I just bought a Fiio M3 and felt like it sounded slightly worse than the headphone jack on my Xiaomi 5 phone. Am I crazy, or are phones catching up to the point now where this is realistic? I'm returning the M3 and can't decide if I should buy an X1 instead, or just keep using my phone.  ...

Hi there,      I live in Guangzhou, not far from where Fiio are based, so my order from a local Taobao store was very quick. I'll post photos first and then comment on more when I've had a play with it. My new 64gb Kingston class 10 microsd hasn't arrived yet, so I put in an old 2gb card and...

Hi,   I just got my ELE EL-D01 USB DAC and thought I'd post a quick impression for other newbies at the same point. I've been using my laptop and android phone for an audio source with JVC HA-S500 and Xiaomi 2.0 pistons, and the phone was slightly better. I was bewildered by the options for...

Hi,   I'm mostly here on head-fi just taking advice from people, but seeing as I live in Guangzhou (China), I thought I might create a little thread about audio stuff I find out here for anyone who may visit and does a search in advance. I'll post photos of the electronic/audio markets here...

hi, i've been reading threads about portable vs desktop for sq and value for money. some people said desktop is better value, so it set me wondering. I'm presently waiting for the fiio x1 and may get an x3 instead. in terms of powering a pair of m50 or hd598 for sq/clarity/fidelity, can anyone...

I bought a clip zip as a little gift for a friend. it arrived just now. I put a few flac files loose in the music folder and then started playing them. I played a little of some different songs for a minute or so, then clicked on one that froze the screen. I pressed back, then clicked another...

Hi,   Can someone who has used a range of headphones please tell me if there is a recognisable price curve, as there is with computers and most other things. For example, you get more GB for your money buying a 1TB hard drive than you do a 250GB one. With headphones it's more complicated, but...

Would anyone care to recommend brick-and-mortar shops where we can try before we buy? I'm especially thinking of shops that have a large selection of mid-range gear by brands like AKG, Audio Technica, and Sennheiser, but beggars can't be choosers.   I'll be back in the UK for a holiday in...

In another thread someone said that a $300 pair of headphones was not going to be as good as a $300 pair of IEMs. is this considered to be true? does all that plastic and PU leather mean less money is spent on the driver?

Pretty self~explanatory. I teach at an international kindergarten there and would be curious to chat about music, audio and kit with anyone locally. Thanks!

Hi there!   I'm new to learning about audio, but enjoying the journey so far. I've switched out my cheap sony earbuds for two pairs (steel and gold) of xiaomi pistons that were massively reduced on sale on taobao. Best money I've ever spent, and it was because of the list of Chinese brand...