Introduction: iFi Audio is a company with products that I’ve had the pleasure of auditioning at multiple occasions, but never had the chance to really sit down and spend quality time with. Luckily for me, a good friend of mine recently started working for iFi and reached out to me to see if I would be at all interested in spending some time with some iFi products and doing a review of them. How could I say no to that? He got me in contact with Tyler, who sent me a whole box load of iFi goodies as soon as more shipment arrived. I was initially only...

Introduction T-PEOS is a company that I have some degree of familiarity with. They seem to be a company targeted towards the lower-mid budget market with offerings that seem to focus on a generous amount of bass. I got the opportunity to test and review the Altone 250 about a year ago and, honestly, I didn’t view it in the most positive light. I’m happy to say that the Rasiel is a bit of a different story.   I was approached by James Park, who is, from what I know, a relatively new representative for T-PEOS. James introduced me to what they called...

Introduction: HIFIMAN’s (HFM) newest product to their lineup, the Edition X, has been tour all over the US thanks to HFM’s willingness to loan out quite a few units for enthusiasts to listen and review. Many people have already put forth their opinions and reviews of the Edition X, and I’m certainly one of the later people to get their hand on the Edition X.   Despite the fact that a lot has already been said about the Edition X, I hope to bring a slightly different approach to the Edition X as well as how a typical review generally goes. I...

Introduction: I’ve been acquainted with Jack of Empire Ears since his earlier days as the CEO of Earwerkz. Back then, I was a happy customer who was lucky enough to pick up a pair of Supra-II during their Kickstarter campaign. Upon hearing that Jack plans to start again under a new name, I was honestly pretty surprised. While I never got a chance to give the Legend R or Legend Omega a listen for myself, the Earwerkz flagship was certainly a product that has garnered quite a bit of respect amongst enthusiasts and reviewers alike.   The decision to...

Introduction: I first heard the Lotoo PAW Gold (LPG) at RMAF 2015. I exchanged information with XiaoQi of Lotoo and I later contacted him and was given the opportunity to review both the PAW Gold and the 5000. Lotoo sent me both units in a package and I’ve since spend quite a bit of time with them. Actually, I’ve spent a few months with the LPG now, and this review is actually quite a bit overdue. I’d like a give big thank you to Lotoo and XiaoQi for their willingness to send me review units of their products. I’m excited to see Lotoo’s products...

Introduction: I’ve seen lotoo threads and discussions around Head-Fi before, but I haven’t paid too much attention to their products mostly because they’re fairly deceiving with their looks in the sense that they look rather primitive by today’s standards. However, I had the good luck of meeting XiaoQi of Lotoo at RMAF 2015 and got the chance to listen to the PAW Gold (LPG) there – I was quite happy with its sound to say the least. I exchanged information with XiaoQi and we later came in contact, at which time I was given the opportunity to review...

Edit: So UE has announced the new update to the UERM, the UE Reference Remastered... 1 day after my review. Pretty ironic but it is what it is haha. So I guess this review may be more a tribute to the past than I had initially intended it to be as the UERM is now officially discontinued.   The Story Behind the Name:             Back when I first took interest in personal audio early on in high school, there were a few products that seem to have reached a legendary status amongst enthusiasts. HD800, HE6, even the original Audio-Technica M50 were just...

Introduction:             Cayin is a company that has hit the portable audio market by storm the past year or two. Starting with their well-received and relatively budget friendly portable amplifiers, Cayin made their name known to portable audio enthusiasts. The same thing could be said with their entrance into the portable player market. The N6, while not free of its criticisms, proved to me a very good sounding piece with an interesting look and design. The N5 is Cayin’s answer to a slightly more affordable option for those not looking to spend...

Introduction:             I’ve always been curious about Zach’s modded Fostex T50RPs. I almost grabbed myself a set of the ZMF x Vibro from Massdrop a few months back, but decided against it due to many people saying that it’s a richer, darker, LCD-2 sort of sound, which isn’t my personal preference. I’m glad I decided against going with the ZMF x Vibro because a few weeks later, the Omnis were announced! As someone dying to get a taste of Zach’s legendary tuning, I was one of those guys that counted down to the hours and minutes to the pre-order of...

Introduction:             Hong Kong based Brainwavz has been making budget oriented IEMs for quite a few years now and has had a presence here on Head-Fi thanks to their generosity with providing review units to Head-Fiers. Their most recent creation, the S3, looks very much like its brothers in Brainwavz’s S line of IEMs, but still has its own unique characteristics. I received the S3 from Brainwavz for the purpose of this review and will, of course, provide an honest review of the S3.   Packaging and Accessories:             Besides the Jive...

Introduction:             Nouske is a company I’ve never heard of or seen on Head-Fi or on the internet as a whole. I was first contacted by their rep, Laura, back in August regarding a new IEM they were releasing. Laura informed me that it was to be a single BA + dynamic hybrid IEM and asked if I would be interested in giving feedback and reviewing it before its final release. It seems like the IEM wasn’t quite ready yet as she didn’t give me the ok and ship the IEM to me until late September. I was told that Nouske is a Chinese company based in...

Introduction:             The Aune X1S is a product that has piqued my interest since its release. After getting the chance to hear the B1 amp, Aune was a company I kept my eyes out for. This X1S unit is part of the review tour that Aune kindly organized, and I’m very happy to have the chance to partake in reviewing the X1S. Reviewers are supposed to spend 5 days with the review unit, but I actually took a bit longer because I was out for 3 days at RMAF 2015 and because I wanted to wait and see if I can get some time pairing the X1S with the new ZMF...

Introduction: I currently have the Calyx PaT, Cozoy Aegis, and Cozoy Astrapi in hand. I got these three from my good friend, nmatheis, who sent the three as a set to a couple Head-Fiers to audition as sort of a “phone powered DAC/Amp” tour if you will. For this review, I will be talking briefly about all three of the products. The reason I’ve put this as a Calyx PaT review is simply because I found the PaT to be the most worthy of the three products, and thus I’ve chosen to focus on the PaT as the center of this review.   Packaging and...

 Quick Introduction: I’m sure by now, many people know of the tours that Fiio often hold for Head-Fiers interested in giving their line of DAPs a listen. The X5ii I have in my possession is part of the North American tour and also the third Fiio tour that I have participated in. I’m glad that Fiio has continued to send units out to give those interested in hearing their products a chance to listen to them in the comforts of their own home and set ups, and certainly hope to see more from Fiio in the future.   Construction and Build: Fiio seems to...

Introduction: There seems to be quite a bit of discussion and disagreements regarding HIFIMAN’s (HFM) newest headphone, the HE400S. Some have praised the HE400S as being a giant slayer while other have said that it’s fine for its price, but certainly nothing special. I hope to take some time to put forth my own personal opinion regarding the HE400S. HFM sent me this particular unit of the HE400S for the sake of this review, and I have since returned them to HFM after the 1 month review period that I’ve spent with the HE400S. Big thank you to Jeff...

Introduction: Lend Me Ur Ear (LMUE) is a Singaporean-based dealer that has made many Asian brands, such as Vsonic and Fidue, available to the international market. LMUE is a dealer that I’ve personally purchased from before, and my experience with them has been very positive. After being in the business for a few years, LMUE decided to use the experience they’ve gained from being an audio retailer and create their own set of IEMs. The Alpha & Delta AD01 is a dual dynamic driver IEM that was the results of their efforts. The particular unit that I...

Introduction: Brainwavz is a company that has been making some nice budget earphones for quite a few years now. Their most recent release is the Brainwavz Jive, coming in with an MSRP of a mere 28 dollars. The look of the Jive and Brainwavz’s description of the Jive as “tuned to perform like a balanced armature” got me pretty excited for this release. I received my unit from Brainwavz as a review unit and I’ve posted my objective impressions here to help those interested in the new and very affordable Brainwavz IEM decide whether it’s right for them...

Introduction: Axgio is a company that I’ve never heard of before, so when I was approached to do a review of their new Sprint sports Bluetooth IEM, I was quite intrigued as I had no clue what to expect. Doing more research on the company, I learned that Axgio is a company that specializes in make mobile phones and accessories. Some of their products include phones, cases, earbuds, and power banks. I believe the Sprint is their second venture into the IEM market, as well as their second Bluetooth IEM.   It wasn’t Axgio themselves that approached me...

Introduction: For many Head-Fiers, Final Audio Design is a name that is clouded by controversies and disagreements over the value of the brand. Are they the works of a genius or just overpriced crap? What’s even more frustrating is the only answer you’ll get to that question: “If you don’t mind point A or disregard point B, then their earphones will amaze you and all you’ll ever need. If not they’re crap.” All I got from that is “You’re about to spend 500 dollars on something you’ll either love or absolutely hate. Good luck!”   I’ve been lucky to...

Introduction: I received the Cayin N6 as a tour unit that was generously provided by CTC Audio. CTC Audio focuses on making brands that aren’t as accessible in North America, mostly from Asia, available. Jeremy, CTC’s rep here on Head-Fi, has been a great help throughout the tour, as there was a bit of a hiccup when the original tour unit pooped out on us. I had the review unit for a week to audition and I’ve posted the results of my week with the N6 here.   Quick note: I completely forgot to take pictures of the N6 unit during the week I had with...