Got no complaints using this product. everything is working. The build feels premium with no creaking and reinforced by a metal headband. Click adjustment is tight and precise. My only nitpick is the position of the Power/Play-Pause button (at the front of the right earcup). It takes some getting used to but that's about it.

Most importantly, it sounds great! LDAC is perfect! The tuning is definitely audiophile. Bass, mids, lows are well-balanced. Soundstage is decently wide. You can EQ to shave off that mid-forward nature. Imaging is very impressive. Do a Dolby Atmos test and positional queues are on point. Do a Virtual Barber test and though imaging is great, it will not be as wide as a Philips Fidelio X1S (nothing is, actually).

ANC mode also works like a bass boost. Let it "settle" for a few seconds because bass kicks in strongly upon switching but settles after about 2 seconds and the bass boost is tasteful. So consider that when EQ-ing in the OFF mode position. Transparency mode is a very minor treble boost but barely noticeable. Each mode works fine.

I daresay, with ANC, Transparency, all the major codecs (SBC, AAC, and especially LDAC!), a customizable 10-band EQ, and a tuning that definitely considers trained ears, this is probably, STILL the best value in portable audio even today.

Happy listening, everyone! It's been a while.

THE STORY

I started falling in love with music since I was a kid. Back in the day, we're talking around 1995 onwards, been buying tapes and CDs, collecting music.

Enjoyed the old Walkman, the old Discman, the old iPod, the old Fiio X1, a hi-fi smartphone, and now my old and trusty Fiio M11. Burnt all my music to a drive and now they're in a couple of SD cards and a laptop.

Been loving good sound since those days too, with my old JVC boombox and with our old JVC component system.

With headphones however, it did not become serious until the early part of 2015. I've been on and off in this hobby, had several reviews written here at Head-fi, and had enjoyed the adventures of auditioning new gear every once in a while. The last review I've ever written is back in early 2020, just right before the pandemic hit.

So why the two year plus hiatus? Well, aside from the pandemic, a lot busier personal life, and other interests, THE ENDGAME HEADPHONE PROVED TO BE ELUSIVE...until now.


THE PERFECT SOUND

Is there such a thing? Some of you might say yes and some of you might say no. The truth is...there is. THERE IS A PERFECT SOUND FOR YOU...AND JUST FOR YOU.

I've always loved the JVC sound - that mellow, inoffensive, relaxed tuning that keeps you listening for hours.

I've always loved the Grado sound - that lifelike, in your face, live-like sound that's hard to ignore.

I've always loved the Shure sound - that clarity, free flowing details, and shimmer that's as clear as day.

So is there anything else I'd like to add? Maybe a mash-up of the three?

At times, maybe a bit more life on the JVC?
A bit more space on the Grado?
A bit more bass on the Shure?

A little bit of this, a little bit of that. Just where do we find that sweet perfect spot?


WHAT IS THE ANSWER?

Also back in the old days, my eldest sister had a Philips boombox. And while the sound from that old CD player is nothing to write home about, it is something that stuck me with me due to days spent listening to music that my sister introduced me to. She is one of my biggest musical influences.

Fast forward 2022 and I kinda missed this hobby. So as a gift from my wife and my beloved son (so lucky that they let me choose my gift), I decided to get myself what I believe is THE ENDGAME HEADPHONE.


X MARKS THE SPOT

It’s a full circle isn’t it? It may be a sweet coincidence that my first foray into this hobby is through the JVC RX-700 and guess what? The legendary Fiio X1.

Now enter, the Philips Fidelio X1S.



So, is my wish granted? How does it sound? Well, what do you know? it actually has…

A lot more life than the JVC RX-700.
A lot more space than the Grado SR80e.
A lot more bass than the Shure SRH440.


THE SWEET PERFECT SPOT

What does that mean?

BASS is tight, smooth, ever so independent from the rest of the frequencies. It doesn’t bleed into the midrange, and if it does, it does so with finesse. Call it boosted but the kind of boost that can only come from a hardware bass boost like in the Fiio E12. It is that clean. More than adequate and yet so tasteful.

MIDS are a touch forward but never harsh. Again, smooth. Vocals can feel forward but my oh my, do vocals sound so emotionally intimate in these. Like the singer sings to you in a private setting or a small lounge, especially in softer ballads like jazz. Instruments come in very clearly and yet tame…the right kind of tame, like actual music (and not noise) is being presented to you for your sole listening pleasure.

HIGHS are inoffensive but very, very detailed. The highs show you the actual, impressive, resolving power of these headphones. There are details that you haven’t noticed before, like hi-hats on a particular space in the soundstage, or the differences in notes when plucking the guitar for example. We continue with the theme of being smooth yet every detail in the highs, same as the mids, come in very, very clearly.


SOUNDSTAGE?

“To your right, yes to your right. There is something in there. Wait there is something playing a little back. Then again, something behind that as well. Oh a little bit to the left, there is something there too! A bit higher up, you’d find something. A little below that, something is playing. I can clearly see them in their own little space.” See where I’m going with this? Layering in these headphones is just fantastic! Soundstage is wide, really wide! It has incredible height too. This is made more evident when testing recordings with very distinct spatial positioning like official Dolby Atmos samples or the classic Virtual Barber binaural recording. While the Grado is known for its midrange, what we've got here is a world-class soundstage.

So it begs the question – Is it good for rock? Well it is versatile enough to play anything at any genre due to it’s smooth yet very detailed nature but if you are looking for the Grado type of impact and mid-forwardness…you may not find it here. And I like it this way. It is a more mature sound, a surer sound, akin to a metal guitarist who gracefully shifted to blues or jazz, way past his younger years of rocking and rolling. A musician aged like a fine red wine.


UNTIL THEN…

So I guess, this is it. This is truly goodbye. Or maybe I’ll see you again in a few years. Nevertheless, I wish someday, somehow, you find the perfect headphones just for you. As for the Fidelio X1S, it keeps on taking me back to those summers filled with poetry and music, spent with my beloved big sister. And the music plays on and on…

Happy listening, everyone!

Goodbye!

NiceHCK DB3 - New Year's Resolution


BACKGROUND

I wanted a small gift for myself last Christmas. Well it was November so it's an early Christmas gift. And since I haven't bought anything audio for quite some time, I decided to check around Youtube for some budget finds. The reviewer Zpolt put out a soundtest of the Nicehck DB3:



I liked what I heard. Now before anyone gives out a violent reaction, I know that Youtube sound tests are not representative of the earphone's actual performance. But still, if you like what you heard, you ought to give it a try. Was I pleasantly surprised? Read on to find out.


PACKAGING, DESIGN, BUILD QUALITY

Here you go, including the DB3 in a 4.4 pentaconn.




Design is not bad. I actually like it. It's utilitarian, not overstated. I also like the black and gold accents.

Build is actually good, better than most KZs and you can actually feel it on the shells. Plus the nozzle has a pretty big lip to hold tips very securely.

The TRN IM2 is a touch smaller and better shaped and fits more securely. The DB3 is still comfortable and isolates enough though it doesn't conform to the inner ear as much as the IM2 does. Please take that into consideration. Overall, it's still a good-enough design.


SOUND

Bass is fast, tight and visceral. I missed this kind of bass. It hits you harder due to its speed and depth. Not boom, but actual, guttural depth, especially with the right tips. I love it. And since Chi-fi is now saturated by IEMs with (some poorly) elevated bass, this is a pleasant departure from today's norm.

Mids and Highs are very detailed. Not harsh, but detailed. And, "not harsh but detailed" is very hard to do these days as most budget IEMs tend to favor detail on both ends at the expense of being piercing and harsh, especially at higher volumes. I believe the DB3 is meticulously tuned to achieve this. Cymbal decays are very distinct. Plucking, movement of some equipment in the background, actual recorded distortion in the music, they all come in clearly and effortlessly. I'm floored by how much resolution I'm getting at this price point. Thus the title of this review.

Sound stage is a touch wider than the IM2. It's probably because it doesn't seal that much. Imaging though is spot on. Out of all the headphones I have, including over-ears, this is the only one that convincingly recreates sound coming from the back. Ran the Dolby Atmos test on these and if the audio is positioned coming from the back, it's really coming from the back. For my other headphones, there is a slight blur to positioning. The DB3 images like a boss. Here are the actual videos from Dolby (official channel):











One weakness that I'm finding, and some other also have, is that the DB3 can sound a little dry. It sounds natural, very resolving, but a little dry. It's hard to explain. I like the lack of warmth. I like the accuracy and timbre, but at the same time, I miss a little bit of warmth too, a little bit of emotion. If music is given to you as it is, or as they say, "as it was recorded", well, well and good. But a sprinkle of warmth and emotional "salt" will do music good...sometimes.


CONCLUSION

The NiceHCK DB3 is a gem, not only at the $20 price point, but an undeniable gem. It is very underrated. Can it go toe to toe with the Blon 03? I don't own the Blon, never liked the design. But if I keep it in regular rotation with my Grado SR80e and my Shure SRH440, you better believe it can. I'm pretty happy with my new year's "resolution".

Happy listening everyone!

BACKGROUND

It is Fiio’s 12th Anniversary and they were giving away prizes for everyone. Yey! Being the unlucky person that I am when it comes to raffle prizes, I decided to join not expecting anything. I shared my public greeting to Fiio in Facebook and voila! A few days later, I received a message from Lily at Fiio telling me that I won grand prize! It is the Fiio M11. Yes, I am that “lucky” guy.

As I told Lily, I’ve been supporting Fiio for years now, having owned and reviewed the E11K (A3), X1, E12, EM3, K1, and now the M11. They are a company that I believe in. I love how they continue to improve and push price-to-performance ratio in a whole new level every time. Yes, I believe they deliver the overall best value products in the portable audio industry, bar none. With continuous firmware updates and reliable customer support, they are now one of the most respected brands in the industry.

The Fiio M11 is a pleasant surprise. But am I going to give it a good review just because it was given to me for free? Before anyone thinks that this will be a biased review, I’d like to remind everyone that every Fiio that I ever owned I purchased with my own money. No freebies until this one. And besides, I was told to “Tell the truth. It’s ok.” when I asked for review guidelines. So it begs the question, is this The Truth? Read on to find out.


ABOUT ME

I listen to almost all genres of music but my favorites are rock, blues, and jazz.

I am a music lover. I love music more than the equipment to play music with. I recognize that decent equipment is important but decent is good enough. Expensive is not necessary. I firmly believe in the law of diminishing returns.

I believe in burn-in but it depends on the equipment. Some do not need much. Some do not need any at all.

I believe in measurements but I never relied on them. I solely rely on my ears.

I believe that blind test is the only real test, without any visual influence or biases, without placebo.

Audio nirvana for me is a state of mind, not a state of equipment.

Regardless of my beliefs, I respect all audiophiles and music lovers for their passion and dedication.


PACKAGING

Unboxing




View from all sides (with and without a case)




Beauty shots




SPECS AND FEATURES

For complete specs and features, please check here - https://www.fiio.com/m11


BUILD QUALITY AND DESIGN

Did you see the pictures? Most likely but they may not be giving justice to how beautiful this device really looks in person. It is solid and hefty. There are no curves to it, just straight lines, which I love. It has an authoritative, powerful look, only tamed by the beautiful golden volume wheel. Buttons are tightly tactile and very responsive, no loose feeling at all. Headphone ports are gold lined and reinforced. Headphone jacks plug in real tight and secure. Notice the thread here? There are no “loose ends” to the build. It is as solid and tight as they come.


SOUND

Burn-in: It is a DAP, not a headphone where the driver needs to loosen up so I do not expect a lot of changes after burn-in. Approximately 10 hours in and the sound remained consistent, if a little richer out of the box. No other changes noted thereafter.

Set-up:

• Fiio Music App EQ is off.
• 3.5mm headphone out (I have no balanced headphones to test)
• Gain is set to HIGH
• Filter is set at Short delay Sharp Roll-Off (default)

I would like to preface this section by saying that headphones produce what you hear. The quality of bass, mids, highs, soundstage, and imaging are mostly dependent on the headphones. What a DAP could lend is its inherent leanness or warmth (dependent on the DAC), lower noise, and clean, abundant power, among other features. The role of a DAP is to output as linear a sound as possible to the headphones and let the headphones do the trick. Improvements to the headphone’s inherent qualities may be noticeable due to a better DAC and the added power (vs a phone or other DAPs).

The M11 sound is neither too lean (others may refer to this as thin or neutral) nor too warm (thick or dark). It hits the sweet spot at being lean and detailed with just the right warmth and richness so bass notes come off clean and clear.

I don’t find the need to EQ the default sound of the DAP. It is just right. And if you ever want to EQ it, the equalizer in the Fiio Music App isn’t too invasive, but some may find it as ineffective since some EQs apply an immediate change to sound with a few DBs of adjustment. I think this is intentional to avoid distortion but Fiio could make it a touch more effective.

What it lends to the headphone is better detail in bass notes, mid-range, and treble. Differentiating notes in a bass guitar for example is easier, as well as differentiating vocal types from singers. It’s easier to recognize that a particular singer sings in a particular range or pitch, etc. Vocal uniqueness among singers come in more distinctively. The decay in cymbals and other high frequency instruments are much improved and you wouldn’t normally associate notes with cymbals but a simple mild crash can be very detailed and tingling.

As I prefaced, a better DAC (two DACs in this case), and the added clean power brings about these significant improvements to sound.


OTHER FEATURES

Pairing with an amp

Sumptuous. Very sumptuous. Paired it with my favorite portable amp, the Fiio E12, and the added meat to the sound, especially when you flick that bass boost on is just a magnificent experience altogether. If you’re craving for a richer, meatier sound, it is good to pair it with a capable amp.

Nonetheless, the bulk of the stack may not appeal to some. And since it’s already a 5-inch, thick, metal clad player, not having an amp will be more practical for portable use. Besides, I like the balanced sound as it is and don’t find the need for an amp, unless I’m driving 600ohm headphones and above. At high gain, I’m confident it could drive 300ohm headphones at satisfying volume levels.




Bluetooth receiver mode

Using the Bluetooth receiver mode (M11 used as a Bluetooth amp) is a breeze. It’s easy to pair and sound quality at the default codec (SBC) is great, albeit being less clean than wired output. I do not have Bluetooth headphones to test transmission but I imagine it to be as convenient. It supports all the major codecs, including LDAC if that’s what you’re looking for. It is, in fact, the first DAP to be HI-RES AUDIO WIRELESS certified. Impressive Bluetooth connectivity.




USB DAC mode

Works well and sound quality is similar to regular headphone out, if a touch louder (dependent on the laptop. Mine has a powerful Bang and Olufsen audio set up inside.)

Important reminder is to set the right settings. The images below are for Windows 10 and Foobar2000 respectively but I imagine the settings to be similar to Windows 7 and above. And remember to change the Output Selection to PO (headphone out), else there will be no audio coming out of your headphones (if set to LO or line out).




USER INTERFACE

I will simply put pictures so you’ll know what to expect but would not discuss navigation in detail. It is basically a stripped down version of Android 7. I am running the latest firmware installed via wi-fi (1.0.4). The UI is responsive and navigation speed is comparable to a decent mid-range phone (e.g. Samsung Galaxy J7 or higher). 3GB of RAM does the trick quite well and there have been no lags so far.




OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

• Connecting to wi-fi is slower compared to a phone. Initial connection if off for a long time takes about 10 seconds average.
• Connecting to Bluetooth is as good as any mid-range phone, especially when already paired.
• Wi-fi firmware update takes as long as any mid-range phone, about 10-15 minutes, inclusive of download time, installation, and auto-restart. Reasonably fast in my opinion, typical of Android updates.
• Song scanning is as good as any mid-range phone. It took about 1-2 minutes to scan my 2443 songs, which is a combination of hi-res flacs, standard-res flacs, and MP3s. It may take longer to scan DSDs and MQAs.
• Battery life is 10-13 hours. I’d like to have my screen on for the max setting of 30 mins so it would’ve depleted faster than normal (5 hours at 50% factory charge). I expect the battery to perform better after several charge cycles.
• Charging time is 2.5-3 hours (screen and wi-fi is off). If you’re using a fast charger, I imagine it to be just around 1.5-2 hours.

CONCLUSION

I am quite baffled not seeing a detailed review for the M11 yet. I’m sure I’m not the first one but even reviews in Youtube seem somewhat lacking. I understand that it has been recently released but in my opinion, it needs more respect and attention than it already has.

Feature-wise, it is the best player in the market today. Point me to another player that supports all the hi-res formats, wireless or otherwise and that supports 3.5mm, 2.5mm and 4.4mm balanced output all at the same time. In that sense alone, it is a worthy recommendation.

Is it worth the price? It comes down to your passion really. If you’re an audiophile or an avid music lover looking for the convenience of Android and a stellar sound, absolutely! If you have a wireless headphone with LDAC or are a fan of wireless gear in general, definitely! If you’re looking for a feature-packed, play-what-you-want, plug-what-you-want device, this is for you! Currently, there is nothing like it on earth. All features considered, this is not an exaggeration.

Fiio M11 is The Truth. And I hope a lot more people enjoy it as much as I do now.

Happy listening, everyone!

BACKGROUND

I wasn’t planning to go back to the hobby this early. Then I saw this tempting ad from a local online store and a small audio shop is offering some custom earbuds for an affordable price. The reviews are good. Customizations are minimal – just the color combination of the cables which are full SPC, the letter or number beads that you put into either channel, and the color of the earbuds. The type of 3.5mm plug that you choose depends mainly on availability. One important detail that really caught my attention is that they tune their own earbuds. That really had me curious. And since I haven’t had any “custom” gear as of yet, I decided to give it a try, and mainly to support the local audio community. Is this the review that will herald the dawn of Fil-Fi (Filipino-Fi)? Read on to find out.


ABOUT ME

I listen to almost all genres of music but my favorites are rock, blues, and jazz.

I am a music lover. I love music more than the equipment to play music with. I recognize that decent equipment is important but decent is good enough. Expensive is not necessary. The point of diminishing returns for me is $100 dollars. I may go past that mark in the future if I find something that’s really worth the jump. But until then, best value gear is what I’m after.

I believe in burn-in but it depends on the headphones. Some do not need much. Some do not need any at all.

I believe in measurements but I never relied on them. I solely rely on my ears.

I believe that blind test is the only real test, without any visual influence or biases, without placebo.

Audio nirvana for me is a state of mind, not a state of equipment.

Regardless of my beliefs, I respect all audiophiles and music lovers for their passion and dedication.


PACKAGING

Packaging is quite basic, a small tin can that contains everything – the earbuds and 6 pieces of full foams. Meager as it may seem, I always find this approach to packaging quite refreshing. It’s akin to Grado where most of the investment goes to the sound. I hope you enjoy the pictures below.




SPECS AND FEATURES

For complete specs and features, please check here - https://shopee.ph/TuneOut-Audio-All-In-i.91863527.1821179047 (This is a different shop that sells TuneOut Audio items but this post contains the complete description of the All-In line).

And here’s the current discounted link for the All-In line - https://shopee.ph/Tuneout-Audio-All-In-SE-Full-SPC-i.56259020.1892761586 (Sold directly from TuneOut Audio).


BUILD QUALITY, DESIGN, AND COMFORT

An all SPC custom build is what you’d expect from earbuds twice or thrice the price. That being said, build here is solid. MX500 shells are not known to have good strain reliefs but given the braided cable design, I expect them to hold up against regular use. I am careful with my gear anyway. The 3.5mm plug is very sturdy and the clear rubberlike strain relief feels really durable.

Comfort is great! I daresay that this is the most comfortable earbud I have ever worn, with or without the foams on. The rounded edges of the buds sit quite comfortably within the earlobes and fit is quite secure too.

Design is, well, just look at the pictures. The fact that you can choose the colors and words to represent you just adds more to the value and authenticity of the design. Even the base All-In model (non full SPC) looks rather authentic and beautifully simple.


TEST TRACKS

Bass

• Royals by Lorde (bass depth)
• Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke (bass speed)
• We Are Never Getting Back Together by Taylor Swift (bass bleed)

Mids

• After Hours by Spyro Gyra (instrument clarity)
• Soldier Of Fortune by Whitesnake (vocals)
• A Moment With You by Maggie Jane (distortion and coherence)

Highs

• Busted Stuff by Dave Matthews Band (decay and detail)
• Diggin A Ditch by Dave Matthews Band (decay and detail)

Soundstage

• Back To December Live by Taylor Swift
• Home Sweet Home Live in L.A. by Motley Crue
• Hotel California Live (acoustic) by the Eagles

Attack

• Rollin by Limp Bizkit
• Satellite by P.O.D
• 6:00 by Dream Theater

Conveying Emotion

• Still They Ride by Journey
• Through The Barricades by Spandau Ballet
• When You Love Someone Unplugged by Bryan Adams

SOUND

Burn-in: Approximately 15 hours. Sound settled after that period. Will update this review if sound improves further after a few days.

SET-UP USED:

• Nokia 5 smartphone (with Smart Amp TFA9891)
• Hiby music player (EQ is disabled)
• Tested with amplification with Fiio K1 plugged into OTG. Not much difference. Just some added refinement due to the superior DAC on the K1. The All-In doesn’t really require amplification.

Bass here is excellent. It hits the sweet spot for me in terms of quantity and quality. It is sufficient and detailed and provides a good mid bass rumble. It decays quite fast and doesn’t extend too deep but that being said, it is very satisfying and addictive in its own way. Every bass note is very distinct and easily identifiable. Is it at the level of the Grado SR80e type of bass? Well it isn’t as fast and deep but it’s pretty close. It complements the mids perfectly to give it a rounded, full bodied sound. And for an earbud to have this kind of bass is simply impressive.

UPDATE - The "shouty" mids has continued to be a problem. I am not sure if it's only with my unit or just poor tuning in general. I contacted the seller regarding the improvement needed in tuning but received no response. Comparing it to a mere Faaeal Iris and the difference is like night and day, the Iris being much better tuned and balanced. Bass also seem to be inconsistent. Lowering down my rating.

Mids are forward…not aggressive, just forward. Maybe a little too forward for my liking. This could be the only detriment I could think of for these earbuds. Out of the box, vocals can sound shouty, especially when you listen at above average volumes. After burn in though is a different story. Mids have leveled and the perceived shoutiness is all but noticeable in some songs that were recorded with some distortion to begin with. That being said, mids are full bodied and very, very detailed. There isn’t any congestion too, and instruments on complex jazz passages sound perfectly separated and layered. It beats the VE Monk Plus in this regard by a wide margin. Close to perfect mids.

Highs sound very detailed as well. Cymbals decay sound almost lifelike and I haven’t heard any earbud that could render highs this well. It isn’t sparkly or thin but it sounds very natural. Non-sibilance is an added bonus too. Tasteful rendering of highs.

Soundstage is quite intimate and it isn’t very wide. But like my Grado SR80e, there is zero congestion. Instruments are always very well separated and layering is very precise. There is more depth and height than width and the presentation is more “front row” in a concert hall, rather than mid hall. On top of music, I even tested some official Dolby Atmos trailers on Youtube and 3D space rendering is convincing. I have a feeling that these earbuds will also be great for movies. As for gaming, I’m not a gamer so I’m not qualified to comment on that aspect.

Attack is good but it isn’t trying to be a rock genre master. It is, overall, very good for a wide variety of genres. It excels more on slower type of music and with more complex passages due to its excellent separation and imaging. Rock jazz fusion is a joy to listen to on these. Acoustic instrumental music are particularly stunning.

As for conveying the emotions of a song, this may be another aspect that this earbud is lacking a little. Due to its inherent clarity and forwardness, it sometimes sounds cold. Not distant, but cold. In some ways, it is analytical yet musical at the same time, striking a balance that’s quite unique to its character.


CONCLUSION

The TuneOut Audio All-In is a great value earbud that can be enjoyed by every one. The overall sound signature is full bodied, detailed, well textured and has almost an analog tone to it. It somewhat takes the “digital” edge off of the music and makes it sound more natural. It’s akin to listening to a well recorded tape in CD format. Its tuning is just uniquely special that you just need to listen to it yourself.


END NOTE

If I may respectfully implore Head-fi to publish this on the home page, I would be deeply grateful. This review is in support of a start-up company in Manila, who in my opinion deserves to be in this platform. This is not a paid review and I am not affiliated to them in any way. I’m just a customer impressed by their current undertaking. I am not certain about their plans for expansion or if they are the next Venture Electronics but this product certainly takes them a step into the right direction.

A passion for creating great sound and admirable after sales support, this company just might be the flag bearer for Filipino-Fi.

If you are based in the Philippines, or if you are from a foreign country and wanted to get in touch, you may contact them at Facebook, TuneOut Audio page.

Time to put Fil-fi on the map!

Happy listening, everyone!

BACKGROUND

It was my birthday a few months back and it was Christmas time back then. I decided I needed a gift for myself. Something new. Something interesting. And the only luxury (if you call it that) that really makes me happy is music gear. I never had a studio monitor before. And I thought, since they are branded as “professional” gear, they should sound great, right? Or at least they should sound the part. And more importantly, I never had a Shure before. In the world of professional studio gear, I cannot think of a single name more respected than the others, from mics to IEMs, to recent full-size over-ear monitors, Shure is the name. So I browsed through my favorite online store for an authorized seller and pulled the trigger. Was it a happy birthday and merry Christmas rolled into one? Read on to find out.


ABOUT ME

I listen to almost all genres of music but my favorites are rock, blues, and jazz.

I am a music lover, not an audiophile. I need to veer away from the audiophile persona from now on. I love music more than the equipment to play music with. I recognize that decent equipment is important but decent is good enough. Expensive is not necessary. I’m not willing to go past the $100 mark for any reason. I firmly believe in the law of diminishing returns.

I believe in burn-in but it depends on the headphones. Some do not need much. Some do not need any at all.

I believe in measurements but I never relied on them. I solely rely on my ears.

I believe that blind test is the only real test, without any visual influence or biases, without placebo.

Audio nirvana for me is a state of mind, not a state of equipment.

Regardless of my beliefs, I respect all audiophiles and music lovers for their passion and dedication.


PACKAGING

Finally, a professional-grade packaging for me. You know how I felt about the Grado SR80e. I love it. It’s vintage. But it’s nowhere near a packaging I’d consider luxurious. This one, though not luxurious, looks and feels very professional:




SPECS AND FEATURES

For complete specs and features, please check here - https://www.shureasia.com/products/headphones/srh440


BUILD QUALITY, DESIGN, AND COMFORT

Build quality is exceptional. All the materials are high quality and it has some heft to it. I do not mind some weight on my headphones as long as they reflect the quality of materials used on them. The coiled wire looks heavy-duty. The ear pads are thick enough for me and feels like good-quality pleather. The overall feel is utilitarian, as expected of professional gear. This headphone should last someone a lifetime (except for the ear pads), unless you’re too harsh on your gear. It feels very durable.

Comfort is average for this over-ear. The ear pads are thick enough so my ears are not uncomfortably touching the driver grills. The one-sided cable doesn’t weigh the headphones too much. The headband padding could be thicker but the cups are angled slightly so that if you’re wearing them, the headbands are slightly forward and not touching the very top of your head. It touches the flatter, more comfortable part. One downside to comfort is the headband can still press on your head after longer listening sessions. This can be fixed by adding aftermarket headband cushions. This is really optional as it didn’t bother me much. I once used the headphones for a 5-hour bus trip, taking them off on stops, so it’s a total of 3 hours minimum and still find them reasonably comfortable.

Design is simply utilitarian. No frills. No flashy stuff. Do I find them attractive? By their own merits, yes! I find the professional styling appealing, though I’m not a professional. I’m not sure how they did it, but isolation on these over-ears are impressive. It’s almost like wearing a decent IEM, without the vacuum effect (you can hear yourself swallowing, etc.). Is it with the earcup design, the ear pads material, I’m really not sure but you can safely use it for a long commute if you’re into that. It folds so it should be portable. If I have to nitpick, I’d say the wires protruding to connect the drivers could be a concern to others. The Audio Technica M40x and the Takstar Pro 82 are “cleaner” in that regard as the wires are hidden in the headband. They also have the option to fold “flat” as opposed to just a “ball” like the SRH440. By sheer looks though, I’m biased towards the Shure. I’d rather display “Shure” outside than any other studio brand but that’s just me.


SOUND

Burn-in: They sound great out of the box. No glaring changes after 100 hours.

SET-UP USED:

• Lenovo K4 Note Smartphone (with Wolfson WM8281)
• Dolby Atmos engaged at Music mode where EQ is flat
• Stellio music player EQ is flat with Replay Gain engaged
• Also tested with Fiio A3 in low gain and bass boost on

These headphones are clear, very clear. I even came up with a marketing line for them – “Pristine clarity? Shure. Why not?”

Bass is fast, really fast. It’s there when it needs to, it’s not there when it doesn’t. I find that it’s more of a sub-bass rumble I’m hearing more than mid-bass. Its mid-bass is not elevated at all. I find that this type of bass is the “correct” bass. You don’t actually “hear” bass all the time in a live concert. It’s at the back and shocks when it’s intended to shock but it’s not always present. It gives music it’s needed warmth and immediacy when called upon. Very good bass quality but quantity will be lacking for some. The bass boost on the A3 gave it a nice needed bump. The Grado SR80e is a touch bassier. The JVC HA-RX700 is even bassier and I use that more if I just want to rumble.

Mids are watery. Yes, “watery”. You read it here first. Usually, the term used is “buttery” or “buttery smooth”. But it’s not. It just…flows. It’s like nothing is holding the mids back. It flows, like gushing stream to a waterfall, it flows ever so freely. I love it! The AKG K550 or K553 has buttery mids. The JVC HA-RX700 has buttery mids, albeit a little recessed. The Grado SR80e has sharp, engaging mids so that’s quite a contrast. There is no other way I could describe the mids. They are as effortless as they go.

Highs are shimmery and complement the rest of the spectrum quite perfectly. I find that highs on the 440 are also “correct”. They’re not overly sharp or metallic but very detailed and extend pretty well.

Now onto soundstage. As these are tuned flat for accuracy, and no frequency or instrument is overpowering the other, soundstage is exceptional. It is very wide, like easily more than a foot away outside of my head from either side. Because of this, imaging is great too as you have space to pin-point instrument placement. It is wider than the Grado SR80e and I daresay even the JVC-HARX700. It is definitely wider than the Audio Technica M40x (although I’ve never been impressed by the soundstage of AT’s monitors).

Tonally, the Grado SR80e is more lifelike-sounding. But I find the SRH440 to be more detailed. Being more detailed than a Grado is quite a big feat. It could be due to its monitoring nature that it’s able to pick up every minute detail but what impresses me more is how clear every detail is. It’s very very easy to pick up “hidden” sounds, like someone adjusting the mic in a live concert recording. I could easily pick it up, not even straining to listen to it. Clarity is just impressive.


CONCLUSION

The Shure SRH440 is an amazing value. Pristine clarity, fast bass, flowing mids and shimmery highs, combined with an exceptional soundstage, I could not ask for more from a closed back set. Well maybe a little more bass but that’s just nitpicking. It’s a studio monitor in the first place.

I feel that the only way to upgrade it is to buy a more capable Shure (like the Shure SRH840 or the venerable Shure SRH1540 as closed-back options). Either way, you’d be sure with Shure. Haha!

Happy listening, everyone!

BACKGROUND

After having all over-ears for a while (for the good duration of 3 years or more), I kinda missed IEMs. Checking reviews online for the best budget IEMs, I came across Knowledge Zenith (KZ). Reading good reviews about their IEMs, I started researching on what their best offering is at that time (2017). Most reviews pointed me towards the KZ ZS3. I’m a sucker for good soundstage and reviews seem unanimous, it has good soundstage for an IEM so I decided to buy one online. Does it meet my expectations? Let’s find out.


ABOUT ME

I listen to almost all genres of music but my favorites are rock, blues, and jazz.

I am a music lover, not an audiophile. I need to veer away from the audiophile persona from now on. I love music more than the equipment to play music with. I recognize that decent equipment is important but decent is good enough. Expensive is not necessary. I’m not willing to go past the $100 mark for any reason. I firmly believe in the law of diminishing returns.

I believe in burn-in but it depends on the headphones. Some do not need much. Some do not need any at all.

I believe in measurements but I never relied on them. I solely rely on my ears.

I believe that blind test is the only real test, without any visual influence or biases, without placebo.

Audio nirvana for me is a state of mind, not a state of equipment.

Regardless of my beliefs, I respect all audiophiles and music lovers for their passion and dedication.


PACKAGING

Here are the pictures of the basic packaging and the IEMs themselves. I also purchased the upgrade cable but what I chose is originally intended for the ZST so I needed to carve some plastic off surrounding the two-pin plugs for them to fit perfectly. Why did I choose one for a different model that doesn’t fit on the on-set? Simply because they’re beautiful! See for yourself:




SPECS AND FEATURES

For complete specs and features, please check here - https://www.aliexpress.com/store/pr...Music-Sports-Earbuds/1358152_32720789438.html.


BUILD QUALITY, DESIGN, AND COMFORT

Build quality is impeccable for the price. It’s plastic but very high quality. I say the cable is pretty decent and the mic that also works for play or pause is more accurate and reacts faster than the ones found in the VE Monk Plus. Cable is quite rubbery too so if you do not like that type of texture, then upgrade cables abound online for KZs.

Comfort is average for an IEM. I’ve got an average size ear so it fits me well and I don’t find it unpleasantly painful for long listening sessions (past the 1 hour mark). It doesn’t “disappear” and you’ll know it’s there but the housing is shaped to the outer ear so you don’t have the feeling that it’s digging in to something. Quite comfortable overall.

Design is really beautiful, don’t you think? It almost looks like a custom IEM. I believe it is inspired by custom IEMs. Not that I own one but I think that’s where they’re going with those looks. With the upgrade cable, it looks ten times more expensive than it really is. And because of the over-ear wearing method, plus the shape of the housing conforming to the outer ear, fit is very secure. I like the fact that it doesn’t slide off often as with traditionally worn IEMs.


SOUND

Burn-in: Well it did not change that much after 100 hours or so I don’t think it benefits too much from burn-in.

SET-UP USED:

• Lenovo K4 Note Smartphone (with Wolfson WM8281)
• Dolby Atmos engaged at Music mode where EQ is flat
• Stellio music player EQ is flat with Replay Gain engaged
• Also tested with Fiio A3 in low gain and bass boost off

Let’s get one thing out of the way right away – these are bassy, too bassy for my liking. Do I hold it against them? No. Not so much. I’m not a basshead but I would say these are worthy of a basshead’s attention. Nonetheless, the quality of bass is great. It’s powerful. It’s not dreary or anemic. It’s not the fastest, but it’s not a slouch either. The overall sound signature is warm and enjoyable. That extra bass adds fun to the music, especially for pop and other bass heavy genres.

Mids and highs are not drowned out by the powerful bass but there is considerable bleeding. I believe that’s intentional. They’re going for a big, wholly sound and I believe they achieved that. One merit I would laud them for is, this sound signature is perfect for the commute. Bass can be easily drowned by outside noise and the extra bass to these IEMs compensate well for that. A big plus is that they give you great isolation because of their shape. If isolation’s your thing, these are worth considering. It’s the type of isolation though where you would hear yourself chew or swallow so there’s a fair warning. If you hate that type of isolation, go with classic earbuds instead.

A lot of reviewers are not wrong about soundstage either. It’s mostly outside your head, a few inches away. It’s not too wide as you would expect for an IEM but it’s decent, great even, for the price they’re in. Imaging is also great for the price. It’s not hard to pin-point where instruments are or where they’re coming from. I also enjoy movies with these. I believe that bass has some influence on soundstage. I find that over-ear studio monitors sound wider than bassier sets because they are tuned flat. That gives all of the instruments a breathing space. Bass can push things forward and not too spread out, affecting soundstage. This is very noticeable when engaging the bass boost in headphone amplifiers, like the Fiio A3 in this regard. These, apparently, do not need a bass boost. With that said, kudos to KZ for still giving this IEM a good soundstage relative to the bombastic bass.


CONCLUSION

The KS ZS3 is a very competitive budget IEM. Is it a giant killer? You tell me. I never owned no giants nor tried some in the IEM department. As I said, I am an over-ear person. I find them most comfortable and enjoyable. I equate comfort to sound because there’s no point enjoying music if it gives you pain.

If you’re looking for a set perfect for the daily commute, this one’s for you. If you are looking for a daily driver just for sheer music enjoyment, this one’s for you. If you enjoy movies using IEMs, this one’s for you too. For professional monitoring, I wouldn’t say so. I have the Shure SRH440. That is tuned for monitoring purposes. Not this one. If you love powerful bass, go get one! It’s definitely a great budget find in that department! Enjoy! And…

Happy listening, everyone!

BACKGROUND

I found that the stock S-Cushions on my Grado SR80e are uncomfortable when you start hitting the 1-hour mark of listening. At 30 minutes, you start to feel the pressure “on” your ears, especially on the area where your glasses’ temples are (I’m wearing glasses). It starts to become painful. Originally, I bought generic replacement G-Cushions online. They are not as expensive and though they fit nicely, they fit loosely too. Long story short, I found a local store that sells genuine G-Cushions and went for them. How are they? Let’s find out.


ABOUT ME

I listen to almost all genres of music but my favorites are rock, blues, and jazz.

I am a music lover, not an audiophile. I need to veer away from the audiophile persona from now on. I love music more than the equipment to play music with. I recognize that decent equipment is important but decent is good enough. Expensive is not necessary. I’m not willing to go past the $100 mark for any reason. I firmly believe in the law of diminishing returns.

I believe in burn-in but it depends on the headphones. Some do not need much. Some do not need any at all.

I believe in measurements but I never relied on them. I solely rely on my ears.

I believe that blind test is the only real test, without any visual influence or biases, without placebo.

Audio nirvana for me is a state of mind, not a state of equipment.

Regardless of my beliefs, I respect all audiophiles and music lovers for their passion and dedication.


PACKAGING

For some reason, the G-Cushions in the local store are not packaged or anything. They are bare. And the storekeeper’s explanation is, those came in that way when it was delivered by the distributor. A pair is in a clear plastic bag of decent quality and then that’s it. Nevertheless, I have no doubt that those are genuine. I can tell by the quality and feel that they are much better manufactured than the generic pads. Here are some pictures:




OFFICIAL PRODUCT PAGE

For official pricing, please check here - http://www.4ourears.net/Grado_G_cushions_p/4e-gcush.htm


QUALITY, DESIGN, AND COMFORT

The pads are of very high quality. They’re not the usual foam. They’re a bit stiff and I’m sure that’s for a reason. The color is gray too, as opposed to the usual black. That could be the color of the special foam material used.

They fit the SR80e perfectly and it’s reasonably easy to put them on too. The fit is very secure.

The pads are very comfortable, miles more comfortable than the S-Cushions. As they are deep and have an over-ear design, they are not pressing “on” your ears and there’s no unreasonable pressure to my glasses’ temples.

Now the big question is, do they alter the sound? Find out below.


SOUND

SET-UP USED:

• Lenovo K4 Note Smartphone (with Wolfson 8281 Audio Hub)
• Dolby Atmos engaged (gives a more accurate perception of soundstage)
• Stellio music player EQ is off

The good stuff first - There is a minor increase in soundstage. Grados are innately intimate and not too wide due in part to their magnificent, forward mid-range. Because of the bigger space where sonic elements can move, soundstage is a touch larger in space, but not by much. Separation and imaging is about the same. This is also due in part to the drivers being moved further from your ears.

Now the not so good stuff – Bass is decreased considerably. I just can’t ignore the fact that I’m missing the usual low end of the SR80e. And from the stock pads and even the generic G-cushions, bass is already “just right”. If it decreases, it will be lacking. Unfortunately, it made the bass “lacking” for my tastes.

Mids are about the same. That’s the magic of Grados – there is nothing you can do to mess those mids. It’s like magic.

Now regarding highs - Highs on the G-Cushions are too much. As a reference, I am not treble sensitive. I love a shimmery, detailed, and well-layered treble. But even for me, it sounded grating. Now that would be torture to some, especially for bass heads. I tried to adjust to the sound, gave it a few days for brain burn-in to set in. Still, when you get to a song with a lot of cymbal hits and crashes, and intense shredding of electric guitars, it becomes too much.

End result - I exchanged it to a completely different product from the store.


CONCLUSION

G-Cushions are the stock pads for the GS and PS series and these are built for those headphones sonically. For other headphones in the Grado line, I suggest you use them with some care and discretion.

If you’re looking for much better comfort and a better fit for your Grados, you might want to give them a try. I would not readily recommend them for sonic benefits though and I suggest you audition them first, if you can. They’re not necessarily cheap and they do change the sound. For better or for worse, I’ll leave that to your discriminating ears.

Happy listening, everyone!

BACKGROUND

After selling my Fiio E11k and my Fiio E12, I missed having a portable amp. Not that majority of my headphones need it, but one in particular need amplification – the JVC HA-RX700. Needless to say, it’s still my favorite headphone. With a smartphone, you need to get to more than 70% of the volume to at least get some needed impact. Otherwise, they’d sound lazy. Yes, lazy. Given their low impedance, you might think they’re easy to drive. They’re not. With a DAP like the Fiio X1, they could be. But even then, I feel the need to add some amplification. Long story short, I went for the Fiio K1, and only by accident. I originally purchased a pair of Grado G-Cushions from the store. Since I didn’t like the sound signature they produced with my Grado SR80e (too treble heavy, even for me who is not treble sensitive). I decided to exchange the item and since they’re about the same price, Fiio K1 it is! Let’s begin.


ABOUT ME

I listen to almost all genres of music but my favorites are rock, blues, and jazz.

I am a music lover, not an audiophile. I need to veer away from the audiophile persona from now on. I love music more than the equipment to play music with. I recognize that decent equipment is important but decent is good enough. Expensive is not necessary. I’m not willing to go past the $100 mark for any reason. I firmly believe in the law of diminishing returns.

I believe in burn-in but it depends on the headphones or the gear. Some do not need much. Some do not need any at all.

I believe in measurements but I never relied on them. I solely rely on my ears.

I believe that blind test is the only real test, without any visual influence or biases, without placebo.

Audio nirvana for me is a state of mind, not a state of equipment.

Regardless of my beliefs, I respect all audiophiles and music lovers for their passion and dedication.


PACKAGING

Here are the pictures of the basic packaging and the DAC-amp itself. It’s a nondescript packaging and that’s everything you need for a desktop set-up. For smartphones, you will need an adapter or a micro-to-micro male OTG cable (Android). For Apple users, probably a lightning cable or adapter (I’m not familiar with Apple products. I never used them.)



SPECS AND FEATURES

For complete specs and features, please check here - http://www.fiio.net/en/products/48.


BUILD QUALITY, DESIGN AND FUNCTIONALITY

I would say pretty solid. It’s tiny but it looks good in gray. It’s not the usual Fiio-black but the look is refreshing. It’s very simple – You have the micro USB input jack on one end and the 3.5mm output jack on the other.

• For PC – It’s plug and play. Windows will take care of installing the needed drivers. You just need to set it as the default device in Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Manage audio devices. You can also set its Properties to receive the highest bit depth and bit rate it can handle (96khz/24bit). I haven’t tried custom drivers as Windows drivers work just fine.
• For Android – You can either purchase a micro-to-micro adapter or a mini-adapter like in the picture below and you can use that for the stock cable. I’m using Stellio player for Android and it’s not finicky. It’s basically plug-and-play. After plugging, the K1 lights up and you’re good to go. A word of warning – since it’s bypassing your phone’s DAC and amplifier, it amplifies everything, including message tones and ring tones and they sound really really loud. You may want to put your phone in vibrate mode or silent mode just to protect your hearing. It disturbs you abruptly too if a message or a call comes in. It’s not a pleasant experience.

(If you’re interested on how Stellio performs, I posted my thoughts on this thread - https://www.head-fi.org/threads/best-android-music-player-app.638387/page-38#post-13911402).


SOUND

Burn-in: Honestly, I don’t think it benefits an amp the way it benefits a headphone. Nonetheless, I’m writing this after a few months of use so it’s burnt-in reasonably.

SET-UP USED:

• Lenovo K4 Note Smartphone (with Wolfson 8281 Audio Hub)
• Dolby Atmos engaged (gives a more accurate perception of soundstage (applicable only to headphones)
• Stellio music player EQ is off

Smartphones, even the best sounding ones, are inherently warm sounding or have at least a warm tilt to them. I believe this tuning is best intended for the masses and majority of people prefer this sound signature. Now the DAC in the K1 is a very capable one (Texas Instruments’ PCM5102). It’s the same DAC in the venerable Fiio E17K. The 5102 is a neutral sounding DAC, especially compared to the usual DACs in smartphones. It’s the same effect I got when comparing the sound to the Wolfson house sound of my phone. It’s noticeably leaner and you hear it immediately, there’s no second guessing. It’s akin to taking off the “fat” from your music. And the effect is a livelier, faster, and a more energetic listen.

Regarding other aspects of the sound (bass, mids, highs, soundstage, and imaging), I believe in the wisdom of our good friend Brooko. This is not affected by an amp or a DAC-amp for that matter. It’s in the headphones being used so I will not comment on those. What I will say though is an amp will most definitely have an effect on clarity, especially if the driver needs it (medium to hard-to-drive loads). If the headphone driver is moved by sufficient power, it will definitely sound not only louder, but clearer.


WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM THE K1?

First and foremost, this is intended for desktop users as the product page suggests. If you are able to use it with a phone like me, you’re in luck. If your phone is OTG capable without too much bloatware or as close to stock Android as possible, it will most likely work. Otherwise, I suggest you try before you buy.

Now let’s get one disadvantage out of the way – pops and crackles when plugging to a smartphone, especially on some quiet parts of a song, not isolated to the beginning or the end. This has been reported by several users and I have experienced the same. There are several threads addressing this issue and it’s not isolated to the K1. It’s a problem for even the higher-end DAC-amps:

• https://www.head-fi.org/threads/fiio-k1-has-problems.827559/
• https://www.head-fi.org/threads/strange-issues-with-fiio-k1-dac.843799/
• https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7685241

What might help though are the following:

• Change the audio buffer size of your phone. This feature is available in Stellio and after measuring my phone’s buffer size capability (Try this app. It works well - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.levien.audiobuffersize&hl=en), I changed it and there is some improvement but it’s still prevalent in some songs.
• Turn off wifi or data usage. This could also be EMI. It helped to some degree but again, not on all tracks.
• Change the cable. There are higher quality micro-to-micro or lighting cables out there. I haven’t tried something expensive since I have a decent one from a local store. I imagine something like this might help but it pays if you could audition one - https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Micro-Crystal-Silver-ZY-058/dp/B00MTB760K.
• No one actually had a definitive answer and I’m not buying that it’s solely a software problem like what’s being discussed in the Apple forums. Trial and error might work or better yet, have your K1 replaced if it’s under warranty and check if it’s the same for the replacement. I don’t believe it’s defective though since it works fine with PC.

CONCLUSION

For such a tiny device, I would easily recommend the K1. Its main strengths are extreme portability and ease of use. It’s practically plug-and-play from any source and it has enough power to drive up to moderate loads. You don’t have to worry about charging batteries and it doesn’t drain too much power from the source based on personal experience.

Then again, if you’re main purpose is finesse and power to drive heavy to heavier loads, I would suggest the likes of the Fiio A3 or the A5. Comparing it directly with the A3 in high gain, the latter starts to pull away in terms of power and just sheer cleanliness of amplification.

Sonically, if you want a significant change or improvement in sound signature, you’re better off getting a DAC-amp like the K1. A pure amp like the A3 would not alter the sound signature of the source. That is innate to the source’s DAC. Using a different DAC like the K1 will give you this benefit. And it does deliver a neutral and energetic listen. For the price, it’s a total steal! Fiio has a winner in this little gem!

Happy listening, everyone!

It’s nice to be back!

BACKGROUND

I enjoyed my Superlux HD-330 for several months. I always had a closed pair, an open pair, and earbuds at any given situation to cover all my needs – isolated listening, awareness of surroundings, and extreme portability for the commute home respectively. However, when I sold my portable amps and relied solely on my smartphone (Lenovo K4 Note with Wolfson 8281 Audio Hub) for all my listening needs, I found the need to crank up the volume a little bit more (70% or higher) due to the higher impedance (150 ohms). So it’s time for a change. And since I’ve been eyeing to purchase at least one legendary pair before I retire from the hobby, I decided to go for the sole sword master of the headphones world, Grado.

This is a finale review. And as such, I will do my best to provide as much as a complete review as possible and include sections that I haven’t included before. Let’s begin.


ABOUT ME

I listen to almost all genres of music but my favorites are rock, blues, and jazz.

I am a music lover, not an audiophile. I need to veer away from the audiophile persona from now on. I love music more than the equipment to play music with. I recognize that decent equipment is important but decent is good enough. Expensive is not necessary. I’m not willing to go past the $100 mark for any reason. I firmly believe in the law of diminishing returns.

I believe in burn-in but it depends on the headphones. Some do not need much. Some do not need any at all.

I believe in measurements but I never relied on them. I solely rely on my ears.

I believe that blind test is the only real test, without any visual influence or biases, without placebo.

Audio nirvana for me is a state of mind, not a state of equipment.

Regardless of my beliefs, I respect all audiophiles and music lovers for their passion and dedication.


PACKAGING

Here are the pictures of the basic packaging and the headphones themselves. As simple as it is, I like the vintage feel of the overall package. It’s retro and you feel like being part of the Grado heritage:










SPECS AND FEATURES

For complete specs and features, please check here - http://www.gradolabs.com/headphones/prestige-series/item/1-sr80e


BUILD QUALITY, DESIGN, AND COMFORT

Build quality feels light but durable. I would’ve liked a click adjustment on the headbands and more stable earcups (as they freely rotate and can sometimes cause cable tangling) but this is part of the Grado design philosophy where most is invested to sound so this is a minor gripe for me.

Comfort is average for the on-ear design. The typical feeling of something pressing on your ears is there. It’s not a deal breaker but the HD-330 is more comfortable.

Design is really retro and classic that it almost takes you back to the 1960s. I really like it. It’s refreshing to see this type of design with today’s overly fashionable and science fiction looking headphones.


SOUND

Burn-in: Not Applicable (Yes, you read it right. It’s not applicable.)

SET-UP USED:

1. Lenovo K4 Note Smartphone (with Wolfson 8281 Audio Hub)
2. Dolby Atmos engaged (gives a more accurate perception of soundstage)
3. Stellio music player EQ is off

These are the best sounding headphones I ever put on my head. Period.

I’m wearing them as I’m writing my review.

There is perfect balance in all frequencies and nothing is ever drowned out. Bass is ever so clean and fast and there’s zero bleeding to the other frequencies. I can’t say that for any other headphones I tried. This is what defines zero bleeding. I love the low end grunt of the SR80e. The SR60e has great detail too but the lack of low end definition takes out some of the excitement. The mids! Need I elaborate more? The best mids I’ve ever heard. Exceptional clarity and there’s a naturalness to the sound that I really love. Treble has great detail and extension. As a matter of fact, everything has great detail and extension.

Imaging and separation is top notch. What’s incredible is it doesn’t have much width on its soundstage but there isn’t any congestion at all. There is perfect space between everything, and perfect positioning too.

It is a genre master in a sense that all genres I fed into them sounded as engaging and entertaining. They pull you in to the music. You just can’t ignore a Grado, much less ignore the SR80e.

Grado is truly the last samurai of the headphones world. There is a certain katana sharpness, a certain accuracy to which it cuts through music that is unmatched by any other brand. The SR80e is no exception. It’s energetic, it’s fast, it’s lean, it’s the most engaging listen out of any headphones I ever tried north of $500. And no, I did not own or bought headphones costing more than a Benjamin. Just tested them, some quite extensively. With this kind of performance, it reaffirmed my belief that I don’t need to spend more. I just need to listen more.


CONCLUSION AND FAREWELL NOTE

The SR80e is one of the best value, if not THE best value headphones in the world today and in many years to come, unless Grado surpasses their own by evolving it into another yet exceptional product.

Try as I may, this would be my last review for a very long time to come. Probably when it’s time for me to change my worn out gear again. I’m retiring as an audiophile. There are some changes in life now that I need to prioritize more than anything else.

I would like to thank Head-fi for the opportunity of enjoying this hobby of ours. I would like to thank every audio company who ever considered or accepted me as one of the reviewers for a world tour of their upcoming products. I would like to thank every audiophile and music lover who ever commented on my reviews, humble as they may be. I would like to thank every audiophile and music lover who ever answered my questions about audio gear and helped me in my decisions in purchasing.

Needless to say that this is one of the best, if not THE best forum in the world, regardless of type. Thank you very much!

I’ll always be an audiophile fan.

I always end my reviews with a single phrase. And to my surprise, it gave me goosebumps when I opened the box of the SR80e and read the closing phrase of the Grados to all music lovers…


HAPPY LISTENING!


Happy listening, everyone!

Until we cross paths again...

BACKGROUND

My wife gave these to me as a gift and…

Oh my God.

That’s it. My review could’ve ended with “Oh my God” and I could’ve been happy. But the rest of you won’t be since reviews are intended to inform, not just to praise. This review will be a little bit different though.

At first I wondered what the hype is all about. Then I understood. And by God, did I understand!


PACKAGING

The most basic packaging you’ll ever get:

1. Plastic bag container
2. The earbuds
3. 4 pairs of foams (2 pairs red and 2 pairs blue, total of 8)

I got the one with the mic so it’s as expensive as the Fiio EM3 here in our country. Since its launch, the packaging is not intended to impress but I guess it’s ok.


BUILD QUALITY, DESIGN, AND COMFORT

Build quality is above average, even better than the EM3. The wires are thicker and less likely to tangle. The main wire leading to the jack is a double-flat wire, which is a very durable type, similar to some chargers used for other gadgets.

The mic is very accurate and reactive. Play and pause is instantaneous.

Comfort is below average without foams. There are sharp edges to the shell that wearing them without foams is a bit painful for me in the long run. This may not be an issue for people with bigger ears though.

NOTE: The foams provided are very prone to ripping so you should take extra care in putting them on. To their merit though, unlike other foams which are thick and durable, they do not muffle or suppress the mids, at least not very noticeable.


SOUND

Burn-in: 10+ hours (as recommended by VE)

SET-UP USED:

1. Lenovo K4 Note Smartphone (with Wolfson 8281 Audio Hub)
2. Dolby Atmos engaged (gives a more accurate perception of soundstage)
3. Stellio music player EQ is off

For a change, I will not dissect this into lows, mids, highs, etc. as that will not give justice to how these Monks sound.

They have the most engaging, exciting, and exhilarating out-of-the-box sound I have ever heard! How do they compare? They’re as forward as a Grado and as engaging as a Hifiman HE-400s! Am I exaggerating?! Maybe, maybe not! But I’m not! They sounded that good to me.

Clarity is exceptional! Because of this exceptional clarity, every type of music, fast or slow, light or heavy, happy or sad, name it and they all sounded oh so engaging like I’m hearing them for the first time! Because of this clarity as well, they’re very revealing and unforgiving of bad recordings. You actually discern the difference between a good and a bad recording very easily. The EM3 is significantly more forgiving.

Soundstage is not as wide as the EM3 but it sounds more natural. You actually here the sound resonating in the venue, if the recording captures that ambiance. Sometimes you hear a sound somewhere far away and you need to take them off to make sure that no one’s hitting a drum (for example) somewhere at home. It happened to me a couple of times in my short time with them. This quality is usually present with full-size planars.

The overall sound signature is very, very ADDICTIVE! That’s the most abused word used for these and now I understand why. Everything sounds just perfect! Everything shines, the vocals, instruments, bass, highs…all are EQUALLY DETAILED. That’s their very strength, every sound is a star. Nothing gives way to anything.

Are they END GAME material? Are they AUDIO NIRVANA material? Yes, oh yes! I’m not looking to replace these anytime some, not this sound at any price.


CONCLUSION

The Monks are very disruptive to the industry. VE proved that it can be done. There is no categorizing these. These are absolutely one of the world’s best headphones, earbuds or otherwise.

Now I see the wisdom behind the VE naming – Monk, Asura, Zen. They’re so clear and revealing, it’s almost enlightening in a sense. They just take you to a higher ground of listening. In analogy, it’s like spiritual ascension.

Never ending enjoyment. Pure genius.

Happy ADDICTIVE listening every one!

BACKGROUND

I needed a pair of mobile headphones. I wanted to use something while walking to the transport station or while commuting. I needed something that are not very isolating so I’m still aware of my surroundings. I value safety more than sound in this case. I also needed something with at a mic button so I can take in calls while listening (this pauses the music of course). With these considerations, an earbud fits the bill. And among the budget earbuds, the Fiio EM3 may be the best choice at the time of this review. I owned the X1, A3 (E11k), and the E12 prior to this purchase and I can say that I’m a fan of the quality and value of their products. Let’s get to the review then.


PACKAGING

The EM3 comes in a decent package given its price. What you get:

1. The earbuds
2. 3 pairs of full foam covers (total of 6)
3. A warranty certificate
4. The box can be used as storage if you want. The item is pretty secure inside.

For the price point, the packaging looks well thought off, which is very good.


BUILD QUALITY, DESIGN, AND COMFORT

Build quality is above average, at least compared to original earbuds from Samsung or Apple. The wires are thicker overall and strain reliefs are present. The wire, as Fiio indicates, is tension-protected. I presume it can take a beating but I can’t confirm that since I’m always careful with my gear. The L-shaped jack is a welcome addition too.

Isolation is below average, which is good for my uses. I believe that it’s always good to be aware of your surroundings to avoid accidents (e.g. hear a car honk when crossing the street, etc.). If complete isolation is important to you, this is something you need to consider.

The mic works well and can also be used for pausing and playing music. Play and pause functions are not very reactive and you need to press a little bit harder and longer than usual, which could be a design demerit.

Comfort is excellent. The earbuds are on the smaller side but the shell themselves are very evenly smoothed out that you won’t feel any pain wearing them for hours. For larger ears, they sit in more securely with the full foams but for small to average ears, wearing them naked will be ok.


SOUND

Burn-in: 50 hours (can’t detect much difference in the sound so they may not need too much burn-in)


SET-UP USED:

1. Lenovo K4 Note Smartphone (with Wolfson 8281 Audio Hub)
2. Dolby Atmos engaged (gives a more accurate perception of soundstage)
3. Stellio music player EQ is off

LOWS

I believe this is where it lacks the most. Bass is there but it’s barely there. The expectation is it should be able to provide some slam with rock and other faster music genres but it doesn’t really. The bass is a bit slow. To its merit though, this is highly “EQable”. And it will also benefit with an amp that has a bass boost. I imagine it would sound nice with those.


MIDS

Mids have decent clarity and smoothness. It’s not forward, nor it’s recessed. If anything, I believe it’s flat or not boosted, which is good.

NOTE: Using the full foams can muffle or suppress the mids quite considerably. If you can find donut foams for these, they might benefit from those more. To their merit though, the foams included are very durable and you can stretch them confidently when putting them on.


HIGHS

Same quality as the mids, I believe they’re not boosted. They’re just right. They sound natural but not very detailed. A little bit more detail and extension would’ve been nice.


SOUNDSTAGE

This is where the EM3 really shines. Separation is better than any earbud I have tried. And the soundstage is really wide. It’s an out-of-the-head experience similar to open-back, full-size headphones. Because of this soundstage, these earbuds are really good for movies too. The Dolby Atmos technology really shines with these.


OVERALL PRESENTATION

I can say that the EM3 is tuned more for the masses than it’s tuned for audiophile. As a result, you get a sound that is easily likeable by a lot of people, but may be less engaging for listeners who has more experience with other gear. On the other hand, it’s a fatigue-free sound that you can enjoy music with tirelessly for long hours. They’re very easy to drive but might benefit from bass boost from portable amps.


CONCLUSION

The EM3 is a very good value given it’s added mic feature and a likeable sound overall. Highly recommended for someone looking for a fatigue-free, reliable daily driver.

Happy listening every one!

BACKGROUND

I needed something to power my Superlux HD330. My smartphone back then is a Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8. Audio from the phone is quite clean and decent but I did not think that it's powering the 150 ohm HD330 properly. It's loud enough at close to max volume but "loud" is not necessarily equal to "properly driven". Long story short, I sold the A3 (E11K Kilimanjaro) a few weeks earlier and upgraded to the E12 Month Blanc. Mind you, it's twice the price of the A3 but is it worth it? Find out below.


PACKAGING

The E12 comes in a premium package that looks and feels nice. What you get:

1. Inside the box is a black cardboard container that has a black, rough leathery finish. Really nice.
2. The E12 protected by a foam on the cardboard cover
3. A short interconnect. Really good for clean-looking stacks.
4. Rubber pads for stacking (I believe these are better than rubber feet)
5. Rubber bands also for stacking
6. A soft carrying case for the E12 if you want to carry it solo (non-stacked)
7. Charging cable
8. Quick start manual and warranty certificate

SPECS, DESIGN, AND BUILD QUALITY

The design is intuitive enough. Now that it has been discontinued, its page is no longer available at Fiio.net. Please check the details here to see specs, buttons and ports placements, and how it can be stacked. My only gripe would be the recessed gain and crossfeed switches. I understand that the gain might be recessed for safety purposes. With 850mW of output power, it's dangerous to accidentally switch to high gain for the risk of hearing damage or even gear damage if the headphones are sensitive enough. But the crossfeed function should be accessible enough. Or they could've tightened the gain switch to avoid accidental switches. Just my two cents.

Crossfeed does what it does but I don't think it's very useful. It's supposed to work for older recordings, especially for older jazz recordings where a lot of musical elements are too separated to the right or left channels. I get that but in my opinion, it takes away the "authentic" sound and feel of those recordings once crossfeed is engaged.

As usual with Fiio, build quality is really solid. It's hefty in a sense that you feel you're holding something significant. The brushed aluminum finish also helps minimize scratches and is very durable, not a scratch after a few months of use.

IMPORTANT NOTE: After a few on/off switches to the device, I noticed a second "click" sound after the actual "click" when turning it on. At first I had my unit replaced by the seller. When the new unit also had this issue, I decided to contact Fiio. It turned out that due to its beastly output power, Fiio implemented a relay switch to avoid on/off transients from creating unwanted (or even headphone-damaging) "pops". I'm sure that seasoned audiophiles around here already know this but I just wanted to share it to regular music lovers like myself. Just be assured that your unit is not defective if you experience the same.


SOUND

I agree with one of the masters, Brooko. Amps shouldn't be tested for the usual sound elements (lows, mids, highs, soundstage, etc.). Headphones should. But the question is, should they be tested for sound improvement? In a sense, yes. If a headphone is properly driven, then you might observe improvements in those elements.

So is it worth twice the price of the Kilimanjaro? A resounding yes! It's very neutral to my ears. I mean, the A3 has some warmth...or so I thought since I tested the E12 and noted the difference. Thereafter, the A3 sounded warmer than I first heard. And the soundstage! The improvement in instrument separation is significantly noticeable. How about the bast boost? In my opinion, bass boost for both the A3 and E12 are cleanly implemented, where it adds the needed impact and warmth to some recordings but do not bleed to other frequencies. Due to the improved soundstage though, it sounds cleaner on the E12.

Pair it with anything and I'm pretty confident, what you feed is what you get, with more neutrality and a clearer perception of soundstage than you previously heard.


CONCLUSION

On my last review (I believe it's the Superlux HD330), I told the community that I won't be reviewing anything anytime soon since I'm back to my old music lover self (non-audiophile). Oh well, I enjoy this stuff. And though I'd like to stick with best-value budget gear, I felt that I owe it to the community to express my thoughts on the E12.

At the time of this writing, I already sold the E12. Now I have my sights on the A5. Specs are very tempting but I don't have the need for it yet.

The E12 is truly a worthy flagship. Does it make the A3 obsolete? No, definitely. The A3 is still a great-value (as Fiio decided to keep it in circulation, together with the A5). But a the top of Fiio's portable amps, the E12 was the undisputed king. Highly recommended. Grab it while you still can!

That's about it, plain and simple. Next stop - my review on the Fiio EM3.

Happy listening everyone!

BACKGROUND

I needed a pair of headphones for office use so I won’t need to bring my JVC HA-RX700 every day going to work. They take a lot of bag space and inconvenient to carry around when commuting. Secondly, I wanted to own a pair of open back headphones. Or at least semi-open ones. I read a lot about the sonic advantages of an open back and of course the isolation advantages of a closed headphone so owning a semi-open one looked like the best option since it may provide the best of both worlds – an open sound and some amount of isolation. Given the budget I’m willing to work with (less than $100), I had several options, including the venerable Shure SRH440 (not open but one of the options for portability) and one of the world’s best, a legend in the making, the Grado SR80e. All things considered, and more importantly, the price they sell for, I went with the Superlux HD330 as I felt they are the best value overall.


PACKAGING (Update)

The HD330 comes in a decent package that may look ordinary but feels very secure. What you get:

1. The headphones
2. 6.3mm screw-on adapter plug (attached to the headphones initially)
3. A hard case for the headphones (quite large but does an exceptional job in protecting the headphones; the headphones themselves are in a bubble wrap for extra protection)
4. An octagon-shaped quick-guide that describes the headphones (includes the specs for both the HD330 and HD660)

For the price point, I would say that the packaging looks rather professional, which is very good.

(Update) Here are some pictures:




BUILD QUALITY AND COMFORT

I would say very decent. The headband is made of metal that is thick and feels durable as it doesn’t bend very easily. It holds the ear cups by screws (yes, actual screws). This gives them a feel of industrial ruggedness. The ear cups are all plastic but also the thick and durable type. If I have to nitpick regarding the build quality, it’s that the padding on the headband and the ear cups, though adequately thick and very comfortable, are covered with thin and plastic-feeling pleather. I imagine this lasting for quite some time for casual listening but if you intend to use this for professional purposes, it may just wear out easily. Glad to know that these are compatible with Beyerdynamic pads so they can be easily replaced with higher quality ones (like velour pads). Also, the small wires protruding from the drivers may need some extra care. If they get snatched, they can be severed rather easily and may need repair for the drivers to produce sound. Careful-to-normal handling is recommended. The coiled cable is thick and feels very durable with strong strain reliefs on both ends and terminates to a very shiny gold plated 3.5mm jack. It is also easily stretchable but I don’t imagine it stretching to 3 meters as the specs suggest. Maybe a little past 1.5 meters is as far as it will go.

The headphones are very comfortable. For a full-size set, you can easily forget that you have them on, even after hours of listening. Clamping force is just right to give a good seal but doesn’t press on the ears to cause discomfort. Due to the thick headband padding, you won’t really feel the weight over your head. Again, very durable and comfortable headphones.


SOUND

Burn-in: 150+ hours

Set-up used:

1. Fiio X1 + Fiio E11k (w/ JDS Labs ultra-short interconnect)
2. The X1’s Line Out (LO) for pure, uncolored sound (I feel that EQing doesn’t show the true character of the headphones)
3. Mostly flac and 320kbps music files

Lows

Very authoritative. It is definitely enhanced. I would say it’s the maximum quantity of bass for “audiophile” before it crosses the “basshead” level. Anything more then it will be a basshead headphone. The bass, with all its abundance, is never the dominating factor. It nicely complements the rest of the spectrum. It gives more body to the mids and makes the highs really shine by providing a really good contrast of “top versus the bottom end” sonic perception.

For symphonic pieces (e.g. classical verses of symphonic metal bands like Epica and other classical pieces), basslines are really thunderous and alive! Bass notes are all very clear and easily distinguishable. And the bass gives music a very ambient feel (a sense of surround sound or concert hall effect as some might call it).

The quality of the bass is among the best I’ve ever heard. I auditioned an Ibasso DX80 + Chord Mojo + Hifiman HE-400i before and the bass from the HD330 is very close to that level. I imagine that if the HD330 is at the end of that set-up, it will be at that level (since the DX80 + Mojo combo are both darker/richer sources than what I have (X1 + E11k)). Based on what I’ve heard so far, it is at the mid-fi planar magnetic level.

Mids

Forward sounding and with great body. Guitars! My god, electric and acoustic guitars sounded as they should, with all their grunt, sexiness, and communicative emotion! The opening riff in the song Satellite by P.O.D sounds very exciting, almost captivating. Vocals are also forward and intimate but not so intimate that it’s in your face. I’d say it’s the perfect kind of intimate and always free of sibilance and “shoutiness”. It’s clean and natural. The rest of the mid-frequency instruments like piano, percussion, and other strings all sound very clear, and not recessed at all. The song Say Goodbye by Dave Matthews Band, with all its complex percussion and flute arrangements sounded very detailed and so much fun.

I would describe the mids as forward and aggressive but not the Grado type of aggression. It’s more akin to a Grado than anything else. But unlike a Grado, it’s more of a tamed aggression rather than ruthless aggression (I’ve auditioned the SR80e extensively). It gives the same level of engaging experience without the occasional sibilance and katana sharpness of Grado headphones. Don’t get me wrong. If budget is not an issue, I would still get an SR80e as a proud addition to my collection. It remains as one of the world’s best (price to performance wise). For the price they’re sold for though, the HD330 has one of the best mids I’ve ever heard.

Highs

The best among anything that I’ve heard. Like the bass, highs are enhanced on these headphones. But they are enhanced nicely. “Enhanced” is the perfect term to use, not “pronounced”. Highs are very detailed, textured, and natural. Cymbal crashes, decay, brushes, quick hits all sound very clear and natural and they never sounded fizzy. These headphones never lack in high end sparkle. It is actually the “sparkliest” headphones I have ever heard. The song You Could Be The One by Brian McKnight with its chime-laden opening sounded spine-tingling. Other songs laden with “bells” will give you the same sensation. High end sparkle is exceptional.

Presentation

Soundstage is not so wide. It would say it’s just right. About as wide as the SR80e and those too are intimate sounding headphones. Though I like a wide sounding headphone, I don’t want it to be abnormally wide as well. At this price point, the sense of depth and height you get from these headphones are more than decent. They are great. There is good space between instruments. Instrument placement or imaging within the soundstage is also very precise. In the song Sunday Bloody Sunday by U2, you clearly have a sonic picture of the drums at the back of the stage and the guitarists and vocalist at the fore front like watching them perform live. The presentation is either “in the venue of recording” or “front row”. The sonic picture is not having the musicians too far away but rather playing in an intimate live/recording venue. It is a very intimate and engaging music experience.


CONCLUSION

I am not sure why it is not ranked higher here in Head-fi or why reviews are not abundant about these headphones and if there are any, it’s mostly reviewed together with its close brothers, the HD440 and HD660. I just feel like it doesn’t give justice to how these headphones perform.

This kind of performance is what makes other audiophiles, beginners or otherwise, not go beyond a certain price point any longer. In my case, this $43 headphone had given me as much sound quality, excitement, and enjoyment as other headphones I have ever tried and auditioned up to the $500 range.

To be fair with this review, I have not tested this with other equipment other than the set-up described above and some occasional laptop listening (direct from Headphone Out w/ Foobar2000, flat EQ). Other headphones may scale more preferably, especially for professional/studio use. Nonetheless, the results are always the same. You do not need to EQ these headphones. They sound as exciting and as fun as a default sound a headphone can give. I did not even note a big difference with the sound out of the box vs the 150-hours burn in mark, aside from the bass being a touch tighter and the mids opening up more.

With this in mind, this might very well be my last review here in Head-Fi (or at least my last review for a very long time). In my quest for audio nirvana, I realized that audio nirvana is a state-of-mind, and not a state-of-equipment. Once you become an audiophile, you actually lose your audio nirvana since you forget to enjoy your music more than you enjoy the sound of your equipment. If a simple audio set-up (like what I have now) brings you back to that same sense of enjoyment, that sense of being one with your music, then you’ve once again regained your audio nirvana. I’ve come to realize that there is no “best at xxx price point” or “best beginner headphones”. There are only the worst, the average, the above average, and the best headphones around. And the Superlux HD330, in my honest and humble opinion, are worthy to be tagged among the best in the headphones world.

See you around audio masters! I’ll always be a fan of your knowledge and expertise (thus “audiophilefan”)! Until my next review (in a long time to come)!

Happy listening everyone!

BACKGROUND

I used my smartphone for playing music for years. Though most smartphones can play most of the music formats nowadays, including flac (with the exception of Apple devices), there’s one thing lacking – resolution. Though the sound quality is very good, as a music enthusiast, you sometimes feel that you can push the envelope a little bit more to get the most out of your music. Thus, you need a hi-res player. To cut the story short, here’s a brief review of the capable X1. I won’t be posting pictures anymore as this product has already garnered hundreds of decent reviews online.


PACKAGING

The X1 comes in a premium package that looks and feel nice. What you get:

1. Nicely designed box with scratch-off authenticity seal (you can authenticity by entering the code online)
2. Fiio X1 Digital Audio Player
3. USB micro cable (1m)
4. Black silicone protective case
5. 3 film screen protectors (1 pre-installed from factory)
6. Owner's Manual
7. Warranty card
8. 3 Fiio stickers (these look awesome and can suit different tastes and each can give the X1 a different “personality” in terms of looks)

FULL USER-INTERFACE (W/ LATEST FIRMWARE, 1.6)

Pretty easy to navigate:

1. Power and volume buttons on the side
2. Scroll wheel to navigate
3. Center button to select (long press to make the volume dial appear, adjust the volume with the scroll wheel)
4. Menu button on the upper-left side of the scroll wheel (long press takes you to Now Playing, with the song details displayed briefly)
5. Back button on the upper-right side of the scroll wheel (long press takes you to the main screen with all the options available, short presses takes you one folder/category out (pretty useful))
6. Previous and Next buttons (within folders or categories, these will take you to the previous or next item on the list respectively)
7. It’s pretty intuitive. Just test what the menu button would bring you wherever you are within the interface (in Now Playing, in a folder, in a category) then select what you need to do (Save to Favorites, add to a playlist, delete, etc.).
8. One caveat with the UI is you really can’t clear the Playlists category. Previously created playlists that you deleted are still visible BUT not usable anymore. Let’s just hope that this gets addressed in future firmware updates.
9. Be careful with the Line Out (LO) setting. This setting is intended for auxiliary use where the X1 is plugged to a dedicated amplifier (like a headphone amp or a stereo with a mini jack). Plugging your headphones directly with this setting on will damage your headphones, and MUCH WORSE, will damage your hearing. Volume controls and EQ settings do not work in this setting. It is very powerful and loud.

SOUND


Standalone Sound – Headphone Out (HO)

I would say pretty decent. Soundstage for me is great. It’s a neutral sound with a touch of warmth, very suitable for long listening sessions. Though you need to crank up the volume up to at least level 40 to get some decent volume and power, it’s always an enjoyable listen. I love the bass it produces, it goes pretty deep and smooth, but not lacking in speed either. It’s just right. Mids and highs have decent clarity. Instrument separation is also decent. Imaging is more centered than too separate left or right. I like this presentation since some old jazz recordings tend to sound very separate left or right. I believe the player addressed this to some degree and made some of these songs sound more focus-centered and more coherent. I would summarize the sound as very musical. For the budget conscious, you do not need an amp to pair this with. It can power headphones up to 300 ohms. I would imagine it could power higher impedance headphones, though with less results in terms of volume. I would imagine you’d enjoy its musicality as it is. But if you can dig deeper in your wallet, pairing it up with a decent amp would do wonders. More on that on the following section.


Paired Sound – Headphone Out + Fiio E11k headphone amp

I would say a level up in sound in every respect. Bass this time is punchier and has a stronger sense of attack. It’s increasing the quantity without sacrificing the quality. I would even say that quality is improved considerably. There is more clarity in the mids and highs that you would immediately notice when unplugging the amp. Soundstage, imaging and separation are about the same. Since both the X1 and E11k are both neutral devices, you just get the sound improvements where you need them to be. The sound would not be colored negatively in any way when plugging an amp. To be fair, I do not have any experience plugging this to a different amp so you need to audition some to find the perfect pairing for your tastes. For me, this pairing is indeed a match made in heaven, as some reviewers suggested.


Paired Sound – Line Out + Fiio E11k headphone amp

I would say some improvement but not a complete level up. There is a touch more prominence and clarity in bass. Same with the rest of the spectrum. There is a touch more clarity. BUT the downside of Line Out in my opinion is it sounds flat. That is to be expected though since volume and EQ settings do not work in this setting. It is the flattest, most powerful, and purest sound the X1 can produce. That’s why this setting works best if your X1 is paired with an amp or plugged in as an auxiliary to play music through speakers. The main benefit of this setting is it is powerful enough to decently drive multimedia speakers that have sub-woofers. I have the Edifier M1386 and with the X1 Line Out, it sounds very good. I would dare say that it comes pretty close to full sized component systems. And even at low volumes, you do not lose detail. Though this is partly because of the speakers themselves. Edifier is in fact one of the respected brands for multimedia audio.

After several tests with some tracks, I prefer the Headphone Out setting due to EQ. A “touch” of improvement is not enough for me to totally abandon EQing and not make my music sound the way I wanted it to. As one reviewer suggests - Headphone Out and Line Out are not that too far off in terms of SQ so using either are both enjoyable depending on your needs.


CONCLUSION

For a portable DAP, in my opinion, no other player can provide the value that the X1 can provide. Though you will have some noticeable improvement with higher end DAPs like the X3 or X5, or even the Ibasso DX series, it will be mostly on the features (can be used as a DAC, DSD decoding, touchscreen UI, etc.). And expectedly so since they cost at least twice or thrice as much. Sound in my opinion is enjoyable enough that going up the ladder, even just a level up to the likes of the X3, diminishing returns immediately kicks in. I had the chance to audition the Ibasso DX80 + Chord Mojo + Hifiman HE-400i. Though this setup sounds darker/richer, deeper, and even considerably “weightier”, well, it should be. It’s a fortune compared to my current portable set up – Fiio X1 + Fiio E11k + JVC HA-RX700. The latter sounds brighter, though lacks a little depth and weightiness in sound, is competitive enough in terms of soundstage and to my ears, sounds faster and more enjoyable.

I highly recommend the X1. It deserves the high ranking here at head-fi and anywhere else in the internet. And if price-to-performance ratio is the main consideration, I would even rank it at number one. It’s that good.

Enjoy and happy listening!

BACKGROUND

I'm a portable user and I have a Fiio X1 + Fiio E11k (A3) stack. The E11k came with a stock Fiio L8 interconnect. I would say it sounds pretty good but lasted only a few months of normal use. I only take it off once in a while when I need to use the X1 on its own while charging the E11k. I know I can use both while charging but I'd like to optimize battery life by not doing so. After a few months, I noticed a constant channel imbalance, either I can only hear faint vocals like coming from a tin can or only one side of the headphones has music. I immediately tried re-positioning the IC and some positions would fix the problem. Also, pressing the IC jacks to the ports on the amp or the player would also fix the problem. The thing is, when I put the stack down and accidentally touch the wires of the IC, the problem goes back. So I concluded that it's an interconnect issue. It must've been broken inside.

I asked the reseller if it's covered by warranty and they said that accessories are only covered for a month so I started searching for alternatives. First one on the list is the Fiio L16. It has good reviews and fairly affordable (approx. $12). Problem is there is a scarcity of stock for that item in this country (Philippines). Not many sellers carry it anymore, much less a fewer sellers still selling it. So I asked the seller for alternatives that has the same quality (as the L16, not the L8), if not price, and they recommended the JDS Labs Ultra Short IC. At $7.45, I got one without any hesitation. See my impressions below.

SOUND

I'm not a believer of cables having an effect on the sound, at least not something immediately noticeable. I was in for a surprise when I started playing some of my favorite tracks.

1. The BASS has better volume and a touch cleaner and more noticeable. Bass guitar notes are clearer. Kick drum rhythms are more easily distinguishable.
2. There are DETAILS that I never noticed before, not unless I nit pick and listen closely. They're just effortlessly obvious now (e.g. when one of the performers bumped on or adjusted the mic on one of the live tracks I usually listen to)
3. There is a touch more DEPTH on all of the tracks I listened to.
4. In summary, my music is much more enjoyable, it's like my portable rig came to new life with a simple IC change. That is where the magic is - the change is IMMEDIATELY NOTICEABLE.

Wow! I would say I'm a believer in cables now. Though like headphones, there will be a point of diminishing returns. Right now, I'm perfectly enjoying my simple set up with the new IC. It may take a while before I even consider an upgrade.

I highly recommend these ICs for the budget conscious, if not as an upgrade to stock ICs, at least a very good replacement.

Happy listening!

ABOUT ME

I’m an audiophile on a budget, always searching for best value audio gear. As my username suggests, I’m also a big fan of passionate and dedicated audiophiles, especially here in Head-Fi. I’ve owned a few headphones and I love portable gear as I mostly listen in the office and a few times at home while my little toddler sleeps. I rarely listen through my laptop.

Gears I own:

1. Fiio X1
2. Fiio A3 (formerly E11k Kilimanjaro, stacked with the X1)
3. Samsung stock IEMs for Galaxy Mega 5.8 (included here since they sound pretty decent, now broken after almost 3 years of use)
4. AKG K511 (sold to a friend, sounded too bass-emphasized for my tastes)
5. Awei ES500i (did not last a month due to build quality issues)
6. JVC HA-RX700 (my main pair, also wrote a review about this here in Head-Fi)
7. Superlux HD572 (my portable pair. I don’t use IEMs anymore due to ear irritation and they slip quite often)

Gears I auditioned:

1. Sony MDR-7506
2. Audio Technica ATH-M50x
3. Marshal Major
4. Marshal Major II
5. Creative Aurvana Live
6. Superlux HD661
7. Beyerdynamic DT880 Pro
8. Fiio E6
9. JVC Riptidz on-ears
10. Hifiman HE400i
11. Ibasso DX80 DAP
12. Chord Mojo

SET-UP USED

1. X1 + A3 (E11k) stacked
2. Burn-in time: Approx. 100 hours (did not change much after burn-in)
3. My trusty ears, no more no less
4. Flac and 320kbps versions of the following songs:

For bass speed and accuracy (opening lines of the song where bass is prominent):

1. Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke
2. We Are Never Getting Back Together by Taylor Swift
3. Blank Space by Taylor Swift

For bass extension (opening lines of the song where bass extension is prominent):

1. Royals by Lorde

For mids details (a lot of instruments masterfully blended together):

1. After Hours by Spyro Gyra
2. Pipo’s Song by Spyro Gyra
3. Heliopolis by Spyro Gyra (a lot of percussions masterfully blended together)

For highs (sparkly cymbal hits and crashes are quite prominent throughout the songs):

1. Busted Stuff by Dave Matthews Band
2. Diggin A Ditch by Dave Matthews Band

For the entire frequency range:

1. Funky Lights by Threestyle (a substantial mix of instruments that cover the lows, mids, and highs)

For liveliness and dexterity (these songs can sound boring and dull quite easily with non-capable gear):

1. Boom by Payable On Death (P.O.D) (new metal but sounds quite congested and heavy if the headphones are not nimble enough)
2. Quietus by Epica (symphonic metal, very hard to enjoy if the headphones don’t sound nimble enough)
3. Blank Infinity by Epica (same characteristics as Quietus)

For acoustics and musicality:

1. Endless Night (Guitar Instrumental) from the Disney Fairy Tale Weddings album

For soundstage:

1. Samadhi (Prelude) by Epica (symphonic metal + opening with an orchestra creating that grandiose concert hall effect)
2. Higher High by Epica (symphonic metal + opening with an orchestra creating that grandiose concert hall effect)

For female vocals:

1. Miss Otis Reqrets by Linda Ronstadt (for easy listening yet Linda’s voice is so soulful)
2. A Moment With You by Maggie Jane (a very soulful rendition of a jazz ballad)

For male vocals:

1. If I Could by Ray Charles (the frustration and affection is deeply conveyed in Ray’s voice)
2. Are You Lonesome Tonight? (Live) by Paul Buchanan (from the Chris Botti Live With Orchestra album) – (Paul’s rendition is very soulful yet melancholic)

PICTURES (Update)



BUILD QUALITY AND DESIGN

I would say, pretty decent:

1. Hard durable plastic that can take a beating
2. Headband click adjustment (I love this type the most since it lets you specify the perfect adjustment for you based on the number of clicks)
3. Thick and durable cable
4. No ¼ adapter included
5. Pleather pads, not the durable type though it may last with normal use
6. Not an eye candy but I don’t think it’s trying to be (since it’s intended to be a “Studio Monitor” as engraved on the headband)

COMFORT

Not very comfortable:

1. Clamping force is quite strong. It did not really loosen that much after more than a month of use.
2. For eye glasses users like me, take your glasses off first then put these on. They will press hard and quite painful if the temples of your eye glasses get caught between the back of your ears.
3. Takes getting used to because of these issues. Pleather pads are soft enough though so comfort is just “ok”.

SOUND

Lows
Too weak in my opinion. I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be this flat since I don’t have too much experience with studio monitors but still, I’m not a basshead by any stretch and I still find it lacking. That’s how weak it is. It feels like the music is missing something that should give it some fullness, like for tracks that should give you some slam and the thunderous effect within a concert hall. It doesn’t have that at all. Bass is there, but it’s just barely there. It’s hard to put it in words.

Mids
I believe this is where it shines. All other mid-centric instruments are really clear and I would say evened out and nothing is too emphasized – guitars (sound very real with good recordings), piano, saxophones, percussions, and minute details are quite clear. One word, clarity. It even manages to sound natural and lifelike for some good recordings. That’s quite a feat for a $17 pair. Both male and female vocals are decent and non-sibilant but lacks soul and emotion as delivered by better sounding headphones.

Highs
Just “ok”. I feel that they’re a bit recessed so it doesn’t extend as much as I expected.

Soundstage
Pretty good. Not in-your-head. I would say quite wide for this price point. You know where instruments are located and stereo imaging is ok.

Isolation

1. Sound leaking out – Decent. No one ever complained of sound leakage in my office and when I covered the ear cups to test at decent volumes, I did not notice any glaring leakage.
2. Sound leaking in – Poor. One of the poorest I tested. I can hear our window type aircon humming quite clearly with these on and this is in the comfort of our own room where my little boy sleeps so it should be quiet enough. I find this weird considering it doesn’t leak too much sound out.

Overall Sound Signature
Quite fun actually. It’s nimble enough to make you enjoy some rock and jazz here and there but when you start listening to pop (e.g. Grammy Nominees and the likes), you’ll immediately notice the lack of bass I referred to earlier. If Superlux targeted common listeners who love at least a decent amount of bass, they would’ve tuned it differently, but again, I believe it’s intended to be a (home) studio monitor.

SUMMARY

For the price, I can’t complain. But I would only recommend these if you’re budget is very limited. For casual listening where you just want music while you’re busy (e.g. in the office), this would suffice. For leisure listening where you want to indulge in your music, it may not. If you can save up for a more decent pair, I’d highly recommend that. But again, listen before you decide. You may “love” what I only came to “like”. In this hobby, we need to…always play it by ear.

Cheers!

First and foremost, this is not an expert review. You may call it amateur if you please. But it's more of an owner appreciating his gear and sharing his thoughts and opinions about it.

After reading multiple reviews, mostly here in head-fi, I've decided to purchase the JVC HA-RX700. It struck me as a hidden gem since it has been compared multiple times to headphones several times more expensive. I bought it for $30+ in B&H and had it shipped here in the Philippines. We don't have that model here so it's safe to say that I was not able to test it before buying. Aside from reviews, my other basis for buying is I always loved the JVC sound. We had a component system before and unlike other component systems I've heard, JVC to me is the only system that doesn't have a "veil". Everything is so clear and open. So I thought maybe, just maybe, they'd keep that legacy in their headphones.

So let's begin shall we? Please excuse any terms that are not head-fi worthy.

PACKAGING AND PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES

*Packaging - The packaging looks average, in transparent plastic that is almost moulded to the shape of the headphones, except for the straight edges. You need cutters to really open it cleanly. It's sealed.

*Size - When I first saw them out of the box, I would have to agree to one of the most consistent observations about these headphones. These are huge. I only know of a few headphones that are bigger, like the AKG K550.

*Cord - The cord is really long, and I mean really long. You can walk around a small room not needing to unplug it from the source. It's safely more than 3 meters.

*Build - The build, I would say, is tough. I've owned it for months now and I'm yet to see a scratch on it. The only issue were creaking sounds when you suddenly turn your head left or right or when you do some slight head banging while listening to lively music. I believe others have observed this as well but learned to ignore the problem. I just can't because it affected my listening experience at first. The solution? Upon further testing and observation, most of the creaking sound is coming from where the cord and drivers are joined. It's either loose or the cord's friction with whatever it's connected too creates the creaking sound. There is nothing that a simple electric tape can't fix. Wrap the connector with the cord then you're good to go. No more creaking sound.

SOUND

*Sources - Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 smartphone, iPad mini, Acer Aspire 4738z laptop, Fiio X1. Sorry but I do not own high end sources like amps and I'm hesitant to buy a portable amp since these gadgets can drive the RX700 quite easily. The iPad and X1 are not mine. I borrowed them from a relative and a friend respectively. And as I noted previously in the introductions thread, I'm a budget audio enthusiast, not an audiophile. If I can stick with the basics - a decent source and decent budget headphones, I’m good with that.

*Music Samples (mostly MP3 at 320kbps and a few flacs) - Jazz (e.g. Spyro Gyra), Prog (e.g. Porcupine Tree), Hair Metal (e.g. Warrant), Acoustic (e.g. Disney Fairy Tale Weddings (an awesome guitar album)), Pop (e.g. Grammy Nominees (to really test that bass since newer music are mostly bass-oriented)), and everything else in between, including Jazz Fusion (Dave Matthews Band). Oh yes, I'm a music lover.

*Out of the box – Out of the box, I would say that the sound is quite balanced yet ordinary. I wouldn’t say I was impressed at first but I was satisfied. Not as satisfied after more than 100 hours of burn in but it was enough for me to keep on listening. What struck me immediately is how mellow these headphones sound. But out of the box, the mids, I would say, would not show their true colors yet. There is just that feeling of wanting to hear more of the guitar and other instruments in the mid-frequency yet it really lacks volume and power in that area, especially acoustic guitars, again, out of the box.

*After 100 hours of burn-in – Then I understood why this is highly regarded as one of the best budget full-size headphones there is. I believe reading one review saying that guitar sound reproduction is the most realistic among headphones he had listened to. Not that I listened to a lot of headphones. I auditioned a few and I must say it is quite true. Sometimes it feels like the guitar player is just sitting beside you plucking or strumming to his heart’s content.

**Lows – The bass! Good lord! How accurate and quick and visceral it is (at least in my opinion)! In almost all of the reviews, I believe this is the strongest characteristic of these headphones. You would never hear it boomy or artificially extended. It’s just there, thumping and guttural if it needs to, and quite clear and groovy when it comes to bass guitars.

**Mids – Clear, clean, and mellow. Overall, I think this is what gives the impressive fullness to the sound of these headphones. Of course instrument separation is very decent yet not too far to enjoy the song as a whole.

**Highs – Just the right blend with the rest of the spectrum. Some people, especially audiophiles, may crave for more but again, I would say JVC balanced it all throughout to produce a very mellow, music-friendly sound.


REPRODUCTION FROM SOURCES

*Samsung smartphone – Volume needs to be at least half way to produce that decent sound. Not sure about other smartphones but Samsung’s built in player and amp sound strong and powerful enough to play music with enough definition and clarity.

*iPad mini – The sound becomes more “surround”. As an analogy, it’s like watching a movie in a Dolby Surround Sound cinema, even with music. This gives a whole new listening experience as the sound turns darker overall. If you’re looking for more warmth, I believe a mid-range smartphone will do.

*Acer laptop – This gives the best sound overall, at least for me. The soundstage becomes considerably wider; the lows quicker and more visceral even at lower volumes and the mids and highs become considerably more powerful and clear. I believe it’s because of the more powerful built-in amp as compared to a smartphone or a tablet.

*Fiio X1 – Almost sounds like the laptop but not quite, even if you tweak the EQ. I think it would benefit from an additional amp with bass boost like the Kilimanjaro or E11. I haven’t tried that but I think it needs that add-on for a complete mobile listening experience.


MUSIC EXPERIENCE

*Jazz – This is perfect for jazz. You hear everything, probably even the small nuances that you haven’t heard before, especially for multi-instrumental and complex arrangements from bands like Spyro Gyra (try listening to their song “After Hours” with these and you’ll know what I mean).

*Rock – This is fun for rock. You may not find the “forwardness” you’d normally find in rock-specific headphones like the Marshall Major, but it gives this certain crispness to rock music that eventually you start stomping your feet and banging your head a little bit without you noticing. I believe the secret is in its fullness of sound.

*Pop – I’m surprised how good it sounds for pop, especially with the iPad mini’s “surround” sound reproduction. But I need to warn bass heads. These may lack the “boom boom boom” you’re looking for. As I noted earlier, the bass is quick and visceral but will not give you the usual “boom” sound.

*Acoustic – See my comments in “After 100 hours of burn-in”.

*Everything else in between – This is a good all-rounder. I’m willing to bet, the best at this price point.


COMPARISONS

I meant no offense to anyone who owns and likes any of these headphones. These are mere personal comparisons and initial impressions since I never had long listening hours for some of these headphones, except for the K511, the Awei and the Samsung in-ears.

*Sennheiser HD-201 – The Sen is a tad brighter, which might be preferred by treble heads but it lacks the fullness I’m referring to earlier. It also lacks the mellowness and crispness of sound for any music as compared to the RX700. But where the JVC outshines it the most is in the bass department, especially when played with a decent player like the X1. The JVC also has better isolation and comfort overall. The JVC for me wins hands down.

*AKG K511 – Out of the box, the AKG wins in the mids department. It is immediately great for acoustic music and rock because of the enhanced bass response. It also wins in clarity, again, out of the box. But after about similar number of hours of burn-in the difference becomes very noticeable. The enhanced bass response of the AKG becomes even more enhanced, giving it that unwanted veil where the bass rules everything else. It creates a sound signature too dark for my tastes that if I can push the other frequencies up physically, I would. The AKG is better for gaming though since it sounds more immersive. Isolation is about the same, pretty decent. Both are very comfortable for long listening sessions. Again, after burn-in, it’s a no contest.

*Marshall Major – The Marshalls are significantly more forward sounding. I’m also impressed how clear-sounding those are given their forwardness. For rock, especially metal and other heavier sub-genres, it’s hard to beat the Marshalls. For prog though, I’d go with the JVC. I listen to more prog than standard metal so if you’re a purist metal fan, go with the Marhalls. For isolation, I have never worn headphones with better passive noise cancellation than the Marshalls. For a piece of on-ears, that is impressive. The Marshall wins in that department. But comfort wise, I’ve never been comfortable wearing on-ears. They become painful for me in the long run. Between the JVC and the Marshall, sound preference is a matter of choice. I’d still go with the JVC’s more balanced and mellow sound.

*AKG Y50 – They are both balanced sounding but the AKG lacks the definition and power the JVC has. It may be with the drivers but I am not sure. And again, I have this bias with over-ears. I love the comfort and sound staging that they can bring.

*Samsung and Awei ES500i in-ears – I think the big difference is the listening experience overall. The in-ears give me a more immersive listening experience but they lack in sound stage and comfort. Again, they’re too different for a fair comparison.


FINAL THOUGHTS

There are the all-stars and superstars, the high-ends, and the stuff of legends like the Sennheiser HD-650, Sony MDR-7506, AKG K550, or the Audio Technica ATH M50x. But also, in the further (or more appropriately, the cheaper) reaches of the headphones galaxy, there are the assassins, the phantoms, the mercenaries. They may be hidden from popularity or has a small but loyal following and yet, in their own special way, in their own right, they are legends. For me, the JVC HA-RX700 is one such legend.

I would recommend it to anyone looking for great value at a very low price point.

I hope this helps. Until the next review audio masters! Happy listening everyone! Cheers!

First off, let me say now that I am not an audiophile. I am a fan of audiophiles though and I learn a lot from you guys. I'm more of a budget-audio-enthusiast and I'd like to keep it that way. Some parts of this review will be to re-affirm some of the observations with this product and probably add some recommendations for the benefit of our budget-conscious members like myself. So let's begin, shall we?

Update --> I purchased the latest version (2017) since I sold the first one some time ago. I am now pairing it with my smartphone (Lenovo K4 Note). See where it says (Update) below for some updates on the latest release version.

PACKAGING (Update)

The latest packaging of the A3 (2017) has the following items:

• 2 Hi-Res stickers, on the packaging and the unit itself.
• 1 Ultra-short interconnect, as with the Fiio A5 (replacing the usual 3-inch ic)
• 2 Rubber pads (replacing the rubber feet)
• I'm stacking this with my phone so it's temporarily attached to my clear phone case with a reusable adhesive (sturdy but easy to remove Elmer's Tak 'N Stik). This does not damage the unit's surface at all.

REASON FOR BUYING

I always wondered if my headphones, the JVC HA-RX700, would benefit from a portable amp so I decided to dig some reviews and possibly find a good match. The most popular budget choice is the Fiio E6 so that was my first choice. Fortunately, there is a local store that lets me audition those first so I got to listen before deciding. First, it turned out that my headphones did benefit from the amp. There is some change in the sound quality, most notably in terms of clarity and bass but not necessarily in the sound stage. Not that I'm not content with how my headphones sound. They already sound great but I'm looking for that extra energy, especially in the treble and bass department. The E6 did that to some extent but EQ1 (red) is a little bit overbearing and the bass response is not that clean and muddied the mid-range a little bit. EQ2 (blue) sounded much cleaner but this time it lacked the bass energy I was looking for. I did not really pay too much attention to EQ3 (purple) and EQoff so I can't comment much on those. To cut the story short, the E6 is great for its price but I'm looking for more. So I stepped up the game, auditioned the E11K and the rest, as they say, is history. That history is actually written below.

BUILD AND DESIGN

The build is superb. It has this feeling of indestructibility to it. The brand new unit's switches are tight and sturdy. The volume meter is smooth but not loose. I'm sure that it will last for years unless you intentionally or accidentally damage it. It feels like it can really take a considerable beating.

Design wise, it looks gorgeous. The brushed aluminum makes it look like a premiere gear. I know that some may prefer the line-in and out ports to be at the front of the unit, together with the volume meter but this design works for me. I have it strapped to my smartphone (Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 l9152), which has the headphone-out port at the top-end so I had the bottom-end of the amp facing that area then I plug in the interconnect and headphones from there quite easily. I just reach underneath my phone for the volume meter to adjust it ever so slightly then it's good to go. The power indicator being at the bottom-end also helps with my set-up. Again, it depends on where your headphone-out is. I'm pretty sure you'll find your way through it.

SOUND

It added just the right bass energy I was looking for. It's not overwhelming but it's not lacking at all. It's really powerful and clean and it did not bleed out at all to any of the other frequency ranges.

It added a significant amount of treble energy. The highs (e.g. cymbal crashes and hits) are clearer and more prominent. Mid-range is also noticeably clearer.

Sound stage is about the same but more centered and balanced. It gives this concert hall effect, especially with songs that involved some orchestrated arrangements (e.g. Queen's Who Wants To Live Forever). Stereo imaging is unaffected though this is somewhat expected.

Overall, the sound is fuller and richer with a lot more energy. More importantly, I would say it's mostly neutral. My headphones' sound signature is maintained, with just the added prominence where I need them to be (bass and treble). So to my JVC HA-RX700 friends who are still wondering if those headphones sound "good" with an amp, they don't. They sound "great"! And they go perfect with the E11K.

CONS (Update)

1. Channel imbalance until level 2 in the volume dial - I did not really find this disturbing and this has been explained by Fiio quite clearly - http://fiio.me/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=40050. (Update) It's still there, but less noticeable on the latest version (2017).

2. Slight static when music is paused - At first, I was disturbed by this but this turned out to be normal for low impedance and highly sensitive headphones. I tested this behavior against the store's test unit and the result is the same. What helps though is:

a) If you're using a portable source which is not very powerful (like a smartphone), set the source volume to max then control the volume from the amp. This worked for me and static is no longer there after pausing as long as I stay within acceptable (not too loud) listening levels but results may vary as you switch to a more powerful source. I believe the logic is that the signal from the source must be as strong as possible to avoid static/distortion. Again, please test what works best with your set up.
b) Switch to Low Gain. Your low impedance or highly sensitive headphones will likely handle the low gain volume setting more easily. In analogy, it's biting the right amount of food and it can chew it just easily. This is the safest bet. A quick notice though: High gain for me sounded more forward and open and bass is just a little more prominent. I listened to it enough to spot the difference. Low gain sounds "tighter" (not in a bad way) and a bit (a very tiny bit) more detailed but I like the high gain sound better. Again, it's a matter of preference. Just adjust that volume ever so slightly to avoid hearing damage.

(Update) When music is paused, it's silent (version 2017). This is a significant improvement from the earlier releases. There is still EMI when stacked with a phone but pausing music, I can not detect any noise, even with more sensitive IEMs like the KZ ZS3.

3. Phone interference - And yes, it's not perfectly shielded and you will hear the "tut tut tut" if a call or a text message is coming in or if the phone is picking up a strong signal but I think this is normal. It doesn't happen often and I believe it won't be a problem if you're not using a phone as a source so don't sweat it. Overall, it's still decently shielded in my opinion.


BATTERY LIFE

It takes about 4 hours to full charge. Keep a close watch if you're nearing the 4-hour mark. Upon full charge, unplug the unit as it heats up a little if not done so. I believe the unit has a built-in protection for overcharging but just to be on the safe side, unplug it at once when fully charged.

The published usability at full charge is more than 16 hours and I can attest to that. I believe rechargeable batteries improve after several charging cycles so I'm counting on it. If not, I'm pretty much content with about 16 hours of usage until next charge.


FINAL THOUGHTS

Fiio's published product page says, "great layering and medium and high frequency extension" and "with great control of low frequencies and smooth drive". I couldn't agree more. I'd highly recommend this product for its purpose.

For the budget enthusiast, if you can push your budget a little bit higher, go for the E11K instead of the E6. If you can audition both, you'll hear the difference, I promise. Don't get me wrong, E6 is decent but E11K is more than decent. It's on a league of its own. I even read reviews that it can compete with its higher priced big brothers but I'm not qualified to comment on that. I did not have the chance to try those. Just know that with the Kilimanjaro 2, your getting best value and sound at a reasonable price.

(Update) I believe overall that version 2017 is a better value in terms of accessories set and the improved noise floor. I can't imagine it to improve anymore but it actually did. Great job, Fiio! This remains to be your best value amp a few years after its release.