a...

Greetings! Today we're checking out something that has become something of a rarity is recent years; a sub-5 USD product that doesn't suck. In this case, it's a new hyper budget earbud from the venerable KB EAR, the Stellar. KB EAR, and to a lesser extent their subbrand Tri, have seen a pretty meteoric rise to recognition over the last couple years due to an aggressive publicity push by sponsoring Head-fi and pulling in community tuners to provide feedback and discuss their gear in various online groups. Not to mention getting their products into...

Greetings! Today we're checking out the new top dog model in Campfire Audio's armature-only lineup, the Ara (air-ah). Campfire's gear in my experience has mostly been about providing an entertaining, but not necessarily accurate experience. The Atlas and Polaris were hella fun, v-shaped bass monsters, the IO a bright little beast laser focused on mids, and the Andromeda a killer all-rounder with a little bit of everything and some warmth to round it out. The Ara takes a new direction, one that is much more analytic and accurate, without abandoning...

Greetings! Today we're checking out the first of Dunu's entries into the all-armature market, the SA3. Dunu was a pioneering brand when it came to affordable hybrids competing directly with the high-end market, and also produced their fair share of above average single dynamics. When they announced they were going to try their hand at an armature-only lineup, my ears perked up and I took notice. The DK-3001 Pro and old-school Titan 1 are brilliantly tuned products, and armature-only models like the Brainwavz B400, Astrotec Delphinus5, and Campfire...

Greetings! Today we’re checking out a new single dynamic earphone from Astrotec, the Volans. Rolling with the astronomy-based theme they’ve been using on-and-off for a while now (ex. Lyra and Delphinus5), Volans is a southern constellation representing a flying fish. Interesting to me is is that its composition includes two galaxies as well as two double stars, the latter of which are apparently visible with a fairly basic telescope. The Volans earphone contains a single driver per side, in particular a new 10.5mm Tesla dynamic with brass driver...

Greetings, Today we're checking out TinHiFi's newest model in their popular T Series of earphones, the T2 Plus. TinHiFi became a sensation shortly after the release of the T2 thanks to its neutral-bright signature that was very much a novelty in the price range. With the exception of the T1 which is the warm, bassy, red-headed stepchild in the lineup, every release following the T2 has maintained the neutral-bright sound that put Tin on the map in the first place. With the T4 they added in some additional bass and dialed down the treble bit, but...

Greetings! Today we’re checking out another new release from Tin HiFi, the T4. Back in 2017, a great sounding earphone was released on the world. That earphone was the TinAudio T2. Despite receiving almost unanimously positive feedback, it flew under the radar until a few key hypsters got their hands on it. It has since become a staple recommendation to anyone wanting a well-built, neutral-leaning earphone for under 100 USD. Tin did not rest on their laurels and over the years have developed a handful of excellent followups like the single dynamic...

Greetings! Today we’re checking out another inexpensive hybrid earphone from the Kobe Bryant inspired brand, KB EAR. The KS2 is a 1+1 hybrid with one balanced armature and one dynamic driver per side. Coming in at under 30 USD, the KS2 has to square up with heavy hitters from brands like KZ, TRN, Moondrop, and more. Oddly, some of the strongest competition comes from KB EAR themselves in the KB04, another recently released 1+1 hybrid. Does the KS2 warrant release so soon after the KB04, or will its metal-bodied relative retain top dog status in KB...

Greetings! Today we’re checking out one of FiiO’s newest releases, the FD1. The FD1 pull its physical side from the FH1S sharing the same low profile, ergonomic shell with unique celluloid faceplates, 0.78mm 2-pin system, and snazzy cable. Where the FH1S was a 1+1 hybrid, the FD1 rolls with a single dynamic. What sets it apart on the specs sheet is the use of beryllium plating on the diaphragm, tech which is generally reserved for much more expensive products. I’ve spent nearly a month with the FD1 and have come away quite satisfied with the...

Greetings! Today we're checking out an earphone that I was very excited to receive, the SSR, or Super Spaceship Reference. That second S for 'Spaceship' is why I was so pumped to review the SSR. The original Spaceship was one of my favourite purchases in 2019 and served as a near perfect daily driver for my listening needs. Small, comfy, and with a level of sound quality that belied the very low price tag. It reminded me of the sort of hidden gems I'd find back when I first dove into the hobby when Chinese hi-fi products were just starting to build...

Greetings! Today we are checking out the MS1 – Rainbow from Hidizs. Hidizs has been around since 2009 and successfully released their first digital audio player (DAP), the AP100, in 2014. While best known for their DAPs, in 2019 they expanded their product portfolio to include earphones under the 'Mermaid' moniker; MS1 and MS4. While I never had the chance to try them out, they seemed to be generally well-received in reviews and forums. The MS1 - Rainbow under investigation today is a more budget friendly take on the original MS1, eschewing the...

Greetings! Today we're checking out Astrotec's newest flagship, the Phoenix. Their previous flagship, the Delphinus5 equipped with five Knowles armatures per side, was and still is one of my favourite earphones. It is one of the most neutral and flat sounding reference products I've heard, all the while looking fantastic in the process and being comfortable to boot. Still, the way it was tuned was certainly not for everyone. The Phoenix, with it's hybrid dynamic/electrostatic setup, has a sound that is much more exciting and widely appealing. Add...

Greetings! Today we’re checking out something truly special, that being the flagship for FiiO’s armature-only lineup, the FA9. While probably best known for their amps, dacs, and DAPs, FiiO has been humming along nicely with their earphone releases. Single dynamic, hybrids, and armature-only models abound. The FA9 is their new armature only flagship with some features that help set it apart from other products in the price range, like the use of all-Knowles armatures (one of which was custom designed for FiiO), a unique 80.6mm long sound tube, and...

Greetings! Today we’re checking out a new digital audio player (DAP) from FiiO, the M3 Pro. The M3 series has been a staple in FiiO’s budget DAP lineup for a few years now, seeing two versions prior to the Pro model we’re checking out today. First there was the M3 in 2016, the M3K in 2018, and now the M3 Pro here in 2020. Each update has improved the specs and updated the interface with the M3 Pro culminating in the most advanced and modern feeling M3 to date. I’ve been using this DAP daily since the end of April, testing it with a variety of...

Greetings! Today we're checking out one of Moondrop's most affordable products, the micro-dynamic equipped Spaceship. Moondrop is a brand that has skyrocketed in popularity among forum goers thanks to their excellent performance per dollar products and unique Anime girl packaging. The Spaceship was my first experience with one of their products and immediately cemented them as a brand worth following. After all, not many brands can tune a 6mm dynamic this well, nor do they commonly install them in uber compact, chromed brass housings. Let's take a...

Greetings! Today we're checking out KB EAR's inexpensive follow up to the Diamond, the KB04. KB EAR is still a young brand but they've been aggressively pursuing the budget market. They've become a sponsor on Head-fi, tune around feedback provided by prominent tuners in the community, and pull in popular reviewers for that much more exposure. If their products sucked, none of that would work in their favour. Despite some early teething problems, they seem to have found their stride and along with the Diamond, the KB04 is a competitive offering in...

Greetings! Today we're checking out something special; Dunu's DK-3001 Pro. Back in 2017 Dunu released the original DK-3001 to positive fanfare. While I never had the chance to try out that model, looking back on old reviews it seems much of the original's DNA remains, although with the Pro Dunu has reworked the concept. Along with the addition of an extra armature bringing the total number of drivers to four armatures and one dynamic per side, they also applied a number of tweaks and refinements to both the physical design and auditory experience...

Greetings! Today we're checking out a new planar magnetic headphone from a brand that specializes in the technology, the Hifiman DEVA. While Hifiman has released plenty of relatively inexpensive planar headphones over the years, the DEVA represents Hifiman's recent shift towards affordably addressing the wireless market. Previous models to address this audience were the full-sized Ananda BT, and their true wireless in ear monitors, the TWS-600. While the DEVA shares driver tech with the Ananda BT, it veers off and does things slightly differently...