Introduction Smabat is well known to fans of earbuds. I myself have reviewed quite a few products from this brand. What started out as a model that had achieved a very impressive bass for earbuds, has now become the reigning innovator when it comes to modularity. The current product is called M4 and is the fourth generation of modular design. As you all know, Smabat has had a fixation for separating its earbuds into parts, with the intention of providing different flavours to users. Starting with a rudimentary system that required soldering...

Introduction At this stage, KBEAR needs no introduction. But let's do a bit of history. KBEAR is a headphone brand from Shenzhen Lingyin Technology Co., China. It was founded in 2014 in Shenzhen, by a passionate and individualized young team, committed to developing fashionable and sound quality HIFI products for global audiophiles. As a dynamic and innovative brand, it is always on the move and this leads to a handful of new models every year. This time, KBEAR returns to a range of affordable and specialised models. We are talking about the new...

Introduction According to the packaging, the IEMS Cat Ear Meow is manufactured at Shunshi (Shenzhen) Technology Co., LTD. I have no further information about the brand. This is the first model I know of them. They are $55 IEMS that can be chosen in three different finishes, each one more expensive than the previous one. The Silver model, the base model, is the subject of this review. It is a zinc alloy capsule with the silhouette of a cat on the outside of the capsule. The shape is semi-custom, but with some variations. Inside the capsule are two...

Introduction Letshuoer continues to move forward and is back with a new model in the slightly higher $100 range. This time it is an IEMS with a dynamic driver with a 13mm DLC diaphragm, created by the brand itself. As points to highlight, it has two mouthpieces to tune the sound and an original and very comfortable capsule design. As usual, the supplied cable is of high quality and can be chosen with SE 3.5mm and BAL 4.4mm plugs as standard. Of course, this should be the norm, as balanced outputs are very common nowadays and are becoming more and...

Introduction As its own website says, Shenzhen xDuoo Technology Co., Ltd. is a professional company specializing in the development, design and sales of high-end audio products, whose ultimate goal is customer satisfaction. They have a unique audio tuning method and have already designed more than 100 models, as well as owning several patented technologies. When I think of xDuoo, several things come to mind, the legendary DAP X3, a mix of simplicity, power and a very special sound. And since then I have followed its evolution and have been able to...

Introduction Hidizs often goes a step further with its products, creating limited editions of the most iconic devices in its catalogue. And these products usually have a superior construction, using a distinguished type of material that makes them unique. This was already the case with the DAP AP80 Pro, for which it created three additional versions "Rose Gold", "Titanium Alloy" and "Red Copper". He also created a "Red Copper" version for his prized S9 Pro dongle. And now it's the turn of its newest DAP. It is the Hidizs AP80 PRO-X Red Copper...

Introduction What is SuperTFZ? With that name, the only clear thing is that it seems to come from TFZ. Is it something like a sub-brand or is it the evolution of TFZ in an improved form? Just guessing, but it is clear that SuperTFZ has been on the market for three models already and I don't think I have seen a new TFZ model during these launches. The first release from the brand is the model I'm going to review today, the FORCE1. This is a model that uses a handmade transparent resin capsule, the design of which looks familiar to me. Inside is a...

Introduction Autumn and other seasons passed, until a new model from BQEYZ, the brand from Dongguan, China, came out. After the great success of its previous model, the Autumn, an IEMS with a single dynamic driver and an effective and innovative magnetic mechanism to fix the tuning filters, the brand is back with a new series consisting of 1 dynamic driver and 1 piezo driver. This time, the new dynamic driver is dual-cavity and uses an LCP composite diaphragm. While a new 9-layer piezo ceramic driver has been designed and adopts a new joint...

Introduction Once again I am going to review a product from Penon Audio. This is the Penon FAN, a 10mm Single DD from the audio products brand that is known for having a very clear idea about how to tune their products. On this occasion I am faced with a review of the brand's U-V sound. I have said that Penon has a preference for an organic, silky, warm sound, with softer, extended treble and a lot of passion. And indeed, all of that is present in this model, but with a touch more enjoyment and a dash of daring. Previous tunings of Penon products...

Introduction As stated on their website: "TempoTec Corp. was established by a group of audiophiles. Its multinational team consists of experts from China, Taiwan, Korea and Germany". As a final note, "Technology and humanity is the soul and purpose of TempoTec". Under this premise, the well-known Chinese brand has made a multitude of great products, trying to offer the best technology to give us the best sound. I think there is no better way to explain the new DAP TempoTec Variations V6 than with these comments. I have known the brand for many years...

Introduction TRN is a well-known Chinese brand with a wide range of products: from very affordable IEMS to several hundred dollars. They also design TWS headphones, cables and other audio accessories. Actually, I had only tried their cables in particular because of the good value for money. But with the war of the planar IEMS, I became interested in the Kirin model that I am now going to review. As a novelty, apart from its 14.5mm flat magnetic driver, the Kirin uses a replaceable mouthpiece system (3) to fine-tune its sound. They also add an 8-core...

Introduction Rose Technics is not a new or unknown brand to any earbud or IEMS enthusiast. Hailing from China, their models are often of premium value and proven audiophile quality. Their Earbuds are among the best and their IEMS are also appreciated. It's clear that Rose Technics innovates in all its models, aiming for the best sound quality at the best price. But this sound has to be paid for. Still, Rose Technics is not a fully "visible" brand. It's not easy to find much information about it, apart from its models. But that seems to have changed...

Introduction There is no doubt that Hidizs (the well-known audio brand founded in 2009 by Tamson) follows a straight and determined path. It became famous for pursuing the best quality/price ratio in its DAPS, seeking as an absolute premise, the best sound, thanks to its professional audiophiles in its R&D department. After a few years and with several models under their belt, they thought of creating IEMS as well. Until the present day, this progressive development has led them to present the model that I am now going to analyse. It is the Hidizs...

Introduction At this point, it would be redundant to describe Penon Audio as a brand specialising in audiophile products. Not in vain, it has a varied and numerous catalogue of IEMS, earbuds, cables and adapters. This time Penon has decided to go one step further, adding a well-known, small and versatile DAC-AMP to its best adapter cable. This is the Penon Totem Type-C DAC Adapter. This product is nothing more than the union of the Penon Totem Adapter Cable with the Conexant CX31993 DAC-AMP. This product is capable of decoding files up to...

Introduction You could say that Tempotec is the queen of the dongle. But it is not only dedicated to creating this kind of devices. Their catalogue is full of DAC-Amps, especially small ones. Their Sonata series is the most prolific and I would like to highlight their Sonata E44 model in particular, as the paradigm of a product matured to the best that its internal components can provide. But not only this series, but also the Serenade series, as desktop DAC-Amps, and the Variations series, as DAPs, stand out. And here is Tempotec's step forward...

Introduction Once again, I have the honour of reviewing another model designed by Penon Audio. By now, many will have been able to discover what the Penon house sound is like. It is a profile well endowed in bass, warm mids and smooth highs, subtle sparkle, but detailed and rich. This is IEMS for long hours of enjoyment, if you are one of those who enjoy full bass and shy away from exciting mid-highs. Well, in this sense, the Penon Globes more than live up to all those attributes. They are hybrid IEMS, with the classic 2BA + 1DD configuration. One...

Introduction Earbuds Anonymous are earbuds created by the Facebook group of the same name. Earbuds Anonymous Facebook Group was founded on 1 December 2016 by Justin Miner, a well-known earbud lover. The group currently has over 13,000 members. These earbuds are the official earbuds of the group and were released at the end of 2019. In Justin Miner's own words: The tuning and design were carefully selected to represent the overall love of earbuds. The signature sound is a handcrafted blend of detail and fun. The construction is unique and classy...

Introduction Reecho is going slowly but surely. The Shenzhen brand is back with a revised version of its previous model from the Star Gate series. This is the SG-01 OVA. Externally, only the colour seems to have changed. Internally, the dynamic driver used is 10mm, with a stronger N52 magnet and a 7-micron graphene composite diaphragm. The previous model used an N50 driver. The cable has also changed, the current model uses a 96-core silver-plated OCC 5N cable. In terms of packaging the change is also based on the external colour, because the inside...

Introduction Formerly called Shuoer, the brand changed its name to Letshuoer not long ago. Known for having a few IEMS worth more than $200 under their belt, they started to get more buzz with their Tape Pro model and the collaboration with the famous audio reviewer, the HBB Kinda Lava model. But it is clear that the S12 is one of his most famous and best-selling models. As it could not be otherwise, it is an IEMS with a 14.8mm planar driver, customised by the brand itself. According to forums and users, there is controversy over whether or not it...

Introduction As if it were black or white, heaven or earth, sea or mountain... There is no copper wire without a silver wire. Yes, it is true that there are cables made of other conductive materials, such as palladium. But the classics in audio are copper and silver-plated. More universal is the gold plating of connectors, but rhodium is also used, for the sake of perfection in this type of accessories. But what I bring here today is more common, but of very high quality. It is a silver plated cable in Type-4 Litz configuration. Without a doubt it...