disclaimer: The Xa-10 was provided for the purpose of this review by XDuoo. If you have an interest in purchasing any of the Xduoo amplifiers I have recently written about, I suggest you check out Xduoo’s website and follow them on facebook for more information. I have no financial interest in Xduoo, nor did I receive any compensation beyond the product itself for reviewing it. Unboxing / Packaging: The Xa-10 is a fairly light unit but is well packaged for travel all the same. The outer box is a heavy cardboard shipping container with a...

disclaimer: The Teac UD-505 was loaned to me by TTVJ (Todd the Vinyl Junkie) for purposes of this review. I have no financial interest in TTVJ or Teac but was interested in this model due to its top end specs and mid-fi pricing. It is not an inexpensive unit, but for the features included it, it is less expensive than my Bel Canto or other similar DACs. The UD-505 is outside my norm for reviews for sure with its $2k sticker price and the fact that it is as much a 2-channel component DAC as it is a headphone amplifier. It represents a market...

NF Audio NM2+ disclaimer: NF Audio approached me about reviewing their current lineup recently and I agreed. They sent me the NA2 and NM2+ models for review. I have no financial interest in NF Audio, nor have I received any directions or guidance for this review. I have received no compensation beyond the product for this review. If you have an interest in NF Audio, check out their website and Facebook Page. To purchase NF Audio products, see Aoshida Audio. Unboxing / Packaging: The packaging on the NF Audio models is well laid out with...

disclaimer: NF Audio approached me about reviewing their current lineup recently and I agreed. They sent me the NA2 and NM2+ models for review. I have no financial interest in NF Audio, nor have I received any directions or guidance for this review. I have received no compensation beyond the product for this review. If you have an interest in NF Audio, check out their website and Facebook Page. To purchase NF Audio products, see Aoshida Audio Unboxing / Packaging: The packaging on the NF Audio models is well laid out with the outer box...

Khadas Tone2Pro disclaimer: The Khadas Tone2Pro was provided by Hifigo for review. I purchased the balanced RCA cables at retail price to be able to test the unit thoroughly. I have no financial interest in either Khadas or HiFiGo, nor did I receive any advice or remuneration for this review. If you need more information, see Khadas webpage or Facebook and to purchase a toneboard, see HiFiGo. Packaging: The Tone2 Pro arrived in a white lift top style box with a photo of the unit on front and a labeled diagram as well as specs showing on the...

Moondrop Blessing 2 disclaimer: The Moondrop Blessing 2 and S8 were sent as part of a Moondrop review tour. I have no financial interest in Moondrop, nor did I receive any remuneration for this review. If you have an interest in Moondrop products, see their website, Facebook page, or to purchase Moondrop products, see HiFiGo. Unboxing / Packaging: The Blessing 2 came as part of a tour so my unboxing experience may not parallel the retail experience. I received the Blessing 2 in a lift-top box with the Moondrop logo on front in silver...

disclaimer: V-Moda was kind enough to send the M100 Master for purposes of review and feedback. Once complete, the sample was returned to V-Moda and I received no compensation or instructions as regards the content of this page. If you have an interest in V-Moda products in general or the M100 Master specifically, see their website or Facebook page. You can also purchase and customize the face plates of your V-Moda product directly from their website. Unboxing / Packaging: Unboxing the M100 master is a more upscale experience than many...

disclaimer: I purchased the Cayin N3 Pro for a reduced price (albeit still substantial) for the purpose of this review. While I appreciate the discount as it allows me to buy and review more gear, it has not influenced my writing, nor has Cayin had any input into the content other than to provide technical specs. I have no financial interest in Cayin or any of its vendors. Thank you to Cayin for providing the opportunity and trusting me with their gear. If you have an interest in Cayin products, more details can be found at Cayin’s Website...

disclaimer: I was involved in testing the beta versions of the Janus and spoke with DD-Hifi regarding the tuning and ease of use features of the Janus. Some pictures are of the Beta model while others are the final product as the shells have changed little save for a few convenience features on the final product (welcome changes). Sent as a beta by DD Hifi for testing and tuning. I have not received any guidance on what to write for this review, I was not compensated for this review, nor do I have any financial interest in DD-Hifi. Unboxing...

disclaimer: The Aquila ii was sent as part of a tour for purposes of review and was sent on to the next reviewer immediately after completion of this review. I have no financial interest in YULONG or any of its vendors, nor did I receive any compensation for reviewing it. If you have an interest in purchasing any of the YULONG products, see their website. For the record, my capitalization of the name is done for the reason that YULONG represents the brand while YuLong is the person who founded the brand so I didn’t simply forget to clear...

disclaimer: The Astrotec Volans was provided by Hifigo for purposes of this review. I have received no compensation for this review, nor do I have any financial interest in Hifigo or Astrotec. To learn more about the Volans, see the Astrotec website. If you are interested in purchasing, see hifigo. Unboxing / Packaging: The Volans comes packed in a slipcover style box with a scene that looks like painted water or night sky on the sleeve. The sleeve front has the Astrotec name and Volans in silver along with a silver button that says POP in...

disclaimer: disclaimer: The CCA CX4 and CX10 were provided for purposes of review. Unboxing / Packaging: The CX10 comes shipped in a white lift top style box with the CCA logo on the front and model details on a sticker on the side. I found this a bit odd as the packaging on its less expensive sibling is more sophisticated and shows more attention to detail than does the CX10. Internal packaging is a bit better with the case in a plastic support and a small box hiding the cable and tips rather than those items being loose under the plastic...

Disclaimer: NiceHCk sent the Smabat M2 for review. The M2 sports many of the same features of earlier versions of Smabat earbuds but with a modular design that allows tuning the earbuds to your preference. I have no financial interest in Smabat or NiceHCK, nor was I compensated in any fashion for this review. If you have an interest in purchasing the Smabat M2, check with NiceHCk via their aliexpress store. Unboxing / Packaging: The M2 Pro ships in a white lift top box with the Smabat name on the front in silver. The rear has a label with...

disclaimer: The XLink 2 was sent for purposes of review by Xduoo. I have no financial interest in Xduoo, nor have I received any remuneration for this review. If you have an interest in learning more about the Xlink 2 or other Xduoo products check out their website. Packaging: Packaging is similar to the XD-05 style with an outer slipcover and an inner lift-top box. The slipcover is blue with a line drawing of the product and the model name on front. The rear has company information but does not give specs for the product like many other...

disclaimer: I have now had 2 LZ A7s. The first was a beta and the 2nd an early production sample. Both were given to me for purpose of review and signature tuning. I don’t have any financial affiliation with LZ but have owned every A model since the A2 with most of them still in my collection. I had purchased the A5, A6, and A6 mini myself so could be called a fan of the LZ house sound. If you have an interest in learning more, please see LZ’s website. To purchase, Expect stock soon at all the normal outlets. Unboxing / Packaging: The...

disclaimer: Shenzhen Audio offered the Moondrop SSR for review and I gladly accepted. I have had the opportunity to try several other Moondrop models and find them to be a good value with performance typically outperforming their price point. I have no financial interest in Moondrop or ShenZhen Audio, nor have either had any input in this review. If you are interested in the SSR, visit the Moondrop Website or follow them on Facebook. The SSR can be purchased directly from Shenzhen Audio. Unboxing / Packaging: Those familiar with Moondrop...

disclaimer: I borrowed the IMR Aten from another head-fi member to review in trade while he tried out my LZ A7 beta. I have no financial interest in IMR or any of its affiliates and having lived through some of the Trinity fiasco personally understand those who are leary of wanting to deal with IMR as a result. I’ll admit to mixed feelings myself in that respect but this is a product review and as such lets leave the politics in this section and move forward with the product. If you have an interest in IMR, check their website. Also a lot of...

disclaimer: Dunu kindly offered the SA3 for review. I have no affiliation with Dunu or any of its subsidiaries, nor have any of them had any input into the review process. If you have an interest in purchasing the Sa3 or learning more about Dunu products, check their website or facebook page. Unboxing / Packaging: The new studio SA3 comes in a Blue outer carton with thee name on front and specs on reverse. Inside that, a black pressboard lift top style box protects the contents. A top foam layer cradles the earpieces while the rest of the...

Disclaimer: Not too long ago, I reviewed the Topping E30 DAC, their new budget dac offering and more recently the introduced its partner the L30. Hifigo offered me an L30 to try out and I accepted quickly. Topping has been making some great stuff lately and the recent E30 and D90 reviews I had done left me thinking the L30 should be no exception. I have no affiliation with Topping or Hifigo, nor have I received any compensation beyond the unit itself for this review. If you have an interest in topping, check out their website or to purchase...

Disclaimer: The XP-2 Pro was provided to me by Xduoo for purposes of this review. I had reviewed the original model and they asked that I see if the new Pro model addressed some of the things I didn’t love about the original. I have received no guidance on content, nor have I received any remuneration for this review. I have no financial interest in Xduoo or any of its subsidiaries. If you have an interest in the XP-2 Pro – check Xduoo’s website. Unboxing: The Xp-2 Pro came in very similar packaging to the original. It came double boxed...