Nobody said HiFi was cheap, spending $200 dollars on HiFi doesn't get you very far these days. The AudioQuest DragonFly RED is one of those rare exceptions, I think it's the best value on the market today. The second best value in HiFi for under $200 is the UpTone Audio USB REGEN. Put these two products together and your grooving your way towards the HiFI summit. RED is significantly better than the previous version, more drive, better resolution, better sound-staging, the difference in SQ between the old and new version is easily discernible. I...

  I got the 10% percent discount and free shipping November promotion. The Woo Audio WA6-SE needs no introduction, Woo Audio has the products and the path to the summit of head-fi on lock. This amp looks great and it kicks butt, like a Shaolin master from Wudang mountain. I'm throwing my Schiit in the garbage can, just kidding, I'm keeping my Vallhala 2. Too early to critically compare the two amps, the WA6-SE needs more time to bloom. I am very familiar with the sound of the Schiit Valhalla 2 with stock tubes. Straight out of the box and head to...

  Volumes have all already be written about the pro's and con's of the Samsung Galaxy S5 smart phone so I'm going to skip right to my point. I've been mulling over the idea of purchasing a USB noise and power filter to go with my AudioQuest DragonFly for weeks. Instead I renewed my contract with my cell carrier and a new Samsung Galaxy S5 was part of the deal. I didn't waste anytime connecting the S5 to the DragonFly. I notice a significant improvement in SQ vs. the noisy USB port on my PC. I can't go back to PC ports, I will keep the DragonFly...

  ^ I'm streaming Tidal HiFi (lossless CD quality - FLAC-based 16-Bit/44.1 kHz) via line out dock to my portable headphone amp and cans, in this case the DECWARE Zen Head, Grado GS1000e    I've been using the iPad 2 as a source for years and it still rocks! The price is way down for a new iPad 2 however, the refurbished market price is the way to go for value ratio. I feel the iPad 2 offers a value ratio that other popular USB dac's and players don't offer. The iPad 2 tablet as a source is less hassle for starters, my USB dac could use a jitter...

Review Setup   AudioQuest DragonFly v1.2 USB DAC   Schiit VALHALLA 2 amp   Grado Labs GS1000e headphones   Tributaries 2YP-MFF Y cable   AudioQuest Golden Gate interconnects     The DragonFly is a good match with the Valhalla 2, this DAC lives up to the hype surrounding it. I must admit I had my doubts about the DragonFly but don't let the small form factor thumb stick looks fool you go out and get one but keep the receipt. I don't like the DragonFly as a standalone DAC/AMP the sound has a ringing in my ear kind of digititis signature...

http://www.raysamuelsaudio.com/   It takes a lot of confidence to name your product after the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. If your going to honor the legendary mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft, your design better not blow or your reputation in HiFi will become worthless.     The Emmeline "The Black Bird" SR-71A Portable Headphone Amp lives up to its name. Here I have it strapped to my iPod Classic 7th (now almost a relic/collectors item) and the HiFiMAN HE-400 magnetic planar headphones. I think the HE-400 sounds better with this amp...

  Here's everything you need to know http://archimago.blogspot.com/2013/03/measurements-sony-playstation-1-scph.html   Here's the Stereophile review on it http://www.stereophile.com/cdplayers/708play/ note that the Stereophile review is on the SCPH-1001 model. Both models 5501 & 1001 share the same AKM DAC see the link above for more details.      I got mine modified with RCA output jacks and a couple of quality capacitors wired directly off the DAC chip     It pairs nicely with my Schiit Valhalla 2 and HiFiMAN HE-300 headphones, I'm...

I use the 30pin line out dock on my iPhone 4s as a portable source. As a portable source the iPhone 4s makes an excellent choice for lots of reasons that I'm not going to explain in this review. Here are the highlights that do it for me. I'm going to make the case that the iPhone 4s make a great dedicated lower cost portable source. The best function the 4s has going for it is web connectivity. I want to listen to the 'Ex Machina' Soundtrack By Portishead’s Geoff Barrow And Ben Salisbury right now. I can do that with a smart phone! I want access to...

Hypertonic Osmosis Acoustic Filters or (HOAF)..the Lulz, but seriously I thinks of the GS1000e like a filter for acoustics. What goes into the Grado transducers gets filtered. The filtered sound is separated into detailed layer cake for the ears. The GS1000e.. it sounds the way cupcakes taste to me and that's delectable. The sonic house recipe of the Grado statement is like coconut cream cake. If your favorite flavor is dark chocolate black forest cake or something, the GS1000e statement might not do it for you. What I mean is that the filtered sound...

HiFiMAN ran this combo deal last year (2014) for $249, HE-300 Headphones and the EF3 amp. What a deal this has been. The EF3 amp is similar to the well known EF2A amp minus the DAC circuitry. The EF3 has a three position gain switch and a black and gold color scheme. A gold colored push button power switch ignites the glow of the tubes and a dim LED surrounds the volume knob in a ring of blue light. It looks good, not chintzy or super cheapy. I use the EF3 a lot, like almost everyday for the last year. I replaced the stock tubes with a matched pair...

I own two portables amps the Ray Samuels Emmeline "The Black Bird" SR-71A and the Decware Zen Head. I really like the SR-71A, all the reviews on it do it justice. As good as the SR-71A is (like undeniably good sounding) the Decware Zen Head is better. The Zen Head is very very easy on my ears and this is why I love it so. I like the SQ so much that I can overlook the things that I don't like about the ZH. The thing I don't like about ZH most is the battery cover. No biggie but the cover to the battery compartment is a plastic slide lock design that...

The electronic wizards and warriors at Schiit Audio can do battle in the bloody realm of HiFi audio worthy of this amp's mythical name. The technical schiit is on the website, the Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) type music reviews are not my thing. I'll keep this Schiit review short and brief. What does it for me, the sensation I get when the tunes produce that euphoria that sends "Qi" down your spine. I'm very sensitive to ear fatigue, so I prefer tube over solid state and open back over closed cans. Neutrality and accuracy is overrated, what...

The price to performance ratio of the HiFiMan HE-400 is truly exceptional. The clamping force of new head band is tight and requires break-in. I prefer the the plush pads over stock pads for comfort. Once HE-400 is broke in, like a pair of old boots...they become comfortable but not super comfy..due to the weight of these cans being on the heavier side.    Equipment used for this review   HiFiMan HE-400   HiFiman HE-300   Grado GS1000e   Bose ae2   Decware Zen Head amp   Emmeline "The Black Bird" SR-71A amp   Schiit Valhalla 2 amp   ...