TRN BA5--$50 5BA entrant from TRN, whose prior releases have been hit or miss. Packaging and accessories are as minimal as you’ll find—literally just headshells, one set of M tips and a generic, slightly microphonic cable. Shells themselves are nicely done in a matte titanium and look more premium in person than in pictures; fit is snug and, considering the prominent vents on the shells isolation is good. Very loud and sensitive, to the extent that some hiss can be heard at dead level. The BA5 is bright, with a generally balanced signature, which is...

I actually had no urge to review these until I read some rich old guys on an audiophile site gushing about how well these compared to their pricy Campfires and Shures. Welcome to Chifi, suckas. In any event, the Pro is the updated version of the polarizing ZS10 [review HERE], albeit with a sleeker design and much better comfort. Visually almost identical to the ZSN, but with a shiny stainless metal fascia which looks more upscale, at least until time and fingerprints take their toll. Stock cable is flexible and ergonomic, and isolation is extremely...

The EM2 is a new (single Knowles BA/DD) hybrid from Simgot, whose single dynamic EN700 Bass is still one of the best-tuned $100 phones I’ve heard. Packaging and accessories are lavish (silver cable, great leather case); the unboxing experience is orgasmic. Build is solid, although I prefer the metal aesthetic of the EN700 to the less elegant-looking acrylics of the EM2. Sleek, tear-shaped shells provide for excellent fit and comfort; for some reason these isolated well outdoors and less well in the gym. Very efficient and easily driven with a...

Among the morass of interesting new releases in the same ($60) bracket I chose these because the (unusual) listed 55ohm impedance would trigger the high impedance mode of my LG V30 (the touted “piezzoelectric ceramic driver” sounded like mere adspeak to me). Very nicely metal build; I absolutely love the compact sleek shape which provides for great fit and good isolation. These sounded veiled and almost bassless OOTB; after burn-in and switching to foams, things started to normalize—the signature becomes sort of reverse-L shaped, with sculpted...

In an age where (multi-driver) hybrids are all the rage, the G3 is a single dynamic from a maker known for well-regarded, modestly-price earbuds.  I bought these after reading the frenetic praise of Head-Fier//Englishman Vidal, whose recommendations have previously been spot-on.   Purchased on Ali, these arrived fairly quickly. The maker certainly did not over-extend itself in the packaging--they came in two cardboard boxes containing the phones and three silicon tips. The phones themselves seem solidly built, with well-machined metal casings and...

This will be a (hopefully) short review of the GranVela Rbanfun Hifi hybrid IEM, which is marketed under various names sch as Urbanfun Color, Foxpic Urbanfun, Gemtune Urbanfun, etc.; to my actual knowledge these are all the same product. I bought mine from HCK for $19.99, although they seem to have been available for as low as $14 and Amazon sells 'em for $39.99. I tested them with my HTC 10 mobile and an Integra amp, which has a nice headphone section utilizing mostly 320kb Spotify, with a few FLAC files.   One of the significant developments in...

I admit it seems gratuitous to write this missive, since this IEM has already been comprehensively reviewed by B9Scrambler (who I've always found to be particularly credible). However, largely motivated by my desire to procrastinate at work, I thought I'd offer some brief impressions:   I don't generally prefer over-the-ear designs, and I found the included (detachable) memory cable to be overly stiff and difficult to contort and fit. The proprietary 2-pin connector is also somewhat frustrating to insert, and seems like an odd design choice, since...