For larger views of any of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images INTRODUCTION I was first introduced to RHA (or Reid Heath Acoustics) during a review tour for the RHA T10i, and later the RHA T20. I was very impressed with the build and fit on both earphones, but less impressed with the T10i signature (too bassy IMO), and pleasantly surprised with their T20 – which I still regard as a very good earphone in its price range. So when their new CL range was announced late in 2016, I was very keen to review, and especially so when...

For larger views of any of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images INTRODUCTION I think most people will have heard about Earsonics at some stage. My first experience of their gear was years ago – when someone loaned me their SM3 for a couple of weeks. This was in my very early years, and before I'd really started reviewing. At the time I think I had my SE535 LE or SE425 as my main in-ears, and already I'd discovered that I liked a more balanced, but slightly brighter signature. And the SM3 to me were very smooth and...

For larger views of any of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images INTRODUCTION Boy 2016 has been one heck of a year. My work has snowballed, and unfortunately my review queue has at times built up – as I've struggled to make the available time. But the manufacturers that work with me (supplying review samples) have been very understanding and very patient. But I've also been fortunate to review some great gear – and some of it has come out of the blue too. When I reviewed the HD800S I wasn't expecting to go out and buy one...

For larger (1200x800) images, simply click any photo INTRODUCTION I think most people will have heard about Earsonics at some stage. My first experience of their gear was years ago – when someone loaned me their SM3 for a couple of weeks. This was in my very early years, and before I'd really started reviewing. At the time I think I had my SE535 LE or SE425 as my main in-ears, and already I'd discovered that I liked a more balanced, but slightly brighter signature. And the SM3 to me were very smooth and pretty dark. They were good – but not my “cup...

  For larger (1200x800) images, simply click any photo INTRODUCTION Ahhh – the portable amplifier – one of the audio enthusiast's more misunderstood tools / assets. For the beginner, there is the promise of the fabled increase in clarity, details, sound-stage! Once you've been around the traps a while, you learn that careful volume matching takes a lot of these perceived gains away, and you learn that what you thought you were hearing was more than likely the amplified headphone playing slightly louder.   So with today's headphones...

For larger views of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images INTRODUCTION A fair bit of this review may borrow sections from my U6 review. The reason for this is that a lot of the prelim stuff is the same. I can assure anyone reading though, that I went through exactly the same comprehensive testing procedures I always do. The U10 was very generously provided by 64Audio so that I could do a follow up review and comparison to my U6 (which I bought and paid for as part of the original Kickstarter). And I'd just like to thank...

For larger images - please click individual photos INTRODUCTION This was the 2nd round of the HifiMan review tour of the two new DAPs in their portfolio. I posted the review of the SuperMini earlier this week – and it proved to be reasonable value with a balanced output, excellent power, small form factor, easy to use UI, and 15 hour real time battery life. Combine it with the excellent IEMs bundled, and you effectively have a pair of IEMs worth $150-200 and a DAP worth $200-$250 – which made the package overall a good value proposition. And this...

For larger views of any of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images INTRODUCTION Firstly I'd like to acknowledge Head-fier d marc0 (Mark) and also Ken Ball from ALO/Campfire for making this review possible. The opportunity to hear and review an IEM which may not have been available otherwise to me is very much appreciated. So far I've heard Campfire's Lyra, Orion, Jupiter (I chose not to review the Jupiter as I had issues with it's sonic signature and my own particular physiology / bias / sensitivity – which would have made...

For larger images - please click individual photos INTRODUCTION One of the benefits in being a regular reviewer of audio gear is that I've had the chance to try a lot of different gear. It doesn't stop me using my own gear – in fact far from it. Most of the gear I use regularly are the products I own (rather than the review samples), and in the DAP world, I still get most of my day-to-day audio use out of my iPhone 5S, and FiiO X3ii (mostly with E17K riding shotgun).   I own the FiioX1, X5, X3ii, and have access to review samples for the X5ii, X7...

For larger views of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images INTRODUCTION TFZ is another Chinese earphone manufacturer/brand which I had no knowledge of until this year. Then Amy from Penon Audio reached out to me to ask if I'd be interested in reviewing TFZ's 1,3 and 5 series IEMs. I quickly jumped on-line to do some research on the TFZ series, and was impressed by the shell shaping, and also a little concerned over the comments about their bass heavy signature. I expressed those concerns to Amy, and she suggested that I...

For larger views of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images INTRODUCTION I didn't really know about PaiAudio at all until very recently when I was approached by Alex Fan from Pai about reviewing a couple of their in-ear monitors. I hadn't heard a lot about Pai, but I remembered reading one of HiFi Chris's reviews earlier, and thinking at the time that the overall shape looked pretty interesting. Alex later informed me that Penon Audio had suggested she get in touch with me, so thank you to both Alex and Penon for...

For larger views of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images INTRODUCTION I can remember when I first joined Head-Fi, I started with some pretty cheap gear, and I remember looking at the signatures of some of the long-time posters, and marvelling at some of the gear they had available to them. Over the next few years, I bought, sold, and slowly worked my way through a lot of former flagships in order to find out what sort of signature moved me. In that time, I got to hear and own the AKG K701/702, DT880, RS1, SRH1840...

For larger views of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images INTRODUCTION This community never ceases to surprise me at times. I've slowly built a name for myself as a reviewer over the last couple of years, but sometimes my location can count against me, and being isolated means that opportunities do not always come my way. I also don't solicit reviews - preferring manufacturers come to me. Anyway – I was having a friendly debate on the forums about cables and their effect on audio, and that night I got a PM from...

For larger (1200 x 800) images, click any picture INTRODUCTION I'm not going to go through a lot of preamble with this review – mainly because for this device, you don't need to know about my known bias or musical preferences.   Sunny from FiiO approached me a few months ago to discuss putting the DK1 through its paces, and when I saw it, my initial thought was that it was an ideal accessory for their DAP and DAC/amp range. And the thing that really appealed was having something on my desktop that I could use both as access to the storage/library...

For larger (1200 x 800) images, click any picture INTRODUCTION   A lot of you will see the style and information with this review as being pretty similar to the one I have done on the previous AM2, AM3 and AM5 amplifier modules. The reality is that a lot of the physical aspects are very much the same. So for similarity I can't do much about it. I can assure you however that I performed the same testing, and the same comparisons I've done previously. I reviewed FiiO's TOTL Android based touch screen DAP – the X7 – in early November 2015, the AM2...

For larger views of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images INTRODUCTION   I've been working with Trinity (Trinity Audio Engineering) for a couple of years now. I don't get paid, but I do get listened to, and it has given me the opportunity to be part of the development process. Basically I try the new prototypes, give my feedback, and then it is up to Bob (the man who is the brains behind Trinity's product range) who ultimately makes the decisions on how to proceed – and whether to incorporate our feedback (myself and a...

For larger views of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images INTRODUCTION   A little earlier this year (March) I received a PM out of the blue from Teo of Lend Me Ur Ears. While I'd heard their company mentioned by quite a few Head-Fiers and featured in other reviews, I'd never had the opportunity to try any of their offerings before. So when Teo asked me to have a listen to their house brand Alpha & Delta D2 I was naturally interested. The pack arrived in late April – the A&D D2 along with the V-Sonic VSD3S and VSD2SI...

For larger views of any of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images INTRODUCTION Firstly I'd like to acknowledge Head-fier Ajaxander (Andy) and also Ken Ball from ALO/Campfire for making this short review possible. Andy's a fellow Kiwi (New Zealander) and his pair of Novas had an issue, so were sent back for repair. He knew I was keen on hearing them, so he arranged for Ken to send them back to me to evaluate after repair, and I would then get them to Andy once I'd finished. The second reason I really wanted to listen to...

For larger views of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images INTRODUCTION   I'd watched the growth of MEE Audio over the years, first as Meelectronics, and then more recently as MEE Audio. In that time they've released a lot of “budget” products , and I've read the various reviews with passing interest. But it wasn't until MEE released the P1 Pinnacle (their flagship), and I read some of the reviews that they were getting that I began to take real interest in the company. My friend Alex (Twister6) has had a long term...

For larger views of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images INTRODUCTION I'm a guy who likes hearing new gear, but who is also actually pretty happy with my own set-up at the moment. My main desk-top set-up is not high end – but I can easily lose myself in the moment with music, and ultimately that's what I think we all strive for. My main system for some time has been the iFI Micro iDSD, and I sometimes choose to pair it with Little Dot MK IV, and usually with my HD600 or Beyer T1. Nowadays I run a Linux system, and have a...