INTRODUCTION

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INTRODUCTION

Warning – completely subjective views below

I enjoy the second order harmonic distortion from tubes. Very early on when I was getting back into audio, I had the chance to test and review a PortaTube tube based portable amp, and I loved it. It had plenty of power, very good resolution, and a rich tonality which was mesmerising - but without losing any detail. Anyone who knows me well will recognise that the one thing I don’t particularly like is warmth and darkness (i.e. bassy, overly smooth). I need to be able to also hear detail – and that is what the PortaTube brought to the table. The drawback is that it was large, could get very warm, and was pretty expensive.

It wasn’t too long before I then added a Little Dot MkIV to my desktop set-up – and it is affordable, powerful, and depending on the tubes – quite linear and very detailed. In fact the more I’ve listened to some good tube set-ups (NZ local Head-Fi Meet), the more I’ve grown to appreciate their sonic ability. I’m currently testing a full tube amp from Venture Electronics, and it is sublime.

But I’ve always wanted a portable tube amp with a small footprint which wouldn’t cost the earth but would give me that “flavour” of sound which I love. Then April 2015 I was told about a new Kickstarter project for a tube based portable hybrid amp – valves in the path for the signature, and solid state for power, size, portability and linearity. The surprising thing for me was that the developer was also from New Zealand. So I made contact, joined the KS (donation so I could access the comments), and made an introduction to Martin (the developer). This in turn led me to being able to try the prototypes, and conversing with Martin along the way regarding where the issues lay, what could be improved, and what needed to be rethought. The amps are being shipped right now to backers, and while it is still not perfect – we’ll cover that in the review – the end result is a combined high resolution DAC/amp with a really nice tonality.

ABOUT IMS
Martin Young resides in Auckland, New Zealand – and has been working for the last few years on a portable valve amplifier design – which he completed and started selling in early 2015. It met with some very good reviews, so in order to further expand production, and take the amp to the world he started a Kickstarter project in March/April 2015. I’ve known Martin since then, and we’ve conversed regularly by email and phone – and met last year at our local Head-Fi Meet. It was a good chance to sit down with him, discuss where some of the issues lay, and devise means of correcting them.

In the time I’ve known him, Martin has been very responsive to suggestions, meticulous in trying to develop the best product possible, and his only weak point so far has been saying “yes” to too many requested features – and thereby delaying the delivery of his product. I know that he is continuing to work on the current deliveries, and also working on some new ideas for the future. He is someone who appreciates good music, and good design – which bodes well for his future.

DISCLAIMER
The IMS Hybrid Valve Headphone Amplifier was provided to me gratis as a review sample. I have made it clear to Martin that I still regard any product he sends me as his sole property and available for return any time at his request. But I thank him for the ability to continue use of the HVA – both for follow up comparisons and also for my own personal use. The IMS-HVA can be sourced from his website for approx. USD 179, with an add-on DAC a further USD 89.

PREAMBLE - 'ABOUT ME'.
(This is to give any readers a baseline for interpreting the review).

I'm a 49 year old music lover. I don't say audiophile – I just love my music. Over the last couple of years, I have slowly changed from cheaper listening set-ups to my current set-up. I vary my listening from portables (FiiO X5ii, X3ii, X7, LP5 Pro, L3 and iPhone 5S) to my desk-top's set-up (PC > USB > iFi iDSD). I also use a portable set-up at work – either X5ii/X3ii/X7 > HP, or PC > E17K > HP. My main full sized headphones at the time of writing are the Beyer T1, Sennheiser HD600, and AKG K553. Most of my portable listening is done with IEMs, and lately it has mainly been with the Jays q-Jays, Alclair Curve2 and Adel U6. A full list of the gear I have owned (past and present is listed in my Head-Fi profile).

I have very eclectic music tastes listening to a variety from classical/opera and jazz, to grunge and general rock. I listen to a lot of blues, jazz, folk music, classic rock, indie and alternative rock. I am particularly fond of female vocals. I generally tend toward cans that are relatively neutral/balanced, but I do have a fondness for clarity, and suspect I might have slight ‘treble-head’ preferences. I am not treble sensitive (at all), and in the past have really enjoyed headphones like the K701, SR325i, and of course the T1 and DT880.

I have extensively tested myself (ABX) and I find aac256 or higher to be completely transparent. I do use exclusively redbook 16/44.1 if space is not an issue. All of my music is legally purchased (mostly CD – the rest FLAC purchased on-line).

I tend to be sceptical about audiophile ‘claims’, don’t generally believe in burn-in, have never heard a difference with different cables, and would rather test myself blind on perceived differences. I am not a ‘golden eared listener’. I suffer from mild tinnitus, and at 49, my hearing is less than perfect.

For the actual listening part of this review I used the IMS-HVA both with my X3ii, stand alone with PC and netbook (to test the DAC), and also paired with my iPhone 5S. This is a purely subjective review - my gear, my ears, and my experience. Please take it all with a grain of salt - especially if it does not match your own experience.

FURTHER NOTES

The unit I have for test and review is the model with both DAC and amp combined.
Volume matching was done with a calibrated SPL meter and test tones (1 kHz) when required for comparison.
Frequency response and distortion measurements were taken using a relatively cheap Startech USB soundcard, which I know gives me a pretty good measure of objective data – but is somewhat limited by the card itself.
I measured the IMS-HVA DAC, but the readings seemed completely off (I really need a much better interface), so I haven’t included them.
From this point – I will refer to the IMS Hybrid Valve Headphone Amplifier as simply the IMS-HVA, or HVA.
I’ve spent about two weeks with this particular IMS-HVA unit, but previously have spent up to 100 hours testing prototypes of both the amp and the DAC.

WHAT I WOULD LOOK FOR IN A PORTABLE DAC/AMP
I thought I’d list (before I start with the review) what I would look for in a portable DAC/amp (YMMV). This is useful to remember when looking at my reasoning for scoring later in the review.

Genuine portability
Good battery life
Clean, neutral signature
Easy to use
Low output impedance
Reasonable output power – should be able to drive IEMs and earphones up to 300 ohms
Good gain control
Hardware EQ if possible
Easy installation of DAC drivers
Value for money

PORTABLE AMP/DACs I HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH

Previous = FiiO E7, Beyerdynamic A200p
Current = FiiO E17K, Q1, K1, Cozoy Aegis, iFi Micro iDSD

THE REVIEW

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES
The package I have may not be the same as actual customers get. Mine arrived in a silver coloured tin box measuring 145 x 105 x 40 mm. Opening the lid reveals a top foam cover to protect the amp, and underneath this safely nestled in a thick foam form fitting inner compartment is the amp itself.

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The tin box	Very nicely written manual/info card	The HVA nestled safely in it's foam bed.

Also included with my unit were three short micro USB to USB cables (for charging / connecting to laptops etc), a 3.5mm to 3.5 mm interconnect, and an instruction / specification card. Martin is also looking at including an inter-connect with built in attenuation in future for those having issues with fixed line-outs. We didn’t worry about it for mine, as all my DAPs have the option to set the line-out to variable.

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The cables I was provided	A short IC would be a wonderful option (X3ii and HVA)	Instead of the included longer cable

The entire package is practical, covering everything you might initially need for the IMS-HVA, but I do have a couple of suggestions for Martin. The first would be to think about including a simple protective carry pouch. FiiO uses one for their E17K which would be perfect. The second thought would be the inclusion of a shorter interconnect (see photos of FiiO’s latest which is included with their Q1 DAC/amp. Lastly – and this may be included already in the final packages – a longer micro USB to USB charging / DAC cable. I have plenty already so I’m not worried, but ideally a 1m cable would be good for connecting to a PC.

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Suggestions for Martin - short IC and neophrene case	The Fiio E17K case is a perfect size	Complete protection

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
The tables below list most of the known specifications for the IMS-HVA

SPECIFICATION	IMS-HVA
Approx. price USD	~ USD 179 (amp only) or USD 270 (DAC/amp)
Output Impedance H/O	<0.3 ohm
Max Output Power @ 16 ohm	~ 140 mW
Max Output Power @ 32 ohm	~ 87 mW
Max Output Power @ 300 ohm	~ 10 mW
Gain	~ +13 dB (my measurement)
Max Output Current	115 mA
Max Output Voltage	~1.5 Vp-p
Max Res (DAC)	32/384
Dimensions	105 x 59 x 16mm
Outer Material	Anodised aircraft grade aluminium
Headphone Out	3.5 mm
Line Out	3.5 mm
Weight	120g (amp only), 150g (amp + DAC)
Battery Capacity / Life	1800 mAh / ~ 12 hours
Recharge Time	~ 4 hours

BUILD / DESIGN
The IMS-HVA is rectangular shaped with rounded corners but quite “hard” front and back edges. It is essentially made up of two 59 x 104 x 2mm thick sheets of aircraft grade anodised aluminium (front and back), with a very solid silver one piece aluminium frame 3mm thick to hold the internals. In the front plate is a viewing window sealed by a 40 x 30mm piece of shatter proof plexi-glass, so that the tubes can be viewed. All of the print and graphics on the front and rear plates is laser engraved. The plates are attached by stainless steel hex mini fasteners. All of the internal components (front, sides, and pot) are electrically connected to the PCB’s ground for extra shielding from EMI and RFI. This must be working brilliantly because there have been no issues at all working with my iPhone 5S.

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Front panel	Rear panel	Side USB charging (and if fitted - DAC) access port

On the left hand side is a single gain switch, and at the right hand side is the micro SUB charging port, which doubles as the digital input for the DAC if fitted. At the top left is the 3.5mm line-in, and top right the 3.5mm headphone out. Between them is the potentiometer – which has a very smooth action. This is topped by a CNC milled and knurled metal knob.

Internally, the IMS-HVA uses two military grade Raytheon 6418 glass vacuum tubes, and these essentially give the IMS-HVA its tonality. I asked martin about their origin, and he told me they are 1984 vintage, and were originally included destined to be included inside the Patriot missiles, so it would be fair to say that long life and top performance was essential with these valves. The valves actually don’t glow when active – which creates an issue for users expecting the amp to have that warm tube glow. So Martin arranged to include two very quiet orange LED back-lights behind the valves which glow when the amp is switched on. The result looks amazing – and I can assure you the tubes are actually working as they are designed. Without the filaments actually glowing, there are no issues with heat either – which makes the IMS-HVA perfect for pocketable use.

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Left side - gain switch	Volume pot - line-in on left and headphone-out on right	Very sturdy build and components

For the amp itself, Martin has used the Burr Brown OPA 2134 – mainly for its renowned low distortion figures. He also uses metal film resisters throughout, low ESR tantalum capacitors, and even the circuit boards have 2 oz. copper tracks to further lower circuit noise.

For the DAC section, Martin has used the Savi Audio SA9227 as a master DAC, with the Burr Brown PCM5102 as the slave. This gives a maximum resolution of 32 bit / 384 kHz PCM, and with the right drivers, should also be able to decode both DSD64 and 128. Note – I have not tested this.

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Front panel and plexi-glass removed	Very neat internals with DAC board sitting above main amp board	Rear panel removed - note the shielding and grounding

If I was to describe the build and design in a couple of words I’d say clean and industrial. The finish might not be 100% perfect (the gain switch is slightly low on my unit), but it exudes a feel of robustness / sturdiness which I find oddly endearing. And knowing how much time went into selecting and testing components (from my various discussions with Martin), I know that although some tough design decisions had to be made, corners were not actually cut during the journey.

HEAT AND POWER
As discussed earlier, the Raytheon valves actually run correctly at a very low temperature, so heat is not an issue (at all) with IMS-HVA. You can happily walk around with this in your pocket all day.

Power is something Martin and I have talked about a lot. The battery will provide 4.2 volts, but included in the circuitry is an on-board booster which takes this to 12.5 volts, which is then applied to the anodes to power the valves. And although I listed above the actual power output volumes at full power – they aren’t quite the full story. The IMS-HVA has one big issue at the heart of its design – and that is when you put a full line-out voltage into the amp, it can overdrive the Raytheon tubes into distortion. A solution would be to lower the amount reaching the tubes (via use of resistors), but when we tested that, we then needed to increase the output gain which led to unwanted noise after the tube stage, and also at the low point of the pot. The only other solution would have been to change the tubes, but this would have compromised the entire design – so this is where compromise had to be reached. Martin did put resistances in before the tubes – but compromised between that and the output stage. For most sources – including PC’s I would recommend keeping the output volume of your source at no higher than 75% - otherwise there is a high chance that the valves will over drive and you will hear distortion (particular in the lower frequencies). I know some people are going to cry “foul” at this – but it is what it is, and I personally have no issues with it on any of my devices. If it something that will bother you – look elsewhere.

Testing with the 320 ohm VE Zen1 and 14 ohm Campfire Audio Orion - I also used the HD600 (not shown)

So how to give you a usable power metric? The easiest way was to measure the IMS-HVA under a demanding load and see how loud it could get. So I used test tones, set the PC to 75% into the DAC, and measured using a SPL meter. My readings were 72.7 dB at low gain and 85.4 dB at high gain. I then measured FiiO’s Q1 using the same metrics, but this time at 100% power from the PC, and it gave readings at 78.9 dB and 90.2 dB respectively. This was test tones though – not actual music.

Screenshot of the channel matching on my amp - provided by Martin.

Martin actually states on the documentation that his target headphone impedance is 4-32 ohms, and I can understand exactly why he’s done this. I can tell you that it drives the 32 ohm 114 dB SPL/V AKG K553 Pro beautifully on low gain at very low on the pot and 75% on the iPhone (digital out). But how about throwing a much bigger load – the 300 ohm HD600? Again with the iPhone at 75% the HVA manages to output a very healthy 75 dB ave with peaks at 80-85 dB but on high gain and the pot really doesn’t have anything left to give. So for my listening preferences (low volume listener – low to mid 70dB) the HD600 sounds wonderful. For those wanting more volume the amp will struggle. Based on this I’d suggest the HVA should be OK with most headphones up to around 150 ohms (as long as they have reasonable sensitivity).

On the reverse side, with sensitive IEMs with the 14 ohm 113 dB SPL/mW Campfire Audio Orion, I found it necessary to switch to low gain, and actually drop the input volume a little bit more. The audio is crystal clear – but it just shows the complexity of trying to produce an amp for many different inputs and outputs – especially if you need to take the valves into account as well.

FEATURES / USEABILITY / SONICS
The IMS-HVA is a very simple amplifier to use. Simply plug your source into the input socket, headphones into the headphone out, press play on the source, and adjust the volume on the HVA to suit. The only complexity in this equation may be that you’ll have to adjust your source volume as well to find a sweet spot.

The HVA has a very low output impedance (<0.3 ohm) so it should suit even the most sensitive earphones without running into damping issues. As usual, I tested for hiss – this time with the 14 ohm Orions. I couldn’t detect any with the Orions but I’m a poor subject because my high freq hearing is masked by my permanent tinnitus. My wife has super hearing though (she can hear our small cat on carpet from about 5-10 meters away). So she ran the tests for me, and at low gain the amp was very, very silent. At high gain though, the hissing started at just under the 50% mark on the pot. Given that it would be unlikely anyone is listening to sensitive IEMs on high gain at 50% volume – this should not be an issue.

Default Signature
I normally dislike talking about an amp’s signature – and especially trying to break things into bass / mids / treble, and especially about soundstage (which is really a by-product of the recording and transducers rather than the amp). But in this case it wouldn’t be right without saying something about what you can expect. This is very subjective. The first thing I’ve noticed using the HVA is that it does have a warm signature – but it’s not warm/dark, and instead more warm/sweet or warm/rich, or warm/vibrant. It’s really hard to describe, but people who have a tube set-up already will know exactly what I’m talking about. There is no lack of detail at all, and using the HD600s tonight with the HVA as DAC from my main PC has been thoroughly enjoyable while I’ve been writing the final version and bringing things together. If I had to make an analogy (and probably a poor one) – it’s a little like the different colouring you can get with lightbulbs. With some straight digital amps, you can get illumination from a cold blue light source – very revealing, hiding nothing, very clinical. I like this type of presentation too. With the HVA it’s like switching from the cold blue light to a warmer bulb. You get the same illumination, but it isn’t as stark, or as readily apparent. There is a slightly warmer more natural tinge – and although I know it is a colouration, it is a colouration I really like. It is relaxing, enveloping, and for my tastes utterly enjoyable. I’m a tube fan – and the HVA just sounds “right”.

Gain & Frequency
I mentioned the gain earlier, and so I duly measured the gain from both the amp section (used as amp only) and also as a DAC. The gain measured on both was pretty close to +13 dB. For martin’s next portable project though, I think a gain solution which allowed for negative low gain (for IEMs), and then the much higher gain for full sized headphones, would be a fantastic solution.

Measuring the frequency response showed a relatively flat plot from 20 Hz to 20 kHz with a very slight rise in the extreme upper frequencies, and a very slight drop from about 40 Hz down. Given that these deviations are less than 1 dB, they will not be noticeable – especially at the extremes of frequency.

Use as a DAC (PC/Laptop)
The IMS-HVA can be used as a DAC for your PC, Linux box or MAC. I was unable to test this on the MAC but was able to on my EEEpc running Linux. The DAC was recognised (SA9227 USB Audio) without any need for further drivers, and within a couple of minutes I was up and running. I didn’t try to manipulate it too much within Alsa (due to time constraints), but I have no doubts that the full resolution would have been available. I should also mention that this is a very old, very low powered laptop, and with the HVA combined with the HD600’s and Clementine audio player, I was an extremely happy camper. The resolution was fantastic, and I really didn’t feel I was missing anything – even compared to my main system.

Moving to Windows, and this time you need to have the DAC driver installed. Interestingly with my netbook, a previous driver I’d used for another DAC utilising the Savi chipset was installed and so it utilised that driver and I immediately had sound and resolution up to 24/192 (if I’d installed the correct driver this would have been at 32/384). On both Linux and Win 7 starter on the Netbook, the DAC ran with no hitches (both times I had the output set at 75%), and the difference to the on-board was stark. The on-board Intel has always been slightly noisy, and like the Q1 I tested recently, the improvement sonically was wonderful. The difference between the Q1 and the HVA though is in the resolution of the DAC, and the HVA really does sound rather wonderful – even on this very old piece netbook.

Lastly I tried the HVA with my desktop, and again after getting the output from PC to DAC correct – PC at 50% output this time (once the drivers were installed), the DAC ran without a hitch (this time with 32/384 full resolution available, and again the actual resolution of the DAC is really very good. I also tried the HVA with a YouTube video and there was no latency or lag. While for me personally I won’t be using the HVA as part of my main system, as I have access to any number of DACs, and it simply does not have the power of my iDSD, its performance with my netbook was so good that it would definitely be an option for me next time I’m heading away.

Use as a DAC (iPhone 5S)
I spoke to Martin a couple of weeks ago with the outstanding news that I could actually run the HVA with my iPhone 5S, but with the iP5S running digital out to the HVA DAC! Unfortunately since then I’ve had an update on the phone, and that functionality is no longer there again. The 5S now gives me the message that the add-on device draws too much power. Damn!

However very recently I’ve had the chance to test a new cable (I can’t say too much about it right now – except to say that it works!), and the functionality is back again. The downside is that it chews through the battery of the iPhone very quickly (I’d estimate I might get 4-6 hours max). The solution would for Martin’s next project to have a simple switch to turn USB charging off. This would then mean that most cables would work – and the next HVA would become a smartphone’s best friend.


No dice any more with the CCK	Success with a new cable I'm testing

And like I recently wrote with FiiO’s Q1, the ability to actually use a different DAC with the iPhone as transport, has shown me what is available. The iPhone5S still has a very good DAC – and it does truly sound great. But the HVA adds another dimension – subjectively a richer tonality and resolution that is a little more vivid and alive – and it is mesmerising. I also tested the HVA just by using the iPhones headphone out into the HVA line-in (so as pure amp), and this was also a sonic improvement, adding some warmth – but vibrant warmth rather than simply addition in the low end. If I was to rank the sound from top down, it would be HVA (DAC/amp) > HVA (amp only) > iP5S.

So what would make this pairing even better besides the ability to turn the USB charging off – the position of the DAC port. As you can see from the photos, it isn’t ideal for the iPhones, and the ideal for me would be to have the port on the bottom. I wouldn’t have been worried about this before, but now that I know the DAC can be used quite easily (with the right cable), I’d be keen to find another solution which fits the bill while retaining the excellent sonic signature of the HVA.

Other general notes
I also measured distortion with my equipment and was pretty amazed to see that the main body of noise (low gain, but full volume from the amp, and about 75% from the PC) was measuring well under 100 dB down. Then of course I noticed the signal at 1 kHz was correspondingly starting at about -20 dB, so the SNR was probably around 85dB. Not stellar, but good enough to be unnoticeable with music playing and to be fair, on low gain, the amp has a pretty quiet background. The second very noticeable thing is the harmonics from the tubes. THD and THD+N both spike to around 3% - but again this will be in ratio to the lower SNR, and exist because of the tubes. The reason many of us use tubes is for the pleasant 2^nd order harmonics. If this bothers you (the higher THD) then for sure stick to solid state.

Comparisons
Unfortunately I’m probably going to disappoint with this section. The problem is that I really have nothing even remotely close to this price range or feature set – other than the Cozoy Aegis – and again these two really would be chalk and cheese. To make a valid comparison, I’d really need to be comparing another portable valve amp – and I don’t really have one for comparison. So what I will attempt is a quick comparison with the $140 FiiO E17K. It may not be useful comparisons – but hopefully you’ll get a feel for overall performance vs price. At a later stage if I have another suitable am to add for comparison, I’ll revisit the review.

IMS-HVA vs FiiO E17K
For this test I was able to use my iPhone or PC – and both work faultlessly. Size and weight are somewhat similar with the E17K being almost the same dimensions but about 40g lighter. The E17K has a driverless solution for the DAC and is pretty much plug and play with any PC, but the cost of this is reduced resolution at the DAC.

In the amp section, both have similar total gain settings, and both have similar output power on paper – although the HVA is hampered by the issue with overdriving valves (so effective output on the FiiO is definitely higher by quite a margin). The FiiO measures better – in linearity, distortion and noise floor (SNR). It also has a lot more EQ features with the tone controls. Both can be used with the iPhone 5S with the correct cable – but it easier with the E17K due to being able to turn charging off.

Sonically, both are wonderful sounding units – but in direct comparison, the E17K is like sitting at the desk with my work light on, everything revealed – sonically wonderful, and this is why it remains my workforce for reviewing with my X3ii. The HVA with the same music is sitting in the same room, but with the softer main lights on, and in my comfy reading chair rather than at the desk. I love both devices – they are just for different purposes.

BATTERY LIFE
The internal battery is either a NiMH (nickel metal hydride) or LiPo (lithium polymer) 1800 mAh long life battery. I’m not sure why Martin has the two different options, but I suspect it may be to do with different postal regulations around the world. Mine is the LiPo. Martin recommends an 8-10 hour first charge, and after that around 4 hours seem to charge from empty to full. The amp runs at roughly 140mA per hour which should give around 12 hours use – depending on the load being driven.


Red LED shows when charging	You can use the amp while charging too

When you plug the amp into a power source, there is a little red LED on the far lower right of the plexi-glass window which lights up. When the amp is fully charged, a green LED is visible.

Martin’s estimate for both battery life and recharge time are pretty much spot on. Recharging has generally been about 10 minutes either side of 4 hours for me, and testing under load netted a little over 10 hours for the HD600, and slightly over 12 hours with IEMs.

VALUE & CONCLUSION

So how do I draw a conclusion on the IMS-HVA, and did it meet my expectations of what constitutes a good portable DAC/amp?

The HVA DAC/amp has an extremely good build, and I know personally how good the components are which Martin has included – mainly because we’ve discussed many of them. Aesthetically it is a fantastic looking unit, and for lovers of tube visual warmth, you’ll be impressed with industrial looks combined with the warm glow behind the very clear glass. The amp has definitely been a talking point whenever I’ve had it out and about.

The accessory package is but a couple of things I’d love to see included would be some sort of soft protective case, shorter inter-connect, and maybe protection for when stacking (a rear pad perhaps). Including these items would not add a lot of cost but would increase the perception of value.

Battery life (10-12 hours) is probably around average, and output power is ideal for most IEMs or portable headphones, and depending on your listening level, is also capable of handling headphones up to 300 ohms (my HD600 and Zen/Zen2 earbuds both were driven reasonably well for my listening levels by the HVA). I think the ideal range is probably going to be more in the 10-150 ohm range though (depending on sensitivity). Gain at +13 dB is practical and useful, but volume output at times may be too much for really sensitive IEMs.

Separate Windows drivers are required for the DAC section – and will give resolution up to 32/384. The DAC decoder is capable of handling DSD (64/128) but this was not tested by me. The DAC works natively with Linux, and this should be true of Macs as well (driver support included in the kernel).

With the right cable – I was able to get the HVA working natively as DAC/amp with my iPhone 5S, and the sonic improvement (subjective) to me was definitely worth it – but it came at a cost of battery life on the iPhone. And the location of the DAC micro USB port is not exactly friendly for stacking my iPhone.

Sonically the IMS-HVA brings together very good resolution with typical rich, warm, and subjectively enjoyable tube warmth (second order harmonics). How good does it sound? Well I’ve been doing the final edit tonight, and I used the E17K for around ½ an hour for the comparison piece (with my HD600s), but as soon as I could, I switched back to the HVA again – and I genuinely like the E17K. If you appreciate the natural tonality a linear tube set-up can bring, you’ll probably like the IMS-HVA.

But let’s not forget some of the issues:

Due to the tubes having limitations for input power, they can be driven into distortion from a full strength line-out. My recommendation is to run most sources into the HVA at around 75% if using a PC, laptop, or DAP with a variable line-out. If you only have a fixed line-out, you may be better to avoid the HVA, or be prepared to amp via the headphone out.
There is some hiss with sensitive IEMs if you intend using high gain, and the noise floor is also audibly higher at close to high volume on high gain. This of course will depend on sensitivity of your headphones and hearing (I couldn’t detect it, but my wife could)

So we come to decision time, and I’m torn. USD 280 is a reasonably high price to pay for a DAC/amp compared to some of the very good solid state options – and there is the issue of lowering the input (which for some will be unsurmountable). But the build and overall quality of components, the sheer joy of the sonic signature, and the fact that with my gear I can have some of the beauty of a good tube set-up to take with me anywhere – 4 stars from me. And yes – if you like a tube set-up and can live with the caveats, I’d recommend trying the IMS-HVA

Finally to Martin, thank you for including me on the journey. It has been inspirational watching you solve the problems as they’ve cropped up. What you have at the moment isn’t perfect – but at this price point it is going to bring a lot of people pleasure, and it leaves you ground to build upon in the future.

how does this sound with the flc8s? any hiss? hoping it retains detail as well

@Brooko

@Brooko Still no news on the updated model?

He hasn't given me any update on the changes to the portable model - but not sure if you've seen this .....
http://www.head-fi.org/t/832381/new-desktop-dac-amp-from-ims

Vidal

Click any image for larger (1200 x 800) version

INTRODUCTION

Choosing a portable or transportable set-up can be a daunting choice – especially for anyone new to the audio game. Do I need an amp? What are the improvements I can expect? Are there advantages over having a DAC/amp combo? Does spending a lot more guarantee me good sound? What am I missing out on? It can be a minefield with many differing opinions, and a lot of different subjective opinions.

In tandem with that is the many opinions tendered on what adding a new amp or amp/DAC can actually bring to the table in terms of clarity! details! soundstage! As I’ve gained a lot more experience, and (more importantly) tested more, I’ve come to realise that many of the differences I thought I’d previously heard are pretty subtle, and mostly occur because I wasn’t volume matching while comparing different amps or sources.

I’m a lot older now, and a little wiser, so if you’re interested in reading one person’s view of the FiiO Q1 DAC/amp and how it changed my opinion of my iPhone 5S output, then sit back and relax while we delve into the performance and features offered by this excellent little device. I’ve tried to mix a little objectivity in along with my subjective impressions – and hopefully this will combine to give you a fair and balanced view of my experience with the Q1.

ABOUT FIIO
By now, most Head-Fi members should know about the FiiO Electronics Company. If you don’t, here’s a very short summary.

FiiO was first founded in 2007. Their first offerings were some extremely low cost portable amplifiers – which were sometimes critiqued by some seasoned Head-Fiers as being low budget “toys”. But FiiO has spent a lot of time with the community here, and continued to listen to their potential buyers, adopt our ideas, and grow their product range. Today, their range includes DAPs, portable amps, portable dac/amps, desktop dac/amps, earphones, cables and other accessories.

FiiO’s products have followed a very simple formula since 2007 – affordable, stylish, well built, functional, measuring well, and most importantly sounding good.

DISCLAIMER
The FiiO Q1 was provided to me gratis as a review sample. I have made it clear to FiiO that I still regard any product they send me as their sole property and available for return any time at their request. But I thank them for the ability to continue use of the Q1 – both for follow up comparisons and also for my own personal use. The FiiO Q1 can be sourced from Amazon for approx. USD 70.

I have continued to use the Q1 for follow up reviews, and I recently inquired if I could purchase the device from FiiO. They have insisted I keep the Q1 for my own use. So I acknowledge now that the Q1 I have is supplied and gifted completely free of any charge or obligation. I thank FiiO for their generosity.

PREAMBLE - 'ABOUT ME'.
(This is to give any readers a baseline for interpreting the review).

I'm a 49 year old music lover. I don't say audiophile – I just love my music. Over the last couple of years, I have slowly changed from cheaper listening set-ups to my current set-up. I vary my listening from portables (FiiO X5ii, X3ii, X7, LP5 Pro, L3 and iPhone 5S) to my desk-top's set-up (PC > USB > iFi iDSD). I also use a portable set-up at work – either X5ii/X3ii/X7 > HP, or PC > E17K > HP. My main full sized headphones at the time of writing are the Beyer T1, Sennheiser HD600, and AKG K553. Most of my portable listening is done with IEMs, and lately it has mainly been with the Jays q-Jays, Alclair Curve2 and Adel U6. A full list of the gear I have owned (past and present is listed in my Head-Fi profile).

I have very eclectic music tastes listening to a variety from classical/opera and jazz, to grunge and general rock. I listen to a lot of blues, jazz, folk music, classic rock, indie and alternative rock. I am particularly fond of female vocals. I generally tend toward cans that are relatively neutral/balanced, but I do have a fondness for clarity, and suspect I might have slight ‘treble-head’ preferences. I am not treble sensitive (at all), and in the past have really enjoyed headphones like the K701, SR325i, and of course the T1 and DT880.

I have extensively tested myself (ABX) and I find aac256 or higher to be completely transparent. I do use exclusively redbook 16/44.1 if space is not an issue. All of my music is legally purchased (mostly CD – the rest FLAC purchased on-line).

I tend to be sceptical about audiophile ‘claims’, don’t generally believe in burn-in, have never heard a difference with different cables, and would rather test myself blind on perceived differences. I am not a ‘golden eared listener’. I suffer from mild tinnitus, and at 49, my hearing is less than perfect.

For the actual listening part of this review I used the Q1 both with my X3ii, stand alone with PC and netbook (to test the DAC), and also paired with my iPhone 5S. This is a purely subjective review - my gear, my ears, and my experience. Please take it all with a grain of salt - especially if it does not match your own experience.

FURTHER NOTES

Volume matching was done with a calibrated SPL meter and test tones (1 kHz) when required for comparison.
Frequency response and distortion measurements were taken using a relatively cheap Startech USB soundcard, which I know gives me a pretty good measure of objective data – but is somewhat limited by the card itself. By that I mean that I’m measuring the limit of the Startech’s performance on THD, and I believe FiiO’s published figures are more accurate.
FiiO's Q1 product page can be found here

WHAT I WOULD LOOK FOR IN A PORTABLE DAC/AMP
I thought I’d list (before I start with the review) what I would look for in a portable DAC/amp. This is useful to remember when looking at my reasoning for scoring later in the review.

Genuine portability
Good battery life
Clean, neutral signature
Easy to use
Low output impedance
Reasonable output power – should be able to drive IEMs and earphones up to 300 ohms
Good gain control
Hardware EQ if possible
Easy installation of DAC drivers
Value for money

PORTABLE AMP/DACs I HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH

Previous = FiiO E7, Beyerdynamic A200p
Current = FiiO E17K, Q1, K1, IMS-HVA, Cozoy Aegis, iFi Micro iDSD

THE REVIEW

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

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Q1 retail box front	Q1 retail box rear	Inner box

The Q1 arrived in FiiO’s standard retail packaging – a white, red and black box measuring 130 x 130 x 24mm. The front had a picture of the Q1, and the rear has some specs and other information in English and Chinese.
Opening the outer retail box reveals an inner box with two compartments – one holding the Q1 and underneath an envelope containing the silicone pads and paperwork. The other has the remaining accessories. The accessories include:

1 x 3.5-3.5 mm “mini” inter-connect cable (35mm from jack to jack!)
2 rubber stacking bands
A USB to micro-USB recharging cable
2 x silicone “stacking” pads
Warranty and instructions

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The accessory compartment, Q1 and envelope	Inside the envelope - docs and silicone pads	Pads are brilliant - perfect for stacking

Two things I’d like to mention in particular are the silicone stacking pads and also the inter-connect cable. The pads are 80 x 45mm, a little over 1mm thick, soft, flexible, and are “grabby” enough to bond to both surfaces of the source and amp you are stacking. The physical size is perfect – large enough to protect (from abrasion or scratching), but small enough to not be noticeable between the two devices. They are absolutely perfect for use with FiiO’s stacking kits for their own DAPs.

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Short IC, USB cable and stacker bands	Short IC is brilliant - much neater than other cables	Even FiiO's L17 is outclassed by the short IC

The inter-connect cable is wonderful. I’ve wanted a short cable for some time, and was going to probably order the one JDS stocks – but the one included by FiiO is fantastic. At just 3.5mm in length (measured from centre of one jack to the other), it is just long enough to comfortably fit between two devices with no overhang. As with all FiiO accessories, it is simple, sturdily built, and has good connectors. This has helped make my portable rigs much lower profile, and is excellent for use with FiiO’s E17K also.

The entire package is very practical, covering everything you initially need for the Q1.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
The table below lists most of the relevant specifications for the Q1. As it is similar to the E17K, I have listed the specifications for this also.

SPECIFICATION	FIIO Q1	FIIO E17K
Approx price (Amazon) USD	~ USD 70	~ USD 139
Output Impedance H/O	<0.3 ohm	<1.1 ohm
Max Output Power @ 32 ohm	190 mW	200 mW
SNR	>107 dB	>113 dB (AUX IN)
THD+N	0.005% (1 kHz)	0.003% (1 kHz)
Frequency Response	20 Hz-20 kHz	20 Hz-20 kHz
Gain	~ 11.5 dB	0 dB / 6 dB / 12 dB
Channel Imbalance	<0.2 dB	<0.5 dB
Max Output Current	>75 mA	115 mA
Max Output Voltage	7.2 Vp-p	7.8 Vp-p
Dimensions	97 x 56 x 13mm	104 x 62 x 13mm
Outer Material	Powder-coated Aluminium	Brushed Aluminium
Headphone Out	3.5 mm	3.5 mm
Line In/Out	3.5 mm (shared)	3.5 mm (shared)
Weight	100g	110g
Battery Capacity / Life	1400 mAh / ~ 30 hours	1500 mAh / ~ 15 hours
Recharge Time	3½ - 4 hours	3½ - 4 hours

BUILD / DESIGN
The Q1 is rectangular shaped with very slightly bevelled edges, and a slightly oval shaped mainly body – reminiscent of a very small hip-flask. The body consists of a top and bottom silver plate with a one piece matt black hollow aluminium body. Although there is no rounding of major corners, there is enough softening of the edges to avoid very sharp corners. The size and shape is perfect for FiiO’s X1 and X3ii DAP’s – same W and L dimensions. My one reservation with the actual design of the Q1 is with stacking – the slight flask shape is not as practical as having a completely flat top/bottom. However with the silicone pad fitted this issue is largely negated, and there are no problems using with FiiO’s stacking kits. The slightly curved surface of the Q1 does feel nice when handled by itself.

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Front panel of the Q1 (notice the curve)	Rear panel of the Q1	Bottom inputs and switches

The front face of the main body simply has the word FiiO in the bottom centre. On the opposite side is the Q1, model number, short description and mandatory input and regulatory information. The top panel has a 3.5 mm headphone out socket on the left hand side, as LED light (operation / charging status), central TOCOS analog pot, and on the far right is the bass boost button. The LED glows an azure blue when in use, red when charging, red/blue when in use and charging, and green when on the charger (fully charged but not in use). The TOCOS pot has a very smooth action, and there is extremely low channel imbalance (0.2 dB or less), and my only issue is that the volume markings on the pot are virtually unreadable (white on silver).

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Top panel headphone socket, pot and bass boost switch	Numbers on the pot are barely legible	Blue LED and close up of bass boost switch

On the bottom panel is a 3.5mm input/output socket (left hand side). Next to this is the gain switch (hi/lo), and micro USB port for charging and digital access to the DAC. At the far right is a switch to turn USB charging on or off. I’ll go into these features later in the review. The switches are easy to operate, firm without being too hard to push or too loose, and again my critique would be that some form of black labelling might be easier to read rather than the descriptions etched into the silver of the end panel.

Overall the external build quality is essentially faultless. It feels really good in the hand – solid and dependable, and has virtually no scratches after around 5 months of use. Using FiiO’s HS12 stacking kit, it is an ideal companion to FiiO’s X1 and X3ii.

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Inside the Q1 - curved edge is now a lot more noticeable	Battery nestled on top of the PCB	Rear of the Q1 and the PCB is totally shielded

Internally, the Q1 uses TI’s PCM5102 DAC chip which has impressive S/N ratio and low distortion measurements, but more importantly is quite linear and neutral sonically (to me there is a very slight touch of warmth). Using the PCM5102 means that the DAC is limited to 24/96, but this is also a driverless solution and uses Windows generic drivers. So for ease of use, this is a good solution for the price point IMO. Coupled with this is Maxim’s MAX97220 amplifier, which according to the specs is a differential-input DirectDrive® line driver/headphone amplifier. The Maxim chip is rated as 125 mW into 32 Ω with a 5 V supply, so its clear FiiO has been able to boost this to the specified 190 mW listed.

HEAT AND POWER
So far I’ve noticed no heat build-up at all with the Q1. Even after hours (driving my HD600s), it’s still cool to touch.

FiiO rates the target headphone impedance as 16-150 ohm, and I think that maybe a lot of people see this and automatically assume this little unit can’t drive a headphone like the HD600 (300 ohm properly). But FiiO in the past have been notoriously conservative with their published data (a good trait in my opinion), and the Q1 (like the E17K) has reasonable power output to drive even my HD600 reasonably well. FiiO lists the specs as 190 mW into 32 ohm and 75 mW into 150 ohm. This should put the output around 20 mW into the 300 ohm HD600.

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Q1 can be comfortable with the Campfire Audio Orions	Or even the HD600	And I can use the HD600 with just my iPhone + Q1

To put this into a real world test – using my iPhone 5S, digital out to the Q1, using low gain, and volume at max – I’m measuring mid to high 80 dB average readings with peaks in the early 90dB range. Add high gain, and that average is in the high 90’s and peaking over 100dB. This was taken with real music and a calibrated SPL meter. With very dynamic classical you may struggle a little more, but for me, the iPhone 5S + Q1 + HD600 nets me a really nice listening experience with most music at around 4/9 on the pot on low gain (mid 70db).

On the reverse side, with sensitive IEMs (and this speaks to the versatility of the Q1), with the 14 ohm 113 dB SPL/mW Campfire Audio Orion, around 2/9 on the digital pot is ideal (again around mid 70dB), and there is room to go lower if desired.

FEATURES / USEABILITY / SONICS
The Q1 is a very simple amplifier to use. Simply plug your source into the input socket, headphones into the headphone out, press play on the source, and adjust the volume on the Q1 to suit. The Q1 has a very low output impedance (<0.2 ohm) so it should suit even the most sensitive earphones. A note on this while I’m thinking about it – I detected no hiss even with the very sensitive 2000J, but take this with a grain of salt, because I know that my tinnitus can mask very faint hiss, so I am less sensitive to it than others. For the record, my wife (who has super sensitive hearing) couldn’t pick up any hiss either.

Gain
I mentioned the gain earlier, and FiiO has an interesting way of approaching gain with the Q1. On low gain, they’ve actually dropped the volume -7dB with high gain netting +4.5dB. This gives a stated swing between high and low gain of around 11.5 dB – which is what I measured when I was testing. I can only guess that this was to give more play on the pot with the implementation of the Max97220 amplifier chipset.

The one thing I have to congratulate FiiO with is implementing a decent gain increase. Too often I have seen other amplifiers with quite small gain differentials – and this essentially nets no practical use. The other thing I’ve noticed with the Q1 via the headphone out is a decently black background from the headphone out in both high and low gain. I’ve noticed no increase in the noise floor using either of the gain settings and no real difference in sonic performance (volume matched direct comparisons). So use the gain which is best suited to the load you are driving.

Interestingly, engaging the gain when using the DAC has different gain settings (-3.5 dB / +8 dB). Still the same 11.5 dB gain swing though.

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Frequency gain and bass boost - amp only	Distortion measurements- amp only	Frequency gain and bass boost - DAC + amp

Bass Boost
The Q1 comes with a more traditional bass boost. Engaging the switch nets a gradual EQ gain in the mid and sub bass. This gives just under +2dB at 200 Hz, +3 dB at 100 Hz, +4.5 dB at 50 Hz and close to + 6 dB at 20 Hz. I really like this implementation as it doesn’t make the overall signature too thick or overly dark, but does give some heft in an area which can be rolled off in some headphones (the sub-bass region).

Interestingly – the bass boost (when engaged as a DAC and measured via line-out - see graph) starts at roughly 1 kHz, but has no change from 1 kHz to 20 kHz. From the headphone out (i.e. as amp only) actually increases the loudness of the entire signal by about +1dB. Not sure why this is – but interesting to note.

Use as a DAC (PC/Laptop)
The Q1 can also be used as a DAC for your PC, Linux box or MAC. The nice thing about this is that it is a driverless solution for all 3 OS platforms (well it needs drivers, but uses the generic inbuilt drivers in both Linux and iOS kernels, and the generic drivers within Windows also). On my Windows 10 box, resolution and bit rate are capped at 24/96 max. On plugging the Q1, all of the devices tested recognised it as a FiiO USB DAC Q1.
I tried the Q1 with a YouTube video, and also with some basic gaming, and both times there was no latency or lag.

Whilst I wouldn’t think of using the Q1 as part of my main system, as I have access to any number of DACs, and it simply does not have the resolution or power of my iDSD, I did try it with my netbook (now quite aged, but still going strong). The netbook, an ASUS 1015 PED EeePC has a very noisy Intel integrated sound card, and the Q1 makes a very noticeable difference – cleaning up the erroneous noise, and also adding a (subjective) depth of layering to the sound which I find excellent. I’ve also used it at work on my generic work PC, and had a similar experience. Whilst the DAC on the Q1 is never going to be a world beater – for the mere cost of $70 it is absolutely excellent as either a starter DAC/amp for a PC/laptop, or simply for a portable solution when you are on the road.

Use as a DAC (iPhone 5S)
So where has the Q1 made the biggest difference for me? Although I didn’t expect it, the biggest difference has been using the Q1 with my iPhone 5S – actually using the DAC and amp on the Q1, and effectively using the iPhone as merely a transport. And it is the implementation of being able to turn USB charge off that has made all of this possible. By engaging this switch, when plugging the Q1 to the iPhone 5S (using either CCK or equivalent cable), the Q1 is no longer using any battery power via the USB, and all it is doing is pulling the digital signal. This then stops the iPhone from complaining about power – and allows the digital transfer to take place.

So Brooko – I’ve read before that you regard the iPhone 5S as being a great sounding device – what has changed? I’m glad you asked. Nothing has changed really – the iPhone 5S still sounds great – very linear, very flat. But adding the Q1 (again subjective) brings a slight touch of warmth, and again a depth of layering into the presentation of the music which I’ve found very enjoyable.

So – why don’t you just use lineout or headphone out to the Q1’s line-in then? Well here’s the thing. I’ve tried both, and volume matched over a period of an hour – I compared iPhone by itself, vs iPhone headphone out to Q1 and finally iPhone digital out to the Q1 – and time after time I was getting more enjoyment from the iP5S > Q1 with the Q1 doing the work as both DAC and amp. In fact – if the iPhone was a decent size (say 128 Gb), and I didn’t mind the stack, I could be very happy with this set-up as my main portable. Yep – it really is that good. But sadly – the iPhone is only 16 Gb (it’s a work phone) – and I have a lot of other dedicated DAPs – but I’ve been surprised how often I’ve continued to use the iPhone and Q1.

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Q1 + iP5S + CCK (a little unwieldy but works)	Q1 + iP5S + Vidal's home made cable - works most of the time	Q1 + iP5S + "test cable" - perfect length, and works every time

So which cable am I using? Well for start off – I’ve been using the CCK and suitable adaptor cable. It’s unwieldy but works without a hitch. I next had Head-Fier Vidal send me one of his home made cables – and while this is the perfect size, and “often works” – it is a little more temperamental than Apple’s CCK set-up, and occasionally will refuse to work (at least until I restart the music app, or phone). I suspect it may be the lightning connector. If you’re interested in trying it though – I’d suggest dropping him a PM – as the cable does work and all he’ll wants is to cover materials and his time. Lately I’ve been using another cable which is flawless – but I’m testing it for someone else, and until they give me the OK I have to stay quiet on it. It’s now my go-to though.

Lastly – I haven’t tried the Q1 with Android – you’ll find other reviews that have though, and they can fill you in with their successes.

Line-out Performance
This is the one area of the Q1 I’m a little less enthused about – and I really don’t know why. With the Q1 as DAC, I’m perfectly happy with the headphone-out, and this is repeated with using the line-in from my X3ii (again using the Q1 headphone out). But using the Q1 as DAC and then line-out to another amp (tested with the iDSD) I’m simply less enamoured with the output. It’s also interesting to note that when I tried testing this to measure distortion, THD and THD+N both increased. I haven’t shown the graphs for this one, as it could be my equipment. But for me anyway, I have personal question marks about the line-out performance. This could simply be placebo on my part, but I have noted it and would appreciate if anyone finds similar.

Other general notes
In the graphs I used above you can see that as a pure amp, the headphone out is extremely linear – basically measuring flat on my equipment from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. To perform these checks I used a calibrated sound card (calibrated to measure completely flat), ARTA and a loopback. So for all intents and purposes the Q1 is providing “wire with gain” – a very neutral amplification not adding or taking away anything.
When we move to the DAC, and again measuring from the headphone out, the first thing to notice is a very slight roll off in the upper treble. But the roll-off is minute and the reality is we won’t hear it (even slightly).
When I measured THD and THD+N (distortion readings) they were below the realms of audibility, and although higher than FiiO’s readings, I did suspect that I was measuring the limits of my sound card rather than the Q1.

Comparisons
I thought at this stage it would be a good idea to try and compare the Q1 with some alternatives. My prerequisite was that the comparable units should all be portable DAC/amp devices – so I’ve used the ones I have at my disposal – FiiO K1 (USD 40), FiiO Q1 (USD 70) vs FiiO E17K (USD 139) vs IMS Hybrid Valve (USD 270). For testing I’ve used either my iPhone 5S or PC, headphone out of the device in question, and my AKG K553 Pro to evaluate. I also tested with the Campfire Audio Orion and VE Zen1 - but for the comparisons below the tests were actually performed with the AKG. All devices were volume matched with my SPL meter at 1 kHz with a constant test tone.

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Trio of DAC/amps - also tested with Zen1 and Campfire Orion	Q1 vs E17K	Q1 vs IMS-HVA

K1 vs Q1
The two devices are really chalk and cheese. The K1 is 1/10^th of the weight, 1/5^th of the size and ½ of the price of the Q1, but really speaking it is the features which are the major difference here. Both are native/driverless DAC solutions – so ideal for laptop use. Both have a max resolution of 24/96. But the Q1 has 2-3 times the power output (depending on load), a volume pot (very important for me), a gain switch, and the ability to switch off USB charging during playback. The last feature means that the Q1 can be used with my iPhone 5S – the K1 can’t (it uses too much power) – which is a real pity. Sonically (tested with the PC), the Q1 sounds very slightly warmer than the K1 – but both have very good clarity. The K1 actually sounds (subjectively) slightly more holographic. For my own particular needs – it is no competition. While the K1 is a great sounding budget option – it simply does not have the features.

Q1 vs E17K
For this test I was able to use my iPhone or PC – and both work faultlessly. Size and weight are very similar with the E17K being marginally larger and heavier. Both are native/driverless solutions. The Q1 has max resolution of 24/96 while the E17K is 32/96. Power output is practically identical, gain settings (E17K has 3 vs Q1’s 2), hardware EQ (E17K has full tone controls vs Q1’s bass boost), and both have ability to turn of USB charging – so they will work with the iPhone 5S. Both have volume controls. E17K has the ability to take a coax input. E7K battery life is rated at approximately 15 hours or half of the Q1’s 30 hours. Sonically the two are very close, with again the Q1 being perhaps ever so slightly warmer than the E17K (which to me is very neutral). Again (subjectively) there is a feeling of a slightly more spacious or holographic feel – but this time with the Q1. This is extremely slight though, and I really don’t know if I could pick it up consistently if blind tested. On the question of my personal preferences – paired with the iPhone it is close, but ultimately the E17K wins for me with its added features – and especially for the tone controls (check my E17K review for better idea of how good these are). For others – it will depend on the feature set vs your budget. Both are excellent – it simply depends where your priorities lie. One final note – the E17K can dock with the K5 desktop amp, the Q1 cannot.

Q1 vs IMS Hybrid Valve amp
This is a bit of a mismatch – in price and somewhat in features, but worth looking at nevertheless. Both are similar in physical size – with the IMS-HVA being slightly thicker, but also considerably heavier at 150g vs 100g. Both are driverless when used with my iPhone 5S – but I have to note here that the only reason I am able to use the IMS-HVA with my iPhone 5S is due to the “special cable” I’m testing – even with the CCK, it won’t work. With the PC, the IMS-HVA will go to a maximum resolution of 32/384 (vs Q1’s 24/96) but requires installation of the Bravo HD drivers. The Q1 outperforms the IMS-HVA by 3:1 in battery life, and also has hardware EQ (bass-boost), whereas the IMS-HVA has none. The IMS-HVA also has an unfortunate issue with input signal – if it is too high it will overdrive the valves, and cause distortion. Because of this, if using the iPhone, PC, or other source with full line-out, I have to drop the line-out volume of the source to around 75% (depending on the signal). All my FiiO DAPs have the ability – so it is not a huge issue, but it does make comparison of output power difficult. The IMS-HVA will “just” drive my HD600s to my preferred volume (I am a low volume listener ~ low to mid 70dB) – but ultimately the Q1 has better control of total output power, and has more usable output power (the output gain on the IMS-HVA is very similar though). Sonically – because of the tubes – the IMS-HVA is warmer, but also seems to be able to resolve better and has more overall depth sonically. If I was personally judging purely on sonic ability (and it would depend on headphone pairing), I would probably pick the IMS-HVA despite its limitations and price difference (the sonic footprint is wonderful – somehow both smooth and resolving). However as soon as price, power, and full feature set comes into play, it would be extremely difficult to go past the Q1 – especially if you are on a tighter budget.

BATTERY LIFE
Prepare to be amazed. FiiO rates the play time on a full charge at better than 30 hours and recharge at around 3½-4 hours. For my use I’d suggest that time is pretty accurate. It’s hard to monitor when you have a device with this much battery life, and I’d set-up to measure more than a few times, only to have the battery on the DAP die, or forget to check the device at around the 29-31 hour mark. What I can tell you is that the one time I had the K553 Pros running (paired to E17K running off mains) and managed to measure non-stop (from the Q1 having a full battery), I know it passed the 30 hour mark, and died sometime before the 30hr 44 min mark. Recharge back to full (mains power) was 10-15 minutes short of 4 hours.

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In use - blue LED	Charging - red LED	Saving battery life on the X3ii

And like the E17K, the other feature I haven’t mentioned is the effect on battery life with the X3ii when using the Q1 with it. Normally I’ll get around 10-11 hours with the X3ii by itself. Introducing the Q1 extends that to around 15 hours – just simply by taking the load off the X3ii’s amplifier. While I still use the X3ii mainly with the E17K, for anyone with any of the FiiO DAPs – but especially X1 or X3ii, the Q1 makes a great battery extender.

VALUE & CONCLUSION

So how do we sum up the Q1, and did it meet my expectations of what constitutes a good portable DAC/amp?

The Q1 brings to the table a light-weight medium sized portable footprint which should pair well with most DAPs or smartphones (check other reviews for compatibility with Android devices). It has a very sturdy build, and quality accessories which are suitable to the device and its intended use. In particular I really like the included silicone pads (for stacking) and the short inter-connect cable.

Battery life (30 hours) is exceptional, and output power is ideal for most IEMs or portable headphones, and depending on the source (and your listening level), is also capable of handling headphones up to 300 ohms (my HD600 and Zen/Zen2 earbuds both were well driven by the Q1).

The features are excellent for the price point – and include a well implemented bass boost, very good gain differential, and the ability to turn off USB charging while connected via USB – which made pairing with my iPhone 5S possible.

Separate DAC drivers are not required with the Q1 which makes it an ideal pack-and-go solution for most portable devices, and although output is limited to 24/96 – for playback this is more than enough for most of us.

Sonically the Q1 has a quite neutral signature with a slight touch of warmth (it definitely isn’t sterile or flat sounding), and the very low output impedance makes headphone matching very easy.

At the $70 price point, if you’re after an entry level DAC/amp, or simply a portable only device, the FiiO Q1 represents excellent value for money in my opinion, and it has my recommendation.

My thanks to FiiO for arranging the sample unit so that I could evaluate it.

Actually - most of the time I use the X3ii with the E17K - and that is mostly to extend the battery life of the E17K by a few hours, and also for the tone controls on the E17K. I could use the Q1 - but I mostly use it if I feel like a change with my iPhone 5S. As far as pairing with the X3ii goes, I'm only using the amp section (not the DAC) so the Q1 just passes through whatever the DAC on the X3ii is delivering (by that stage it is analog - not digital)

I like what you said about the K1, I picked up one of those little nuggets to use with my laptop and its brilliant. Was wondering if it was worth upgrading to the Q1 and its not because I don't need a portable (with a battery) solution. So the K1 is perfect for me, at least for now. Although I am looking to upgrade to the AQ Dragonfly in the future.

It really depends on your uses. The K1 is a great little DAC but because it has to be powered by the source - it hasn't tended to work with my iPhone. If you wnat a jack of all trades, and the volume pot is a definite must have accessory - then the Q1 is definitely worth it IMO.

For larger views of any of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images

INTRODUCTION

I’ve loved Sennheiser products for a long time now. The very first headphone I owned was a pair of Sennheiser eh250, and by the time I finished with them (many years later), they only needed a new pair of pads, and I passed them onto a friend (who as far as I know still uses them). I’ve owned 3 pairs of HD600s (latest pair will never be sold – I was always trying to search for something better, but I’ve come to the realisation that for what they do, there is nothing better - for me anyway). Long term owners of the HD600 or HD650 (who have experienced a lot of other headphones) will recognise this. There is something about these two classic headphones which still makes them a staple recommendation for music lovers. Along the way, I’ve also extensively demoed or owned the HD598, HD650, HD700 and HD800 (which I will someday probably purchase).

So when Sennheiser announced a new product a while back I guess many of us were looking for either a step up from the HD800 or maybe an upgrade to the HD6xx line. I don’t think many were looking at a closed HD6xx series though, and when it was first announced by Jude, I joined the discussion thread early – quite intrigued by the HD630 designation. One thing I was surprised at (in the thread) was how many people wrote them off or derided them based on looks, and also the inclusion of variable bass. Many thought it was a gimmick, and perhaps that Sennheiser had opted to go mainstream, or that they were losing their track. Me – I just wanted to get the chance to hear them.

So I was very surprised and gratified when Rosmadi reached out to me to ask if I’d be interested in having a listen to a pair, and writing my thoughts about them. Naturally I jumped at the chance, and the HD630VB duly arrived in early February. Since they arrived, I’ve listened to them as often as I can – not only for the purposes of the review, but because I’ve genuinely enjoyed using them.

So kick back and I’ll try to give you an idea of their good points, and areas where they could be improved, and more importantly the sound.

DISCLAIMER
The Sennheiser HD630VB was provided to me as a loaner review sample. At the end of the review, I am supposed to send them back to Sennheiser (read conclusion for an update on that). I am not affiliated to Sennheiser, and this is my subjective opinion of the HD630VB.

The HD630VB can be sourced from Amazon for USD 500 at the time of writing. You can find Sennheiser's product page here

PREAMBLE - 'ABOUT ME'.
(This is to give any readers a baseline for interpreting the review).

I'm a 48 year old music lover. I don't say audiophile – I just love my music. Over the last couple of years, I have slowly changed from cheaper listening set-ups to my current set-up. I vary my listening from portables (FiiO X5ii, X3ii, X7 and iPhone 5S) to my desk-top's set-up (PC > USB > iFi iDSD). I also use a portable set-up at work – either X3ii/X7 > HP, or PC > E17K > HP. My main full sized headphones at the time of writing are the Beyer T1, Sennheiser HD600, and AKG K553. Most of my portable listening is done with IEMs, and lately it has mainly been with the Jays q-Jays, Alclair Curve and Adel U6. A full list of the gear I have owned (past and present is listed in my Head-Fi profile).

I have very eclectic music tastes listening to a variety from classical/opera and jazz, to grunge and general rock. I listen to a lot of blues, jazz, folk music, classic rock, indie and alternative rock. I am particularly fond of female vocals. I generally tend toward cans that are relatively neutral/balanced, but I do have a fondness for clarity, and suspect I might have slight ‘treble-head’ preferences. I am not treble sensitive (at all), and in the past have really enjoyed headphones like the K701, SR325i, and of course the T1 and DT880.

I have extensively tested myself (ABX) and I find aac256 or higher to be completely transparent. I do use exclusively red-book 16/44.1 if space is not an issue. All of my music is legally purchased (mostly CD – the rest FLAC purchased on-line). I tend to be sceptical about audiophile ‘claims’, don’t generally believe in burn-in, have never heard a difference with different cables, and would rather test myself blind on perceived differences. I am not a ‘golden eared listener’. I suffer from mild tinnitus, and at 48, my hearing is less than perfect.

Over the last 5 weeks I’ve used the HD630VB paired with most of the sources I have at my disposal – but primarily from my iPhone 5S, X3ii + E17K combo, X5ii (often with new hybrid valve portable amp), and either X7 or L5 Pro. But for the review I’ve used my main work horses – the X3ii + E17K, and also the X7. In the time I’ve been using the HD630VB, I haven’t noticed any sonic change which could be attributed to “burn-in” (unless you’re talking about brain burn-in). I‘ve used the HD630VB coupled with several different amplifiers, but they are easily driven, and will pair nicely with most sources straight from the headphone out.

This is a purely subjective review - my gear, my ears, and my experience. Please take it all with a grain of salt - especially if it does not match your own experience.

THE REVIEW

Please excuse the photographs this time. I need to get a bigger light box, so for this review I’ve mainly taken the photos in natural light.

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES
The HD630VB arrived in a reasonable large retail hinged lid box measuring 240 x 255 x 132 mm. On the front is the traditional blue “splash” and Sennheiser logo, a picture of the HD630VB, and the cryptic comment “Ace Your Bass”. On the sides are the package contents and other information, while the rear has some of the features listed (in 7 languages), and also the primary specifications. The outer packaging is definitely typical Sennheiser in appearance – stylish and classy.

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The largish retail box	Rear of the box	First look inside

Flipping the hinged lid open exposes the carry case safely nestled in form fitting foam, and there is foam protection on the inner lid also. The carry case is black fabric (almost like a fine mesh weave) over a hardened inner, and then covered in soft fabric on the inside. IMO it gives pretty good protection, and has a nicely laid out interior. The only issue – and it is really due to the size of the HD630VB – is the size of the “portable” case. At approx. 21 cm in diameter and almost 12 cm in depth, it’s going to take a sizeable chunk of room in your travel bag. Never-the-less it’s a good case, and I’ve still used it for travel so far (the protection factor is well worth it). In addition you get a 3.5–6.3mm adaptor and both a quick guide and safety guide fold-out pamphlets.

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The carry / travel case	Very good protection inside	The HD630VB, case and accessories

I possibly would have liked to have seen (for this price range) spare pads, an airline adaptor, and an alternate cable. But overall the accessories and packaging are well presented.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
(From Sennheiser)

I’ve listed the main specifications for the HD630VB below.

Type	Closed Circumaural Headphone
Current Retail	~ USD $500 (Amazon)
Freq Range	10 Hz – 42 kHz
Impedance	23 ohm
Sensitivity	114 dB (1 kHz / 1 Vrm)
Total Harmonic Distortion	<0.08% (1 kHz , 100 dB)
Jack	3.5mm gold plated, 4 pole, straight
Cable	1.2m, fixed
Total Weight	420g (with cable)
Variable bass settings	+ / - 5 dB at 50 Hz

FREQUENCY GRAPH
I don’t usually measure full sized headphones - mainly because my measurements system is designed for IEMs. Although the measurements do work, I know I get a spike between 4-5 kHz (it’s there on the HD600 also) which isn’t actually present, and the upper mid-range and treble areas are patchy. Nevertheless I wanted to use my rig (you can read about some of it here to see how my graphs differed with those from the readings Jude took. I also wanted to see for myself the effect the variable bass was actually having.

So I’ve included my own graph on the very simple Veritas (+ my own basic head simulator with no outer ear compensation), and on the bottom is Jude’s GRAS 45CA measurement. Both of them are showing raw data. I resized the graph to compare as closely as possible with Jude’s measurements. Overall I’m actually not unhappy with the results I got. The 4-5 kHz measurements on mine can be completely disregarded, and I show greater low bass hump and less of a mid-bass drop – but basically the shapes are similar and that is what I wanted to check.

But let’s record (subjectively) what I’m hearing – with the variable bass at mid-dial.

Linear bass response which is very well extended with no real emphasis at all in the mid-bass.
Pretty flat mid-range with what I suspect is a slight rise in the 2-4 kHz area as female vocals in particular show a really nice sense of euphony or sweetness.
Very clean lower treble – with a peak (graph shows about 8 kHz) that at times can be a little sharp (with brighter recordings) – but balances out with the variable bass adjustment.
Overall an extremely clean and clear headphone, which lends more toward brightness until you crank the variable bass up – more on that later.
Overall though I would call the HD630VB a nicely balanced headphone and this is not the bass monster people were predicting. It actually reminds me a lot of the HD600 – but without the mid-bass. And at times I’d even say it is very reminiscent of my T1. The HD630VB has a similarly vivid presentation.

BUILD / DESIGN / CONTROLS
I guess one of the first things that struck me when I saw the HD630VB for the first time was the size (they are a reasonably big headphone), and the second thing I though was how the pictures I’d seen so far don’t really do them justice. IMO they are a really nice looking headphone up close.

But let’s take a closer look. Starting with the headband, you get a 22.5 cm outer band with a stainless centre top piece with the Sennheiser name close to the left cup. There are rubber edges, and on the underside a very well-padded cushion similar in shape to the HD650 cushion – except in very soft pleather. With the head band flexibility, I’d be willing to bet there is sprung steel on the inside. The extenders are also made of steel with a rubber centre guide, and each arm extends a further 4cm. There are distinct clicks on each extender, and the action is both very smooth and quite firm.

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The HD630VB	Cups rotate completely flat - headband very plush	Extenders very sturdy and also firm

Below the extenders is an aluminium alloy encased hinge mechanism with a decent sized screw in both ends. This allows the cups to fully fold into the headband for storage. Below this is a two way hinged single yoke (again extremely solid aluminium alloy), which allows the cups to pivot around 10 degrees forward (to adjust for ear/head angle), but a full 90 degrees backward so that they can lie flat (either worn or for storage). Where the yoke attached to the cup, there is also a full up down movement spanning about 45 degrees, so getting a perfect seal, no matter what your head shape, is easily achievable.

The cups are the same aluminium alloy on the exterior, although the right cup has a dark hard rubber centre for the volume and playback controls. The pads have an exterior diameter of 9.5 cm, interior diameter of approximately 6cm and a depth of approximately 2cm. The pads are made of a very soft pleather over memory foam, and have a read cover over the driver. The pads are replaceable. The driver itself is slightly offset (above the vertical centre of the cup) but flat (not angled).

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Cups rotate across all axis for perfect fit	Extremely robust hinges	Single mount yoke

On the right hand cup, the entire rear panel is actually a dial which allows you to change the bass response at 50 Hz by approximately -5 to + 5dB (10 dB swing). The action on this dial is incredibly smooth, and what it does in giving you control over tonality is amazing (more on that shortly). The inner part of the dial features s a simple 3 button arrangement. The top and bottom buttons control volume. The centre button controls play/pause, and a double click will advance one track, while triple will reverse one track. At the very bottom of the right hand cup is a switch for adjusting the controls between iOS and Android. All of the controls worked perfectly on both my wife’s Galaxy S3 and my iPhone 5S with the exception that triple click to go back a track did not work on Tania’s S3. One of the nice things about integration with the iPhone is that pressing and holding the centre button on the headset gives access to Siri – so you can then voice control your entire library.

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Right earpiece control mechanism (VB and device control)	The very comfortable pads	Driver configuration (off-centre)

The right cup also houses the single sided fixed cable. The cable is 1.2m long has good strain relief, is relatively light, has a well-placed microphone and terminates with a 3.5mm 4 pole straight gold plated jack. I actually don’t have too many issues with the quality of the cable. It seems to be reasonably well built, has a satiny rubber jacket, and the jack is very portable device friendly. The problem I do have though is that it is fixed, and it is a single length. And for me, 1.2m is almost too short for desktop use. For a headphone in this price bracket, personally the one major thing I’d change would be the cable. When you look at the overall quality and aesthetics of the rest of the headphone, the fixed cable is simply puzzling.

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Built for comfort with great padding	The in-line microphone (good quality)	4 pole straight jack

The included microphone is very good quality, and I’ve used these for calls both home and also to clients. Clarity is extremely good.

Overall the build is staggeringly good, and it looks pretty stylish (in my home environment). But now let’s take a look at fit, comfort, isolation and aesthetics (for portable use).

FIT / COMFORT / ISOLATION / AESTHETICS
For me personally, the fit and comfort of the HD630VB is really good. I’ve been wearing them for 3-4 hour stretches, and apart from a bit of warmth (typical of most closed headphones on a hot day), there is no discomfort at all. This comes with a caveat though. I’m a big guy – 6 foot, and currently carrying probably too much weight. The HD630VB is 420g with the cable intact, and that is a reasonably heavy weight to be sitting on your head for any length of time. Both my wife and daughter found them too heavy. They are reasonably solid when worn, I do notice the weight, but at the same time the actual weight distribution is pretty good so I’m not feeling discomfort.
As I said earlier, the pads are soft yet provide a firm seal, and the multi-rotation points of the cups allow for a perfect fit. The cups are also big enough to be fully circumaural, and deep enough so that my ears never get anywhere near the drivers.

Passive isolation is also quite good for a closed headphone, and with music playing at a comfortable level I usually don’t hear anyone around me. They would be good enough for car travel, and should be OK for louder public transport (within reason) – I think this will depend on your normal listening volume. The cable also has quite low microphonics which is good.

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My son Mathew with the HD630VB	The padding really helps distribute the weight well	Easy to use - Mat loves them

Now the interesting question of aesthetics. I think that some people were created who naturally look good with big portable headphones. These same people are often blessed with clean “model” looks. I am not one of those people – and although I’ve worn he HD630VB in public, even my wife (you can tell we have a great relationship) has told me I look a bit goofy with them on. So when I’m out and about, I’ll usually take something which is a little easier to get around with. Don’t get me wrong though the HD630VB is a pretty attractive headphone – just not on this head. So for me, I’d personally get most use at home, traveling (hotel rooms etc.), or those times when I just don’t really give a hoot what I look like (as I age this is becoming more common). And again – this is one of the reasons why it would be great to have the choice of a longer cable – and I am sure there will be others like me.

SOUND QUALITY
The following is what I hear from the Sennheiser HD630VB. YMMV – and probably will – as my tastes are likely different to yours (read the preamble I gave earlier for a baseline). Most of the testing at this point (unless otherwise stated) was done with my Fiio X3ii as source paired with the E17K, no EQ. For the record – on most tracks, the volume level on the E17K was around 20-24/60 which was giving me an average SPL around 70-75 dB and peaks at around 80-85dB (A weighted measurements from my SPL meter).

Tracks used were across a variety of genres – and can be viewed in this list http://www.head-fi.org/a/brookos-test-tracks.

When I first thought about how to write this part – especially how to write about the variable bass, I had an “ahh-hah” moment (the lightbulb switched on), and I decided the easiest way to do it was to just let you know track by track which settings I used and why.

Variable Bass
As I showed earlier, by twisting the dial that makes up the right hand side outer ear piece cover, you can very easily adjust the bass at 50 Hz either -5dB or + 5dB from its neutral or central position. This also affects lower bass quite a bit more, and subtly increases mid-bass. The other thing it does is (perceptually) is warm up the overall tonality, or lean it up – depending on the original position of the dial. For me the far greatest effect is in the very last segment on the dial (where it is possible to go from a reasonably linear and slightly bright (and mid-range dominated) signature to a bassier and warmer signature which takes the edge off the mid-range, and really darkens up the tone quite a bit. For me, the advantage of this (and it really is brilliant) is that where I have an album which is mastered slightly too brightly, I can very quickly EQ it to a practically perfect setting with one twist, and then with a darker track, quickly add mid-range clarity by going in the opposite direction. I didn’t appreciate this feature until I started using it regularly – and it really is extremely well implemented!

Initial Thoughts
When I first listened to the HD630VB it was a bit of a revelation. I don’t know what I was expecting, but an extremely articulate, refined, balanced and clean headphone was what I got – and I loved it from first listen. In a lot of ways it reminds me of the PM3 or indeed the Beyer T1 in that the mid-range is really vivid and at times can even be a little hot (depending on the recording). But the beauty is the VB and the ability to change the entire signature very quickly. I know when I was reading Jude’s introduction on it, he said that he every seldom uses the deepest bass level, and I guess I am a bit the opposite. This could be due to the tracks I listen to – but I’ve found myself more often than not living in the bottom third of the dial, and only venturing to mid-way or toward the lighter end with quite dark tracks.

Overall Detail / Clarity / Resolution
Tracks used: “Gaucho”, “Sultans of Swing”

With Gaucho I’m exactly ½ way on the dial, although one segment toward the bassier side of things also sounds glorious. The key word with this track is balance, and it really is there beautifully. The vocals on the backing singers, and also the sax are brilliantly portrayed, with enough lift to be thoroughly enjoyable, yet not getting to that point where it is annoyingly bright. The detail is spectacular, and what I love in particular are the cymbal overtones.

Sultans starts a little brighter, and the first thing I thought was that Mark’s vocals were just a little thin. Two segments toward the bassier side and it’s almost perfect – but the bass guitar is a just a little strong. Back it off half a segment – perfection. The little drum stick clicks are there, the cymbals again have this wonderfully extended decay, and the lead guitar crunch or edge is simply dynamic.

Sound-stage & Imaging
Tracks used: “Tundra”, “Dante’s Prayer”, “Let it Rain”

Tundra is up first, and it is straight back to mid-way on the dial again, and this is again perfect. Beautifully clear, pin-point imaging, and everything in its place. The stage itself is intimate – there is more a sense of width than depth, but it’s not really getting beyond my head space.

Dante’s prayer was next and I left the dial where it was at mid-way. This track is breath-taking, and again the overall balance and tonality is there. McKennitt's vocals are ethereal, beautifully sweet, and when the cello kicks in – goose bumps. Part way through I thought the cello didn’t quite have the depth, so a quick tweak of the dial – and again that feeling of balance and control is there. Imaging is again very good (I know this performance well from watching the actual performance on video before) – but it is a very intimate stage. When the applause starts at the end, there is a sense of immersion, but again there is more width than depth.

The final track is Amanda Marshall’s “Let It Rain” and I use it for two reasons – it has been miked to give a holographic feel (which the HD630VB nails completely – a real sense of instruments being around me), and it’s a good track to test sibilance (I know it is in the recording). At mid-way, the track is far too hot, and the sibilance is very noticeable. This time the dial is all the way to max bass, and immediate relief. I could listen to this track (or the entire album) in its entirety. The sibilance is still there but it has been blunted enough to make it very listenable. And the best part is that sense of the music being around you, or indeed the overall balance of the track, hasn’t diminished at all.

Bass Quality and Quantity
Tracks used: “Bleeding Muddy Waters”, “Royals”

Back to ½ way for Lanegan’s track, and nope – not enough impact. One segment short of max and it’s a really good mix of impact and tonality. Bass texture is really good too – just the right amount of gravel in Mark’s vocal performance. The mid-bass is giving good thump without being at all muddy or any signs of bleed.

Time to test sub-bass, and I left the bass dial where it was. Again a perfect mix of impact of vocal clarity (and Ella’s vocals are incredibly euphonic with this setting), and bass impact. When the sub bass kicks in, there is some genuine rumble there – it is not overdone at all. At the maximum setting it reaches even lower – but for my tastes just a little too overdone.

Female Vocals
Tracks used: “Aventine”, “Strong”, “For You”, “The Bad In Each Other”, “Howl”, “Safer”, “Light as a Feather”

I already knew how good the HD630VB was with female vocals (it is incredible – let’s not try and be coy), and the great thing about it is the control you have over setting the tonality for your mood. Obel’s track Aventine is as good as I’ve heard it at ½ way setting, but a little more bass really brings the cello out, and all without affecting he gorgeous vocal presentation.

With London Grammar, the recording is a little slower and Hannah’s pitch a little lower, so it’s back to ½ way again (or one extra segment of bass – depending on how I’m feeling), and this setting seems to suit Norah beautifully as well. With Feist's higher register and dynamic contrast with the bass, I go one segment further. Magic. And Cilmi’s track Safer is once more goose-bump inducing, and that is the consistent feeling with all of my female artists. The HD630VB reminds me so much of the HD600 in this respect, or even the T1. It really is vocal presentation done incredibly right.

Male Vocals
Tracks used: “Away From the Sun”, “Art for Art’s Sake”, “Broken Wings”, “Diary of Jayne”, “Hotel California”, “Keith Don’t Go”, “EWBTCIAST”

This is the bit where the bass adjustment is utterly brilliant, and for virtually all the tracks I leave it at one segment from max, and occasionally on max. The only issue with full bass can sometimes be the bass guitar getting slightly overblown or boomy, but if you get to that point, just back it off a bit.

3 Door’s Down’s “Away From the Sun” has its usual expansive rock anthem feel, and shows true balance and wonderful coherency throughout – bass quality, lower mid-range with Todd’s vocals, and upper mid-range with the guitar crunch.

One of the revelations was with some of the older classic rock I have (10CC), and the mid-range clarity combined with the ability to add a little more bottom end really mixes well with some of these older tracks. Contrast this with the much faster guitar based hard rock of Breaking Benjamin, and you really get to appreciate just how good the drivers are. Brilliant articulation of the complexity of the music, and again no signs of smearing or blurring.
Switching to acoustic music (Eagles / Lofgren) and again another side to the HD630VB. Acoustic guitar is almost as good with the 630VB as it is with the venerable HD600, and from me that is very high praise. Henley’s vocals are pitch perfect. Again I could listen to this presentation for hours.

My final test is always Pearl Jam though – Vedder is my test for timbre and tonality. If I can get an emotional connection, I know the headphones are on my short-list. I had to go almost toward the end of the dial on this test track (it is on the bright side) but it is worth it. There is a very faint hollowness which detracts slightly, but everything else is brilliant. Eddie’s vocals are deep, rich, and wonderful – yet all the mid-range and lower treble details of this particular track aren’t compromised in the slightest. The cymbals have the same shimmer. Truly enjoyable.

Other Genre Specific Notes
Again for tracks, albums, artists – please refer to this list: http://www.head-fi.org/a/brookos-test-tracks

Alt Rock – OMG yes, yes, yes. Floyd is brilliant. Too often tracks like DSOTM’s Money are veiled when a headphone can’t articulate the upper mid-range enough. The HD630VB are as clear as a bell, and this is repeated with Porcupine Tree. With both tracks, I’m one segment off centre with the bass, and it is a wonderful presentation.

Jazz / Blues – Fantastic. Again it is the combination of mid-range tonality, and the beautifully clear presentation of lower treble detail which makes the HD630VB so good to listen to. Then just dial the level of bass you personally like. Both Portico Quartet and Miles were brilliant to listen to and when I switched briefly to Mingus – let’s just say later I went back and listened to the full album. I hadn’t played any bluegrass for a while so I briefly dabbled with Union Station and Krauss – and all I’ll say is that with stringed instruments, the HD630VB almost has a Grado like clarity. And that is compliment enough I think.

Hip-hop / EDM / Trance – First up I cranked the bass all the way to max and there is quite a bit of impact with the HD630VB. But max setting can get very slightly boomy – not really to my liking. So I sacrificed a little impact for clarity by backing off one segment. I still found it really enjoyable, but I’m not sure those seeking massive bass will get enough from the HD630VB. For most though there should be more than enough. Little Dragon was excellent though (female vocals again) and a perfect example of how well the Senns are tuned. Although a lot of people may not like the easy going nature of The Flashbulb (for electronica), this was one of the bands I absolutely adored with the HD630VB. Again a perfect mix of bass, and mid-range detail.

Pop / Indie – And this is where I really love the variable bass. Some of Adele’s music really isn’t that well recorded, even though I adore her vocal range and presentation. Add a bit of lower end warmth and it just takes the edge off the recording. Likewise with Snow Patrol (some of their music can be a little dark), keep the dial at mid-way and the balance and clarity is there. For indie the HD630VB is a tweakers dream. Band of Horses can be a little bright and have almost too much heat. Maximise the bass and the warmth just masks the mastering deficiencies, but without losing clarity.

Classical / Opera – Bright and airy for string sections at the mid-way point. Perfectly pitched with a little added bass for solo piano (Kempff was brilliant with Moonlight Sonata – my mother’s favourite piece). I really did enjoy the HD630VB with everything I ran through it from Julia Fischer's solo mastery to the soaring heights of Netrebko and Garanca (although confession time – I upped the bass to take the edge off Netrebko at louder volumes). The enjoyment was there throughout though.

The HD630VB are genre masters in my opinion. A one-stop headphone, with you controlling the finer points.

COMPARISONS
Normally at this stage I’d be listing a few comparable headphones, but because the HD630VB is so unique, I’ve been struggling to think what I would include.

Probably the headphone which makes the most sense for a comparison is the HD600, and describing both the similarities and differences. The first thing I immediately noticed when I first swapped was how light the HD600 are in comparison, and how ultimately comfortable they are. And it’s not that the 630VB are uncomfortable, it’s just the additional weight. I hadn’t noticed when wearing them throughout my listening sessions, but I do notice as soon as you do the direct compare. The second thing of course is the soundstage differences, with the HD600 being a lot more open and expansive – where the HD630VB is definitely more intimate.

Sonically though it is really amazing how close these two headphones ultimately sound. The HD630VB has a little more vividness in the mid-range, and it’s just a little more alive and edgy – whereas the HD600 has that beautifully laidback nature I absolutely treasure. Both have a very clear and clean lower treble, and no signs of real peakiness. And then of course there is the difference in the bass where it depends on where you have the dial set. Generally though the HD630VB has a little extra low-bass, a little more overall impact, and very slight hollowness that I didn’t pick up at all until I compared with the HD600.

They are definitely from the same family though and Sennheiser has done a masterful job of keeping enough of the overall family tonality to be accurate in using the HD6xx designation.

SENNHEISER HD630VB – SUMMARY

So it’s time to sum up, and if you can’t tell already, I love these headphones.

The HD630VB is an extremely well built full sized closed circumaural headphone with very good comfort – there are some slight caveats though. Firstly, at over 420g, they are pretty heavy – especially for a headphone intended to be mainly portable. So if you are of slight build, you may just want to think twice or try them first, unless you are very confident in your neck and upper body strength.

Also, Sennheiser has decided these are portable, to the point that the cable is fixed and only 1.2m. For me personally, I’d be using these more at home than portably, although it would be nice to have both options. And this is where I think they missed an opportunity – a replaceable cable available in two lengths would have been a real selling point. Opportunities missed.

Sonically though, the HD630VB is incredibly vivid, and beautifully balanced, with an engaging mid-range, and crystal clear presentation that fits very well into the HD6XX family. Undoubtedly though the variable bass is the star of the show, and this is implemented so well, and at such an idea frequency that it really does act as a fine-tuner rather than a (drastic) sound signature changer. Overall resolution is fantastic, and with the ability to add subtle warmth, or brighten an otherwise dull mastering, the HD630VB are indeed genre masters.

And now we get to “the elephant in the room”. The HD630VB are not cheap, and at $500 there are probably some fantastic alternatives out there. But despite that, I’m smitten with the configurability, tonality, and overall sound quality of this excellent headphone. While I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone, I do think that the features it brings are worth the asking price.

So a solid 4 stars from me (caveats being the fixed cable, the weight and the fact that it is somewhat expensive). Normally at the end of the review, I’ll be packing this headphone up, contacting Rosmadi and arranging for delivery back to Sennheiser. What I’m pretty sure I’ll be doing (once it is posted), is contacting Rosmadi, and asking if they’d mind me paying it off over the next few months. If not, I’ll be saving to buy a pair.

I need another headphone like I need a hole in the head, and I’m sure my wife won’t be thrilled. But these are simply to good not to have (for my preferences).

Well done Sennheiser, and thanks again for the opportunity to be able to listen to and write about this wonderful product.

RECOMMENDATIONS TO SENNHEISER
This is actually easy, and if you’ve read through the review you could probably name these points yourself.

If there is any way to take some weight out without compromising build strength, I’d definitely consider it. Even taking 50-70g out would make a difference.
Detachable cable – and in two lengths. Must have.
For the next case, a flatter version – even if it was slightly wider – would be easier for traveling. The cups fold flat, so probably worth considering.

Do you want and open or closed head-set? If you want it for portability - get the 630VB. If they are only going to be for home use and you'd prefer an open can, stick with the HD600/HD650.

thanks

gonna go with the hd650 then

When I read the specification of HD630VB, I had never thought I would buy this thing. 400g and 5.5~6.8 N contact pressure! But a half price used one made me take a leap of faith. Now I had this for more than a month, and I've loved it. It's heavy but acceptable. Solution 1, make it plastic, I'm not a metal lover. Solution 2, make the headband cushion wider, not thicker. Look at that pillow on HE1's headband. I didn't feel my head get crushed thanks to those big thick donut ear cushion.
One big complaint from many is the non-detachable. I'm ok with that. Sennheiser gave out a video showing the cable replacement. And so far I haven't seen any headphones have a break between remote and jack. What I mean is if you want a detachable cable, then you probably lose the remote on ear cup, and have to make it in-line, like Momentum's. Sennheiser might want some differences from majority.

For larger views of any of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images

INTRODUCTION

I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing a lot of triple hybrids over the last few years, and was heavily involved in the reviews and tours when products like the Altone200 and Dunu DN-1000 captured the enthusiasts attention with triple hybrids appearing for the first time at sub $200. Since then we’ve seen some absolutely excellent triple hybrids in the 250-350 bracket including Fidue’s A83, Dunu’s DN2000 and 2000J, and recently the FLC8S.
The idea behind the hybrid is to play on the different driver’s strengths – bass response and texture with the dynamic, and mid-range cohesion, detail and speed with multiple BA’s.

So I was contacted 8 weeks ago regarding a new triple hybrid, from a new company (who I didn’t know), and asked if I would be interested in taking the new Primacy from Oriveti for a spin. What really attracted me to them was that I’d received a frequency response chart from my good friend Alex, and they had a very similar frequency graph to two multi-BA driver earphones I have (the Jays q-Jays and 1964Ears Adel U6), so naturally a triple hybrid having that sort of natural balance was intriguing to say the least. The other thing that kept my interest up is that I knew a couple of the principals involved at Oriveti, and past knowledge of them was that they were extremely competent with very good design ideas. So the Primacy had some high expectations from me.

Unfortunately I’ve been asked by Oriveti to keep the details about the company reasonably quiet for now – but what I can tell you is that some of the people involved have had more than 10 years industry experience, and that if the Primacy is an example of what we can expect in future, I will be following them closely from this point onward.

DISCLAIMER
The Oriveti Primacy was provided to me gratis as a review sample. I have made it clear to Oriveti that I still regard any product they send me as their sole property and available for return any time at their request. But I thank them for the ability to continue use of the Primacy – both for follow up comparisons and also for my own personal use.

The Oriveti Primacy can be sourced from Amazon for USD 299

PREAMBLE - 'ABOUT ME'.
(This is to give any readers a baseline for interpreting the review).

I'm a 48 year old music lover. I don't say audiophile – I just love my music. Over the last couple of years, I have slowly changed from cheaper listening set-ups to my current set-up. I vary my listening from portables (FiiO X5ii, X3ii, X7 and iPhone 5S) to my desk-top's set-up (PC > USB > iFi iDSD). I also use a portable set-up at work – either X3ii/X7 > HP, or PC > E17K > HP. My main full sized headphones at the time of writing are the Beyer T1, Sennheiser HD600, and AKG K553. Most of my portable listening is done with IEMs, and lately it has mainly been with the Jays q-Jays, Alclair Curve and Adel U6. A full list of the gear I have owned (past and present is listed in my Head-Fi profile).

I have very eclectic music tastes listening to a variety from classical/opera and jazz, to grunge and general rock. I listen to a lot of blues, jazz, folk music, classic rock, indie and alternative rock. I am particularly fond of female vocals. I generally tend toward cans that are relatively neutral/balanced, but I do have a fondness for clarity, and suspect I might have slight ‘treble-head’ preferences. I am not treble sensitive (at all), and in the past have really enjoyed headphones like the K701, SR325i, and of course the T1 and DT880.

I have extensively tested myself (ABX) and I find aac256 or higher to be completely transparent. I do use exclusively red-book 16/44.1 if space is not an issue. All of my music is legally purchased (mostly CD – the rest FLAC purchased on-line). I tend to be sceptical about audiophile ‘claims’, don’t generally believe in burn-in, have never heard a difference with different cables, and would rather test myself blind on perceived differences. I am not a ‘golden eared listener’. I suffer from mild tinnitus, and at 48, my hearing is less than perfect.

Over the last 6 weeks I’ve used the Primacy paired with most of the sources I have at my disposal – from the tiny M3, all the way through to the L5Pro and X7. But for the review I’ve used my main work horses – the X3ii + E17K, and also the X7. In the time I’ve been using the Primacy, I haven’t noticed any sonic change. And although I used the Primacy coupled with several different amplifiers, they are easily driven, and will pair nicely with most sources straight from the headphone out.

This is a purely subjective review - my gear, my ears, and my experience. Please take it all with a grain of salt - especially if it does not match your own experience.

THE REVIEW

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES
The Oriveti Primacy arrived in a 180 x 180 x 58 cm black retail box and lid case with a picture of the Primacy on the front cover, and exploded diagram + specifications and package contents on the rear. I absolutely love it when companies go out of their way to show the inner workings of the product you’re considering buying, and it is really nice to see how much information Oriveti has given. My only suggestion with the outer print is that the light grey on black text is not the easiest to read, and something with a little more contrast (perhaps closer to white) may have been a little better.

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Front of the retail box	Rear of the retail box	Lid removed - and first look at the Primacy

Removing the lid reveals a felt lined foam cut-out with the Primacy safely nestled in the provided grooves. Removing the top layer reveals another foam tray underneath with the storage case, a multitude of tips, cleaning tool, 3.5-6.3mm adaptor, airline adaptor, ear-hooks, and a “quick-guide”.

The tip selection includes 2 sets of medium foams, and 2 sets each of XS, S, M and L silicone tips.

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The Oriveti Quick Guide	Underneath it is the accessory tray	The storage case - gorgeous but large

The storage case is 8cm in diameter, 3cm deep, and therefore not really a carry case as such (although it is great for storage purposes). It is made of very light aluminium, and has felt lining top and bottom. It’s not actually a screw top, but rather relies on vacuum pressure (it is really quite well fitted) to keep the lid intact.

Everything about the packaging and accessories included shows real quality and overall thought in what Oriveti have included, and whilst I love the case for storage purposes, the only thing I would have liked to see would have been an actual smaller carry case for when you are out and about.

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The storage case - plush inside, perfect for desktop storage	Earguides, cleaning tool and adaptors	Tip selection

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
(From Oriveti’s packaging / website)

I’ve listed the main specifications for the Primacy, and because I’ll be comparing later in the review, a couple of similarly priced triple hybrid IEMs.

	Oriveti Primacy	Fidue A83	Dunu DN2000J
Type	Triple hybrid – DD + dual BA	Triple hybrid – DD + dual BA	Triple hybrid – DD + dual BA
Current Retail	$299 (Amazon)	$270 (Amazon)	$299 (Amazon)
Freq Range	20 Hz – 20 kHz	9 Hz – 31 Khz	4 Hz – 40 Khz
Impedance	11 ohm	11 ohm	8 ohm
Sensitivity	107 dB (+/-3 dB)	104 dB	102 dB (+/-2 dB)
Jack	3.5mm gold plated, straight	3.5mm gold plated, straight	3.5mm gold plated, right angled
Cables	1.2m, removable (MMCX)	1.2m removable (MMCX)	1.2m fixed
Weight	16g	23g	21.8g
IEM Shell	Aluminium alloy	Hard plastic with alloy faceplate	Aluminium alloy
Body shape / fit	Ergonomic, cable over ear	Ergonomic, cable over ear	Cartridge, over or below ear

FREQUENCY GRAPH
The graphs below are generated using the Vibro Veritas coupler and ARTA software. I must stress that they aren’t calibrated to IEC measurement standards, but the raw data I’m getting has been very consistent, and is actually not too far away from the raw data measured by Innerfidelity where we have the same IEMs. It is not compensated in any way, and I use the graphs mainly for comparison purposes (to other earphones), measuring channel matching, and also comparing with my subjective impressions. So don’t take the data as gospel – but I do find it a useful tool for getting a reasonable idea of the frequency response of the Primacy.

In the graph below – you’ll see the channel matching (which is unbelievably good and testament to the QC going into driver matching by Oriveti). This will also give an idea for the base sound of the Primacy.

What I’m hearing (subjective) – noted before I ever had these on the measurement bench.

Very linear bass response which is well extended but shows little emphasis in mid-bass (might be a slight mid bass bump – but to me sounds pretty flat)
Relatively clean and coherent mid-range which is accentuated in the primary vocal range which brings vocals forward. At a guess I’d say that the bump is evenly distributed between 1-2 kHz as male and female vocals sound equally present.
Reasonably well extended but smooth lower treble which mostly falls short of excessive sibilance (for me) yet remains detailed with sufficient air for clarity.
Although there is a bump in the lower treble, the overall feel for me is one of balance rather than a V shape (if there is one, it is extremely mild), and the Primacy sounds more smooth to me than bright, or accentuated in the upper registers.

BUILD & DESIGN
When I first saw the Primacy, the first thing I thought of (regarding the shape) was of the Phonaks or Trinity Techne (ergonomic shape with an upright cable exit). My second was of the Jays q-Jays (small, smooth, black, and very well made).

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Exploded view of the Primacy	Fresh out of the box	Right hand ear piece

The Primacy is really quite small for an ergonomic design – just 18mm from end to end, 18 mm tall (body only) and 8-9mm deep. The entire body is crafted of an extremely smoothly finished aluminium alloy with black matte finish, and there are no sharp edges on the extremely well shaped body. The Primacy is forged in two sections, but the join is smoothed so well, that although it is faintly visible, it may as well be a one-piece. The nozzle extends another 7-8mm and has a 5mm diameter bore with a very generous lip. On the right hand earpiece is the name Oriveti, and on the left hand the Oriveti logo. There is a small R and L indicator inside each earpiece body – and they are very easy to identify (besides that, the shape always tells you which earpiece is which).

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Right hand inner surface	Nozzle length and lip	MMCX connector

The cable has a standard MMCX connection which fits extremely firmly in the socket, and although you can rotate the cable in the socket, it doesn’t rotate freely (a good sign of a great fitting connection). On the inside strain relief of the left hand connector are 3 raised bumps (so you always know which is left), and there are also discreet L/R markings.

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Left hand side with raised bumps	Perfectly ergonomic	Good quality jack and cable that looks like a braid .....

The cable is brilliant, one of the best I have seen. It is very similar to the Trinity design with two pairs or spring twined cables below the Y split separating to single pairs above the Y split. The appearance below the Y actually looks like a braid, but in reality it is just the very tight almost spring loaded twining. This is brilliant design because it means that the pairs are unbroken from Jack to connector (the Y is just a simply bit of heat-shrink), so they would be very easy to convert to fully balanced. There is excellent strain relief at the housings and the jack. The Jack has the Oriveti branding on the outer casing, is straight, gold plated, and very case friendly. To complete the cable there is a piece of clear plastic tube for the cinch – and again this is one of the best implementations I’ve seen. It slides relatively easily, but holds without moving, and it feels solid (unlike some of the other options I’ve seen on some far more expensive earphones).

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Cable is in fact a perfectly sprung twisted pair	Heat shrink for Y-split (perfect channel separation)	Cinch is thick plastic - one of the best I've seen

I cannot fault a single part of the build or design at this point – it really is impeccable.

FIT / COMFORT / ISOLATION
Because the Primacy has such a great design and is so tiny and lightweight, I’ve had no need to engage the ear guides at all. I think one of the secrets to this is the length of the nozzles – far too many IEM companies make the nozzles of ergonomically fitted IEMs too short. The Primacy however is perfect, and although ergonomic designs for me are often shallow fitting, the Primacy is actually able to go far deeper because the body can actually slide inside the tragus. This aids fit, comfort, and isolation for me personally. It is one of the most comfortable IEM’s I’ve worn.


Size comparison - vs Fidue A83	Size comparison vs Jays q-Jays

I have one ear canal slightly different to the other one (my right is very slightly smaller) - so I tend to find that usually single silicon flanges don't fit overly well. This is often even more of an issue with shallow fitting IEMs. However with the Primacy, their included silicone tips fit like a glove – although I eventually settled with the medium foams (slightly more comfortable for me).

I also fit and had great success with Ostry’s blue and black tuning tips, Sony Isolation tips (a tight fit but achievable), Spin-fits, and also Spiral Dots. The lip on the Primacy is great for most tips and I really wish more IEM designers would take a leaf out of Oriveti’s book with both their nozzle length and outer lip.

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Sony Isolation tip and Spiral Dot	Spin-Fit and Ostry "Blue"	Default Foam tips - my favourite

Worn over ear the Primacy actually sits well inside my outer ear, so lying down and listening is never an issue, and I’ve been able to sleep with them intact. Cable noise worn over ear is slightly microphonic if the cable is worn loose (depending on your clothing), but cinched it is amazingly absent.

Isolation is above average for a hybrid, and although I have tried, I am yet to find an external vent or port. They exhibit no signs of any flex.

So for me anyway – fit comfort and isolation are pretty close to perfection again.

SOUND QUALITY
The following is what I hear from the Oriveti Primacy. YMMV – and probably will – as my tastes are likely different to yours (read the preamble I gave earlier for a baseline). Most of the testing at this point (unless otherwise stated) was done with my Fiio X3ii as source paired with the E17K, no EQ, and the included foam tips. For the record – on most tracks, the volume level on the E17K was around 18-20/60 which was giving me around an average SPL around 70-75 dB and peaks at around 80-85dB (A weighted measurements from my SPL meter).

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The workhorse test equipment	E17K was great for EQ also	Briefly tested with a new toy

Tracks used were across a variety of genres – and can be viewed in this list http://www.head-fi.org/a/brookos-test-tracks.

Initial Thoughts
When I first listened to the Primacy, I wasn’t wowed. My first thought was “well these sound nice”, but also “they could use a little more in the upper mid-range”. What I did like though was the overall balance, and it’s this that kept me interested as I slowly got used to the overall signature. The one thing I have found is that often the slow burners (the IEMs that don’t wow me) are the ones which I end up liking the most, and I suspect that this could become the case with the Primacy.

If I was to now describe the signature in a few words/phrases – I’d choose the words clear, forward, balanced, intimate, and smooth.

Overall Detail / Clarity / Resolution
Tracks used: “Gaucho”, “Sultans of Swing”

Both tracks are very clear, and the first thing that is noticeable is how the initial focus is squarely in the mid-range – vocals, sax, and guitars. The second noticeable thing is how well both tracks are balanced – particularly in the bass – it is practically perfect with everything coming together to perform a whole. However the one area that is just slightly muted and I guess this is the bit that took some getting used to, is that some of the high resolution detail (especially cymbal hits and the after-shimmer) sit in the background. They are still there – but where I am used to hearing them clearly, they are a little muted.

The mid-range is definitely the focus, and it is here that the click of drumsticks, the fingers on a fret board, and the effect of vibrato on a guitar is extremely clear. But the overall smoothness comes at a slight cost of upper end resolution.

Sound-stage & Imaging
Tracks used: “Tundra”, “Dante’s Prayer”, “Let it Rain”

Amber Rubarth’s binaural track Tundra is my go to for measuring depth and width of stage as it provides good cues and you can get a really accurate sense of distance with different earphones. The imaging is very good and is quite precise, but it would be fair to say that the Primacy is more intimate than expansive with this track. I’m pretty sure it is the forwardness of the mid-range, and I would say that the overall stage is within my headspace rather than projected out, and to me is slightly wider than it is deep. The Primacy does deliver pretty well with the sense of precision within the stage it creates thought. There is a genuine sense of 3D space, but it is a relatively small space.

“Dante’s Prayer” is next and I use it because I know this live track well, and I know (from video) where the real placement of instruments is on stage. The miking never gives a real sense of depth in the performance, but can often give a good idea of imaging. The Primacy has great tonal balance with this track, and I could listen to this sort of music for hours. The totality between vocals, piano and cello is excellent. But the real test is at the end with the applause. With some earphones it is possible to get total immersion (HD600) where you can be right in the audience. The Primacy gives me reasonable width, but no real depth or immersion. Again – this is probably the very forward mid-range at play – few earphones are able to really provide immersion.

The last track in this section is Amanda Marshall’s “Let It Rain” and I use it for two reasons – it has been miked to give a holographic feel (which the Primacy portrays really nicely – a real sense of instruments being around me), and it’s a good track to test sibilance (I know it is in the recording). At my normal listening levels, the sibilance is there, but not highlighted unless the volume is really high (I tend to be a quieter listener), and simple EQ would help to clear this up if it bothers you

Bass Quality and Quantity
Tracks used: “Bleeding Muddy Waters”, “Royals”, “You Know I’m No Good”

Mark Lanegan’s track is always my first test for bass quality, quantity and also any bass bleed. The track could be described as dark and brooding – but usually has nice contrast between deep drum beats and Marks throaty vocals. The first thing I noticed is that the visceral impact just isn’t quite there – at least not what I’m normally used to. Mark’s vocals are fantastic though – rich and full with wonderful texture and clarity. It is probably a slightly different presentation to what I am used to – but it is genuinely enjoyable, and the brilliance of the vocal presentation makes up for any loss in impact. There is no sign of bass bleed at all, and the bass that is there is very clean.
Lorde’s track “Royals” is my sub-bass impact test – and the Primacy shows its extension by reaching pretty low – but again it’s a little more polite than visceral. The rumble shows reasonable extension, and Ella’s vocals are very clear, but the overall energy is more in balance than weighted toward the dynamic driver’s strengths. Again I’m a little torn – the presentation is different, but still very enjoyable.

Because I was a little conflicted on my opinion of the bass performance, I finished with Amy Winehouse’s “You Know I’m No Good”. It’s a good reasonably bass heavy track which is a good test of speed. And it is this type of track that shows the Primacy’s real strength – the bass quality (speed and texture). This really shines through now. Definitely what the Primacy may lack (for some) is impact, but more than makes up for in texture and speed.

Female Vocals
Tracks used: “Aventine”, “Strong”, “For You”, “The Bad In Each Other”, “Howl”, “Safer”, “Light as a Feather”

The Primacy has an interesting balance between male and female vocals, and I guess it steps nicely between both, with both sounding really good, but not exceptional (for my tastes anyway). As I flipped through my test tracks, I was struck again by how well balanced and easy to listen to each track was.

But for my personal taste, I know I tend to like a little recession at around 1 kHz and a little bump more toward 2-3 kHz. This gives female vocals a real lift, admittedly usually at a slight cost to the richness of male vocals. Sometimes it is a price I’m willing to pay though.

As I flipped from track to track the one thing that was missing was the sense of euphony I prefer. Don’t get me wrong though, the Primacy rally does all vocals well – but that sense of euphony, of sweetness and of harmony was just not quite there. So very briefly I engaged the E17K’s tone controls, and lifted the treble by +4. Boom – perfect, and another reason I just love the E17K.

But back to no EQ again, and I have to admit that the Primacy really does very little wrong. It’s default tuning would be one I’d be tempted to adjust (via EQ) if I was listening to some of my female artists though. YMMV.

Male Vocals
Tracks used: “Away From the Sun”, “Art for Art’s Sake”, “Broken Wings”, “Diary of Jayne”, “Hotel California”, “Keith Don’t Go”, “EWBTCIAST”

The contrast with female vocals (for me) is that male vocals sound exceptional with the Oriveti Primacy. What comes though is really good balance and tonality, and it is the fullness of the mid-range which is brilliant with a lot of guitar and male vocal based rock.

3 Door’s Down’s “Away From the Sun” has its usual rock anthem feel, and shows a wonderful coherency on a variety of fronts – bass quality, lower mid-range with Todd’s vocals, and upper mid-range with guitar crunch.
Switching out to more acoustic music (Eagles / Lofgren) and this is really getting to one of the strengths of the Primacy. Stringed instruments in particular are a joy to listen to, and the smoothness and balance just make me want to sit back, close my eyes and savour each moment.

Ramping up a notch (speed) and slipping into a bit of Breaking Benjamin, and again I’m pleasantly surprised at the coherency and harmony of the drivers. Some drivers can be overwhelmed by the complexity of this track, and become almost a wall of sound, but the Primacy is nimble and really well articulated in this normally very busy track. Again impressive.

My real test is always Pearl Jam though – if Vedder works, then it has a pass in my book. The Primacy knocks it out of the park. Really good tonality and balance, and perfectly captures the timbre of Eddies vocals. The one comment I would make though is that this track usually has quite prominent cymbals, and the one thing I’ve always loved about it with other earphones is the detail in the cymbal decay. The Primacy captures it well – but just that last maybe 5-10% is a little subdued. For my tastes – brilliant (yes!), but perfect (not quite).

Other Genre Specific Notes
Again for tracks, albums, artists – please refer to this list: http://www.head-fi.org/a/brookos-test-tracks

Alt Rock – generally pretty good but the smooth nature of the Primacy meant that tracks with a lot of high end detail (Floyd’s Money) could be a little muted. Still thoroughly enjoyable though and really nails mid-range sax and other instruments. PT’s “Trains” was wonderful – beautifully coherent.

Jazz / Blues – For the most part the Primacy was very good with Jazz and Portico Quartet and Miles were both excellent (especially both sax and trumpet). Double bass is nicely present, but again for me maybe just missing a tiny bit of upper end detail. With my age and hearing, I prefer things just a little brighter. Jazz piano (Krall) was fantastic though and with her slightly deeper vocals, the album “The Girl in the Other Room” was really quite sublime. Standout in this section was Bonamassa though – and again the perfect balance and slight emphasis in the mid-range really suited the combination of vocals and guitar.

Hip-hop / EDM / Trance – This bit surprised me, because what I felt was missing slightly with Lorde and Mark Lanegan was actually pretty good with the likes of Eminem, Little Dragon and AVB. While the bass isn’t massively visceral, it is sufficient, and the added extension into the sub-bass really helps. I mentioned earlier that I really liked the Primacy with strings, and I switched to a little Lindsay Stirling at one stage and the combo of clean quick bass and violin really worked well.

Pop / Indie – Definitely better than a pass mark here. Adele was nicely presented and the mid-range emphasis again leant well to her vocals, and this was repeated with Coldplay and Snow Patrol. I’ve become a big Indie fan the last few years, and for me this was another area the Primacy shone. Some Indie bands can tend to have recordings a little on the bright side and both Band of Horses and Yesper were utterly fantastic. The smoothness and balance of the Primacy with the raw edge of some of the Indie bands I listen to married together really well.

Classical / Opera – Generally very good, especially solo cello and piano. Zoe Keating was stunning. Full orchestral pieces will depend on how you like your presentation. Sometimes I would have liked just a tiny bit more air.

AMPLIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
The Primacy is easily driven out of a smartphone or DAP, and on my iPhone 5S I’m sitting around 25-30%, and in the 25-35/120 range on the Fiio.

As per usual, I also volume matched and compared X3ii vs X3ii + E17K, and there was no discernible audible difference in dynamic presentation – so I think it is pretty safe to say that extra amping won’t be necessary. Based on the specs alone (11 ohm and 107dB SPL), straight out of the headphone-out of most sources should be more than enough.

The one thing you will need to be aware of though is the relatively high sensitivity and low impedance of the Primacy, so ideally a source with under 1 ohm output impedance is desirable. I tried – with the X3ii and E17K – to detect any hiss, but as expected (my high frequency hearing is hopeless), I couldn’t hear any. So I asked very nicely for my lovely wife to “lend an ear”. She’s pretty good at hearing hiss, and she couldn’t detect any via the E17K at right up to 50/60, so with my set-up, they are pretty good.

RESPONSE TO EQ?
I mentioned earlier that my own personal preference would be for a little bump in the upper mid-range (for female vocals), and possibly a little bit of bass adjustment for some tracks. So I took the X7, loaded my test tracks and applied a -2dB cut at 1 kHz and +2dB bump at 2 kHz – effectively shifting the current bump up an octave. For my personal tastes with female vocalists this was perfect, and the X7 and Primacy soared with my female artists. This won’t suit everyone, but is an example of a simple EQ tweak to meet personal preference. And if you own the E17K, a simple nudge on the tone controls can really help as an alternative. About +4 treble was ideal for my preferences, and although I like the bass the way it is, you see the response just by adding a little more via the E17K tone control.


Added +4 treble on E17K : for me = perfect	Going V shaped : +4 bass and treble

EDIT 3rd March and thanks to HiFiChris for the information! Just (using my X7) added ~ 5dB to 4 kHz region via EQ, and all the cymbal overtones are back again (shimmer etc). Went a little further and deducted 2 dB from 1 kHz and added 1 dB to 2 kHz. For my sonic tastes, these are pretty much perfect now. Smooth but with very good resolution. Fantastic. Changing rating to 4.5 stars.

COMPARISONS
I ummed and ahhed about what to include in this section, and eventually decided on using the DN2000 (because they sound kind of similar), DN2000J and Fidue A83 (because they are triple hybrids in the same price bracket), and also the new q-Jays, which although they are more expensive and dual BA, have a somewhat similar tonality.

As always, the IEMs were compared after volume matching (SPL meter and test tones), but the comparisons are completely subjective.

Primacy $299 vs DN2000 $248

Frequency comparison Primacy vs DN2000
Primacy and DN2000 - quite similar in many ways

The build on both is impeccable, but for fit and comfort, the ergonomics and smaller size of the Primacy feel a lot better to me. Both have quite a smooth but quite clear sound, and both show a nice sense of overall balance. The DN2000 is a little bassier, and has better overall low bass extension, and sounds slightly more spacious where the Primacy is more intimate and closer with vocals. The DN-2000 does sound ever so slightly clearer, but I guess this could be the additional air through the 3-6K range. I was a little surprised how close these two very good triple hybrids are. I expected the 2000 to be a lot bassier, but it’s not evident with the overall tuning. The smaller size and more comfortable fit would ultimately win the day for me in this match up – Primacy edges ahead for my tastes.
Primacy $299 vs Fidue A83 $270

Frequency Primacy vs A83
Primacy and A83 - balance vs V shape, smoothness vs detailed and edgy

Build quality is pretty good on both, but as a long term A83 owner, I’m aware of the mmcx connector issues (cut-outs), I’m on my second pair, and I still get cut-outs from time to time. So build quality to Primacy. On fit and overall comfort – both are pretty good in this area, but ultimately the Primacy gets the nod again – the slightly smaller size means a little deeper and more secure fit, and it’s actually easier to get a good seal (the Fidue for me is slightly shallow). When we switch to sonics, I constantly look at the A83 graph, and ask myself how it can sound so good to me. But the simple matter is that it does. The A83 is definitely bassier, and also more v-shaped. Both are vocal centric and relatively intimate sounding, but the A83 has a slightly better sense of space to me. It can sometimes sound a little hazy – where the Primacy is really smooth. The weird thing is that the Primacy sounds like the darker earphone. Sonically I like the A83 slightly better (my own personal tastes) – but everything points me toward the Primacy. Because I can use EQ (or the E17K tone controls) and achieve the sonics I really like – ultimately I’d choose the Primacy based on superior build and comfort.
Primacy $299 vs DN2000J $299

Frequency Primacy vs DN2000J
Primacy and 2000J - balanced smooth vs balanced detailed

This was never going to be a fair fight, but I’ll try to be as objective as I can (I love the sonics on the 2000J). Build quality is immaculate on both – you can’t get a much more sturdy build than these two fine audio companies. As far as fit and comfort goes, it’s pretty close. Ultimately if I could have the Primacy design with the DN2000J tuning, I’d take it – so we’ll give overall comfort to the Primacy – but noting that the 2000J is not an uncomfortable fit. Moving to the sonics, although they are very different, there are a lot of similarities as well. The bass quality and quantity is very similar, and both are very clear in the vocal area, but each have different strengths with the Primacy being more balanced between male and female, and the 2000J sounding glorious with female vocals, but slightly thin with males. The lower treble extension is the main point of difference, and here is where preference really hits. I like a brighter earphone, and the 2000J just soars for me. The Primacy has its own strengths (balance and vocal clarity in particular), but skipping back and forth between the two, and it’s the upper end detail of the 2000J which continues to appeal. The funny thing is that as I’ve spent more time with the Primacy I’ve come to appreciate its strength more and more, and there is something to be said for its smooth and easy nature. If you’re at all sensitive to the brighter side, the Primacy is definitely your winner here. For me personally it’s the 2000J by the barest of whiskers – but if I could have the Primacy build and 2000J sonics I personally would be a very happy man. I did try the EQ again with the Primacy though, and with it engaged I’d actually take the Primacy – take that as you will.
Primacy $299 vs q-Jays $400

Frequency Primacy vs q-Jays Similar but Primacy does not have q-Jays resolution

The big one. A disclaimer before I start – I liked the q-Jays so much, I bought the review pair from q-Jays (paid real cash). They are not my normal signature, as you can tell by the graphs – no bump at around 2-3 kHz, and to me, they are very close to the primacy’s overall shape. But let’s go back to build first and here it is practically a tie. Both are impeccably made. Ultimately I think the q-Jays would nudge ahead for overall precision, but I definitely like the Primacy cable more. Let’s call it a tie. Fit and comfort – finally the Primacy meets its match. The q-Jays are the most comfortable IEMs I own, allow me a deep fit, and have isolation that is top tier (even as good as Shure). Both are superbly comfortable but the q-Jays edge ahead slightly. The Primacy again has that vocal clarity and very intimate presentation that is very addictive. And for the first time, it is actually a little bassier than its competition. The q-Jays has a little more air and space in its presentation, and is a little more distant. Both do really well with male and female vocals (nice balance), but again it is the upper end air that is the major difference – with the q-Jays having a little more life and resolution, maybe at the cost of smoothness. This will purely come done to preference again, and like the 2000J comparison, if you value smoother slightly warmer overall presentation the Primacy is a wonderful choice. For me though the extra detail level for cymbals (shimmer), and upper end harmonics continue to make the q-Jays one of the best earphones (for my personal tastes) I’ve ever heard.

ORIVETI PRIMACY – SUMMARY

Oops – another long review. If you’ve skipped most of the above and just want the condensed version, I guess I’ll see if I can get it down to a few short observations.

The Oriveti Primacy is an extremely well built triple hybrid IEM with a brilliantly sized ergonomic fit which almost guarantees long term comfort.

It has a well thought out accessory package (although be prepared to find an aftermarket more suitable carry case). It is easy to drive (perfect with any smartphone or low power device). It responds exceptionally well to EQ, and if you’re used to tweaking to get the optimum sound, it’s other attributes may just make it too compelling not to buy.

Sonically it has very good balance, with a slight bump in the vocal presence area which brings very good vocal clarity but comes at a slight cost in soundstage. The Primacy has a very smooth easy going upper mid-range and lower treble, and it does come at a slight cost of obvious resolution (it is there, but sits back).

The Primacy will likely suit:

Fans of balanced presentation, and those who like more vocal presence
Those who value a smoother slightly more relaxed treble presentation, or are treble sensitive
Those who don’t mind EQing to get their ideal sound.

The Primacy may not suit anyone who:

Likes a more expansive stage
Prefers more obvious detail and brighter presentation (especially if you don’t like to EQ)

At a current RRP of USD 299, the Primacy still represents very good value in my opinion, and the overall quality of build, fit/comfort and sonics (for those who like its particular presentation) is a very high standard. My usual question I ask myself is would I buy these, and would I recommend them to friends or family. The answer this time is “it depends”. If I knew that they preferred a specific tonality (smoother balanced relaxed sound), then I’d recommend them without question. For me though, unless I apply EQ, the lack of upper end air and detail would deter me from actually purchasing them for my own preference.

I struggled a little deciding the score for these, because they are extremely close to being perfect. Ultimately for $300 though I would expect just a little more upper end resolution, and that is probably the main reason I give the Primacy a hugely respectable 80% score.

EDIT 3rd March - added 1/2 a star - see EQ section in review for settings and reason for change. Practically perfect IEM now.

Once again I’d like to thank the wonderful people at Oriveti for giving me this opportunity to review the new Primacy.

RECOMMENDATIONS
It’s hard to recommend too much with such a good earphone. But the first would be to consider including a smaller carry case. The second might be a bit off the wall – but if you could produce a Primacy with three filters – the current default sonics, a more V shaped one, and one with similar bass, but a touch more upper mid-range and lower treble (and less in the 1-1.5 kHz area), you can take my credit card details now.

Might be about 10-14 more days. Currently finishing HD630VB, then have the Adel U6 and XF200 to do. FLC8S should be straight after that.

hi. would you say the oriveti is the most natural sounding iem in the market right now? coz im looking for one.

No - it's definitely not the most natural sounding - simply because of the 1-2 kHz bump. I'm trying to rack my brains about the most natural sounding I've heard, but all are coloured in some way. The Adel U6 from 1964Ears comes close - but there is again something in the mid-range (you'll see when my review gets posted) which doesn't sit quite right. It's easier to recommend something which is neutral rather than natural. The q-Jays seem quite natural sounding to me- but are very fit dependent.

For larger views of any of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images

INTRODUCTION

The last twelve months have been a journey of discovery for me with wireless technology getting better, and the ease of mobility with music (and no cables) slowly coming to fruition. I haven’t tried a lot of wireless gear so far, and my brief forays with wireless ear or headphones has been with the Brainwavz Blu100 IEM, Axgio Sprint IEM, and more recently the Ausdom M05 Bluetooth headphone. I’m not an expert – but I know what I like, and while each of these audio products has some really strong points, none of them have compelled me to forgo my usual IEMs to switch to a portable for mobile listening. Headphones like the M05 have wonderful Bluetooth, and really amazing comfort, but their tuning hasn’t gelled with me (too much of a bass tuned consumer sound – but plenty of potential).

Then I was contacted by our own Joseph Yeung (Joe Bloggs), and he gave me a contact for a company I’d never heard of before. Apparently he’d already been talking to the company CEO about getting me a pair for review, and next thing I know I have a courier package arriving with a pair of headphones.

So what is special about the XTZ Divine, and why did Joe suggest me? Well Joe knows I have no fear of using EQ to get the sound I want, he knows I like a relatively neutral sound, and the XTZ Divine just happens to have a world class DSP in-built, and is tuned to be pretty neutral. XTZ was looking for a little more exposure, and Joe thought it might be a good idea if I got a chance to hear these headphones.

But before I let too much out of the bag, let’s lay the groundwork, and I’ll explain why I regard the XTZ Divine as one of the best sounding truly portable headphone (wired or wireless) I’ve ever heard.

For more discussion on the XTZ Divine - please also check out the Head-Fi Discussion Thread

ABOUT XTZ
Before Joe contacted me, I didn’t know this company existed. I’d be willing to wager that in the next few years a lot of audiophiles are going to know them pretty well.

XTZ was founded by Olle Eliasson in 2004, after more than 30 years working in the HiFi industry designing speakers. Olle has always had a passion for music, and since he was 13 years old has used this passion in a quest to continually innovate and find that ever elusive perfect sound. So Olle brought together an international network of engineers, technicians and producers who all have very long experience in the Hi-Fi business. And since 2004 XTZ has built a diverse product range including stereo speakers, home theatre, professional cinema, commercial, computer speakers, amplifiers, measurement systems and headphones.

After reading this review, if you are interested at all in their products, I would urge you to click the following two links, and read a little more about the company and their philosophy on sound. I found them both fascinating, and a real window into what they are trying to achieve.
About XTZ
XTZ Sound Philosophy

I’ll leave this section with a couple of quotes from the website which resonated with me:
“Music is a source of enjoy, inspiration, energy and pleasure”

And from Olle himself:
“Our design is modern yet timeless and we simply want more people to afford and enjoy the highest quality of sound - to enjoy life a bit more! My brand is an extension of my personality, who I am and what I stand for! Life is short and this time should be carefully spent!”

DISCLAIMER
The XTZ Divine was provided to me gratis as a review sample. I have made it clear to XTZ that I still regard any product they send me as their sole property and available for return any time at their request. But I thank them for the ability to continue use of the XTZ Divine – both for follow up comparisons and also for my own personal use.

I’d like to thank Joe for the introduction, Anders for arranging the delivery, and Olle for giving me the chance to listen to and evaluate their product.

The XTZ Divine is available from their website for USD 179

PREAMBLE - 'ABOUT ME'.
(This is to give any readers a baseline for interpreting the review).

I'm a 48 year old music lover. I don't say audiophile – I just love my music. Over the last couple of years, I have slowly changed from cheaper listening set-ups to my current set-up. I vary my listening from portables (Fiio X5ii, X3ii, X7 and iPhone 5S) to my desk-top's set-up (PC > USB > iFi iDSD). I also use a portable set-up at work – either X3ii/X7 > HP, or PC > E17K > HP. My main full sized headphones at the time of writing are the Beyer T1, Sennheiser HD600, and AKG K553. Most of my portable listening is done with IEMs, and lately it has mainly been with the Jays q-Jays, Alclair Curve2 and Adel U6. A full list of the gear I have owned (past and present is listed in my Head-Fi profile).

I have very eclectic music tastes listening to a variety from classical/opera and jazz, to grunge and general rock. I listen to a lot of blues, jazz, folk music, classic rock, indie and alternative rock. I am particularly fond of female vocals. I generally tend toward cans that are relatively neutral/balanced, but I do have a fondness for clarity, and suspect I might have slight ‘treble-head’ preferences. I am not treble sensitive (at all), and in the past have really enjoyed headphones like the K701, SR325i, and of course the T1 and DT880.

I have extensively tested myself (ABX) and I find aac256 or higher to be completely transparent. I do use exclusively redbook 16/44.1 if space is not an issue. All of my music is legally purchased (mostly CD – the rest FLAC purchased on-line).

I tend to be sceptical about audiophile ‘claims’, don’t generally believe in burn-in, have never heard a difference with different cables, and would rather test myself blind on perceived differences. I am not a ‘golden eared listener’. I suffer from mild tinnitus, and at 48, my hearing is less than perfect.

Over the last two weeks – I’ve used the XTZ Divine both wired and wireless from mainly my iPhone 5S and Fiio X7 (mainly for the Bluetooth), but also from my other DAPs to compare the sonics without the DSP engaged. I’ve drained the battery twice (once testing) and am into my third charge so I’d estimate actual listening time in excess of 25 hours.

This is a purely subjective review - my gear, my ears, and my experience. Please take it all with a grain of salt - especially if it does not match your own experience.

THE REVIEW

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES
The Divine arrived in a black retail box measuring 190 x 250 x 58mm. On the front is the first look at the Divine, and a group of logos which give a little insight into what you can expect (USB, Bluetooth, wired, Dirac (more on that later), DSP, NFC and the aptX logo. On the rear of the box is an explanation of the logos, a list of the contents, and a quick look at the specifications. What I really like with the packaging is that XTZ have used white (and a pale blue for headings) text on the black background, so it is very easy to read.

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Front of the box	Rear of the box	Inside the box

Removing the lid reveals the Divine nestled securely in a form fitting foam enclosure. Also included is a USB charging cable, wired 4 pole to 3 pole cable (for wired listening), airline adaptor, 3.5-6.3mm adaptor, a soft lined velour carry bag with self-closing snap lock top, and a very good owner’s manual which covers everything you’re likely to want to know about the XTZ Divine.

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The Divine and accessories	The carry bag (Divines secure inside)	The manual

The USB charge cable is a little over 100mm long with a standard USB connector at one end, and micro USB jack at the other end. Build quality is good, and it is functional. The wired cable is approximately 1.25m in length, flat, and really quite thin, although according to what I have read, it has been properly stress tested and is a lot stronger than it looks. It has a 4 pole 3.5mm jack for your audio source, and a standard 3.5mm jack to connect to the divine. Included on the cable is a single push button control (play/pause, next, previous) and microphone. The cable itself is pretty good as far as mirophonics go – very low.

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Wired connection	USB charging cable	Flight and 3.5>6.3mm adaptors

The manual is in large fold-out booklet form, printed in English, and covers pretty much everything you need to know for operating the XTZ Divine – from pairing, through to using the headset controls.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
(From XTZ)

Type	Closed dynamic Bluetooth headset
Driver	Dynamic, 40mm
Frequency Range	15 Hz – 32 Khz
Weight	170g
Output Level	97 dB / 1 kHz
Impedance	59 ohms at 1 kHz
Cable	Optional – 1.25m, straight. 3.5mm gold plated jacks, in-line mic
Microphone	If used wirelessly, included in head-set
Battery Life	~14 hours (tested at full volume by XTZ)
Charge Time	2-3 hours
Bluetooth Spec	Version 4.0 with aptX support
Bluetooth Range	~10m
Supported Bluetooth	HSP, HFP, A2DP, AVRCP

FREQUENCY GRAPH
I don’t usually measure full sized headphones - mainly because my measurements system is designed for IEMs. Although the measurements do work, I know I get a spike between 4-5 kHz (it’s there on the HD600 also) which isn’t actually present, and the upper mid-range and treble areas are patchy. Nevertheless I wanted to use my rig (you can read about some of it here) to see how my graphs differed with those from a proper dummy head.

Below I’ve shown my graph, flattened to close to the scale of XTZ’s (for comparison), and also XTZ’s graphs so you can see their actual readings, and how they apply the DSP through their app. With mine, you’ll note the same dip between 30-40Hz, the same mid-bass hump, the same drop at 500Hz, the same build toward a peak at 3 kHz. Then unfortunately beyond 3kHz my graph is pretty useless with full sized headphones as I have the 4-5 kHz peak, and of course there is no way I can measure the effect of the outer ear. But it’s nice to see that the data under 3kHz is actually pretty consistent.


My graph flattened a bit more and scaled closer to theirs	XTZ's dummy head measurement

So with mine, basically ignore a lot of the data, and we can look at what XTZ and Dirac are trying to do. They’ve completely measured the Divine, then inverted the graph, applied that as an active DSP (through the app), and essentially created a flat response. Now before anyone jumps to conclusions (because some people view flat as “boring”) – I’ll try and give you a few sentences about what I hear with the app turned off, and again with the DSP on. I’ll then go into more detail later in the review.


Inverse response curve	Targeted response with DSP

What I’m hearing:

DSP OFF

Full, clean and deep bass, a little more mid-bass than sub-bass, but with a slight emphasis in bass over some of the other frequencies.
Clean vocal range – but a little thinner and laid back (distant) with male vocals, and a little more emphasised in the presence area with female vocals
Very good vocal clarity
Slight lift in upper mid-range which lends particularly well to harmonics with female vocalists
Very good detail in the treble, but without unnecessary peaks.
Overall a very balanced sound, but with a warmish tilt and lean upper end.
Without DSP on, I find the sound to still suit my tastes amazingly well – but I do find that I like to listen slightly louder to bring (especially male) vocals slightly more forward.

DSP ON (reference setting)

There is still the same slight bass emphasis, but it appears a little more natural.
Vocals are still clean and clear, but male vocals have brought forward and now have more body.
Female vocals retain their excellent tonality, probably step back a little as far as forwardness goes – but remain very clear and have a nice euphonic tone. For a female vocal lover – they really are very good.
Treble remains very good as far as detail retrieval goes, and there is really nice balance – but no sign of any peaks or harshness.
Overall, they sound even more balanced, maybe a touch brighter overall, but at the same time having more mid-range body (the initial thin-ness is gone)
With the Dirac DSP enabled, I tend to be able to listen at quieter levels and still get huge enjoyment.

BUILD QUALITY / DESIGN
The divine is a very minimally sized on ear (supra-aural) headphone which is incredibly light. Starting with the headband, it consists of a 29cm long, 2cm wide, shaped band with 3 sections. Each end has very strong rubberised / plastic sections which house the extenders, and between them is a 14.5 cm padded section for the top of your head. This is covered in soft pleather, and I find it very comfortable. Inside the headband (guessing here) is spring steel which allows the headband to be bent out. It is very strong.

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XTZ Divine headband	Top of the headband	Inside the headband - comfortable padding.

The extender housing section is clearly labelled L and R on the inside, but you’ll never forget which cup is the right side anyway, as it is the one that houses the controls. The extenders themselves are metal with hard rubber guides. They extend a further 3.5 cm each side, and should suit those with larger heads. I’m a reasonably big guy, and I have them comfortable settled at 2cm each side. The extenders are very firm, and have a reassuring click.

The connection to the ear-cups is metal, and allows left-right rotation a few degrees one way (to assist with fit), but then 90 degrees the other, so you can fold them flat for storage, or wearing around your neck. Everything is amazingly solid – but this unfortunately is where the first big design flaw (IMO) is. The cups do not have any mechanism for rotation up or down. This makes it very hard to get a correct seal naturally (I resorted to bending the headband). This is something which definitely needs fixing for the next redesign / upgrade.

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Adjustment mechanism	Connections on the cups	LED glowing blue.

I already hinted at how good the M05 looked when in its packaging – so let’s take a much closer look at the build. The build is predominantly black matt plastic, but with a metal inner headband strut which extends down to the cups and provides good stability.

The ear-cups themselves are circular, approx. 6cm in diameter, and just under 2cm deep. This makes them quite low profile. On the left hand side is a 3.5mm socket for the wired connection, and there is also a small rear port. In the right hand cup are the controls (outer face of the cup), LED lights (below the controls), on/off button and USB charging port (very bottom), and microphone port (front lower side).

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Close up of pads and ports	Inner pads	Drivers behind the cloth protectors

The pads are pleather, and quite soft. They are supra-aural with outer measurements of 7 cm diameter, and inner measurements of 3cm diameter and just under 15cm deep. The driver is covered with a cloth dust cover.

I’ll cover the controls shortly – but I can say these appear to be very robust and well-built, and with the exception of the lack of vertical swivel adjustment, seem to be pretty well designed.

COMFORT / ISOLATION
I’ve already covered one of the fitting issues above (no up/down cup rotation), so my advice for buyers would be simply to bend the headband to get a comfortable fit. The one thing you need (to get a proper bass response) is a proper seal, and unfortunately XTZ hasn’t made that easy with the lack of this mechanism.

Once the headband has been adjusted to allow a reasonable seal, they are pretty comfortable – at first. If you are used to supra-aural headphones, these are going to be every bit as comfortable as other supra-aural cans like Beyerdynamic’s T51p. But I got the usual burning sensation after around an hours use, and I’m afraid I’m never going to be a big on-ear fan. I hope XTZ will build an earphone using a similarly small designed circumaural cup like the Ausdom M05 or Bose QC25. This would make them still compact for portable use, but more importantly good for long term comfort. One other small note, there was a bit of noise against my glasses frames (the pleather), but overall pretty good with a firm but light clamp. Perfect for walking, but maybe not so good for more strenuous exercise.

As far as isolation goes, they are average to above average. They isolate internally pretty well with very little leakage. I can still hear a bit of ambient sound around me though – so I probably wouldn’t use these in high noise areas or for something like air travel.

HEADSET / COMMUNICATIONS
I’ve used the Divine for a couple of calls – one to my wife (who said that she found my voice to be clear but with a faint hum when I was talking), and one to a client – who said that I was quite muffled / low volume. When I switched to the cable with in-line mic, it was very clear. Calls can be answered with the centre button on the head-set, and the nice thing (with iOS) is that holding the centre button activates Siri, meaning I can then wirelessly make calls, and queue or choose music. The drawback with this is that it uses the default Apple music app – but as the Divine still sounds amazingly good without the DSP, I find this an excellent solution to managing what you’re listening to and remaining hands-free. Siri is amazingly responsive with the in-built microphone, and even with my twangy Kiwi accent, she was getting my music choices right 99% of the time.

PAIRING AND HEADSET CONTROLS
I’ll get the single issue I have with the controls out of the way first. The controls are on the right hand side, but they are completely flat (no indicators for location), so it’s hard at first to get used to their positioning. A couple of slightly raised bumps would be very helpful in this sort of situation. After a lot of time, I’ve become pretty used to the controls and they are pretty simple to operate, but it would nice to have some tactile positioning indicators.
The buttons themselves are relatively easy to click, and give a good tactile response. In the centre is the play/pause button, top and bottom are volume up and down, right and left are next track and previous track. One nice thing about the volume controls is that they are controlling the head-set and not the smartphone, so you have options of using both phone and head-set controls to get the desired volume.

Pairing is simple. You can use NFC (head-set sensor is located in the centre of the left cup), or else put your phone in pairing mode, press and hold the on/off button until the LED flashes blue, then red, then blue again. At this point it should show up on your device, and pairing is simply a matter of choosing the Divine. Once the pairing is successful, every time you turn the Divine on, it automatically tries to pair with the last device. A full list of all the functions and LED lights is included in the manual.

On my iPhone 5S a battery indicator for the Divine is active in the status bar when connected – really handy.

So the controls are simple, practical, and work perfectly.

BLUETOOTH PERFORMANCE / BATTERY LIFE
The Bluetooth performance on the XTZ Divine, like the Ausdom M05 I previously reviewed, is exceptional. The only dropouts I’ve experieinced was when I exceeded the wireless range, and once when I was in a notoriously bad reception area (our local Church). The range is impressive too. XTZ lists the effective range as 10m, but the consistent measured range I’ve had has been around 15 - 18m before audio starts cutting out. And that range is with walls between me and the iPhone. The only other headphone that had better Bluetooth stability for me so far has been the M05, and the Divine is almost as good. I also checked in high traffic areas and the signal remained solid. The Divine’s wireless performance is impressive indeed.

So what about battery life? I’ve tried a couple of times to measure it, and one thing I can say for sure is that XTZ’s estimate is conservative. I’ve actually flattened my iPhone battery once, and also had a test interrupted – so as yet I don’t have a complete test done. My estimate based on my own use though would be at least 20 hours at normal listening volume should be achievable.

Recharge time (based on two occasions testing) is around 3.5-4 hours, depending on the power source (mine were mains power based).

WIRED OPERATION
If you run out of battery, you have the option of using the wired connection. Doing so brings about a few less obvious changes, so it’s probably quite appropriate to list what I’ve found. First up, using the wired connection turns the Divine off – IE puts it into passive mode. You can still use the XTZ DSP app, but you’re no longer using the Divine’s internal amp. The good news is that the sound is almost as good (to me the Divine wirelessly still sounds a little more holographic in nature), but any difference may be down to minute difference in volume. The iPhones controls aren’t really that great for volume matching. But wired, you can no longer us the headset controls, so everything will be controlled by your source. To get to a reasonable volume using the app and iPhone 5S, I was at around 50-55%, so easily driven.

THE SOFTWARE
Besides the wireless nature of the Divine, the biggest selling point for many will be the use of the XTZ app – powered by Dirac HD Sound. The Divine sounds great by itself – but make no mistake, with the app it is taken to a new level. With the iOS app, you get full integration with the iTunes library, and operation is pretty straight forward. Start the app. Engage the Dirac green button, and then you can interact with your library choosing to search by artist, song or album.

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X7 and Divine	iPhone and Divine	iPhone interface

With the DSP engaged, you then have a choice (iOS app) between 6 different settings – reference, Boost 1-4 (various levels of bass boost) and Bright 1 – which takes the reference and cuts the bass a little. The settings are actually really tastefully done and I often find myself using one of the bass boost settings if I have a brighter recording, or reference if it’s a normal recording.

The only thing I don’t like about the current iOS app is that I can’t shuffle all songs. Every time I do it the app crashes – so I’m hoping that is one thing that will be fixed soon.

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iPhone interface and controls	Now playing screen	List of artists

There is also an Android app – but I can only test this on my X7. It looks a little different, but essentially works the same. The difference with my X7 is that I can only access 3 settings (see screenshots), so I’m not sure if this is a glitch in the app (because on the Play Store it definitely looks different). Anyway – with this app I can shuffle my entire 6000+ track library, and the reference setting sounds fabulous, so I’ve never really worried about the lack of other settings. Hopefully those with actual smartphones might have more luck with accessing the full DSP options.

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X7 playing screen	3 small buttons for settings	Menu for library integration

SOUND QUALITY
The following is what I hear from the XTZ Divine. YMMV – and probably will – as my tastes are likely different to yours (read the preamble I gave earlier for a baseline). The testing at this point (unless otherwise stated) was all done with my X7 via Bluetooth using the XTZ music app and reference DSP setting. The reason I used the X7 was simple – it has my all of my test tracks in the library.

Tracks used were across a variety of genres – and can be viewed in this list http://www.head-fi.org/a/brookos-test-tracks.

Thoughts on Default Signature
I covered some of this above when I posted the frequency section. If I was to describe the default signature with the reference DSP engaged, I would call it quite simply beautifully balanced, with all frequencies in harmony with each other. It is clear, crisp, rich and detailed. It reminds me of my JBL LSR 305 active monitors – but with some sub-bass (the monitors pretty much cut off below 50 Hz).

Overall Detail / Clarity (Default)
Tracks used: Gaucho, Sultans of Swing

I know I need to probably stop using the term, but it’s hard to describe the natural balance of the Divine without mentioning the word. In both tracks, everything is there, but nothing dominates. Sub bass blends perfectly with mid-bass, but neither overpowers the mid-range. High level detail is excellent with cymbals showing nice decay and no masking of any micro details like drumstick clicks. Knopfler’s guitar mingles perfectly with his vocals, and the nice thing here is the body and richness of the vocals. There is definitely nothing thin or lean.

Sound-stage & Imaging
Tracks used: Tundra, Dante’s Prayer, Let it Rain

I usually use the binaural track Tundra as my go to for testing sound-stage width, depth and imaging. Although the Divine is a closed portable headphone, the staging doesn’t sound like it is closed. It isn’t overly expansive, but it does sit on the periphery of my head-stage – perhaps even extending a little beyond. The imaging in this track is excellent – very clean and clean cues, and the placement is perfect.

Dante’s Prayer is a revelation, the blend of vocals, piano and cello is amazing. This track is a lot more intimate, but again the imaging is really good. When the cello kicks in from the right I can pin point it exactly. The mix of clarity and balance really helps with the overall imaging. My litmus test for realism and immersion is the applause at the end of the track, and the Divine puts me in the audience. It isn’t quite as realistic as the HD600 but the fact that it puts me there at all is pretty amazing.

I finished with Let It Rain, and the holographic nature of this track was fantastic. It really is a track that washes all around you (naturally present in the recording). This is one track that can be a little bright at times, but with the Divine I’m finding it perfect. There is some sibilance present in the recording, but the Divine doesn’t mask it, and more importantly doesn’t accentuate it either. And this is a good chance to use the bass boost setting quickly. There is instant additional warmth and this does soften the entire track, and does help a little with the sibilance. A perfect example of what can be done at the push of a button – easy!

Bass Quality and Quantity
Tracks used: Bleeding Muddy Water, Royals

I use Muddy Waters to test for bass texture and mid-bass bleed, and again the Divine delivers (and this is once more on reference). There is absolutely no sign of any bass bleed or smearing through the mid-range, and excellent delivery of texture and tonality. Mark’s vocals have enough gravel to convey emotion, and they are both rich and sombre (which is the way they are supposed to be). Some may think the thump isn’t as good as it could be, and again this is where the boost can be applied. Personally I much prefer the reference with this track, but again nice to have the options.

Next up was Lorde’s Royals – this time to test sub-bass. First thing I noticed is the increased depth in the low bass and the beautiful presentation of Ella’s vocals. And then the sub-bass hits and it is definitely there, clearly audible, but again balanced rather than visceral. Switch the boost on and suddenly your head is rumbling – but the vocals remain perfectly clear. I think bass lovers will like the DSP!

Vocals
Female vocals on the Divine are stunning. Sweet, euphonic, exactly the way I like them. I ran through my usual medley of female artists, and it didn’t matter what I played, the X7 and Divine combination was quite simply heavenly. It would be impossible to pick any track that was a standout – because in reality all of them were brilliant. And it didn’t matter if it was the slightly higher register of Hannah Reid (London Grammar), or the husky sultry tones of Norah Jones. Or even the perfect upper registers of Elena Garanca and Anna Netrebko – the Divine just delivers and delivers.

Switching to male vocals and you’d expect because the female vocals are so good, that male vocals might be a little thin or lacking. But they are perfect. Brad Arnold (3 Doors Down) has that deep textured ability to deliver rock ballads, and the Divine captured it perfectly. Switch to something with a higher register like Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree), and again perfect harmony between instruments and vocals. And with my litmus test – Vedder and Pearl Jam – I could listen to this presentation all day. For me it is not just good, it is sonically perfect.

At this stage I’m not going to comment further on other genres, because in my testing I’d be just repeating the same superlatives. Any time the recording was a little weak, or needed some tweaking, it was just a matter of switching to one of the other DSP options – although with the X7 I pretty much stuck to the reference setting. There is nothing I don’t like about the Divine’s sonic presentation. It is one of the most acoustically complete headphones I’ve ever heard. If there is anything more perfectly balanced, I haven’t discovered it yet.

COMPARISONS
The big issue I had when considering this section was what I would compare the Divine to, and what would make sense for you the reader. I didn’t think it was fair comparing the $179 Divine to the $47 Ausdom M05, but if I could have an amalgamation of the two – the M05’s circumaural comfort, and the Divine’s sonic performance, you’d have the perfect headphone.

So I’ll use two completely different headphones for contrast – the Bose QC25 (as an example of an exceptional portable headphone), and my HD600 (as an example of a superbly acoustically tuned headphone).

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Physical comparison M05, Divine and QC25	Physical comparison M05, Divine and QC25	Physical comparison M05, Divine and QC25

Comparisons were done using the Dirac app – engaged for the Divine vs off for the QC25. The QC25 was compared with active NC turned on. When using the HD600, I used FiiO’s Q1 DAC/amp with my iPhone 5S, and had to resort to using the default iOS music app.

Divine $179 vs QC25 $299
Both are very portable and very compact. I’d give the Divine the edge on pure build quality, but the QC25 goes considerably ahead on comfort. The QC25 has increased bass response which is noticeable and gives them a slightly warm tinge, but the mid-range is still very engaging. High level detail is a little further back. Sound-staging is quite narrow. Clarity is very good. The Divine comparatively appears brighter, but more balanced overall, and the stage is a both wider and deeper. The Divine has a slightly better sub-bass to mid-bass ratio, where the QC25 has slightly more mid-bass. Both headphones sound fantastic, but if forced to choose on sonics alone, I would take the Divine. The QC 25’s strength though lies in its NC tech – so again probably not a fair comparison.

Divine $179 vs HD600 $350
We’ll skip the build, fit and comfort and concentrate purely on sonic signature. They actually have surprisingly similar signatures as far as balance goes. The Divine has more sub-bass and less mid-bass. Mid-ranges are quite similar with the HD600 sounding a little more distant and flatter, where the Divine is a little more forward and vibrant. Both have stunning clarity. The thing that surprised me is how similar the two sound with the Dirac DSP turned off. If you could account for the difference in stage, and also the added bass, then the two could be easily related. The Divine is still a little sharper (brighter) in the mid-range, and there is a lot more bass kick though. Ultimately I prefer the sonic presentation of the HD600 – but even mentioning the Divine alongside what I consider one of the best headphones ever built is quite an achievement.

XTZ DIVINE – SUMMARY

First up I want to take the chance to again thank our own Joe, and also Anders and Olle from XTZ for giving me the opportunity to try the Divine.

The Divine is a headphone that has a very good build quality, and it is clear a lot of thought has been given not only to the sonics, but also the look and overall design. It is particularly robust and also very compact for portable use. Fit can be a little problematic due to the lack of up/down rotation on the cups, but this can be solved by bending the headband. Comfort is very good for short term (around an hour), but I had issues with supra-aural discomfort, and would love to see XTZ release a similar headphone in a circumaural design.

The Bluetooth performance is impressive and very stable, and the battery life is perfect for extended use.

Sonically the XTZ Divine is one of the best sounding portable headphones I’ve had the pleasure of hearing, and adding the DSP provided through the use of smartphone apps brings even more improvement, and true versatility through the application of tastefully thought out single push activation tweaks. The iOS app definitely needs some stability tweaks though, but hopefully there will be further improvement as the app matures.

If I was to judge the Divine purely on its sonic ability, it would be an instant 100% 5/5 recommendation. But there is definitely room for improvements in fit and also in app maturity. For $179, the Divine gets my unconditional recommendation though. A wonderful headphone, and one which I will have to buy, as my daughter absolutely loves them.

RECOMMENDATIONS TO XTZ
Please release a circumaural version. I would be an instant buyer! And a better adjustment method on the cups is essential.

These headphones would be on my immediate buy list if the DSP settings (and EQ would be nice, too) could actually set by the app and "stick" as the config for the headphone amp in the headphones themselves, as you can do with the JBL Elite 300 and Elite 700 headphones' app -- you are using the app to actually control the EQ settings on the headphone, and so long as you are using them in Bluetooth mode, these settings hold no matter what app you are using, so it works for Spotify, YouTube, anything whatsoever.

Good idea - hopefully XTZ look at it down the track. Without the actual app engaged, they still sound pretty darn good though. it's just that the app takes things to another level. Must try the JBLs if I get the chance.

Trellus, I think what you're asking is impossible in this design, because as I understand it, there is no DSP in the headphones themselves. So the app isn't merely manipulating settings for the headphones, rather the app is actually doing all the digital processing and sending the final audio to the headphones. By contrast, the JBL Everest (and, I guess, any headphone with noise canceling) has a DSP built into the headphones themselves, so the processing can be done there instead of in your phone or whatever.

For larger (1200 x 800) images, click any picture

INTRODUCTION

This is going to be a pretty short review by my standards (do I hear you letting a sigh of relief?). I reviewed FiiO's TOTL Android based touch screen DAP – the X7 – in early November. At the time I gave it a 4/5 (80%), mainly due to the early firmware version, and some missing features in the UI. If I was to review the X7 today, my only con, or issue, would be the battery life. I’ve got used to the size, and the latest updates (now at firmware version 1.8) have improved the X7 to the point that for my uses, it is practically the complete TOTL DAP I’d always thought it was going to be.

I can now go artist, album, track, the DAC works beautifully, the blue light can be turned off, the battery indicator seems to be a lot more accurate, and with the release of the AM2 medium power module, those with harder to drive cans now have some of the power they were looking for.

ABOUT FIIO
By now, most Head-Fi members should know about the FiiO Electronics Company. If you don’t, here’s a very short summary. FiiO was first founded in 2007. Their first offerings were some extremely low cost portable amplifiers – which were sometimes critiqued by some seasoned Head-Fiers as being low budget “toys”. But FiiO has spent a lot of time with the community here, and continued to listen to their potential buyers, adopt our ideas, and grow their product range. They debuted their first DAP (the X3) in 2013, and despite some early hiccups with developing the UI, have worked with their customer base to continually develop the firmware for a better user experience. The X3 was followed by the X5, X1, X3 2^nd Gen (X3ii), X5 2^nd Gen (X5ii), M3 and X7.

FiiO’s products have followed a very simple formula since 2007 – affordable, stylish, well built, functional, measuring well, and most importantly sounding good.

DISCLAIMER
The X7 and add on AM2 module were provided to me gratis as a review samples. I have made it clear to FiiO that I still regard any product they send me as their sole property and available for return any time at their request. But I thank them for the ability to continue use of the X7 – both for follow up comparisons and also for my own personal use. It is my intention to purchase the X7 from FiiO as soon as I can afford it

I have continued to use X7 and its modules for follow up reviews, and I recently inquired if I could purchase the devices from FiiO. They have insisted I keep the X7 + modules for my own use. So I acknowledge now that the X7 I have is supplied and gifted completely free of any charge or obligation. I thank FiiO for their generosity.

PREAMBLE - 'ABOUT ME'.

I'm a 48 year old music lover. I don't say audiophile – I just love my music. Over the last couple of years, I have slowly changed from cheaper listening set-ups to my current set-up. I vary my listening from portables (FiiO X5ii, X3ii, LP5 and iPhone 5S) to my desk-top's set-up (PC > USB > iFi iDSD). I also use a portable set-up at work – either X5ii/X3ii/X7 > HP, or PC > E17K > HP. My main full sized headphones at the time of writing are the Beyer T1, Sennheiser HD600, and AKG K553. Most of my portable listening is done with IEMs, and lately it has mainly been with the Jays q-Jays, Alclair Curve2, and Adel U6. A full list of the gear I have owned (past and present is listed in my Head-Fi profile).

I have very eclectic music tastes listening to a variety from classical/opera and jazz, to grunge and general rock. I listen to a lot of blues, jazz, folk music, classic rock, indie and alternative rock. I am particularly fond of female vocals. I generally tend toward cans that are relatively neutral/balanced, but I do have a fondness for clarity, and suspect I might have slight ‘treble-head’ preferences. I am not treble sensitive (at all), and in the past have really enjoyed headphones like the K701, SR325i, and of course the T1 and DT880.

I have extensively tested myself (abx) and I find aac256 or higher to be completely transparent. I do use exclusively redbook 16/44.1 if space is not an issue. All of my music is legally purchased (mostly CD – the rest FLAC purchased on-line). I tend to be sceptical about audiophile ‘claims’, don’t generally believe in burn-in, have never heard a difference with different cables, and would rather test myself blind on perceived differences. I am not a ‘golden eared listener’. I suffer from mild tinnitus, and at 48, my hearing is less than perfect.

REGARDING THE X7
This review is essentially about the AM2 medium power amp module released by FiiO for the X7. For a detailed look at the features of the X7, and a quick run-down on the AM1 (default) IEM module, I would recommend you read my X7 review or indeed any of the 30 something reviews on the X7 currently listed.

This is a purely subjective review of the AM2 module – my gear, my ears, and my experience. Please take it all with a grain of salt - especially if it does not match your own experience.

THE REVIEW

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES
The AM2 arrived in a small black retail box measuring approximately 90 x 120 x 25mm. On the front of the sleeve is a picture of the bottom half of the X7 with AM2 module attached and some text telling you that this is the AM2 amplifier module. I’m actually surprised it doesn’t mention the X7 specifically though. On the rear of the box are QR codes which will take you to FiiO’s website or Facebook page.

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Front of the retail box	Rear of the retail box	Inner metal container

Removing the box reveals a plain tin box with a nice powder coated finish. Removing the lid reveals a black cardboard envelope, and under this is a foam cut-out with the AM2 module nestled safely inside.

Inside the envelope is a warranty booklet in multiple languages, a full set of stickers (which match the ones from the X7) and 2 replacement screws. I was really surprised to see the stickers, but this is FiiO definitely thinking out of the box. If you’ve brought and applied stickers to your X7 already, the last thing you’d want is a new amp module with no adornments. Although I don’t use them – this is a nice touch.


The FiiO envelope containing the accessories	Full package including the AM2

As far as the AM2 goes – the other nice thing to note is the rubber dust cover/protector over the connection pins.

The one thing I’m surprised at that is missing though is the specifications – FiiO is usually relay good at including these. Now it could simply be that they were omitted because this is a review sample – but worth noting anyway. The good thing is that as per usual, FiiO have already listed the spec for the AM2 in the X7 section on their website.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
The table below lists most of the relevant specifications. I have (as a comparison) also listed specifications from the default AM1 module. To give a further idea, I’ve also listed the amplifier specs from FiiO’s X5ii DAP.

	AM2 Module	AM1 Module	X5ii (comparison)
Dimensions	~ 64 x 25 x 16mm	~ 64 x 25 x 16mm	N/A
Weight	32g	29g	N/A
Voltage amplification	Muses02	OPA1612	OPA1612/OPA1652
Current Drive	Buf634	AD8397	Buf634U
S/N (H/O)	≥118 dB (A-Weight)	≥115 dB (A-Weight)	≥117 dB (A-Weight)
THD+N (H/O)	<0.001% (32Ω/1 kHz)	<0.0008% (32Ω/1 kHz)	<0.001% (32Ω/1 kHz)
Output into 16 ohm	>350 mW (16Ω/1 kHz)	>200 mW (16Ω/1 kHz)	>436 mW (16Ω/1 kHz)
Output into 32 ohm	>300 mW (32Ω/1 kHz)	>100 mW (32Ω/1 kHz)	>245 mW (32Ω/1 kHz)
Output into 300 ohm	>30 mW (300Ω/1 kHz)	>10 mW (300Ω/1 kHz)	>27 mW (300Ω/1 kHz)
H/O impedance	<0.5 Ω (32Ω)	<0.2 Ω (32Ω)	<0.2 Ω (32Ω)
Peak output voltage	>8.8 Vp-p	>5.2 Vp-p	>8.2 Vp-p
Peak output current	>250 mA	>250 mA	>250 mA
Channel Separation	>72 dB (32Ω/1 kHz)	>73 dB (32Ω/1 kHz)	>75 dB (32Ω/1 kHz)
Play time	8 hours+	9 hours+	10 hours+

BUILD / DESIGN

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Bottom of the AM2 unit - headphone port and micro USB socket	Internal connector covered with rubber protector	AM1 (rear) vs AM2 (front)

Not much to talk about here – the AM1 and AM2 have identical dimensions, and the main differences are internally (obviously right?), but also in their exterior colouring. Where the AM1 has a brushed titanium appearance on the front and powdered titanium appearance on the rear, the AM2 is a slightly darker shade, and powdered finish on both front and back. Otherwise both look and feel identical.

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AM1 left and AM2 right	AM1, AM2, dust cap, screws and hex screwdriver	Text on rear of the AM2

Replacing the modules is extremely easy – just a matter of using the small hex screwdriver included with the X7 – undoing two screws, sliding the AM1 out, and sliding the AM2 in. The fit on the AM2 is perfectly flush, and the only thing very apparent with the AM2 fitted is the change in colour. This of course disappears when used with the cover.

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AM1 left and AM2 right	AM2 attached to X7	AM2 attached to X7

DESIGN – INTERNALS
Although you can’t see them, it is probably a good idea to mention the internal electronics. Where the AM1 uses an OPA1612 for voltage and AD8397 for current, the AM2 uses the higher output combo of the Muses02 and Buf634. Both have impressively distortion, SNR, and channel separation. The biggest difference is really the voltage output, and slightly higher output impedance with the AM2 (still impressively low 0.5 ohm though). As far as power goes, the AM2 is able to produce triple the output into 32 and 300 ohms. It also has a higher peak voltage output.

POWER OUTPUT – REAL WORLD
So the specs are listed above, bit what does that mean in the real world? The obvious test was going to be with my HD600, so armed with a 1 kHz test tone, and my trusty calibrated SPL meter, I set about volume matching. To aid quick swapping in this exercise, I simply undid the screws, and left them off – so I could easily slight amp module in place, and then quickly swap as I needed to. The SPL meter was left in a fixed position, and comparative measures taken were (with the 300ohm HD600):

AM1 at 77/120 = AM2 at 67/120
AM1 at 86/120 = AM2 at 75/120

Both of the above were within 0.2 dB. I then used those measurements playing actual music and recording maximum peaks – and again both were within 0.2 dB.

I also checked (using similar methodology) the Oriveti Primacy IEMs I’m currently also working on (11 ohm, 107 dB/mW), and the AM1 at 34/120 = AM2 at 27/120. To be honest, I was actually expecting there to be a bigger volume difference between IEM module (AM1) and medium power module (AM2), but as we’ll find out below, the change in volume isn’t the only thing different when paired with the HD600 – there is also the increase in peak voltage available.

One final note – with the very sensitive Primacy, I asked my lovely wife Tania to check for hiss or noise at high volume (with the X7 paused). She could faintly discern some noise at above 80/120 – but she described it as a very faint crackle rather than real hiss. For the record, I couldn’t hear a thing. But at the level described, the noise would disappear altogether at the deafening volumes of music emitted if you were actually listening. So the AM2 (like the AM1) is very, very clean – and good for lower impedance IEMs (in my test anyway).

BATTERY LIFE
Although FiiO) publishes their own real world tests with their modules, I also like to conduct my own. So over two days, I first used the HD600 and AM1 set to a volume of 80/120, with my library set to repeat, and then kicked it off at the beginning of the day, and checked when I got home. For most of the time, the screen was off – apart from maybe 6-8 times quickly checking progress. The AM1 lasted for 9 hours and 42 minutes with 4% left (this was more than my initial testing of the X7 with AM1 – so I suspect FiiO have worked on power management with some of their firmware releases). I had Bluetooth and Wi-Fi both turned off, and the pulsar light off as well – so this would have helped.

Using the same scenario with the AM2, but the volume on 70/120 (to mimic an approximate volume match), I repeated the exercise. AT the 8 hour 49 minute mark I had 5% of battery life left, so I was actually pretty happy with performance.

Of course this will also be dependent on what else you have running, what headphones you are driving, and also if you are using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or using the screen a lot.

SONICS (subjective)
OK – so we’ve covered the specs, build, power and effect on battery life. I know the bit everyone is waiting for is any sonic changes. Before we start, all I’ll say is that my ears are probably not as sensitive as many of you, I volume match very closely, and I’m subject to the same amounts of potential placebo as all humans. The swapping for the comparisons were as quick as I could make them to preserve auditory memory (same procedure as before – screws undone – swap units, adjust volumes to the pre-set levels, and listen). I varied between rapid swapping (portions of a track about 10-15 seconds) and longer listening periods (a full track at a time).
I used a mix of my usual test tracks - http://www.head-fi.org/a/brookos-test-tracks and concentrated mainly on tracks exposing detail, dynamic contrast, soundstage, bass quantity and vocal quality.

With the HD600
My first test was sound staging (Amber Rubarth – Tundra), and I really couldn’t discern any change in soundstage width or depth at all. In fact both the AM1 and AM2 sounded excellent with this track, and the obvious difference was the amount of headroom – as it is a pretty quiet recording.

With the bass test I got my first inkling that there was a bit of a difference. It was very subtle, but mid-bass impact appeared a touch cleaner and quicker with the AM2. It was very subtle though and took a lot of time before I was sure it was there.

This was repeated when I briefly tried the Beyer T1 with the AM2 (it was actually a pretty nice combo).

Listening to vocal tracks and my go-to detail track (Sultans of Swing), the other difference was in dynamic contrast – I guess what you would all energy or vibrancy. The AM1 + HD600 was a little bit more laidback, while the AM2 seemed to have a little more engagement, just a little more life (if that makes sense). Again – to me the differences were very subtle, and both the AM1 and AM2 were excellent with the HD600, but if I was exclusively listening with the Senn, then I would use the AM2 as default.

With the Oriveti Primacy
I stuck with the Primacy because I’ve got to know it really well recently and if my paid work will ever slow down, I’ll be able to finally finish my review. It is a triple driver hybrid – so although a relatively easy load to drive, it can quickly show contrast particularly between bass and mid-range.

There was no change at all in staging, and overall tonality was virtually unchanged. The only really small difference for me was simply in overall presentation, and this was more a feeling from listening to complete songs and switching rather than fast A/Bing. So this could merely be all in my head – but I’ll relate it anyway. Like the HD600 – the AM1 with IEMs just seems a little more laid back / gentle / smoother overall. The AM2 is a little livelier, a little more there. I know it’s not volume because I consistently checked throughout.

So would I use the AM2 with IEMs as well? This is a tough one because both modules again sound excellent. Yes there is a bit more battery life with the AM1 and that is a big factor – but the reality is that we’re not talking hours. For ease of use (not having to swap), I think I’ll probably leave the AM2 in place – it simply gives me options if I ever want to swap to full sized headphones. But for those driving easy loads and primarily using IEMs, the AM1 really may be all you need. Just be aware that the changes between AM 1 and AM2 (to me anyway) are pretty subtle.

GRAPHS
The last thing I did before the final edit was to hook the X7 up as DAC on my PC, and record the output under loopback to see how well the overall measurements were on frequency. Now one thing I need to stress here is the roll-off in the top end is the filter set-up on the X7 DAC section.


Frequency graph	Graph enlarged

You’ll see the two curves for AM1 and AM2 are practically identical, so no, the Muses2 is not rolled off (unless the OPA1612 + AD8397 is too). What it does show is an approximate 6dB difference at the same input volume (between AM1 and AM2), and overall a slow roll of about 1 dB between 3 kHz and 10 Khz. I guess this is what gives the X7 some of its excellent “analogue” tonality. The rest of the curve is very linear. Oh and in case you are wondering, the most excellent LP% and L5 Pro both also show similar roll offs when measured as DACs – so this isn’t a fault – it’s part of why they sound so good.

CONCLUSION

I’ve pretty much already summarised everything – but to put it in a couple of sentences …..

The AM2 module has a great build, is easy to fit, and sounds fantastic. I do think there are benefits for higher impedance cans sonically, and if you are running out of volume headroom with the AM1, the AM2 will definitely help.

The cost in lower battery life is pretty small, and although I’ve listed it as a con – it was really expected anyway. It’s hard to give the AM2 anything other than top marks. At an approximate release price of USD 99.00 there is nothing I can think of which makes me hesitate at all in recommending it.

(Edit - price adjusted, Sunny informs me the AM2 MSRP is actually $99 so even better deal!)

I'm expecting some people to comment on the colour difference - but as you can see, in the case it is not at all noticeable.

FINAL THANKS
Once again thanks to Sunny over at FiiO for giving me a chance to try the AM2 before its global release.

ADDENDUM
George asked me in the comments section about the roll-off I measured in the DAC section with both AM1 and AM2. I included the graphs originally because I'd had the comment that the Muses2 chip was rolled off and smoother than the OP1612 in the AM1, and I wanted to show this wasn't the case. So tonight I reset the loopback tests, and remeasured the X7 (AM2) as well as the X3ii, X5ii, X5 original, FiiO's E17K dac/amp and also the Luxury & Precision LP5 (a TOTL player that really does sound incredible). I'm expecting these graphs may surprise a lot of people - and especially George as he's told me he doesn't like anything rolled off - yet I know he really enjoyed both the X5 and X5ii. The graphs were all produced with ARTA and a loopback measuring a 16/48 signal (16/44.1 with the LP5 due to driver limitations). You'll see a very similar pattern on all the DAPs except for the E17K - and I've thrown that in there simply to show that my measuring equipment is working as intended. These are provided simply as a matter of interest - and have no real bearing on the review.

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From top to bottom, left to right: E17K, X3ii, X5, X5ii, LP5, X7

Hi Brooko, How does it compare to Onkyo DP-X1?

@kdub

@kdub - for portable with X7 wait for AM5. For desktop - the K5 should work nicely.
@brusch - AM5 is defintiely what you're after for your HD600 - working on review now
@linux4ever - unfortunately haven't heard the Onkyo

After just spending time with both the AM1 and AM2....my conclusion is there is no longer a need for the AM1!

To view images fill size (1200 x 800), simply click any image in the review

INTRODUCTION

For many newcomers to portable audio, especially in this community, Fiio has been a good choice for their portable audio players, and also their amps and DACs. They have a very good range of product from entry point through to top of the line. Many of their players also have their own DACs, and for a lot of users will also double as desktop equipment – for our laptops, PCs, etc.

But the issue with this has often been twofold:

Generally when we’re using home desktops set-ups, we’re also using full sized headphones, and sometimes we need a little more power than our portable devices can deliver
The lack of adequate and easy to use volume control (at our finger tips) can be frustrating

So what would be the ideal solution in this sort of situation? Perhaps a desktop dock which you can mate your existing player into, use the players interface or DAC, and the dock’s amplifier and other features. We’ve seen this before with Fiios original E9 and E7 pairing – but never like this.

Welcome to Fiios new desktop amplifier / dock – the K5. Or as Fiio likes to call it “an exclusive ride for Fiio players”.

In my time both owning and reviewing provided samples of many of Fiios products, I’ve often though how handy it would be to have a truly versatile docking system – and it has been something Fiio has been implementing quietly for a while now across their range (the use of the common 11 pin micro USB port). So let’s have a look at how the K5 interacts with Fiios Xi, X3ii, X5ii and X7 players – and why I also think it is a winner with the E17K DAC/amp.

ABOUT FIIO
By now, most Head-Fi members should know about the Fiio Electronics Company. If you don’t, here’s a very short summary.

Fiio was first founded in 2007. Their first offerings were some extremely low cost portable amplifiers – which were sometimes critiqued by some seasoned Head-Fiers as being low budget “toys”. But Fiio has spent a lot of time with the community here, and continued to listen to their potential buyers, adopt our ideas, and grow their product range. Today, their range includes DAPs, portable amps, portable dac/amps, desktop dac/amps, earphones, cables and other accessories.

Fiio’s products have followed a very simple formula since 2007 – affordable, stylish, well built, functional, measuring well, and most importantly sounding good.

DISCLAIMER
The K5 was provided to me gratis as a review sample. I have made it clear to Fiio that I still regard any product they send me as their sole property and available for return any time at their request. But I thank them for the ability to continue use of the K5 – both for follow up comparisons and also for my own personal use.

I have continued to use K5 for follow up reviews, and I recently inquired if I could purchase the device from FiiO. They have insisted I keep the K5 for my own use. So I acknowledge now that the K5 I have is supplied and gifted completely free of any charge or obligation. I thank FiiO for their generosity.

PREAMBLE - 'ABOUT ME'.
(This is to give any readers a baseline for interpreting the review).

I'm a 48 year old music lover. I don't say audiophile – I just love my music. Over the last couple of years, I have slowly changed from cheaper listening set-ups to my current set-up. I vary my listening from portables (Fiio X5ii, X3ii, X7 and iPhone 5S) to my desk-top's set-up (PC > USB > iFi iDSD). I also use a portable set-up at work – either X3ii/X7 > HP, or PC > E17K > HP. My main full sized headphones at the time of writing are the Beyer T1, Sennheiser HD600, and AKG K553. Most of my portable listening is done with IEMs, and lately it has mainly been with the Jays q-Jays, Alclair Curve2 and Adel U6. A full list of the gear I have owned (past and present is listed in my Head-Fi profile).

I have very eclectic music tastes listening to a variety from classical/opera and jazz, to grunge and general rock. I listen to a lot of blues, jazz, folk music, classic rock, indie and alternative rock. I am particularly fond of female vocals. I generally tend toward cans that are relatively neutral/balanced, but I do have a fondness for clarity, and suspect I might have slight ‘treble-head’ preferences. I am not treble sensitive (at all), and in the past have really enjoyed headphones like the K701, SR325i, and of course the T1 and DT880.

I have extensively tested myself (ABX) and I find aac256 or higher to be completely transparent. I do use exclusively redbook 16/44.1 if space is not an issue. All of my music is legally purchased (mostly CD – the rest FLAC purchased on-line).

I tend to be sceptical about audiophile ‘claims’, don’t generally believe in burn-in, have never heard a difference with different cables, and would rather test myself blind on perceived differences. I am not a ‘golden eared listener’. I suffer from mild tinnitus, and at 48, my hearing is less than perfect.

For the actual listening part of this review I used the K5 paired with all of the compatible Fiio products I have here, and and also compared it with my iDSD (my usual desktop DAC/amp). This is a purely subjective review - my gear, my ears, and my experience. Please take it all with a grain of salt - especially if it does not match your own experience.

FURTHER NOTES

Volume matching was done with a calibrated SPL meter and test tones (1 kHz) when required for comparison.
Other measurements were taken using a relatively cheap Startech USB soundcard, which I used primarily for recording THD on the headphone-out socket using loopback, as well as confirming the gain measurements. These measurements should be taken as an indication only, but at least show (in the case of the THD) that noise would be well below the threshold of audibility.

WHAT I WOULD LOOK FOR IN A DESKTOP DAC/AMP
I thought I’d list (before I start with the review) what I would look for in a desktop DAC/amp. This is useful to remember when looking at my reasoning for scoring later in the review.

Clean, neutral signature
Easy to use
Low output impedance – in case I want to use sensitive IEMs
Reasonable output power – should be able to drive both IEMs and my full sized headphones
Good gain control
Good input and output options
A variable line-out to connect my active speakers (and control from the device pot)
Easy installation of DAC drivers and
Value for money

CURRENT DESKTOP AND/OR PORTABLE AMP/DACs I HAVE AVAILABLE AND HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH

Desktop = Audio-gd NFB-12, Aune X1S, iFi Micro iDSD
Portable = Fiio X3ii, X5ii, X7, E17K, Q1

THE REVIEW

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES
The K5 arrived in Fiio’s retail box – a black retail carton measuring 150 x 195 x 60mm. The front had a picture of the K5 docked with the new X7, and the rear has specifications and other descriptive information in English and Chinese. The box is very smart – but some of the grey on black text is a little hard to read (better contrasting print colour would have been preferable).


K5 retail box front	K5 retail box rear

Opening the outer retail box reveals an inner box for accessories, and the K5 securely wrapped with a thin foam protective cover. The accessories include:

An AC power adaptor and cord
A USB data cable
Some rubber stick on feet
Small silicone spacer pads (for docking with smaller units such as X1 and E17K)
3.5 – 6.3mm adaptor
Warranty and user guide

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Inside the outer packaging	K5 and all accessoriers	The power cord and converter

The accessories cover pretty much anything you would need, apart from rear interconnects or rear connector cables – but those are usually user preference anyway. The one cable missing which might have been handy would have been a USB mini to USB mini.


USB cord	Other accessories

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
The table below lists many of the relevant specifications for the K5.

Output Impedance H/O	<1 ohm
Max Output Power @ 16 ohm	>1.7 W
Max Output Power @ 32 ohm	>1.5 W
Max Output Power @ 300 ohm	>150 mW
SNR	>110 dB (AUX IN)
THD+N	0.002% (1 kHz 32 ohm)
Frequency Response	20 Hz-20 kHz
Gain	0 dB / 6 dB / 12 dB
Crosstalk	>70 dB (1 kHz)
Max Output Voltage	20 Vp-p
Dimensions	120 x 130 x 55mm
Outer Material	Titanium coloured brushed aluminium
Headphone Out	6.3 mm
Weight	450g
Power Supply	DC15V/1.5A

For full specifications including detailed line-out and balanced out parameters, along with Fiio’s measurement graphs – follow this link

BUILD / DESIGN
The K5 is rectangular shaped with rounded edges over the face, and a flat – but slightly recessed front and back plate. The main body is titanium grey anodised aluminium with a nicely smoothed finish. The dimensions are pretty good for a small footprint amplifier (120x130x55mm).

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Front face of the K5	Side view with dock tray up	Alternate side view

The front face is flat but nicely recessed, while still giving easy access to the controls. The most noticeable feature on the front face is the volume pot which has a diameter of 4cm and doubles as an on and off switch as well as the volume control. When turned on, there is a deep blue LED which lights up around the volume knob – so you can easily tell if the unit is switched on. I personally don’t find it too bright or distracting – it is actually rather soothing really. The tracking is super smooth and very easy to adjust.

On the left hand are two toggle switches – one to switch between the dock or line-in being active, and the second is 3 stage gain switch (low, med, high). To the right of the volume pot is the 6.3mm headphone jack. It is reassuringly solid with a firm connection and feels very secure.

At the top of the unit is an ~ 67x 32mm hinged door, which when opened exposes the 11 pin micro USB dock. The dock successfully mates with Fiios X1, X3ii, X5ii and X7 DAPS, and also the E17K DAC/amp). I tried briefly to also mate the K1, Q1 and original X5 but none of these would fit. None of the DAPs or DACs will fit the dock with cases intact either. As mentioned in the accessories, Fiio has included some rubber spacers for Fiios thinner devices (X1 and E17K) but I’ve found they fit well without using them. The dock itself has some forward and back play, and although it feels a little flimsy, seems quite secure once the connection between K5 and device is made. Sometimes I’ve had to wiggle a little to get the connection to align and slide in – but so far I’ve had no issues with actually making the connection, and it has remained stable.

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Full rear panel	Balanced out and RCA port	Alternate dock input, USB-B connection and power input

At the rear of the unit is the input and output ports, and from left to right include:

Dual 3.5mm balanced outputs
A pair of RCA line-outs
A pair of RCA line-ins
A micro-USB line-in
A standard USB-B digital input
A DC 15V power input

I’ll go into more detail on the inputs and outputs later in the review.

I also tried to get some internal shots of the K5, but it’s a testament to how well the K5 is put together that the photos below are as far as I got. There is a locking mechanism in front that I could have probably popped to remove the boards, but as the K5 is a loaner kindly supplied by Fiio, I didn’t want to push it. What I will say is that the fit and finish of the interior matched the exterior. The K5 internals are extremely tidy, and extremely well ordered – testament to the care that I’ve seen Fiio take with all of their products.

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Dock internals exposed	Close up of the caps on the man board	Internals from the rear - really tidy!

For internal components, the K5 uses TI’s TPA6120A2 headphone amplifier chipset, which I researched and found that it is an AB amplifier architecture capable of delivering high bandwidth and power output with extremely low noise (up to 128 dB SNR and THD of 112.5 dB). Fiios specs show the entire circuit having 110 dB measured SNR and THD+N at less than 0.002% (1 kHz @ 32 ohm), so the K5 is a very quiet unit.

HEAT AND POWER
So far I’ve noticed no heat build-up at all with the K5. Even after several hours (driving my HD600s), it’s still cool to touch.

Fiio rates the target headphone impedance in their literature as being suitable for 16-300 ohm, and I can confirm that with my HD600, and utilising the E17K docked, and playing Amber Rubarth’s album “Sections from the 17^th Ward” (which is an extremely well recorded binaural album which is normally quieter than my mainstream recordings), on medium gain with the pot at 12 o’clock I was consistently achieving an easy to listen to 70-75 dB range (measured with my SPL meter). Switching to some well recorded rock (Dire Straits), and pushing the gain to high, and the volume to max, the HD600 sounded like speakers (I wasn’t wearing them at this stage), and the SPL meter was showing 95-100 dB. Power? Yes – plenty of it.

Next I switched to the 600 ohm T1, and again a really good performance from the K1. The T1 sounded (subjectively) pretty well driven. Comparing side-by-side with the iDSD and using the X3ii for input into both units, there really isn’t much noticeable difference at all. The X5 might be marginally brighter – but we’re talking small margins here. And the T1 has about the same headroom as the Hd600. Again – impressive.

So the K5 has plenty of power – what about some finesse? For the next test I used the very sensitive (8 ohm, 102 dB sensitivity) DUNU DN2000J. Now I had the K5 on low gain and the pot at around 9am for a comfortable listening level. There was still enough play to go lower still, and no signs of channel imbalance.

Verdict – the K5 is extremely versatile and will power a wide range of headphones and/or IEMs.

DOCK USAGE
As I said earlier, I was able to test the K5 dock with a variety of Fiio DAPs and also the E17K. There are some pretty nice things they’ve integrated. First up, if the DAC is enabled, the device will immediately enter DAC mode, the sample and bit-rate will show on the device screen. It’s pretty seamless really. The issue you will have though (if you have multiple Fiio devices all using the TUSB DAC driver) is that the latest version of the driver uninstalls the old one – so for now it is impossible to have the X7 exist as DAC alongside the X3ii or X5ii. It’s all a bit messy. The good news is that the devices like the E17K use the windows default DAC driver, so it will still work OK. I’m not sure how many people will have multiple Fiio DAPs, and I’d bet that most would use only one device as DAC – but it is something to note anyway.

In USB storage mode, the X3ii and X5ii automatically connect to the PC if both they and the K5 are powered. They are automatically also charged (this happens whether the K5 is on or not). The X7 in USB mode asks on screen if you want to connect the USB (when it is docked)


X1 on the dock an recognised	Integration is great with the device recognising it is docked

If the device (X3ii and X5ii) is docked and the K5 is off (but still connected to the PC), you still get access to the drives. Turning the K5 on brings a message on the device screen telling you the device is docked,
Finally – if you turn the K5 off while the device is still docked, the device recognises this, and will power down automatically within 10 seconds unless you touch an input button to stop it. The actual integration with the dock is pretty slick.


Connected to PC and hard drives available	On power down from K5, device will automatically turn off.

And the last thing you can do with the dock is simply use the device as a player, sending an analogue signal to the amp. This makes it ideal as a small room or bedroom unit – where you don’t have need for use as a DAC. This also brings the X1 into play with the K5 – as a player and amp only.

INPUTS & OUTPUTS
In the rear of the device are 3 inputs – the main USB input, the pair of RCA inputs, and the micro-USB “dock-in”. The USB in is straight forward – connects to your PC, and allows interaction between the dock and the computer. The RCA inputs allow a line-in analogue signal into the amp, and I successfully used this with all of my other DAPs (L5 Pro, L&P5, X5 original) using a 3.5mm to dual RCA plug. They worked successfully, and were very good in displaying how neutral and clean the K5’s amplification stage is.

The micro-USB “dock-in” is a bit puzzling though. Fiio suggests it as an alternative way to connect the exact same devices that the dock uses (E17K, X1, X3ii, X5ii, X7) and the bit that has me stumped is why it is there at all. Logic would say you would use the dock. Unfortunately Fiio doesn’t supply a cable, and there is no cable supplied in the Fiio device accessories either. I have a couple of micro to micro USB cables, but while I could get power, I could get no audio – so the pin-outs are obviously different. I guess it could be a good back-up if the dock ever breaks – but aside from that, and lacking a cable – it is a little pointless (to me anyway).

For outputs, there is a pair of balanced-outs (3.5mm), and I’m sorry I was unable to test these. Then there is the RCA rear outputs – which are handy if you want to connect another amp, but unfortunately being fixed, they are useless for my primary use as speaker outputs to a pair of active monitors – which have no volume controls. I hate using windows mixer to control the volume, and the idea of having the pot control the volume on the speakers would be perfect. My iDSD does it and so does the NFB-12 (you can switch between fixed or variable on both). The K5 (like the Aune X1S) only has fixed, therefore for me personally could never become my main amp for desktop use. And that is a real pity because it is practically perfect in every other sense.

HEADPHONE OUT & GAIN
I mentioned the gain earlier, and Fiio’s stated 0dB / +6dB / +12dB specification is spot-on (measured using loopback). Like I said with the E17K, it’s pleasing to see a decent top end gain utilised which makes it quite practical. Gain does exactly what it says – simply raising the volume by a set amount. And the K5 has a suitably black background that raising the gain does not seem to be noticeably raising the noise floor until at very high volumes. To check this, I used my wife’s super sensitive hearing (she can hear a cat walking on carpet from 10 meters away!). I used the DN2000J again, set gain to low, and pushed the volume up until hiss was present – this was almost at the end of the pot (at least 80-90%). On medium gain hiss was present at around 50% of the pot. On high gain it occurred at around 25-30%. All of this was with no music playing, and utilising the extremely sensitive 8 ohm DN2000J. The reality is that if you’re using IEMs (and most won’t be with the K5), then on low gain you’ll have no issues, and you’d blow your brains out with volume before any hiss started.


Gain measurement	THD from the headphone out

With higher impedance headphones – it simply won’t be an issue. As a final test I also took the THD measurement for the Headphone out at - 3 dB on medium gain with a 1 kHz signal. ~~THD was actually much lower than Fiios stated % measurement, coming in at below 0.02%, and the total harmonic distortion + noise at below 0.07%~~. THD came in at .018% and THD +N .069% - so it was clearly measuring the limits of my external sound card (cheap little thing it is) - still below the level of human audibility no matter which measurement you use.

SONIC PERFORMANCE & PAIRINGS
I think I stated earlier that the K5 is essentially neutral – to me it is the way an amp should be – a window to the source. However I know people will want to read about individual pairings, so here is my very subjective take on the K5’s performance.

In the comparisons I used 4 tracks to get a feel for overall performance:

Dire “Straits Sultans of Swing” for detail and overall tonality
Amber Rubarth’s “Tundra” for soundstage and imaging
Amy Winehouse’s “You Know I’m No Good” for bass performance
Pearl Jam’s “Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In a Small Town” for vocal performance and tonality

I used IEMs for the X1 comparison – due to power limitations, and the HD600 for everything else. To compare apples with apples, I used the player mode – with K5 as amp, and also volume matched everything with an SPL meter. Comparisons were sighted.

K5 + X1 vs X1 (using q-Jays)
To be fair, this is the test that subjectively I saw no improvement on at all. The q-Jays don’t need the extra amping (despite being 50 ohm / 103 dB). On every test I ran the sonic qualities were to all intents and purposes identical – and this for me is a good things. It shows the neutrality of the K5. The big benefit continues to be the ability to charge while docked, the access to the storage, and of course (when playing) the analogue volume pot’s ease of use.

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X1 with K5	X3ii with K5	X5ii with K5 - ready to go in DAC mode

K5 + X3ii vs X3ii
I’ve always quite liked the X3ii and HD600 – I need to be at the upper end of the volume to get the best out of it (around 80/120 with a track like Dire Straits, and up to 100 for some of my more dynamic classical tracks). But I’ve often wondered about the mystical “being driven to its potential”. With the K5 there is a slight difference. The X3ii is very slight more “in your face” vivid and a little peakier. The K5 brings just a little more balance through the upper mid-range, and the bass is very slightly stronger – but overall it sounds just a little more relaxed in presentation (almost effortless). Again we are not talking big changes – they are small – and I don’t think this is a form of colouration, but maybe of more power available to the HD600. Imaging is similar, and if anything I would say that the slightly more relaxed “apparent” tonality of the K5 makes things appear a little wider. Vocal presentation overall is too close to call – but I am amazed with both devices how well they can convey sheer musicality. Detail in the Pearl Jam track is incredible with both devices.

K5 + X5ii vs X5ii
This time the two are a lot closer, and again the main (but extremely minor difference) coming through is the sense of relaxation in the presentation. I actually had to recheck my SPL calibration to make sure I wasn’t hearing anything that wasn’t matched. The bottom line here is that the K5 will bring you a lot of extra headroom, but this time it really is providing a very transparent window to the source. Details, vocal presentation, imaging are all really similar, and this reminds me again how well the X5ii is able to drive the HD600 on its own. Longer term listening and then switching still gives a sense of a slightly more relaxed overall presentation with the K5 – which is a lot harder to discern with quick AB switching. Both devices are a pleasure to listen to – but for desktop use I would again go with the K5 simply for the analogue pot and additional headroom.

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X7 in DAC mode	X7 playing via the dock	Dialogue asking for USB data connection

K5 + X7 vs X7
I only have the AM1 (low power amp) for use with the X7 at the moment, and this comparison shows the effect of power with a headphone like the HD600. The X7 will put 10 mW into 300 ohm, while the K5 is able to output 150 mW into the same load. The X7 can definitely get the HD600 loud enough, but like the other DAPs, there is not a lot of headroom. This time the same characteristics show though. The K5 sounds more relaxed, and similar to the X3ii comparison. Tonally it is a little more balanced where the X7 (with the low powered amp) can get a little peaky (around the 4 kHz where we know there is a spike). I do want to make something clear though – I really like the X7 with the HD600 by itself – I think it sounds incredible. But comparing side-by-side with the K5, and the additional power is noticeable. If you are an X7 owner, and you intend to use it also as a DAC (for PC/laptop use), I really would recommend considering the K5 as there are sonic improvements available with this combo.

AS A DAC – SHORT NOTES
I’m not going to go over old ground here – as you’ll already know from the above what improvements there are with the increased power of the K5. And the K5 is essentially window to what you’re feeding it – so there is no point going over sonics. For this section I’m really looking at performance as far as latency goes – for gaming, video watching etc.

I’m using my PC which is home built – and has a Core i5-4690K (slight overclock to 4 GHz), an Nvidia GTX 960, and 16 Gb of onboard RAM. I’m running Windows 10 64bit.

With the X7 and simply playing music, you’re not going to notice any difference or lagging – simply because you won’t have the visual clues. And BTW – the combo sounds really good using the X7 as DAC and the K5 as amp. As good as my iDSD in fact (subjective).


X5ii in DAC mode and able to access DAC menu	These two were made for each other - E17K and K5

When I queued up a YouTube video, there was dramatic latency of at least a full second with the current driver set-up. I set the buffer settings for minimum latency and while it helped, they were still out. Playing a video with VLC needed around 0.4s synchronisation adjustment. Gaming is the same – with current drivers it is impossible.

Both the X3ii and X5ii show no really noticeable streaming latency with YouTube – even with the buffer set as “extra safe” in the TUSB control panel. With a movie from the PC there is no real latency either – perhaps a micro second or two, but not enough to make me immediately start searching for ways to correct it.

With the E17K there is no lag (at all), and this makes it a perfect companion for gaming, for video, for everything. So I’ll add its own section – because it deserves one - below.
E17K + K5

Purely my own personal opinion, and highly subjective – but the E17K for me is the ideal companion. During the day I use it with my X3ii (for reviewing or for general listening). At night I can simply pop it in the K5 (permanently set to 32 bit 48 kHz), and forget it’s there – as it charges, and handles the DAC duties without a hitch. For gaming, I pair it with Darin Fong’s OOYH surround software (highly recommended if you are a gamer or movie watcher – massively immersive). The best thing is that it doesn’t need drivers – it just uses a high-res driver inbuilt into Windows – so I tend to find I have less clashes with other software (personally I find the TUSB Fiio drivers for X3ii, X5ii and X7 clash with my iDSD driver from time to time – often the iDSD driver simply won’t load with the other enabled). The E17K though lives happily with all my devices, never complains, or glitches. It is rock solid. Yes it is limited to 32/96 – but that is more than enough for my personal needs.

In side by side testing with the iDSD, they sound comparable to one another – I wouldn’t give either the edge on sonics (when paired with the K5). The difference is in the iDSD’s ultimate power, portability and gain settings (and I guess the format support – need for testing/reviewing). And the big one for me – the variable line-out to powered speakers controlled by the pot. It is the K5’s one huge weakness. If it had a switchable variable line-out, I’d be tempted to use it for my day to day private listening.

LINE-OUT TO ANOTHER AMP
The only area I haven’t really covered so far is use of the K5 simply as a dock and using the line-out to another amp. For this I used both my Little Dot MKIV and also the VE Enterprise (both OTL tube amps I will be reviewing at a later stage). I own the Little Dot, and have the Enterprise as a loaner. Both are simply fantastic amps, quite linear for tube based amps, and both brilliant with high impedance cans.

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E17K + K5 to LD MKIV to HD600	E17K + K5 conencted to the VE Enterprise	This combo is really special

Once again with both combos, I’m hearing simply the sound characteristics of either the Little Dot or the Enterprise. And again it leaves me with the feeling that the K5 is an implementation done right. The K5 in particular is spectacular paired with the Enterprise – it really allows the overall dynamics and tonality of the Enterprise to shine through.

VALUE & CONCLUSION

I’ve been through the entire review and haven’t once mentioned cost, so now is probably an appropriate time. The Fiio K5 is currently listed on Amazon at approx. USD 110.00, and for that price, considering its versatility, you are getting one heck of an amplifier.

The K5 is built really well, has a reasonably compact footprint for desktop use, and has a good variety of input and output options.

Sonically it is very transparent, with low noise and reasonably high output – ideal for headphones up to 300 ohms, and certainly capable of driving even higher impedance loads.

But where the K5 shines is in its interactivity with other Fiio devices – specifically the X1, X3ii, X5ii, X7 and E17K. One caveat I would have is if you plan to use it docked with the X7 as a DAC for your computer – as there is high latency currently with video. You can’t penalise the K5 for this however, as it really is the X7 DAC driver with the issues.

The main problem the K5 has (IMO) is the lack of a switchable variable rear RCA out – which means at present you cannot use the volume pot to control powered speakers. For me it is a bit of a deal breaker stopping the K5 becoming my default DAC/amp solution, but for others this may not be an issue.

In my opinion, the K5 will definitely suit anyone who:

owns any of the supported Fiio DAPs or DAC/amps
is looking for a desktop solution in tandem with an existing portable solution
or is looking for a bedroom or second room set-up to give ability to pair a Fiio DAP with higher impedance headphones.

The K5 may not suit anyone who:

does not own or intend to own other Fiio products
does not intend to drive higher impedance cans
requires a variable output to drive (active) speakers

As always, it is difficult to score an amp which is so good in so many areas, but has one glaring fault (see my original list). If this was a $200 amp I’d be tempted to give the K5 a 4.0 ranking, but when you take into account the very cheap price, the value proposition easily propels it to 4.5.

My thanks once again to Sunny at Fiio for allowing me to write my thoughts about the K5.

Thank you for your response, which one do you recommend me since you have experience for both of them? Portability is not a case here, only home. And my full-sized headphone is AKG K612. I think all of those amps can ''kill'' my K612 but which one you recommend? I feel closer to K5 since it seems really good for home.

+for my X3ii also (docking)

If you're using for home, and also with the X3ii as DAC - then the K5 is the one to go for. For your intended use it will be pretty much perfect

The L5 Pro was provided to me gratis as a review sample. I have made it clear to L&P that I still regard any product they send me as their sole property and available for return any time at their request. But I thank them for the ability to continue use of the L5 Pro – both for follow up comparisons and also for my own personal use.

INTRODUCTION

I’ve been reviewer on Head-Fi for some time now, and one of the distinct advantages I’ve had is being able to listen to, and compare, equipment that would normally be beyond my frugal budget. Last year I was lucky enough to be approached by Luxury and Precision (contacts arranged through Twister6 and John Yang), to listen to, and evaluate their TOTL DAP – the LP5. This proved to be an absolute eye-opener for me as it was the first time that I realised portable gear (if designed well) could rival desktop set-ups. It also proved to be the best sounding DAP I’ve heard (with full sized headphones).

Fast forward a year and I’m now reviewing their L5 Pro DAP. It’s a player I’ve actually had now for around 3 months, and I would have reviewed earlier, but I chose (with Mr Wan’s blessing) to wait until the firmware was a little more mature.

The L5 Pro is available at Penon Audio for USD 809, and therefore sits between the LP5 Gold (USD 1090) and Fiio’s new X7 (USD 650).

DISCLAIMER

I was provided the Luxury & Precision L5 Pro as a review sample. There is no financial incentive from L&P in writing this review. I am in no way affiliated with L&P - and this review is my honest opinion of the L5 Pro. I would like to thank Alex, John and Mr Wan for making this opportunity available.

Additional disclaimer – the unit I have unfortunately arrived with a faulty volume pot. It is usable but does not rotate normally. I have chosen to ignore this issue in the review, as the issue looks to be a one-off, and I know if this was a purchased unit, L&P would have immediately replaced it.

ABOUT LUXURY & PRECISION

Luxury & Precision is a Chinese based audio company headed by the main designer, Mr Wan, who previously created the Colorfly C4 and CK4, and more recently (as Luxury & Precision) the LP5 which I reviewed here. From what I have seen in L&P’s designs to date, they are uncompromising on using the best sonic components available, and very particular in creating striking aesthetic designs which are often a fusion between contemporary and traditional.

PREAMBLE - 'ABOUT ME'.

(This is to give any readers a baseline for interpreting the review).

I'm a 48 year old music lover. I don't say audiophile – I just love my music. Over the last couple of years, I have slowly changed from cheaper listening set-ups to my current set-up. I vary my listening from portables (Fiio X5ii, X3ii, LP5 and iPhone 5S) to my desk-top's set-up (PC > USB > iFi iDSD). I also use a portable set-up at work – either X5ii/X3ii > HP, or PC > E17K > HP. My main full sized headphones at the time of writing are the Beyer T1, Sennheiser HD600, and AKG K553. Most of my portable listening is done with IEMs, and lately it has mainly been with the Dunu DN-2000J, Jays q-Jays, Alclair Curve2 and Adel U6. A full list of the gear I have owned (past and present is listed in my Head-Fi profile).

I have very eclectic music tastes listening to a variety from classical/opera and jazz, to grunge and general rock. I listen to a lot of blues, jazz, folk music, classic rock, indie and alternative rock. I am particularly fond of female vocals. I generally tend toward cans that are relatively neutral/balanced, but I do have a fondness for clarity, and suspect I might have slight ‘treble-head’ preferences. I am not treble sensitive (at all), and in the past have really enjoyed headphones like the K701, SR325i, and of course the T1 and DT880.

I have extensively tested myself (ABX) and I find aac256 or higher to be completely transparent. I do use exclusively redbook 16/44.1 if space is not an issue. All of my music is legally purchased (mostly CD – the rest FLAC purchased on-line).

I tend to be sceptical about audiophile ‘claims’, don’t generally believe in burn-in, have never heard a difference with different cables, and would rather test myself blind on perceived differences. I am not a ‘golden eared listener’. I suffer from mild tinnitus, and at 48, my hearing is less than perfect.

My experience with DAPs in the past has ranged from the lower end all the way to what I would consider as high-end, and includes experience with most of Fiio’s line-up including the X7, the HSA Studio V3, and of course L&P’s own flagship LP5 Gold.

WHAT I LOOK FOR IN A DAP

I thought I’d list (before I start with the review) what I really look for in a new DAP.

Clean, neutral signature – but with body (not thin)
Good build quality
Reasonable battery life
Easy to use and practical interface
Able to drive both low impedance and (within reason) higher impedance cans without additional amping.
Value for money
Enough storage to hold either my favourite albums in redbook, or my whole library in a reasonably high resolution lossy format (for me – aac256)

So how did the L5 Pro fare? Does it meet its price point expectations, and would I buy it?

This is a purely subjective review - my gear, my ears, and my experience. Please take it all with a grain of salt - especially if it does not match your own experience.

THE REVIEW

For the sake of brevity, from this point onward, I’m going to simply call the Luxury & Precision L5 Pro the “L5 Pro” – as much for ease of typing than anything else.

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

The L5 Pro arrived in a plain cardboard outer packing box, which (like the LP5 before it) gave no clues as to what lay inside. Opening the flap revealed a black sleeve, simply adorned with the words “Luxury & Precision”, over two more identically sized inner boxes. The inner boxes are 94 x 185 x 31 mm, have a textured outer black layer and consist of a box and lid configuration. Opening the first box I was presented with the L5 Pro in all its gorgeous glory safely nestled in a soft felt/velour on foam moulded cut-out. Below the cut-out is a black envelope which contains the user manual (all in Chinese), a screen protector, and a warranty card.

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Sleeve with inner boxes	Inner boxes	Accessory box

The second box has two separate smaller inner cases – labelled USB cable and leather case. The case is genuine tan suede leather, is perfectly formed for the LP5, and fits like a glove. The cut-outs for button and ports are perfectly formed, fit precisely and provide easy access. The case feels really good in hand, looks wonderful, and above all provides very good protection – especially with the outer surface adding a 1-2mm buffer between the screen and any hard surface (if laid face down).

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Case and USB cable	Rear of the leather case	USB cable - gold connectors and ferrite choke

The USB box houses a high quality USB cable with a ferrite choke and gold plated connectors on both ends.

All throughout the first opening of boxes and discovery of their contents, the underlying feeling was indeed true to the company’s name – Luxury & Precision. Everything you need is included – except perhaps a SPDIF cable. First impressions are that the presentation so far meets the price bracket expectation.

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L5 Pro in its case	Paperwork - warranty manual & screen protector	The gorgeous L5 Pro

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

The table below lists most of the relevant specifications, and so that I can show comparison with the two other DAPs I have in this higher end bracket – I have also shown the X7 and LP5 specs. I have chosen not to show output power measurements because (a) there are none shown on the L&P specs, and (b) it is simpler to show the associated volumes in the body of the review – admittedly from a more subjective standpoint.

	L&P L5 Pro	L&P LP5	Fiio X7
Approx cost	~ USD 809	~ USD 1090	~ USD 650
Dimensions	~ 123 x 63 x 17mm	~ 133 x 76 x 24mm	~ 130 x 64 x 17mm
Weight	217g	200g	210g
Lossless file formats supported	APE, FLAC, WAV, ALAC, AIFF, WV (but please read review)	APE, FLAC, WAV, WMA, ALAC, DSF, DFF, AIFF, WV(WavPack)	APE, FLAC, WAV, WMA, ALAC, DSF, DFF
Lossy file formats supported	MP3, aac, ogg vorbis, WMA WV (but please read review)	MP3, aac, ogg vorbis	MP3, aac, ogg vorbis
Use as external DAC?	Yes – limited to 44.1/16	Yes – limited to 44.1/16	No – but planned with fw
Play time	Up to 12 hours	12 hours	9 hours+
DAC chip used	AKM Verita 4490	AK4414	ES9018S
Main amp chip	1812A	1812A	OPA1612
S/N (H/O)	Not stated	123 dB	115 dB (A-Weight)
THD+N (H/O)	Not stated	<0.0015%	< 0.0015%
Highest resolution	768 kHz, 32 bits	192 kHz, 32 bits	384 kHz, 32 bits
DSD/DSF/DFF support	Yes – Native	Yes – Native	Yes – Native
Impedance (H/O)	Not stated	Not stated	< 0.5 ohm
Line Out	Yes, shared with digital out	Yes – separate port	Yes, shared with digital out
Digital Out	Yes – separate port, 3.5mm to coax	Yes – coax port	Yes – separate port, 3.5mm to coax (cable supplied)
External storage	1 x Micro sdxc up to 128Gb	1 x Micro sdxc up to 128Gb	1 x Micro sdxc up to 128Gb
Internal memory	32Gb	64Gb	32Gb
Shell / Casing	Aluminium magnesium alloy with rosewood back	Aluminium-lithium alloy with rosewood back and sides	6061 Aluminium alloy

If at any stage I’m given further specifications, I will add them to the table – especially on performance, power and impedance.

In addition – because the internals boast high quality parts, and Mr Wan has again spared no expense with the L5 Pro, I’ve also listed some of the main features and further specifications from their website / literature. We’ll look at some of these in more depth in the review.

Features:

Display: 3.5-inch IPS display, resolution is 480 * 320, OGS type touch screen.
Body and buttons Materials: 6 Series aluminium-magnesium alloy, CNC integrated molding process, anodized surface and sand blasting
Physical buttons: Play /pause, forward / back, volume knob button, hold/lock button, two customisable function buttons (C1, C2)
Five gain-modes to meet various earphones, ultra-low gain, low gain, medium gain, high gain, ultra-high gain. Better adapted to suit any impedance headphones
L5‘s volume control way is encoder plus professional volume control chip CIRRUS CS3310.

Further Specifications

Master Control Chip: 1812C
DAC Chip: AKM latest generation VERITA 4490 (DAC supports sampling rates 32BIT 768KHZ, DAC supports up to DSD256)
USB support sampling rates up to 24 Bit/192Khz(to be supported later through firmware updates)
Crystal Oscillator: 1PPM TCXO
Op Amp: Precision
Headphone Amp: 1812A double crown (means best performance selected out of 2/5 chips)
Co-Processor: 1812M supports up 32BIT decoding and hardware solute various DSD format (DIFF, DSF,DAT and ISO format)
Power Management Chip: 1812P
Professional Volume Control Chip: CS3310
PCB: 6 layer 3U dark gold matte black
Inductance: sun lure closed electromagnetic inductance
Filter Capacitor: ultra-low ESR MLCC Murata X7S 6.3V100UF
Buttons: Alpine extra-long life buttons
Built-in Memory: 32GB only, 24 bit dual channel flash memory optimized for sonic performance.
Additional Memory Slot: Up to 128gb Micro-SD cards.
Charging Voltage and Current: the charging voltage 5V, the charge current must be greater than 500mA, recommended more than 1.5A charging current, in order to obtain the fastest charge rate.

BUILD

What looks good to us is very subjective and will differ from person to person. From my personal point of view, when I first saw the L5 Pro, my immediate thoughts were that it looked drop dead gorgeous. Even after 3 months, I still think it is one of the best looking DAPs I’ve had the pleasure to use.

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Side view	Top of the L5 Pro	Navigation / audio physical buttons

The outer shell consists of solid single piece chassis of magnesium-aluminium alloy which has been precision CNC processed. For finishing L&P have anodized and sand blasted the surface. What you are left with is a gorgeous gun-metal smooth and precise chassis which has a lot of straight edges and angles – but these are softened slightly by micro bevels on all the 90 degree angles. Where the LP5 is curves and luxury, and the X7 is smart and minimal, the L5 Pro projects both industrial reliability and also extreme precision. I don’t know if that the look they were going for but I love it.

The rear of the unit (the back plate) is dark rosewood, and anyone knowing Mr Wan’s heritage with the Colorfly and also LP5 will recognise this as a particular trademark of his designs (the use of wood). Rather than feeling awkward or out of place – it actually goes quite nicely. The L&P logos are nicely carved/imprinted into the Rosewood surface. And for those not liking this aspect of the design – it disappears when you use the cover.

The front of the unit is mainly taken up with the large 3.5 inch, 480 x 320 res IPS touch screen. The screen is very easy to read indoors, and even outdoors in direct sunlight I had no real issues with the controls (it washes out a little, but still legible). The software has 5 brightness settings so you can adjust to suit.

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Bottom - all ports and sockets	Rosewood ear plate	L5 Pro inside it's leather case

The right hand side has 3 buttons which control play/pause, and track advance/reverse as well as scrubbing (by holding the buttons whilst playing). The play/pause button doubles as an on/off switch. The top has 3 buttons on an angled section on the front face – two of which are user programmable whilst the third turns the screen on and off and can also lock the controls. All of the buttons give good tactile feedback and are very easy to locate.

Also at the top right is the analogue volume pot. I won’t go into great detail about this because unfortunately mine arrived with a fault. While it does change the volume, it’s not smooth on my unit, and takes more turns to adjust one point of volume. I’ve taken no marks off in the review for this – as any reviewer knows, these things can sometimes happen – and no-one so far has mentioned similar issues. Other than that the pot tracks from 0-60, and measured with my SPL meter each click appears to change the level by around 1-1.5 dB. This is only approx. – because above 30 dB seemed to be +1.5 and below about 28/60 the changes were almost exactly 1.0 dB. I don’t know at this stage if that is by design, or if it is my faulty pot. Either way – the volume is fine enough that you’ll be able to find your ideal listening level.

At the bottom of the unit are the inputs and outputs and include a 3.5mm headphone out, 3.5mm line-out/coaxial out, USB port (for charging, data transfer, and to use the USB DAC mode) and a single micro SD storage card.
The plug sockets are very firm, precise, and when plugged to the appropriate jacks feel very solid. The coaxial out seems to require a 4 pole connector – or at least the Fiio one works well with the L5 Pro.

In summary, I’m very impressed with the build quality (with the exception of my faulty volume pot). So once again high marks – the L5 Pro again meets its price expectation point.

UI (USER INTERFACE) / USABILITY / FEATURES

Please note that this is with the current released firmware 1.0.0.6.

The first comment I’d make with the L5 Pro is that the UI is a huge improvement over the UI on the L&P5. The inclusion of the touch screen makes navigation a lot easier, and if some of the quirks were ironed out, and features added, it could be on par with its price point. So in this next section, we’ll summarise the features that are there, and then we’ll look at what needs work or is missing altogether.

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Main explorer screen	All songs screen	Artist screen

The other thing to note at this stage is that whilst the screen is touch enabled, there is no swiping at this stage, so scrolling is push button to the next/previous screen. This takes a while to get used to. While scrolling in any of the explorer or menu screens, you can use the physical previous / next buttons to go up or down, and holding these buttons will scroll (to an extent).

At the very top is a status bar which shows whether you are playing or paused, the current volume, the battery status, and there is also icons which show up if you have SPDIF enabled or have the L5 Pro charging. The status bar is visible from all screens.

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Album screen	Artist with multiple albums - and nothing in order	Now playing screen

When first switching the L5 Pro on, you are greeted with a main menu which gives access to folder, song, artist or album browsing. At the top is a back arrow. On the right is touch button to access settings, and next to it is one to go to the now playing screen. The main body of the screen shows choices available depending on the browsing mode you choose – folder, song, artist or album.

Folder mode brings up either internal or external and behaves like any other folder mode. At this stage I’ve split my artists into groups by letter, and also split them across internal and external storage. Song mode lists all songs in the library (via the tag/scanned data system) – and everything is listed in alpha numeric order – with all artists/albums mixed together. I’ve only got a third of my total library on the L5 Pro (2425 tracks) but there is no search function, no swiping, so I’d have to potentially push my way through 200+ pages of songs to find a particular track in this mode (which makes it essentially useless) – however it is good if you want to shuffle your entire library. Artist mode lists artists in alphabetic order (much easier), but then tracks are listed again in alpha numeric order – so if you have multiple albums, they are all jumbled together. Album listing at least shows complete albums – and in order – but again if you have a large collection then you’ll need to get used to scrolling several pages to get where you need to.

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Close up of info in now playing screen	My folder structure - note the order (another quirk)	Settings screen

To cap it all off, scanning the library is not consistent, which often results in some formats not scanning, and some scanning incompletely. An example – I have 3 albums by We Came As Strangers. In track mode all the tracks are listed, and they all play. In Album mode, all details are listed and they all play. In artist mode, not all the tracks are shown (some albums just show the first track of each album), and the files don’t always show – bringing errors onto the screen. Yet in folder mode (the easiest navigation method), all tracks, artists and albums are there and easy to find, and all play with no errors.

The easiest way to use the L5 Pro is to use folder mode for most operations and song mode for entire library shuffle.

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Play sequence settings	EQ screen - jazz EQ is handy (adds upper mid emphasis)	Audio output options

The play screen is a lot more straight forward, and shows album art, the gain mode being used, the bit depth and sample rate, whether EQ is engaged, as long as your tags are recognised - the title and artist, but strangely not the album name. Then you have track time, total time, a position indicator, and play/pause, previous and next on screen buttons (you could also use the side tactile buttons). The previous / next buttons can also be used to scrub forward and backward. Pretty easy to operate and straight-forward. What would make it better would be to make the gain and EQ on screen indicators selectable – so that they would take you to the appropriate settings screen. Something to think about perhaps?

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Gain screen	Filter screen	Advanced Settings

In the settings screens, you have the choice of:

Play mode (the usual repeat, sequential, repeat all, or shuffle)
Equaliser (only presets – rock, pop, classic, bass and jazz)
Visualisations – select either ID3 (tagged) or lyrics (I didn’t test this).
Audio Output Settings (gain, SPDIF, DOP over SPDIF, digital filters, output phase)
Update the media library
Advanced – which has sub-menus for:
1. Display (screen brightness and light timer)
2. Language selection
3. Auto shutdown settings
4. A sleep timer
5. Key settings (including programming the two user configurable buttons)
6. USB mode (DAC or MSC/storage mode)
7. Default settings (reset everything to default)
8. System info

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Languages	Screen settings	Key bindings - handy!

Rather than go through everything in extreme detail, I’ll explain a couple of features further, and list some of the bugs.

User configurable buttons
By far the coolest feature – you can choose the default action of two of the top buttons – and the choices are pretty good and include things like the gain, or digital filter, or the play mode. It’s a pity that EQ wasn’t one of the choices. But it is a nice feature, and I have one currently mapped to the explorer screen and one to the now playing screen.

Gain
There are 5 gain settings – Ultra-Low, Low, Med, High and Ultra-high. I measured the different settings with an SPL meter and 1 kHz test tone, and they translate to (using a set of Oriveti primary IEMs – at 11 ohm and 107 dB/ mW sensitivity):

	Ultra-low	Low	Med	High	Ultra-high
dB reading	72.3	78.3	81.3	84.3	85.8
delta vs prev	0	+6.0	+3.0	+3.0	+1.5
total delta	0	+6.0	+9.0	+12.0	+13.5

Digital Filters
You have the choice of 3 digital filters – fast attenuation, slow attenuation and super-slow attenuation. I tried each with quite a few different tracks, and couldn’t really tell the difference – this may just mean my ears are less sensitive to the attenuation range. The good news is that the filters are also able to be set before you use DAC mode, so I switched to the DAC, enabled the filters and measured the fast and super-slow. I graphed them so you can see the effect, and when I saw the level of drop-off for both filters, I immediately rechecked using my E17K (which I’ve also shown) – it’s the flat green line. So the default roll-off with the L5 Pro appears to start around 4-5kHz no matter which filter you use, and roll down by about 5dB at ~ 15kHz and continue rolling steeper after that.

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DAC frequency response	Super slow vs fast attenuation	Also measuring E17K to check measuring equipment

I’d love it if you could turn the filters off altogether and see if it also measured dead flat without them engaged, but it appears one must be engaged at all times. The one thing I will say is that despite the curve (or maybe because of it), the L5 Pro still sounds wonderful.

Play formats
L&P actually state the formats that are supported, but also state that “part of supported format need worked with the later upgrade software”. From my testing, that is a pretty accurate statement. APE, MP3, and ALAC all played perfectly and tags were recognised (apart from the odd glitch). AIFF wasn’t recognised and would not play. AAC256 was recognised as far as tags go – but wouldn’t play. FLAC and DSD played perfectly, but wouldn’t recognise artist or album tags for me. My tagging is meticulous, and the same tags are recognised by practically all other players I have. And to go further, the ALAC files I used were transcoded from the FLAC files, so the tagging was identical – it just wasn’t recognised by the player in FLAC format. YMMV – but in this area L&P needs some serious work on consistency.

Outputs
I tested both the SPDIF out and line-out with my iDSD as DAC/amp and also simply as an amp – and the combo worked as expected, with no errors or glitches. But when it came to trying DOP mode, I simply couldn’t get a signal to play on the iDSD at all. If anyone can on their unit – please let me know how you enabled it. For me it doesn’t work.

DAC mode
With the latest software update L&P enabled the DA mode with the L5 Pro. Using it is simply a matter of switching the USB to this mode in settings, and plugging into the USB port of your computer or laptop. At this stage, the OS (Windows 10) loads a generic driver, and you are limited to 16/44.1 (redbook). But it does work perfectly without having to load any custom driver. To my ears (subjectively), the L5 Pro in this mode still sounds really good – smooth, organic, rich. More on this shortly.

Missing Features
For a DAP in this price range, we’ve listed some of the features it has, and some of the glitches, so maybe we should also highlight some of the things the L5 Pro is missing.

There is no gapless
There is no folder play-through (I find this very frustrating)
There is no playlist support
The preset EQs aren’t bad, but there is no user customisable EQ option

Closing Thoughts on GUI / Features
First up – L&P should be congratulated on the progress they’ve made with the L5 Pro. The GUI is easy to use, reasonably intuitive, and if you’re prepared to accept some glitches and missing basic features, it is a lot better to navigate than some of the other DAPs out there. But while they are improvements, and I believe L&P are working hard to improve further (I hope the fw updates keep coming), at the price point they have pitched the LP5 Pro we as users should expect better. If I had to give a stand along mark for the GUI – it would be a 5/10 at best. It has great potential though.

POWER
The L5 Pro’s power output settings aren’t listed, so I decided to try some real world tests. Firstly – it handles all my IEMs with consummate ease – even the very sensitive Oriveti Primacy and DUNU DN2000J. So finesse is a strong point, and the ability to drop the gain low is a real plus. So the real test was going to be performance with harder to drive headphones.

With my HD600s, the L5Pro set on high gain, and the volume at 43/60, the HD600 was at a very listenable average dB level of 70-75 dB with peaks at 80-85 dB. If I cranked it all the way to 60/60, I was well into the 90-100 dB range. But more than that, the HD600s sounded as good as out of my iDSD, and perhaps even better (that’s how close it is). At no time did they sound under-driven, flabby, or peaky. In fact, the HD600 with the L5 Pro is a subjectively excellent pairing IMHO.

Switching to the 600 ohm Beyer T1 and once again I was impressed by the pairing with the L5Pro. I did need an extra couple of clicks (45/60) to get similar SPL levels, but once again the dynamics were very good. In direct comparison with the super powerful iDSD I’m not noticing any shortfalls in presentation. So far with the L5 Pro, I’ve had no need to even think about using an add-on amp. For my headphones, there simply is no need.

BATTERY

From fully charged, I connected my HD600, set the output impedance to high, selected a redbook FLAC album, and set it to repeat. The volume used was normal listening volume (43/60). Uninterrupted, with the screen mostly off, gave me just a little over 10 hours play. Repeating the test on low gain with my Adel U6 (32/60), and this increased to just under 11.5 hours. Charging time varied depending on the walwart I was using, but typically 3.5 hours would get a full charge from empty.

COMPARISONS/SOUND

So now to the crunch, and also to the most subjective part of the review. How does the L5 Pro sound to me after the last 3 months with it? The following is a generalisation only – because obviously each headphone you pair sounds different, but over time it is possible to sum these in your own thoughts and describe a general signature.

If I was to summarise it, I would say that the L5 Pro sounds slightly warm, rich and full bodied, with very good detail, but without having this accentuated or spot-lit. It doesn’t mask anything or have anything even close to a metallic or brittle edge. Instead you get a beautifully smooth yet clear and detailed presentation.

The background seems to be very black, and this helps with a sense of imaging, instrument separation (some call this layering) and the ability to let a headphone and recording’s sound stage interpretation shine through. Playing Amber Rubarth’s binaural track Tundra whilst at the same time testing Sennheiser’s HD630 VB was brilliant, but the HD600 was where the L5 Pro really shone with a sense of spaciousness. The two are just magic together.

L5 Pro and IEMs
I’ve tried the L5 Pro with a variety of IEMs, and IMO it has better sonics with the IEMs I tried (U6, Alclair Curve2, DUNU 2000J, Jays q-Jays) than the more expensive LP5 did.

The brighter IEMs like the 2000J were absolutely excellent, but it was a warmer, fuller, lusher presentation than I would normally expect from the 2000J. This was actually a really nice change, and one that really appealed to me. The q-Jays were also similar, and I was worried that they would be a little too smooth – but although the presentation was slightly different to what I was used to on other DAPs, again it was a presentation that was absolutely fatigue free and easy to listen to for hours. The Alclair Curve 2 and Adel U6 were both a little darker, and it was when I was playing around with the preset EQ settings discovered that the Jazz setting (for my tastes) was perfect with both IEMs. In fact my personal favourite IEM pairing overall with the L5 Pro would be the Adel U6 on the Jazz EQ setting. The dynamics, bass slam, and glorious presentation of vocals were simply sublime.
Directly comparing the LP5 and L5 Pro with IEMs and I have to admit I’m enjoying the L5 Pro a little more. It’s hard to describe, but I’d say the L5 Pro is a little more dynamic, and surprisingly it also sounds a little smoother and more organic with the IEM’s I’ve tried.

Comparing with Fiio’s X7 and this time it is absolutely dependent on the IEM and if I’m using EQ or not. Both DAPs are incredibly clean, clear, and utterly enjoyable to listen to. For uneq’d sound in a direct comparison, I prefer the 2000J with the L5Pro, and the others with the X7 – but in reality all are really close overall, and it’s simply coming down to preference.

If I introduce L5 Pros Jazz EQ setting with my slightly darker IEMs, then the L5 Pro nudges slightly ahead.


Great with IEMS and	also full sized headphones

L5 Pro and Full Sized Cans

You’ve already read my thoughts on pairing with both the HD600 and T1, so I won’t go over old ground. Where the L5 Pro skips ahead of the LP5 with IEMs, the tables are reversed with full sized cans for me. The additional power and expansiveness of the LP5 is utterly engaging for me – especially with the HD600. The L5 Pro is still wonderful, and easily outclasses the X7 with its IEM module in this contest (more organic, smooth, spacious and detailed), but still falls short of the LP5. Those who’ve heard the LP5 Gold will know what I mean. It’s like having a full sized hi-fi system in your pocket.


Fiio X7, L&P L5 Pro and L&P LP5	Fiio X7, L&P L5 Pro and L&P LP5

VALUE & CONCLUSION

Remember way earlier in the review when I listed what I would look for in a high end DAP? Well here we are at the end of the review and it’s time to see how the L&P L5 Pro performed.

If we look first at the build quality and aesthetics, the L5 Pro gets extremely high marks. For me it is really a beautiful and robust design, and the materials used are definitely high end.

The practical features like storage and battery life are also what I would expect given the overall output power, and it definitely has enough storage for my uses. If I was to need more storage, I think we’d need to do something a little more about the GUI and navigation anyway. Storage and battery life may not be exceptional, but they are adequate given the competition.

The sonics and power are exemplary and the real strength of the L5 Pro – delivering a rich, organic sonic experience, but with plenty of detail. It’s a sound you can fall in love with easily. And the power delivery is perfect for those looking for a standalone DAP to drive both IEMs and full sized cans.

Which leaves us with the UI, and the features (or lack of them) – and this ultimately is the L5 Pro’s Achilles heel. Whilst the UI is relatively easy to navigate, it is slightly cumbersome, and the need to rely on workarounds for missing or incomplete features (I had to rebuild my library in ALAC to use tagging properly). The good news is that improving this experience can be delivered via firmware updates, and L&P seem to be reasonably active in trying to improve the user experience.

So that leaves the questions – is it worth $800 of your hard earned money, and how does it rate overall. If you’re comparing to some of the more boutique player in the +1K range, then I’d suggest that it’s likely the L5 Pro will more than hold its own sonically, but $800 also puts the L5 Pro squarely against the X7 in this price bracket. Assuming Fiio’s add-on amps might add another $100 - $150 max to the price of the X7, and all of a sudden you have a real battle on your hands.

At the moment I’d personally take the cheaper and far easier to use and more fully featured X7, although if L&P continue to update the L5 Pro over the coming year, the two DAPs might end up sharing the crown in this price sector.

But based on current performance – I’d rate the L5 Pro close to perfect on sound, power, build, and looks, but merely average on current UI and bugs. 70% or 3.5 stars from me. If you’re willing to forgive it’s currently eccentricities though, I would still recommend the L5 Pro on sonic performance alone.

FINAL THANKS

Thanks for sticking with me through another long review. I would once again like to pass my thanks to Alex (Twister6) for recommending me as a reviewer to L&P, John Yang for facilitating the review unit, and Mr Wan for creating such an incredible sounding player.

Another great review, thanks! I will eventually upgrade my Fiio X3 (1gen) but I have to decide what price bracket I'm willing to shoot for (the Cayin & Shanling offerings seem to offer good bang for buck). The L&P seem to be a real contender in this price bracket.

on a separate note, I noticed you referenced the Adel U6, which I am VERY curious about...would a review be in the works?

Thanks again!

@zeissiez

@zeissiez - thanks. I'd agree that the L5 Pro sounds a bit more organic, think that might be the filter used. Both definitely have their strengths, and both are very good value for the money.
@Podster - thanks Pod. Yep - she really gets into her classical. Mozart lover - although I tend to favour Tchaikovsky and Beethoven. Gifting her my K701 was an easy choice!
@NPWS - unfortunately I haven't heard the Onkyo
@jinxy245 - thanks. Just waiting for manual Adel modules to arrive (should be here next week), then I can complete the U6 review.

Awesome...I'm looking forward to it! I'm really intrigued by the Adel concept.
Cheers!

For larger views of any of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images

[size=24.57px]INTRODUCTION[/size]

My introduction to DUNU Topsound (almost two years ago) was with their triple hybrid DN-1000, which rapidly became a hit with Head-Fi buyers, and was one of the first triple hybrid IEMs to show that top quality could be achieved at an affordable price. Since then DUNU has been a consistent performer, releasing a string of very good IEMs, including the exceptional DN2000J, and extremely well regarded Titan. Their latest releases have been the Titan 3 (I am reviewing today) and the Titan 5 I reviewed HERE.

I’ve used this introduction before in my other reviews – and I think it serves as a good reminder of who DUNU is, and where they come from, so please excuse me if I state again …..

DUNU Topsound was established in 1994 originally as an OEM supplier to other companies. Since then they have developed their own branded line of high quality earphones, and gone from strength to strength (IMO) with each release. They currently have their manufacturing plant in China and head office in Taiwan. They now have more than 100 employees, and market their product range all over the world.

The name DUNU is simply an acronym of the principle design points that the company strives to implement in their product range
Delicate
Unique
Utmost

Here is a quote from their website, which really does give an insight into what drives the company:
“With advanced technology and hi-end equipments, DUNU desires to be able to provide Delicate, Unique ＆ Utmost products for Hi-Fi embracers. Delicate means extremely quality demanding on product process, from every little component to product manufacturing. DUNU has complete production line and equipments, including precise equipments, B&K frequency machine, IMD sputter, CNC machine, anechoic room, etc. Concerning design of product, DUNU also devotes to create unique outer appearance and balance in all sound frequency.

Utmost is not only the expectation on products, but also the pursuit of an Earphone Manufacturer. The founder of DUNU, himself, has years of experience in OEM/ODM earphone products in which many worldwide famous earphone Brands are included. However, in order to create the most enjoyable earphone on his own, DUNU’s president establishes the brand “DUNU” and implants many hi-end equipments and hires talented employees. From then on, DUNU takes the lead in developing the first Chinese made metal earphone, developing 5.8mm Driver unit and produce the very first Chinese Balance Armature Earphone, in 2014 DUNU release China first triple driver Dynamic and Balance Armature Hybrid earphone, All these preparation are to step on the world stage and to challenge renowned earphone brands. The ultimate goal of DUNU is to provide worldwide HI-FI embracers our Delicate, Unique & Utmost earphone products.”

DUNU’s full product catalogue can be found at http://www.dunu-topsound.com/product.html - and their products are supplied through their own storefront (globally) on Amazon.

Following the success of the Titan T1, DUNU listened to customer feedback and subsequently set about improving the new Titan series, and this has culminated in the release of the Titan 1es (budget version), T3 and T5. The review today is of the T3.

I’ve had the Titans now for a little over three months and I’ve spent a lot of time with both the 3 and the 5, and truly enjoyed both. I release my review of the 5 at the end of November, but the 3 has taken longer – mainly because I didn’t want one review to overshadow the other, or for me to essentially write the same review about both. DUNU deserves separate reviews as separate items – because although both share very similar traits, they are also very different IEMs.

DISCLAIMER

I was provided the DUNU Titan T3 as a review unit from DUNU Topsound. I am in no way affiliated with DUNU - and this review is my subjective opinion of the Titan T3. You will notice many similarities between my reviews on the T3 and T5, and that is because I’ve largely used passages from the T5 review where the information is mostly the same (things like build, fit etc). For the things that matter though (sonics, comparisons etc), I’ve tried to write completely from scratch.

I'm a 48 year old music lover. I don't say audiophile – I just love my music. Over the last couple of years, I have slowly changed from cheaper listening set-ups to my current set-up. I vary my listening from portables (Fiio X5ii, X3ii, LP5 and iPhone 5S) to my desk-top's set-up (PC > USB > iFi iDSD). I also use a portable set-up at work – either X5ii/X3ii > HP, or PC > E17K > HP. My main full sized headphones at the time of writing are the Beyer T1, Sennheiser HD600, and AKG K553. Most of my portable listening is done with IEMs, and lately it has been with the Adel U6, Dunu DN-2000J, Jays q-Jays and Alclair Curve2. A full list of the gear I have owned (past and present is listed in my Head-Fi profile).

I have very eclectic music tastes listening to a variety from classical/opera and jazz, to grunge and general rock. I listen to a lot of blues, jazz, folk music, classic rock, indie and alternative rock. I am particularly fond of female vocals. I generally tend toward cans that are relatively neutral/balanced, but I do have a fondness for clarity, and suspect I might have slight ‘treble-head’ preferences. I am not treble sensitive (at all), and in the past have really enjoyed headphones like the K701, SR325i, and of course the T1 and DT880.

I have extensively tested myself (abx) and I find aac256 or higher to be completely transparent. I do use exclusively redbook 16/44.1 if space is not an issue. All of my music is legally purchased (mostly CD – the rest FLAC purchased on-line). I tend to be sceptical about audiophile ‘claims’, don’t generally believe in burn-in, have never heard a difference with different cables, and would rather test myself blind on perceived differences. I am not a ‘golden eared listener’. I suffer from mild tinnitus, and at 48, my hearing is less than perfect.

Over the last few months I’ve used the T3 paired with most of the sources I have at my disposal – from the tiny M3, all the way through to the TOTL L5Pro and LP5. But for the review I’ve used my main work horses – the X3ii and E17K. In the time I’ve been using the T3, I haven’t noticed any sonic change. And although I used the T3 coupled with several different amplifiers, they are easily driven, and will pair nicely with most sources straight from the headphone out.

This is a purely subjective review - my gear, my ears, and my experience. Please take it all with a grain of salt - especially if it does not match your own experience.

THE REVIEW

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

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Front of the retail box	Rear of the retail box	Side panel with specifications

The DUNU Titan T3 arrived in DUNU’s now very familiar book style retail box – measuring approximately 170mm x 130mm x 50mm. Comparing the T3 and T5 packaging – they are practically identical – with the only difference being the some of the specs and also the photos. As I said in my T5 review, I love the presentation of their retail boxes. The immediate thought is that this is a premium package – and the black box, silver text and subtle use of colour really resonates with me. The front of the box shows a simple picture of the Titan 3s, and the rear has a list of the accessories, and an explanation of some of the main features of the T3. On the sides DUNU lists specifications in six languages. As I highlighted in my T5 review, the other notable addition to the front of the box is the “Hi-Res Audio” logo which certifies that a product meets the Hi-Res Audio standards (must have transducer frequency performance to at least 40 kHz). While this means little in practical terms to the listener – it does reinforce that DUNU is serious about standards.

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Opening the first flap	Box fully opened	All of the contents

The box is a book style which opens to first show the IEMs, and give information about build material and the manufacturing process (inside cover). Opening the second flap reveals the carry case, some of the tips, and then the Titan T3 nestled snugly in the moulded plastic enclosure.

The carry case is a very good one for an IEM, and IMO an improvement on their former metal boxes (used in the DN-1000 / DN-2000). It is a sturdy moulded plastic rectangular hinged lid box (with nicely rounded pocket-safe corners) measuring approximately 90mm long, 65mm wide and 23mm deep. It has a catch/lock to keep it closed, and has a matt exterior on the rear and sides, and shinier plastic top (my personal preference would be a matt surface all around to avoid fingerprints, and minimise scratching). There are no internal pockets for spare tips or other accessories – but as it is so portable / pocket friendly, I don’t really have too many issues with it.

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Carry case, 3.5-6.3mm adaptor, shirt clip and stability fins	Tip selections	The Titan 3

The accessory pack includes silicone tips (S,M,L) in two different varieties – with some that appear very close to the Sony hybrid type design, a 3.5-6.3mm adaptor, shirt clip, and warranty card. Also included with the accessories is a set of silicone ear stabilisers.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
(From DUNU’s packaging / website)

I’ve listed below the specifications for all of the T series so comparisons can be made with the entire series.

	Titan T3	Titan T1	Titan T5
Type	Single dynamic driver IEM	Single dynamic driver IEM	Single dynamic driver IEM
Driver	13mm titanium “nano class”	13mm titanium “nano class”	13mm titanium “nano class”
Freq Range	10 Hz – 40 Khz	10 Hz – 30 Khz	10 Hz – 40 Khz
Impedance	16 ohm	16 ohm	32 ohm
Sensitivity	110 dB (+/-2 dB)	90 dB (+/-2 dB)	108 dB (+/-2 dB)
Jack	3.5mm gold plated, right angled	3.5mm gold plated, right angled	3.5mm gold plated, right angled
Cables	1.2m, removable	1.2m fixed	1.2m removable
Weight	24g	18g	24g
IEM Shell	Polished stainless steel	Polished metal	Polished stainless steel

FREQUENCY GRAPH

The graphs below are generated by a new measuring system I’m using – the Vibro Veritas coupler and ARTA software. I don’t have the calibration 100% correct yet – but the graphs I am getting are relatively close to Innerfidelity’s raw data (on other earphones), and I think are “close enough” to get a reasonable idea of the frequency response for the Titan 3. My aim is still to eventually construct a pre-set compensation curve so that I can get the graphs more consistent with calibrated curves.

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Frequency plot - raw data, no compensation	CSD plot	Channel matching is very good

As you can see from the third graph, the channel matching is very good indeed.

Later in the review, and perhaps of more use, I’ll comparatively graph the T1, T3 and T5.

What I’m hearing (subjective)

Quick, clean and reasonably well extended bass which appears reasonably well balanced when listening to the T3 in isolation, but is leaner and lighter when comparing to other IEMs.
Clean coherent mid-range with slight recession in the lower mid-range, and elevation in the vocal presence area (2-3 kHz)
Clean and extended lower treble which falls short of excessive sibilance (for me) yet remains quite bright and has very good clarity.
The overall emphasis is very much on vocal presence.

BUILD & DESIGN

The Titan 3, like both the Titan 5 and its older sibling (T1) is extremely well built with a polished stainless outer shell – similar to an earbud type shape – but with an angled exterior nozzle designed to take an IEM tip and provide some measure of isolation. The circular part of the body is 15mm in diameter, and designed to snugly in your ear with, the rear of the Titan shell against your antihelix, and the front underneath your tragus, with the nozzle angled forward into the ear canal.

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Nozzle and inner surface (just one vent)	Front and side-on angles	Rear and side angles

The T3 is physically the exact same build as the T5 (with the exception of the rear numbered plate), but is different to the original T1 in a number of ways. There is only a single vent/port for the dynamic driver compared to the T1’s 11 hole vented underside, the body of the T3 is longer (taller) than the T1 (approx. 14mm vs 11mm), so does protrude slightly further, and the T3 has a removable cable system where the T1 cable was fixed. The T1 had a blue/red ring around the body for channel identification, but this is not present on either T3 or T5. I’ll go into detail on that below when talking about the removable cable system.

The nozzles are approximately 50mm long, have a generous lip, and have a pinhole mesh type of opening with 7 holes to allow the sound into your ear.

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Another shot from a different angle	Connector - has "R" on both plug and IEM body	The MMCX connectors - due to length of fitting they are proprietary

The removable cable on the T3 uses an MMCX connector, and is quite firm, and from my time with them so far, is one of the better MMCX implementations I’ve seen (I’ve had issues in the past with other MMCX connectors cutting in and out with other brands). So far the connection has been very good with the T3 (and T5). The T3’s MMCX connector is not a standard connector though, with the male connector being about 1mm longer than standard cables from other earphones (like Shure or Fidue). This does seem to make it more secure, but also means that the Titan cables will not fit my other earphones, and vice-versa. I’ve tried cables from Fidue, Shure and Trinity with no success. The good news is that the T3 cable is beautifully made – supple, with low microphonics, and a firm connection.

The best thing about inclusion of the replaceable cable is that for those who prefer wearing the cable over-ear (my personal preference), then you simply swap ear pieces (connect left cable to right ear-piece, invert, and wear in your left ear). And this is the reason for DUNU omitting the coloured bands. You choose an orientation which suits your own preferences, and then the actual normal fit of the earphones will let you know which is which (left and right). If you ever lose track of which is which though, there is a small “L” or “R” on each earphone body, and also on the cable connectors.


Jack and cable tie	Y split and cinch

The cable is also changed on the T3 (from the T1 original) with the cloth covered mesh (below the Y split) removed and replaced by DUNUs satiny rubber coated finish – so essentially the same material above and below the Y split. The Y-split is the usual DUNU cylindrical metal tube with the top piece sliding off to form a cinch. The plug is a right angled gold plated 3.5mm plug, and is designed to be very friendly for portable devices. No issues with my 5S with fitted case. The cable shows excellent flexibility, with no signs of kinking, and top class strain relief at all the required major points (plug, Y-split and IEM body).

The cable carries DUNU’s usual innovation with the rubber cable tie attached to the cable. When not in use it sits unobtrusively close to the plug (I never notice it). When you’ve finished listening to the Titans, simply carefully coil the cable and use the tie. Simple, elegant, brilliant. I’ve loved this with all DUNU’s IEMs.

Like the T5, I still cannot fault a single thing with the DUNU build – it just all makes perfect sense, both practically and aesthetically and is executed brilliantly.

FIT / COMFORT / ISOLATION

I have one ear canal slightly different to the other one (my right is very slightly smaller) - so I tend to find that usually single silicon flanges don't fit overly well. This is often even more of an issue with shallow fitting IEMs – and the Titan 3 is a shallow fitting IEM. But both types of included single silicone large tips fit me pretty well (I was maintaining a steady seal) – and this appears to be the stabilisers are work (holding the position nicely).

I’ve also tried (with both T5 and T3) Spin-fit (perfect nozzle fitting, but for me no seal), Ostry black or blue (tuning) tips (perfect seal), Spiral Dots (again perfect nozzle fitting, but for me so seal), and comply T200s (perfect fit and seal). But I still use Sony Isolation tips for day-to-day use which continually give me best combination of fit, seal, comfort and durability (they are a silicone tip with inner foam).

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Spiral dot and Sony isolation	Ostry and T200	My preferred tips are the Sony Isolation

One of the things DUNU are now including with the Titan series are some clear silicone ear stabilisers – which are a soft silicon fin which fits over the body of the Titan, with the fin pointing upward, and allowing it to be locked under your antihelix. For me, they work absolutely brilliantly, are very comfortable, and effectively lock the T3 in place. They also work with both orientations (cable up or down). I can exercise with the stabilisers in place, and so far the Titans don’t come loose. My only critique of the stabilisers is that because they are so soft, almost every time I take the T3 out of my ear, the stabilisers come off the shiny body. It isn’t a big issue, as they are easy to get back on, but a more rigid “harness” with a softer fin would alleviate the issue (I don’t know if this is possible – but worth mentioning).

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Ear stabilisers	Cable down	Cable Up

Worn both over ear or straight down, they aren’t quite flush, protruding maybe a millimetre or two at most, but are still quite comfortable to lie down with – I have no problems sleeping with them intact. YMMV depending on your outer ear size.

Isolation is average to below average for external noise coming in, and I wouldn’t use these in a high noise environment. I’ve used them quite a bit in the office, and they are pretty good at keeping my music in (so my co-workers can have peace), but I can still hear what is going on around me to a certain extent. They are a noticeable improvement over the T1 for passive isolation both ways.


My daughter wearing them cable down	And reversing the earpieces for cable up

SOUND QUALITY

The following is what I hear from the DUNU Titan T3. YMMV – and probably will – as my tastes are likely different to yours (read the preamble I gave earlier for a baseline). Most of the testing at this point (unless otherwise stated) was done with my Fiio X3ii as source paired with the E17K, no EQ, and Sony Isolation silicone tips with the cable worn up. For the record – on most tracks, the volume level on the E17K was around 18-20/60 which was giving me around an average SPL around 70-75 dB and peaks at around 80-85dB (C weighted measurements from my SPL meter).

Tracks used were across a variety of genres – and can be viewed in this list http://www.head-fi.org/a/brookos-test-tracks.

Initial Thoughts
I mentioned this previously in my T5 review, but when both arrived I listened initially to both pairs (swapping back and forth) for about 30 minutes or so. The T3 were early favourites – the vocals were just beautifully clean and clear), and I initially found the T5 a little on the bassy side, and also a little bit V shaped. As I spent more time with both sets though, my opinion changed quite a bit. This was especially so when I was coming from other IEMs and switching to either the T3 or T5. I started appreciating that T5’s bass more and more, and came to the conclusion that for me the T5 was the more natural sounding, and the more balanced. The T3 was just a little light on the low end.

I discussed this with Vivian, and she confirmed to me that their engineers also felt the same way, and that they had tuned the T3 more for vocal lovers and mid-range junkies, while the T5 was the more balanced and less specialised IEM.

I’m really pleased I took the extra time with both the Titan 3 and Titan 5, and made as many comparisons as I could (not all will be listed in this review due to the need for a certain amount of brevity) – because initial impressions can often be misleading, and The Titan series is one of those IEMs that IMO needs time to appreciate all of its nuances.

Thoughts on General Signature
If I was to now describe the signature in a few words/phrases – I’d choose the words clear, euphonic, detailed, and with vocal emphasis. I would call them slightly lean though.

It’s quite hard to give a comment on the bass – simply because it is quite a unique sounding IEM to me, with the bass quantity depending on what I’ve been listening to previously. It sounds perfectly normal and not lacking in anything when I switch from my AKG K553 or HM5 to using the T3, but both are arguably quite bass light themselves. If I’m coming from the DN2000J, or my very neutral q-Jays or Adel U6, the Titan 3 can sound a little lean and anaemic. The T3 has really fast and well extended bass though, but it just doesn’t have a lot of impact.

The mid-range is where the Titan 3 shines though, maybe just a little lean in the lower mids, but with a nice peak in the 2-3 kHz (vocal presence) area and again at around 5-6 kHz, which lends particularly well to euphony with female vocalists. When I first heard them – the headphone I immediately though of was the Shure SRH940 which was a vocal lover’s dream. If you’ve ever heard the SRH940 and enjoyed it, you’d fall in love with the Titan 3.

Treble is reasonably well extended, but doesn’t hit any of my personal sibilance areas.

Overall Detail / Clarity
Tracks used: “Gaucho”, “Sultans of Swing”

Like the Titan 5, the first thing I noticed was the clarity and detail with both tracks. Cymbals have marvellous decay, and the sax is really well presented with Gaucho. The bass guitar is present but a little muted compared to what I am used to with both tracks. These really are detail monsters though and I’m picking up fine details all the way through both recordings. Vocals are quite prominent and share the spotlight with lead guitar – especially with Sultans. Really nice overall presentation – if a little bright.

Sound-stage & Imaging
Tracks used: “Tundra”, “Dante’s Prayer”, “Let it Rain”

I always start this section with Amber Rubarth’s binaural track as it provides good cues for both width and depth. The imaging is very good and is quite precise, but it would be fair to say that the Titan 3s are more intimate than expansive with this track. I don’t know if this is the forwardness of the mid-range, but I would say that the overall stage is within my headspace rather than projected out, and to me is slightly smaller than the T5, and a lot smaller than the T1. What the T3 delivers amazingly well though is precision within the stage it creates. There is a real sense of 3D space, but just in a small space.

I use “Dante’s Prayer” because I know this live track really well, I know how the miking sounds on a lot of different headphones, and it gives me a good feel of imaging (during the performance), and depth and width of stage during the applause. The first thing to notice is how well the Titan 3 portrays Loreena’s vocals (gorgeous), and the good contrast between piano, cello and vocals. I’d personally like the cello to just have a little more depth – but the performance is excellently portrayed and very enjoyable. When the applause starts it is quite immersive and believable, but it portrays as a smaller venue (and I know the recording was in an arena). So very good imaging, very good immersion, but a little more intimate than expansive.

Amanda Marshall’s “Let It Rain” is my last track in this section and I use it for two reasons – it has been miked to give a holographic feel (and the Titan 3 portrays this wonderfully – a real sense of instruments being around me), and it’s a good track to test sibilance (I know it is in the recording). At my listening levels, the sibilance is there, but not highlighted unless the volume is really high (I tend to be a quieter listener), and simple EQ should help to clear this up if it bothers you. A final note – on this track – it is usually bright anyway – but this is about as bright as I’d go with an earphone. If anything, a little added mid-bass would help.

Bass Quality and Quantity
Tracks used: “Bleeding Muddy Waters”, “Royals”

Mark Lanegan’s track is my first test for bass quality, quantity and also any bass bleed. The track could be described as dark and a little brooding – but usually has nice contrast between deep drum beats and Marks deep throaty vocals. The first thing I noticed is that the impact just isn’t there – not the way it should be. Mark’s vocals are great – a little on the thin side but good texture and very clear. However the normal gloomy and ominous background beat is muted, and lacks any visceral impact. Enjoyable, but would not be my choice for this type of music.

Lorde’s track “Royals” is my sub-bass impact test – and the Titan 3actually reaches pretty low – but again the impact I’m used to isn’t there. The low rumble shows reasonable extension, and Ella’s vocals are sweet and crystal clear, but there just isn’t enough energy.

I can be a bit picky about bass, and generally don’t like signatures that are too warm. The Titan 3 is an interesting earphone in terms of bass. The bass that is there is quick, nimble, well textured – it’s just a little light (and for a lover of neutrality – that should be enough indication).

Female Vocals
Tracks used: “Aventine”, “Strong”, “For You”, “The Bad In Each Other”, “Howl”, “Safer”, “Light as a Feather”

When I tested the Titan 5 with female vocals I was very impressed, and considering Dunu had already stated that the Titan 3 was tuned for vocal presence, and female vocals in particular, I knew these were going to be special.
The Titan 3 is amazing with female vocals – very sweet, very euphonic, and very harmonic. Agnes Obel can be a little strident with other earphones, but the Titan 3 (for my tastes) is perfect for her vocal presentation. Again, the cello could be a little deeper, but there is nice contrast, and the vocals are captivating. I then moved on to London Grammar (big fan of Hannah’s vocals), and again the Titan 3 is utterly superb. Like the Titan 5 – with these tracks, the Titan 3 is as close to perfection as I’ve heard with my female vocalists.

With the other chosen tracks, the feeling was similar, and even better when the tracks were more acoustic based (Angus and Julia Stone’s “For You”), or had good orchestral backing. Where they missed just a little was with tracks with more dynamic bass (Feist and FaTM) – still thoroughly enjoyable, but my preference would be with the Titan 5 for those two tracks in particular.

The stand out track though was Gabrielle Cilmi’s “Safer”, and it really brought goose bumps with the sheer beauty of the vocal performance. Dunu said the Titan 3 was tuned for female vocal performance in particular, and their engineers really have nailed it.

Male Vocals
Tracks used: “Away From the Sun”, “Art for Art’s Sake”, “Broken Wings”, “Diary of Jayne”, “Hotel California”, “Keith Don’t Go”, “EWBTCIAST”

My first track when I’m testing is always 3 Door’s Down’s “Away From the Sun” – it has an almost rock anthem feel, and usually gives data on a variety of fronts – bass quality and impact, lower mid-range with Todd’s vocals, and upper mid-range with guitar crunch. Again male vocals are a little on the thin side, but I’m still enjoying the overall clarity, and there is enough contrast to still be very enjoyable. The difference though is the missing weight in the bass, which you don’t really notice until you apply some EQ. +4 bass on the E17K, and you suddenly realise how much better it can sound with rock tracks. After a few minutes with this setting, and then switching back to the default signature, and it really does emphasise how thin the lower mid-range is.

All in all though, if you’re listening to the Titan 3 exclusively, it is easy to get used to the slightly thinner presentation, and it doesn’t take long to acclimatise to the lighter bass. And when you are there it really does sound very good. The best tracks tended to be acoustic tracks like the Eagles “Hotel California” and Lofgren’s “Keith Don’t Go”. These tracks really shone.

The real test for me has always been Pearl Jam though – if Vedder works on any earphone, then it has a pass in my book. And the Titan 3 is very good with PJ, not exceptional, but very listenable. The detail on cymbals is captivating, Eddie’s vocals are clean and clear – but I’d personally prefer a little more bass. Repeating the track with +4 on the E17K’s bass again, and the very good becomes exceptional.

Other Genre Specific Notes
Again for tracks, albums, artists – please refer to this list: http://www.head-fi.org/a/brookos-test-tracks

Alt Rock – I was quite surprised with this one, as I’d thought that the lean signature may not suit, but the added detail does wonders for both Pink Floyd’s “Money” and Porcupine Tree’s “Trains”. I think what helps (especially with PT) is that Wilson doesn’t have a deep vocal range – so the Titan 3 really is able to compliment his singing style.

Jazz / Blues – Really good with Jazz and Portico Quartet is excellent – especially the quality of cymbal brushes and upper end detail. The sax is really outstanding too. The 2ns PQ track I’ve taken to testing with has Cornelia on vocals, and this track is just sublime with the Titan 3. It really showcases their strengths with vocals, clarity and detail presentation. Likewise Miles was really enjoyable, and if I could have anything it would be just a little more depth/contrast with the double bass (it sits just a little too much in the background for my liking). Switching to Bonamassa and blues guitar really does shine with the Titan 3, and in this case Joe’s vocals also blend perfectly. Big tick on both genres.

Hip-hop / EDM / Trance – For me, this was the weakest genre range with the Titan 3, and to be honest it isn’t what they were designed for. If you’re primarily looking for good bass impact, then you’ve bought the wrong earphones. The bass is still there with Eminem, and it still sounds good – but it should be visceral in intensity, and it’s not with the default tuning of the Titan 3. Little Dragon (Trip-Hop) is actually really good though (female vocals again), but again EQing a little additional bass in brings the Titan 3 from good to great for my tastes.

Pop / Indie – Pop wasn’t bad, although some of Adele’s recordings were a little bright (mastering isn’t that great on most of her albums anyway), and Coldplay had enough dynamism to be enjoyable. With Indie, some of the recording quality isn’t fantastic, and with Band of Horses there was a little too much mid-range emphasis, and a little too lean for my tastes. Wildlight’s “Dawn To Flight” was stunning though – and Ayla’s vocals unbelievably good. Again – the overall tuning for female vocals is brilliant.

Classical / Opera – Generally very good, especially full orchestral. Solo cello and some deeper piano pieces needed a little more depth, but overall very good.

AMPLIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

The Titan T3 is easily driven out of a smartphone or DAP, and on my iPhone 5S I’m sitting around 35-40%, and in the 30-40/120 range on the Fiio.

As per usual, I also volume matched and compared X3ii vs X3ii + E17K, and there was no discernible audible difference in dynamic presentation – so I think it is pretty safe to say that extra amping won’t be necessary. Based on the specs alone (16 ohm and 110dB SPL), straight out of the headphone-out of most sources should be more than enough.

RESPONSE TO EQ?

I’ve pretty much already covered this in the sections above, and the only area I personally think the Titan 3 is lacking is in the bass response. Applying a simple +4 bass on the Titan 3 transforms it while still leaving the excellent vocal range unaffected. To highlight this, I’ve measure the Titan 3’s response using the X3ii – default and with the added bass EQ applied. The differences are easy to spot.

COMPARISONS

I’ve measured all 3 Titans, and outlined my subjective thoughts on their tuning below. To perform the comparisons, I used a calibrated SPL meter, and matched each with a 1 kHz test tone, and then used a splitter plus volume attenuator so that I could fast switch and know that each was precisely volume matched.

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Titan series frequency comparisons	Titan 3 vs DN2000J	Subjective comparison equipment

Titan 3 vs Titan 1
This was an interesting comparison because where I thought the T5 and T1 sounded quite similar, the Titan 3 comparatively is a lot leaner and a lot brighter than the T1. Bass impact is a lot lighter overall with the Titan 3, and because of this it tends to sound quite peaky and bright when fast switching. Both have really good detail, and with female vocals I’d be happy with both earphones – they just present a little differently. The Titan 3 has the more forward vocals, and the more intimate presentation. The T1 has the wider sound-stage, but the cost of this is the increased leakage and slightly worse isolation. The T1 needs slightly more volume as well. Build is similar, but the Titan 3 does have the replaceable cables, and ability to swap earpieces and wear over-ear. Despite this though, if judging on default sonics, I personally prefer the more balanced signature of the T1 – although the T3 with EQ applied would surpass it.
Titan 3 vs Titan 5
This time with identical builds, fit, and very similar upper mid-range, the difference is really in the bass presentation, and balance. Comparatively the Titan 3 is a lot leaner, and although I’ve been listening to it for most of the night, after a few minutes of going back and forth, the impression is once again that the T5 is a lot more balanced and cohesive. The Titan 3 when compared sounds pretty bright. As you’ve probably guessed, I very much prefer the Titan 5 over the Titan 3.
Titan 3 vs DN2000J
I chose this comparison because although there is a big difference in price, the 2000J is also brilliant with vocals, and I was curious as to how the tonality would compare – a lot of people consider the 2000J to be well and truly on the bright side. When I first swapped (coming from the Titan3), I’d give the Titans the slight edge with female vocals, but the 2000J with overall tonality. The 2000J has a much richer and fuller overall mid-range presentation, and I guess some of this is the extra mid and sub bass. But overall The Titan 3 isn’t getting left behind on overall quality – and for a lot of people it will come down to preference. My preference would ultimately be for the 2000J for tonality and genre versatility, but the Titan 3 for overall comfort.

DUNU TITAN 3 - SUMMARY

The DUNU Titan 3, like most of the Dunu range, is characterised by almost impeccable build, and has several innovations that really highlight the thought Dunu’s engineers put into the overall design. The biggest physical innovations this time centre on the replaceable cable, and the ability to wear over-ear (thank you Dunu!).

Sonically the Titan 3 has been tuned specifically for vocal lovers, and for me it sounds absolutely stunning with female vocalists in particular. The Titan 3 shows reasonable extension in both the lows and highs, but is also characterised by relatively lean bass compared to both mid-range and treble. This lack of bass is not as apparent when the Titan 3 is listened to in isolation (as your main IEM), but becomes significantly more apparent when comparing to other relatively well balanced IEMs.

There is definitely an emphasis on the upper mid-range, and this does dominate over the lower mid-range a little (which is slightly recessed comparatively). For female vocals it (like the T5) is among the best I have heard, but the downside of this is that male vocals can be a little thin comparatively. The Titan 3 also excels with acoustic based music, and I really enjoyed it with Jazz in particular.

The Titan 3 will likely suit:

Fans of leaner bass presentation, and those who like more vocal presence
People who value clarity
Fans of a euphonic presentation of female vocals

The Titan 3 may not suit anyone who:

Requires very high isolation
Prefers a darker, warmer, smoother presentation, or is treble sensitive
Has a mainly male vocal oriented library, and likes deeper timbre and tone
Listens to bassier music, and values impact.

At a current RRP of USD 135, the Titan 3 represents really good value in my opinion, and the overall quality of build and sonics (for those who like its particular presentation) is a very high standard. My usual question I ask myself is would I buy these, and would I recommend them to friends or family. The answer this time is “it depends”. If I knew that they preferred a specific tonality (less bass and more vocal presence), then I’d recommend them without question. For me though, the Titan 5 will remain my favourite in the Titan family.

Once again I’d like to thank Vivian at DUNU for giving me this wonderful opportunity to review their Titan range.

RECOMMENDATIONS TO DUNU

Probably the only thing I can think of would be slightly more rigid stability fins, but that would be it. I do think that Dunu’s engineers nailed their brief with the Titan 3 – even though it is not necessarily my preferred signature.

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@Brooko

@Brooko Of course not, as an experienced reviewer I'm sure you would be aware if your tastes changed. I've just noticed a phenomenon by myself that if I solely use a bassy model, I get used to that level of lower end "by default" - idk if the same applies to anyone else, but I've always been careful since then.

This is the beauty of the reviewer business - if we all didn't have (slightly) different opinions about a product, then there wouldn't really be any point to hire more than one reviewer. I may have a different take on how mildly the T5's bass is raised, but in essence I think we've both reached more or less the same conclusion - it may be a star more or star less, but it's a fine line. Different ear tips also can make the difference we're hearing, as well as many other factors, so it's okay. I'm currently using the T5 more than the T3, but that's only because vocals are non-existant in my music collection right now. Good luck on your blog!

Lovely review Brooko. I personally never heard the Titan 3 as bass-lite, but can certainly see why people would hear them that way. Mids clearly take centre stage in most instances. Really wish I had more than a week to spend with both the T3 and T5.

Thanks - for me both are stars, but my preference lies more with T5 than T3. Others will differ. If I was to take my initial reaction from the first week of use - it would have been the T3. It is more immediately impressive with the vocal presentation. But over time and comparing with other IEMs in my collection - the T5 was consistently more aligned with my preferences. Definitely YMMV

For larger images (1200 x 800 - simply click the image)

INTRODUCTION

For many newcomers, choosing an amp or amp/DAC is a minefield given the many options and price points available now. Coupled with that is the many opinions tendered on what adding a new amp or amp/DAC can bring to the table in terms of clarity! details! soundstage! As I’ve gained a lot more experience, and (more importantly) tested more, I’ve come to realise that many of the differences I thought I’d previously heard are pretty subtle, and mostly occur because I wasn’t volume matching while comparing different amps or sources.

And that brings me to the product I’m reviewing today – Fiio’s E17K (Alpen 2) portable DAC and amplifier. I’ve now had the E17K for more than 6 months, and it has become my staple for testing (along with the X3ii DAP). From going to a guy who rarely used an add-on amplifier any more, I now use the E17K at least once every day. For the value and feature proposition it brings to the table, I’ve found it to be one of the finest products Fiio has ever released.

So if you’re looking for a portable DAC/amp, and/or one that can be used both portably and integrated into a desktop set-up, please sit back and come on a little journey with me. And let me introduce and tell you about the wonderful E17K.

ABOUT FIIO

By now, most Head-Fi members should know about the Fiio Electronics Company. If you don’t, here’s a very short summary.

Fiio was first founded in 2007. Their first offerings were some extremely low cost portable amplifiers – which were sometimes critiqued by some seasoned Head-Fiers as being low budget “toys”. But Fiio has spent a lot of time with the community here, and continued to listen to their potential buyers, adopt our ideas, and grow their product range. Today, their range includes DAPs, portable amps, portable dac/amps, desktop dac/amps, earphones, cables and other accessories.

Fiio’s products have followed a very simple formula since 2007 – affordable, stylish, well built, functional, measuring well, and most importantly sounding good.

DISCLAIMER

The E17K (Alpen 2) portable DAC and amplifier I’m reviewing today was sent as an evaluation (rather than review) sample to me by Fiio earlier in 2015. It was sent as an evaluation unit, and I was under no obligation to write this review – I am writing it because this particular product needs more recognition in my opinion. I am not affiliated to Fiio in any way, and this is my honest opinion of the E17K.

I have continued to use E17K and for follow up reviews, and I recently inquired if I could purchase the device from FiiO. They have insisted I keep the E17K for my own use. So I acknowledge now that the E17K I have is supplied and gifted completely free of any charge or obligation. I thank FiiO for their generosity.

PREAMBLE - 'ABOUT ME'.
(This is to give any readers a baseline for interpreting the review).

I'm a 48 year old music lover. I don't say audiophile – I just love my music. Over the last couple of years, I have slowly changed from cheaper listening set-ups to my current set-up. I vary my listening from portables (Fiio X5ii, X3ii, LP5 and iPhone 5S) to my desk-top's set-up (PC > USB > iFi iDSD). I also use a portable set-up at work – either X5ii/X3ii > HP, or PC > E17K > HP. My main full sized headphones at the time of writing are the Beyer T1, Sennheiser HD600, and AKG K553. Most of my portable listening is done with IEMs, and lately it has mainly been with the Dunu DN-2000J, Jays q-Jays, Alclair Curve2 and Adel U6. A full list of the gear I have owned (past and present is listed in my Head-Fi profile).

I have very eclectic music tastes listening to a variety from classical/opera and jazz, to grunge and general rock. I listen to a lot of blues, jazz, folk music, classic rock, indie and alternative rock. I am particularly fond of female vocals. I generally tend toward cans that are relatively neutral/balanced, but I do have a fondness for clarity, and suspect I might have slight ‘treble-head’ preferences. I am not treble sensitive (at all), and in the past have really enjoyed headphones like the K701, SR325i, and of course the T1 and DT880.

I have extensively tested myself (ABX) and I find aac256 or higher to be completely transparent. I do use exclusively redbook 16/44.1 if space is not an issue. All of my music is legally purchased (mostly CD – the rest FLAC purchased on-line).

I tend to be sceptical about audiophile ‘claims’, don’t generally believe in burn-in, have never heard a difference with different cables, and would rather test myself blind on perceived differences. I am not a ‘golden eared listener’. I suffer from mild tinnitus, and at 48, my hearing is less than perfect.

For the actual listening part of this review I used the E17K both with my X3ii, stand alone with PC and netbook (to test the DAC), and also docked to the new Fiio K5. This is a purely subjective review - my gear, my ears, and my experience. Please take it all with a grain of salt - especially if it does not match your own experience.

FURTHER NOTES

For the purposes of this review, I have (from this point) simply referred to the Alpen 2 E17K as “E17K”
Volume matching was done with a calibrated SPL meter and test tones (1 kHz) when required for comparison.
Frequency response measurements were taken using a relatively cheap Startech USB soundcard, which while measuring decently on loopback (0.012% THD and 0.024% THD+N) tends to be the limiting factor measuring THD, THD+N and IMD – as I seem to be limited by the Startech’s performance. So I am taking Fiio’s distortion published measurements as truth, and this time not measuring myself. When I did measure, they are below the threshold of audibility anyway.

WHAT I WOULD LOOK FOR IN A PORTABLE DAC/AMP

I thought I’d list (before I start with the review) what I would look for in a portable DAC/amp. This is useful to remember when looking at my reasoning for scoring later in the review.

Genuine portability
Good battery life
Clean, neutral signature
Easy to use
Low output impedance
Reasonable output power – should be able to drive IEMs and earphones up to 300 ohms
Good gain control
Hardware EQ if possible
Easy installation of DAC drivers and
Value for money

PORTABLE AMP/DACs I HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH

Previous = Fiio E7, Beyerdynamic A200p
Current = Fiio E17K, Q1, Cozoy Aegis, iFi Micro iDSD

THE REVIEW

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

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Retail package in profile	Front of retail box	Rear of retail box

The E17K arrived in Fiio’s retail packaging – a white, red and black box measuring 130 x 130 x 30mm. The front had a picture of the E11K, and the rear has some specs and other information in English and Chinese. Opening the outer retail box reveals an inner box with two compartments – one holding the E17K and carry pouch and the other has the accessories. The accessories include:

Soft cloth/neoprene carry case
1 x 3.5-3.5 mm interconnect cable (Fiio’s L8 mini to mini)
2 rubber stacking bands
A USB to micro-USB recharging cable
Coaxial connection adaptor
Spare screen protectors
Warranty and instructions

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Inside the retail case	E17K and accessories	Cables and Fiio bands

The entire package is very practical, covering everything you initially need for the E17K. A small note – and I’m not sure if this is a permanent change, or just my review unit – but instead of the usual inclusion of silicone feet, I received an 80 x 45mm thin silicone stacking pad. This is excellent for placing between source and E17K and eliminates any moving around or scratching/damage.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

The table below lists most of the relevant specifications for the E17K.

Output Impedance H/O	<1.1 ohm
Max Output Power @ 32 ohm	200 mW
SNR	>113 dB (AUX IN)
THD+N	0.003% (1 kHz)
Frequency Response	20 Hz-20 kHz
Gain	0 dB / 6 dB / 12 dB
Channel Imbalance	<0.5 dB
Max Output Current	115 mA
Max Output Voltage	7.8 Vp-p
Dimensions	104 x 62 x 13mm
Outer Material	Brushed Aluminium
Headphone Out	3.5 mm
Weight	110g
Battery Capacity / Life	1500 mAh / ~ 15 hours
Recharge Time	3½ hours

BUILD / DESIGN

The E17K is rectangular shaped with slightly bevelled edges, and well rounded corners. The main body is a two piece machined aluminium outer, and the fitting is practically seamless. On the front of the E17K are and on/off and/or back/exit button (left hand side) and an input button (for source input) on the right hand side. The left hand button glows blue when in use, and red when charging. There is also a monochrome (non-colour) 16 x 30mm screen for viewing functions (the viewing area looks bigger in the photos but this is just the surrounding glass).

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Side view - control wheel	Top view - input and output sockets	Bottom view - USB connection

On the left hand side is the digital volume control button (60 steps), and this also doubles as the menu selection and action button. Pushing in accesses the menu, scroll to select option, push to activate option, hit the front exit button to go back. Navigation is really easy. Scrolling has tactile feedback – one click is one selection or volume change. It really is a robust and easy to use system.

At the top of the unit are three sockets – from left-to-right is the headphone out, line-in/out, and coaxial in. All are 3.5mm sockets, and all are still nice and firm – even after more than 6 months heavy use.
At the bottom is the micro USB socket for charging, USB digital connection, and also docking with Fiio’s new K5 desktop amp + dock.

Overall the external build is faultless. It feels really good in the hand – solid and dependable, and has virtually no scratches after around 6 months of heavy use. It is also perfect for stacking – with its flat back – and as far as size goes is the same width as an iPhone 5S (approx. 2cm shorter than the iPhone), very slightly wider than the X1/X3ii (only a couple of mm), and approx ½ cm taller than both. Using Fiio’s HS12 stacking kit, it is an ideal companion to Fiio’s X3ii.

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Opposite side	Rear panel	E17K with X3ii using HS12 stacking kit

Internally, the E17K uses TI’s PCM5102 DAC chip which has impressive S/N ratio and low distortion measurements, but more importantly is quite linear and neutral sonically. Coupled with this is TI’s OPA1622 low-pass filter and OPA1642+LMH6643 in OP + BUF combo. This gives a maximum output power of 200 mW into 32 ohms.

For USB decoding, The E17K uses the SA9027 USB receiver supporting up to 96 kHz/32 bit via USB, and able to also support DSD decoding (using the separate ASIO driver and SACD plugin for Foobar2000). Via the coaxial digital input, the E17K can decode up to 192 kHz/24 bit PCM input.

HEAT AND POWER

So far I’ve noticed no heat build-up at all with the E17K. Even after hours (driving my HD600s), it’s still cool to touch.

Fiio rates the target headphone impedance as 16-150 ohm, and I think that maybe a lot of people see this and automatically assume this little unit can’t drive a headphone like the HD600 (300 ohm properly). But Fiio in the past have been notoriously conservative with their published data (a great trait in my opinion), and the E17K is no slug in the power department.


X3ii + E17K makes a wonderful stacked unit	Some of the pairings tested from 320 ohm Zen original to 8 ohm DN2000J

The reality is that using my X3ii as source, and line-out to the E17K feeding the HD600, on low gain (0 dB), at 30/60 volume the HD600 sounds simply sublime – full bodied, well driven, and with plenty of volume headroom left on the digital pot (plus gain if I wanted to use it). I tested this fast switching with my iDSD after volume matching, and there was very little (if any) change to dynamics – quite a feat from a sub $150 DAC/amplifier. With the 600 ohm Beyer T1 it is a slightly different story though – comparatively the E17K still achieves more than enough volume – at between 30-35/60 on the pot, and actually sounds wonderful in isolation – but the iDSD pulls away when switching with slightly more separation and depth. Would I use the E17K with the T1 if it was all I had – definitely – and I would enjoy it immensely.

On the reverse side, with very sensitive IEMs (and this is testament to the true versatility of the E17K), with the 8 ohm 102 dB SPL DUNU DN2000J, 18-20 on the digital pot is ideal, and there is room to go lower if desired.

So you can see that the E17K has a heap of power on tap – far more than its recommended 16-150 ohm headphone range belies.

FEATURES / USEABILITY

As I said earlier the E17K couldn’t be much simpler to learn to use. As an amplifier, simply plug your source into one socket, headphones into the other, press play on the source, and adjust the volume on the E17K to suit. The E17K has a reasonably low output impedance (<1.1 ohm) so it should suit even the most sensitive earphones. A note on this while I’m thinking about it – I detected no hiss even with the 2000J at normal listening levels, but take this with a grain of salt, because I know that my tinnitus can mask very faint hiss, so I am less sensitive to it than others.

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Input options - include AUX, USB and COAX	Menu showing bass, treble and balance controls	Example of setting the tone controls

The main menu gives you options for:

Treble / Bass controls – more on that below
Balance L/R
Gain
USB charge (turn on or off)
Sleep mode
Volume settings (max and default)
System Info (fw & reset to default)
Display time-out

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More menu items - including setting gain and sleep	Menu choices for volume and access to system info	The gain application screen

Gain
I mentioned the gain earlier, and Fiio’s stated 0dB / +6dB / +12dB specification is spot-on (measured using loopback). It’s pleasing to see a decent top end gain utilised which makes it quite practical. Gain does exactly what it says – simply raising the volume by a set amount. And the E17K has a black enough background that raising the gain does not seem to be noticeably raising the noise floor until at very high volumes. To check this, I used my wife’s super sensitive hearing (she can hear a cat walking on carpet from 10 meters away!). I used the DN2000J again, set gain to +12dB and had her listen to silence while slowly raising the volume. Up to around 40/60 on the pot was dead quiet – beyond that the noise floor was audible to her. But remember, with music playing at +12dB gain and 40/60 volume – hissing would be the last of your problems (it would be deafening). So good job Fiio – nice clean background.

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Gain measurements	+10 to -10 bass and its effects	+10 to -10 treble and its effects

Tone Controls – Bass / Treble
Instead of an EQ or bass boost function, the E17K comes with tone controls. I use EQ quite a lot to correct any imperfections, so I wasn’t sure if I would even use these settings, preferring to use a proper EQ for fine tuning. How wrong I was. This is probably the feature I like best on the E17K. Again using loopback and the ARTA software, I measured the E17K’s bass and treble controls which on my unit showed bass +/- range of around 14 dB in each direction. Treble was just a shade over -10 dB and + 10dB. What this gives is a brilliant and quick tool for making minor changes to suit your listening preferences.

I love my Adel U6 IEMs, but I find them a little flat in the upper mid-range for my tastes – especially when listening to female vocalists. Everything else about the signature is perfect – I just want to tweak the upper end. Applying a simply +4 on the treble gets me perfect sound. And it is so easy to apply and remove. Brilliant! Have a bass heavy headphone that you’d like to correct – dial the bass down a bit. Or if you are looking for a little more bass – just adjust accordingly. Dunu’s new T3 is a classic example – great mid-range, but lacking in fullness and bottom end. Adding +6dB to the bass transforms the T3 and completes it for me. A ten second job, and for those who don’t generally like using EQ – very easy.


Before and after - Fidue A73	Before and after Alclair Curve (original)

To give you a final idea of the overall effect using both bass and treble controls, I’ve shown the effect on Fidue’s A73 and Alclair’s original Curve – both good earphones that for me fell short of greatness. For my personal tastes the A73 exhibits quite sharp sibilance at 7-8 kHz, vocals are a little too forward, and I find the bass just a little strong (please note that this is just my preference at play). Applying -4 dB bass and -2 dB treble transforms the headphones for me – lowers the bass to allow the mid-range to shine more, and tames the sibilance down to a better level. The original Curve was simply too bass heavy, and I’d have liked just a little more in the upper mid-range and lower treble. Applying -4 dB bass and + 4 dB treble, and again – a very different sounding earphone – and very easy to accomplish.

DSD playback (a note)
I did finally get this working – using Foobar 2000 and Fiio’s instructions. It requires use of some plugins, and just following steps. It isn’t exactly easy or straightforward – and after I’d done it, it clashed with my iFi driver and set-up (requiring reinstallation of those drivers and set-up). So DSD playback will work – but for me this was just something to test. Performance was Ok – but then again to me there is no real advantage going DSD over PCM. Again YMMV.

As a DAC
Usage as a DAC couldn't be easier. No additional drivers needed. Windows simply installs a generic driver, recognises the capabilities of the DAC, and configures accordingly. This makes it an ideal device if you want to use the E17K with your work PC (they lock ours down so we can't add 3rd party drivers). And the best part of the DAC configuration is that while I can go all the way up to 24/96 via USB (24/192 via coaxial), I also have access to 32 bit rates - and 32/48 is what Darin Fong's Out Of Your Head DSP suite requires for use (so it is perfect for my mivie watching and gaming set-up). I also tried the E17K briefly with Linux (Debian) and it was immediately recognised with full functionality.

BATTERY LIFE
Fiio rates the play time on a full charge at around 15 hours, recharge at around 3½ hours, and for my use I’d suggest that time is pretty accurate.

The other feature I haven’t mentioned is the effect on battery life with the X3ii when using the E17K with it. Normally I’ll get around 10-11 hours with the X3ii by itself. Introducing the E17K extends that to around 15 hours – just simply by taking the load off the X3ii’s amplifier. Nowadays it is rare when I don’t use the X3ii either with the E17K or E11K for this reason alone.

SONIC PERFORMANCE

Preface
I’m going to preface this section with a little critique I received a while ago (by PM), and my answer to it – so that you can understand why I don’t comment on some things, and why I do comment on others. I was told my review on another amp was poor because I didn’t include sections on bass, mid-range, treble, sound-stage, imaging etc – yet referred to an amp as warm, full, or lean.

Now I can understand the reference to warm / full / lean – as they are very subjective terms, and whilst I’d like to avoid their use, they are invaluable to convey true meaning. Comparing my NFB-12 to the Aune X1S for example – the Audio-gd does sound richer and warmer. It’s the nature of the DAC which is used.

But I choose not to comment on bass, mids, treble, and most definitely not sound-stage – simply because when we are talking about an amp – they shouldn’t be discussed. An amp’s job is to amplify the signal with as low distortion as possible, and output as linear signal as possible. If it is doing its job properly, there is no effect on bass, mids, or treble. And IME an amp does not affect soundstage (unless there is DSP or crossfeed in play) – that is solely the realm of the transducers and the actual recording.

So we have that out of the way how does the E17K perform sonically – as a separate DAC and as a DAC/amp combo?

Performance
The first thing I did was to check the linearity of the E17K. To do this I used a calibrated sound card (calibrated to measure completely flat), ARTA and a loopback. At first glance (and audibly to we mere humans) the E17K measures very flat – practically linear, with a small drop off at both ends. Expanding this (and my equipment won’t be as accurate as Fiio’s) there is a shallow drop off from about 100 Hz down on my unit and a small bump and drop away in the extreme upper treble. Not linear I hear you scream – well actually yes it is in terms of audibility. We’re talking deviation of 0.1-0.2 dB at most, and that is at the extremes of the spectrum where our hearing is least sensitive. So for all intents and purposes the E17k measures and sounds very linear (wire with gain). So what you are getting is an amazingly neutral amplification not adding or taking away anything.


Linearity of the E17K - frequency response	Close up of the same signal

I’ve stopped measuring distortion (THD / IMD) as I need better measuring equipment to get to the levels Fiio is able to measure. Knowing their penchant for not overstating things – and looking at the specs for the chips used, I think we can trust the published distortion measurements

So what does this tell us? Simply that the E17K supplies very linear, and very clean output. Purely subjectively, it sounds very neutral – no added warmth or brightness I can discern.

COMPARISONS

For this section I chose to to compare Fiio's own Q1 as a similar but cheaper option, and the iFi Micro iDSD as a much more expensive alternative. The E17K currently is listed on Amazon at USD 124.00, the Q1 at $70, and $499

E17K (USD $124) vs Q1 (USD $70)
Both the Q1 and E17K use the same DAC (PCM 5102) and the main difference is in feature set and amplifier sections. Side by side and volume matched, I actually find very little difference between the two sonically – they both sound fantastic. Quite linear to my ears with no real added warmth or other tonality – just crystal clear music.

The Q1 is very slightly smaller and very slightly lighter (10g). Measurements (SNR / distortion) are very similar and power output is also very close with the E17K having he slight edge. The Q1 brings an analogue volume pot compared to the E17K digital control, and also boasts a quite amazing 30 hour battery life (double that of the E17K).

Instead of the tone controls, the Q1 has a single bass boost switch, no balance controls, no digital input options (other than USB), two stage gain switch, and lower resolution in terms of maximum bit depth and sample rate.
I also have the K5 docking station and desktop amp with me at the moment, and while the E17K (and X3ii, X5ii, X1) dock perfectly, the Q1 appears to get no signal (different pin outs?).

Both units sound astounding for the price – and really this is simply a question of which features are more important to you, and what price you’re prepared to pay. For me personally I’m prepared to sacrifice a little battery life for the added features and versatility. YMMV with your own personal tastes.


Comparing the E17K with Fiio's Q1 and the iFi Micro iDSD	Portability will be subjective to the users expectations

E17K (USD $124) vs iFi Micro iDSD (USD $499)
I’ll get this out of the way first up. I love my iDSD – it is a fantastic piece of equipment with massive versatility in power output, and a very good DAC in the Burr Brown. To compare the two is not a fair comparison – but valid for those who may be considering a big step-up.

Sonically the E17K does not have the power output to drive harder to power cans (and it wasn’t built for that either). The iDSD is noticeably clearer, cleaner, has more resolution, and has the ability to play more formats natively. But the sonic differences (for me anyway) aren’t “night and day”. Both units sound very, very good, and even after listening to the iDSD for a few hours and then switching to the E17K, I am not left thinking this sounds “off” or lower quality,. Again – both units sound fantastic.

The E17K is a lot more portable, and has more features in terms of digital controls. The iDSD has much more power and much better control of gain setting combos.

For me the iDSD is already end game for my desk-top set-up. I am not looking further, and even retired my LD MKIV. However if you take the E17K and add the new Fiio K5 you have a very nice desktop set-up which can double for keeping portability to the fore as well (charging etc). For those on a budget – the E17K is a compelling choice.

SHORT NOTE - GAMING

do all my gaming using Darin Fong’s low latency OOYH software for Windows 10. It is fantastic, bringing brilliant surround sound to my gaming, and since I’ve been using it, I gave away my old sound blaster gaming card to my son. T he software really is that good for immersion and directional queues. But the software requires at set 32/48 depth and sample rate – something the Q doesn’t do, but the iDSD does perfectly. So does the E17K, and so for the last few weeks the iDSD has sat idle while I’ve put the K5 through its paces as a desktop set-up. Using the E17K with the E17K and OOYH has been a wonderful experience – so for games on a budget – I thoroughly recommend the combination.

VALUE & CONCLUSION

I’ve now had the E17K for over 6 months, and as I slowly started using it more and more, it has become an indispensable part of my portable rig. How indispensable Brooko? Well I stupidly dropped it yesterday with a USB cord intact (it slipped, my fault and a freak one-off accident that happened over a very hard surface, and unfortunately the angle of the fall seems to have sheered something in the USB port). Without question, I’ve immediately set in motion the purchase of a new unit. I have other DAC/amps and DAPs with DAC functions that could substitute – but really they can’t. And that is a hint at the true value of the E17K – once you get used to the feature set, and combine it with the excellent sonics, it becomes an indispensable component. I simply do not want any other unit – I want my E17K.

The E17K brings very good size, weight, power, and sonics together in a very budget friendly package. As a stand-alone portable amp (forgetting the DAC function) you have a fully featured amplifier with true versatility, and definitely worth the current asking price.

Add in the excellent DAC, connectivity options and the E17K becomes a steal at the price. If I went back to my original list, the E17K ticks every box on my list, and if adding the K5 desktop amplifier/dock – may well be end game for many people.


E17K docked to the new K5	X3ii, E17K and Adel U6 - wonderful combo!

All in all, I would recommend the E17K to both audio starters and the even the more experienced without question. For what it delivers, it is incredible value for money. Like the HD600, it is another piece of audio gear I simply cannot imagine being without.

Congratulations Fiio – this is simply one of the best devices you have ever released. Thanks again to the Fiio team for the chance to write about your products. This is one of the few devices I wouldn't change at all.

I just have it at full line-out (non-adjustable). Use the E17K for all your volume and EQ tweaks. Will be interesting to see how you like it. You obviously can't get into a lot of fine tuning, but as a quick and easy tweak, I love it.

Well what can I say about this. The sound is excellent, I cannot get away with how going from the E17K headphone output, unplugging the L17 lineout cable and listening to the X3 II on the same song can sound so different, I had the EQ set to flat on the X3 II and Gain to Low, so changed them back to my USER setting and Gain to High and it still sounded flat compared to 0 gain and some base and treble on the E17K.

I am not really a fan of the stacking I have to admit, I bought the HS12 and I have a silicone rectangle between them at the moment, I assume thats what they are for, rather than the stick on feet which are also prt of the kit, but it does move about when you have to push buttons and since they are different sizes it does feel a bit homemade. It would be nice to maybe have a double sided case with access to both sides but this would probably end up being quite a bulky item.

I also see they have changed the lineout cable available with the E17K to a smaller item, I have not tried that to see the sound difference as I bought the L17 and would be sad if it sounded the same.

Outstanding review @brooko, based on your assessments and clear logical reasons I received mine today, and am truly impressed. I've got a very ordinary android phone, and with this e17k it truly sounds better than my aging, needs replacing, iPod. I looked at DAPs but figured this would be more flexible, and am seriously impressed by the sound quality. Just hoping this isn't the beginning of a slippery slope, finding out what a small investment can yield in sonic rewards. Nice one.

For larger (1200 x 800) views, click any image

INTRODUCTION

I’ve spent a little time with Lee from Venture Electronics over the last few months, emailing backwards and forwards, and really getting coming to understand who VE is and what their philosophy is. But first let’s step back a little and look at how I came to be reviewing the Zen V2 today.

I’d heard a little about the VE Zen previously on the forums, and it had been one to pique my interest – especially when I read the initial reviews. So when my friend Tamal (RedJohn456) contacted me with an introduction to Lee (zhibili06), I was very appreciative that Lee generously offered to send me not only the Zen, but also the Monk, Duke and Runabout amp.

I’ve reviewed the original Zen and Runabout, and still have the Monks to do. The Duke will need to wait as unfortunately my pair was confirmed to be part of an early defective run. Hopefully I’ll still get to hear a proper pair at some stage.

When Lee announced he was working on the Zen V2, he contacted me directly, sent me a pair, and I’ve had them now for a little over 7 weeks. Although I’m not a believer in burn-in, I know Lee is, so I’ve even been faithfully “putting hours” on them. For the record – I’ve noticed no change.

So I just want to thank Tamal for the original hook-up, and Lee for not only this opportunity, but also his time with me talking about what VE does and why.

ABOUT VENTURE ELECTRONICS

Venture Electronics (or VE) is a 3 year old audio company based in Shenyang, Liaoning in the Peoples Republic of China. I was able to ask Lee a little about the company, and he has been very open and approachable – something I love to see when dealing with a manufacturer. It really shows a lot about a company when they show pride in their own achievements, and are so open about sharing information with their customer base.
VE is relatively small (for now) with 5 employees, and currently have a very small product line (Zen, Asura and Monk earbuds, Duke IEM and Runabout amp). There are some amazing things coming though (which I can’t talk about), and it would be fair to say that given VE’s track record, 2016 could be quite an exciting time for this small company.

I asked Lee about their core business, and he said they were primarily an internet company, and had developed more products than were currently on offer, but for now their current product range covered enough to cater for immediate development. Their goal long term is “to have the best budget and hi-end gear”, and it was refreshing to see some frank and honest comments in reply to some of my inquiries. I’m going to quote one of Lee’s replies, because it really does add to my impression of VE as a company.

“We see our fans, not just as moving wallets. I see our budget gear (like the monk) as a walking ad for our brand, among our online community (people who love earphones, because they mainly they love the ART the earphones can deliver, like gaming, movie, anime and stuff. We believe the Zen is the best earbud in the world, and as we can sell the monk for cheap then it might go viral and get more attention to the other products. We believe to be the best hi-fi company, we need to have the best of the best gears, not only budget ones. If we only do budget, people will have a false image of us not being serious enough, so the idea is very simple”

And to close, I asked Lee about VE’s mission statement or values statement, and the answer I received made perfect sense – “keeping it real”. As I’ve furthered my correspondence with him – I can reassure anyone reading that this is a value very much in evidence.

DISCLAIMER

I was provided the VE Zen V2 as a review unit. I have no other association or affiliation with VE. I do not make any financial gain from this review – it is has been written simply as my way of providing feedback both to the Head-Fi community and also VE themselves.

I have now had the VE Zen V2 since early November (so a little over 7 weeks). Normal RRP is USD 148.00.

PREAMBLE - 'ABOUT ME'. (or a base-line for interpreting my thoughts and bias)

I'm a 48 year old music lover. I don't say audiophile – I just love my music. Over the last couple of years, I have slowly changed from cheaper listening set-ups to my current set-up. I vary my listening from portables (Fiio X5ii, X3ii, LP5 and iPhone 5S) to my desk-top's set-up (PC > USB > iFi iDSD). I also use a portable set-up at work – either X5ii/X3ii > HP, or PC > E17K > HP. My main full sized headphones at the time of writing are the Beyer T1, Sennheiser HD600, and AKG K553. Most of my portable listening is done with IEMs, and lately it has mainly been with the Dunu DN-2000J, Jays q-Jays, Alclair Curve2 and Adel U6. A full list of the gear I have owned (past and present is listed in my Head-Fi profile).

I have very eclectic music tastes listening to a variety from classical/opera and jazz, to grunge and general rock. I listen to a lot of blues, jazz, folk music, classic rock, indie and alternative rock. I am particularly fond of female vocals. I generally tend toward cans that are relatively neutral/balanced, but I do have a fondness for clarity, and suspect I might have slight ‘treble-head’ preferences. I am not treble sensitive (at all), and in the past have really enjoyed headphones like the K701, SR325i, and of course the T1 and DT880.

I have extensively tested myself (abx) and I find aac256 or higher to be completely transparent. I do use exclusively redbook 16/44.1 if space is not an issue. All of my music is legally purchased (mostly CD – the rest FLAC purchased on-line).

I tend to be sceptical about audiophile ‘claims’, don’t generally believe in burn-in, have never heard a difference with different cables, and would rather test myself blind on perceived differences. I am not a ‘golden eared listener’. I suffer from mild tinnitus, and at 48, my hearing is less than perfect.

Over the last couple of months – I’ve used the VE Zen V2 from a variety of sources, but for main body of this review, I’ve used it primarily with my Fiio X3ii combined with the E11K amp, and also the Luxury & Precision L5 Pro.. In the time I have spent with the Zen V2, I have noticed no change in the overall sonic presentation. Listening time with the Zen V2 now would be around 30 -40 hours, and they’ve also had at least another 3 x 24 hour stints of additional time.

This is a purely subjective review - my gear, my ears, and my experience. Please take it all with a grain of salt - especially if it does not match your own experience.

THE REVIEW

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

The Zen V2 arrived in a courier bag – so no retail packaging. Lee told me that VE are working on new packaging for the Zen V2, and that it won’t be in the original white box used for the original Zen. As far as accessories go, buyers of the Zen V2 will receive:


Zen V2 package contents - Zen V2 + Monk + covers + mini pelican case	Zen V2 inside the well cushioned pelican case

A free “Monk” earphone
Foam covers
2 sets of earhooks (small and large)
A shirt clip
Small pelican style case


Lee advised that this image shows the full accessories	Close up of the two types of covers

The pelican case is not exactly pants pocket friendly, but it is solid, has great interior padding, and as long as you correctly wrap the Zen V2 cable, it is an ideal size for storage.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
(From VE)

Type	Open dynamic earbud
Driver	Dynamic, 15.4mm
Frequency Range	15 Hz – 23.5 Khz
Impedance	320 ohm
Sensitivity	108dB (1mW)
Plug	3.5mm gold plated, straight jack
Cable	1.2m, TPE outer coat, 256 x 0.04 4n ofc copper
Weight	Approx 14g
IEM Shell	Polycarbonate / hard plastic

FREQUENCY GRAPH

The graph below is generated by a new measuring system I’m trialling – using the Vibro Veritas and ARTA software. I don’t have the calibration for the microphone 100% correct yet – but the graphs I am getting are relatively close to Innerfidelity’s raw data (on other earphones we both share), and I think are “close enough” to get a reasonable idea of the frequency response for the Zen. Over time I am hoping to build a pre-set compensation curve so that I can get the graphs more consistent with Tyll’s curves.


Zen V2 frequency graph (L/R) - no covers	Zen V2 CSD - no covers

The frequency response graph was created with no covers, and the body pressed lightly to the coupler to simulate a normal fitting. Further in the review I’ve added comparisons to the Monk and original Zen – as well as taking measurements with covers on and off.

What I’m hearing:

Full, clean and quick bass, a little more mid-bass than sub-bass, but with good balance for an earbud.
Clean and very clear mid-range, good vocal clarity
Slight lift in upper mid-range which lends particularly well to harmonics with female vocalists
Detailed but smooth treble
Very good overall balance, and quite open sounding.

And one more note – this time on channel balance – it is pretty amazing (see graph). Lee also told me that one other thing they switched (different from the original Zen) was their OEM factory. He’s very happy with the consistency of the results, and you can see why when looking at the care taken with driver matching.

BUILD QUALITY / DESIGN

When I first reviewed the original Zen, I commented that you could be forgiven for thinking “generic $10 earbuds” at first sight. This definitely isn’t the case with the new Zen V2. Gone is the generic looking white plastic, and this time you get a “smoky” clear polycarbonate shell so you can actually see the internals. It is amazing how much a small change in shell can convey the image of a much higher quality product.


Rear bass port runs along the length of the Zen V2	From the side, and nice look at the internals

The shell this time is ever so slightly smaller than the original Zen, but still very close to 16mm in diameter. The pattern of ports is same / similar to the original Zen (two circular rows totally 56) close to the outer edge of the main face. The rear of the earbud is ported on two opposite sides (two small and a single larger port), and there is also a rear port running parallel to, and along the full length of the cable exit. Like its predecessor, the Zen V2 has a quality of bass unlike I’ve heard on any other earbud, and again it is the combination of tuning and porting design which is able to achieve this.


Closer look at the internals and outer ports	Front face and porting pattern

The entire earbud is approximately 33mm long from the top of the outer face to tip where the cable exits. There is no strain relief from the cable exit, but given the quality of the cable, and the fact that the cable is internally secured, and also that it will be primarily worn down, this will not be an issue.

Lee has confirmed that the driver on the new Zen V2 is very different from the original, and has not only been retuned, but also paired with better magnets to increase the sensitivity.


Note the knotted cable ensuring no stress on solder joints	Cable internals - image courtesy of Lee from VE

The cable is very pure copper (256 x 0.04 4n ofc) with a clear TPC outer jacket and each channel is separate and in side by side configuration – ideal if anyone wants to reterminate to balanced. The cable is more flexible than the original Zen, and once again has extremely low microphonics. Because of the cable internal weave, it manifests in a really attractive red colour, which when combined with the black of the jack and y-split, and the slightly smoky clear shell, really does look like a much higher class of earbud.

The Y split is pretty small, made of flexible rubber, and has no relief (but again none is needed). There is no cinch. The jack this time right angled (a great choice Lee!), 3.5mm, gold plated, and has excellent strain relief. The jack is also smartphone case friendly, easily fitting my iPhone 5S with case intact.


Right angled Jack - a great choice!	The simple but effective Y split - cable would be very easy to reterminate to balanced.

So the Zen V2 indeed looks a lot better than the original Zen, is slightly more petite, and has a much nicer and more manageable cable. The only critique I would have is that the L/R markings on the earpiece stems are very hard to see. Red or silver print would help a lot. They are very slightly raised though, so if your fingers are sensitive enough, you can tell the markings that way.

FIT / COMFORT

Since I got the original Zen (and Monk), I’ve been using earbuds a lot more, so I knew fit and comfort were going to be pretty good. But when they first arrived, I naturally assumed that I’d need to use covers for optimum fit and sound. Big mistake. The Zen V2 is designed to be used with no covers. I’ve discussed this at length with Lee, and he’s confirmed that no-one in his team uses covers (or hooks, or other adornments). I’ll get to the sonics shortly but using covers (or indeed ear stability hooks) simply created a seal which hadn’t been allowed for in the tuning, and drastically increased bass response, and also forced the mid-range a long way forward. They became completely unbalanced – and for me anyway – not really pleasant to listen to.


Zen 2 with covers - but not good sonically IMO	Even the doughnuts change the sound too much

But worn “au natural”, the sonics are brilliant, and the fit is comfortable, light, and seems to be reasonably secure (YMMV).

The one thing I did notice when trying to get the Dunu stabilisers to work (besides the sonic change) was that they seemed to force an angle on the earbuds which was foreign to the natural angle I usually achieve. So I think I’d now modify my stance on the use of stabilisers – even with the original Zen. Each of us is going to be different, and trying to lock in a position may not be the smartest move with different physiology.


Dunu stabilisers fitted	They aid stability, but affect sonics (adversely IMO)

The slight changes in overall size between the Zen V2 and original Zen work pretty well for me – but may not for everyone. If you are they type who needs to wear covers for comfort, I would still give the V2 a try naked (the earbuds, not you, but I’ll let you make the call on that), but ultimately the original Zen may be more to your preference.

As far as isolation goes – it is an earbud – so any isolation is minimal.

So for me extremely comfortable, but does need slightly more adjustment to get an optimal fit.

POWER REQUIREMENTS

I was a little outspoken about the original Zen earbuds when it came to power, as although they are 320 ohm, I didn’t think they were overly difficult to drive. They sounded every bit as good out of most of my sources – even unamped. So what has changed with the Zen V2?

Impedance has remained at 320 ohms, but the biggest change is in sensitivity. V2 is slightly more sensitive at 108 dB @ 1mW, compared to the original Zen at 106 dB @ 1mW. Measured with an SPL meter and 1 kHz tone, this equated to around 8-9 dB difference with the same tone on the same calibrated meter.

So what it means is that if both earphones are compared (with no covers), the Zen V2 will sound louder with less power. I’m still ion the camp that the Zen V2 doesn’t absolutely need an amp to shine, and in my personal comparisons, adding additional amping (once properly volume matched) doesn’t somehow transform them further. For me they seem to sound fantastic out of virtually every source I try – and that includes my iPhone 5S.
Like I did with the original Zen – I armed myself with my trusty SPL meter, set all of my DAPs and DAP/amps as close as possible to being level matched within 0.2 dB (not easy with an earbud), and then played the same track through each piece of equipment. Here is what I found – the track used was Dire Straits “Sultans of Swing” – which I use often to test for dynamics and detail.

Fiio X3ii – 55/120 low gain. Plenty of dynamics, good bass response, does not sound anaemic in any way.
Fiio X3ii + line-out to the E17K (0 gain, 21/60 on pot). No significant change from X3ii solo. If anything the sound might have been marginally smoother – or this may have been placebo. They were pretty close anyway
Fiio X3ii + line-out to the E11K (low gain, approx. 2.3/9 on pot). No significant change from X3ii solo.
Fiio X3ii + line-out to the VE Runabout (low gain, approx. 15% of the pot used). No significant change from X3ii solo. The Runabout is a very clean source though. I didn’t notice this as much with the original Zen, but A/Bing between X3ii and X3ii + Runabout with the Zen V2 may be revealing a little added clarity (or it could be that the Runabout may be a little more neutral or even a bit brighter than the Fiio).
Fiio X5ii – low gain, 57/120. Plenty of dynamics, good bass response, good detail. Slightly more vivid than the X3ii.
iPhone 5S – approx. 8 (50%) clicks of volume. Again plenty of dynamics, good bass response and detail level. Flicking between X3ii, X5ii and iPhone 5S, and I can’t help but rank them X5ii > X3ii > iPhone 5S (purely on sonics). Zen V2 sounds great on all three though.
L&P L5 Pro – medium gain approx. 38/60 volume. Continues to be one of the best sounding sources I have at my disposal. Comparatively the X3ii sounds slightly flat.
Fiio M3 (tiny $55 DAP) – 23/60 volume. Actually sounds stunningly good and proof that cost is not necessarily an indicator of overall quality. Doesn’t have the overall resolution of some of the other DAPs, but has a great tonality which complements the Zen V2 very well.

As far as source goes, the Zen V2 is going to sound not just “good” but actually pretty stunning out of almost any source you throw at it. And for me that is a huge advantage.

SOUND QUALITY
The following is what I hear from the VE Zen V2. YMMV – and probably will – as my tastes are likely different to yours (read the preamble I gave earlier for a baseline). I decided to have a little change from my usual testing, and this time, because the Zen V2 is VE’s flagship, and because impedance was never going to be an issue, I chose to use Luxury & precisions L5 Pro as a source.

I used no covers or earhooks or other adornments – as I said earlier, I think they degrade the sound instead of helping it.

Tracks used were across a variety of genres – and most can be viewed in this list http://www.head-fi.org/a/brookos-test-tracks (I probably need to update it)

Thoughts on Default Signature
I’ve covered this in the frequency response section, but if I was to use some other descriptors, I’d choose clear, natural, detailed, and engaging. Where the original Zen reminded me a lot of the HD650 with its slightly warm and smooth (but still very detailed) signature (used with foam covers), the Zen V2 naked reminds me a little more of the Beyer T1 on a good amp. It is a little brighter, a little more vivid, and a little more spacious.

While I was writing this, I was using Don Henleys “Best of Album”, and going back and forth between the Zen V2 + L5 Pro and T1 + LP5 combos. The T1 combo is more vivid / brighter, and a little more open – but the Zen V2 doesn’t fall behind at all, and that is no mean feat going up against what I consider to be an outstanding world class dynamic headphone.

What I am really amazed at though is the tonality and overall quality of the bass –especially given that the Zen V2 has no covers, and is an earbud! What Lee and his team have done with these drivers is nothing short of outstanding.

Overall Detail / Clarity
Tracks used: Hey Nineteen, Sultans of Swing

The first noticeable thing with both tracks is that the bass is there but in perfect balance to the rest of the track. For my tastes you can’t get a much more perfect mix. There is a slight mid-bass bump, for a natural sounding bass back-beat, but no bleed, and it allows the rest of the mix to flourish. All of Steely Dan’s glorious high quality details come though – and this is especially so with high hats and cymbal flourishes. With Sultans, again it is the natural balance that shines. Knopfler’s vocals are rich and full, and the guitar still has bite. Incredibly detailed, but not at all harsh or sharp. In a word – wonderful.

Sound-stage & Imaging
Tracks used: Tundra, Dante’s Prayer, Let it Rain

The binaural track Tundra is one I use to gauge width, depth and imaging – and the Zen V2 is phenomenal with this track. The biggest thing to strike me was the sense of depth with the Zen V2 – there was a really good sense of how far away the drums were, and how much further the violin. Actual width was good – projecting outside the imaginary sphere of my head, and again I am struck by how much the Zen V2 sound like good open headphones. Imaging is pin-point and very clear.

With Dante’s Prayer the Zen V2 was a little more intimate (but that is the recording rather than any fault with the earphone). Tonally the performance was brilliant – McKennitt’s vocals captivating, and the cello and piano constantly weaving a tapestry that sounded completely natural. I use the applause in this live version as an indicator of immersion and realism – the HD600 on the same track (with my eyes closed) actually puts me in the audience. With the Zen V2, I am definitely there, and it is utterly convincing.

Next was Amanda Marshall’s holographic track Let It Rain, and I use this as a test for both vocal sibilance (there is quite a bit in the recording) and also for testing spatial ability. The Zen V2 delivers a beautiful presentation – really open sounding. The detail is brilliant, yet the sibilance is present but not highlighted. I’m really enjoying this tuning.

Bass Quality and Quantity
Tracks used: Bleeding Muddy Water, Royals, You Know I’m No Good

Bleeding Muddy Waters is my test for bass texture and mid-bass bleed. It’s a dark broody track with a lot of texture in Mark’s vocals, and can be quite visceral in its intensity with some transducers. The Zen V2 shows clean, tight and clear mid-bass, and possibly just a little lacking in low-bass (the visceral impact isn’t quite there), but I’m enjoying this presentation very much. A lot different than the original Zen – but both have their merits, and individual preference will dictate which one appeals.

Up next was my sub-bass test (Lorde’s Royals) – and this time the Zen V2 is noticeably lighter. The sub-bass is there but very subdued. Ella’s vocals are brilliant – but this is one of those few occasions where I would have liked just a little more in the bottom end. Good – but not great.

I finished with a little Amy Winehouse which has a good mix of mid and sub-bass, and is a good test of bass impact. Whilst the track generally was excellent (fantastic balance & Amy’s vocals were magical), again there wasn’t the usual impact I’m used to. It isn’t an issue for me, because the track is still so enjoyable – but worth noting for those who may be looking for bass similar to the original Zen.

Female Vocals
Tracks used : Aventine, Strong, For You, Human, The Bad In Each Other, Howl, Safer, Light as a Feather, Don’t Wake me Up, Ship To Wreck.

One of the things with the original Zen which I would have changed would have been the dominant peak at around 2 kHz – it sometimes just pushed the vocals (especially female) a little too far forward for me. The Zen V2 has tamed this area – now just a slight bump between 1-2 kHz, and for me, this has resulted in the same amount of euphonics with female vocalists, but a much more relaxed and pleasant signature. I can turn the volume up on the V2, and I don’t get the same fatigue that I could get with the original Zen at higher volumes.

With the Zen V2, there is the same beautifully sweet/ethereal presentation of my favourite vocalists (Agnes Obel & Hannah from London Grammar were up first – and both were stunning to listen to), but this time the overall balance is velvet to my ears. Feist and FaTM may not have had quite the same bass to vocal dynamic contrast as the original Zens – but it’s still utterly enjoyable and I’d trade that in an instant for what the Zen V2 delivers as far as smoothness and pure presentation of vocals.

I couldn’t really pick a favourite with the Zen V2 – they were all winners for my tastes, but two artists I ended up listening to entire albums (so much for critical listening) were Norah, and also Florence’s new album. These really do remind me a little of the Noble Savant as far as vocal presentations goes – and yes, they really are that good!

Male Vocals
Track used: Away From the Sun, Art for Art’s Sake, Broken Wings, Hotel California, Keith Don’t Go, Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town.

The Zen V2 (like the original Zen) excels with Rock IMO, the bass impact isn’t quite as deep as the originals, but this made up for by better imaging and staging for me. There is still enough bass (especially mid-bass) to be very enjoyable, but it isn’t bloated at all, and the clarity and open-ness of the presentation is a breath of fresh air. 10CC almost took me back to when I used to listen to my uncles albums on his stereo (turntable and speakers) some 40 years ago, and indeed classic rock was fantastic on the Zen V2. But even quicker paced more modern Rock (Myles Kennedy’s vocals were extremely expressive) from the likes of Alter Bridge and Seether were fantastic to listen to. Again, like its predecessor acoustic music shines (and again that term 'balance' is what comes to mind). Male vocals have excellent texture and don’t sound thin or underdone.

My final test as always was Vedder, and this is like listening to him on the HD600s. All the detail, the decay of cymbals, the imaging in the recording, and most of all Eddie himself – for my tastes Pearl Jam doesn’t get much better than this.

Other Genres
By now you’ve probably guessed that I am smitten with the Zen V2, and with good reason. Again like the original Zen, the V2 is a real all-rounder, and this shows when you start throwing other specific Genres at it.
Alt Rock in particular was sublime – Floyd was a joy to listen to, and Porcupine Tree was similarly dynamic. But some of my favourite Genre tests involved Jazz (Portico Quartet and Miles both blew me away on the V2), and also Blues. The V2 seems to have a great affinity for the perfect mixing of space, instruments and vocals. Joe Bonamassa’s guitar and husky/smooth vocals were another stand-out, and anyone with the Zen V2 I would thoroughly recommend trying out Joe’s live album from the Vienna Opera House. The sense of space and ambience is truly amazing.

Classical is equally as good, and what was impressive was the overall tonality combined with that sense of space again. Opera was outstanding (my Dad would love Netrebko on these), and single instrument (Zoe Keating’s Cello) breath-taking.

Probably the one Genre choice that I thought the original Zens did slightly better was Hip-hop, Trance, and some EDM (I actually enjoyed Little Dragon and The Flashbulb more with the V2). Again this is due to the lighter impact on the low bass – so something to take into account. It’s not bad, it’s just different.

EQUALISATION

For me personally, I wouldn’t try to EQ the Zen V2 (for my own tastes), but for those trying to coax a little more low bass out, I lifted the 31 and 62 Hz sliders on the X3ii, and tried Lorde’s Royals again. The effect was noticeable and actually pretty good. A lot more impact, but with no major detraction from the rest of the signature. The same was true with Eminem and also Van Buuren – so an easy fix if you’d prefer a little more than the default.

COMPARISONS

The obvious questions here will be how the Zen V2 relates to the original Zen, and also the Monk. So this is my subjective read on the differences. For this comparison, I used foam doughnut covers on the Monk and original Zen, but no covers on the Zen V2. Why? Simply because IMO that is the way to get the best sound out of each earphone – I’ll explain why shortly. No EQ as used in the following comparisons.

Zen V2 vs Original Zen
The first thing I noticed between the two was the much stronger bass with the Zen original – especially in the low bass and mid-bass area from around 100 Hz down. The original Zen has a lot more impact in this area which some may find appealing, but it (for me anyway) comes at a cost. The original Zen has a definite bump at 2 kHz which brings both vocal harmonics and also guitar overtones quite far forward, and at louder volumes can border on being too sharp. The Zen V2 loses a bit of sub-bass, but presents the mid-range in a much more even and cohesive manner. It is never sharp (even at louder volumes) and this is some of its magic.

As far as fit goes – I know some will find they need to use foams, and unfortunately if you do this with the Zen V2, you will kill the tonal balance. So if some sort of cover is necessary for comfortable use – then I’d recommend sticking with the original Zen.

The Zen V2 is more spacious sounding than the original Zen (a combination of not using the foams plus having more tonal balance I think).

Build is similar in quality – but the Zen V2 does have a slightly better cable, and aesthetically looks less generic and more premium with its red and “smoky glass” look. It is also easier to drive. My preference is definitely the Zen V2


Zen original, Zen V2 and Monk	Zen original, Zen V2 and Monk

Zen V2 vs Monk
That I am comparing the two IEMs is a testament to how good the Monk is – especially for the price. In many ways the Monk sounds very similar to the original Zen wit main differences being a little less sub bass, and a subtle shift in harmonic peak from 2-2.5 kHz. For some reason to me the Monk has always sounded just a little flatter than the original Zen, and when compared to the Zen V2 this is the bit which is a lot more noticeable. The Zen V2 is more vivid, has slightly less sub-bass, but is more open, and more detailed. The Zen V2 also sounds a little smoother overall and a little more refined in the detail it delivers.

Actual build is similar, but this time the Zen V2 has much better aesthetics and cable – but the Monk is easier to drive. My preference again goes with the Zen V2.

COVERS, RUBBER RINGS & GRAPHS

Here is where things get a little technical, and where I explain why I use covers on Monk and original Zen, but don’t recommend than for the new Zen V2.


No covers - Zen 1 is anaemic, but Zen V2 is perfect	With covers - Zen 1 much improved, but Zen V2 too bass dominant

First up I measured all 3 IEMs naked (no covers), and it is very easy to see why it isn’t a good idea to use either Monk or original Zen with no covers. Basically the bass is pretty flat, but rolls off very quickly from about 80 Hz down. Combine this with the comparatively large peaks at 2-3 kHz and 7 kHz and you get a signature which is quite sharp, quite tinny, and not at all consistent with what they are capable of. The Zen V2 on the other hand has a little mid-bass hump with no covers, but actually handles bass quite nicely, and there is no forward spike in the vocal presence area – so everything sounds a lot more natural.


Just the Zen V2 by itself - no covers essential IMO	The Zen original is the complete opposite

So what happens if we put overs on Monk, Zen and Zen2? Glad you asked. Monk and Zen both have lifted bass which matches quite nicely with the mid-range peak and lower treble peak which are already present in the default signatures. So basically it gives both earphones more balance. But what about the Zen V2? It also lifts the bass, and the low bass gets an appreciable lift, but so does the mid-bass. And although the bass curve is now not that far away from both Zen and Monk, the Zen V2 has much lower mid-range and treble peaks, so balance is lost altogether, and it now sounds very warm, very boomy and totally out of balance – not good.

The final graph shows the Zen2 with covers off and Zen1 and Monk with covers on, and this is why I made the recommendations in the review. The balance is back. By all means try the earhooks and also the covers – but Lee and his team use the Zen V2 with covers off, so do I, and ultimately it is the way they were tuned/designed. However VE will leave you to make the decision for yourself – but hopefully the above will help you understand why the sonics change so much.

VE ZEN V2 – SUMMARY

First up I want to take the chance to thank (again) my friend Tamal for the original introduction to Lee, and to Lee for giving me the chance to listen to VE’s entire line-up, for answering my many questions, and for giving me the chance to look at some special stuff which is coming in the future.

From the original Zen V2, VE have taken on-board many of the recommendations on how to improve the original Zen. The generic look has been replaced by a much improved and much classier design which hints more at the quality you can expect of this excellent earphone.

And like the original Zen, when you plug the Zen V2 into your DAP and hit play, the magic starts, and it is easy to be blown away time and again with what you are hearing. I’ve let quite a few people listen to this demo pair, and by far the biggest comment I’ve had is simply “wow”, often followed by “they sound like speakers”.

Sonically the Zen V2 has a more vivid and brighter (but more spacious) sound than the original Zen, and once again I can only suggest that listening to it is like listening to full sized open headphones.

The Zen V2 is this time a little easier to drive, and despite the 320 ohms, can be powered out of most reasonable sources.

5 star sound, 5 star value and I would recommend them unconditionally to friends or family. I have not heard a better earbud.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Rather than list recommendations for tweaks / changes, I thought I’d leave you with a really interesting thought, and a hint that VE must have something incredible coming eventually. If we look at Buddhism (which must be where VE is going with the naming scheme), then the path to (audio) enlightenment is clear with their range. You start as an entrant or Monk, and then work through the natural stages toward true enlightenment. These stages are Asura, Zen and Nirvana. If the Zen V2 was not complete enough to be given Nirvana status – then the final earbud in this range from VE must be very special indeed. I truly cannot wait.

@Brooko

Thank you @Brooko for the review, I am now 148 USD lighter because of you (and other reviewers) :wink:

There is one thing that intrigues me: I do not consider myself as a basshead and loves linear response (as long as the music remains engaging). However, despite what you and all other reviewers have written, I need the light foam covers to sound best - no "adornment" make the earbud unlistenable to (gives me a headache in a matter of 10-20 seconds); maybe it is due to my ear anatomy... Have you tried the light foam covers, or the dense one.
As long as I'm happy with the earbuds - which I am - I don't think I need to overthink about it, but I still find it intriguing...

We will have different sized and shaped outer ears. I may get a better fit and seal with no covers, meaning I will get more bass naturally. You may need covers to achieve the same sort of fit. With earbuds especially - there is no right or wrong, no single solution

@Brooko

Thank you @Brooko !

For larger views of any of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images

INTRODUCTION

The one piece of gear I’d been extremely interested in, but still hadn’t found, is a decent portable wireless headphone or earphone. I’ve tried some decent sounding earphones over the last year, but they’ve all had issues – with either Bluetooth cut-outs, or battery life, or comfort, or sonics.

So when I started seeing comments about a new player in the market, I approached Ausdom, to ask if it would be possible to get one of their units for review. Grace contacted me back and suggested they would be arranging a review thread – where 5 chosen reviewers would have a chance of listening to a pair, and providing feedback. I duly applied, and was lucky enough to be chosen.

I received the M05 two weeks ago, and have used them a lot – at home, out and about, and at work. I’ve also had others try them, so I could get others opinions. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time with the M05, and it has given me a new appreciation on how good Bluetooth can be. To find out more – read on.

ABOUT AUSDOM

Ausdom is owned by Shenzhen Ausdom Cloud Technology (a Chinese based company specialising in IP Surveillance equipment and systems). Their main product lines at this time are in two main lines – IP cameras (both fixed and automobile based), and also audio solutions (predominantly Bluetooth / wireless headphones, but also Bluetooth speakers).

With more than 10 years in the Wireless IP business, Ausdom have a lot of experience with the management and development of high quality video products, and fortunately for audio enthusiasts that also extends to wireless technology. Ausdom have 6 R&D teams at their disposal, and this includes more than 60 professional innovative designers and engineers – and it really does shine through in the M05.

From the Ausdom website:
For each product, our designers and engineers will carefully study the user's habits, and use their creativity and experience to provide the consumers with convenient, efficient and valuable products. Every AUSDOM product is made with care, every detail counts to impress our customers. Giving our customers the perfect experience has always been AUSDOM’s goal. The recognition of our customers and their suggestions are our driving force.
AUSDOM is a team dedicated to design. They are not afraid to follow their dream.

And I really like their by-line / company slogan – because it does seem to capture their ethos (from the limited time I’ve had with Ausdom so far):
Enjoy Smart Life

And isn’t that ultimately what we’d all like to do?

DISCLAIMER

I was provided the Ausdom M05 as a review unit. I have no other association or affiliation with Ausdom. I do not make any financial gain from this review – it is has been written simply as my way of providing feedback both to the Head-Fi community and also Ausdom, themselves.

I have now had the Ausdom M05 since early December. Price on Amazon at the current time of writing this review is just under USD 47.00

PREAMBLE - 'ABOUT ME'. (or a base-line for interpreting my thoughts and bias)

I'm a 48 year old music lover. I don't say audiophile – I just love my music. Over the last couple of years, I have slowly changed from cheaper listening set-ups to my current set-up. I vary my listening from portables (Fiio X5ii, X3ii, LP5 and iPhone 5S) to my desk-top's set-up (PC > USB > iFi iDSD). I also use a portable set-up at work – either X5ii/X3ii > HP, or PC > E17K > HP. My main full sized headphones at the time of writing are the Beyer T1, Sennheiser HD600, and AKG K553. Most of my portable listening is done with IEMs, and lately it has mainly been with the Dunu DN-2000J, Jays q-Jays, Alclair Curve2 and Adel U6. A full list of the gear I have owned (past and present is listed in my Head-Fi profile).

I have very eclectic music tastes listening to a variety from classical/opera and jazz, to grunge and general rock. I listen to a lot of blues, jazz, folk music, classic rock, indie and alternative rock. I am particularly fond of female vocals. I generally tend toward cans that are relatively neutral/balanced, but I do have a fondness for clarity, and suspect I might have slight ‘treble-head’ preferences. I am not treble sensitive (at all), and in the past have really enjoyed headphones like the K701, SR325i, and of course the T1 and DT880.

I have extensively tested myself (abx) and I find aac256 or higher to be completely transparent. I do use exclusively redbook 16/44.1 if space is not an issue. All of my music is legally purchased (mostly CD – the rest FLAC purchased on-line).

I tend to be sceptical about audiophile ‘claims’, don’t generally believe in burn-in, have never heard a difference with different cables, and would rather test myself blind on perceived differences. I am not a ‘golden eared listener’. I suffer from mild tinnitus, and at 48, my hearing is less than perfect.

Over the last two weeks – I’ve used the Ausdom M05 both wired and wireless from a variety of sources, but for main body of this review, I’ve used it primarily with both my iPhone 5S (wireless Bluetooth) and Fiio X3ii combined with the E11K amp (wired). In the time I have spent with the Ausom M05, I have noticed no change in the overall sonic presentation. Listening time with the M05 would now be around 40-45 hours (I’ve just started my third full charge)

This is a purely subjective review - my gear, my ears, and my experience. Please take it all with a grain of salt - especially if it does not match your own experience.

THE REVIEW

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES


Front of the retail box	Rear of the retail box

The Ausdom M05 arrived in a black, but relatively compact retail box measuring 185 x 215 x 55 mm. This was my first inkling as to how compact this headphone is. On the front of the box is a side-on image of the M05, and aptX/CSR logo, the Ausdom company name/logo (in silver), and 4 lines of white text explaining the main points of the head-set:

Hands-free
Deep Bass
High Sensitivity
Stereo Wireless

The sides simply mention compliance with the Bluetooth 4.0 standard and hint at the long life lithium battery. The rear has the main features and also box contents – in 6 main languages. Missing is the actual specifications (they are in the manual) – personally I would prefer to have these included on the box itself.

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Side of retail box	M05 inner tray	M05 accessories

Opening the retail outer you are greeted with a simple grey plastic formed tray, with the M05 nestled safely inside. At first glance the M05 looks really amazing – I definitely like the aesthetics. Underneath the grey tray is a mesh carry bag, the USB charging cable, a 1.5m 3.5-3.5mm connection cable for wired listening, and a small operating manual/booklet. The charging cable is fairly generic but well-built and reasonably supple. The mesh bag is actually quite thick and much stronger than it looks. It closes with a draw-string, and because of the overall build of the M05, I’ve had no qualms about using the mesh carry case, with the M05 folded flat inside, and then just taking it with me in my lap-top bag.

		[size=inherit][/size]
Mesh carry bag	USB charging cable	Wired cable

The 1.5m cable for wired use is again fairly generic looking, quite thin, but very non-microphonic. It’s not one I’d trust for long term use – but let’s face it you’re going to be using the Bluetooth anyway. The good news is that it is available in a pinch (if the battery flattens), and even better, the sonics between wired and wireless sound the same to me (no difference at all).

The manual is in small booklet form, printed in six languages, and covers pretty much everything you need to know for operating the M05 – from pairing, through to LED status lights and button controls.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

(From Ausdom)

Type	Closed dynamic Bluetooth headset
Driver	Dynamic, 40mm
Frequency Range	20 Hz – 20 Khz
Impedance	32 ohm
Sensitivity	91dB +/- 3dB @ 1kHz
Weight	210g
Cable	Optional – 1.5m, straight 3.5mm gold plated stereo jacks at both ends
Microphone	Omni directional, 2.5 k/ohm impedance, 58 dB +/- 2 dB sensitivity
Microphone Freq	100 Hz – 10 Khz
Battery	400 mah rechargeable lithium
Battery Life	~20 hours talk/music, >250 hours on standby
Charge Time	2-3 hours
Bluetooth Spec	Version 4.0 with aptX support
Bluetooth Range	10m
Profile Support	HSP, HFP, A2DP, AVRCP, APTX
Operating Frequency	2.40 – 2.48 GHz

FREQUENCY GRAPH

The graph below is generated by a new measuring system I’m trialling – using the Vibro Veritas and ARTA software. I don’t have the calibration for the microphone 100% correct yet – but the graphs I am getting are relatively close to Innerfidelity’s raw data (when measuring IEMs). For measuring full sized headphones, I do not have a dummy head (I use my own crude hand-made rig), so what you are seeing is purely raw uncalibrated data with no HRTF adjustment or compensation. I used these when trying to work out my EQ compensation, and they came in really handy.


Default frequency graph	Default CSD

So for the purposes of this review – the graphs are shown merely as a data point, and I have shown comparisons later in the review with other headphones I have so you can see comparative data.
What I’m hearing:

Full, clean and deep bass, a little more mid-bass than sub-bass, but with bass being the dominant feature of the default signature
Relatively clean and clear mid-range, but with some bass bleed into the lower mid-range
Reasonably good vocal clarity
Slight lift in upper mid-range which lends particularly well to harmonics with female vocalists
Relatively detailed treble – but somewhat masked by the dominant bass
Quite a V shaped default sound – but with the dominance of the bass comes some hollowness in the vocal area, and occasional stridency with female vocalists

BUILD QUALITY / DESIGN

I already hinted at how good the M05 looked when in its packaging – so let’s take a much closer look at the build. The build is predominantly black matt plastic, but with a metal inner headband strut which extends down to the cups and provides good stability.

The headband itself is nicely curved and extremely well padded with foam and pleather. The padding is soft and for me the headband is distributed very evenly with no pressure points. The top has the same carbon fibre pattern as the earcups, and in my opinion, whoever designed these aesthetically knows what they are doing – they look really smart. The carbon fibre print looks neither cheap nor tacky.

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Headband padding	Outer "carbon fibre" pattern on headband	Metal extenders

The arm extenders are very firm, and allow the cups to be extended a little over 2.5mm (or one inch) on either side. I’m just a shade under 6ft tall with a solid build, and with the extenders at 1 cm both sides I have a very comfortable fit. The L/R are on the outside of the arms, just below the swivel mechanism. They are slightly raised (but same colour as the headband), so a little difficult to see – but the cable socket and microphone mesh is a dead giveaway on which cup is which (it is on the left).

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Inner headband and bluetooth logos	View of inner and outer cups (note the L marking)	Profile view of the L cup and headband

The cup mechanisms swivel to allow the cups to be stored completely flat, but also angle slightly in the opposite direct to allow a perfect fit to any head shape. They also swivel up and down on a gimbal/yoke arrangement. The cups are oval and have pleather pads over soft memory foam. The pads are definitely soft enough to be quite comfortable, but seem hardy enough to be durable. They have an outer measurement of approximately 95mm x 75mm, and inner dimensions of 55mm x 35mm, and a depth of approximately 16-17mm. For me, this means they are completely circumaural, although my ears do touch the inner walls of the cups. The pads are also replaceable – can be slipped on and off. The driver is protected by a thin mesh cover.

The outer cup is again matt plastic, but this time there is a soft carbon fibre pattern on the outer cup. This is very tastefully done, and looks really smart with the matt black of the rest of the headphone, and also the same pattern on the headband.

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Left hand cup	Left cup - microphone and controls	Left cup - wired jack and controls

On the left cup are controls for on/off (which also doubles for pairing), and volume up and down. The on/off button is smooth while the volume buttons have raised bumps for easy location. My one preference change would be for the on/off button to be centrally located between the two volume buttons so that it is easier to locate up and down – but this is a minor nit-pick. The microphone is located toward the front of the left cup, and toward the back is the 3.5mm socket for the wired connection. My only gripe on build would be that while the socket is firm, there is no reassuring click on insertion of the jack, light but firm pressure will pull it out. IMO the socket and jack need to be looked at for a more secure connection.

On the right hand cup at the rear is the micro USB charging port which has its own rubber protection cap (nice firm fit), and at the bottom of the headpiece are the buttons for play/pause, forward and back. The buttons are quite firm, with reassuring tactile feedback, and aside from taking a while to learn (locations), I’ve found them to be both sturdy and intuitive to use. Like the left hand cup, the right hand forward and back buttons have the raised bumps for unsighted location, while the play/pause central button is smooth.

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Right cup - charging port and controls	Right cup - controls	Close up of outer and inner cup

When I first saw the M05 I was immediately reminded of the similarity in shape to my Bose QC25s. Impressions after two weeks are extremely good build, very nice looking, and for the current sub $50 price, far exceeding what you would expect from a head-set at this price.


Pad removed	A look inside the cup

FIT / COMFORT / ISOLATION

Although the cups themselves are reasonably small, they are circumaural for me, and even after a couple of hours, I haven’t had any of that itchy / burning sensation of being too cramped for space. The earpads are soft enough to create a good seal, and the ability to adjust on all access means finding a comfortable position to mould to my head has been easy. The headband is flat enough to avoid pressure points, and the padding is generous and comfortable. With their light weight, I find the Ausdom M05 to be extremely comfortable, and even wearing glasses I have no issues with too tight clamping.


My daughter Emma with the M05	She loves them and wants her own pair

As far as isolation goes, they are about average. They isolate internally pretty well with very little leakage. I can still hear a bit of ambient sound around me though – so I probably wouldn’t use these in high noise areas or in public transport.

HEADSET / COMMUNICATIONS

I’ve used the M05 for a couple of calls – one to my wife (who said that she found my voice to be a little distant), and one to a client – who said that I was pretty clear – she just had to turn her headset up a little at her end. The on head-set controls are pretty easy to use – a single press of the power button answers a call, and a single press again hangs up. Double tapping the on/off button allows you a quick redial.

PAIRING AND HEADSET CONTROLS

The general use of the media controls on the M05 is designed to be as simple as possible. To turn the M05 on or off, simply hold the power button for a couple of seconds. When pairing – make sure your source is in active Bluetooth mode, and continue holding the on/off button after you get the audible “power on” notification. The blue LED (which is always lit when the M05 is powered) starts flashing red and blue. At this stage look for the “Ausdom M05” listed as source in your Bluetooth menu, choose “pair” and you are up and running.

After that, operation couldn’t be easier. The buttons do exactly as advertised – play, pause, next previous.


iPhone 5S paired with the M05	Battery indicator top left - next to the Bluetooth icon

The LED status indicator is always lit blue when active – apart from pairing or when the battery is starting to get low (it slowly flashes red). During charging, it glows solid red, and you know charging is complete when the light goes out altogether.

On my iPhone 5S a battery indicator for the M05 is active in the status bar when connected – really handy.

Simple – yes. Practical – yes. Anything missing – not for my needs.

BLUETOOTH PERFORMANCE / BATTERY LIFE

The Bluetooth performance on the Ausdom M05 is nothing short of incredible. The only dropouts I’ve had in two weeks have been when I exceeded the wireless range. And the range is impressive. Ausdom lists the effective range as 10m, but the consistent measured range I’ve had has been up to 18m before audio starts cutting out. And that 18 metres is with 3 walls between me and the iPhone. The M05 has (by a huge margin) the best connective stability I’ve ever experienced in a Bluetooth device. This is one of the best features by far on the M05 – and something I’d only expect on a device costing many times more. Even in high traffic areas, the signal remains solid. To say I am impressed does not even begin to cover how highly I rate the M05’s Bluetooth performance.

So what about battery life? Again – impressive. From my first full charge I achieved approximately 19 hours playtime / talktime – with some stand-by time on top. So Ausdom have nailed it when they listed the up to 20 hour figure in their specifications. The other really nice thing is that the charge time is pretty short – for me 2.5 hours using an adaptor and wall-wart. For a portable device, I haven’t seen much better.

POWER REQUIREMENTS

I’ve listed this mainly for the wired connection – which sounds exactly the same to me as the Bluetooth connection. So if you are forced to use wired – fret not, your music quality will not suffer. From my iPhone 5S using the default music app and Dire Strait’s Sultans of Swing, 6 clicks (or about 1/3) was more than enough volume to have a good listening level. So with Bluetooth inactive, the M05 are easy to power and won’t need additional amplification. For the record, I also tried the M05 with my usual test gear (Fiio X3ii + E17K) and there was no noticeable improvement or change – until you use EQ, but more on that in a minute.

SOUND QUALITY

So if I was marking the Ausdom M05 out of 100 up to this point, they would be in the high 90’s – practically perfect. But here comes the crux – how do they sound?

The following is what I hear from the Ausdom M05. YMMV – and probably will – as my tastes are likely different to yours (read the preamble I gave earlier for a baseline). The first part of the testing at this point (unless otherwise stated) was done with my iPhone 5S connected via Bluetooth using the default music app and no EQ.

Tracks used were across a variety of genres – and can be viewed in this list http://www.head-fi.org/a/brookos-test-tracks.

Thoughts on Default Signature
I covered some of this above when I posted the frequency graph. If I was to describe the default signature, I would call it V shaped, bassy, warm, a little muddy, and a little strident at times in the mid-range. It isn’t a signature I would gravitate to. And although I got accustomed to the default signature over time, I can’t say I ever really enjoyed it (although it was pretty good with some genres).

Overall Detail / Clarity (Default)
Tracks used: Gaucho, Sultans of Swing

There is still a lot of mid-range detail present but the bass guitar dominates, and there is obvious bleed and masking of the lower mids. The usual detail (including cymbals and snare hits) is subdued, and tonally Mark sounds like he is singing in a tunnel (quite hollow sounding). The guitar comes through clear – so there is a really nice mid-range hiding back there – but everything is masked unfortunately

Sound-stage & Imaging
Tracks used: Tundra, Dante’s Prayer, Let it Rain

The binaural track Tundra is my go to for testing sound-stage width, depth and imaging. As expected with a closed headphone, the stage is relatively intimate and close – but imaging is largely OK (just muddied up by the dominant bass). All in all though, there are signs that all is not lost. The M05 just needs a chance to let its mid-range shine.

With Dante’s Prayer again the overpowering bass is simply masking things. Loreena’s vocals are actually pretty good, but there is a cloudiness present that is hiding the best parts of the track. The applause at the end of the track with a really good earphone / headphone can totally immerse me with a few select earphones. With the M05 and its default signature, there is no involvement.

Last up was Let It Rain, and this time there is a really good holographic feel to it – it is naturally present in the recording, and the M05 sounds pretty good with this track. The track is recorded relatively brightly – and this is really helping. Again signs that beneath the bass, there is a very capable headphone.

Bass Quality and Quantity
Tracks used: Bleeding Muddy Water, Royals

I use Muddy Waters mainly to test for bass texture and mid-bass bleed. What I’m hearing is not good. The bass is booming but it is one dimensional, very thick, and bleeds all over the vocals. Marks vocals are competing with the bass and they’ve lost their usual texture. Too dark, too warm, and simply unengaging.

Next up was Lorde’s Royals – and it is a repetitive theme. The M05 can hit stunningly low and with copious amounts of sub and mid bass – but there is just too much there. Even Ella’s vocals sound “off”.

General Comments on Performance with Default Sonics
I thought I’d cut this short, because you’re going to get more of the same. With any recording I tried (male or female) with a warmer default sound, the M05 just sounded too dark for me. The bass clouded the vocals I am used to hearing, and the bleeding into the mid-range caused issues with stridency for some of my artists. The times the M05 sounded really good was with any music that was bass light or bass neutral, and recorded brighter than normal. This included some of my older classic rock (10CC, Jethro Tull). Nils Lofgren’s acoustic guitar was pleasant but not outstanding. Forget Jazz, Blues or Classical – all the detail and air is lost. I even struggled with electronic and trance.

At this stage if I was grading the M05 purely on default sonics – I’d honestly give them a 2/5.

So – what to do? The simple fix is to remove the problem (mid-bass) – which shows both on my graphs and in testing. So I used my measurement system and a system wide EQ programme to build an EQ to cut some of the mid-bass and let the mid-range and lower treble breathe. If you click on the images, you can see what I’ve used.


EQ on the Equaliser app on my iPhone 5S	Pearl Jam after EQ = heaven!

I then transferred similar settings to the Equaliser app on my iPhone 5S and reran my listening tests. So without further adieu …….

EQUALISATION – THE M05 TRANSFORMED


EQ'd frequency curve	EQ'd CSD

Thoughts on EQ’d Signature
What a transformation. The bass is still there, but this time the bleed is gone, and it has had a double effect of both allowing the mid-range to shine, and also removing most of the hollowness and stridency which was there formerly. The overall signature is far more balanced, and I think this will appeal to a far wider audience. There is enough bass to allow impact, and to be fair, I’d probably take it back a smidge further for my own personal tastes – but for a wider audience this EQ should be a lot more appealing. Gone is the dark, overpowering, hollow sounding default – and reborn is a nicely balanced, nicely detailed, and indeed lovely sounding earphone.

Back to Dire Straits, and this time the detail is present. It’s still smooth, but this time Mark’s vocals are clean and clear, and I can hear the upper end detail.

Redoing my sound-stage tracks, and this time the imaging is spot-on. The M05 still gives an intimate presentation, but directional cues are spot-on and there is a better sense of overall depth.
Bass still has impact, but Lannegan shows no sign of bleed any more, and Lorde’s Royals still has impressive low extension – but this time her vocals are allowed to shine sweet and clear.

So let’s continue under EQ and cover a few Genre topics

Female Vocals
Tracks used : Aventine, Strong, For You, Human, The Bad In Each Other, Howl, Safer, Light as a Feather, Don’t Wake me Up

What a change!

Female vocalists now are beautifully clear and have a hint of euphony in presentation, just the way I like them. The vocals are able to come forward in the mix a little more, and this time the bass is a complimentary rather than a dominant feature.

In fact one of the standouts for me was Feist due to the contrast of dynamic bass and gorgeous vocal presentation. London Grammar’s Strong was captivating with just the right mix of vocals (love Hannah’s voice), and Norah covers the usual lushness and smoky sultry performance I could listen to for hours.

Male Vocals
Track used: Away From the Sun, Art for Art’s Sake, Diary of Jane, Hotel California, Keith Don’t Go, Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town.

And there is no loss in male vocals with the new EQ either. 3 Doors Down is dynamic yet detailed, impactful, yet retaining a captivating mid-range & perfect mix of vocals and guitar.
My “go to” (Vedder) was simply sublime. If this was the default signature – after listening to the entire Rear View Mirrror album (I got side-tracked OK) – I’d be giving these a perfect score. They really are that good.

Other Genres
Everything I tried under EQ from this point was brilliant IMO. Practically every track I listened to from Alt Rock, to Jazz, Blues and Classical was delivered with brilliant balance and tonality. Jazz in particular (Portico Quartet) was excellent – especially the tonal contrast between cymbals and double-bass.

EDM hadn’t lost its appeal either after the bass cut, and Trip-Hop with Little Dragon, or Trance with AVB, was equally impressive. Good bass, great detail, nothing overpowering – clarity and power makes for an addictive combination.

COMPARISON GRAPHS

I’ve included this section mainly so you can see a couple of comparative measurements using my crude system on other headphones. It’s more to give anyone interested a look at comparative signatures so they can make more sense of the M05 graphs.

Above - M05 original vs the Brainwavz HM2, UE6000, and Momentum On Ear. You can see how bassy the default signature of the M05 is - especially when you consider all of these closed headphones have slightly above neutral bass.

Just for interests sake - the M05 original vs the Brainwavz HM5, HD600 and AKG K553. All of these cans are more neutral - some may consider them bass light. There is a massive difference with the bass on the M05 however.

And this time we have the original M05 (red) with the EQ'd M05 (slight reduction - orange) - which really has a massive effect on the sound signature. The purple setting is one I've used for a while (much bigger bass reduction), and one I like a lot - but I feel that others may find a little light on the bass. Personally the orange (closer to Nick's settings) are good - but I think the best setting would be somewhere between orange and purple.

AUSDOM M05 – SUMMARY

First up I want to take the chance to thank Grace from Ausdom for giving me the opportunity to try the M05. I’d also like to shout out to some fellow Head-Fiers – especially Nick and Ian – for assisting with their thoughts on EQ. I believe between us, we got a pretty good mix.

Ausdom have given us a bit of a paradox with the M05. If you look at build, comfort, connectivity, battery life and looks – then they are as close to perfect as I have seen in any other portable wireless headphone, and handily beat most wired ones as well. Yes they really are that good.

But the default sonics – for me anyway – are not good. They’ve made the common mistake of over-doing the bass, and despite the fact that the M05 really does have a glorious mid-range, it is masked by a pretty much monotonous, boomy and dark mid-bass which sadly covers most of the good sonic points of the headphone.

However, with EQ the M05 is truly transformed to a beautifully balanced, coherent, and wonderful sounding portable headphone which I would buy in an instant if this was the default – and I’d be prepared to pay a lot more than the asking price too. For the last 3-4 days I have used the M05 with newly EQ’d signature every day, and it has become my preference due to the combination of EQ’d signature and ease of use.


Wonderfully portable with excellent wireless	Very good pairing - iPhone 5S, Equaliser app, and M05

So how do you rate the M05 given its Jeckyll & Hyde nature? I have to look at it logically, so for build, connectivity, battery life, value (cost) and aesthetics it is almost a perfect score. For default signature – despite it’s good points – overall I’d rate the M05 as a 2.5. Under EQ it is an easy 4.5 if not a 5. So the logical mark is a 3.5.

Thoroughly recommended if you are open to EQ (and if you are using an iPhone look into the Equaliser app).

I really look forward to what Ausdom brings us I future.

RECOMMENDATIONS TO AUSDOM

This is pretty simple Grace – cut the mid-bass and you have a wonderful sounding headphone. I’d also like to see the wired jack and socket have a little more solid click / connection. And finally – keep doing what you are doing – the Bluetooth on the M05 is in a class of its own.

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M05 in natural lighting	Aesthetically very good looking	And with EQ - very good sounding!

Just communicated with Grace. The Matrix 2 is based on the design that Ausdom created for Amazon - they (Ausdom) are the OEM. I think this is why the bluetooth tech is so good. And Ian is correct, the other versions will be phased out, as Ausdom starts developing their own branding exclusively

Does Sony MDR V6 pads fit on these? Thank you.

I honestly have no idea. I've never tried the Sonys, and don't have any pads to try.

For larger views of any of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images

INTRODUCTION

Brainwavz is a well-established manufacturer of headphones in the value for money category – offering many different options (especially for IEMs) that suit almost anyone’s sonic preferences. I’ve previously had both good and bad experiences with their headphones / IEMs – I previously reviewed and owned their B2 IEMs and HM5 headphones, and I have fond memories of both as stellar performers when they were introduced. I’ve also sampled and reviewed their R1, R3, S5, S0, M1, R3, V2, Jive, and S3 IEMs – and whilst some have been (IMO) solid performers, others haven’t been quite as well aligned with my preferences.

A few weeks ago Pandora contacted me to ask whether I’d be keen on listening to a new release they were making. The difference this time was that they were just going to a small number of reviewers first. Naturally I was flattered that she’d approached me, and so I definitely said yes. Pandora also warned me in advance that they may not suit my particular sonic preferences – but I couldn’t see that being an issue (if we’re reviewing properly – we should be able to see past that). So two weeks ago, a courier pack arrived, and I got my introduction to the Brainwavz HM2 – a full sized portable headphone. In the last couple of weeks I’ve tried to use the HM2 as much as possible – and I’ve also had my 12yo daughter and 14yo son put them through their paces.

I’ve listed price at their RRP of USD $49.50 – however this is not what I paid for them (they are a review sample).

DISCLAIMER

I was provided the Brainwavz HM2 as a review unit from Brainwavz. I am in no way affiliated with Brainwavz - and this review is my subjective opinion of the HM2.

PREAMBLE - 'ABOUT ME'. (or a base-line for interpreting my thoughts and bias)

I'm a 48 year old music lover. I don't say audiophile – I just love my music. Over the last couple of years, I have slowly changed from cheaper listening set-ups to my current set-up. I vary my listening from portables (Fiio X5ii, X3ii, LP5 and iPhone 5S) to my desk-top's set-up (PC > USB > iFi iDSD). I also use a portable set-up at work – either X5ii/X3ii > HP, or PC > E17K > HP. My main full sized headphones at the time of writing are the Beyer T1, Sennheiser HD600, and AKG K553. Most of my portable listening is done with IEMs, and lately it has been with the Adel U6, Dunu DN-2000J, Jays q-Jays and Alclair Curve2. A full list of the gear I have owned (past and present is listed in my Head-Fi profile).

I have very eclectic music tastes listening to a variety from classical/opera and jazz, to grunge and general rock. I listen to a lot of blues, jazz, folk music, classic rock, indie and alternative rock. I am particularly fond of female vocals. I generally tend toward cans that are relatively neutral / balanced, but I do have a fondness for clarity, and suspect I might have slight ‘treble-head’ preferences. I am not treble sensitive (at all), and in the past have really enjoyed headphones like the K701, SR325i, and of course the T1 and DT880.

I have extensively tested myself (abx) and I find aac256 or higher to be completely transparent. I do use exclusively redbook 16/44.1 if space is not an issue. All of my music is legally purchased (mostly CD – the rest FLAC purchased on-line). I tend to be sceptical about audiophile ‘claims’, don’t generally believe in burn-in, have never heard a difference with different cables, and would rather test myself blind on perceived differences. I am not a ‘golden eared listener’. I suffer from mild tinnitus, and at 48, my hearing is less than perfect.

For the purposes of this review - I used the HM2 straight from the headphone-out socket of my iPhone 5S, X3ii, and M3.

In the time I have spent with the HM2, I have noticed no change to the overall sonic presentation (break-in), but am aware that I am becoming more used to the signature of the HM2 as I use them more often (brain burn-in).
This is a purely subjective review - my gear, my ears, and my experience. Please take it all with a grain of salt - especially if it does not match your own experience.

THE REVIEW

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

The HM2 arrived in a quite nicely coloured two-tone grey retail box with red accents, measuring 150 x 206 x 95mm. It has a picture of the HM2 on the front, specifications on the rear, a list of accessories, and a descriptive blurb of the HM2 on either side.

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Front of the retail box	Rear of the retail box	Side of the retail box

Opening the box discloses the traditionally red and black Brainwavz carry case – which is oval, and unsurprisingly very close in measurements to the retail packaging (200 x 145 x 85mm). The case is similar in material to their IEM cases, has a mesh outer surface, and gives reasonable protection while also being reasonably portable (I say reasonably – because it is still quite a deep case).


HM2 inside the carry case	Interior of the carry case

Undoing the zip exposes a mesh pocket, the HM2 nicely folded inside, a warranty card and two cables.

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The exterior of the carry case	Flat cable	Standard cable with in-line controls

So from a value point of view – things look pretty good, as most headphones at this price point would not have either the case or the extra cable.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

(From Brainwavz)

Type	Sealed circumaural portable full sized headphone
Drivers	Dynamic 40mm
Frequency Range	10 Hz – 20 Khz
Impedance	32 ohm
Sensitivity	104 dB at 1 mW
Max Input Power	100 mW
Jack	Straight 3.5mm gold plated
Cables	1.2m flat and 1.2m standard (with inline microphone & controls)
Weight	196g (no cable), 216g (with standard cable with inline controls)

FREQUENCY GRAPH

The graph below is generated by a new measuring system I’m trialling – using the Vibro Veritas and ARTA software. I don’t have the calibration 100% correct yet – and the graphs are definitely raw data only. I don’t have a dummy-head to allow for measurements at the ear – so it is just taken from a straight microphone. I use the graphs to help me understand what I’m hearing, and also to compare with other headphones.


Frequency response	CSD plot

So the graphs below should not be taken as anything other than raw data – no HRTF is taken into account.

What I’m hearing is an elevated bass response, but good vocal presence, and a little more upper mid-range emphasis than lower mid-range. There is also enough lower treble energy to show reasonable detail on cymbals, but without being over etched or approaching sibilance (the treble is actually relatively smooth).

BUILD QUALITY

The HM2 is primarily made of toughened plastic, with metal reinforcing at the hinges and arm extenders. This is why the HM2 is so light, but as time has progressed, I’ve come to notice that the HM2 is also both really flexible, and reasonably strong.

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Headband	Exterior of the cups	Side view of the cups

The headband measures 215mm in its top section (from extender to extender), and each extender will give another 28mm in length. The funny thing about this is that the HM2 actually fits me perfectly without extending the arms at all. This does pose the question of fitting for someone with smaller head dimensions than I have. The inner part of the headband has no padding, and although this has not been an issue at all for me, I do think this is perhaps an opportunity that Brainwavz has missed – as even a little p-leather and foam cushioning would have added a little extra comfort.

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Metal and plastic extenders	Internal hinge	Metallic accent on the outside of the cups

The actual earpieces themselves are clearly marked (L/R) internally above the cups, and the cups are quite a cleaver design which rotates freely on all axis to allow a perfect fit/seal. The ear pieces are well cushioned and covered with a nice grey p-leather which appears to be soft enough for comfort, but hardy enough for long life. The covers are able to be replaced. The internal dimensions are approximately 60 x 34 mm and the depth is approximately 14mm. I’m a reasonably big guy, and my ears actually fit inside the cups (there is not a lot of room though – and they are touching the inner walls). But they do fit both my teenage kids perfectly.

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Closer look at the internal pad dimensions	Hinged and ready for storage	Standard cable jacks

The cables connect on one side only (left cup), appear to be well built with good strain relief, and the standard cable has very low microphonics. The jacks are 3.5mm at both ends. On the standard cable (with in-line remote) it is a standard 3 pole stereo jack at the headphone connector, and 4 pole for plugging into your source. Although Brainwavz lists both cables as being 1.2m, the standard cable with remote is actually almost 1.3m.

The HM2 has hinged arms, and the cups and lower arms are able to fold in on themselves for portability. The hinges seem reassuringly firm – although only time will tell as to their ultimate durability.

All in all a solid build and you’d be forgiven for thinking that the HM2 should be in a more expensive price bracket.

INLINE CONTROLS / MIC

The standard cable comes with an in-line microphone and remote control unit which features a single button but also a sliding volume control. The single button has the usual functions:

One push = play / pause
Two pushes = next track
Three pushes = previous track
Push and hold (on Apple device) = activate Siri


Microphone port	Control unit - single button plus slider control

But the interesting thing with the HM2 is the volume control. Rather than activating the source volume controls, it instead uses a variable resistor to attenuate volume – so it will work on any device (including Fiio’s DAPs). It isn’t the easiest to apply really precise volume adjustments, but it actually works pretty well, and is quite handy if you need to quickly cut the volume (just slide the control down). Anyway – it is a quite innovative solution, so kudos to Brainwavz for the inclusion.

I did use the HM2 for a call last week (to clients in the US), and they told me that they had no problems with hearing me clearly – and this was reciprocated on my end. Because they are closed, there will always be a little of that hollow (bone conduction) sound – but generally they were pretty good for making a call.

STYLE

I have to admit, I’m probably not their intended audience (at 48 I’m not exactly a fashionista). But what surprised me was when I wore them at work last week, and my colleague (who has a great sense of fashion) was intrigued when she saw the HM2, and commented that they looked really stylish. She was also really surprised when I told her the cost, and when she got a closer look at them. From where she was sitting, she said they “don’t look like plastic”, and she thought that their styling hinted at a much higher price point.


Front view of the HM2 (thanks Emma)	Side view of the HM2

My 12 yo daughter and 14 yo son both love the HM2, and I’ve shown a couple of pics with Emma wearing the HM2 so you can see fitting, and how they look when worn.

COMFORT / ISOLATION

As I alluded to earlier, the earcups are circumaural for me, and despite the lack of passing on the headband, I find the HM2 to be really comfortable. There is also enough clamp for me to move about without dislodging the headphones – and this is true even if I shake my head around. The clamp isn’t excessive though.

Isolation is dependent on getting a good seal from the pads, so YMMV – but I find for a closed headphone the isolation is about average. With no music playing, you can hear what is happening in the world around you (diminished but still there). With music playing the isolation is quite decent.

SOUND QUALITY

The following is what I hear from the HM2. YMMV – and probably will – as my tastes are likely different to yours (read the preamble I gave earlier for a baseline). Most of the testing at this point (unless otherwise stated) was done with my Fiio X3ii and E17K (I use the E17K primarily to extend the battery life of the X3ii – and also for some rudimentary EQ at a later stage.)

Tracks used were across a variety of genres – and can be viewed in this list http://www.head-fi.org/a/brookos-test-tracks.

Thoughts on General Signature
If I was to describe the signature in a few words – I’d choose the words “warm”, “smooth”, and “relatively clear”.

I should make note first up that the overall signature of the HM2 is not one that I would normally gravitate to. Usually I like a headphone that is reasonably flat, but very clear, and quite linear bass. The HM2 is quite bassy and a bit warm because of it, but because it has good vocal presence, it still comes across as quite clear and also pretty smooth.

Overall Detail / Clarity
Tracks used: Gaucho, Sultans of Swing

The HM2 renders both tracks reasonably well with a good level of overall detail, nut which is masked slightly by the bass. Cymbals in Gaucho are there but subdued. The sax is quite prominent, as is the bass guitar and the vocals (while clear) do seem to take a very slight step back compared to them. With Sultans, the detail is a little easier to pick-up, and although the bass guitar in this track is more prominent than I’d like, I can see a lot of people really liking this signature. Clear vocals, good bass back-beat, nice guitar crunch, and still some high level detail coming though (though once again subdued). Overall – they capture detail nicely, but they won’t be described as “detail monsters”.

Sound-stage & Imaging
Tracks used: Tundra, Dante’s Prayer, Let it Rain

I started with Amber Rubarth’s binaural track, and the HM2 was quite intimate in its presentation. Directional cues were pretty consistent, but the HM2 are not expansive in depth or width (definitely “in-head” with this track). Enjoyable but did not showcase the full capability of the track.

McKennitt’s “Dante’s Prayer” was next to play, and although the staging again was very intimate, I really liked the cohesion between piano and cello, and loved the presentation of McKennitt’s vocal performance. In this track, the applause at the end is so well presented that with some headphones (HD600) I can actually close my eyes and imagine myself in the crowd. With the HM2, the immersion factor wasn’t there - I was definitely listening to a recording rather than being there.

Last was Amanda Marshall’s “Let It Rain” – and I use this track because it has a naturally holographic feel about it (the way it was recorded), and can convey an amazing sense of space with the right headphones. It can also be sibilant at times – so a good test for that. The HM2 had no issues, and this was a really good presentation of this track. No signs of sibilance at all, and the presentation of Amanda’s vocals was really good.

Bass Quantity and Quality
Tracks used: Bleeding Muddy Waters, Royals, This is What it Feels Like

I use Lannegan’s Bleeding Muddy Waters primarily as an indicator for impact and bass bleed. It is a naturally dark and broody blues rock track, and with the HM2 this was conveyed really well. There is a little mid-bass bleed evident, but not enough to concern me too much. Bass is visceral in its intensity and Mark’s vocals are really good with nice texture.

Lorde’s Royals was up next to test sub-bass, and like the previous track, bass impact was really good. When the sub-bass kicked in, the rumble was there, so the HM2 definitely reaches low enough, and Ella’s vocals were again crystal clear.

Last up was AVB’s trance track, and once again the HM2 showed is strength – really good bass line coupled with clarity of the vocals. This is the sort of track where I’m tempted to crank the volume up past my normal safe listening levels and the HM2 responds marvellously.

Female Vocals
Track used: Aventine, Strong, The Bad in Each other, Howl, Safer, Light as a Feather, Chelsea

I’d already suggested previously that the HM2 is pretty good with female vocals, and after I’d heard Obel’s Aventine with them, I knew that the little bump in the upper-mids made them perfect for my preferences. The track was euphonically presented, and a joy to listen to. Next up was Strong (I’m a big fan of London Grammar), and the HM2 was wonderful with the presentation of Hannah’s vocals. The whole track was very enjoyable and mainstream listeners are going to love the HM2 I think.

With Feist and FaTM, both tracks were perfect with the HM2. Great bass slam and really dynamic contrasts with the sweetness of the vocals. Moving next to slower tracks with more emphasis on vocals (Cilmi / Jones) the HM2 once again continues to “hit it out of the park”. The presentation is full, rich, and lush. And Norah in particular is magical to listen to on the HM2. That deep, almost huskiness of her voice is captured perfectly.

I finished with Phoebe Bridger’s track Chelsea, because the track is had a great bass, and I adore her vocals. The HM2 did not disappoint and once again I’ve found myself turning up the volume a little and simply rocking out. The HM2 are easy (with the right music) to just lose yourself in the music.

Male Vocals
Tracks used: Away From the Sun, Art for Art’s Sake, Broken Wings, Diary of Jayne, Hotel California, , EWBTCIAST

I expected the HM2 to cope reasonably well with my male vocalists as most of them are Rock or Classic Rock artists. I started with 3 Doors Down, and the HM2 was really enjoyable – good bass presentation, a slightly warmish tilt overall, but vocals were clear and clean. Moving to some older classic rock (10CC), and whilst the track overall was pretty good, some of the bass felt slightly one-dimensional, although everything else was pretty good. From there to some Alter Bridge and again not too much to complain about. Myles vocals were great, the overall presentation was dynamic, and my only nit-pick was that with more complex multiple guitar passages there was the tendency for some of the detail to be lost. So I next played Breaking Benjamin’s Diary of Jayne, and this confirmed what I’d initially suspected – when you get a lot of complex guitar, the HM2 can tend to present a “wall of sound” rather than the individual guitars. To be fair though – this track will bring a lot of headphones to their knees.

Time for something a little lighter and more delicate – to see how well the HM2 coped with acoustic music. Hotel California was really good – great presentation of finger picking in the opening – and very good presentation of vocals with good command of timbre and tone.

My ultimate test for male vocals though has always been Pearl Jam. The HM2 was really good with its rendering of Vedder’s vocals, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. My personal preference would be for a little less warmth – but this is a presentation that is ultimately easy to listen to.

Genre Specific Notes
Again for tracks, albums, artists – please refer to this list: http://www.head-fi.org/a/brookos-test-tracks

Rock – Vocals and clarity are generally good, and the bass is generally fairly dynamic.

Alt Rock – With Pink Floyd’s “Money” the HM2 unfortunately had a little too much mid-bass and it tended to overshadow some of the finer detail that I know is in the track. Still ultimately enjoyable though – and once again the vocals are really clean and clear. Likewise PT’s Trains was very good – but again my personal preference would be to cut some of the mid-bass to allow the upper end detail to shine a little more.

Jazz / Blues – Portico Quartet’s “Ruins” is always a first stop for me when testing a new headphone with Jazz, and the HM2 falls just short of the mark for me. For a track where I expect to hear the brushing of cymbals, some of the detail is being slightly masked – it’s still there, but not as clear as I’d personally prefer. Sax is good though, and this sentiment is repeated when I switch to Miles and his trumpet. Double Bass – very good. Trumpet – very good. Cymbals – just lacking that little bit of extension.

Time for some blues so I first tried Beth Hart’s “Live at Paradiso” album – which is mastered very hot (bright). With the HM2 the presentation was smooth, warm, and quite enjoyable – so I guess this showcases how warm the HM2 is (definitely coloured). Next was a little Bonamassa and boy does the HM2 handle single guitar really well. Couple that with Joe’s vocals – great conveyance of tone and emotion – and you have a really well presented track.

Hip-hop / EDM / Pop – Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” was really good and I can see bass lovers quite enjoying the HM2. Good impact without losing vocal clarity. Similar story with Little Dragon, although some of the mid-bass was at times becoming a little monotonous (my personal preferences showing again I’m afraid). Both Adele and Coldplay were very good on the HM2 – full, rich, and warm. Again I can see a slightly younger generation absolutely loving this presentation.

Classical / Opera – Probably not the genre that would be the target for most people likely to buy the HM2, but the review wouldn’t be complete without trying it. For my tastes, the HM2 is just a little too warm, and string ensembles just don’t sound quite right – there isn’t quite enough air with the performance. Kempff’s solo piano and Zoe Keating’s cello were both very good though – nice timbre and tone. Moving to Opera and listening to Netrebko and Garanca performing the Flower Duet was very pleasant, but again that “air” and full top-end was slightly missing. Enjoyable – yes, masterful – not quite.

Indie – a lot of my music lately has been Indie related, so I thought I’d separate this genre out in case anyone shares my appreciation of it. Band of Horses was brilliant – the slightly bright presentation mixed with the natural warmth of the HM2 is a pretty good mix. And Wildlight was equally as good with Ayla’s vocals being almost ethereal.

AMPLIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

The HM2 is very easily powered straight out of the portable devices I have (from M3 to Fiio’s X series or my iPhone), and don’t really need any other amplification.

Using my X3ii with no EQ, and the volume on the HM2 set to max, only needed around 35-40/120 for a comfortable listening threshold. With my iPhone 5S this equated to 5-6 click or around 30-40%, so the HM2 really is quite a benign load.

I did compare back and forth with the X3ii solo and with the E17K in the mix, and noticed no obvious signs of improvement with the E17K included.

RESPONSE TO EQ?

This was an interesting one because if you’ve noticed so far, I’ve hinted that I’d like to cut some of the mid-bass a little and maybe add just a little more air to the upper end. So I used the E17K’s built in tone controls, and applied a -4 bass cut and +2 treble addition. The HM2 was suitably transformed, and this is now a presentation which I would really personally enjoy. This showcases two things – how versatile the HM2 is, and also what a great little amp the E17K is (especially for someone who wants a quick fix but is not comfortable using EQ).

COMPARISONS

Fortunately I have a couple of headphones in the house which are roughly comparable to the HM2 in that they are reasonably portable, although at quite different price points. Once again I have provided graphs for raw response, and these should only be used for comparative date as I am unable to apply HRTF or any other calibration for a proper measurement system. They are simply shown to give a comparative idea of how the HM2 might sound compared to some other well-known headphones

HM2 $49.50 vs UE6000 $150 (discontinued)
One of the big differences here is that the UE6000 has active noise cancellation, but my daughter never uses it and in fact we think the UE6000 sound better with it turned off, so I feel it is a fair comparison. The HM2 is bassier, thicker, and darker. The UE6000 is leaner, has more upper end detail, and in direct comparison is probably closer to my preferred signature. The UE6000 is also slightly more comfortable. As far as overall build quality goes, although the HM2 are a lot lighter, I wouldn’t call them substandard in build comparatively. If I was to choose on default signature alone, I’d probably go with the UE6000 for my own preferences. But knowing how good the HM2 responds to EQ, for a third of the price, I’d quickly switch to the HM2.

HM2 $49.50 vs Momentum On Ear $110-150
This one is a lot more straight-forward. My son has had his pair for almost two years so far, and they are starting to show a bit wear and tear – but he loves them. Sonically the HM2 and MOE are very similar, with the HM2 having a little more bass quantity, but the mid-range presentation of both being surprisingly similar. If anything the HM2 sounds slightly smoother and slightly warmer – while the MOE is a little sharper. Both are clearly V shaped signatures though. Build on both is comparable, but the HM2 wins out on comfort. I’ve never really been a fan of the MOE, so I’d take the HM2 as personal preference and doubly so after EQ.

HM2 – VALUE & SUMMARY

When Pandora contacted me to review the HM2, and especially when she told me I would be one of only two people with an early preview unit, I was naturally intrigued. And although the default signature of the HM2 is not to my normal taste, I do recognise what they are bringing to the table with this release.

The HM2 is a well-built portable headphone which folds to a reasonably compact size, and is comfortable to wear (headband could use some padding though). It is also stylish, and according to some of the comments I’ve received so far, looks good for everyday wear if out and about.

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Side view HM2 in natural light	HM2 in natural light - headband and top profile	Side view of the HM2 in natural light

Sonically the HM2 is a well-tuned “consumer” signature with above neutral bass which extends reasonably well. It has a good clear mid-range, and slightly rolled off and smooth highs. It delivers a reasonable amount of detail which can suffer slightly depending on the bass quantity present in the track. It does not need amplification (easily driven out of most portable devices), and responds really well to EQ.

I guess the natural question is would I recommend this to family and friends, and to answer that question I’ll simply state what my daughter and son have already told me. They’d both like a pair. That in my mind is recommendation enough – even if they aren’t to my own personal taste.

A solid 4 star rating – really good value proposition.

RECOMMENDATIONS TO BRAINWAVZ

First – thanks again to Pandora and Brainwavz for this opportunity:

Consider next time having some padding on the underside of the headband
Re-measure the overall size and have shorter default length with slightly longer extenders to cater for more head sizes

FINAL NOTE

I thought I'd add a little addendum as it shows the true versatility of the HM2. As I've been doing the final posting of the review (it usually takes me at least 40 minutes to an hour with formatting etc), I've been using the HM2 with the EQ applied. I'm thoroughly enjoying them. Definitely looks like I'm going to need to buy more than one pair - as I can see me using these more with the EQ applied.

For larger views of any of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images

INTRODUCTION

My introduction to DUNU Topsound (almost two years ago) was with their triple hybrid DN-1000, which rapidly became a hit with Head-Fi buyers, and was one of the first triple hybrid IEMs to show that top quality could be achieved at an affordable price. Since then DUNU has been a consistent performer, releasing a string of very good IEMs, including the exceptional DN2000J, and extremely well regarded Titan.

I’ve used this introduction before in my other reviews – and I think it serves as a good reminder of who DUNU is, and where they come from, so please excuse me if I state again …..

DUNU Topsound was established in 1994 originally as an OEM supplier to other companies. Since then they have developed their own branded line of high quality earphones, and gone from strength to strength (IMO) with each release. They currently have their manufacturing plant in China and head office in Taiwan. They now have more than 100 employees, and market their product range all over the world.

The name DUNU is simply an acronym of the principle design points that the company strives to implement in their product range

Delicate
Unique
Utmost

Here is a quote from their website, which really does give an insight into what drives the company:

“With advanced technology and hi-end equipments, DUNU desires to be able to provide Delicate, Unique ＆ Utmost products for Hi-Fi embracers. Delicate means extremely quality demanding on product process, from every little component to product manufacturing. DUNU has complete production line and equipments, including precise equipments, B&K frequency machine, IMD sputter, CNC machine, anechoic room, etc. Concerning design of product, DUNU also devotes to create unique outer appearance and balance in all sound frequency.

Utmost is not only the expectation on products, but also the pursuit of an Earphone Manufacturer. The founder of DUNU, himself, has years of experience in OEM/ODM earphone products in which many worldwide famous earphone Brands are included. However, in order to create the most enjoyable earphone on his own, DUNU’s president establishes the brand “DUNU” and implants many hi-end equipments and hires talented employees. From then on, DUNU takes the lead in developing the first Chinese made metal earphone, developing 5.8mm Driver unit and produce the very first Chinese Balance Armature Earphone, in 2014 DUNU release China first triple driver Dynamic and Balance Armature Hybrid earphone, All these preparation are to step on the world stage and to challenge renowned earphone brands. The ultimate goal of DUNU is to provide worldwide HI-FI embracers our Delicate, Unique & Utmost earphone products.”

DUNU’s full product catalogue can be found at http://www.dunu-topsound.com/product.html - and their products are supplied through their own storefront (globally) on Amazon.

After the unprecedented success of the Titan T1, DUNU have spent the time listening to customer feedback and improving the new Titan series, and this has culminated in the release of the Titan 1es (budget version), T3 and T5. The review today is of the T5.

The Titans arrived to me almost six weeks ago, and unfortunately due to my review schedule, I didn’t really get a chance to put them fully through their paces until the last three weeks. In that time though, I have clocked up many hours (at least 60+). Read on to find my thoughts on the Titan T5, and why I think DUNU have yet another winner on their hands.

DISCLAIMER

I was provided the DUNU Titan T5 as a review unit from DUNU Topsound. I am in no way affiliated with DUNU - and this review is my subjective opinion of the Titan T5.

PREAMBLE - 'ABOUT ME'. (or a base-line for interpreting my thoughts and bias)

I'm a 48 year old music lover. I don't say audiophile – I just love my music. Over the last couple of years, I have slowly changed from cheaper listening set-ups to my current set-up. I vary my listening from portables (Fiio X5ii, X3ii, LP5 and iPhone 5S) to my desk-top's set-up (PC > USB > iFi iDSD). I also use a portable set-up at work – either X5ii/X3ii > HP, or PC > E17K > HP. My main full sized headphones at the time of writing are the Beyer T1, Sennheiser HD600, and AKG K553. Most of my portable listening is done with IEMs, and lately it has been with the Adel U6, Dunu DN-2000J, Jays q-Jays and Alclair Curve2. A full list of the gear I have owned (past and present is listed in my Head-Fi profile).

I have very eclectic music tastes listening to a variety from classical/opera and jazz, to grunge and general rock. I listen to a lot of blues, jazz, folk music, classic rock, indie and alternative rock. I am particularly fond of female vocals. I generally tend toward cans that are relatively neutral/balanced, but I do have a fondness for clarity, and suspect I might have slight ‘treble-head’ preferences. I am not treble sensitive (at all), and in the past have really enjoyed headphones like the K701, SR325i, and of course the T1 and DT880.

I have extensively tested myself (abx) and I find aac256 or higher to be completely transparent. I do use exclusively redbook 16/44.1 if space is not an issue. All of my music is legally purchased (mostly CD – the rest FLAC purchased on-line). I tend to be sceptical about audiophile ‘claims’, don’t generally believe in burn-in, have never heard a difference with different cables, and would rather test myself blind on perceived differences. I am not a ‘golden eared listener’. I suffer from mild tinnitus, and at 48, my hearing is less than perfect.

Over the last month I’ve used the T5 out of practically every source I have available – including my iPhone 5S, Fiio X1, X3,ii, X5, X5ii, X7, M3, Luxury & Precision L5 Pro and L&P5. For the purposes of this review however – I’ve used Titan T5 mainly from the X3ii and E17K. In the time I’ve been using the T5, I haven’t noticed any sonic change. And as you’ll read later in the review – although I tried them from various amplifiers – the T5 are perfect for use straight out of the headphone sockets of most DAPs – and that includes the very tiny Fiio M3.

This is a purely subjective review - my gear, my ears, and my experience. Please take it all with a grain of salt - especially if it does not match your own experience.

THE REVIEW

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

The DUNU Titan T5 arrived in the now very familiar DUNU Titan book style retail box – measuring approximately 170mm x 130mm x 50mm retail box. I’ve been impressed with their presentation of their recent IEMs and the T5 is no exception. The immediate thought you get when you see the packaging is “premium”. On the front of the box you get a simple picture of the Titan 5s (complete with an illustration of the detachable cable), and on the rear an explanation of the box contents and main features of the T5. On the sides DUNU lists specifications in six languages. One notable addition to the front of the box now is the “Hi-Res Audio” logo which certifies that a product meets the Hi-Res Audio standards (must have transducer frequency performance to at least 40 kHz). While this means little in practical terms to the listener – it does reinforce that DUNU is serious about standards.

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Retail box front cover	Retail box rear cover	Retail box profile

The box opens “book style” to show the IEMs, and on the inside cover gives some more information about build material and the manufacturing process. Opening a second inner cover exposes the carry case, some of the tips, and also the Titans themselves. The actual retail box is extremely well made, and very solid.

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Inside covers	Book stye box fully opened	All accessories

The carry case is a very good one for an IEM, and IMO an improvement on their metal boxes (used in the DN-1000 / DN-2000). It is a sturdy moulded plastic rectangular hinged lid box (with nicely rounded pocket-safe corners) measuring approximately 90mm long, 65mm wide and 23mm deep. It has a catch/lock to keep it closed, and has a matt exterior on the rear and sides, and shinier plastic top (personally I’d prefer matt all around – better for both scratches and finger prints). The only thing missing with the case is no internal pockets for spare tips etc – but I’m OK with that considering how pocket friendly and sturdy it is. I really like this case.

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Stabilisers, clip, adaptor and case	The very good carry case	Tip selection

The accessory pack includes 2 different varieties of silicone tips (in S,M,L) – including some that look very close to the Sony hybrid type design, a 3.5-6.3mm adaptor, shirt clip, and warranty card. Also to be included with the accessories in future is a set of silicone ear stabilisers.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

(From DUNU’s packaging / website)
I’ve listed below the T5 specifications, and because I know the three will be compared, I’ve also listed specifications for the original Titan 1 and new Titan 3 as well.

	Titan T5	Titan T1	Titan T3
Type	Single dynamic driver IEM	Single dynamic driver IEM	Single dynamic driver IEM
Driver	13mm titanium “nano class”	13mm titanium “nano class”	13mm titanium “nano class”
Frequency Range	10 Hz – 40 Khz	10 Hz – 30 Khz	10 Hz – 40 Khz
Impedance	32 ohm	16 ohm	16 ohm
Sensitivity	108 dB (+/-2 dB)	90 dB (+/-2 dB)	110 dB (+/-2 dB)
Jack	3.5mm gold plated, right angled	3.5mm gold plated, right angled	3.5mm gold plated, right angled
Cables	1.2m removable	1.2m fixed	1.2m, removable
Weight	24g	18g	24g
IEM Shell	Polished stainless steel	Polished metal	Polished stainless steel

FREQUENCY GRAPH

The graphs below are generated by a new measuring system I’m using – the Vibro Veritas coupler and ARTA software. I don’t have the calibration 100% correct yet – but the graphs I am getting are relatively close to Innerfidelity’s raw data (on other earphones), and I think are “close enough” to get a reasonable idea of the frequency response for the Titan 5. My aim is still to eventually construct a pre-set compensation curve so that I can get the graphs more consistent with calibrated curves.

Later in the review, and perhaps of more use, I’ll comparatively graph the T1, T3 and T5.

What I’m hearing (subjective)

Quick, clean and well extended bass which is in very good balance to the overall signature
Clean coherent mid-range with slight recession in the lower mid-range, and elevation in the vocal presence area (2-3 kHz)
Clean and extended lower treble which falls short of sibilance (for me) yet remains quite bright and has very good clarity.

BUILD & DESIGN

The Titan 5, like its older sibling (T1) appears to be extremely well made with a polished stainless outer shell – very reminiscent of an earbud type shape – but with an angled nozzle designed to take an IEM tip and provide some measure of isolation. The circular part of the body is 15mm in diameter, and designed to snugly in your ear with, the rear of the Titan shell against your antihelix, and the front underneath your tragus, with the nozzle angled forward into the ear canal. The nozzles are approximately 50mm long, have a generous lip, and have a pinhole mesh type of opening with 7 holes to allow the sound into your ear.

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Polished steel with excellent nozzles (note vent port)	Front and rear	Side view

However, the T5 departs from the T1 in a number of ways. First up, there is just a single vent/port for the dynamic driver compared to the T1’s 11 hole vented underside. Secondly, the body of the T5 is taller than the T1 (approx. 14mm vs 11mm), so protrudes slightly further, and lastly, the T5 has a removable cable system where the T1 cable was fixed. This time there is no red ring or blue ring around the IEM body (I’ll explain why in a second).

The removable cable on the T5 uses an MMCX connector, and is quite firm, and from my time with them so far, is one of the better MMCX implementations I’ve seen. I’ve been a bit cautious with the MMCX connector system since the issues I had with cut-out on my A83 – but thankfully so far this has not been the case with the T5. One of the differences between the T5’s MMCX connector and the connectors on the Shure series is that the T5 male connector appears to be slightly longer (about 1mm). This does make it more secure – but means that The T5 cable won’t fit the A83, and also common after-market cables won’t fit the T5 (I’ve tried with both the Shure SE series cable and also the standard cable from the new Trinity Atlas). But the good thing is that the T5 cable is beautifully made – supply, with low microphonics, and a firm connection.

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Nozzle pattern same as T1	Replaceable cable with MMCX connection system	Length of connector slightly longer than standard

The other great thing about the cable is that for those who prefer cable up (my preference), then you simply swap ear-pieces. And this is why it’s smart for DUNU not to use the coloured bands. You choose an orientation which suits you, and then the actual normal fit of the earphones will let you know which is which (left and right). If you ever lose track of which is which though, there is a small “L” or “R” on each earphone body, and also on the cable connectors.

So a welcome change from the T1, and the cable is also different in that the cloth covered mesh (below the Y split) is gone and replaced by DUNUs satiny rubber coated finish – both above and below the Y split. The Y-split is the usual DUNU cylindrical metal tube with the top piece sliding off to form a cinch. The plug is a right angled gold plated 3.5mm plug, and is designed to be very friendly for portable devices. No issues with my 5S with fitted case. The cable shows good flexibility, with no signs of kinking, and has excellent strain relief at all the required major points (plug, Y-split and IEM body).

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Y split with cinch	Right angle jack and attached cable tie	Comparison T1 and T5

The cable carries DUNU’s usual innovation with the rubber cable tie attached to the cable. When not in use it sits unobtrusively close to the plug (I never notice it). When you’ve finished listening to the Titans, simply carefully coil the cable and use the tie. Simple, elegant, brilliant. I’ve loved this all DUNU’s IEMs.

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Comparison T1 and T5	Comparison T1 and T5	Comparison T1 and T5

I cannot fault a single thing with the DUNU build – it just all makes sense, and is executed brilliantly.

FIT / COMFORT / ISOLATION

I have one ear canal slightly different to the other one (my right is very slightly smaller) - so I tend to find that usually single silicon flanges don't fit overly well. This is often even more of an issue with shallow fitting IEMs – and the Titan 5 is a shallow fitting IEM. But both types of included single silicone large tips fit me perfectly – and I think this is the stabilisers at work (I’ll get to them shortly).

I also tried Spin-fit (perfect nozzle fitting, but for me no seal), Ostry black or blue (tuning) tips (perfect seal), Spiral Dots (again perfect nozzle fitting, but for me so seal), and comply T200s (perfect fit and seal). But with the T5s I still use Sony Isolation tips for day-to-day use which continually give me best combination of fit, seal, comfort and durability (they are a silicone tip with inner foam). It is a credit to Dunu's design that such a variety of tips fit well without coming off the nozzle


Spin-fits and Comply T200	Ostry tips and Spiral Dots	My preferred Sony Isolation Tips

One of the things DUNU are now including with the Titan series are some ear stabilisers – which are a soft silicon fin which fits over the body of the Titan, with the fin pointing upward, and allowing it to be locked under your antihelix. They work brilliantly, are very comfortable, and effectively lock the T5 in place, and work with both orientations (cable up or down). I can do strenuous exercise with the stabilisers in place, and the Titans never come loose (the same fins work with the T1 and T3). My only critique of the stabilisers is that because they are so soft, almost every time I take the T5 out of my ear, the stabilisers come off the shiny body. It isn’t a big issue, as they are easy to get back on, but a more rigid “harness” with a softer fin would alleviate the issue (I don’t know if this is possible – but worth mentioning).

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Stabilisers fit	My son Mathew with cable down	And again with cable up

Worn both over ear or straight down, they aren’t quite flush, protruding maybe a millimetre or two at most, but are still quite comfortable to lie down with – I have no problems sleeping with them intact. YMMV depending on your outer ear size.

Isolation is average to below average for external noise coming in, and I wouldn’t use these in a high noise environment. They do well enough to isolate with music playing – but are not high isolators. Where the improvement is over the Titan T1 though is in their passive attenuation of sound coming from them. They are now a lot more isolating, and I’d have no issues wearing these in a library at moderate volume (I couldn’t say the same about the T1).
So great fit, very comfortable, reasonable isolation – how do they sound?

SOUND QUALITY

The following is what I hear from the DUNU Titan T5. YMMV – and probably will – as my tastes are likely different to yours (read the preamble I gave earlier for a baseline). Most of the testing at this point (unless otherwise stated) was done with my Fiio X3ii as source, no EQ, and Sony Isolation silicone tips with the cable worn up. For the record – on most tracks, the volume level on the X5 was around 40/120 (C weighted) which was giving me around an average SPL around 75 dB and peaks at around 80-82dB.

Driver matching was excellent – as can be seen from the graph.

Tracks used were across a variety of genres – and can be viewed in this list http://www.head-fi.org/a/brookos-test-tracks.

Initial Thoughts
When I received the T3 and T5 from DUNU, I listened to both for about half an hour (T3 first and T5 second) and my initial reaction was that the while both sounded beautifully clear, the T5 was a bit bassy / v-shaped. But as time went on (past the first week), I found myself listening to the T3 less, and concentrating more and more on the T5. While I still think the T3 is a very good IEM – the T5 is the far superior one IMO, and I’m so pleased now that I didn’t try and write the review within a week of getting them (simply because my thoughts have changed so much in the last month). I sometimes think that the curse of the modern reviewer is that we try to push too many reviews out in too short a time-span, and we don’t allow enough time for the signature to be properly understood.

Thoughts on General Signature
If I was to now describe the signature in a few words/phrases – I’d choose the word balanced, with an upper mid-range emphasis, beautifully clear, and an intimate rather than spacious vocal presentation.
The Titan 5 in a short time has become one of my favourite IEMs, and reminds me a little of Trinity’s Delta, but with less quantity (yet more articulate and faster) bass, and a little brighter / clearer top end. But it is closer and more akin to the signature of the DUNU DN2000J (you’ll see why in the comparisons).

The T5 has really impactful, but also quick and well textured bass that is never too boomy, but extends really well, and is only there when called for (does not dominate). The mid-range is the type of mid-range I absolutely love – maybe a little thin (comparatively) on lower mids, but has a peak in the 2-3 kHz (vocal presence area) and again at around 6 kHz – which falls mainly short of sibilance for me (related to listening volume) but lends a sweetness to female vocals which I absolutely adore.

Overall Detail / Clarity
Tracks used: “Gaucho”, “Sultans of Swing”

The clarity is stunning on both tracks, but more than that, the balance is also really good. Bass guitar is present and supplies a good constant backdrop without overpowering. Vocals are up front, but mesh nicely with piano, guitar, and brass. Finer details are excellent – easy to discern, but not spot-lit. Cymbals in particular are brilliant because I can hear the decay, and it’s not splashy or overdone. Knopflers vocals in Sultans don’t sound weak, and guitar has good edge or crunch. The micro detail is really good. I could listen to this presentation for hours.

Sound-stage & Imaging
Tracks used: “Tundra”, “Dante’s Prayer”, “Let it Rain”

Amber Rubarth’s binaural track was up first, and the imaging is amazingly good and very precise. Stage is definitely not overly expansive, and more intimate than wide or deep – but it doesn’t feel under-done or constricted. Overall stage is perhaps right at the peripheral edge of my head space.

Next was “Dante’s Prayer” and although I’ve known for a while now how good these are, it wasn’t until I started critically listening that I realised how good. The first thing to hit was how good the piano sounded (full and natural), and then the cello hit and the goosebumps started. To cap it off Loreena started singing and the captivation was complete. Again imaging is the strength here (pin-point), and the size of stage is intimate, but still well-articulated (very good separation and sense of individual instruments). One of the reasons I use this track is for a particular point at the end of the performance when the last note dies, and the applause starts. With my HD600s, I’m in the crowd, and this has also happened occasionally with IEMs. With the T5 I’m in the crowd - jazz club rather than the arena it’s actually recorded in – but immersive, and that is what I treasure more.

I finished with Amanda Marshall’s “Let It Rain” for two reasons – it has been miked to give a holographic feel (and the T5 renders this perfectly), and it’s a good track to test sibilance (I know it is in the recording). At my listening levels, the sibilance is pretty much unnoticeable – but with increased volume it starts to rear its head. So if you are a high volume listener, then it is something to take note of (although an EQ cut at 6kHz should clean it up).

Bass Quality and Quantity
Tracks used: “Bleeding Muddy Waters”, “Royals”

Mark Lanegan’s track is first up. This blues rock track is quite dark and brooding – but is a good test of bass bleed and also male vocals. The T5’s bass is just effortless with this track – good impact without being over emphasised – and no sign of bleed. Mark’s vocals are perhaps a little on the thin side, and I guess this is the trade-off with having such a good upper mid-range. For all that though, I can still hear the “gravel” in Mark’s voice and the track remains really enjoyable.

“Royals” is my sub-bass impact test – and the T5 again was just wonderful – enough low rumble to show the impressive extension, but again the balance is impressive, and it is the quality and speed of the bass which is really impressing me. Ella’s vocals are sweet and crystal clear, and mesh brilliantly with the energy and impact of the low bass. Really impressive.

Female Vocals
Tracks used: “Aventine”, “Strong”, “For You”, “The Bad In Each Other”, “Howl”, “Safer”, “Light as a Feather”

By now you already know what I’m going to say here, so I’ll shorten it a bit. In a word “euphonic”, and for my tastes, perfect. Aventine was first up, and Agnes Obel can be slightly strident if the vocal mix is a little out. The way the T5 presents this track is as good as I’ve heard it. The cello is deep, rich and captivating, and in contrast with her vocals, you have a combination I could listen to for hours.

I’m also aware that the T5’s upper mid-range is quite forward which has in the past brought fatigue to me with earphones like Shure’s SE535, but this is definitely not fatiguing (even after some hours).

Next was London Grammar, and again Hannah’s vocals were haunting in their presentation – this is as close to perfection with female vocals as I’ve heard.

And this was the repeated theme with every female vocalist I tried. Standouts for dynamics were Feist and FaTM – the combination of bass impact and vocal “beauty” (I honestly can’t describe it another way) were breath-taking. But even slower tracks like Cilmi’s “Safer” or anything by Norah were equally as captivating. I should stop now because I know I’m gushing – but for me they really are that good.

Male Vocals
Tracks used: “Away From the Sun”, “Art for Art’s Sake”, “Broken Wings”, “Diary of Jayne”, “Hotel California”, “Keith Don’t Go”, “EWBTCIAST”

The continued theme here was good bass impact, clear vocals, and nicely balanced guitars and other instruments. And for the most part the T5 delivered Rock brilliantly – but …….

Male vocals are definitely a little thinner, and this is the cost of having such a perfect mid-range for female vocalists. What I like with the T5 is the dynamic contrast and clarity – especially with the overall impact from drums, mid-range bite of guitar, and upper detail from cymbals. It makes for a great listen. But Todd’s voice (3 Doors Down) definitely doesn’t have the same depth as when listening to it on my U6. It still sounds very good – but there is a difference and it should be noted.

Older classic rock (10CC, Eagles, Nils Lofgren) was also very listenable and one of the strengths of the T5 is presentation of guitar – especially acoustic. Saying that though, faster music is definitely no issue for the T5, and even Breaking Benjamin’s ‘wall of sound’ with “Diary of Jayne” came nowhere near overwhelming the T5’s drivers.

My litmus test is always Pearl Jam – if Vedder sounds good to me, then they’ve passed my personal test. And the presentation is really good – the emotion and timbre is captured nicely. I’d still like just a little more depth, but I’m not willing to trade that for the default female vocalist presentation, and I can always EQ slightly anyway.

So brilliant for female vocals, but just a little thin for male vocals (still enjoyable though) – what about specific genres?

Genre Specific Notes
Again for tracks, albums, artists – please refer to this list: http://www.head-fi.org/a/brookos-test-tracks

Alt Rock – Really good for both Pink Floyd and Porcupine Tree, and the slightly higher pitch of Wilson’s vocals really suited the T5 well. What I like is the level of detail they are delivering, and this is really apparent with Pink Floyd’s “Money” – too often the detail on this track can be lost, especially with too much bass. The overall balance is what really makes the T5 shine.

Jazz / Blues / Bluegrass – If you haven’t checked out Portico Quartet, you should. They play a fusion of jazz and electronic, and their track “Ruins” is usually a first stop for me when genre testing a new IEM. The T5 is wonderful with this track – a perfect mix of double-bass, sax, and cymbals. Sometimes I’d like a little more space in the presentation, but for low volume listening, there aren’t too many better. Key attributes once again are clarity, contrast, and a sense of dynamism. Bonamassa was another one to shine with the T5 – it renders guitar brilliantly, and does a pretty good job with Joe’s almost husky vocals too.

Hip-hop / EDM / Trance – This is where the T5 shows some additional strength, and the bass (which most of the time is perfectly balanced) suddenly shows some extra depth and impact. It is still articulate, quick, and textured – but now there is a visceral quality with it. Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” is crystal clear, but still portrays the sort of impact that should make most bass-heads happy. Likewise Little Dragon and also Lindsay Stirling show similar qualities, and it’s amazing how the T5 can be so well balanced for one track – and then when extra bass is called for in the track, it just stands and delivers. I really enjoyed a bit of Trance with AVB, and especially when it was coupled with female vocals.

Indie – I’ve been listening to a lot of Indie music lately – Band of Horses, Wildlight, Yesper (my collections seems to be growing at an alarming rate actually) – and the T5 (like the T1s) are IMO an Indie lover’s dream – or at least this Indie lover’s preferred sound anyway. Wildlight especially (Dawn To Flight) was incredible.

Classical / Opera – Strings were wonderful, and I was enjoying Mutter’s rendition of Vivaldi’s 4 Seasons so much I actually ended up listening to the entire recording. Kempffs rendition of Moonlight Sonata was very good, but didn’t quite convey the overall timbre as well as I’ve heard. Netrebko and Garanca rendition of Lakme’s Flower Duet was a standout, but once again Pavarotti (while good) wasn’t quite there.

AMPLIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

The Titan T5 is easily driven out of a smartphone or DAP, and although on my iPhone 5S I’m sitting around 45%, and in the 40-50/120 range on the Fiio, there is still plenty of headroom left, and the T5 never feels as though it is lacking.

I also volume matched and compared X3ii vs X3ii + E17K, and there was no discernible audible difference in dynamic presentation – so I think it is pretty safe to say that extra amping won’t be necessary. Based on the specs alone (32 ohm and 108dB SPL), straight out of the headphone out of most sources should be more than enough. Even Fiio’s new M3 sounds wonderful as a source.

RESPONSE TO EQ?

I wouldn’t be one to change this too much as I love the default sound, but I revisited some of my male vocalists and applied some subtle alterations in the lower mid-range, and reduction in the upper mid-range, and the T5 responded well. With such a clear signature, they are reasonably easy to apply EQ to, and seem to respond well to some tweaking.

QUICK COMPARISONS

I’ve measured all 3 Titans, and outlined my subjective thoughts on their tuning below. To perform the comparisons, I used a calibrated SPL meter, and matched each with a 1 kHz test tone, and then used a splitter plus volume attenuator so that I could fast switch and know that each was precisely volume matched.

Titan 5 vs Titan 1
Quite similar sounding with very similar bass presentation. T5 mid-range is a little more forward and this gives the feeling that the T1 has a little more soundstage. Mid-range is also very similar, but the T5 carries overall detail a little further. T5 has more articulation (or apparent detail) with cymbals, and also reaches just a bit lower with sub-bass. Build is similar, but the T5 has better isolation, replaceable cables, and can be worn cable up. My preference T5. The T1 requires comparatively more power, and is approximately 3.5 dB lower in volume is played at the same source level.

Titan 5 vs Titan 3
This time the difference is more stark. The T3 is a lot leaner, and also seems more forward in the vocals (this may be because of the lower bass volume). And the biggest change is in the bass, and comparatively the T3 is almost anaemic. It does give the T3 a lot more mid-range emphasis, but unfortunately for my tastes this isn’t a good point. The overall balance just seems to be missing, and when fast switching, the T3 just tends to sound slightly tinny. Build is essentially the same. T3 is easier to drive and at the same source volume, the difference is just a shade under 4dB. My preference is very much the T5, and I’d actually also take the T1 over the T3.

Titan 5 vs Trinity Delta (gun-metal filter)
I chose to compare these two as they are very similarly priced, and are comparable in overall quality. The Delta is harder to drive, and at the same source level is ~ 5.5 dB less than the T5. The Delta has a bigger bass response and sounds richer, and thicker than the T5. The T5 comparatively sounds quicker and cleaner. Both have quite forward vocals, but in this case, the Delta is even more forward than the T5 which sounds almost relaxed comparatively. Both have stellar builds & the main feature difference is the Delta’s filter tuning system vs the T5’s removable cables. Both are wonderful earphones and in this case the Delta is just a little warmer and fuller – but my preference would be slightly favouring the T5’s overall presentation.

Titan 5 vs DN2000J
I chose this comparison because although there is a big difference in price, the two sound quite alike. The DN2000J are slightly easier to drive, and at the same source level there is a difference of ~ 3dB. Both have very similar bass delivery both in quantity and speed. The DN2000J has a slightly thicker and richer mid-range, and to me probably has the best overall balance of all the IEMs I’ve listed above. The T5 is slightly brighter and slightly leaner, but the two signatures are closer than contrasting. For anyone wanting to know roughly how the DN2000J sounds, or vice-versa, the T5 is a good indicator. My preference ultimately would be the 2000J for everything except comfort – the T5 is simply a joy to wear.

DUNU TITAN 5 - SUMMARY

The DUNU Titan 5 is an incredibly well designed, well built, and well executed IEM. It is relatively well balanced in frequency range, and has exceptional clarity for its price range. Some may feel that the overall presentation is slightly V shaped, and I can live with the assessment too – but for me there is more overall balance there than colouration. There is definitely an emphasis on the upper mid-range, and this take precedence over the lower mid-range a little. For female vocals it is among the best I have heard, but the downside of this is that male vocals can be a little thin comparatively.

The addition of the removable cables has been executed well and allows me to wear them in my favoured cable up position.

The Titan 5 will likely suit:

Fans of a balanced or very slightly V shaped sonic presentation
People who value clarity
Fans of a euphonic presentation of female vocals

The Titan 5 may not suit anyone who:

Requires very high isolation
Prefers a darker, warmer, smoother presentation, or is treble sensitive
Has a mainly male vocal oriented library, and likes deeper timbre and tone

At a current RRP of USD 135, the Titan 5 represents incredible value in my opinion, and despite having higher end IEMs including the Adel U6, DN2000J, and q-Jays, I will continue to use these regularly. At this price point they are an easy 5. One of the best IEMs I’ve heard all year.

A common summary question I ask myself is would I buy these, and would I recommend them to friends or family. The answer is a resounding yes.

Once again I’d like to thank Vivian at DUNU for giving me this wonderful opportunity to review their Titan range.

RECOMMENDATIONS TO DUNU

It really is hard to recommend any changes – as I think you have really hit the target with the T5. My only requests would be to perhaps think about releasing an iPhone compliant cable (volume & track controls) as an add-on option, and also to see if the stabiliser bodies could be made just a little firmer.

Harry - I'll reply by PM

Awesome review!

I would like to get either these or the Fiio EX1s but I'm not sure what level of isolation I want. I want them mainly for work in a quiet office and for riding my bike around the city (I want to be aware of my surroundings). The T5 is more attractive sonically and for the replaceable cable, but the T1 seems like a better fit for my environment. Which pair would you suggest? Exactly how different are their levels of isolation? Thanks!

Both are in essence IEMs (they both seal in your ear with tips) - but the T1 simply has more vent holes. This means it lets a little more ambient in and also a little more out. The volume both ways will depend on your surrounding, and also the volume level you are listening at. It's really hard to comment on what will suit you best - because I'd just be guessing really (not knowing the other factors). If you tend to listen louder, and like a bit more isolation - get the T5.

For larger images (1200 x 800), click individual photos

INTRODUCTION

My journey through Head-Fi has been interesting, and in my early days I was pretty naïve about what an amplifier did (wow – gotta amp everything - the increase in clarity, details, soundstage!) Over time, as I gained more knowledge, experimented and (more importantly) tested, I began to realise that those benefits I was sure I heard, had mostly come about by simply turning the volume up. And with the amps I was using, I wasn’t volume matching when comparing. Once I actually started comparing objectively, most of the time a lot of those differences disappeared. There are times when you absolutely need an amp (e.g. with the 320 ohm VE Zen and a weak source), but I’ve found it’s important to realise that an add-on amplifier has a specific purpose – to provide cleaner and more power when it’s required, or to lower the output impedance, or even to colour the sound to your liking.

ABOUT VE (VENTURE ELECTRONICS)

Venture Electronics (or VE) is a 3 year old audio company based in Shenyang, Liaoning in the Peoples Republic of China. I was able to ask Lee a little about the company, and he has been very open and approachable – something I love to see when dealing with a manufacturer. It really shows a lot about a company when they show pride in their own achievements, and are so open about sharing information with their customer base.

VE is relatively small (for now) with 5 employees, and currently have a very small product line (Zen 1&2, Asura and Monk earbuds, Duke IEM and the Runabout amp I’m reviewing today). I asked Lee about their core business, and he said they were primarily an internet company, and had developed more products than were currently on offer, but for now their current product range covered enough to cater for immediate development. Their goal long term is “to have the best budget and hi-end gear”, and it was refreshing to see some frank and honest comments in reply to some of my inquiries. I’m going to quote one of Lee’s replies, because it really does add to my impression of VE as a company.

“We see our fans, not just as moving wallets. I see our budget gear (like the Monk) as a walking ad for our brand, among our on-line community (people who love earphones, because they mainly they love the ART the earphones can deliver, like gaming, movie, anime and stuff. We believe the Zen is the best earbud in the world, and as we can sell the monk for cheap then it might go viral and get more attention to the other products. We believe to be the best hi-fi company, we need to have the best of the best gears, not only budget ones. If we only do budget, people will have a false image of us not being serious enough, so the idea is very simple”

And to close, I asked Lee about VE’s mission statement or values statement, and the answer I received made perfect sense – “keeping it real”.

DISCLAIMER

The Runabout portable amplifier that I’m reviewing today was provided as a review sample by VE. Lee actually supplied it because he was interested in my opinion as to how it performed, and I wasn’t obligated to actually write a review – but I wanted to because it is a very interesting amplifier. I am not affiliated to VE in any way, and this is my honest opinion of the Runabout amplifier.

PREAMBLE - 'ABOUT ME'.
(This is to give any readers a baseline for interpreting the review).

I'm a 48 year old music lover. I don't say audiophile – I just love my music. Over the last couple of years, I have slowly changed from cheaper listening set-ups to my current set-up. I vary my listening from portables (Fiio X5ii, X3ii, LP5 and iPhone 5S) to my desk-top's set-up (PC > USB > iFi iDSD). I also use a portable set-up at work – either X5ii/X3ii > HP, or PC > E17K > HP. My main full sized headphones at the time of writing are the Beyer T1, Sennheiser HD600, and AKG K553. Most of my portable listening is done with IEMs, and lately it has mainly been with the Adel U6, Dunu DN-2000J, Jays q-Jays and Alclair Curve2. A full list of the gear I have owned (past and present is listed in my Head-Fi profile).

I have very eclectic music tastes listening to a variety from classical/opera and jazz, to grunge and general rock. I listen to a lot of blues, jazz, folk music, classic rock, indie and alternative rock. I am particularly fond of female vocals. I generally tend toward cans that are relatively neutral/balanced, but I do have a fondness for clarity, and suspect I might have slight ‘treble-head’ preferences. I am not treble sensitive (at all), and in the past have really enjoyed headphones like the K701, SR325i, and of course the T1 and DT880.

I have extensively tested myself (abx) and I find aac256 or higher to be completely transparent. I do use exclusively redbook 16/44.1 if space is not an issue. All of my music is legally purchased (mostly CD – the rest FLAC purchased on-line).

I tend to be sceptical about audiophile ‘claims’, don’t generally believe in burn-in, have never heard a difference with different cables, and would rather test myself blind on perceived differences. I am not a ‘golden eared listener’. I suffer from mild tinnitus, and at 48, my hearing is less than perfect.

For the actual listening part of this review I used the Runabout mainly with my X3ii or X1 DAP, and a little bit with the iPhone 5S. The reason I chose these sources was that at USD 100.00, the Runabout sits nicely in the budget category so I chose sources to match.

This is a purely subjective review - my gear, my ears, and my experience. Please take it all with a grain of salt - especially if it does not match your own experience.

FURTHER NOTES

Volume matching was done with a calibrated SPL meter and test tones (1 kHz) when required for comparison.
Frequency response and distortion measurements were taken using a relatively cheap Startech USB soundcard (which measures pretty well – 0.012% THD and 0.024% THD+N – which was consistent at 300 Hz, 1 kHz and 6 kHz @ -3 dB volume as suggested by ARTA using loopback). I combined this with a licensed copy of the ARTA measuring suite. The soundcard has a calibration adjustment applied – so that it measures dead flat from 20 Hz to 20 kHz.

WHAT I LOOK FOR (NOW) IN A PORTABLE AMP

I thought I’d list (before I start with the review) what I would now look for in a portable amplifier. This is useful to remember when looking at my reasoning for scoring later in the review.

Genuine portability
Good battery life
Clean, neutral signature (a window to the music)
Easy to use
Low output impedance
Reasonable output power – should be able to drive IEMs and earphones up to 300 ohms
Good gain control
Value for money

PORTABLE AMPS I’VE OWNED IN THE PAST

Fiio E7, E11, GoVibe Porta Tube, Headstage Arrow 12HE 4G, Beyerdynamic A200p
Current portable amps E11K, E17K, Q1, VE Runabout

THE REVIEW

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

As an evaluation sample, the Runabout arrived to me basically in courier packaging without any accessories (it was extremely well wrapped and protected). I’m unaware at this stage if there is actually likely to be any retail packaging. There is no power adaptor, battery, or interconnect.

As an evaluation sample – I have no issues with the spartan approach – but would hope that for actual buyers the minimum they will receive would be a power adaptor and basic interconnect.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

The tables below list most of the relevant specifications for the Runabout. I have included specifications for Fiios E11K and E17K as comparison points – but please consider with the E17K that you also get a DAC too. This is just to compare similarly priced amps.

	VE Runabout	Fiio E11K	Fiio E17K
Approx cost	~ USD 98	~ USD 60	~ USD 140
Dimensions	110 x 70 x 25mm	91 x 56 x 13mm	104 x 62 x 13mm
Weight	234g	92g	110g
Output Impedance H/O	Not stated / unknown	<0.2 ohm	<1.1 ohm
Max Output @ 16 ohm	Not stated / unknown	450 mW	Not stated
Max Output @ 32 ohm	150 mW	270 mW	>200 mW
SNR	Not stated / unknown	>108 dB	>113 dB
THD+N	Not stated (see review)	0.004% (1 kHz)	<0.003% (1 kHZ)
Frequency Response	20 Hz-20 kHz	20 Hz-20 kHz	20 Hz-20 kHz
Gain	~ +4.5 db (H)	-3.8 dB (L) / 11.7 dB (H)	0 / 6 / 12 dB
Channel Imbalance	~ 0.5 dB (measured)	<0.3 dB	<0.5 dB
Max Output Current	Not stated / unknown	>92.6 mA	>115 mA
Max Output Voltage	Not stated / unknown	>8.67 Vp-p	>7.8 Vp-p
Outer Material	Brushed Aluminium	Brushed Aluminium	Brushed Aluminium
Headphone Out	3.5 mm	3.5 mm	3.5 mm
Battery	9V replaceable	1400 mAh rechargeable	1500 mAh rechargeable
Battery Life	Refer to review (30 hour+)	~ 16 hours	~ 15 hours
Recharge Time	NA	4 hours	4 hours

BUILD / DESIGN

The Runabout is rectangular shaped with rounded edges over the main body, flat face and rear plates which are also rounded, but still create a hard edge between the body and face plate. It is fairly large for a portable amp – measuring 110 x 70 x 25mm – so it is essentially as long and wide as my iPhone 5S, and twice as deep. The runabout is also relatively weighty, coming in at 234g with battery loaded (close to 3 x the weight of the E11K, and twice the weight of the E17K.

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Runabout - front face	Runabout - side view	Runabout - rear plate

At the front from left to right is a BITechnologies potentiometer, 3.5mm headphone out, switchable L/H gain, 3.5mm line-in, and a green LED (power on). At the rear of the amp is a 15v DC power socket, an on/off switch, and another red LED light (assume this is lit when DC power is active?). The battery can be accessed by undoing 4 threaded screws, and removing the rear plate. A 9V battery is used, and sits snugly between the frame and the PCB. Screwing the rear plate back on securely holds the battery in place.

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Battery compartment	PCB removed from enclosure	All the components

The pot is nice and smooth to use and has a full range of motion from about the 7 o’clock position through to 5 o’clock. Channel balance is pretty good on the RA – showing approx. 0.5 dB imbalance when measured (at close to full output), and subjectively showing noticeable imbalance at the bottom of the pot, but nothing really noticeable beyond that.

Opening the unit up, and I was quite surprised to see that the outer mail case is actually two pieces – something not at all noticeable when assembled. The PCB is extremely tidy and well soldered. The OP amps are socketed JRC 4556AD (so can be user replaced), and combined with a Texas Instruments BUF634 250mA high speed buffer chip.

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PCB side view	PCB rear view	PCB - underneath

The only issue I have with build (besides weight and size which I will address later) is that the rear thumb screws are quite difficult to remove, and already I have one which is slightly cross threaded. Given how often it is likely (within the Runabout’s lifetime) an owner would be replacing the battery, I think that perhaps a more elegant solution could be needed.

Overall though, the build is tidy, solid, and shows very good workmanship.

HEAT AND POWER

So far I’ve noticed no heat build-up at all with the Runabout. Even after a couple of hours (driving my HD600s), it’s still very cool to touch.

VE doesn’t give a lot of detail about power output, but they do list 150 mW into 32 ohms and 55 mW into 300 ohms. Surprisingly, compared to my E11K and E17K, the Runabout outputs 55% of the rated power of the E11K, and 75% of the E17K. I guess I was expecting more given its size and weight.

But to give you an idea of the output the Runabout is capable of, my HD600’s were at a comfortable listening level at around 9 o’clock on the pot (only 25% of the available power), and subjectively sounded really well driven. VE’s own 320ohm Zen(1) was easily driven at just under 9 0’clock on the pot. Lastly I also switched to the Beyerdynamic T1 (600 ohm), and while it required close to 11 o’clock on the pot, this still left ample headroom (again low gain). My only issue with the T1 was that it sounded (subjectively) just a little thin (the E11K was similar).

The Runabout is quite a powerhouse for a sub $100 amp – but how about those wanting to drive more sensitive loads?

First up for me was the 22 ohm 115 dB SPL Adel U6, and it was beautifully driven – but at 8am and in real danger of hitting audible channel imbalance. The 8ohm 102 dB SPL DUNU DN-2000J was at very close to the same volume. Of course all of this depends on the line-out of the source you are using – and the Fiios tend to have an excellent and well powered line-out. Feeding from a lower powered source (e.g. a smart-phone) will net far better use of the pot.

So summarising – the Runabout is a powerful little amplifier for its size. It’ll easily drive most headphones at least up to 300 ohms (depending on sensitivity), and likely many up to 600 ohms. Depending on the line-out of your source, you may not have a lot of play in the pot for more sensitive loads.

GAIN

The gain switch on the Runabout is a simple high/low switch, and while VE state the difference as 3.4 times on low, and 5.7 times on high, it is perhaps more practical to look at the actual use and impact. Measuring with a loopback and ARTA, the actual gain by engaging the switch was ~ 4.6 dB. So what does this mean? Well if put another way, the difference between high and low gain is roughly the difference between 8 o’clock and 9 o’clock on the pot. So the question to really ask is why so low and what is the point? Gain isn’t a magic switch to make things sound better (despite what some others may think) – all it is really doing is adding volume. And to add so little volume to me just doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense.

Image above shows the gain measurement on the Runabout

I made this comment when I recently reviewed Fiio’s E11K, and it is appropriate here:
“There is also a gain switch which raises the overall volume by ~ 15.5 dB. The thing I like about this is that it a decent change in gain, and actually makes a difference – rather than just being put there as an afterthought. Unsurprisingly, I really don’t use the gain toggle at all – unless it’s a low powered source, and a hard to drive load. Nice to know it is there though.”

In the case of the Runabout, the gain switch needs more thought re implementation, and at this stage is effectively useless for most loads.

BATTERY LIFE

As stated earlier, the Runabout uses a 9v battery, and I haven’t been able to actually perform a single proper test with it yet to actually measure performance. The problem for me (with work, family and other commitments) is simply being able to be present for when the battery cuts out. In one of my tests I started the Runabout on continuous play, rechecked after 24 hours and it was still going strong. At the 30 hour mark it was still playing, but then unfortunately I forgot to check again until around the 48-50 hour mark, and at that stage the battery was exhausted. What I will say is that a single 9v replaceable battery should get you at least a week of reasonable use 4-5 hours a day, and it’s a simple matter of having access to a spare – and you are instantly up and running again.

Update: Lee has already been in touch following the posting of the review, and gave me some great insight as to why he's used the 9V battery. The reason for choosing this options was to ensure a clean and black background - with no dc to dc voltage boost, so that ultimately SQ could be maintained. You've just got to love a company that goes to these sorts or measures.

SONICS AND PERFORMANCE

I’m going to preface this section with a little critique I received a while ago (by PM), and my answer to it – so that you can understand why I don’t comment on some things, and why I do comment on others. I was told my review on another amp was poor because I didn’t include sections on bass, mid-range, treble, sound-stage, imaging etc – yet referred to an amp as warm, full, or lean.

Now I can understand the reference to warm / full / lean – as they are very subjective terms, and whilst I’d like to avoid their use, they are invaluable to convey true meaning. Comparing my NFB-12 to the Aune X1S for example – the Audio-gd does sound richer and warmer. It’s the nature of the DAC which is used.

But I choose not to comment on bass, mids, treble, and most definitely not sound-stage – simply because when we are talking about an amp – they shouldn’t be discussed. An amp’s job is to amplify the signal with as low distortion as possible, and output as linear signal as possible. If it is doing its job properly, there is no effect on bass, mids, or treble. And IME an amp does not affect soundstage (unless there is DSP or crossfeed in play) – that is solely the realm of the transducers and the actual recording.

So we have that out of the way how does the Runabout perform sonically?

Image above shows linearity and channel balance

The first thing I did was to check the linearity of the Runabout. To do this I used a calibrated sound card (calibrated to measure completely flat), ARTA and a loopback. In both the low gain and high gain frequency tests the Runabout measured completely linear. So what you are getting is very good neutral amplification not adding or taking away anything. And that is what we all want right?

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THD measurement at 1kHz	THD measurement at 6kHz	THD measurement at 300 Hz

Next up was distortion measurements. My USB soundcard measures (on loopback) THD at 0.010%-0.013% and THD+N at 0.020%-0.032% at pretty much -100 dB (this was with separate readings at 300 Hz, 1 kHz and 6 kHz). When I added the Runabout – I got pretty much the same measurements with it in loopback – so the Runabout is essentially measuring the same or lower than my USB sound card can measure. It also means that the distortion and harmonic distortion are both inaudible.

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IMD measurement at 1kHz	IMD measurement at 6kHz	IMD measurement at 300 Hz

The last thing I measured was IMD, and again this was below the threshold of audibility, and again the Runabout was measuring below the actual thresh-hold of the USB sound card.

So what does this tell us? Simply that the Runabout supplies very linear, and very clean output. Purely subjectively, it sounds very neutral – no added warmth or brightness I can discern. Just pure, clean amplification – basically a window to the music.

COMPARISONS

Because I don’t have a lot of other portable amplifiers at my disposal, I simply used what I had available – the Fiio E11K, and the Fiio E17K (which as luck would have it bracket the Runabout in price).

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E17K, Runabout and E11K	Top to bottom - E11K, E17K and Runabout	Stacking size - X3ii (top), X5ii and Rounabout

VE Runabout (USD $98) vs E11K (USD $60)
Both of these amplifiers are designed to be portable, both are extremely well built with aluminium casings, both have an analogue volume pot, and both measure very linearly with low distortion. Purely subjectively - volume matched and fast (or slow) switched, they both sound very similar – so much so that I would be unable to tell them apart in a blind test. Both are excellent amplifiers in this regard. For those who want to know – I could discern no difference in sound-stage

.

The E11K is around twice as powerful according to the power specifications – but this would only come into play with very demanding loads, and for most portable uses that would be a non-issue. The E11K does come with a subtle bass boost as an extra feature, and the other feature difference is that the gain on the E11K at 15.5 dB is a lot more practical than the Runabout’s 4.5 dB gain.

The Runabout and E11K approach battery life from two very different angles – the E11K with a fixed rechargeable battery providing around 16 hours life with a 4 hour charge time vs the Runabout’s whopping 30+ hours and instant swap. So this comes down to how you use the amps and what your preference would be. For me personally I much prefer the ability to charge from any USB port, or wall socket, and the gains in cost and smaller size outweigh the added life. YMMV. Personally I would have liked to see the Runabout with smaller form factor and a rechargeable battery – but that is simply my preference.

Finally there is the question of value. And unfortunately for the Runabout it is up against a portable amplifier that is cheaper, more powerful, just as linear, with better implemented features, and a lot more portable. Both are fantastic amplifiers for their price. The E11K is simply better IMHO.

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X3ii and E11K	X3ii and Runabout	iPhone 5S and Runabout

VE Runabout (USD $98) vs E17K (USD $130)
The E17K is a DAC/amp. It has an inbuilt battery (15 hour rating) and digital volume control instead of analog. At 110g and 104x62x13mm, it is again smaller (by approximately half) than the Runabout. It has 3 levels of gain 0dB, 6dB and 12dB, and has a tone toggle (-10 to +10 bass, and same on the treble). Again it measures below the distortion floor of my sound-card, and measures flat in frequency. Its maximum output is 200mw into 32 ohms (slightly more than the Runabout) and again has no issues driving my 300 ohm Sennheiser HD600s. In a volume matched blind-test, I would have difficulty picking the E17K from the Runabout (the E17K may have a slight touch of warmth). The E17K does however add a very good DAC, tone controls, balance, and other inputs and outputs, and is incredible value at $130.

On the amp section alone, the Runabout sounds every bit as good as the E17K and is definitely 25-30% cheaper. But even discounting the DAC of the E17K, it offers useable tone controls, far better gain implementation and most importantly better portability. So it would be hard (again) to recommend the Runabout if put up against the E17K – even at a slightly dearer price.

RUNABOUT - VALUE & CONCLUSION

The VE Runabout is an exceptional sounding amplifier with a very neutral sound signature, very low distortion, and essentially provides a clean and clear window to the music. It is quite powerful for its size, and had no problem driving my HD600s with a lot of headroom to spare. Its build is very solid, and internally a lot of care has been taken with layout of components.

At $100 it represents very good value to the audio enthusiast. Five or six years ago, if the Runabout had hit the market with this form factor, it would have been a hit – especially at this price point. However, in today’s market, and against current competition, it is going to struggle a little. With its current weight and dimension it is far less portable when compared to both the E11K and E17K (which both have comparable sound). It also has issues with gain implementation (not really useful), and comparative lack of features.

I’ve now had the Runabout for a little over 3 months, and while it is an excellent sounding and performing amplifier, I must confess that I don’t reach for it – even around home where portability is less important.
So for me, a solid first effort from VE, and very worthy of 3 stars for what it brings to the table. But ultimately there is better value out there, and as such I would simply suggest looking at the features you need, and basing buying decisions on that.

ADDENDUM

For anyone reading the above – please understand that this is not a negative review. I really like the Runabout’s sound and would be perfectly happy with it listening in isolation. However as a reviewer, I must also look at the competition when evaluating, as that will ultimately perceived value.

Thanks once again to Lee from VE for providing the sample for evaluation.

Lee and I conversed within less than an hour of posting the review, and he was able to update me on one of the design choices - ie the battery (I mentioned the reasons why they used it in the body of the review). With this in mind, and realising now why they've chosen it, and also the impact it has on overall size constraints, I can now relay this to readers of the review so they also understand VE's intentions. Lee also says they will be including an interconnect when they eventually release the amp for global sale.

Taking both of these factors into account has changed my overall view a little - and accordingly I have raised the score to 3.5 stars.

RECOMMENDATIONS TO VE

There are some cosmetic, and also alternative suggestions:

As a portable amp – consider switching to a rechargeable lithium battery, and condensing the overall size for future models.
The gain implementation really needs to be rethought.
If keeping current form factor and price – then inclusion of a power adaptor and interconnect would be useful to add to value perception.
With the current size shell / form factor – there would be plenty of room to add a small DAC board. This would make it ideal for use as a cheap and excellent sounding mini desktop dac/amp. Food for thought maybe?

Thanks Chris. Lee has given us power specs for 32 and 300 ohm - was just the 16 ohm one missing. I had a chat with him today regarding the maximum voltage and current, and his comment to me was both enlightening and also very valid. He said that the problem with giving output figures (like wattage - per channel) is that some will give you max, some will give you continuous, and most will not state what actual measurement criteria. So what he's provided is continuous output into 32 ohm and 300 ohm loads as a guide to what you can expect.

I'd really keep an eye on these guys in the future. The know design, they no good sound, and they are unexpectedly frank and clear with the information they release. They are also very open to suggestions. Sign of a really good company.

Cool. We agree pretty much on which companies are in need of interaction,after care lessons so I trust your opinion of the company. I'll try to get one and do a bass test with it.

**somewhere an engineer just cried...or did they.. :wink:

**

Let me know how you get on

And if you can geta chance to try the Zen2 earbuds they'll knock your socks off. Like listening to full sized cans.

For larger views of any of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images

INTRODUCTION

Brainwavz is a well-established manufacturer of headphones in the value for money category – offering many different options (especially for IEMs) that suit almost anyone’s sonic preferences. I’ve previously had both good and bad experiences with their headphones / IEMs – I previously reviewed and owned their B2 IEMs and HM5 headphones, and I have fond memories of both as stellar performers when they were introduced. I’ve also sampled and reviewed their R1, R3, S5, S0, M1, R3, V2, and Jive IEMs – and whilst some have been (IMO) solid performers, others haven’t been quite as well aligned with my preferences.

I’ve had regular contact in the past with Brainwavz, and when originally asked if I wanted to participate in reviewing the S3, I at first chose to sit it out because of the number of reviews that were in my queue. But I was interested in seeing how the S3 was received, so when the first reviews started to arrive, I read them with genuine interest. But when the views were conflicting (from among the reviewers), it piqued my interest enough to contact Pandora to request a review pair.

The review pair has been with me now for almost a month, and they’ve been “interesting” to say the least, and I can see why there has been a little controversy over them. I even sent my graphs to Brainwavz engineers to have them checked – but more on that in the body of the review. I’ve listed price at USD $79.50 (current MP4Nation price at time of writing) – however this is not what I paid for them (they are a review sample).

DISCLAIMER

I was provided the Brainwavz S3 as a review sample. I am in no way affiliated with Brainwavz - and this review is my subjective opinion of the Brainwavz S3. I would like to thank Pandora and Prithvi for making this opportunity available.

PREAMBLE - 'ABOUT ME'. (or a base-line for interpreting my thoughts and bias)

I'm a 48 year old music lover. I don't say audiophile – I just love my music. Over the last couple of years, I have slowly changed from cheaper listening set-ups to my current set-up. I vary my listening from portables (Fiio X5ii, X3ii, LP5 and iPhone 5S) to my desk-top's set-up (PC > USB > iFi iDSD). I also use a portable set-up at work – either X5ii/X3ii > HP, or PC > E17K > HP. My main full sized headphones at the time of writing are the Beyer T1, Sennheiser HD600, and AKG K553. Most of my portable listening is done with IEMs, and lately it has been with the Adel U6, Dunu DN-2000J, Jays q-Jays and Alclair Curve2. A full list of the gear I have owned (past and present is listed in my Head-Fi profile).

I have very eclectic music tastes listening to a variety from classical/opera and jazz, to grunge and general rock. I listen to a lot of blues, jazz, folk music, classic rock, indie and alternative rock. I am particularly fond of female vocals. I generally tend toward cans that are relatively neutral/balanced, but I do have a fondness for clarity, and suspect I might have slight ‘treble-head’ preferences. I am not treble sensitive (at all), and in the past have really enjoyed headphones like the K701, SR325i, and of course the T1 and DT880.

I have extensively tested myself (abx) and I find aac256 or higher to be completely transparent. I do use exclusively redbook 16/44.1 if space is not an issue. All of my music is legally purchased (mostly CD – the rest FLAC purchased on-line). I tend to be sceptical about audiophile ‘claims’, don’t generally believe in burn-in, have never heard a difference with different cables, and would rather test myself blind on perceived differences. I am not a ‘golden eared listener’. I suffer from mild tinnitus, and at 48, my hearing is less than perfect.

Over the last month – I’ve used the new S3 from a variety of sources, but for this review, I’ve mainly used it with my Fiio X3ii and E17K. In the time I have spent with the S3, I have noticed no change in the overall sonic presentation.

This is a purely subjective review - my gear, my ears, and my experience. Please take it all with a grain of salt - especially if it does not match your own experience.

THE REVIEW

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

The Brainwavz S3 arrived in their 190 x 120 x 50mm book style retail box, which most users of the Brainwavz S series will immediately recognise. On the front is a graphic of the S3 and on the rear is accessory and specification information. On the inside of the cover is driver and build information, and above the actual IEMs is a full graphic describing use of the included in-line remote and microphone functionality. What I really love with Brainwavz packaging is that they make everything so easy read – it is bright and clear, and easy to find. Here is a company that is proud of their product range, and it shows.

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S3 "book style" box	Rear of the retail box	Inside flap

Inside the box you then get the typical clear plastic two tray holder – which houses the carry case, S3 and accessories. The accessory package is very typical Brainwavz – very comprehensive. First up you get the Brainwavz carry case – which is a hard fabric covered pouch – and easily carries all your tips and the S3. The case is really good because it does offer a lot of protection to the IEMs – but it is definitely more suited to transport in a jacket pocket or bag rather than a trouser pocket – simply due to its height. This is definitely a quality carry case though.

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Flap open to reveal carry case	Inner tray	Accessories and S3

Along with the case you also get a small combined instruction plus warranty information sheet (reverse side), a shirt clip, a huge selection of silicone tips (including single, bi and tri flange), and a genuine set of comply S400 medium tips. The silicone tips include 6 sets of standard tips, 1 set of double flanges, and one set of triple flanges. Also included is the Brainwavz branded Velcro tie which makes bundling and storage of the S3 very easy.

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Tip selection	Tip Selection	The S3 with Brainwavz cable tie

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

(From Brainwavz)

	Brainwavz S3
Drivers	Single dynamic, 8mm
Shell	Polished aluminium
Rated Impedance	16 ohms
Frequency Range	16 Hz – 22 kHz
Sensitivity	96 dB @ 1mW
Cable	1.3m, flat, with mic + 3 button control
Plug	3.5 mm gold plated, straight
Weight	19g (with comply tips fitted)
Fitting	Straight down or over ear

FREQUENCY GRAPH

The graph below is generated by a new measuring system I’m trialling – using the Vibro Veritas and ARTA software. I don’t have the calibration 100% correct yet – but the graphs I am getting are relatively close to Innerfidelity’s raw data (on other earphones), and I think are “close enough” to get a reasonable idea of the frequency response for the Brainwavz Jive. My aim is still to eventually construct a pre-set compensation curve so that I can get the graphs more consistent with Tyll’s curves.

Please note that I did send the graphs to Brainwavz engineers, and they confirmed to me that my measurements did reflect the target raw data.

What I’m hearing:

Somehwat rolled off bass response
Cohesive and well balanced mid-range with good transition between upper and lower mid-range. Very clean and clear vocals. More emphasis on upper mid-range and on the slightly brighter side of neutral. This is accentuated by the missing sub-bass
Clear upper end which falls short of sibilance, but remains detailed but also smooth.

BUILD QUALITY

Unlike the S5 and S0 (which looked like plastic, but were in fact aluminium), there is no mistaking the build of the S3. The outer shell is completely made of polished sliver aluminium. The build quality on the S3 appears to be very good – smooth, nicely shaped, and sized almost exactly between the S0 and S5. It is 2 pieces, but with the pair I have, the join is noticeable but seems very secure. The body is very slightly conical, 24 mm from rear to nozzle tip, and approx. 11-12mm in diameter at its widest point. The nozzle is approximately 7mm long with a generous lip and has a membrane protector in place. It is 6mm in diameter and the Comply S400 tips are a good fit. Left and right markings are very clear in the earpieces (red print on silver) – but you can always tell which is which, as the 3 button control is on the left side of the cable. There is a single visible port or vent on the body, directly opposite the cable exit.


Polished aluminium body	Vent and better view of nozzle	Opening of nozzle

There is generous strain relief from the housing exit, and also at the Y split and jack. The cable is a 1.3m flat copper cable in an outer rubbery (TPE) flat sheath. It is very solid, but leads to my only real complaint about the build on the S3. The cable is quite microphonic compared to a lot of the IEMs I’ve tried. It’s not the flat design either (although I’m not a fan of flat design) – it’s simply the rubbery sheath. This can be negated through use of the supplied shirt clip, or using the in-built cable cinch. Another way to alleviate this is to tuck the cable well inside clothing. Whilst there are ways of fixing this, it is unfortunate IMO that the design was not altered (through all of the S series actually). It’s one common trait on the Brainwavz S series I’d really like to see gone. The flat cable is comfortable enough for me to fit over ear – but has to be cinched to avoid flopping.

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Good strain relief and general build quality	The in-line 'i-controls'	Rear microphone port

The pair I have has a 3 button iPhone control and mic – allowing volume changing, and also play/pause (one push), next track (two pushes), and previous track (three pushes). A single long push also activates Siri which is really handy. The buttons worked perfectly on my iPhone, and the track controls worked great with my X1 and X3ii (in fact everything worked except the volume controls – nice job Fiio and Brainwavz!). I also did test the S3 with taking a call (with my wife), and it was exceptionally clear at both ends. There was the usual hollow sound on my end due to the isolation and slight bone conduction.

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Y split and cinch	4 pole jack	The S3 with tips intact

The Y-split is the smaller one from the more recent models, and has a slider / cinch which works perfectly – even with the i-controls. Other companies should look at this design as it is possible, and is really well implemented.
The jack is straight, seems to be very solid, and I have no issues fitting it to my iPhone – even with the case intact.

FIT / COMFORT / ISOLATION

I have one ear canal slightly different to the other one (my right is very slightly smaller) - so I tend to find that usually single silicon flanges don't fit overly well. I initially tried the large silicone tips included, and I couldn’t get a proper seal. I also tried a number of other tips including Spinfits, Ostry blacks/blues, Spiral Dots, and my Trusty Sony Isolation tips. Surprisingly, I got great seals with most of the after-market tips I tried (which is not normal for me), but the best results were from the Ostry tips and Sony Isolation (which did have some vacuum issues – so sealing a little too well).

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Dunu dual flange and Ostry Blues	Spinfits and Comply T400	Sony Isolation tips

As per usual with the Brainwavz series though, I eventually defaulted to the included Comply foams which continue to give me best all round comfort and seal.

All the tips I tried stayed intact with the S3 during insertion and removal, so the design of the nozzle definitely gets thumbs up from me. Isolation with the Comply tips is very good, and I’d be OK using them on public transport.
They are relatively comfortable in my over ear position (I do sometimes find the flat cable annoying), but they do tend to protrude a little, and don’t have the overall comfort of either the S5 (ideal shape) or S0 (smaller size). Sleeping with the S3 intact will depend on your own anatomy – those with bigger ears and who use a deeper insertion may have no problems, but I found them right on the borderline.

SOUND QUALITY

The following is what I hear from the Brainwavz S3. YMMV – and probably will – as my tastes are likely different to yours (read the preamble I gave earlier for a baseline). Most of the testing at this point (unless otherwise stated) was done my Fiio X3ii and E17K.

Tracks used were across a variety of genres – and can be viewed in this list http://www.head-fi.org/a/brookos-test-tracks.

Please note – there has been a lot of conjecture about the default sound of the S3, and I would invite those who can measure them to please present your graphs. I suspect that there may indeed be some driver variation in the production runs – as it seems unlikely that so many of us hear them differently (some saying they are bassy and warm).

As far as driver matching goes, on my rig there was a slight imbalance in the bass from about 500 Hz down. It is not noticeable with music playing.

Thoughts on General Signature
As I outlined above in my comments in the frequency section, the Brainwavz S3 has a relatively balanced mid-range, very mild mid-bass bump, but this contrasts with a rather rapidly rolled off lower bass. There is an upper mid-range peak in the 5-6 kHz range which brings clarity and euphonics to female vocals, but (for me anyway) avoiding sibilance or glare. It is quite a unique sound – detailed, and smooth, but also a little lean – and the one IEM they sound quite similar to is the Brainwavz M1.

Overall Detail / Clarity
Tracks used : Gaucho, Sultans of Swing

The S3 renders both tracks reasonably well with high levels of detail, and enough mid-bass to keep things interesting. I am missing a bit of lower bass – the bass guitar just doesn’t have its normal tonality or volume in Sultans. Higher end detail is easy to catch (cymbals, and micro details like snare hits), but aren’t glary or overly etched. Probably my only complaint is that because of the early bass roll-off, they do tend to sound a little too bright sometimes – almost “jangly” with lead guitar, and it can induce early fatigue.

Sound-stage & Imaging
Tracks used: Tundra, Dante’s Prayer, Let it Rain

First up was Amber Rubarth’s binaural track, and the S3 had a really good sense of width, and imaged really well. Depth wasn’t as pronounced as the width – but overall the S3 captured the sense of space with this track reasonably well – just being at the periphery of my headspace.

McKennitt’s “Dante’s Prayer” was next, and the immediately noticeable thing was how well it portrayed Loreena’s vocals, but equally how lean the cello sounded. Imaging was again good, and although the track was really enjoyable, I personally think a little more depth and extension in the bass is all that is really missing. In this track, the applause at the end is so well presented that with some headphones (HD600) I can actually close my eyes and imagine myself in the crowd. With the S3, the immersion factor wasn’t quite there - I wasn’t quite inside the crowd, but I could place it around me – so again more strengths here with width rather than depth.

Last was Amanda Marshall’s “Let It Rain” – and I use this track because it has a naturally holographic feel about it (the way it was recorded), and can convey an amazing sense of space with the right headphones. It can also be sibilant at times – so a good test for that. The S3 had no issues, and this was a genuinely enjoyable listen – with a good feeling of space and virtually no audible sibilance for me.

Bass Quantity and Quality
Tracks used : Bleeding Muddy Waters, Royals, You Know I’m No Good

I started with Lannegan’s Muddy Waters, and I use this track primarily as an indicator for impact and bass bleed. It is usually a quite dark and broody blues rock track, but with the S3, bass was clean and quick but weak, and the normal tonality of the track was not the same. There is mid-bass thump coming through – but no visceral impact. Mark’s vocals are pretty good though with nice texture.

Next up was my sub-bass test, and although I suspected what I was going to hear, Lorde’s Royals soon confirmed it. Mid-bass was pretty good, but the sub-bass a little weak – there but quite light and it should be slamming a bit more. When the low bass started there was a very gentle rumble, and everything was more vocal accentuated. Ella sounded great – but those looking for low bass could be disappointed.

Last up was Amy Winehouse, and to be fair, the S3 actually did a pretty good job with this track – mainly because it is heavily mid-bass accentuated. It was actually quite enjoyable with good balance with vocals – but again the low impact which normally gives the “slam” was AWOL.

Female Vocals
Track used : Aventine, Strong, The Bad in Each other, Howl, Safer, Light as a Feather, Don’t Wake Me Up

Up first was the hardest track in the repertoire, and credit to the S3, it was rendered the way I like it. Obel’s Aventine was sweet, euphonically presented, and a joy to listen to. The cello actually wasn’t too bad – could have used a touch more depth – but overall pretty good. London Grammar was next with Strong, and at this point I knew that the S3 really handles female vocals brilliantly. A joy to listen to and Hannah’s voice shone with them. With Feist and FaTM (both tracks having good bass slam and really dynamic contrasts), vocals were brilliant, but again the slam was a little subdued, and for me, dynamically – just not quite as enjoyable as some of the IEMs I am more used to.

With slower and lusher tracks (Cilmi / Jones) the S3 again hit its stride and although they might have been a little thinner than I'm used to - ultimately thoroughly enjoyable.

I finished with La Havas, because the track is naturally warm and euphonic anyway. The S3 captured her vocals wonderfully and when the bass kicked in, the balance was actually pretty good. It was enough to compliment, but leaner than normal and perfectly acceptable.

Male Vocals
Tracks used : Away From the Sun, Art for Art’s Sake, Broken Wings, Hotel California, Keith Don’t Go, EWBTCIAST

This was going to be an interesting contrast with female vocalists as Rock often needs bass impact to really shine. Kicking off with 3 Doors Down, and the S3 actually sounds pretty good. About the only thing I was finding was the tendency to turn up the volume a little – because the bass was less present, but then the mid-range became a little fatiguing because of the louder mid-range. A dilemma that repeated itself with some of the heavier rock tracks I listened to both in my critical listening and also in general listening.

Surprisingly though, some of the older classic rocks (10CC) and all of the acoustic music was actually really enjoyable. Very clear, very articulate, and although lean, quite easy to listen to at relatively low volumes. Hotel California in particular was really enjoyable, and although it didn’t have quite the normal impact when the drums started, it was still very enjoyable. Not the best I’ve heard, but different and not at all unpleasant.

My ultimate test for male vocals though has always been Pearl Jam. The S3 again performed pretty well – the presentation was crisp, clean, and enjoyable. Again though it was “different” to what I’m used to, and they didn’t quite manage to capture the richness of Vedders vocals. Enjoyable – but not immersive.

Other Genres
I tested the S3 with all of my main listening tracks, and the recurring weakness was with sub-bass presentation. Rather than cover everything in depth, as the message is often the same, here are quick notes pertaining to particular genres:

Alt Rock – good detail, especially with PF and PT – but ultimately missing real depth and impact.
Jazz – actually pretty good. Cymbals and softly brushed snares were great. Double bass enjoyable but lacking a little. Portico Quartet was really good – especially the track “Steepless” with Cornelia on vocals.
Blues – Bonamassa was really good. The S3 does guitar particularly well, and Joe’s vocals were really enjoyable. Again – just a little more bass, and the S3 would be elevated from good to great.
Rap / Hip-hop – no. Weak, lacking impact, just didn’t work at all.
Electronic / Trip / Hop / Trance – again, bass was just a little too anaemic to be really enjoyable. Loved Little Dragon’s vocals – but not the over-all presentation. And Lindsay Stirling’s recording were just too polite to be immersive. Not recommended.
Pop – Very track dependent. Enjoyed Adele’s live performance, but that is mostly her vocals, guitar, piano, and orchestral (strings). Coldplay was pretty good – but again not balanced.
Indie – this has been a real love of mine over the last couple of years, and like some of the other genres it really depends on which artists you’re listening to. Yesper is really more focused on guitar, keyboards and vocal, and it was really enjoyable. On the other hand Wildlight had wonderful vocals with Ayla’s voice being dreamy and euphonic, but where was the bass in the background? Again – it felt as though the track just wasn’t 100% there.
Classical again was a mixed bag. Orchestral pieces (especially violin based) were thoroughly enjoyable, but Kempffs solo (Moonlight Sonata) just lacked any real timbre and depth (and emotion). Netrebko and Garanca’s duets were wonderful, but Keating’s Cello, while good, ultimately failed to be as involving as it can be.

Edit May 3rd 2016 - I've been back and re-evaluated these, and realised I had been judging them based on the triple hybrids I'd been used to, and many of these have elevated bass. That was unfair of me - and showed bias and unprofessionalism. Listening through again - especially after spending more time with earphones like the 64 Audio Adel U6 - and the S3 is actually quite pelasurable to listen to with most genres. They are a little sub-bass light, but that should not detract from their overall presentation.

AMPLIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

The S3 is very easily powered straight out of virtually any portable device, and I didn’t experience any issues with any of the DAPs I tested (iPhone 5S, or any of the Fiios). With the iPhone I was between 30 and 40% on most tracks, and with the X3ii around 40/120. I did test the X3ii with the Fiio E17K, and I couldn’t say it added anything sonically once volume matched.

EQUALISATION

I guess by now everyone’s aware of where I think the S3’s weakness lies, so I decided to try listing the bass with the bass control on the E17K. This has the ability to lift the bass between 20-100Hz by up to 10 dB. Using the tone controls transformed the S3, and even at a setting of 6, there was just the perfect amount of bass to restore balance. The nice thing about using the E17K is that you can rapidly switch the bass up and down while you are playing. With bass adjustment, the S3 becomes an IEM I would definitely consider buying.

COMPARISONS

The obvious question is going to be how the S3 sounds compared to others in the Brainwavz range – so here are some very brief comparisons. Please note that these are all very subjective, so please take my personal bias into account (see the “about me” section).

When testing, I volume matched first at 1 kHz using an SPL meter and test tones. The S3 was unequalised. Primary track used was Dire Strait’s Sultans of Swing.

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All the Brainwavz IEMs	Just the S Series	S3 vs M1 - close, but yet still quite different

S3 $79.50 vs Jive $25.00
Both are really clean and clear, and actually have similar sounding mid-range. Jive has more upper end vocal energy, and a lot more bass – but it is good quality bass – by no means bloated or slow. When quickly A/Bing the S3 begins to sound very peaky, thin and slightly hollow. My preference = Jive.

S3 $79.50 vs M1 $44.50
These two are a lot more similar sounding, but this time it is the S3 which sounds brighter, and definitely a lot thinner and leaner. The M1 has more body to vocals, but a little less crunch, and the difference n bass is again noticeable. I’d again take the M1 and it remains one of the best tuned IEMs I think Brainwavz has ever released.

S3 $79.50 vs S0 $44.50
These two are very different. The S0 is very full bodied, quite warm, and with a lot more bass. S3 is more distant, leaner, peakier, and very dry with little bass comparatively. Although I really find the bass a little too much on the S0, at this stage I would still take it over the S3 if I had to decide on default sonics.

S3 $79.50 vs S5 $99.50
The first noticeable thing is how V shaped the S5 is, and also how sharp it is in the upper mids / lower treble. Bass comes through with good impact, yet vocals are still really clear. In an ideal world, I’d cut the S5’s bass just a little, and also the peak at 6kHz. In comparison, the S3 have a lot more overall distance (sound more spacious) but also sound incredibly weak. I still like the S3’s mid-range and lower treble presentation though – but it’s just to lean and anaemic to really make me happy.

Quick note – comparing the same earphones with the EQ added to the S3 and I’d pretty much change my mind in every instance. Oh and the S5 housing is easily the best of the lot. The others are not even close as far as ergonomic fit goes.

BRAINWAVZ S3 – VALUE & SUMMARY

The S3 is a polarising IEM in Brainwavz entire line-up, let alone the S series. Looking at the externals, you get their fantastic case and copious accessories, and the S3 is built very robustly. Ergonomically, they are OK – fitting between the S0 and S5 as far as size goes, and some may find this difficult with fit (I didn’t). The in-line controls and mic work well, although I’d be personally rejoicing if Brainwavz would ditch the flat cable.

Sonically they have a really nice mid-range and lower treble – well balanced, not at all peaky, and very clean and clear. The problem with the S3 is that the bass rolls off early and rapidly – starting to dive at 100 Hz and being almost 10dB down at 30 \Hz. This has the effect of robbing any impact and making the whole signature very lean. With any music not having a lot of bass, the S3 shines (acoustic in particular), but conversely with most other music (to me anyway) sounds anaemic and thin. The interesting thing is that you can get used to this signature quite quickly – but as soon as you start comparing with other earphones you immediately realise what you’re missing. EQ does help (a lot), and I wish Brainwavz engineers had just tweaked this one area of the frequency response, as it takes what should have been a great sounding IEM, and leaving it basically crippled.

And when you look at value – their own Jive and M1 are unquestionably better (to me), and other earphones like Fiios EX1, Dunu’s Titan, and Trinity’s Hyperion are unquestionably better in almost every area. So what really hurts the S3 is the value tag at $79.50. At that price – even at half of it I can’t really recommend them.

I really struggled rating these – because overall the package isn’t bad, and with EQ they are actually really nice sounding. But I have to rate based on the overall package – including value – and in their playing field, the most I can give is 2.5 stars. For the asking price, and considering the flaws are so important to the overall sound, it really is difficult to give any higher.

Revisiting the review in May 2016 and although I still think these are slightly on the high side price wise, they still deliver reasonable sonics. If you aren't hung up on needing a lot of sub-bass and like a mid-focussed signature, they are in fact really pleasant to listen to. I have therefore upped my rating to 3.5 stars. I was wrong to rate them so low to begin with, and I apologise to Brainwavz accordingly.

Fix the bass, and that 2.5 becomes 3.5 and maybe even 4 instantly (price dependent). Rework the ergonomics (normal cable and use the S5 housing), and you have an absolute winner.

RECOMMENDATIONS TO BRAINWAVZ

~~Fix the bass. Really. It is the worst part of an otherwise very good IEM.~~
Please drop the flat cable
The S5 housing is the best you’ve ever released. I’d love to see this incorporated in another design.
Keep doing what you’re doing – although the S3 may have missed its mark, it is a good basis to achieve a great signature with future releases.

Thanks once again Pandora and Prithvi – I really appreciate the opportunities you give us.

Final note – I’ve been listening to the S3 for the past hour doing the final edit, on shuffle, out of the X3ii + E17K – but with +6 bass. Thoroughly enjoyable. It shows what potential these have.

Yep - they'd probably be the two I like the most too Inks. I think the S3 would be on the right track if the bass didn't roll off quite so early.

@Brooko

@Brooko

"Revisiting the review in May 2016 and although I still think these are slightly on the high side price wise, they still deliver reasonable sonics. If you aren't hung up on needing a lot of sub-bass and like a mid-focussed signature, they are in fact really pleasant to listen to. I have therefore upped my rating to 3.5 stars. I was wrong to rate them so low to begin with, and I apologise to Brainwavz accordingly."

I am quite happy that you changed your mind on the S3, as I always felt that it was a fairly good/solid product but just not for those who like to have a forward bass or any real presence in the sub-bass (to the IEMs' defense, there is a good number of other products that have a roll-off in the lower registers - earbuds, open-back headphones, loudspeakers, and there is no big complaint about that).
Imho, the S3 even does some things better than the S5, though both are different on the tuning side. Saying this, I also think the S3 has got a better value than the S5 which sounds overall a little unrefined for its price tag despite it kind of masks these slight flaws with its sound signature.

Thanks Chris - and yes its amazing how a change in perspective can alter things quite a bit. I'd actually love it if Brainwavz kept the S5 shell, switched to a normal cable, and put a nicely balanced driver or dual BA set-up in it. I should go back and revisit my S5 review when I get the time. When it was released it was pretty good vaue, and you could look past the tizzy treble a bit. Nowadays there are much better offerings at similar or less price points.

For larger images - please click individual photos

INTRODUCTION

I’m spoilt for choice with the DAPs I have – owning the Fiio X1, X5, X3ii, and having access to review samples for the X5ii, L&P5, L5 Pro. I’ve used them all (a lot) over the last couple of years – and up until now, the X3ii has been my main go to portable DAP for daily use. In the last couple of months though, I’ve been fortunate to be able to put the L5 Pro and now the new Fiio X7 through their paces.

I’ve been using Fiio audio equipment for close to four years now (amps, DACs , and DAPs), and have watched them evolve in that time from a fledgling audio company to a serious player in the personal audio world. A couple of things have stayed constant in all of my time using Fiio products though – they’ve always strived to improve their performance (interacting with the community to get guidance along the way), and they’ve always aimed to release audio products that measure well, sound great, and offer real value for money.

I guess many of us have been waiting for the X7 for a while now – anticipating how good their new flagship could be, and hoping that it continues their tradition of excellent sonics at an affordable price. The X7 I’m reviewing today is part of the global X7 tour – I’ve assisted Fiio with organising the Australasian tours, and we now currently have two units touring through Australia and New Zealand.

ABOUT FIIO

By now, most Head-Fi members should know about the Fiio Electronics Company. If you don’t, here’s a very short summary. Fiio was first founded in 2007. Their first offerings were some extremely low cost portable amplifiers – which were sometimes critiqued by some seasoned Head-Fiers as being low budget “toys”. But Fiio has spent a lot of time with the community here, and continued to listen to their potential buyers, adopt our ideas, and grow their product range. They debuted their first DAP (the X3) in 2013, and despite some early hiccups with developing the UI, have worked with their customer base to continually develop the firmware for a better user experience. The X3 was followed by the X5, X1, X3 2^nd Generation (X3ii), and X5 2^nd generation (X5ii).

Fiio’s products have followed a very simple formula since 2007 – affordable, stylish, well built, functional, measuring well, and most importantly sounding good.

DISCLAIMER

I was provided the Fiio X7 as a review sample. It will go on tour once I have finished reviewing it. There is no financial incentive from Fiio in writing this review. I am in no way affiliated with Fiio - and this review is my honest opinion of the X7. I would like to thank Joe & James for making this opportunity available.

Since the tour ended, I have used X7 for follow up reviews, and I recently inquired if I could purchase the device from FiiO. They have insisted I keep the X7 for my own use. So I acknowledge now that the X7 I have is supplied and gifted completely free of any charge or obligation. I thank FiiO for their generosity.

PREAMBLE - 'ABOUT ME'.
(This is to give any readers a baseline for interpreting the review).

I'm a 48 year old music lover. I don't say audiophile – I just love my music. Over the last couple of years, I have slowly changed from cheaper listening set-ups to my current set-up. I vary my listening from portables (Fiio X5ii, X3ii, LP5 and iPhone 5S) to my desk-top's set-up (PC > USB > iFi iDSD). I also use a portable set-up at work – either X5ii/X3ii > HP, or PC > E17K > HP. My main full sized headphones at the time of writing are the Beyer T1, Sennheiser HD600, and AKG K553. Most of my portable listening is done with IEMs, and lately it has mainly been with the Dunu DN-2000J, Jays q-Jays, Alclair Curve2, DUNU Titan 5 and Adel U6. A full list of the gear I have owned (past and present is listed in my Head-Fi profile).

I have very eclectic music tastes listening to a variety from classical/opera and jazz, to grunge and general rock. I listen to a lot of blues, jazz, folk music, classic rock, indie and alternative rock. I am particularly fond of female vocals. I generally tend toward cans that are relatively neutral/balanced, but I do have a fondness for clarity, and suspect I might have slight ‘treble-head’ preferences. I am not treble sensitive (at all), and in the past have really enjoyed headphones like the K701, SR325i, and of course the T1 and DT880.

I have extensively tested myself (abx) and I find aac256 or higher to be completely transparent. I do use exclusively redbook 16/44.1 if space is not an issue. All of my music is legally purchased (mostly CD – the rest FLAC purchased on-line). I tend to be sceptical about audiophile ‘claims’, don’t generally believe in burn-in, have never heard a difference with different cables, and would rather test myself blind on perceived differences. I am not a ‘golden eared listener’. I suffer from mild tinnitus, and at 48, my hearing is less than perfect.

My experience with DAPs in the past had been initially with some very cheap Sony offerings, then step-ups to the Cowon iAudio7, iPhone4, iPod Touch G4, iPhone 5S, HSA Studio V3, Fiio X5, X1, X3ii, X5ii, and the Luxury & precision L&P5 and L5 Pro.

WHAT I LOOK FOR IN A DAP

I thought I’d list (before I start with the review) what I really look for in a new DAP.

Clean, neutral signature – but with body (not thin)
Good build quality
Reasonable battery life
Easy to use interface
Able to drive both low impedance and (within reason) higher impedance cans without additional amping.
Value for money
Enough storage to hold either my favourite albums in redbook, or my whole library in a reasonably high resolution lossy format (for me – aac256)

At the completion of the review I’ll refer back to this list and see how the X7 performed.

This is a purely subjective review - my gear, my ears, and my experience. Please take it all with a grain of salt - especially if it does not match your own experience.

THE REVIEW

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

The X7 arrived in a smart black retail box with a printed outer sleeve. The box measures approximately 110 x 180 x 60mm. On the front of the sleeve is a picture of the X7, and logo referencing the highest sampling rates (DSD and 384/32), and on the rear of the sleeve are the specifications in English and Chinese.


Front of the retail box	Rear of the retail box

Removing the sleeve reveals a plain back two piece box, which when opened reveals the X7 securely held in a foam surrounding. Underneath the X7 is a second box containing he accessories, as well as a printed navigation guide – showing he X7’s main controls.

The accessories include:

A USB charging / data cable
A digital out to coax cable
2 spare screen protectors for the X7 (plus there is one already prefitted)
A foldout warranty card
A screwdriver and spare screws for changing the amp sections

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Box in profile	First opening of inner box	Accessory package

The entire package is practical, covering almost everything you initially need for the player, and the only other things I would have personally liked to see included would have been some sort of protective case, and maybe the little Fiio USB card reader (which was included with the original X5) – which I have found extremely handy over the last couple of years.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

The tables below list most of the relevant specifications. I have (as a comparison) also listed specifications from Fiio’s former flagship (X5ii) and also the new L&P L5 Pro, which sits in a very close price bracket to the X7.

	Fiio X5ii	Fiio X7	L5 Pro
Approx cost	USD 349.00	USD 650.00	USD 809.00
Dimensions	~ 109 x 64 x 15mm	~ 130 x 64 x 17mm	~ 125 x 65 x 18mm
Weight	165g	210g	217g
DSD support	ISO, DSF, DFF up to 128	ISO, DSF, DFF up to 128	ISO, DSF, DFF up to 256
Lossless PCM support	APE, FLAC, WAV, WMA, ALAC, AIFF	APE, FLAC, WAV, WMA, ALAC, AIFF	APE, FLAC, WAV, ALAC, AIFF, WV
Lossy support	MP3, aac, ogg vorbis, WMA	MP3, aac, ogg vorbis, WMA	MP3, aac, ogg vorbis, WMA
Use as external DAC?	Yes	Not yet implemented	Not yet implemented
Battery	3300 mAh	3500 mAh	Not stated
Play time	10 hours+	9 hours	Up to 12 hours
DAC chip used	PCM1792A	ES9018S	AKM Verita 4490
Main amp chip	OPA1612	OPA1612	1812O
S/N (H/O)	≥117 dB (A-Weight)	115 dB (A-Weight)	Not stated
THD+N (H/O)	＜0.001% (1 kHz)	＜0.0008% (1 kHz)	Not stated
Output into 16 ohm	>436 mW (THD+N<1%)	Not stated	Not stated
Output into 32 ohm	>245 mW (THD+N<1%)	>100 mW	Not stated
Output into 300 ohm	>27 mW (THD+N<1%)	Not stated	Not stated
Highest resolution	192 kHz, 24 bits	384 kHz, 32 bits	768 kHz, 32 bits
H/O impedance	<0.2 Ω（32Ω）	<0.5 Ω（32Ω）	Not stated
Line Out	Yes, shared with digital out	Yes, shared with digital out	Yes, shared with digital out
Digital Out	Yes, 3.5mm to Coax (cable supplied)	Yes, 3.5mm to Coax (cable supplied)	Yes, 3.5mm
Internal storage	None	32 Gb	32 Gb
External storage	2 x Micro sdxc up to 256Gb	1 x Micro sdxc up to 128Gb	1 x Micro sdxc up to 128Gb
Screen	IPS 400x360	480x800 touch IPS	480x800 touch IPS
Shell / Casing	Aluminium alloy	6061 Aluminium alloy	Aluminium magnesium alloy

I’ll also touch on the other features as we continue with the review.

BUILD / DESIGN

The build on the X7 (IMO) is excellent. Fiio were kind enough to provide some background information on the design and build, and I would encourage anyone with a review unit to take some time to read through the Preview Reference and also the “Making of X7”.

The X7 is CNC cut out of a solid block of 6061 aluminium (the same as used in the iPhone 6S chassis). It is then polished, sandblasted, brushed, colour anodized, and then further diamond cut for the high quality finish. All edges are either rounded or bevelled. It is a rectangular shape (130 x 64 x 17mm). The top section (where the Wifi and Bluetooth modules are kept) is slightly thinner.

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The X7 - beautifully simple design	Left side - volume, screen/power button and micro SD slot	Bottom and left hand side

The bottom 25mm is the amplifier section, and this is designed to be detachable so that other amplifier modules (balanced / high-power) can be swapped simply by removing a couple of screws. This makes the X7 very configurable for the future.

The front face of the main body is completely taken up by the IPS TFT 480x800 screen, which has an effective viewing angle of 178 deg, and I personally find clear and easy to read. It is a bit of a fingerprint magnet though, so I have been carrying a cleaning cloth with me. It is a small price to pay for the UI though (which I will get to later in the review). It is very responsive as a touch screen, and according to Fiio can be used for up to 5 simultaneous touch points for very configurable options in the future.

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Bottom showing charging port and headphone out	Top showing combined digital out and line out	Rear plate

The buttons are symmetrical, and Fiio’s reason for this approach was so that it was any easy switch for left and right handers. Apparently the volume and track rocker controls can be reconfigured/swapped – although I have been unable to find that setting – so it may not be implemented yet. The buttons give good tactile feedback, and I’ve had no issues getting to know their location, and also no issues remembering which is which, nor having random false presses due to their layout.

For righties (or by default anyway), the volume rocker is on the left side, and below that is the screen on/off button which doubles as power on/off. Handy tip – pressing vol down and power button simultaneously also takes a screenshot. Below the screen on/off button is a single slot for a micro SD card. On the left hand side is the track up/down rocker, and below that the play/pause button.

At the bottom (centre) of the replaceable amp unit is a micro USB port for charging and connecting to computer. Left of this is the 3.5mm headphone out socket. Both ports are nice and firm. At the top is a single 3.5mm line-out / coaxial out socket.

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Side view of back -showing raised surface	Amp module removed	Replaceable amp module

Between amp section and touchscreen is a horizontal blue LED – which is always on when the unit is on. When it is charging this slowly pulses. It can be a bit obtrusive at night, and one thing I’d love Fiio to introduce as an option / switch would be the ability to turn it off.

The X7 weighs in at a reasonably hefty 210g, so it is no lightweight. What it does give (for me anyway) is a reassuring weight that suggests they’ve used a quality build and not cut any corners. Size wise, it is marginally larger than my iPhone 6S.

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First start-up	iPhone 5S next to the X7	Profile view X7 and iP5S

One thing I have noticed is that the review unit can get mildly warm while sitting in a pocket while it’s playing. Not burning, and nothing to be concerned about (IMO) but it can warm up – so worth noting.

So for general build and design I have no real critiques at all. Exactly what I would expect from a high quality DAP.

DESIGN – INTERNALS

Although you can’t see them, it is probably a good idea to mention the internal electronics. The DAC used is a Sabre ES9018S capable of DSD up to 128, and PCM up to 32/384. Fiio mentions in their release notes that the reason they chose this DAC is that it had the best measurements, and their goal with the X7 was best fidelity. It comes with 8 output channels, which can be combined for 4x multiplier of performance parameters for two channel applications. They openly say that the drawbacks with the chip are high cost and high power draw – but with a 9 hour battery life, they are happy with the performance.

The OP amp is based around the 1612 buffer for stability and a very balanced sonic output.

At its core is the RK3188 SoC, and this was chosen mainly for the technical support that is available with this SoC, and the ease of having Fiio’s software designers being able to find solutions without any language barriers during development.

The processor used is a quad-core Cortex A9 with 1 Gb RAM which I’ve found to be pretty snappy with next to no lag (maybe ½ a second when first pushing play). It runs at a 1.4 GHz clock speed, which when combined with the RK3188 SoC keeps power consumption low for longer run times.

At its heart, the X7 runs an Android operating system (based on Android version 4.4.4) and has its own Fiio designed player application.

UI (USER INTERFACE) / USABILITY

Please note that this is with the released firmware 1.0 stable released Nov 3, 2015.

I really didn’t know what to expect with the Android system, as although I’ve run a lot of Unix based systems, my phone is Apple, and my main machine is a Windows PC. The system though is pretty easy to navigate around, and although it’s not perfect yet, it already is a far nicer and easier interface than the X3ii or X5ii.

No obviously I can’t run through all of the available features – as with only a week before I’ve had to move it on to the next reviewer, there simply isn’t enough time to cover them all (and I’m still learning). So I’ll try instead to cover the main points – please excuse the number of images.

In Android or “Full” Mode
On first powering the X7, you get a pretty simple unlock screen, which after swiping, takes you to the main X7 window. From here you have access to the browser, the Fiio app, support, settings and any other apps you choose to install.

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Lock screen	Main menu	All songs - ordered alpha numeric	Artists	Default scrambles songs by same artist

Swiping down on the left side of the screen gives you an event summary and also allows you to quickly switch between apps. Swiping down on the right side of the screen gives you access to the various Android settings – including Wifi and Bluetooth.

At the bottom of the screen (always) is a menu bar with a “back” a “home” and a “window” (what’s running) touch emblems.

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Under artist you can access album	Album view	Genre view	Genre scrambles tracks too	Accessing folder view

Going into the Fiio app (default music app), you can select to play by Song, by Artist, by Album, by Genre, and by Folder. There is a touchable search button at the top which allows full searching of the database (brilliant). Unfortunately, as good as the system is, Fiio still has the same issues with lumping everything together (no order). Where hierarchy should be Genre > Artist > Album >Track (in # order), it once again stops at Genre > All Songs, or Artist > All Songs. There is a button which allows you to bring up the albums, but then all you can do is press play on the album – you can’t go into a track list. It is frustrating, and I hope Fiio fixes it – but they’ve been waiting on this fix with the X1, 3 and 5 series for up to 2 years – so I’m possibly not as confident as I would normally be with some of the other features which need work. Folder mode works brilliantly though, and I still use the Fiio app (a lot) because most of the time I’m playing full albums anyway.

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My folder structure	Artists	Albums	Tracks	Main play screen

From the now playing screen, you get an icon in the top left which gets you access to music settings, a search icon in the top right, and then below the album cover the track numbers, song title and artist name. These are actually inside a moving highlighted “track position” bar which can be tapped or swiped to go a particular section of the track being played. Below this is access to EQ, a Bluetooth icon (which I haven’t been able to work out yet), play/pause button, favourites button, play mode button (repeat, random etc), forward/back button, and add to play list button.

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Lyrics screen	Track info screen	Equaliser	Hidden presets (just swipe to find!)	Volume control

Swiping the album cover forward or back will advance or reverse one track. Swiping up or down on the extreme right will change the volume. Tapping the album cover once brings up a lyrics screen if it is included in your tags, tapping again brings up an info screen with further info on album, artist, track, bit rate and sample rate. Tapping a third time takes you back again to the now playing screen.

The equaliser is 10 band, and while not parametric is very configurable, and I’ve found it extremely handy. I couldn’t quite work out why there was just one user option and then one preset each side, but then I found that if you swipe up, there are actually 9 presets in all, and all are user configurable. There is 12 dB +/- available for tinkering, and using any of the presets drops the volume by 6dB (to stop clipping). The interesting thing (not sure if this is a glitch or intentional) but the X7 remembers volume, so I have it on the user set one switching on/off at the same volume which is actually really handy.


Left swipe down info screen	Right swipe down Android settings	Lock screen when playing	Apllications screen	Neutron player

Rather than take you through all of the settings, I’ve just shown a list of screen shots and captions which should be able to give you an idea of what is available (or at least what I’ve discovered so far).

During my testing of the default app, I played as many formats as I could – including MP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, APE, and DSD, and with the lossless files I checked playback of redbook, 24/88.1, 24/96 and 24/192. There were no issues playing any of the formats, and the EQ worked fine for me – even with the higher resolution files. There was no skipping – and features such as gapless (tested with Pink Floyd) and folder playback worked with no issues. Gain appears to be around 6dB between low and high.

Other Screen Shots:


Neutron lists	HibyMusic - Artists	HibyMusic - Albums	HibyMusic - Genre	Albums in order! Nice


3 music apps	Search function	Battery summary	Android settings	Android settings 2


Sound settings	Graphical settings	Storage summary	Fiio app settings	Fiio app settings 2


Essential settings (blue dots)	Gain settings	Connexting to computer	Updating	Updating - navigate to file


Find the download file	Click the upgrade	The upgrade runs automatically	Folder browsing	Installed app summary

Pure Music Mode
This can be engaged instead of full Android mode, and it simply runs the X7 just with the default Fiio app available – all other functions turned off. Wifi and Bluetooth can still be activated, and you still have access to the player settings – but access to most of the Android systems is turned off. This really simplifies the player, and I can see it being the default for a few people (potential power savings) if Fiio fix the few bugs in the UI.

Other Apps
I haven’t installed a lot, but it has been a pretty painless exercise – and this is for a non-Android user. Thankfully the support on these forums has been really good – so I was able to install Spotify and then Tidal (I don’t have a Tidal account so this was more to ensure it could be installed). I also took the time to install Neutron (download and manually installed) and HibyMusic (through Fiio’s whitelist). Both work really well – and give you the proper sort functions using the library – so this is a really good option if Fiio’s development takes a while. I won’t spend time on the features of each application, but both have the normal features that you’d expect – including EQ, folder play through and gapless, and Neutron even has replay gain.

Software Upates
I was really surprised how easy these are. Download the zip file. Connect the X7 to your computer. Copy and paste the zip file (I just use the downloads folder). Now from the home menu, tap Support, Update, navigate to the folder, select the update to apply, tap OK and let the X7 do the rest.

ISSUES / BUGS /MISSING FEATURES

A couple of the things I’ve noticed which will no doubt get ironed out over the coming months:

I tried to change the default language to English NZ, and next thing I knew everything was in Chinese. Thankfully I was able to reset – and get English back by returning to English US as default.
The play / pause physical button works every time pausing music, but sometimes (after the player has been off for a while) pressing play again doesn’t work, and I have to turn the screen on manually to restart. The light is still on – so I guess it has gone into stand-by mode. I haven’t had enough time to really nut this one out yet.
The battery indicator can be a bit hit and miss, showing full for long periods, then all of a sudden going down rapidly. This seems to be a lot better after the latest updates.
Sort order (covered previously) with the default Fiio app.
Use as DAC only doesn’t work yet
From Artist you get to options – album or track. The problem with this is that all the tracks are mixed up, but if you take album, there is now ay I can see to get track listings. You can press the play button on the right, and it will start playing the album, but then there is still no way to get the track list (counter-intuitive).

There are probably a lot of other smaller things as well – but as I’ve been concentrating on cramming as much listening as possible, I’d really need 3-4 weeks of through testing to really try and make a decent list. All-in-all though the GUI is a joy to move around in, intuitive for the most part, and where Fiio’s app is weak (sort order), applications like Neutron and Hiby Music easily fill that gap.

POWER OUTPUT

Fiio publishes the output power with the IEM module as “>100mW (32 ohm load). They also recommend headphones of 16-100 ohm with this amp module. Now I know Fiio have tended to be reasonably conservative with published data in the past (which is a good thing), so I’ll relate actual user experience.

With the 320 ohm VE Zen Earbuds, low gain, volume at 75/120 was enough to give average SPL’s in the mid 70’s, and at full volume it was hitting mid-90’s (again, low gain, and measured with a calibrated SPL meter. At no stage do they sound weak or under driven.

Next up was the 300 ohm HD600s, and they required 85-90/120. Did they sound as good as out of the micro iDSD? Well actually once volume matched – yep, they actually sounded every bit as dynamic as they did out of the iDSD. In fact I really loved them out of the X7. They were getting close to the limit of the X7’s capability though, and with Classical I was pretty close to 100/120 to get the listening level I prefer. So loud listeners are likely to need a little more than the X7 can deliver.

What this does show though is that the amp on X7 is actually very capable, and for easier to drive loads – especially IEMs and portable headphones , you’re going to have no need for an amplifier add-on.

FWIW – Classical tracks with the X7, and this was measured with an SPL meter just to approximate as close as possible to my normal low to mid-70 SPL listening (low gain):

Adel U6 – 60/120
DN2000J – 60/120
DUNU Titan1 – 65/120

So ample amplification in my purely subjective opinion.

SONICS

So Brooko, you’ve rabbited on for ages about build, gui and features, how does the X7 actually sound?

Some of you may find this section a little limited, so I’ll give you some insight into the way I’ve changed my opinion on how to describe the sound with any competently made DAC, DAP or amplifier. The problem with trying to break the sonics down to bass, mids and treble is that DAP / DAC / amp is designed (or should be designed) to be essentially flat across the frequency spectrum. If it has enhanced bass, then isn’t it adding colouration that should come from the headphones or EQ or recording?

Likewise, I won’t comment a lot on soundstage, as this is primarily a by-product of the actual recording, or the transducers you’re using.

So how do I go about describing it? Well I can’t measure it this time (I’d need to be able to isolate the signal from the X7, and Fiio hasn’t unlocked the stand alone DAC functionality yet). But judging by the correspondence from Fiio, and their own measurements, I’m pretty confident the X7 will be very linear in its measurements, so you’ll be left listening to the recording pure and simple (and isn’t that what we all want?).

So instead, I’ll just say that I really love the sound from the X7, and give you my (very) subjective impressions of the X7 compared to my other DAPs.

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X7, X5 classic and X5ii	X7 and E17K (line-out and coax testing)	X7 with Adel U6 (just one of the many combos I tested)

With each of these comparisons, I used a 1 kHz test tone to exactly match volume, and used my DUNU DN-2000J to compare on tracks I know really well. I also used the X7 using Fiio’s default app with no EQ engaged. Warning – very subjective impressions ahead.

X7 vs X3ii
I really think I’d struggle to tell these two apart in a blind test. They are both essentially pretty neutral, but what I’ve noticed (and I’m not sure if this is placebo or not), is that the longer I listen, the more the X7 feels effortless and slightly more refined, where the X3ii by contrast is just the tiniest bit edgier or more vivid. The X3ii though is extremely competent, and there is a reason it is my daily DAP. The X3ii wins out on power, battery life and cost – but it doesn’t have the easy to use GUI, overall user experience, and wireless connectivity options.

X7 vs X5 (original)
The difference this time is slightly more pronounced. The X5 is once again a wonderful sounding DAP, but compared to the X7 it sounds quite flat, smooth, and maybe lacking dynamics a little. The X7 has the same sense of blackness, and the same clarity, but there is a feeling of space with the X7, a feeling of actually being involved, whereas with the X5 I feel like a spectator. Once again, the X5 wins out on power, battery and cost – but it doesn’t have the easy to use GUI, overall user experience, and wireless connectivity options.

X7 vs X5ii
Like the X3ii, again I’d be struggling to tell the two apart completely blind tested, so tonally both are extremely similar again. But once again, the X7 over time shows a similar effortlessness, and ability to pull me into the music. Again this could be simply sighted placebo, because the two are very close in overall presentation, but in longer sessions the X7 time and again seemed to be a little more effortless and almost 3D in its presentation. And in a 3-peat, the X5 wins on value, battery and power – while the X7 scoops the pool on everything else.


X7 and L5 Pro	X7 and L5 Pro	View from the top - X7 and L5 Pro

X7 vs L5 Pro
This was always going to be the big test, as both are capacitive touch screen enabled, both are in the upper tier price wise, and both are targeting the serious enthusiast / audiophile. Sonically the two are very similar, both having an effortless presentation, and sense of depth and space to the music. I wouldn’t want to pick a winner without a lot more time with both. They are excellent DAPs with some seriously good components under the hood. For power and battery life, the L5Pro gets the nod, and I’d also have to say it is the more stylish physical layout (plus the two programmable buttons are pretty cool). But the X7’s android layout and better overall GUI and features (wireless connectivity) are more than a match for the L5 Pro in its current form, and if I had to make a choice based on both DAPs current feature set – I’d be going with the X7. I’m really looking forward to seeing both companies develop their players though – as both have the potential to be end-game.

OTHER FEATURES

I also tested the coax (digital) out – into the E17K. Not much to say - works well, although why anyone would want to use the X7 as a transport only is beyond me. They’ve used a TOTL DAC for a reason.

Likewise I used the line-out into the E17K, E11K, Micro iDSD and VE Runabout. I can’t really say that I noticed any huge differences in changing amps. Most of mine are pretty neutral.

I used the Bluetooth with both the Creative Roar2 and also in my car – and there was no issue with connectivity, and both sounded wonderful with the X7 as source.

I also installed Spotify and listened to a couple of albums streaming, and it seemed to work flawlessly, and sounded pretty good to me.

BATTERY LIFE

Fiio states that a full charge will take around 4 hours, and the battery should be good for 9 hours playtime. To test this, I drained the battery, and then using an iPhone charger and wall-wart I plugged the X7 and carefully monitored it. Charging actually took 3 hr 45 minutes to a full 100%, so pretty consistent with Fiio’s advice.

For playback, I switched to Pure Music mode, set the X7 on continuous play, low gain, at 50 volume with my 50 ohm q-Jays, and achieved 8 hours and 40 minutes before shut-down. So slightly short of the 9 hours, but again consistent with their suggested life.

I’d ideally like to get over that magic 10 hour mark – but for me the 8-9 hours is more than sufficient for a day’s playing.

CONCLUSION / SUMMARY FIIO X7

Well I’ve had the X7 for just on 8 days so far, and my one regret is that I haven’t had more time with it (work commitments). But every spare moment I’ve had it playing a variety of headphones, and I’ve managed to go through at least 4 battery charges so far, so that would indicate at least 40 hours + of listening and tinkering time.

The X7 has a wonderful overall build – solid, nice feeling in my hand, with nicely laid out controls and a very clear and easy to read screen – even in daylight (it’s not perfect – but easy enough to read in direct light).

The gui is Android based, intuitive for the most part, and very easy to operate. Fiio’s actual music app is still effectively in beta, so it is a work in progress. The biggest issue I have with it is the default sorting where songs are jumbled together rather than having a strict Genre > Artist > Album > Track# sorting hierarchy. Besides the DAC implementation, in my view this hierarchy issue should be the number one issue their software engineers should be working on.

But being Android, it is easy enough to install alternate music players, and both HibyMusic and Neutron work really well.

The X7 sounds neutral, detailed, but also has a hard to describe quality – an expansiveness and layering – which just pulls me into the music. Last night in my final session, while I was finishing my last critical comparisons, I was sitting on the sofa, with the X7 and Adel U6’s, and playing around with Genre. I pulled up Classical (I think I might have been testing dynamic range), and before I knew it, 2 hours had gone, and my wife had gone to bed without me. I actually remember saying goodnight to her – but the rest was pretty hazy. The fact that it was Classical – something I might listen to for 30 minutes to an hour at most – speaks volumes about the musicality of the X7 to me. I find it difficult to put into descriptive words, apart from saying it truly sounds wonderful.

At USD 650.00 this is not a cheap player – but I’m already thinking about either selling some gear, or speaking VERY nicely to my lovely girl. She’ll tell me I have enough players (DAPs), but my answer will be simple – “not like this hon, not like this”.

Four stars for the missing features and functionality – but the X7 is 5 stars in the making.

I don’t want to let this go on tour tomorrow

FINAL THANKS

Again – my apologies for the length of the review. I really couldn’t do it any other way without glossing over information, and I still haven’t covered a lot of what I would have liked to. My thanks to Joe and James for the opportunity to be part of the early review team. I will genuinely miss this unit when I send it away next week on its NZ tour.

AND WHAT ABOUT MY CHECKLIST

Back at the start I listed what I looked for ina new DAP. So how did the X7 go?

Clean, neutral signature – but with body (not thin)
Definitely ticked this box - a pure joy to listen to music with the X7
Good build quality
Extremely good build quality - definite tick.
Reasonable battery life
Passable - I would have preferred more, but at least it's not a 4-6 hour DAP. Box ticked.
Easy to use interface
Definitely a tick, and much easier and quicker to use than the X3/X5. Other apps are also options, and if Fiio continues to develop their own app, this will only get better!
Able to drive both low impedance and (within reason) higher impedance cans without additional amping.
Will be dependent on your headphones, but with being able to buy add on higher power amp units, there should be no issues. Pass mark - but not a big bold tick.
Value for money
I'll let you be the judge - but for me - yes.
Enough storage to hold either my favourite albums in redbook, or my whole library in a reasonably high resolution lossy format (for me – aac256)
For me yes. I tested most formats, but most of my listening was actually AAC256, and I had my entire library at my disposal.

Congrats on ur new portable hi-fi source... the review was excellent

Great review, Can you use Spotify in offline mode so the data is stored on the device?

Hi RaviM - I haven't tried, and I no longer have Spotify on the X7. Might be a question to ask in the X7 thread, as I'm sure someone there might be using Spotify Premium.

For larger views of any of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images

INTRODUCTION

I’d heard a little about the VE Zen previously on the forums, and it had been one to pique my interest given the glowing reviews it has received as a top of the line earbud. I have to be reasonably careful about what I actually buy (mortgage and growing family), so I was hoping there would be an Australasian tour at some stage so I’d have a chance to hear and review them. Then out of the blue my friend Tamal (RedJohn456) contacted me with an introduction to Lee (zhibili06), and Lee generously offered to send me not only the Zen, but also the Monk, Duke and Runabout amp.

So many thanks to both Tamal and Lee for this opportunity. I’ve taken my time with all of Lee’s products, because while I’ve used earbuds before, I’m usually an IEM or full sized guy, and it has taken a while to adjust.

ABOUT VENTURE ELECTRONICS

Venture Electronics (or VE) is a 3 year old audio company based in Shenyang, Liaoning in the Peoples Republic of China. I was able to ask Lee a little about the company, and he has been very open and approachable – something I love to see when dealing with a manufacturer. It really shows a lot about a company when they show pride in their own achievements, and are so open about sharing information with their customer base.

VE is relatively small (for now) with 5 employees, and currently have a very small product line (Zen, Asura and Monk earbuds, Duke IEM and Runabout amp). I asked Lee about their core business, and he said they were primarily an internet company, and had developed more products than were currently on offer, but for now their current product range covered enough to cater for immediate development. Their goal long term is “to have the best budget and hi-end gear”, and it was refreshing to see some frank and honest comments in reply to some of my inquiries. I’m going to quote one of Lee’s replies, because it really does add to my impression of VE as a company.

“We see our fans, not just as moving wallets. I see our budget gear (like the monk) as a walking ad for our brand, among our online community (people who love earphones, because they mainly they love the ART the earphones can deliver, like gaming, movie, anime and stuff. We believe the Zen is the best earbud in the world, and as we can sell the monk for cheap then it might go viral and get more attention to the other products. We believe to be the best hi-fi company, we need to have the best of the best gears, not only budget ones. If we only do budget, people will have a false image of us not being serious enough, so the idea is very simple”

And to close, I asked Lee about VE’s mission statement or values statement, and the answer I received made perfect sense – “keeping it real”.

DISCLAIMER

I was provided the VE Zen as a review unit. I have no other association or affiliation with VE. I do not make any financial gain from this review – it is has been written simply as my way of providing feedback both to the Head-Fi community and also VE themselves.

I have now had the VE Zen since July (so a little over 3 months). Normal RRP is USD 128.00.

PREAMBLE - 'ABOUT ME'. (or a base-line for interpreting my thoughts and bias)

I'm a 48 year old music lover. I don't say audiophile – I just love my music. Over the last couple of years, I have slowly changed from cheaper listening set-ups to my current set-up. I vary my listening from portables (Fiio X5ii, X3ii, LP5 and iPhone 5S) to my desk-top's set-up (PC > USB > iFi iDSD). I also use a portable set-up at work – either X5ii/X3ii > HP, or PC > E17K > HP. My main full sized headphones at the time of writing are the Beyer T1, Sennheiser HD600, and AKG K553. Most of my portable listening is done with IEMs, and lately it has mainly been with the Dunu DN-2000J, Jays q-Jays, Alclair Curve2 and Adel U6. A full list of the gear I have owned (past and present is listed in my Head-Fi profile).

I have very eclectic music tastes listening to a variety from classical/opera and jazz, to grunge and general rock. I listen to a lot of blues, jazz, folk music, classic rock, indie and alternative rock. I am particularly fond of female vocals. I generally tend toward cans that are relatively neutral/balanced, but I do have a fondness for clarity, and suspect I might have slight ‘treble-head’ preferences. I am not treble sensitive (at all), and in the past have really enjoyed headphones like the K701, SR325i, and of course the T1 and DT880.

I have extensively tested myself (abx) and I find aac256 or higher to be completely transparent. I do use exclusively redbook 16/44.1 if space is not an issue. All of my music is legally purchased (mostly CD – the rest FLAC purchased on-line). I tend to be sceptical about audiophile ‘claims’, don’t generally believe in burn-in, have never heard a difference with different cables, and would rather test myself blind on perceived differences. I am not a ‘golden eared listener’. I suffer from mild tinnitus, and at 48, my hearing is less than perfect.

Over the three months – I’ve used the VE Zen from a variety of sources, but for main body of this review, I’ve used it with my Fiio X3ii combined with the E11K amp. In the time I have spent with the Zen, I have noticed no change in the overall sonic presentation. Listening time with the Zen now has easily been more than 50 hours, and probably a lot longer.

This is a purely subjective review - my gear, my ears, and my experience. Please take it all with a grain of salt - especially if it does not match your own experience.

THE REVIEW

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

The Zen arrived in a simple white and red cube shaped box measuring 100 x 1000 x 100mm. Inside I received the VE Zen earbuds, the VE Monk earbuds and a selection of white full foam covers and red foam doughnut covers.

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The simple VE retail box	VE retail box	Zen. Monk, carry case and covers

Also included was a round zipped clamshell case (about 85mm in diameter and 50mm deep) which has a mesh inner compartment and quite rigid outer shell. It is reasonably pocket friendly. The case I’m using currently for the Zen though is a small hinged lid pelican type case (that actually came with the Duke), and the Duke in turn gets the clamshell case (just noting it here – in case there is any confusion).


Zen in the carry case	Carry case	Foam covers

So a reasonably sparse accessory package, but I keep going back to their value statement (keeping it real), and everything is covered nicely. Perhaps the only things I’d suggest looking at to add value might be something like the Earhookz retention clip system, and also a 3.5-6.3mm adaptor (as people will be using these with full sized amps)

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Covers	Case from the Duke (reappropriated)	Foam interior

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

(From VE)

Type	Open dynamic earbud
Frequency Range	15 Hz – 23.5 Khz
Impedance	320 ohm
Sensitivity	106dB (1mW)
Plug	3.5mm gold plated, straight jack
Cable	1.2m – silver side-by-side pair, PVC coating
Weight	Approx 14g with dual foam pads in place
IEM Shell	Polycarbonate / hard plastic

FREQUENCY GRAPH

The graph below is generated by a new measuring system I’m trialling – using the Vibro Veritas and ARTA software. I don’t have the calibration for the microphone 100% correct yet – but the graphs I am getting are relatively close to Innerfidelity’s raw data (on other earphones we both share), and I think are “close enough” to get a reasonable idea of the frequency response for the Zen. Over time I am hoping to build a pre-set compensation curve so that I can get the graphs more consistent with Tyll’s curves.

The frequency response graph was created with foams intact, and the body pressed lightly to the coupler to simulate a normal fitting.


Zen frequency graph (raw data)	Zen CSD plot

What I’m hearing:

Full and rich bass, with surprisingly good extension for an earbud.
Warmish tonality – but a clear and clean mid-range with good vocal presence
Nice lift in upper mid-range which lends particularly well to harmonics with female vocalists
Detailed but smooth treble

BUILD QUALITY / DESIGN

When first looking at the Zen, you’d be forgiven for thinking “generic $10 earbuds”, but looks can be very deceiving. The Zen has a white hard plastic shell, and has a driver enclosure which measures approximately 16m in diameter, and has two circles of ports (approximately 56 in total) close to the outer edge of the main face. The rear of the earbud is ported on two opposite sides, and there is also a rear port running parallel to, and along the full length of the cable exit. The Zen has bass quality unlike anything I’ve seen on any other earbud, so it’s likely the combination of porting is contributing to the overall quality.

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Zen from the top	Zen from the side	The Zen internal face

The entire earbud is approximately 35mm long from the top of the outer face to tip where the cable exits. There is no strain relief from the cable exit, but given the quality of the cable, and the fact that it will be primarily worn down, I would not think this is even a slight issue.

		[size=inherit][/size]
Rear (bass) port	Y-split (mine is missing cinch - which is normally present)	3.5mm straight jack

The cable is silver plated with a transparent outer sheath, and each channel is separate and in side by side configuration. For anyone wanting to convert to balanced, it should simply be a matter of reterminating at the jack – nice! The cable itself is really well built and the sheath itself has pretty low microphonics. What is there can be reduced further by a little cable management (under clothes). My only issue with the cable is that it can be slightly unruly (tends to want to do its own thing). It made photographing the Zen a right PITA. But it is a small price to pay considering the build.

The Y split is pretty small, made of flexible rubber, and has no relief (but again none is needed). My pair does not have a cinch – so I can only guess that this pair was a preproduction pair, as I know some of the other reviewers have had cinches on theirs. The jack is 3.5mm, straight, gold plated, and has excellent strain relief.

All in all – a somewhat “generic looking” build, but also a very solid build – and if the sound is good, who really cares about the looks right?

FIT / COMFORT

It had been a while since I’d used earbuds, but going to the Zen was pretty easy. I first tried the re doughnuts, and then the white foams. Both provided adequate comfort, but now a wonderful seal for me (they were loose, and the bass was not as good as it could be). So I added a second pair of doughnuts, and it very much improved both fit and sound. I would recommend anyone trying the Zen to try fitting second pair of foams, because it really can help.

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Single full foam cover	Single doughnut foam cover	Doughnut + full cover

Comfort is also surprisingly good – they simply disappear after a while. I’ve also found them relatively stable for walking, but if I was jogging, or doing anything more strenuous, I really would suggest looking at a stabiliser like the Earhookz.

And a final word on isolation – it is an earbud – so any isolation is minimal.

POWER REQUIREMENTS

I know there has been some debate on this in the forums, and all I can give you is my impressions based on the gear I have. I do tend to be a bit of a maverick at times, and here is where I do try to get a bit objective. The Zen is 320 ohms, so that does mean it may require a little more power to get to a suitable loudness. But at the same time, their sensitivity is 106 dB (1 mW) so that suggests they are far easier to drive than a lot of people may think. So I tried many of the DAPs and amps I had, and armed with my trusty SPL meter, measured the output in order to give me an approx. 70-75 dB average with my test tracks. I then used this volume and test tones to set a benchmark, and then used this to look at equivalent volume for each device. I also listened to each using Dire Straits “Sultans of Swing” to test for dynamics and detail.

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X3ii with Fiio Q1 and E11K (not shown)	X3ii with E17K (front)	Zens with L5 Pro and Fiio X7

Fiio X3ii – 60/120 low gain. Plenty of dynamics, good bass response, does not sound anaemic in any way.
Fiio X3ii + line-out to the E17K (0 gain, 23/60 on pot). No significant change from X3ii solo.
Fiio X3ii + line-out to the E11K (low gain, approx. 2.5/9 on pot). No significant change from X3ii solo.
Fiio X3ii + line-out to the VE Runabout (low gain, approx. 15-20% of the pot used). No significant change from X3ii solo.
Fiio X5ii – low gain, 60/120. Plenty of dynamics, good bass response, good detail.
iPhone 5S – approx. 8-9 (50-55%) clicks of volume. Again plenty of dynamics, good bass response and detail level.
L&P L5 Pro – medium gain approx. 40/60 volume. One of the best sounding devices I tried. But I couldn’t say that it was significantly better than any of the other sources – just a little different in overall presentation.
L&P LP5 – high impedance setting, maybe 10-15% on the pot (hard to tell because there are no markings). The other really dynamic sounding device. But again, I couldn’t say that it was significantly better than any of the other sources – just a little different in overall presentation.
Fiio X7 – low gain approx. 71/120 on the digital volume. I made sure with this one (as there was some debate) that I matched it as closely as I could with the LP5, and when I checked for dynamics, I was checking in particular against the LP5. The X7 has no issues driving these, and sounds spectacular with this track.

SOUND QUALITY

The following is what I hear from the VE Zen. YMMV – and probably will – as my tastes are likely different to yours (read the preamble I gave earlier for a baseline). Most of the testing at this point (unless otherwise stated) was done with my Fiio X3ii using line-out to the E17K. With the Zen I used dual doughnut foam tips on each earpiece.

Tracks used were across a variety of genres – and can be viewed in this list http://www.head-fi.org/a/brookos-test-tracks.

Thoughts on Default Signature
I covered a bit of this when I was talking about frequency response above, but if I was to boil it down to a few words – then I’d use the terms “natural”, “balanced”, “clear” and “detailed but smooth”. In short, the Zen is the best sounding earbud I’ve ever heard. It reminds me a little of the HD650, or the HD600 if you reduced the 4kHz area, and added a little bit of mid-bass. The one thing I did notice with my listening was that the Zen (for me) suited a lower overall volume – with vocals being very clear, and bass easily discernible. If I tweaked the volume too much, vocals tended to get a little shouty and the bass could become too dominant. But for relaxed easy listening at comfortable volume, the Zen was astounding in its tonality.

Overall Detail / Clarity
Tracks used: Gaucho, Sultans of Swing

The first noticeable thing with both tracks is that the bass is definitely there, and if anything I’d actually cut it back just a little bit (if listening at louder volumes) – more than anything because the bass guitar can dominate just a little. Despite that though there is plenty of detail with a nice sense of decay from cymbals, click from the drums, and enough guitar bite to keep things interesting. Overall the sound is very slightly U shaped with nice forward vocals, a little bass emphasis and some nice upper mid-range / lower treble detail. Note – applying a shallow 3 dB cut centered around 100 Hz and extending between about 50-200 Hz balances things out even better.

Sound-stage & Imaging
Tracks used: Tundra, Dante’s Prayer, Let it Rain

With the binaural track Tundra – there is a good sense of both width and depth – but rather than appearing diffuse and overly open, the staging is actually really pleasant, and rather intimate. I wouldn’t call it expansive by any means – but it does allow a sense of space between instruments, and the imaging is pin-point and very clear.

With Dante’s Prayer the Zen once again appeared more intimate than open, but it is believable rather than contrived. The tonality is really spot on though, and the contrast between cello, piano and Loreena’s voice is magical. The applause at the end of the track with a really good earphone / headphone can totally immerse me with a few select earphones. The Zen didn’t quite get there – but it didn’t feel overly false either. A really nice presentation.
Last up was Let It Rain, and it has a really good holographic feel to it – especially with the right earphone. The Zen is that earphone. Absolutely gorgeous presentation – it just seems to nail female vocals so well. And once again it is the balance and tonality I’m really enjoying.

Bass Quality and Quantity
Tracks used: Bleeding Muddy Water, Royals

I use Bleeding Muddy Waters mainly to test for bass texture and mid-bass bleed. What I’m hearing is quite thick bass with good impact, but it isn’t impinging on vocals at all – and the track is suitably dark and brooding (as it is supposed to be). I’m not hearing a lot of bleed despite the bass impact, and if anything the decay actually feels natural.

Next up was Lorde’s Royals – and the Zen has no problems at all with impact and sub bass. Again the overall clarity is stunning, and I am really enjoying this presentation. It’s easy to forget these are earbuds because the bass presentation is simply wonderful.

Female Vocals
Tracks used : Aventine, Strong, For You, Human, The Bad In Each Other, Howl, Safer, Light as a Feather, Don’t Wake me Up

The Zen (on the graphs) appears to have a curve which should be very well suited to my preferences – especially with female vocals (bump in the vocal area around 2K and a 2^nd peak in the upper mids), so I was really interested in hearing some of my favourite female artists. It didn’t disappoint either. Female vocalists were beautifully clear and had a hint of euphony in presentation, just the way I like it. Once again their intimate nature (vocals very forward) shone through clearly – and while this does focus the vocals, at times the forward nature has the ability to sound slightly too sharp if listening at higher volumes.

Standouts for me were Feist’s Metals and La Havas’ Don’t Wake me Up. Metals had the dynamics and speed, La Havas had the lushness and creamy smooth vocals (velvet for the ears).

Male Vocals
Track used: Away From the Sun, Art for Art’s Sake, Diary of Jane, Hotel California, Keith Don’t Go, Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town.

The Zen excels with Rock IMO – and this was where I often turned the volume up a tiny bit because there wasn’t the issue with sharpness. Bass continued to be punchy and dynamic, and this time the mid-range and lower treble were providing very good guitar crunch. Detail levels were excellent especially on the acoustic tracks and older rock tracks (10cc was great, and I actually went back later and listened to the entire album – something I hadn’t done for a while). Even with faster more guitar dominant tracks like Diary of Jane, the Zen’s drivers coped really well, and they never felt like they were being overwhelmed.

Standouts for me though were acoustic tracks from the Eagles and Nils Lofgren – gorgeous tonality and excellent detail (I love hearing fingers sliding on a fret board). My final test was once again with Pearl Jam though, and the combination of tonality, texture and detail was brilliant. The Zen does male vocals, and in particular Rock, really well IMO.

Other Genres
As you can guess, the Zen really is an all-rounder, and everything thing from Alt Rock, to Jazz, Blues and Classical was delivered with wonderful balance and tonality. Jazz in particular was absolutely brilliant – especially the tonal contrast between cymbals and double-bass. And the Zen does equally well whether it be piano or stringed instruments.

I really enjoyed EDM with the Zen as well, and Trip-Hop with Little Dragon or Trance with AVB was equally impressive. Good bass, great detail, nothing overpowering – clarity and power makes for an addictive combination.
There was a tiny bit of sibilance with Adele (it is an issue with the recording I have – but worth noting), but didn’t stop the track being thoroughly enjoyable.

I particularly enjoyed running through my classical tracks – and once again it was the tonality that was captivating. The Zen somehow captures the timbre of certain instruments (cello and piano amongst others) almost perfectly.

EQUALISATION

As I alluded to in my notes above, the Zen does exhibit rather strong bass at times, and if it does become overpowering a little cut centering around 100 Hz can help. At lower volumes though I never felt the need to engage EQ. And if the upper end does get too strong – a little notch at 7-8 Khz, or even dialling back the presence area around 2 kHz has some interesting effects (creates a little more space / openness). For the most part though I left the default tuning in play, because at lower volumes it is simply wonderful.

COMPARISONS

The issue with comparisons with the Zen is what to compare it with – as it really is like no other earphone I’ve heard before. What could give you (the reader) some ideas about how the really Zen sounds? So for starters I’ve compared it to the Zen’s little brother – the Monk, and then to my HD600 (which I think sounds kind of similar). For these comparisons – I used the headphone out of my iFi Micro iDSD.


Zen vs Monk	Zen with the iDSD

Zen $128 vs Monk $5
The first thing I noticed swapping between the two was how similar the bass was, in fact how very similar the whole signature is. The main difference is that the Zen just appears more vivid and detailed, while the Monk is a little bit more distant and doesn’t have the same life. What is clear though is what an incredible deal the Monk is, and if I wasn’t currently comparing the two side-by-side, I’d be praising the Monk as better than some IEMs I have at 20 times the price. But for lovers of the Monk wanting a step up – the Zen (to me anyway) is absolutely worth it. Every time I switch from the Monk to the Zen, it’s like adding a notch of clarity and presence.

Zen $128 vs HD600 $300
Brooko – are you mad? How can this little $130 generic looking earbud be compared with one of the best (IMO) dynamic headphones ever built? Well naturally it can’t – but we can compare it and look at the similarities.
The first thing I noticed was that the HD600 was more open, had a little less bass warmth, and was a little airier up top. The mids on the Zen comparatively were a little more forward, the bass a little deeper, and the overall tone just a little darker.

But the one thing that really stands out is that the Zen isn’t embarrassed in the presence of the HD600, and this is the bit that really astounds me. It really does sound like an open full sized headphone – and what continues to floor me is the natural balance, and the full rich tonality.

VALUE

The Zen has an RRP of $128 and at this price it really is a no brainer. I honestly can’t think of another earphone or IEM that I’ve experienced (maybe the Titan series, and possibly Trinity’s Delta) which will deliver comparable sonics at the same or better price. I know the Monk at $5 ultimately delivers better overall value – but for me personally, the Zen does deliver a sonic experience that is worth the extra money.

VE ZEN – SUMMARY

First up I want to take the chance to thank my friend Tamal for introducing me to Lee, and to Lee for giving me the chance to listen to the Zen.

At first glance the Zen looks a little like the generic earbuds you get bundled with a cheap MP3 player. But on closer inspection, you’ll notice that the build (while quite plain) is actually pretty solid, and the cable gives it away as something maybe just a little special. And then you plug it in, hit play, and watch as your jaw hits the ground (the first time you hear the Zen).

Sonically it is a little on the bassier side of neutral, and does exhibit a slightly darker sound than what I’m used to – but the vocals are really quite forward and extremely clear. The Zen is the closest I’ve come to any IEM or earbud sounding like an open headphone.

They can be powered out of most reasonable sources (and that includes my iPhone 5S), but if your source is slightly on the weak side, then additional amplification may be required.

I would recommend them unconditionally to friends or family. They are incredible.

I've had one or two ask me how I can rank something 5 star if I note during a review that they aren't completely perfect. My answer is simple - if they are in my opinion close to perfect,a nd also exhibit incredible value, then in my books that rates a 5. The Zen is the epitomy of near perfection combined with fantastic value.

RECOMMENDATIONS TO VE

Although the Zen has ticked virtually all my boxes there are a couple of things I personally would change. YMMV.

Sonically I’d like to see just a little less mid-bass, and also a little less emphasis at 2 kHz. This effectively would sit the vocals back just a little without losing any clarity, and give the Zen just a little more sense of space.
I’d love to see a little less of the generic look (note - this has already been addressed in version 2 coming out).
Inclusion of some sort of locking mechanism / stability enhancement – similar to the Earhookz
The option of inclusion of an in-line mic and volume control (perhaps with a lower impedance). I know this isn’t really “audiophile” – but these could then be my default earbuds for using with my iPhone and would be perfect for calls (being open).

Great review mate!

@rymd

Thanks for the kind words gents.
@rymd - interesting thoughts on the foam. If I get the chance to get a few more different foam covers (so that I have enough to compare), I might re-run the graphs. Thanks for the idea.

Awesome review Paul! Very well thought-out and detailed as always. This clinches it for me once and for all. . .I absolutely, positively WILL be buying the Zen 2.0 once it comes out soon

For larger views of any of the photos (1200 x 800) - please click on the individual images

INTRODUCTION

My introduction to Alclair was back in March this year, when I won 2^nd prize in a competition hosted by iFi Audio, in association with Alclair, Music Direct and Native DSD Music. Part of that prize was a pair of Alclair Curve IEMs – and I reviewed them HERE. My recommendations to Alclair based on the original Curve were:

To look at expanding the accessory package
Retune the drivers to remove some of the mid-bass, and lift the upper mid-range and lower treble.
Investigate possible changes in cable material to reduce microphonics

Since then, Tyler from Alclair has exchanged several emails with me, and recently they asked if I would like to have a listen to their latest retuning of the Alclair Curve, and compare it to the original Curve I have. Naturally I jumped at the chance – as the original Curve had one of the most innovative designs for fit and comfort I’d ever tried on a universal IEM.

ABOUT ALCLAIR

Alclair Audio (http://alclair.com/) is a US company, based just North-West of Minneapolis, who specialise in the creation of custom in ear monitors, custom hearing protection, and of course their universal IEM – the dual BA driver Alclair Curve.

Whilst browsing their website and Facebook page, I noticed this little blurb which seems to sum up my experience with Alclair perfectly:
“It's important that a company is passionate about the product they sell. And we certainly love our in-ear monitors. But more than the product, we are passionate about people. Our customers are the coolest people we know. That's why we call them family.
That’s why we handcraft each of our custom and universal in-ear monitors to fit and sound fantastic, why we strive for outstanding service and personal attention. When you buy from Alclair Audio, you join a family. A family that is as passionate about music as you are.”

And although all I’ve done is won one of their universal monitors, and provided a review (I wasn’t obliged to – but I was impressed with the Curve and wanted to get the word out), they’ve still treated me like family. Tyler Folsom from Alclair has shown genuine interest in improving their product range, and their development team have been open to possible changes. So when they talk about being as passionate about audio as we are – they really mean it. I like that in a company.

So without further comment – let’s have a look at the Curve (2) – a retune of the original Curve IEM from Alclair.

DISCLAIMER

I was provided the Curve (2) by Alclair as a review unit to compare with the original Curve. I have no other association or affiliation with Alclair. I do not make any financial gain from this review – it is has been written simply as my way of providing feedback both to the Head-Fi community and also Alclair themselves.

I have now had the Alclair Curve for a little over 4 weeks. Normal RRP is USD 249.00. Tyler tells me that it will continue to just be called the Curve – and the new tuning will become default for further sales.

PREAMBLE - 'ABOUT ME'. (or a base-line for interpreting my thoughts and bias)

I'm a 48 year old music lover. I don't say audiophile – I just love my music. Over the last couple of years, I have slowly changed from cheaper listening set-ups to my current set-up. I vary my listening from portables (Fiio X5ii, X3ii, LP5 and iPhone 5S) to my desk-top's set-up (PC > USB > iFi iDSD). I also use a portable set-up at work – either X5ii/X3ii > HP, or PC > E17K > HP. My main full sized headphones at the time of writing are the Beyer T1, Sennheiser HD600, and AKG K553. Most of my portable listening is done with IEMs, and lately it has mainly been with the Dunu DN-2000J, Jays q-Jays and Alclair Curve2. A full list of the gear I have owned (past and present is listed in my Head-Fi profile).

I have very eclectic music tastes listening to a variety from classical/opera and jazz, to grunge and general rock. I listen to a lot of blues, jazz, folk music, classic rock, indie and alternative rock. I am particularly fond of female vocals. I generally tend toward cans that are relatively neutral/balanced, but I do have a fondness for clarity, and suspect I might have slight ‘treble-head’ preferences. I am not treble sensitive (at all), and in the past have really enjoyed headphones like the K701, SR325i, and of course the T1 and DT880.

I have extensively tested myself (abx) and I find aac256 or higher to be completely transparent. I do use exclusively redbook 16/44.1 if space is not an issue. All of my music is legally purchased (mostly CD – the rest FLAC purchased on-line). I tend to be sceptical about audiophile ‘claims’, don’t generally believe in burn-in, have never heard a difference with different cables, and would rather test myself blind on perceived differences. I am not a ‘golden eared listener’. I suffer from mild tinnitus, and at 48, my hearing is less than perfect.

Over the last month – I’ve used the new Curve from a variety of sources, but for this review, I’ve mainly used it with my Fiio X3ii and also the new LP5 Pro. In the time I have spent with the new Curve, I have noticed no change in the overall sonic presentation. Listening time with new Curve has been around 30+ hours, and possibly a lot longer.

This is a purely subjective review - my gear, my ears, and my experience. Please take it all with a grain of salt - especially if it does not match your own experience.

THE REVIEW

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

This time I received the retail box from Alclair. It’s basically a hinged lid Kraft box (very sturdy) with a retail sleeve in black and white over the top (dimensions 110 x 165 x 50mm). The front of the sleeve has an image of the Curve, and short summary of its key features. The rear has specifications, list of accessories, and a short blurb on the fit.

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Curve retail box	Rear panel of the retail sleeve	Specification and description

The inner Kraft box has a simple cut-out to fit the clamshell case. Opening the clamshell reveals the Curve IEMs, a cleaning tool, and 3 pairs of genuine Comply T200 foam tips.

The clamshell case is reasonably large (same size as the one for the original Curve), measures 95 x 90 mm, and a little over 40m in depth. It’s not exactly pants pocket friendly – but it is fine in a jacket pocket. It is one of the better clamshell cases I’ve seen though – zipped, with a meshed outer which is very ruggedly built (will protect those IEMs very well), soft inner, and inner mesh pocket for storage or tools or tips. It is also very spacious.

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Opening the Kraft box	The clamshell case and Curve IEMs	Accessory package - tips and tools

I guess by the standards of some manufacturers, it could be considered to be a little frugal (tips etc) but it is very functional, and for me personally (as a fan of foam tips) it is all I need. But like I said in the original Curve review, in the future it may be a good idea to include a small range of silicone based tips for those who aren’t foam fans.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
(From Alclair)

Type	Dual; Balanced Armature
Frequency Range	10 Hz – 20 Khz
Impedance	22 ohm
Sensitivity	111dB @ 1 kHz
Plug	3.5mm gold plated, right angled jack
Cable	1.2m – copper twisted pair, PVC coating
Weight	Approx 14g with tips in place
IEM Shell	Polycarbonate

FREQUENCY GRAPH

The graph below is generated by a new measuring system I’m trialling – using the Vibro Veritas and ARTA software. I don’t have the calibration for the microphone 100% correct yet – but the graphs I am getting are relatively close to Innerfidelity’s raw data (on other earphones we both share), and I think are “close enough” to get a reasonable idea of the frequency response for the Curve. Over time I am hoping to build a pre-set compensation curve so that I can get the graphs more consistent with Tyll’s curves.

I’ve included the graph for the Curve (new) and also the Curve original.

What I’m hearing:

Still a warmish tonality – especially with regard to a slight mid-bass hump
Low bass which extends well
Amid-range which is quite clear – and reasonably balanced between lower-mids and mids, but a little rolled off in the upper-mids and lower treble.
Smooth and a little dark.

Compared to the original Curve

Definitely less mid-bass and low bass – enough to allow the mids to breathe a little more
Still warm – but easier to hear guitar coming through now
Mid-range is surprisingly similar overall
Both are tonally dark and smooth

BUILD QUALITY / DESIGN

The design is essentially the same as for the original Curve – so a lot of this, I’ve simply restated from my original Curve review.

The Alclair Curve is still one the most innovatively designed universal monitors I’ve seen from a design point of view. The shells are a hard polycarbonate plastic combo – clear on the outside (ie the side facing outside your ear) – so that the internal workings are visible, and a black (changed from the original grey) on the side facing your head. When you disconnect the cable and take off the tips, the Curve is also pretty tiny, and literally looks like a “curve” – or more figuratively a crooked smile.

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Transparent outer face showing the dual BAs	Black instead of grey inner facing - ergonomic design	The nozzle and front view

Although it is essentially a two piece (or more correctly two half shell) monitor, the finish is again virtually seamless. Because of its unique shape, I can’t really physically measure it like any standard monitor – but maybe it’s just best to give you the following idea. From tip to tip the Curve measures approximately 60mm in length and is approximately 10mm wide and deep at its widest point. In real terms though (not measuring the ‘curve’ of the Curve), it’s less than 30mm in length. It doesn’t have a traditional nozzle as such – and instead simply tapers to a tube approximately 10mm in length and 4mm wide. In terms of appropriate tips, the Comply 200 series are a perfect fit. There are three raised notches on the nozzle tube – and these work surprisingly well in keeping tips firmly in place. There is no filter – so care would need to be taken long term to keep the Curve clean.

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Close up of the nozzle	Rear view - left side earpiece	Tiny but gorgeous

The shape of the Curve is designed so that it moulds around the inside of your ear’s Antitragus and Antihelix (lightly touching both) with the upper point (I think of it has a stability guide) lightly locking against the Triangular Fossa.

The cable connector is a traditional 2 prong (so yes the cable is replaceable), and is quite firm and feels very secure. The cable consists of a twisted pair of copper wires with a tight PVC coating. There is an approximately 65mm piece of mouldable hard plastic which acts as a configurable ear-guide. The cable is extremely robust, easy to coil (very flexible), and I’ve had no issues with kinking or memory. The design is such that wearing the Curve is required to be over ear. I guess this could be changed by purchasing an aftermarket-cable without any memory wire.

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Standard 2 pin cable (Noble's fit also)	Y split and sheath	Standard 3.5mm right angled jack

The Y split is rubber with excellent strain relief, and a very simply clear plastic sheath which acts as a chin slider. It is functional – but tends to slide a little too easy at times, so passably effective. The jack is right angled, gold plated, and has very good strain relief.

FIT / COMFORT / ISOLATION / MICROPHONICS

I have one ear canal slightly different to the other one (my right is very slightly smaller) - so I tend to find that usually single silicon flanges don't fit overly well. With the Curve though, they only include Comply 200 series tips with it (I use Comply tips often) so I was perfectly at home with this tip. For those who prefer silicone, as long as you use something with a relatively skinny internal diameter, you should have no issues.

Spin-fit tips fit well (I couldn’t get a seal with them though), as did the Ostry Blue and Black tips. Sony Isolation tips were also a perfect fit – so the Sony Hybrid tips should also be a perfect match. This time with the new Curve, I’m actually using some Shure Olives. It is a real push to get them on the nozzles but they do fit (handy tip is to freeze the tips for 3-4 minutes to harden them for easier application or removal). The Olives give me a fantastic seal and seem to have a nice presentation of bass without dulling the highs.

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Curve with large Shure Olives - ideal for my personal fit	Standard Comply tips included	Sony Isolation tips

Isolation with the Curve is excellent, and using the Shure Olives, I would say that isolation would be at least as good as wearing any from the Shure Se series. I did take these on a long haul flight this year, and they were very good.

Comfort is still excellent – they are very easy to fit, and incredibly comfortable when they are intact. It really is just like wearing a set of customs – they mould so well. There are no pressure points and the Curve is easily one of the most comfortable IEMs I’ve ever worn. I still marvel at how good the design is. It fits me like a glove. Sleeping with them intact is easy as they sit actually slightly recessed from my outer ear.


Ostry blues fit - but somewhat loose	Spinfits fit the nozzle perfectly	Borrowed from original Curve review - ergonomic fit

I mentioned in the last review that the Curve’s cable is microphonic. There were originally two issues:

The mouldable memory section (which I actually really like for fit and comfort) is not too bad if I’m not wearing glasses – but with glasses intact, any slight tap, and it was immediately transmitted. I thought all it needed was some sort of coating to alleviate this. If I was doing any type of active pursuit, I either had to wear contacts, or adjust the guides so that they weren’t coming into contact with my glasses. I’ve since found that once fitted – if I press down on the memory wire – so it moulds completely with my ear – this alleviates microphonics further
The second issue was the cable itself. It’s really well made – one of the better cables I’ve had – but again it is quite microphonic when active. This can be alleviated by tucking into clothing and using the cinch.

The cable on the new Curve is the same as with the old model – so nothing has changed. But I’ve also tried it with the cable from my new Adel U6, and essentially it has similar issues. So a bit of cable management goes a long way. Not perfect – but if moulded around my ears properly, and cinched, with the cable tucked under clothes – it is pretty microphonic free.

Overall though – design, build quality, fit, comfort, and isolation are really good.

SOUND QUALITY

The following is what I hear from the newly tuned Alclair Curve. YMMV – and probably will – as my tastes are likely different to yours (read the preamble I gave earlier for a baseline). Most of the testing at this point (unless otherwise stated) was done with my Fiio X3ii as source, and included Shure Olive tips. Tracks used were across a variety of genres – and can be viewed in this list http://www.head-fi.org/a/brookos-test-tracks.

Thoughts on Default Signature
After getting used to the quite warm signature of the original Curve, I had high hopes for a retuned Curve – and Alclair have delivered – maybe not quite far enough for my personal tastes – but a definite improvement that I think a lot of people will really like.

On first listen, the Curve is still warmish, but after switching from the original Curve, the first thing I noticed was that guitar especially was a little clearer, and the bass wasn’t quite as prominent. IMO these are definite changes to the good. Vocals are still quite clear, and there is enough treble to convey detail, but it is a gentle upper end, with a bit of roll-off, and definitely very smooth. Those who are a little treble sensitive will really like this presentation. For me personally, I’d have really liked just a little bit more presence in the 5-6 kHz area, just for that added clarity. But EQ is simple, and I really do think the changes they’ve made are going to please a wider audience.

Overall Detail / Clarity
Once again I used my normal go-to tracks (“Gaucho” and “Sultans of Swing”). This time the bass was more balanced on both tracks, and while it is still quite a mellowish relaxed listening experience, the finer details with cymbal shimmer, drumstick clicks, and other minute details are easier to pick up. Guitar is good – personally I’d like a little more edge to it – and the easiest way to describe what I’m hearing is detailed but smooth, and slightly lush and warmish.

Sound-stage & Imaging
Staging and imaging hasn’t really changed much from my impressions of the original Curve, and with Amber Rubarth’s “Tundra” it still just borders on the outer edge of head. The imaging once again is very good, if anything a little clearer and cleaner, and the directional cues remain consistent and well defined.

Loreena McKennitt’s “Dante’s Prayer” was up next, and the presentation was once again more intimate than the formal binaural track. Loreena’s vocals were clear and forward, and the reduced bass helps both the presentation of Loreena’s vocals and the dynamic contrast between vocals, piano and cello. The part of the track which I often use for immersion (as far as stage and imaging goes) is the transition to applause at the end of this live performance. Once again there is a feeling of connection with the crowd, which is something few IEMs manage well. It isn’t perfectly immersing, but enough to get a good thumbs-up from me.

Amanda Marshall’s “Let It Rain” displayed its usual holographic nature (the miking of this performance is really good). The original Curve presented this well, and the improved version achieves it as well. What I really like is the added detail coming through with the slightly reduced warmth.

Bass Quality and Quantity
This was always going to be an interesting series of tests – as this seems to be the main area of change with Alclair’s tweaking. Mark Lanegan’s “Bleeding Muddy Waters” had lost a little comparative impact intensity, but the track itself was still portrayed wonderfully – dark and broody, yet with vocal clarity and texture. Mark’s vocals hadn’t lost any of their projected intensity, and the bass presentation was quick and agile, with no sign of bleed into the mid-range. Testing sub-bass meant switching to Lorde’s “Royals”, and this time the impact was more apparent, and low bass still came through beautifully, with good extension. Ella’s vocals were clear and clean, and the overall presentation as a lot more cohesive than on the original Curve. Personally I’d prefer just a little more in the upper mid-range though.

Female Vocals
This was always going to be an interesting one for me. My personal preference for frequency curve with female vocals is usually a little bump in about the 4-7k range, and as with the original Curve, the new tuning has a little comparative recession in this area. My first test is usually Agnes Obel’s “Aventine” and although it is a nice presentation, I still find it a little too warm and smooth for me. Presentation was good – but there was still a little stridency and hollowness. Cello was a little more distant this time. London Grammar was up next, and the slightly deeper tone of Hannah’s voice probably helped – more in line with the default tuning of the Curve. But still I was thinking about the tuning on my recent q-Jays and DN-2000J, and the real magic with female vocals just isn’t quite at the same level with those earphones. Where the Curve continued to shine though was with very dynamic vocal/music combinations (Feist, FaTM) and with really smooth jazz/soul presentations (Norah Jones, Lianna Le Havas). Le Havas was outstanding – I could listen to her all day on the newly tuned Curves – but once again some of my other favourite female artists were a little hit and miss.

Male Vocals
For me, the original Curve was far better with male vocals than female, and I really enjoyed it with my rock and acoustic rock tracks. Male vocals were full and rich. The newly tuned Curve continues this progression, and IMO betters it, with a little more audible focus (the subtle lessening of the bass?), without losing the tonality or dynamics. Bass is still dynamic enough to be ideally suited to most forms of rock, and this is where their tuning of the BA driver (and its resultant speed) is a joy to listen to. Again my older classic rock (Jethro Tull, 10CC, the Eagles) had really good balance between detail, and dynamics. Smooth, but also clear and articulate. Alter Bridge this time was a step up on the old tuning (better definition of guitar and cymbals). Acoustic music again was a joy to listen to. The subtle warmth combined with the better balance had Hotel California humming – a really wonderful rendition.

As always – my final test of male vocals – and the decider for me - is always Pearl Jam. The result was breath-taking. The entire presentation – dynamics, detail, texture, tone – was in a word – wonderful. If I was to choose an IEM to exclusively listen to PJ, the Curve would be very near the top.

Genre Specific Notes
Alt Rock – Presentation vs the original Curve was improved. Better presentation of dynamics and detail. I’m guessing the muffling I alluded to on PF’s “Money” last time was the elevated mid bass muffling micro detail, and this time more of that detail is evident. Porcupine Tree’s “Trains” still had its clean and clear bass dynamics, and so far I’ve had no issues with any of my Alt Rock tracks.

For Jazz, Blues and Bluegrass, the improvement over the original version was very evident. This time Portico Quartet (while still on the smooth and warm/rich side) had enough detail coming through to be thoroughly enjoyable. Miles Davis was thoroughly enjoyable, and Diana Krall’s “Love Me Like a Man” was jazz club smooth. Krauss & Union Station had much improved presentation of stringed instruments, and even a lot of Bonamassa’s guitar edge or crunch was more evident (again I personally would have liked just a little more).

Anything bass driven (EDM, Rap, Trance) was brilliant. I really enjoyed the added clarity with both Little Dragon and AVB. And surprisingly the lower bass in the new tuning hasn’t compromised these genres at all. If the bas was good with the original Curve, it is now excellent. The speed with transitions is really good.

I think mainstream listeners are going to enjoy the subtle changes also. Pop artists like Coldplay and Adele had well balanced presentations. I delved a little deeper into my collection and artists like Nickelback (don’t judge me) were also thoroughly enjoyable. Some of my more “Indie” type bands though were definitely magical with the new Curve. Of Monsters and Men’s new album Beneath the Skin was purchased during my testing of the Curve, and I absolutely love it with this IEM.

Classical was still very good – standout again was the solo piano (Kempff) and also Zoe Keating’s entire album Into The Trees (note to self – must check out kore of her music). I also listened to an older recording of the master (Pavarotti), and that was a track I probably had louder than I should – but it gave me goose bumps, and any time a transducer can do that to you, you know there is some magic there.

AMPLIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

As with the original Curve, there is no need for additional amping with the portable devices I tried. Straight out of the X3ii (depending on the track) 30-40/120 was more than sufficient, and with the iPhone this was around the 30-40% mark. I did try with the Fiio E11K and E17K, and neither is necessary, nor were there audible sonic gains, in using them. I did however use the E17K quite a bit, and I’ve outlined this in the section below on EQ.

EQUALISATION

In this section with the original Curve, I talked about taking out some of the mid-bass and raising the upper-mid-range to align the newly tuned Curve closer to my own personal preferences. This time, the bass is just about perfect for me – but I’ve still been missing some of that upper mid-range presence which would take my female vocalists presentations from generally good to really great. So after looking at the measurements, the first thing I tried was simply to give EQ on the X3ii a bump on the 4K slider (about 4 dB). The effect was immediate, and for my preferences much better.

The next step for me was simply to use the tone controls on the E17K, and simply lifting the treble control +6 again added all that I thought was missing for my own preference.

Anyway, the Curve once again responds incredibly well to tweaking, and that gives me the best of both worlds. As-is (un-eq’d) for a lot of my rock or acoustic tracks, and a simple upper mid-range bump for everything else.
To put it in perspective, I’m currently doing the same for my new Adel U6 monitors from 1964ears, so I don’t see this personally as a great hardship.

COMPARISONS

Even though the comparisons I’ve made below are in different price brackets, I consider all of these earphones to play in the same technical bracket. For this exercise, I’ve compared the Curve 2 with the original Curve, DN2000J (triple hybrid), and new q-Jays (dual BA). My comparisons mostly look at default signature – but I’ve also added a simple comment regarding addition of my preferred signature tuning through use of the E17K at +6 treble.

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Default tuning with X3ii - Curves(1+2), q-Jays & DN2KJ	Fiio E17K added for simple EQ	Comparison of the old and new Curve (I like the black!)

All comparisons were using the Fiio E17K and volume matched using a calibrated SPL meter and test tones at 2 kHz.

Curve Old vs Curve New ($250)
Obviously build, fit, comfort, isolation are all the same. So the only comparison here is the sonics. The original Curve is still very enjoyable with its default tuning – warm, smooth, great with male vocals. Comparatively the new Curve appears brighter, more detailed, and vocals seem to pop a little more. It is still on the smooth side, and both earphones struggle a little generally for my tastes with female vocalists. With EQ added, clarity lifts and female vocalists really hit my sweet spot. Sublime. My preference is definitely with the new Curve tuning – both default, and especially EQ’d.

Curve New ($250) vs DN-2000J ($340)
Build is comparable on both – they both have innovative features and exceptional overall build quality. Comfort, fit and isolation are all heavily weighted in favour of the new Curve. Included accessories must be considered in overall value, and the DUNU offering is far superior. The 2000J is one of my favourite default tunings , and compared to the new Curve is a lot leaner and quicker in the bass, and brighter with more apparent detail in the upper mids. Clarity is good on both – but the 2000J just has more upper end – where the Curve is a lot smoother. The default signature on both is still very good but my preference would be with the DUNU. Add the E17K’s EQ though and the Curve is transformed, and the two are much closer. Without EQ my preference remains very much overall with the DUNU – but introducing EQ and considering the additional comfort, isolation and fit, and also the value difference, and I’d be swayed toward the new Curve.

Curve New ($250) vs q-Jays ($399)
This is really interesting as both are dual BAs. As far as build goes, although both have fantastic build quality, the nod has to go q-Jays – it is just a little more solid. Comfort, fit and isolation are essentially equal to me, but the q-Jays have far less cable microphonics and a better accessory package. Both are relatively well balanced with a clear and fatigue free signature and a smooth treble. Where the q-Jays differ in its default signature is in the presence area between 5-8 kHz, and for me this very much affects female vocal presentation. For me personally, this gives the q-Jays their advantage – but it’s surprising how alike these two earphones are for the most part. Adding EQ to the new Curve again just gives them a little edge, and in fact for me to more closely match the q-Jays they don’t need as much (dropping back to +2 or +4 treble on the E17K). With this engaged the two are a lot closer, but overall my preference would still lie with the q-Jays. There is something about the default signature that just seems to resonate with me. For value though, the new Curve offers an incredible total package – and if I hadn’t bought the q-Jays, I could be very happy with the Curve as a substitute.

VALUE

The new Curve replaces the older tuning, and continues to have a RRP of $249. I still think it presents exceptional value for what the Curve delivers in ergonomics, fit and comfort, build, and more importantly its new default sonic tuning.

One again though I do think Alclair needs to think seriously about the accessory package they offer. It may not seem like a lot, and tip choice can be quite personal, but most competing products offer far more choice in their accessory options. Whilst the cost may not be high, the “perceived value” does rise, and if Alclair want to hit the mainstream with the Curve, then they really need to up their game slightly.

ALCLAIR CURVE – SUMMARY

It’s been an enjoyable journey with the newly tuned Curve, and I’ve really enjoyed being able to give feedback to Tyler and his team at Alclair. I consider myself very lucky to have had the opportunity to watch an IEM evolve.
Looking at overall build, fit and comfort, the Alclair Curve is a stunning example of engineering and design done exceptionally well. Once you’ve found the right tip, the Curve just disappears, and all you are left with is the music, and in a package that will stay put no matter how strenuous the activity. Yes, there are still some microphonics, but these are easily reduced through cable management (especially forming the ear guides properly – perseverance is key).

And this time the sonics (whilst still not my ideal) are a vast improvement on the original tuning. The changes are mainly in the bass, but the reduction has changed the perceived upper end frequency response (if not the actual one). The default tuning is now far more balanced – whilst still retaining a slightly warm, lush and smooth overall signature.

The Curve does respond incredibly well to EQ, and anyone wanting a little more upper mid-range clarity and presence only needs to apply some very simple tweaks.
Once again the question is would I buy the newly tuned Curve for its RRP, or recommend it to friends and family? This time my answer is a firmer yes than last time. Although it is still not my ideal default, I do think that the tuning is likely to appeal to a far greater audience now.

For the innovation in design, and overall quality vs price (value) I have no issues giving Alclair a 4/5 star rating. For my own personal preferences it would be an easy 4.5/5 after EQ is applied.

Once again though, I’d like to pass my thanks to Tyler and the team from Alclair for allowing me time with the retuned Curve. My time in correspondence with Alclair has shown once again that this is a Company who are very comfortable with what constitutes true customer service.

RECOMMENDATIONS TO ALCLAIR

Shorter than last time.

Have a look at expanding the accessory package
I'd personally like to see just a touch more presence in the 5-7K area

Yes - the Curve has just as much resolution as the B400. Both (and I need to update the graphs now that I have the new measuring kit) are pretty flat and balanced throughout the frequency spectrum. B400 has more bass overall (mainly mid-bass) and is the warmer of the two. Curve has more lower treble extension, and slightly less bass, and is the cleaner / brighter of the two. I will PM you a graph - so you can see the two side by side.

Thank you for the quick response and also for the frequency comparisons. is the fender fxa5 aggressively to the b400? Greets jenz

Sorry - I haven't heard the Fender.

For larger (1200x800) images, simply click any photo

INTRODUCTION

When I first came to Head-Fi I was naturally curious about portable amps. When I got my first one (the old E7) I was blown away – the increase in clarity, details, soundstage! Then over time, as I read more, experimented more, and (more importantly) tested more, I can to realise that those benefits I was sure I heard, had mostly come about by simply turning the volume up. And with the portable amps I was using, I wasn’t volume matching when comparing. Once I actually started comparing objectively, most of the time those differences disappeared. Sure – there are times when you absolutely need an amp – like with the 320 ohm VE Zens, or if I want to drive my HD600s portable, and there isn’t enough volume. But for a long time with my portable listening, I stopped carrying a portable amp.

Then around Sept/Oct 2014, I worked with Fiio to set up a “Down Under tour” for their new X1 DAP, and as a bonus they also threw in their E11K amp. At the completion of the tour, I offered to buy both units from Fiio (and yes – I paid real money for them), and the last 12 months has given me a whole new perspective on portable amping, why you might want to use one, and why the budget prices E11K (A3) portable amp from Fiio should be considered.

ABOUT FIIO

By now, most Head-Fi members should know about the Fiio Electronics Company. If you don’t, here’s a very short summary.

Fiio was first founded in 2007. Their first offerings were some extremely low cost portable amplifiers – which were sometimes critiqued by some seasoned Head-Fiers as being low budget “toys”. But Fiio has spent a lot of time with the community here, and continued to listen to their potential buyers, adopt our ideas, and grow their product range. Today, their range includes DAPs, portable amps, portable dac/amps, desktop dac/amps, earphones, cables and other accessories.

Fiio’s products have followed a very simple formula since 2007 – affordable, stylish, well built, functional, measuring well, and most importantly sounding good.

DISCLAIMER

The E11K (A3) portable amplifier that I’m reviewing today was purchased by me (direct from Fiio) at the end of the Australasian tour I organised. I have no obligation to write this review, I am not affiliated to Fiio in any way, and this is my honest opinion of the E11K (A3).

PREAMBLE - 'ABOUT ME'.
(This is to give any readers a baseline for interpreting the review).

I'm a 48 year old music lover. I don't say audiophile – I just love my music. Over the last couple of years, I have slowly changed from cheaper listening set-ups to my current set-up. I vary my listening from portables (Fiio X5ii, X3ii, LP5 and iPhone 5S) to my desk-top's set-up (PC > USB > iFi iDSD). I also use a portable set-up at work – either X5ii/X3ii > HP, or PC > E17K > HP. My main full sized headphones at the time of writing are the Beyer T1, Sennheiser HD600, and AKG K553. Most of my portable listening is done with IEMs, and lately it has mainly been with the Dunu DN-2000J, Jays q-Jays and Alclair Curve2. A full list of the gear I have owned (past and present is listed in my Head-Fi profile).

I have very eclectic music tastes listening to a variety from classical/opera and jazz, to grunge and general rock. I listen to a lot of blues, jazz, folk music, classic rock, indie and alternative rock. I am particularly fond of female vocals. I generally tend toward cans that are relatively neutral/balanced, but I do have a fondness for clarity, and suspect I might have slight ‘treble-head’ preferences. I am not treble sensitive (at all), and in the past have really enjoyed headphones like the K701, SR325i, and of course the T1 and DT880.

I have extensively tested myself (abx) and I find aac256 or higher to be completely transparent. I do use exclusively redbook 16/44.1 if space is not an issue. All of my music is legally purchased (mostly CD – the rest FLAC purchased on-line).

I tend to be sceptical about audiophile ‘claims’, don’t generally believe in burn-in, have never heard a difference with different cables, and would rather test myself blind on perceived differences. I am not a ‘golden eared listener’. I suffer from mild tinnitus, and at 48, my hearing is less than perfect.

For the actual listening part of this review I used the E11K (A3) mainly with my X3ii or X1 DAP, and a little bit with the iPhone 5S. Observations about the E11k (A3) are taken from the past year I’ve owned it. This is a purely subjective review - my gear, my ears, and my experience. Please take it all with a grain of salt - especially if it does not match your own experience.

FURTHER NOTES

Although Fiio are in the process of rebranding/renaming their portable amp line from E series to A series, from this point I’m going it simply call it the E11K. It’s just easier.
Volume matching was done with a calibrated SPL meter and test tones (1 kHz) when required for comparison.
Frequency response and distortion measurements were taken using a relatively cheap Startech USB soundcard (which measures pretty well – 0.012% THD and 0.024% THD+N – which was consistent at 300 Hz, 1 kHz and 6 kHz @ -3 dB volume as suggested by ARTA using loopback). I combined this with a licensed copy of the ARTA measuring suite. The soundcard has a calibration adjustment applied – so that it measures dead flat from 20 Hz to 20 kHz.

WHAT I LOOK FOR (NOW) IN A PORTABLE AMP

I thought I’d list (before I start with the review) what I would now look for in a portable amp. This is useful to remember when looking at my reasoning for scoring later in the review.

Genuine portability
Good battery life
Clean, neutral signature
Easy to use
Low output impedance
Reasonable output power – should be able to drive IEMs and earphones up to 300 ohms
Good gain control
Value for money

PORTABLE AMPS I’VE OWNED IN THE PAST

Fiio E7, E11, GoVibe Porta Tube, Headstage Arrow 12HE 4G, Beyerdynamic A200p
Current portable amps E11K, E17K, VE Runabout

THE REVIEW

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

The E11K arrived in Fiio’s retail packaging – a white, red and black box measuring 130 x 130 x 25mm. The front had a picture of the E11K, and the rear has some specs and other information in English and Chinese.

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Retail box - front	Retail box - rear	Retail box - profile

Opening the outer retail box reveals an inner box with a foam cut-out (securely holding the E11K), and a secondary box for the accessories. The accessories include:

6 stick-on feet
1 x 3.5-3.5 mm cable (Fiio’s L8 mini to mini)
2 rubber stacking bands
A USB to mini-USB recharging cable
Warranty and instructions

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Inside the box E11K + accessory box	Accessories	Cables - interconnect and USB charging

The entire package is practical, covering everything you initially need for the E11K. Materials are all good quality. If there was one thing I’d change it would be ditching the silicone feet (they slide around on the body) and instead including one of their silicone stacking pads.

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Manual and warranty envelope	Stacking bands	The Fiio E11K

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

The table below lists most of the relevant specifications for the E11K.

Output Impedance H/O	<0.2 ohm
Recommended Headphone Impedance Range	16-150 ohms
Max Output Power @ 16 ohm	450 mW
Max Output Power @ 32 ohm	270 mW
SNR	>108 dB
THD	0.004% (1 kHz)
Frequency Response	20 Hz-20 kHz
Gain	-3.8 dB (L) / 11.7 dB (H)
Channel Imbalance	<0.3 dB
Max Output Current	92.6 mA
Max Output Voltage	8.67 Vp-p
Dimensions	91 x 56 x 13mm
Outer Material	Brushed Aluminium
Headphone Out	3.5 mm
Weight	92g
Battery Capacity / Life	1400 mAh / ~ 16 hours
Recharge Time	4 hours

BUILD / DESIGN

The E11K is rectangular shaped with slightly bevelled edges, and a slightly curved top side and under side. The main body is a solid machined block of aluminium. At one end is the Alps potentiometer – nicely nestled between two raised protective arms (so it’s more difficult to accidentally bump the pot), the high/low gain switch, and the on/off bass boost.

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Front/top panel	Gain switch and better view of edge bevelling	Rear/bottom panel - ports

At the other end is the 3.5mm headphone out jack – still nice and firm after a year’s use, a blue LED (solid blue when on, flashing blue when charging), a micro USB charging port, and the line-in 3.5mm port. Overall the external build is really solid, and even after a year my unit has very few scratches or bumps. The curved surface feels good in the hand, but it is the one design error I think Fiio made with this amp. It’s simply not that well suited for stacking (and that is what a portable amp will be mainly used for after all). If you’re using other Fiio gear with it, then their stacking kits and silicone pads really help – but the curved surface wasn’t one of Fiio’s smartest choices in this case.

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Underside	In use LED light	E11K charging - LED slowly pulses

Opening the unit up, it’s easy to see the curved one piece body, and also how compact and tidy the layout is. One thing I also noticed was that the underside is fitted with a shroud. I guess this has two possible uses – as a guard against accidental static flashes from the board – but maybe also as an EMI shield. Compared with the older E11 (which I used to own), I have had no problems with EMI (and with the old E11 this could be an issue).
Some may find it a bit strange that the ports are at the opposite end to the volume pot – but I actually (over time) have found it quite natural. The good thing about this configuration is that the volume pot, bass boost and gain switches are very easy to get at (no cables getting in the way).

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Opening the E11K	Note the curved aluminium body	Battery and caps

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Ports exposed	Underside has antistatic pad/shielding	Close up of the caps

HEAT AND POWER

So far I’ve noticed no heat build-up at all with the E11K. Even after a couple of hours (driving my HD600s), it’s still cool to touch.

For output power the E11K uses the OPA1642 for preamp and the AD8397 as its power amplifier. Fiio rates the target headphone impedance as 16-150 ohm, and I think that maybe a lot of people see this and automatically assume this little unit can’t drive a headphone like the HD600 (300 ohm properly).

But as I do the final edit of this review, I’m sitting with the X3ii feeding the E11K, then into my HD600’s. Volume on the pot is around 3/9 (low gain), and I’m getting a very comfortable 65-75 dB with minimal effort. This is my usual listening level so I’m pretty content. Taking the HD600 off my head, and cranking to maximum volume gives me 90 dB peaks. High gain would add another 15 dB to take that to 105 dB – more than you’d ever need. And at no stage do the HD600 feel under driven.

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E11K with HD600, VE Zen and DN-2000J	E11K with DN2000J	E11K and X1 (with stacking kit)

Note that although this series of photos shows E11K with Fiio X1, the X3iiw as actually used in testing

With a variety of headphones / earphones at my disposal, the test track “Sultans of Swing” by Dire Straits, and X3ii feeding E11K via line-out at low gain – these are the approx. volume settings to get to a comfortable listening level (for me) at around 70-75 dB on low gain:

HD600 (300 ohm, 97 dB SPL) = ~ 3-3.5/9
VE Zen earbuds (320 ohm, 106 dB SPL) = ~ 2.5-3/9
Trinity Delta IEMs (16 ohm, 110 dB SPL) = ~ 2/9
Dunu Titan1 IEMs (16 ohm, 90 dB SPL) = 2-2.5/9
AKG K553 Pro (32 ohm, 114 dB SPL) = 2.5-3/9
Dunu DN-2000J (8 ohm, 102 dB SPL) = 2/9

And for giggles because I can

Beyerdynamic T1 (600 ohm, 102 dB SPL = ~ 4/9 (Not recommended though – sounds a little thin)

So you can see that the E11K has a heap of power on tap – far more than its recommended 16-150 ohm headphone range belies. Clearly Fiio are being safe with their recommendations. Even switching to my lower output iPhone 5S (at full volume emulating a line-out) into the E11K, and again pairing the HD600s, the E11K only needed a slight bump to around 4/p on the pot.

FEATURES / USEABILITY

The E11K couldn’t be much simpler to learn to use. Simply plug your source into one socket, headphones into the other, press play on the source, and adjust the volume on the pot of the E11K to suit. The E11K has a really low output impedance (<0.2 ohm) so it should suit even the most sensitive earphones.

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Using the bands to stack my iPhone 5S	iPhone 5S connected	E11K with X1 left and X3ii right

It does come with a bass boost (on/off) which I’ve measured as lifting the entire volume by about 1 dB, then lifting the bass between about 30-200 Hz with the main peak at 60-80 Hz – around 3.5 additional dB. It is noticeable but subtle (which I rather like). There is also a gain switch which raises the overall volume by ~ 15.5 dB. The thing I like about this is that it a decent change in gain, and actually makes a difference – rather than just being put there as an afterthought. Unsurprisingly, I really don’t use the gain toggle at all – unless it’s a low powered source, and a hard to drive load. Nice to know it is there though.

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Fiios stacker kit	X1 and E11K stacked	X1 with E11K stacked

Another feature which has been added from the original E11 is that this time you can charge the E11K and still listen at the same time. Nice for those moments when battery is almost gone, you’re close to a power-point, and you still want to be listening. The other thing I really like about the E11K is simply having a proper pot to use. It’s really nice being able to get to an ideal listening level with a very quick tweak of your fingers. I’ve noticed virtually no imbalance either – even getting to the bottom of the pot.

BATTERY LIFE

Fiio rates the play time on a full charge at around 16 hours, recharge at around 4 hours, and for my use I’d suggest that time is pretty accurate. What I really like about the E11K though – and probably the reason I use both it and the E17K so often now – is that using it with the Fiio X1 or X3ii line-out extends battery life on both Fiios by at least 5 or so hours. So if I was going to be on a long haul, or somewhere I simply needed extra life with my DAP, one of the two amps always comes with me.

SONICS AND PERFORMANCE

I’m going to preface this section with a little critique I received a while ago (by PM), and my answer to it – so that you can understand why I don’t comment on some things, and why I do comment on others. I was told my review on another amp was poor because I didn’t include sections on bass, mid-range, treble, sound-stage, imaging etc – yet referred to an amp as warm, full, or lean.

Now I can understand the reference to warm / full / lean – as they are very subjective terms, and whilst I’d like to avoid their use, they are invaluable to convey true meaning. Comparing my NFB-12 to the Aune X1S for example – the Audio-gd does sound richer and warmer. It’s the nature of the DAC which is used.

But I choose not to comment on bass, mids, treble, and most definitely not sound-stage – simply because when we are talking about an amp – they shouldn’t be discussed. An amp’s job is to amplify the signal with as low distortion as possible, and output as linear signal as possible. If it is doing its job properly, there is no effect on bass, mids, or treble. And IME an amp does not affect soundstage (unless there is DSP or crossfeed in play) – that is solely the realm of the transducers and the actual recording.

So we have that out of the way how does the E11K perform sonically?

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Channel matching within 03 dB	Normal signal (low), bass boost, and high gain	Close up of bass boost

The first thing I did was to check the linearity of the E11K, check its bass boost and its gain. To do this I used a calibrated sound card (calibrated to measure completely flat), ARTA and a loopback. In the low gain and high gain frequency tests the E11K measured flat – amazingly flat. So what you are getting is an amazingly neutral amplification not adding or taking away anything. Channel balance throughout was also very good - approx than 0.3dB and for me that meant completely unnoticeable. The graph above is a close-up.

Next up was distortion measurements. My USB soundcard measures (on loopback) THD at 0.010%-0.013% and THD+N at 0.020%-0.032% at pretty much -100 dB (this was with separate readings at 300 Hz, 1 kHz and 6 kHz). When I added the E11K – I got exactly the same measurements with it in loopback – so the E11K is measuring lower than my USB sound card can measure. It also means that the distortion and harmonic distortion are both inaudible. Fiio states measured THD at 0.004% on their lab equipment, and I have no reason at all to doubt this figure.


THD and THD+N @ 300 Hz	THD and THD+N @ 1 kHz	THD and THD+N @ 6 kHz

The last thing I measured was IMD, and again this was below the threshold of audibility, and again the E11K was measuring below the actual thresh-hold of the USB sound card. So what does this tell us? Simply that the E11K supplies very linear, and very clean output. Purely subjectively, it sounds very neutral – no added warmth or brightness I can discern.


IMD @ 300 Hz	IMD @ 1 kHz	IMD @ 6 kHz

COMPARISONS

Because I don’t have a lot of other amplifiers at my disposal, I simply used what I had available – the VE Runabout, and the Fiio E17K.

E11K (USD $60) vs VE Runabout (USD $100)
The VE runabout is VE’s first portable amplifier (from the same company that brought us the excellent Zen earbuds). It is battery powered (9v battery), and at 235g and dimensions of 110x70x25mm, it is quite literally 3 times the size of the E11K. It also measures below the distortion floor of my sound-card, and measures completely flat in frequency response. It has a gain switch (only ~ +4-5 dB), and no bass boost. Battery life is incredible – it seems to go forever (I haven’t measured it yet – but will do so when I review it). According to VE it will put 150 mW into 32 ohms, which actually puts it behind the E11K on output power – but again it has driven my HD600 with absolutely no issues. In a volume matched blind-test, I can’t tell the E11K and Runabout apart – both sound excellent – clean and clear. But in a head-to-head comparison, the little Fiio beats it handily on size, portability, weight, form factor, features, and value.

E11K (USD $60) vs E17K (USD $130)
The E17K is a DAC/amp. It has an inbuilt battery (15 hour rating) and digital volume control instead of analog. At 110g and 104x62x13mm, it is marginally larger than the E11K – but the difference is mainly in length. It has 3 levels of gain 0dB, 6dB and 12dB, and has a tone toggle (-10 to +10 bass, and same on the treble). Again it measures below the distortion floor of my sound-card, and measures flat in frequency. Its output is 200mw into 32 ohms (a little less than the E11K) and again has no issues driving my 300 ohm Sennheiser HD600s. Again in a volume matched blind-test, I would have difficulty picking the E11K from E17K. The E17K does however have a very good DAC, tone controls, balance, and other inputs and outputs, and is incredible value at $130.

If I only needed an amplifier, and had no need of the other features the E17K provides, the choice of the E11K is an easy one to make. However, if you like having the additional features, and have use for the dac function, then the E17K may represent better value.

E11K VALUE & CONCLUSION

I’ve now had the E11K for a year, and although I didn’t use the unit a lot in my early days with it, over the last 6 months, I have come to use it more and more. If you are using Fiio DAPs like the X1 or X3ii, I can thoroughly recommend the stacking kit too.

The E11K brings very good size, weight, power, and sonics together in an extremely budget friendly package. In fact, I cannot think of a better amp to recommend to someone just starting out in audio, and I think ultimately even seasoned audio lovers may really like what Fiio has brought to the table with this mini dynamo. In fact for a beginning audiophile, one of the best value for money combos you could get would be an X1 + E11K + stacker kit IMO.

Going back to my original list – I can say it has ticked every one of my boxes my boxes for portability, ease of use, output power, battery life, sonics, impedance, and gain. If there were two minor things I would like to see changed it would be to see a two stage gain (maybe make the first at around -6dB, then at +3 dB and +12 dB. This would give more usable play on the pot (fine tuning). And also I’d like to see the form factor return to a flat body– so that it is easier to stack (although with Fiio’s stacking kits this is less of a problem).

All in all, I would recommend the E11K to both audio starters and the more experienced without question. For what it delivers, it is incredible value for money.

You would rather recommend Q1ii only beacuse it has Dac, compared to E11K which is amp only? Or is Q1ii also improvement for it's SQ and amp capabilities?

Just realised you are talking about the Sine (headphones) rather than iSine (earphones). If that is the case and you need more output power - then yes A3 better choice. I still use mine a lot. Depends on what your price range is - because you have a lot of choice. Also depends on what else you might be powering. If you value true portability and don't mind spending a little more, then something like an Arrow would be a good choice too.

I'm not all about the output power,although would be nice to have spare power.I would just like to get as much as I can from my headphones,using dac/amp or amp only in price range up to 120$.What bugs me is,I don't know how good is iphoneX dac implemented in headphone lightning adapter,and should I stick with it and buy only amp,or look further for dac/amp combo.To summarize,I'm thinking between A3(if iphone's dac is good enough),Q1ii,A5 and E10K.Which one of these would you recommend?


Frequency comparison Primacy vs DN2000	Primacy and DN2000 - quite similar in many ways


Frequency Primacy vs A83	Primacy and A83 - balance vs V shape, smoothness vs detailed and edgy


Frequency Primacy vs DN2000J	Primacy and 2000J - balanced smooth vs balanced detailed


Frequency Primacy vs q-Jays	Similar but Primacy does not have q-Jays resolution

INTRODUCTION

THE REVIEW

VALUE & CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION

THE REVIEW

VALUE & CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION

SENNHEISER HD630VB – SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

THE REVIEW

ORIVETI PRIMACY – SUMMARY

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THE REVIEW

XTZ DIVINE – SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

THE REVIEW

CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION

THE REVIEW

VALUE & CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION

THE REVIEW

VALUE & CONCLUSION

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SOUND QUALITY

DUNU TITAN 3 - SUMMARY

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THE REVIEW

SONIC PERFORMANCE

VALUE & CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION

THE REVIEW

VE ZEN V2 – SUMMARY

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THE REVIEW

AUSDOM M05 – SUMMARY

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THE REVIEW

HM2 – VALUE & SUMMARY

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THE REVIEW

DUNU TITAN 5 - SUMMARY

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THE REVIEW

RUNABOUT - VALUE & CONCLUSION

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THE REVIEW

BRAINWAVZ S3 – VALUE & SUMMARY

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THE REVIEW

CONCLUSION / SUMMARY FIIO X7

INTRODUCTION

THE REVIEW

VE ZEN – SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

THE REVIEW

ALCLAIR CURVE – SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

THE REVIEW

E11K VALUE & CONCLUSION