For larger views of any of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images INTRODUCTION My first introduction to Bluetooth earphones came with the Brainwavz Blu-100, and whilst it introduced me to the freedom and future possibilities of wireless sound, it unfortunately left a few boxes unticked – with low battery life, questionable long-term comfort, and frequent drop-outs.  But it did whet my appetite to the possibilities with Bluetooth, and from that point I’ve been following reviews of various Bluetooth headphones and earphones...

For larger (1200 x 800) images - simply click the photo INTRODUCTION I don’t think there would be many people of my vintage who are into computer audio, and haven’t heard of Creative Labs. My first venture with Creative Labs was a very old Sound Blaster Live 24bit desktop unit (I still have it somewhere I think), and later my X-Fi Titanium PCI card (now in my son’s machine).  Both were excellent – build quality and sound quality – and I can honestly say that I had hundreds of hours of fun with both units over a number of years. They weren’t perfect...

For larger views of any of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images INTRODUCTION This is the fourth Fidue product I’ve been fortunate to review, and the second hybrid IEM after reviewing their flagship A83. This time the A73 is a single dynamic and single balanced armature. I’d been looking forward to this particular IEM, mainly due to my expectations from past models, and also due to the numbering scheme. I reviewed their A81 TOTL single dynamic driver, and came away very impressed with its overall performance despite being...

For larger images (1200 x 800) click the image   INTRODUCTION I’ve been aware of Aune for some time during my Head-Fi journey – particularly their T1 Tube DAC, and more recently the B1 portable amp which was recently featured on Head-Fi. But until now I’ve never had a chance to sample their gear, and indeed haven’t really taken much notice of their product line.  That changed recently when Aune offered a chance to audition the X1s desktop DAC/amp in your own home for a week.  I jumped at the chance, and for the past week have enjoyed putting this...

For larger views of any of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images INTRODUCTION I’d seen many of the thumb drive type micro DAC/amps being featured on Head-Fi over the past year, but to be honest hadn’t really paid them a lot of thought – especially as most of my portable listening is done with dedicated DAPs.   Then recently I was approached by a representative from Cozoy, and asked if I’d like to take their latest release (the Aegis) for a spin. Of course being the curious person I am, it was a chance not to turn down –...

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 arranged by David (lin0003 on Head-Fi), and t would be fair to say that although the build and fit were impressive, the sonic signatures (even with filters) left me feeling disappointed - too bassy / warm. This time RHA have retuned the default signature to give some more top end and modified the bass so that it doesn't quite overshadow the mid-range...

For larger views of any of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images INTRODUCTION Brainwavz is a well-established manufacturer of headphones in the value for money category – offering many different options (especially for IEMs) that suit almost anyone’s sonic preferences. I’ve previously had both good and bad experiences with their headphones / IEMs – I previously reviewed and owned their B2 IEMs and HM5 headphones, and both were stellar performers. I also sampled their R1, R3, S5, S0, M1 and R3 V2 IEMs – and whilst some...

For larger views of any of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images INTRODUCTION I’ve been lucky on my Head-Fi journey to meet and converse with some wonderful people who share my passion for the hobby. Among this group is a chap you all know as d marc0, and recently he asked me if I’d like to participate in a tour involving the new Noble Savant – a universal multi-BA IEM which Noble has released recently. Having never heard any of Noble’s offerings, but knowing that they have a wonderful rep on the forums for their customs...

For larger views of any of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images INTRODUCTION I’m a bit of a noob with regard to Aurisonics, having never heard any of their earphones before. However, I had heard a lot of good things about the Aurisonics Rockets, so when my trans-Tasman mate H20 asked me if I’d like to spend some time with his pair, I jumped at the chance. Due to not knowing anything about Aurisonics, I jumped on the net, and did some research. Here is an excerpt from their website: Aurisonics, Inc. is a Nashville...

For larger views of any of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images INTRODUCTION My first experience with T-Peos was almost a year ago, when I had the chance to review their (at the time) new budget based triple hybrid IEM – the Altone 200.  The Altone 200 set a new benchmark for me in sonics – especially at the introductory price (at the time) of USD 125.00 – an incredible value.  In fact I was so impressed that I actually purchased the Altones from T-Peos (although I could have kept them as a review pair).   For anyone who...

For larger images (1200 x 800), click any of the photos INTRODUCTION I’m a very happy owner of Fiio’s X1, X3ii and the original X5 digital audio players (DAPs). I’ve used them all (a lot) over the last couple of years – and up until now, the X3ii has been my go to portable DAP for daily use.  I still use the X1 for ultimate portability (eg exercise), and the X5 when I need a more power, mainly when I’ve been using full sized headphones. I’ve been using Fiio audio equipment for close to four years now (amps, DACs , and DAPs), and have watched them...

For larger views of any of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images INTRODUCTION Back in February this year, iFi Audio, in association with Alclair, Music Direct and Native DSD Music ran a competition on Head-Fi to name the number of components in the their new iFi Retro (which had just been released.  I put my entry in – because you just never know, right ….. and to my great surprise and pleasure, I found out in March that I had won 2nd prize!  It consisted of a new iFi Micro iDSD, 4 albums from Native DSD Music, and a pair...

For larger views of any of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images INTRODUCTION My introduction to DUNU Topsound (18 months ago) was with their triple hybrid DN-1000, which rapidly became a hit with Head-Fi buyers, and was one of the first triple hybrid IEMs to show that top quality could be achieved at an affordable price. Since then DUNU has been a consistent performer, releasing a string of very good IEMs, including the extremely well regarded Titan, and of course their flagship (triple hybrid) DN-2000.   I’ve used this...

For larger views of any of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images INTRODUCTION Brainwavz is a well-established manufacturer of headphones in the value for money category – offering many different options that suit almost anyone’s sonic preferences.  I’ve previously purchased their HM5 headphones and B2 earphones (both are IMO stellar performers and represent real value for money options).  I’ve also had the chance to review their M1, R1, R3, S0, S5 and R3 V2 IEMs, and the AP001 amplifier.   I’ve had regular contact with...

Click any picture for full sized 1200 x 800 images INTRODUCTION I’ve been reviewing on Head-Fi for a while now, and one of the great benefits is that it has given me a chance to meet some wonderful people, and to hear some exotic audio gear that I would never have had a chance to spend time with.   At this stage I’d like to thank my on-line friend Alex (you know him as Twister6) for vouching for me with the organisers behind the Luxury & Precision LP5, and another Head-Fier Yohn Yang for making the demo sample possible.   John contacted me in...

For larger views of any of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images INTRODUCTION For those who haven’t heard yet, Trinity Audio Engineering (from this point we’ll just call them “Trinity”) is a new company, based in the UK, who is about to come to market with 3 brand new IEMs.  Trinity is the brainchild of the main designer from RockJaw UK (you know him on the forums as RockBob). Bob is starting the new company with RockJaw’s blessing, and as I understand it, the whole reason for the new company is simply so that Bob can...

\ For larger views of any of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images PREFACE I guess everyone who has been around a while knows the Philips brand, but (for me anyway) it’s been a while since I’ve associated the brand with high end audio. My last foray with Philips was buying 2 pairs of Philips SHP2000 at NZD $20 each for my two (at the time) sub-teen children. The SHP2000s actually sounded passably decent, they were cheap, and the kids pretty much loved them to death. The kids are now tween and teen – and have a pair of...

For larger views of any of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images INTRODUCTION For those who haven’t heard yet, Trinity Audio Engineering (from this point we’ll just call them “Trinity”) is a new company, based in the UK, who is about to come to market with 3 brand new IEMs.  Trinity is the brainchild of the main designer from RockJaw UK (you know him on the forums as RockBob). Bob is starting the new company with RockJaw’s blessing, and as I understand it, the whole reason for the new company is simply so that Bob can...

For larger views of any of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images INTRODUCTION For those who haven’t heard yet, Trinity Audio Engineering (from this point we’ll just call them “Trinity”) is a new company, based in the UK, who is about to come to market with 3 brand new IEMs.  Trinity is the brainchild of the main designer from RockJaw UK (you know him on the forums as RockBob). Bob is starting the new company with RockJaw’s blessing, and as I understand it, the whole reason for the new company is simply so that Bob can...

For larger views of any photo - please click for access to 1200 x 800 images INTRODUCTION I’ve only recently heard about thinksound™ audio, and before Head-Fi user d marc0 contacted me, I’d never heard any of their products. So always keen to hear something new, I agreed to be part of a mini tour. thinksound™ audio is the brainchild of Aaron Fournier and Mike Tunney. They are a small company started in 2009, and based in Somersworth, New Hampshire (USA). They formed the company to (and this is from their website): create incredible sounding...