Head Gear Reviews by Trance_Gott

Now I was finally able to test the Susvara Unveiled. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Zenker and Mr. Sieveking from the German Hifiman distributor Sieveking Sound, who quickly and unbureaucratically made the Unveiled available to me for testing. After unpacking, a black storage box presents itself, which is identical to the Susvara OG except for the different labeling. Inside you will also find the accessories already familiar from the Susvara OG. The spaghetti-like connection cables of the Susvara OG have been replaced by higher...

The Emperor is the latest flagship from QDC, which was created in collaboration with Aiuto. The year 2024 is the year of the dragon in the lunar calendar. This is closely associated with the first emperor of China. This is how the name Emperor came about for the new IEM from QDC. QDC has been around since the heyday of IEMs and has years of expertise in this field. One of the best-known models is the Anole series, which is known for its absolute neutrality and can be found at the top of many top lists. I recently tested the Model 8 Pro, which is also...

There is now a custom version of the Model E12, which I tested some time ago in the universal version, with a special feature that I came across after my Bellos X4 review. It is the design of the nozzle itself. In normal custom IEMs, these tend to be longer and ultimately sit very deep in the ear canal. This is different with the Bellos IEMs and also with the E12 Custom. This unique FlexFit Canals technology from Fir Audio uses a shorter nozzle that does not sit so deep in the ear canal. This is achieved by an attached silicone ring that adapts to...

Aleksandar Radisavlievic ushered in a new era of true ribbon drivers under the newly founded RAAL brand in 1995. He has been involved in the development of ribbon drivers since the early 1990s, initially mainly in the loudspeaker segment and later also for headphones. This is how the first SR-1a true ribbon headphones came about 5 years ago. This catapulted RAAL-requisite to one of the hottest headphones ever virtually overnight. Today, the SR-1a is still one of the best resolving headphones with a speed that is second to none. A domain in which the...

Like the Gaia, the Raven is one of the flagships of the South Korean manufacturer AME Custom (Acoustic Mastered Engineering). While the Gaia uses a DD driver for the bass range, the Raven uses two BA drivers from Sonion. Both are identically priced and currently have a retail price of 3200 USD. Just like the Gaia, the Raven is meticulously handcrafted and I personally like its black design even better. In general, these two IEMs are at the top of my IEM collection in terms of workmanship and design. The Gaia, which I tested extensively some time...

The Omnium is the latest model from Craft Ears, which is also the new flagship. After I recently tested my first custom IEM with the Bellos X4 and was so impressed with the comfort, I also decided to go for a custom with the Omnium. After several personal messages with the very friendly CEO Jedrek from Craft Ears, I decided on the "Blue Galaxy" design with the colors silver/white, black and blue. After sending the digital ear impressions in the form of .STL files and after a processing time of approx. 2 months, I finally held my custom Omniums in my...

The Gaia is one of the flagship IEMs from the South Korean manufacturer AME Custom (Acoustic Mastered Engineering). Together with the Raven model, the Gaia represents the top class of multi-year developments from AME Custom. While the Raven is a hybrid with BA and EST drivers, the Gaia also uses a DD driver for the bass range. In terms of price, both are absolutely identical and currently have a retail price of 3200 USD. Each model is meticulously crafted by hand using the highest quality and grade of wood. This selection took a total of 2 years...

Having recently tested the new M23 extensively, I was very excited to see how it compared to its bigger brother, the M15s. With an RRP of €999, the M15s is priced slightly above the M23 and directly below the top model M17. As soon as you unpack it, you notice that the M23 and M15s hardly differ in terms of weight and size. However, the more expensive M15s comes with a genuine leather cover, which I would have preferred for the M23 instead of a simple silicone cover. The M15s also comes with a docking station including a cooler on which the DAP can...

The FiiO M23 is the latest DAP from FiiO. With an RRP of €749, it is priced between the M11s and M15s. The M23 not only continues the classic hexagonal honeycomb design and 18:9 format of the M11 series, but also offers significant improvements in configuration, performance and ease of use. The aim was to create a mid- to high-end DAP that offers both outstanding performance and an excellent listening experience. The M23 uses AKM's flagship AK4191EQ+AK4499EX. FiiO also uses "DWA ROUTING Technology" to further improve the signal-to-noise ratio...

Bellos Audio, founded by Vlad and Bogdan Belonozhko, known as the Bellos Brothers, stands out in the pro audio industry for its innovative approach and dedication. With more than two decades of combined expertise, Bellos Audio is more than just another player in the audio market. It is a response to the increasing demand for high-quality audio products. The company was born out of a partnership with FIR Audio with the aim of overcoming the challenges in the pro audio sector. The Bellos brothers embarked on a journey to understand and address these...

The Grand Maestro is FATFreq's flagship IEM and the ultimate choice for audiophiles seeking the pinnacle of music enjoyment. According to FATFreq, the Grand Maestro is designed to make listening to music an experience in a class of its own. It features an award-winning frequency response that delivers exceptional bass feedback and superb low-end tonality with plenty of slam. I have already tested the Scarlet Mini from FATFreq. And this already delivers an absolutely brute performance in the lower registers that I am very enthusiastic about. With the...

As I was already very enthusiastic about the current OH700VB model, I now wanted to get to know Oriveti's flagship model, the OV800. These are my impressions of this model. In contrast to the OH700VB, the OV800 uses only BA drivers - 8 of them. While the OH700VB sounds neutral and rather bright, the OV800 is the interpretation of a neutral, slightly warm reference tuning. The OV800 is priced at 999 USD compared to 700 USD for the OH700VB. As with the OH700VB, the workmanship is really 1A. Each cabinet is made by hand. I personally like the...

Jomo Audio, a Singapore-based company, was founded by Joseph Mou, a broadcast engineer with a passion for audio. Combining his expertise with the inspiration of Japanese craftsmanship, Jomo Audio quickly became a popular brand in the portable audio market in Southeast Asia. With 15 years of experience in audio and 10 years in IEM design, Joseph's journey began as a hobbyist before founding Jomo Audio in 2012. The company's commitment to innovation is evident in the blend of traditional techniques and advanced 3D technologies that result in...

QDC has become known worldwide for its Anole series of IEMs, which are considered the most neutrally tuned in the IEM landscape and are at the top of the charts on some platforms where tonality and resolution are considered the most important criteria. Over the last 7 years QDC has undergone many technological innovations, all of which have led to the latest product from QDC, the 8 Pro. Three different tunings can be selected with a switch integrated in the housing. With the Hifi, Studio and Live settings, the user can adjust the tonality to suit...

The OH700VB is Oriveti's current hybrid flagship, which is equipped with a total of 7 drivers. One DD driver for the bass, 4 BA drivers for the mids and 2 BA drivers for the treble. Oriveti's aim was to develop a very neutral and detailed sound. The extent to which this has been achieved will be discussed below. The workmanship of the OH700VB is really outstanding for the price of 699 USD. You can see that every single housing is made by hand and with attention to detail. I have never experienced such good workmanship and design in this price...

I was very excited about the Mini Scarlet from FatFreq, the specialist for IEMs from Singapore. The model promises nothing less than the deepest bass in the world in an IEM. This is to be made possible by the world's first 30dB sub-bass boost. But is it even possible to control such a sub-bass shelf? I want to get to the bottom of this in the following review. Not only is the bass range to be controlled in a very controlled manner below 200Hz, the other frequencies are not ignored either. FatFreq's specially developed tube-less hyper tweeter system...

The Xenon 6 (XE6 for short) is the flagship of Fir Audio's Frontier Series. The Xenon 6 is also priced slightly higher than the limited edition Radon 6 (RN6 for short). Together with the RN6, the XE6 reflects the sound peak of Fir Audio's portfolio. While the RN6 is much closer to a more neutral tuning than the XE6, the latter is aimed at purists who want to enjoy an IEM to the full with great sound colors and where every listening session becomes a true experience. In the following, I will examine whether this is ultimately the case and also make...

The PB5 Osprey is iBasso's answer to the question of the best possible portable amplifier with analog tube magic. Of course, no "real" electrode tubes are used here, as these would be too large in a portable device and their waste heat would also be too high. Instead, so-called nutubes are used, two of them in fact. These type 6P1 nutubes are manufactured by Korg and Noritake and are already in their sixth generation. Similar to a vacuum tube, a nutube has an anode grid structure and works exactly like a triode vacuum tube. Similarly, it also...

The Trifecta is the flagship from Campfire Audio. The name Trifecta is derived from the arrangement of the drivers in the form of a triangle. No other manufacturer has taken this approach before and I can already say that this IEM sounds like no other. The patent-pending triangular housing accommodates three dynamic drivers with a 10 mm ADLC cone that cover the entire frequency range. This should provide a massive and exciting sound with a very wide stage. That's the advertising promise. Whether it is kept or not will be shown in my later sound...

Spirit Torino, the high-end headphone manufacturer from Turin, is launching its first headphones with a planar magnetic driver, the Centauri model. The brand became world-famous with its Valkyria headphone model. This was followed by other models with dynamic drivers and an IEM, the Twin Pulse IEM Beryllium, which I also tested some time ago. Spirit Torino also invested a lot of time in research and development for these headphones in order to stand out from the competition. Simply building larger and larger drivers is not the way to go. A large...