FATfreq Scarlet Mini I have had some ear time with the new FATfreq Scarlet Mini now and my ears are starting to wrap around just how much bass this thing is injecting skullside. At least, when they are not cowering in fear. This review will take the form of some brief initial impressions of the IEM and accessories, and then two parts of comparisons. First off, we'll compare the new Scarlet Mini to its blue bro, the Maestro Mini and then to its tribrid siblings the Maestro SE and Grand Maestro. There's also a bonus basshead comparison at the end, so...

Disclaimer: Creative Technology graciously sent me this unit for review free of charge. The Sound Blaster X1 is a new USB dongle DAC/ headphone released by Creative Technology, a company with much history and pioneering experience in digital audio. It features an AKM 4377 DAC and Burr Brown op amp, quite nice to see both companies featured especially at this affordable price point. Sampling support tops out at 24/96 kHz which is a bit disappointing on paper for audiophiles, but in practice isn’t such a bad compromise given the rest of the package...