Intro ‘Tap tap’ Is the volume ok? Good. Everyone welcome! We have almost all gathered, please, take a seat. Sony, Audio Technical, so glad you could make it. Please squeeze over to make room for Shure. Sennheiser, AKG, I hope your flight wasn’t too bad all things considered. I heard beyerdynamic had a bout of air sickness. Fostexxxx, how’s it going buddy?! Great party you hosted last month, we have to do it again. Anyway, my good cans, it is so good to see so many familiar faces gathered in one place. This meeting will now begin. Sony: Why have we...

Intro - My Journey with the Momentum In 2011, the battle for portable audio was in full swing. Brought on by the both the integration of the smart phone into modern society and the overnight success of the juggernaught knows as Beats by Dr. Dre, audio companies both new and old were scrambling to catch up and leave their mark on consumers. This time also represented a paradigm shift in my own audio listening preference, from being content with using “good enough” drug-store purchased ear-buds, to not being satisfied when on-the-go unless I can...

iFi Audio Power Station Intro It was a late winter Saturday morning. Being a child of the 1980’s my routine included a bowl of Froot Loops with by butt firmly planted in front of the T.V. along with my younger brother, watching such classics as The Smurfs ,Transformers, and the Disney Afternoon. Usually my mother would be doing chores with my father relaxing in the basement after getting up hours before the rest of us and shovelling the driveway. Today was not typical though. My brother was over at a friend’s house, and my mom went shopping...

Intro USB audio has come a long way since developers started to implement the technology into their devices. Long gone is USB 1.0 and the attitude of “we did it because we could, for convenience”. USB 2.0, with the help of technologies such as Asynchronous and XMOS have made their way into mainstream audio, alleviating common issues with connectivity and jitter found in the early days of USB DACs, thus allowing for higher bit and sample rates that rival and often exceeds the quality of tried and tested digital audio interfaces such as SPDIF...

Into Between updating existing product lines, slapping on coats of anodized black awesomeness, and giving MQA playback across the board, iFi Audio has been busy as of late. So, when the xDSD and it’s tour was announced here at Head-Fi I was both surprised and intrigued. What was this sleek little device and it’s purpose, why the new the “X” branding, just what the heck is Cyberdrive (a buzzword?), and why do I absolutely need to try it? I couldn’t sign up fast enough to find out! About iFi iFi is a brand born from trickle-down...

Intro iFi is a brand born from trickle-down technology, licensed from AMR with one simple mission: To provide the absolute best quality ‘Bit-Perfect’ audio from computer generated sources . All iFi products proudly boast clean Class A analogue circuitry with absolutely no digital signal processing; The signal stays true to the source throughout! Since iFi broke into the scene in 2012 they have been making huge waves in the audiophile community, offering products who’s performance is on par with their beautiful, modular design! Every product has...

Intro Meze Headphones is a company with a simple philosophy; Motivation, Values, People. With a passion for art and music, achieved through patience and dedication, Meze design timeless masterpieces. Ignoring current trends that come and go with the seasons, influenced by none, they create headphones as if for themselves. Consisting of passionate specialists, with backgrounds in sound engineering, design, crafting, and music, the team has stood by their company’s values since the beginning. In late 2015 Meze Audio blindsided the headphone...

    Intro       Meze Headphones is a company with a simple philosophy;  Motivation, Values, People. With a passion for art and music, achieved through patience and dedication, Meze design timeless masterpieces. Ignoring current trends that come and go with the seasons, influenced by none, they create headphones as if for themselves. Consisting of passionate specialists, with backgrounds in sound engineering, design, crafting, and music, the team has stood by their company’s values since the beginning.       With the release of the well reviewed...

Intro       When it comes to Audiophiles, our number 1 goal is to achieve perfect audio transparency. Along our journey towards audio nirvana many of us, myself included, have met the snake oil salesman. With his promises of “enhanced resolution”, “deeper lows”, and “crystal clear highs” he preys on our weakness. Some of us move on, and some of us walk away with an armful of boa-thick USB cables and VCR sized power cleansers. While there are products out there that actually meet their claim, weeding out the good vs the outright deplorable can be...

    Intro       Meze Headphones is a company with a simple philosophy;  Motivation, Values, People. With a passion for art and music, achieved through patience and dedication, Meze design timeless masterpieces. Ignoring current trends that come and go with the seasons, influenced by none, they create headphones as if for themselves. Consisting of passionate specialists, with backgrounds in sound engineering, design, crafting, and music, the team has stood by their company’s values since the beginning.       Since the release of their 99...

  Soundaware Esther M1Pro and Analogue: Pure Music Bliss         Introduction   Portable music devices have been cemented into our daily lives for nearly 60 years. The cutting of the cord was born with the Regency TR-1 transistor radio, solidified with the Sony TPS-L2 Walkman, and perfected with the game changing Apple iPod. Nowadays, thanks to the advent of the Smart Phone, virtually everyone has the ability to enjoy their music anywhere and at any time. Gone are the days of the stand-alone music player, the all-in-one/always online/app...

Intro       Meze Headphones is a company with a simple philosophy;  Motivation, Values, People. With a passion for art and music, achieved through patience and dedication, Meze design timeless masterpieces. Ignoring current trends that come and go with the seasons, influenced by none, they create headphones as if for themselves. Consisting of passionate specialists, with backgrounds in sound engineering, design, crafting, and music, the team has stood by their company’s values since the beginning.       My first experience with Meze Headphones...

Intro       When it comes to the world of PC audio, Creative Labs is a brand well known. For nearly 35 years Creative has been an industry leader in digital multimedia technology and innovation. With a user base of over 400 million, one would be hard pressed to find a PC with upgraded audio that did not bare the name Creative.            In 1989 Creative Labs released the popular and hugely successful SoundBlaster PC digital audio card. In the following years Creative expanded the Sound Blaster line to include multi-media speakers and headphones...

PSB M4U 1: A New Standard is Born               Intro          I am quite sure that many of you, myself included, have started on the seemingly never ending path to finding the perfect set of headphones. Terms such as too bright or too dark, mid-bass hump and recessed midrange, peaky treble and accentuated sibilance, are enough to drive a sane consumer mad. Or at the very least an unnecessary waste of one’s hard earned money. There has simply been no frequency response standard in headphones, until now. In conjunction with their...

          “The Atlas ushers in the future of headphones, utilizing cutting edge technology and advanced materials to deliver both substance and style in a way never before realized. The latest advancements in driver design create power, dynamics, and clarity for an exhilarating high-resolution audio experience that embodies our true passion for audio. Innovative in-mould labelling technology delivers vivid multilayer graphics for stunning visual appeal while the flawless, high definition finish and clean lines round out the forward-thinking design...