My first encounter with the 7Hz brand was through their i99 IEMs which had a very unique shell design that immediately caught my attention. Unfortunately, the sound quality of the i99 did not match their design prowess. Along comes the Timeless, a pair of mid-range, planar magnetic IEMs. Given the lukewarm reception that previous 7Hz IEMs have received, one may be misled into thinking that the Timeless are another uninspired option. Fortunately, the Timeless are anything but uninspiring. Read on. This review was originally published on...

I am not too familiar with NF Audio as a company, so I decided to take a shot at their NM2 single-dynamic model when they were offered. They claim to have years of experience in making “real” monitoring earphones, so their entry-level IEMs should showcase their expertise. There is a plethora of sub-$100 IEMs these days and every other review will claim one of them to be the “best” under $100. NF Audio NM2 entered this crowded market with some established heavy-hitters already staring them down. Let’s see if these can carve themselves a niche. This...

Single dynamic driver flagships are making a comeback, and Dunu’s Zen Pro are the latest entry into the crowded market. The Zen Pro, as the Pro moniker suggests, are intended as an improved version of the original Dunu Zen (now discontinued). For the Zen Pro, Dunu has altered the housing color and changed the stock cable to a more pliable one. Moreover, they re-engineered the magnet system and re-tuned the driver. So how well can the Zen Pro compete against their peers? Read on. The Zen Pro were sent courtesy of Tom at Dunu as part of a review...

Intro Earsonics reached out to me somewhere around January to ask if I were interested in one of their latest releases. They did not reveal if the product in question were IEMs or something else, and there was also some embargo in place until the launch of the product itself. Needless to say that my curiosity got the better of me and I only knew about the specs of the IEMs two weeks after receiving them. The ONYX are Earsonics' latest launch and aims to capture the super-competitive mid-fi market. They are priced in a category I like to term "The...

TinHiFi became one of the most popular Chinese IEM makers after releasing the TinHiFi T2. These IEMs have something no one else was offering in the budget realm: a well-tuned bright-neutral sound signature. Since then, TinHiFi released several budget models but has not replicated the same level of success enjoyed with the T2. Enter the T3 Plus, (seemingly) an upgrade over the original TinHiFi T3. Aiming to take the budget-IEM crown, let’s see how close TinHiFi got with the T3 Plus. This review originally appeared on Headphonesty. Note: the...

Sennheiser’s HD series of headphones have spanned multiple decades and are still going strong. The HD820 are their current consumer-grade flagship (discounting the unobtanium HE-1) and aim to bring the staging and imaging properties of the HD800S into a closed-back form. Easier said than done, so let’s see how close Sennheiser gets to the mark. This review was originally published on Headphonesty. In the box Sennheiser HD820 headphones 3 meter 6.35m single-ended cable 3 meter 4.4mm pentaconn cable (can be swapped for XLR at purchase) A USB drive...

KZ is perhaps the most popular chi-fi manufacturer and in terms of sheer number of models available I think they got everyone beat. I did not keep up with their hectic release schedule for the better part of the year, but the KZ ZEX did catch my attention. Why, you ask? The EST (Electrostatic) buzzword, of course. Most IEMs in the budget range go for a single-dynamic or a balanced-armature hybrid setup, so the ZEX is a refreshing change of pace. Let’s see if the sound quality is as good as it’s supposed to be. Note: the ratings given will be...

I have always admired Meze’s philosophy in terms of product development. In stark contrast to recent craze of releasing “Pro” versions and numerous rehashes of the same IEM within months of each other, Meze develops products with a long shelf-life in mind. The Meze 12 Classics V2 is the successor/upgrade to their original Meze 12 Classics model which was released almost 5 years ago. The intention of the original model was to have a similar sound signature to Meze 99 Classics (their most popular headphone model) and the updated model tries to do the...

Moondrop has been teasing about a pair of single-dynamic ultra-budget earphones for the while. So it is fair to say that there has been quite some anticipation building up to the Quarks. As it stands, Moondrop Quarks are their cheapest earphones and also the cheapest earphones to offer a neutral-ish tuning. Given the cheap price of admission it’s hard to not get impressed by the Quarks, at least on paper. Reality can be sobering, though, so let’s see if the Quarks can keep up with the competition. This review originally appeared on Audioreviews...

iFi Audio hit the homerun with the original Hip-DAC. It had excellent build, the design was unique, and the sound was different to most in the market with a warm, rich tuning that could power most reasonable headphones and IEMs. The release of the Hip-DAC2 came as a surprise to me as I didn’t think the Hip-DAC was being outperformed by its peers. In fact, the Hip-DAC is still on of the best portable DAC/Amps under $250. On paper it appears that the Hip-DAC2 is mostly geared towards Tidal enthusiasts, having a major improvement in MQA decoding...

BLON has been around for a while as an IEM/Headphone manufacturer (circa 2014 as per their logo). However, they reached stardom with the BLON BL-03 which have earned a place in our Wall of Excellence as the de-facto budget IEM. Since the breakout success of the BL-03, BLON has tried to re-capture the lightning in the bottle but never gained the same traction. Enter BLON BL-MAX, their latest attempt at improving upon the BL-03, or perhaps providing something different enough to co-exist (just as the BL-05S were). Priced well under $50, the BL-MAX...

FIIL has made a name for itself in the True Wireless and Wireless earphone/earbud/headphone space. They have a large collection of Bluetooth audio devices and most of them seem rather interesting in their respective price brackets. The FIIL CC2 is an update to the original FIIL CC that was positioned as an Apple Airpods alternative. The half in-ear design and similarly open acoustic structure makes the CC2 rather different from the in-ear designs out there. The competition is strong in the True Wireless space, so let’s see how well the FIIL CC2...

Hidizs have been around the block for a while now, mostly focusing on portable DAC/Amps, dongles, and the occasional DAP/IEM. The AP80 Pro is their update to the original AP80, and it brings in a dual-DAC architecture and a balanced output. The rest of the device is rather intriguing too with DAC support, MQA decoding capabilities, and sporting Hiby OS which has a lot of bells and whistles to tweak the sound. Without further ado, let’s see if the Hidizs AP80 Pro can justify its $170 price tag. This review was originally published at Audioreviews...

Cayin is no stranger to amps. In fact, they make some of the best desktop amps out there, including the venerable iHA-6 and the top-dog, the HA-6A (one of the best amps I’ve ever had the pleasure to listen to, by the by). The Cayin C9 is their flagship portable amp, meant to be more transportable than portable given the ~0.5kg of weight. Being a flagship and perhaps the best showcase of Cayin's technical achievements so far, the C9 comes with a hefty price-tag of $2K. That's a pretty penny and demands top-tier performance. Let's see if the C9...

I'll keep this review short, and won't go through the usual details about packaging and such. I bought the Final F3100 with my own money, and thus have no need to display spectacular honesty (😉). Let's head straight into sound. The F3100 is all about the mids. They have a singular focus: the midrange, and I think Final tuned the mids really well here. Do note that you'll need to go for a deep fit to get the best sound out of these. I used tips a size smaller than I usually do. These resulted in a rather even frequency response from the upper-bass to...

INTRODUCTION KBEar released the Neon outta nowhere, and at first glance I assumed the existence of a Knowles BA driver at this price-point (where most IEMs are using Bellsing BA drivers) was supposed to be the sole Unique Selling Point. To my complete surprise, the KBEar Neon had another trick up its sleeve and a darn good one – its tuning. I never thought KBEar would come up with something that goes for neutrality to the degree that the Neon has gone, and it’s quite fascinating indeed. This review originally appeared on Audioreviews. Note: the...

The moment Apple removed the headphone jack from its latest iPhone 7, it spelt doom for the headphone jack itself on all flagship devices. It’s incredible how something as innocuous as the 3.5mm jack became the bane of existence for Apple and how they called it “courageous”, but that rant is best delivered elsewhere. This is a review of the Apple Airpods Max, Apple’s most expensive headphone, and one of the most expensive bluetooth headphones out there. If you are someone who is enamored (!) by the Apple ecosystem and also an audiophile, this review...

Sony needs no introduction. I mean, you have used at least one of their products in your lifetime. Thus, let’s cut to the chase. The Sony IER-Z1R is their flagship (universal) in-ear monitor. Priced at $1700 retail, these are true top-of-the-line contenders in the IEM space and is looking for a place among the best of the best earphones around. Does the Sony IER-Z1R justify the hefty price-tag, or is it another underachiever? Let’s find out. Note: the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier. The IER-Z1R was a loan unit from a friend...

Budget single-DD IEMs are on the rise lately, and KBEar decided to join the party as well with the KS1. This time they’ve ditched the way-overused “Balanced armature driver in the nozzle” bit and I am glad they went that route. Let’s see if the KS1 has what it takes to stand its ground. Note: the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier. Wendy Li of KBEar was kind enough to send the unit. Disclaimer This review originally appeared on my blog. Sources used: LG G7, Sony NW-A55 Price, while reviewed: ~13 euros. Can be bought from KBEar’s...

Moondrop needs no introduction nowadays after being one of the most consistent manufacturers out there in terms of releases and their adherence to hitting “target curves”, or a specific frequency-response in other words. The Moondrop Aria 2 (2021) is their latest release that, on paper, succeeds their age-old model, the Aria (which had a shell similar to their now discontinued Crescent). Confusing naming schemes aside, the Aria refresh is nothing like the old model with a very different shell design along with a detachable cable (whereas the...