Chord & Major 7'13 Review: Smooth Sailing on Smooth Jazz Chord & Major is a relatively new Taiwanese company specializing in building premium earphones. However, they design their lineup differently from other companies. Instead of making several tiers of earphones according to driver quality and tuning them in whatever way fashion they want, Chord & Major takes a driver and tunes it to perform well in a specific music super-genre. Today, I have the pleasure of reviewing the C&M 7'13, their earphone designed for jazz music. You can find the...

  Syllable D900 Mini Review: Making Good Use of Immature Technology I was approached by Syllable a couple weeks ago regarding the review of their new truly-wireless earphones. I wasn’t expecting much, given the extreme number of “truly wireless” earphones that are being pumped out every day. It’s a fad that has caught even Apple in its grip. I’ve got to say though, after a little bit of time for adjustment, the D900 Mini has gotten my respect. Find the D900 Mini here on Amazon for $50. Disclaimer: This review is based upon a sample unit provided...

  Thinksound On2 Review: A Wonderful Wooden On-Ear With A Small Ecological Footprint I like Thinksound products. I always have, with the exception of the On1. It was a product that had so much going for it, but had too many areas in need of improvement. Aaron Fournier, the man behind much of Thinksound’s products, heard us, and the On2 lends some pretty notable improvements over the On1, but is that enough to make it competitive? You can buy the On2 for $199 on Thinksound’s official website here. Disclaimer: This review is based upon a sample unit...

  Hidizs AP60 Review: A Tiny Little Fighter Hidizs is a Chinese company that’s been building DAPs for number of years now, starting with their current flagship, the AP100, a device I’ve really enjoyed using in the past. Building on it’s big brother’s legacy, the AP60 has come around to change our thoughts on what it means for a truly portable Hi-Fi audio player, even at low price-points. But is it worth getting the AP60? You can find the AP60 here, for $89 on Penon Audio. Disclaimer: This review is based upon a sample unit provided to me by a...

Chord & Major 01'16 Review: Electric Heaven Chord & Major is a relatively new Taiwanese company specializing in building premium earphones. However, they design their lineup differently from other companies. Instead of making several tiers of earphones according to driver quality and tuning them in whatever way fashion they want, Chord & Major takes a driver and tunes it to perform well in a specific music super-genre. Today, I have the pleasure of reviewing the C&M 01'16, their earphone designed for electric music. You can find the official page for...

  Chord and Major 8'13 Review: Rock’n Roll Baby! Chord & Major is a relatively new Taiwanese company specializing in building premium earphones. However, they design their lineup differently from other companies. Instead of making several tiers of earphones according to driver quality and tuning them in whatever way they want, Chord & Major takes a driver and tunes it to perform well in a specific music super-genre. Today, I have the pleasure of reviewing the C&M 8'13, the earphone designed for rock music. You can find the official page for the...

    -Introduction- Hifiman is no stranger to the DAP game. In fact, they are amongst some of the most venerable of veterans in the brutal war of high-end audio gear. Today I’m reviewing one of their two new DAPs, the Megamini. It’s a small little device, but boy does it have some great stuff going for it. Disclaimer: I was provided this product by a manufacturer or distributor as a loaner unit. I do not profit in any way from this review, and was offered no incentives. I retain full and complete control over the content of my review. The Megamini...

  -Introduction- Thinksound is a rather unique headphone company. While many companies will focus on flashy boxes, bright adverts, and shiny materials, Thinksound takes a much more subtle route to differentiating it’s products. After all, how hard is it to find wooden earphones? Sure, not hard, but how hard is it to find earphones built exclusively from reclaimed wood and aluminum, PVC free plastic, and that have a carrying pouch made from entirely reclaimed cotton? Pretty hard. But that’s exactly what the MS02 is. However,  Aaron Fournier, the CEO...

-Introduction- I’ve reviewed for Meze once before, and gave their new 11 Neo earphone high praise. However, it was the release of the 99 Classics that really gained Meze the notoriety it has today. I’m lucky enough to be able to bring you a review of said headphone. Enjoy.   The 99 Classics can be bought directly from Meze for $309 here.   Disclaimer: This review is based upon a sample unit provided to me by a manufacturer or distributor in exchange for my honest opinion and un-edited words. I do not profit in any way from the writing of the...

          -Introduction- The last encounter I had with Advanced Sound was a decent while ago, right around the release of their first IEM, the M4. That was their freshmen release, and for the most part, they did a pretty good job. However, it’s always been part of Advanced Sound’s mission to create products that are, well, advanced. The Model 3, while not perfect, is an impressive product. You can find the Model 3 here, on Advanced Sound’s official web store. Disclaimer: This review is based upon a sample unit provided to me by a manufacturer or...

-Introduction- RHA is an interesting company. It has forged its own place within the audiophile world, making a name for itself based on the industrial design language of its products and the generous duration of the warranty that accompanies them. Today I have the privilege of reviewing the T20, RHA’s former flagship IEM. While it’s no longer the pinnacle of what RHA has to offer, it’s certainly still worth taking a look at. You can find the T20 for sale on RHA’s official website here, for $240. Disclaimer: This review is based upon a sample unit...

  -Introduction- I review a lot of budget earphones in the $30–$60 range. It’s not uncommon for me to review an earphone in this price range that’s lauded as a giant-killer, only to be severely disappointed in it’s lackluster performance. The 11 Neo challenges the notion that budget earphones need to be compromised in order to deliver both a dynamic listening experience and a solid construction. While it’s not perfect, Meze made sure that the 11 Neo is worth your serious consideration. The Meze 11 Neo can be bought directly from Meze for $59 in...

-Introduction- Given the nature of the product I’m reviewing, I’ll be keeping this short and sweet. Brainwavz has brought us a pretty solid offering, and to my knowledge, is the first comprehensive IEM hangar we’ve seen here on Head-Fi.    Disclaimer: This review is based upon a sample unit provided to me by a manufacturer or distributor in exchange for my honest opinion and un-edited words. I do not profit in any way from the writing of the review. I would like to thank Pandora for sending me this review unit.    The Krudul Duo is not just one...

  -Introduction- It’s not easy to find information about Rose Technology. They are a relatively small company, based in China, formed directly from researchers and graduates of a Chinese university. Their specialty? 3D-printing their earphones. While it’s not exactly a unique trait, it is certainly one that is well executed, across their entire line of earphones. This, combined with Rose’s designers impeccable sense of style and attention to detail makes their earphones pretty compelling. You can buy the Rose 3D-7 (also known as the Rose №7) here...

  -Introduction- Hidizs has been around for a number of years now, and released their first portable audio player back in 2014. In honor of their upcoming portable audio player, the AP60, I’ll be reviewing its older brother, the AP100. It’s a couple years old now, but I won’t be cutting it any slack. Find the official Hidizs AP100 page here. You can find the AP100 on Penon Audio for $230, here. Disclaimer: This review is based upon a sample unit provided to me by a manufacturer or distributor in exchange for my honest opinion and un-edited words...

-Introduction- Penon Audio is a chinese web-store founded in 2013. They've been pretty active since then, and often have competitive pricing on many of the IEMs we here at Head-Fi buy. They have recently started to sell a self-branded IEM, the Penon IEM. Since it's release, it has already been revised, giving it a better cable and tuning. That is the version I'll be reviewing now.    You can't buy the Penon IEM alone, but can pick it up for $10 when you buy $99 or more on Penon Audio. Disclaimer: This review is based upon a sample unit provided to...

  -Introduction- I’m familiar with how Accutone does things now, both in their budget and flagship IEMs. It’s nice to see that they make a conscious effort to expand their product lines and fix their flaws. The Lyra is a testament to that, as it patches up many of the holes in the Accutone design philosophy that I’ve pointed out in the past. While it’s not perfect, the Lyra is still worth your attention. You can buy the Lyra from Accutone’s offical website here, for $29. Disclaimer: This review is based upon a sample unit provided to me by a...

-Introduction- HifiMe is a company that specializes in building bare-bones DAC with no frills, focusing entirely on price-to-performance ratios. That’s a good thing for audiophiles on a budget, and the new SPDIF Optical DAC from HifiMe is no exception. The SPDIF Optical 9018 DAC is available here from HifiMe’s official website for $60. Disclaimer: This review is based upon a sample unit provided to me by a manufacturer in exchange for my honest opinion and un-edited words. I do not profit in any way from the writing of the review. I would like to...

  -Introduction- It’s not often I have the chance to review products as high-end as the ZMF x Vibro MK II. I approached Zach in July, and asked for a loaner unit. One wasn’t readily available so I waited a month or so, but boy was it worth the wait. For those of you who aren’t aware of ZMF, it’s a small company run by Zach Mehrbach, where every pair of ZMF headphones are custom built to user specifications, and can even be tuned to your specific tastes. Furthermore, if Zach doesn’t get your tuning right on the first time around, he will gladly do a...

  -Introduction- Edit: It's been brought to my attention by the Shozy team that the Sound Blaster E3 does not play nicely with the Zero. I will be re-evaluating it paired from different devices per Shozy's request. In the audiophile world, it’s not uncommon to see products promise to deliver great things, often at prices that undercut their competitors. The community loves to take these claims and run with them, often generating hype trains that blow these promises even further out of proportion, leading inevitably to disappointment when the...