FiiO has come up with a new portable digital player. Surprisingly, it's not the usual progression that we expect like the X-series of late. This time, it's their smallest and most basic digital audio player. It'll be interesting to see how this DAP stacks up to the Sandisk Clip+. I believe the M3 is marketed as a starter kit for those who'd like to experience high resolution audio for the first time. To be successful in this category, this DAP must be affordable and functional. Let's take a look if FiiO's new DAP is worth considering...     The...

RETAIL PRICE:         US$ 5 DRIVER SPEC:         15.4 mm Dynamic Driver IMPEDANCE:            32 Ohm SENSITIVITY:            112 dB SPL/mW FREQ RESPONSE:   18Hz – 22500Hz TERMINATIONS:       3.5 mm straight-plug INCLUDED CABLE:   1.2 M OFC cable WHERE TO FIND:      Venture Electronics (AliExpress)   Disclaimer: This review unit was purchased directly from Venture Electronics through AliExpress.   It’s been a while since I’ve used earbud earphones. The disadvantage of using the earbud design is the lack of seal resulting in the loss...

Earbud earphones are gaining more attention from the head-fi community in the last couple of years. Manufacturers like Yuin and Venture Electronics pushed the idea that even earbud earphones can produce good audio fidelity. Companies like them inspire others to follow suit. Nowadays, we are finding more of these great sounding earbud earphones that won't hurt your wallet. FiiO recently announced the EM3 as their entry in the earbud earphone segment. This took me by surprise because FiiO is known for their digital audio players, DACs and amplifiers...

    JAYS is a Swedish earphone manufacturer known for quality craftsmanship and sleek designs. The q-JAYS was first introduced in 2007, marketed as the smallest dual balanced armature in-ear monitors. Eight years later, the 2nd generation appears with a whole lot of improvements. Let's find out what the new q-JAYS is all about.   According to JAYS' official website, the q-JAYS is their finest and most precise achievement to date: "Made with the intention of crafting the world’s finest earphones, q-JAYS is built to deliver the most authentic and...

Campfire Audio is an audio design and manufacturing company located in Portland, Oregon USA. The company began by hand-building cables and audio amplifiers as ALO Audio, which is now a known brand for a wide range of high quality audio products. Last year ALO Audio marked its 10th year at Head-fi.org and to celebrate the milestone, Campfire Audio was introduced. A brand with a new focus and vision; building earphones with high quality components through fine craftsmanship without compromising sound quality. Earphones that will stand up to the riggers...

Hybrid In-Ear Monitors (IEM) now have their own fanbase following the emergence of the first universal high-end one in 2011. Earphone manufacturers recognised this and have since produced their versions of the hybrid configuration: Dynamic Drivers for bass + Balanced Armature Drivers for midrange and treble. I’m proud to say that I am a bonafide hybrid IEM fan. The benefits of having both dynamic and balanced armature drivers in one IEM are unique, almost impossible to replicate with a single driver design. Dynamic drivers offer a natural bass...

Campfire Audio is an audio design and manufacturing company located in Portland, Oregon USA. The company began by hand-building cables and audio amplifiers as ALO Audio, which is now a known brand for a wide range of high quality audio products. Last year ALO Audio marked its 10th year at Head-fi.org and to celebrate the milestone, Campfire Audio was introduced. A brand with a new focus and vision; building earphones with high quality components through fine craftsmanship without compromising sound quality. Earphones that will stand up to the riggers...

  Brainwavz HM2 Review       Brainwavz describes the HM2 as a pair of headphones that boast a smooth sound with punchy bass tuned to give a comfortable and enjoyable sound experience, making them suitable for all genres of music. Brainwavz is positioning these as budget headphones priced at $50. Personally, I haven't found a pair of headphones at this price range that I can consider a decent offering. So let's put the HM2 to the test and see if these can exceed my expectation.   The HM2 was provided by Brainwavz free of charge in exchange...

Black on Black: Comparing the Noble Savant to the Stagediver 2       I've owned the Stagediver 2 for a while now. There are so many things to like about these dual BA IEMs... just to mention a few, I really like the shape of the housings. They fit perfectly on my ears and the extended nozzles promote a perfect seal with deeper than your usual universal IEM insertion regardless of the type of ear tips. Isolation is excellent... better than any other universal IEMs I've tried. Next is the comfort, these basically disappear on my ears after extended...

DUNU DN-2000 Review         DUNU’s popularity ran in parallel with the emergence of the mid-tier hybrid IEM's in response to the AKG K3003 hype. At first it was a tight competition between DUNU's DN1000 and T-PEOS' H200; both gaining their own respective fans. At the time I was riding on the T-PEOS bandwagon because I was fairly impressed with the bass and mid-range tuning. Fast forward to present day, DUNU has proven that a high regard for customer feedback coupled with relentless research & development can put you at the top. DUNU has earned the...

  Introduction   I've been on the look out for a great sounding DAP that can drive power demanding full-size headphones in preparation for the inevitable upgrade down the line. One must admit that once you're in this hobby, there's nowhere else to go but UPgrade. Then I was invited to the Cayin N6 Australian tour... such great timing! Cayin has been noticed for past few months in the head-fi community; thanks to their beautiful amp called the Cayin C5. Since then, Cayin has released a bunch of portable audio gear worthy of an audience. Not only do...

    Brainwavz is one of my favourite brands when it comes to reasonably priced IEMs. They seem to always nail it when it in terms of build quality and I am impressed by the sturdiness of their products. Sound quality wise, the R3 is my no. 1 Brainwavz IEM. The R3 sounds mature, refined, and well tuned for a dual-dynamic driver earphones. With the release of their new bluetooth headset, I wondered if they will retain the quality in their work. Fortunately, I've been given the opportunity to review the BLU-100. So lets find out if Brainwavz' entry...

T-PEOS Altone 350 Review: Better... not Bigger!         T-PEOS is at it again with their latest flagship hybrid! The Altone 350 is a much anticipated release because of the positive reception of the experimental Altone 200. For those who couldn't handle the inherent brightness of previous T-PEOS flagships, the Altone 200 was the remedy. Unfortunately, the first batch was plagued with build quality issues and inconsistencies in bass quantity. T-PEOS was quick in implementing resolution to those affected and I truly applaud them for maintaining...

SENNHEISER URBANITE XL REVIEW   Full sized headphones haven't been part of my usage options for quite some time now. I used to own a Sony MDR-1R but despite the excellent comfort and decent sound my interest wavered because I found IEMs to be more practical for my listening habits. Since then I have auditioned a number of headphones from different brands including Sennheiser, Audeze, Soundmagic, Hifiman, V-moda, Philips, Monster, Beats, etc... but none of them motivated me to desire owning one.      Sennheiser released their new Urbanite line-up...

      FiiO X1 Hi-Res DAP Review     Introduction   I exclusively use a Colorfly C3 for serious listening but it doesn't have the proper user interface for on-the-go usage. Browsing through the music library is so tedious that it takes away the enjoyment in my experience. As a result, I resorted back to the iPod Touch whenever I travel because it's just so much easier to use and the audio quality is quite decent. Everything seems to work for me but there are times when I wanted to share my experience with high fidelity music to a friend but...

Brainwavz S5 Review: You get more than what you paid for!     My first experience with Brainwavz was the R3 and to be honest, I really like them despite the negative reception from most users regarding fit and comfort. The R3 sounded mature, well refined, and the timbre was just mesmerising. Now Brainwavz has just released the S5 and I am fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to review their new offering. So lets find out if the new S5 can impress me just as much as my last experience...   SETUP:  Colorfly C3 > JDS Labs C5D          ...

    T-PEOS is at it again… this time with the intention of pleasing the consumer market by offering an excellent sounding earphone without breaking the bank. The Altone 200 is the latest 3-way Hybrid Design adopted from their flagship IEM, the H-300. To achieve their goal, the main components such as the dynamic and balanced armature drivers are kept intact but extra features such as removable cables and premium accessories were excluded. Fortunately, the build quality of the IEM casing is excellent! Made from aluminium and steel with a superb...

    T-PEOS is back with their new flagship hybrid! The H-300 is getting heaps of mixed impressions from everyone who got their hands on them during the pre-sale promotion. Some ended up selling theirs in a few  days, others are still figuring out if it’s a keeper, while a handful of people claim that they sound really good! My first impression of them was great that I ended up selling my beloved H-200. That is really a drastic move considering how much I value the H-200, my favourite IEM for heavy metal. Whether I'll end up regretting my decision...