Disclaimer: NiceHCk sent the ST10s for review because I had reviewed the ST10 and M2 Smabat models previously. I was interested to hear the new Smabat offerings and how they would compare to the original. I hope to add the gold model as well soon. If you have an interest in purchasing the Smabat ST10s, check with NiceHCk via their aliexpress store. Unboxing / Packaging: The ST10s ships in a flat black slip-cover box with the Smabat name on the front in Gloss black. This is a bit more subdued than the original with its gold labeling. The...

disclaimer: KBear volunteered the KS2 for review and graciously sent them. I have no financial interest in KBear or any of its resellers, nor have they had any input into the content of this review. If you have an interest in KBear, please see their facebook page or Aliexpress store. Unboxing / Packaging: Those familiar with the typical small white slip-cover style box will immediately recognize the packaging. Image and name on front, specs on rear of slip cover. Inside, the box, we have the earpieces nestled in foam at the top and a box...

disclaimer: I purchased the BGVP DMS at a reduced price along with the Zero for purposes of review. I have owned the DMS previously (borrowed by my children) and was surprised to see this new one has removable filters that the original did not. For that reason, I have dubbed this the V2. BGVP offered a discount for the purchase, but no other incentives or remuneration were provided for this review. If you have an interest in BGVP products, check out their Facebook page, or AliExpress store. Unboxing / Packaging: Packaging starts with a...

disclaimer: I was sent the Trn VX for review and honestly cannot find the information on which company forwarded them. I apologize for this and if you were the sender, please notify me and I will update this with your information. I have no financial interest in TRN nor have they had any input in this review. If you are interested in the TRN Vx, visit their facebook for more details or their webstore to purchase. Unboxing / Packaging: The VX arrived in the standard TRN packaging of white box with line drawing on the front and specs on the...

disclaimer: I requested the Tri I3 for review from KBear and received a modest discount for purchasing it to review. I have no financial interest in KBEar, Tri, or any of their resellers, nor have any of those had any input in this review. If you are interested in the Tri I3, visit KBear for more details or to purchase. Unboxing / Packaging: The I3 ships in an understated matte black lift top box with the Tri logo on the front and the specifications on a sticker on the reverse. Tri uses the same packaging with a different sticker for the i4...

disclaimer: The Sparrow was sent by Earmen for the purpose of this review. I have no financial interest in Earmen, nor have I received any remuneration for this review. If you have an interest in learning more about the Sparrow or Earmen, check out their website. Packaging: The packaging of the Sparrow is deceptive as the picture on the front of the box is actual size for the device and realistically you could have packed 20 of them in this size box. Packaging is fairly plain with a graphics on front and specs on reverse. Inside you have the...

disclaimer: Hifigo offered the TinHifi T2 plus for review and I gladly accepted. I have had the opportunity to try several other Tinhifi models and find them to be a good value with performance typically outperforming their price point. I have no financial interest in TinHifi or Hifigo, nor have either had any input in this review. If you are interested in the T2 Plus, visit the Tin Hifi Facebook Page or to purchase the T2 Plus visit Hifigo. Unboxing / Packaging: Tin hifi has developed a signature packaging with a white outer cover over a...

disclaimer: I requested the ibasso IT00 for review from iBasso. I had previously purchased the IT01, 01s, and 03 for review and had heard that the IT00 might eclipse the IT01 in the sound quality department so was more than a little interested to try it out. IBasso kindly provided the IT00 for purposes of this review. I have no financial interest in IBasso or any of their resellers, nor have any of those had any input in this review. If you are interested in the IT00, visit the IBasso Website or follow them on Facebook. The IT00 can be...

disclaimer: The Mk3Se was provided by Little Dot USA for the purpose of review. The good folks at Little Dot USA were fans of my tube rolling articles and had noticed a comment I had made about the lack of balanced options in the budget tube amplifier segment of the market. They thought the Mk3Se fit the bill and that I should give it a shot. With the Mk3Se using the 6922 series of tubes, which is A.) one of the most popular tubes for pre-amps and small amplifiers and B.) a tube I had a good stock of but have not written a tube rolling article on...

disclaimer: I purchased the BGVP DMs and Zero at a reduced price for purposes of review. BGVP offered a discount for the purchase, but no other incentives or remuneration were provided for this review. If you have an interest in BGVP products, check out their Facebook page, or AliExpress store. Unboxing / Packaging: The Zero comes packed in a white slipcover with the name and earpieces displayed on the front and the specs and FR graph on the reverse. Slipping the cover off reveals a subdued black box with BGVP in silver on the center...

disclaimer: Little dot is opening a US based web site and store and was looking for reviewers on this side of the pond to help promote their product line to the American market. I agreed to do so based on previous experience with Little dot’s CD transport and Amplifiers. Their tube amps have been a mainstay of the budget (and not so budget) headphone enthusiasts recommendations for quite some time, but to my surprise the first thing Little Dot wanted to send was their earphones. I’ll admit, I’ve known of Little Dot for most of 10 years, but...

disclaimer: Little dot is opening a US based web site and store and was looking for reviewers on this side of the pond to help promote their product line to the American market. I agreed to do so based on previous experience with Little dot’s CD transport and Amplifiers. Their tube amps have been a mainstay of the budget (and not so budget) headphone enthusiasts recommendations for quite some time, but to my surprise the first thing Little Dot wanted to send was their earphones. I’ll admit, I’ve known of Little Dot for most of 10 years, but...

disclaimer: Little dot is opening a US based web site and store and was looking for reviewers on this side of the pond to help promote their product line to the American market. I agreed to do so based on previous experience with Little dot’s CD transport and Amplifiers. Their tube amps have been a mainstay of the budget (and not so budget) headphone enthusiasts recommendations for quite some time, but to my surprise the first thing Little Dot wanted to send was their earphones. I’ll admit, I’ve known of Little Dot for most of 10 years, but...

disclaimer: Little dot is opening a US based web site and store and was looking for reviewers on this side of the pond to help promote their product line to the American market. I agreed to do so based on previous experience with Little dot’s CD transport and Amplifiers. Their tube amps have been a mainstay of the budget (and not so budget) headphone enthusiasts recommendations for quite some time, but to my surprise the first thing Little Dot wanted to send was their earphones. I’ll admit, I’ve known of Little Dot for most of 10 years, but...

disclaimer: I was sent the BQEYZ Spring2 for purposes of reviewing it by Hifigo. I have no financial interest in either of the two, nor have I been provided with any renumeration beyond the earphone itself for this review. If you have an interest in BQYEZ, I recommend you check out their facebook page, or to purchase the Spring2, shop Hifigo. Unboxing / Packaging: The spring 2 ships in a slipcover style box with a large 2 on the front and specs on the reverse. The inner box is black with a woven look and BQEYZ in the upper corner. This...

disclaimer: I have reviewed a lot of KZ gear over the years, some I’ve bought, others were given to me as review samples, and others were purchased at a discount. I think I have every CCA model produced to date in my collection as well. So far CCA is much like its parent, kind of a mixed bag with some models outperforming their price point, others offering average value and one or two that just plain were not good. The CCA Ca16 is a departure from earlier models in that a direct KZ counterpart hasn’t been released yet, so unlike times past...

disclaimer: I received the Meze Empyrean as part of a review tour. I got to keep it for 14 days before sending it on to another reviewer. I have no financial interest in Meze or any of its distributors but will admit to owning the 99 Classic and having reviewed the Rai Penta previously so I have spoken to Anto Meze in the past and do have at least a casual acquaintance there. If you are interested in Meze products or the Empyrean, visit their website. To purchase the Empyrean in the USA, I recommend TTVJ , I have no financial interest in Todd’s...

disclaimer: The Zen is a loaner provided by iFi Audio for review and must be returned when the review is complete. I have no financial interest in iFi or its parent AMR. I have previously reviewed the Zen Blue and this is the other model in the Zen line and is a desktop DAC/Amp. A big thanks of iFi-Audio. If you are interested in the Zen series or other iFi products, check their website. Unboxing / Packaging: The Zen ships in a lift top style box with the main unit housed in an egg-crate surround with the USB cable and RCA cables in a small...

disclaimer: The HUD100 was sent by Radsone for the purpose of this review. I have no financial interest in Radsone, nor have I received any renumeration for this review. If you have an interest in purchasing the HUD100 or other Radsone products, check out their website. To purchase an HUD100, visit RadSone’s new store directly. Also worth noting, the price has dropped since we originally received the review sample with the HUD100 now selling for $139.99. Packaging: The packaging of the HUD100 is deceptive as the picture on the front of the box...

Disclaimer: I was approached by HiFiGo about reviewing the Topping E30 and quickly agreed. Those familiar with Topping will know they have been producing a line of desktop products that outperform just about everything in their price range and measure extremely well. They have received praise from a number of sources for their DACs in particular so when the opportunity came up to try the latest release, how could I pass that up. I have no financial interest in HiFiGo or Topping and have received no compensation save the product itself for this...