The FiiO M11 Plus LTD was kindly provided by FiiO and doesn't need to be returned. This is my honest and subjective evaluation of it. The retail price is about €750 and you can buy it from FiiO.eu Introduction The FiiO M11 series of players was introduced back in 2019 with the original M11 and then it was upgraded to the M11 Pro. Reviewers and users around the world loved it and it is (well , was) our favorite DAP in that critical range before reaching TOTL territory. Unfortunately the CPU that powered the player , the Samsung Exynos 7872 processor...

The UA1 was kindly provided by Shanling free of charge. Shanling never asked for a favorable review and this is my honest and subjective evaluation of it. The retail price is $45. Technical and physical specifications The Shanling UA1 is a small USB type C DAC/amp adapter with an embedded cable. It is powered by an ESS 9281P chip and supports DSD256 and PCM up to 32bit/384KHz. It is compatible with Android , Windows and Mac but sadly it doesn't support iOS. A small USB - A adapter is included to connect with a standard USB port. The power output...

The Moondrop Aria was kindly provided by Shenzhen Audio and doesn't need to be returned. I have only paid taxes and customs fees. This is my honest and subjective evaluation of it. It sells for $79 and you can get it from Shenzhen Audio (Note - Since I have awarded the TRN TA1 and Tripowin TC-01 a four star rating and the Aria is a better overall performer I have decided to raise it's rating to 4.5 stars) Introduction Aria had been a discontinued product which appeared in Moondrops product catalog for a short while and then suddenly disappeared...

The Rhodium DAC was kindly provided by Periodic Audio free of charge and doesn't need to be returned. As always this is my honest and subjective evaluation of it. The price is $49 and you can buy it from Periodic Audio Introduction Rhodium is a chemical element with the symbol Rh and atomic number 45. It is an extraordinarily rare, silvery-white, hard, corrosion-resistant….. Hey , keep reading , this is not a scientific article , it's all about the Rhodium from Periodic Audio , a tiny USB DAC/amp cable. Rhodium is a mobile high resolution audio...

The THX Onyx was kindly provided by THX and doesn't need to be returned. THX never asked for a favorable review and as always this is my honest and subjective evaluation of it. It is selling for $199.99 and you can buy it from here Introduction The THX Onyx is a powerful portable digital-to-analog (DAC) amplifier equipped with THX AAA™ technology, to ensure the highest fidelity mobile listening experience for music, games, and movies. The Onyx is the first consumer product to be manufactured by THX. THX is now widely known for their Achromatic...

The P-II was loaned to me for the purpose of this review. Sivga never asked for a favorable review and this is my honest and subjective evaluation of it. The retail price is $399 and you can buy it from Amazon Introduction The Sivga company that was established in 2016, is located in Dongguan city in China. It is a comprehensive enterprise integrating R&D, production and excellent customer service. Sivga focuses on the innovation and production of high-end headphones. It has got rich experience and technology in the headphone acoustics industry...

The FH5s was kindly provided by FiiO as a long term loan and doesn't need to be returned. FiiO never asked for a favorable review and I am providing my honest and subjective evaluation of it. Introduction The FH5s is the brand new iem from FiiO which is the successor of the highly acclaimed but now discontinued FH5. It is selling for €249.99 and you get it from FiiO.eu Technical information Although the FH5s is considered as a successor of the FH5 it is not a mere upgrade but rather a totally different design starting from the driver...

Introduction The iFi PowerStation was originally reviewed for hxosplus SOUND and Vision printed edition. The unit was a loan provided from iFi Greek distributor and I liked it so much that I ended up buying it at full retail price with a 10% discount. Now I am translating and adapting my original review for Headfi , further expanding the test by including a second PowerStation and two iFi DC Blockers that were loaned to me by iFi UK. I also ended up buying the second PowerStation and both DC Blockers. This is my honest and subjective evaluation that...

The Hel 2 was kindly provided by Schiit, never asking for a favorable review. This is my honest and subjective evaluation of it that I would like to share with the community. Introduction Schiit Audio is one of the most beloved and well known companies in the audio hobby so we are not going to waste your valuable time with boring introductions. Looking at the company website (www.schiit.com) we can spot a product category named gaming DAC/Amps populated by two products the Fulla and the Hel both of them at their latest revised versions. Hel 2 is a...

The headphone is in a long term loan kindly provided by Drop. Drop never asked for a favorable review and here I present my honest and subjective evaluation of it. Introduction The Elex is an exclusive to Drop+ made by the well known French brand Focal. Made with Focal’s brilliant engineering and extraordinary attention to detail, the Elex headphones take a fundamentally different approach to dynamic drivers—and deliver a better measured performance across the board than headphones several times their price. A refinement of the $1,000 Elear with...

The ST80 was kindly provided by SoundMAGIC free of charge. SoundMAGIC never asked for a favorable review and this is my honest and subjective evaluation of it. Introduction SoundMAGIC is one of the best known value for money manufacturers of iems and headphones. Founded in 2005 by acoustic design engineer Tony Xu, SoundMAGIC designs and manufactures products that aim to deliver performance beyond customer expectations. By utilising the latest technology and best materials, SoundMAGIC are continuously improving and updating these products based on...

The Feliks Euforia was provided on a long term loan to be featured in a series of reviews in various media. Feliks never asked for a favorable review. This is my honest and subjective evaluation of it. The article was originally published in hxosplus Sound and Vision printed edition and this is a third party translation of it. (Thank you Angelos!) Introduction The feature story of this review is an OTL headphone amplifier from the Feliks Audio company located in Poland. Feliks Audio is not a newfound company , but rather an established one ...

HiFiGo suggested that I should test and evaluate the TRN-TA1 leaving it up to me to decide whether it is worthy of being reviewed. I greatly liked it and I am providing the community with my honest and subjective opinion. Introduction TRN is a China based small manufacturer of in-ear monitors that is in the market for some years now and they have released some worthy models. TRN TA1 is the latest hybrid driver in-ear monitor featuring a premium dual-driver hybrid setup with premium Magnesium Alloy ear shells. The pair instead of the unbranded BA...

The HE400se was kindly provided by HiFiMan as a long term loaner in order to be used for this and future reviews. They have never asked for a favorable review and as always I am providing my honest and subjective opinion. Introduction The brand new HiFiMan HE400se is a classic favourite with a modern twist or to put it in other words yet another version of the iconic HE400. The latest iteration was the HE400i 2020 that is now discontinued and replaced by the HE400se version. There are two variants available , the one being made specifically for...

I have contacted ddHiFi to ask for a TC44B review and they have kindly responded by providing one free of charge. This review reflects my honest and subjective opinion. Introduction ddHiFi is a relatively new brand that was established in 2017 by Mr. Demond Ding a former engineer and lead designer for FiiO and Oppo. They started by building some very useful audio adapters and they have grown to include an earphone (Janus) and a few small dac/amps with the top model being the TC44B. They have stripped their products from unnecessary cosmetics and...

The Corda Jazz ff is a loaner unit kindly provided by Mr. Jan Meier at my own request because I was very curious to test a Meier-Audio amplifier. Mr. Meier very strongly insisted that he doesn't like favorable reviews but there was no reason to do so because I always provide my honest and subjective opinion. Introduction Meier-Audio was started in the year 2000 by Mr. Jan Meier who was a pioneer figure to preach the need of a good headphone amplifier in order to enjoy the best sound of our beloved headphones. Fast forward to 2021 and he is...

The EST 112 was kindly provided free of charge after my own request and is under the ownership of Dunu. Dunu never asked for a favorable review and as always this is my honest and subjective evaluation of it. This is my first Dunu review so I don't have any previous models to compare. The Dunu EST 122 retails for $489.99 and you can order it directly from Dunu Introduction The EST 112 is Dunu's first quad-driver triple-hybrid pair of in-ear monitors. The number 112 denotes the driver configuration of the pair. It is equipped with a large 13.5mm...

The Diablo was kindly provided by iFi as a loaner unit for the purpose of this review. This is my subjective and honest evaluation of it. Introduction The brand new Diablo that was released at the beginning of 2021 is the top flagship of iFi's range of portable/transportable DAC/amps. This is a great way to welcome the new year and a very promising start. It retails for €999 and it is €300 more expensive than the previous flagship Micro iDSD signature. Let's find out why. Technical specifications Full specifications are available here -...

Introduction The SMSL M100 MKII was kindly provided by Aoshida Audio free of charge. This is my first review of an SMSL product and as always I provide my subjective and honest evaluation of it. You can find it at Aoshida Audio - https://aoshida-audio.com/products/smsl-m100-mkii?DIST=REA= Technical parameters This is the second generation of the much acclaimed entry level desktop DAC with the name M100 MKII that retails for $93.99. The MKII upgraded version adopts a new ESS 9018Q2C DAC chip instead of the older AK4452 plus a separate receiver...

Disclaimer and introduction To be honest I wasn't aware of the Tripowin brand until Linsoul suggested that I should review TC-01 and oh boy I was glad that they did. The TC-01 was kindly provided free of charge and as always I am going to share my subjective and honest evaluation of it. The Tripowin is a Linsoul exclusive brand and the TC-01 is a budget in-ear monitor that costs $49. You can get it directly from Linsoul - https://www.linsoul.com/collections/tripowin/products/tripowin-tc-01?sca_ref=674901.cTrnEkOCqr Technical The TC-01 is...