A re-release done right! Oh yes, I can finally say that a company has not let down its customers with a re-release. How many times have you seen a manufacturer re-release a popular model and completely ruin it and change it up from the original version? I’ll tell you: too many times. The whole purpose of re-releasing a product is to refresh it, but most importantly, to improve the “bads” and keep the “goods”. As a customer, I do not want a downgrade in quality in a re-release, neither do I want a warm sound signature if the original one had an...

SIVGA is back with a new entry-level headphone. Welcome Robin (SV021), a brand-new $150 closed-back headphone from the Chinese manufacturer SIVGA. Unboxing Experience SV021 comes in a black box that is made of the same material that the Phoenix box is made off. It features a simpler packaging design, without the angled lid and the different color packaging that was featured in the Phoenix. Once you take the lid off, the contents are pretty standard (referring to SIVGA standards): the headphones are sat in some black foam, and the pouch and the...

KBEAR is back at it again, but this time with a very bold & strong statement: Aurora. Meet the brand-new single dynamic IEM from the Chinese manufacturer that is best known for its good price-to-performance products. As most of you know KBEAR has two brands: KBEAR, which specializes in budget-friendly products, and TRI, which is the premium sister company of KBEAR. KBEAR was exclusively manufacturing budget-friendly, <$100 products, but broke that rule with its Believe model which was priced $180. From what it appears, the company is exploring the...

TRI is back at it once again. After making a statement with its flagship Starlight, TRI has introduced a new flagship: Starshine. Not only is Starshine the company’s new flagship, but it’s also cheaper than the Starlight model. It comes with a simpler driver-array that is inferior in quantity, but still remains the quality. TRI is on a wild run, they just released their entry-level Aurora and also announced on Facebook that they are going to have more releases by the end of the year. Either way, let’s dig into where the Starshine shines. Unboxing...

CCZ is a new name on the block. With hundreds and thousands of IEM companies, it’s hard to stand out as a new manufacturer. Let’s see what Plume is all about. Disclaimer: CCZ Plume was sent to me free of charge by KeepHiFi. I want to clearly state that I am being compensated for the publishing of this review to KeepHiFi's website. I will also financially benefit if you decide to use my discount code. I want to make it clear that I am not obliged to write a positive review, the words below are based on my speculations and my experience with the...

SIVGA P-II alongside SIVGA Phoenix Founded in 2016, Dongguan Sivga Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. is no stranger to the electronics industry. The people behind the company are Mr. Jian Zhou and Mr. Rongchun Pan. Unfortunately, there is not a whole lot on the internet that can be found about either of them. However, it is known that Mr. Jian Zhou has at least two decades of industry experience. His previous work was done for globally established brands like Sennheiser, Bose, and Sony. When I asked a SIVGA representative to reveal which products Mr...

iBasso SR2 paired with the UA2 While most known for it’s portable audio line-up (DAPs, IEMs, DACs, Amps), Shanling is also a manufacturer of serious pieces of audio gear (desktop DACs, full-sized Amps, CD Players, and also a number of tube audio equipment). Also, many might get tricked into thinking that Shanling is a recently founded company, when in reality it was founded all the way back in 1988. The UA line-up, consisting of the UA1 and the UA2, was announced in late 2020 and released around the same time. In this article I will be discussing...

iBasso SR2 paired with the UA2 While most known for it’s portable audio line-up (DAPs, IEMs, DACs, Amps), Shanling is also a manufacturer of serious pieces of audio gear (desktop DACs, full-sized Amps, CD Players, and also a number of tube audio equipment). Also, many might get tricked into thinking that Shanling is a recently founded company, when in reality it was founded all the way back in 1988. The UA line-up, consisting of the UA1 and the UA2, was announced in late 2020 and released around the same time. In this article I will be discussing...

“If you have been around in 2018 and have been following the Chi-Fi scene at the time, then you must’ve heard about BQEYZ. Founded in 2018 and located in Dongguan, China, BQEYZ is a well known manufacturer even though it is only 3 years old. It has made a very strong impression with its budget models like the K1, KB1 and K100. However, it was the Spring 1 that put the company on the map. Outside of being well-known for their budget models, it would go on to catch the interest of the mid-fi IEM market, the Spring 1 was considered by many as the best...

Founded in Shenzen in 2016, Sabaj is a Chinese company that manufactures affordable amplifiers and DACs. Unboxing Experience The DA3 features fairly simple and plain packaging. On the front there is the company logo, model name, and Hi-Res logo. On the back you have some contact information and that’s about it. On the inside it is not much different, you just have the DA3 and the cable. Simple and straightforward. Top Bottom Design & Build Quality The DA3 is constructed of aluminum and has a foam pad on the bottom side. This pad acts as a...

Go Big or Go Home! If you are unfamiliar with the name “iBasso”, here is an excerpt from my iBasso SR2 review (read here) that vaguely goes into the company’s history: “In 2006 the company stayed loyal to producing headphone amplifiers, portable amplifiers, and DACs. However, it was 2011 that would become the most important year for iBasso. DX100 would become the product that completely changed iBasso’s future. It was the company’s greatest success and was the greatest accomplishment — making it the world’s first digital audio player that could...

If you have been around in 2018 and have been following the Chi-Fi scene at the time, then you must’ve heard about BQEYZ. Founded in 2018 and located in Dongguan, China, BQEYZ is a well known manufacturer even though it is only 3 years old. It has made a very strong impression with its budget models like the K1, KB1 and K100. However, it was the Spring 1 that put the company on the map. Outside of being well-known for their budget models, it would go on to catch the interest of the mid-fi IEM market, the Spring 1 was considered by many as the best...

If you are not familiar with EarMen, you can read the excerpt from my TR-Amp review: “Whether it’s their genius and sneaky model names, or the devices themselves, EarMen is doing it right, and I love it! There is a great challenge in succeeding when you are a fairly new company to the market — it’s hard to reinvent the wheel. Auris Audio is only 7 years old, it’s a fairly young company, yet they did it their own way and succeeded in doing that. If you are not familiar with Auris Audio, you may be asking “What is Auris Audio and why is it relevant to...

Kaldas Research is a fairly new name in the industry, but it's one you should be paying close attention to. Why? Money. You see, in the world of business, it's all about money. If you own a business, you invest your time & money, and in return, you gain profit – you get food on the table and make a living out of it. Every business needs to at least return the invested amount of money in order for it to be able to operate. Ideally, you want to gain profit. What you do not want is to lose money, that's when things start going sideways. Just like...

After two long years of waiting, iBasso is back with one of the best releases of 2020. The SR2 is finally here. While iBasso is mainly known for their headphone amplifiers & digital audio players, in October 2018. iBasso released their first headphone model — the SR1. It was definitely not something anybody was expecting, not to mention that it was a fascinating introduction to the headphone market. SR1 was not only a great sounding headphone but one of the most well designed and built headphones on the market. The construction was more like that of...

Who is Ollo Audio? Originating from Slovenia, Ollo Audio is a fairly new company in the headphone space. Focusing specifically in the field of professional audio engineering use, Ollo Audio has been manufacturing headphones ever since Ron Gulič - the founder - decided to officially start making headphones under the company name… and let’s say that that was when his wife was disturbed while sleeping. Ollo was founded back in 2015, however, it wasn’t until 2016 that they would create their first ever headphone prototype. Ever since, Rok and his team...

If you have been following the headphone scene back in 2018, then you are probably familiar with the Dekoni Blue. Fostex’s T50RP is probably the most modded headphone model in history, and Dekoni took part of that as well. Dekoni originally announced their partnership with Fostex back in May, 2018, however, the headphone was actually previewed way back in February. It would go on to gain its biggest audience from Massdrop (now Drop). The Blue has been released at several different price points and variants - since its release, the prices varied from...

Whether it’s their genius and sneaky model names, or the devices themselves, EarMen is doing it right, and I love it! There is a great challenge in succeeding when you are a fairly new company to the market - it’s hard to reinvent the wheel. Auris Audio is only 7 years old, it’s a fairly young company, yet they did it their own way and succeeded in doing that. If you are not familiar with Auris Audio, you may be asking “What is Auris Audio and why is it relevant to EarMen?”. First, let’s make this clear: Auris Audio is the parent company which mainly...

You are probably familiar with Hifiman, as it is one of the largest manufacturers of orthodynamic (planar-magnetic) headphones. Whether it’s the budget-friendly Sundara, the mid-range Arya, or the flagship Shangri-La, you should have heard about Hifiman by this point. Hifimans roots go all the way back to 2005, when Dr. Fang Bian opened Head-Direct (Hifiman before the name was changed to “Hifiman”). With over 15 years of existence, Hifiman had more than enough time to play around and see what works, and what doesn’t. Hifiman managed to put out a...

Sivga is no stranger to make good headphones at a great value, and they did not break that tradition with the brand new Phoenix. With the more-mainstream success of their planar-magnetic P-II, Sivga is surely building a name for themselves. I am really hoping to see this company enter the mainstream market. Being a company that is dedicated to details and high quality products (no matter the budget), it was nice to see that they followed the same fashion with their brand-new product. Metal and wood has been the standard that Sivga has followed even...