Introduction Hidizs continues to increase its catalogue with high quality. And a clear example of this is the product I now present. This is the DAP AP80 PRO-X, the next version of the famous AP80 PRO. This time, the X version uses a Sabre ESS9219C DUAL DAC, instead of the ESS9218P. It also supports hardware capable of 8x MQA decoding and has lost the FM radio chip along the way - a pity, by the way, because I'm a big fan of listening to football on the radio. It still uses two-way Bluetooth v4.2, supports HiBy UAT, Sony LDAC and CSR APT-X. Of...

Introduction Once again, I have the pleasure of reviewing a model from Penon, the well known portable audio retailer. As many people will already know, they also design their own products, and it's not just cables or earbuds. This time, it's an ambitious project, given the price range in which it moves: a hybrid model that uses a 10mm dynamic driver and a full-frequency range balanced armature driver. Of course, it has a 2Pin 0.78mm connection and the capsules are made of medical grade resin, completely transparent, with a very pleasant shape and...

Introduction Once again, I am flattered to be able to review an EarMen product. This time, it's the recent premium battery-powered balanced headphone/preamplifier DAC/AMP called the Colibri. Actually, it''s a doped-up EarMen Sparrow: its aesthetics are very similar, but it includes elements that enhance its body and performance. It has a battery that gives it a battery life of up to 5 hours. It incorporates on/off, volume (+/-) and bass boost buttons. The balanced output is now 4.4mm and there is an extra USB Type C port for charging the battery...

Introduction As I mentioned in my previous article about the TRI TK-2, the following review is the result of a European Tour, organised by Wendy Li from KBEAR (Thank you very much!). This time the products to be reviewed are the TRI Meteor IEMS and the TRI Grace-S cable, in its 4.4mm balanced version. The Meteor is a hybrid IEM consisting of a 10mm dynamic driver with beryllium-plated diaphragm and a Knowles ED-29689 BA driver. The Grace-S cable has two strands of 6 silver-plated monocrystalline copper cores and 4 pure silver-plated copper cores. In...

Introduction Thanks to the European Tour organised by Wendy Li, I had the great opportunity to test the TRI TK-2 DAC-AMP. As specified on the side of the device itself, the TK-2 is the result of a collaboration between TRI and KAEI. TRI is like the high-end brand of KBEAR. KAEI, up to this point, was unknown to me. But it seems to be a classic brand, known for its amplifiers. The HiFi USB DAC Amplifier is the first product of its kind that TRI has brought to the market. It's certainly a very powerful set-up, also thanks to the hand of KAEI. The...

Introduction For better or worse, cables are indispensable travelling companions for quality sound flow. As we wait for wireless technology to improve, to keep up with wired headphones, we will continue to use cables. In the meantime, it is becoming increasingly common for cables to try to improve as well. And in a world with such a diversity of connections, it is obvious that adapter cables exist - why not make them of the highest quality? That's the case I'm currently reviewing. This is a high-end adapter cable, made by Penon. It's actually a...

Introduction Hidizs is in luck. It is proving that it is good at designing and manufacturing IEMS at competitive prices. The clearest example of this is its latest creation. The MM2 is a hybrid IEMS with a 6mm low voltage BM magnetostatic driver. The base is a 10.2mm dynamic driver that handles bass and midrange. In addition, Hidizs has designed a tuning system based on 3 valves that are screwed on the outer face of the capsule, allowing 3 different types of tuning. The capsules are made of two types of materials, the inner side is made of an...

Introduction ACMEE Audio continues to grow and add new products to its catalogue. After introducing its first dongle in a limited edition, using AKM's defunct AK4493EQ DAC, it is now back with a fully-fledged Sabre DAC. It is the ES9018K2M. With this chip a sampling rate of 192k and a depth of 24Bit can be achieved and files up to DSD128 can be played back. The Magic Sound 4 is special because of its heritage from ACMEE's DAPS series, adopting the same exterior surface treatment, as well as the brand's typical grooves. Internally, it also...

Introduction By now, many enthusiasts are familiar with the portable audio retailer Penon Audio. As a specialist shop, it has tested countless products, so it's not unreasonable to think that it might have a clear idea of what good headphones should sound like. The second step is to put this knowledge into practice and start designing new products, under his own name. Actually, I don't know if the way Penon has gone about launching its own models resembles the mini-story I've told. However, the end result is the same. As a brand, Penon has...

Introduction It is clear that the surprises from NiceHCK do not come alone. If previously the DB1s were a successful entry into the affordable IEMS range, now it's the EB2Ss that are doing the same. It is true that they are not as economical, but with a current price of around 30€, they are still at a very attractive level. It is worth remembering that their previous model, the EB2, was already reviewed by me a little over two years ago. I remember when it was very common back then for a zipped case to come as an accessory. Times are different and...

Introduction Rose Technics is a Chinese brand, known for making high quality IEMS and Earbuds. In the case of earbuds, many enthusiasts are familiar with the great Maria, Maria II, Masya, Masya MK2 and Mojito models. All of them have dual dynamic drivers. However, in the case of the current Rose Martini, the new audiophile earbud model, there is only one dynamic driver, whose diaphragm is made of carbon ceramic. The design of the housing is very sophisticated and features a two-way air pressure adjustment tube system to improve bass performance. The...

Introduction There is no doubt that TFZ has been active lately. This is the third product I have reviewed from this brand so far this year. And this time, it's a review that's been three years in the making. It is the new TFZ Tequila Pro, an emblematic model that I already had the opportunity to review at the beginning of 2019. It's true that both models have similarities in the shape of the capsules: they are both cylinders with a slanted nozzle attached near the rim. The first version has an open outer face and the Pro version is closed, with a...

Introduction Shenzhen xDuoo Technology Co., Ltd. has long since changed its aesthetics. After creating more than 100 models and with a number of patented technologies behind it, xDuoo has acquired a distinctive design of its own, mixing the grey of the metal with the red and black of the background of some of the glass surfaces. These three elements seem to be in many of its current products. Of course, they are also in the new Link2 Bal. On the other hand, a brand that is so acclaimed for its amplifiers, needed to make a splash in a segment as...

Introduction Veteran headphone brand Dunu, which has been around since 2006, but whose roots go back to 1994, continues to innovate for music lovers, as they put it. But a brand with the surname "TopSound" has always given me pause for thought: is it a pretentious name or a high level of self-importance? Without a doubt, I would venture to write that it is the latter. Every new model that Dunu presents will always raise high expectations. It will be thoroughly reviewed by shops, reviewers and enthusiasts alike. TopSound implies this level of demand...

Introduction TFZ has released a new Bluetooth cable/amplifier. It is a rubber neckband, which rests lightly on the shoulders. It obviously uses the same 2Pin 0.78mm connection as all their IEMS models. It supports APTX and APTX-HD, its distortion level is very low and it is powered by the Qualcomm QCC3034 chip. Of course, it has a microphone and uses CVC noise reduction technology. It has a battery life of up to 16 hours and supports up to Bluetooth v5.1 specification. It incorporates three linked buttons for operation and volume control. It is very...

Introduction The well-known IEMS brand TFZ is being very dynamic lately, bringing out many new products (IEMS, Bluetooth amplifier cables and cables). This time they are releasing a very special set. These are new IEMS with a relatively low price, which have the rather striking feature: they come without cables. This surprising decision can have many advantages, because the standard cable is not always good or to our liking. In this way, the user has the possibility to choose the cable that best suits our needs, without having to waste the standard...

Introduction Who doesn't know SoundMAGIC? Clear, a brand that was founded in 2005 by acoustic design engineer Tony Xu and has won several awards and recommendations in multiple magazines and organisations, with its famous IEMS E10. No less recommended were the HP150s, which I own, one of the classic closed-back headphones best rated by enthusiasts. But what now? It's true that the HP151 and the HP1000 have been released in headphones. And in IEMS they have followed the path of the E10, with several similarly shaped IEMS... But the market has become...

Introduction Ikko has had a very active year and seems to continue working on new products. If the other day it was a DAC/Amp, now it's back to IEMS from the OH series. The OH2s could be the next step to those first OH1s, but more affordable, with a revamped design and inherited from their big brothers, the OH1s. Ikko's progression seems symmetrical, not counting the exception of the OH7s: first came the OH1, were upgraded with the higher-priced OH10, without the shape and tuning changing too much. Then came the OH1s and the change was really big...

Introduction Autumn is over and BQEYZ (Dongguan, China) has made the most of it. After the iteration of its triple hybrid, it has started a new journey based on a 13mm dynamic driver with a wide frequency range. But the brand wanted to introduce a more noticeable and important new feature. It's not the dual-cavity acoustic structure, nor its 6µ diaphragm, nor its new 4-wire silver-plated copper monocrystalline mixed cable. It's about the magnetic tuners. BQEYZ has created a kind of filters, which are like magnetic discs, inside which there are...

Introduction At this point, BLON, or WGZBLON, needs no introduction. Active since 2014, it is the brand responsible for creating one of the most famous Hypes of recent years: the BL-03. It is true that it is the Chinese brand of impossible shapes, heavy metallic constructions that attract a lot of attention and whose shapes are very committed to the fit and ergonomics of each enthusiast. Even so, BLON does not give up and continues to persist on this path, perpetuating its almost extravagant designs. As a further example, the current BL-Max...