Disclaimer
This review is made by myself based on my observation and listening pleasure of The item on gears that I have.

I have no affiliation to Ifi in any way and everything said here is based on my experience over a week.

The Official pricing is 399.00 USD at launch.
The pricing in Australia is 589.95 AUD, so the review will be made using that as the value as I'm in Australia.

INTRODUCTION (If you read my other review, you can skip this)
I'm an Indonesian working as a Web Developer in Melbourne, Australia.
Other than programming/coding, listening to music is another one of my hobby.

I've been a metalhead since 5 years ago, I also listen to other genres occasionally, but metal music is my focus.

I don't actually listen to all kinds of music, it is important to understand that this review is based on my observation on the kinds of musics I like which I have tried with the Unit, and those are mainly:
- Metal (many kinds, mainly the extreme kind, like 80% off the time)
- Rock (mostly Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson, Riverside(rock/metal), Radiohead or something like it)
- etc

Genre's that I don't listen to, not even one bit.
- Rap
- Classical
- Bollywood stuff
- Country

Headphones Used
- Meze 99 Classic
- Focal Utopia

Gear Used for Comparisons/Testing
- Fiio X7 II
- Hiby R6
- iFi Nano iDSD BL
- iFi Micro iDSD BL
- Violectric HPA V281
- Samsung Galaxy S8+

Packaging
Simple white box, nothing more, nothing less. Made from recycle-able material with pictures of the unit at the front and, tech specs at the back and features on the right sides.


ACCESSORIES
- Black carrying pouch
- USB adaptor (USB to USB-A)
- USB for digital input
- Plastic strapping for stacking
- Toslink to mini-optical adaptor



Output Jack
- 3.5mm headphone out (TRRS Balanced, can be used as single ended as well)
- 3.5mm S/PDIF and optical

Extra Features:
- Filter for measuring and music listening (I didn't play around with this)
- 3D sioundstage expansion (soundstage/treble boost)
- XBass (bassboost)
- MQA
- DSD playback
- Bluetooth Pairing


Battery Life
8 -10 hours depending on loads, made it to the end of work day, good!

Build quality
Material of Choice is good, however the execution is a bit unrefined, this is just nitpicking here as we all buy this unit not for looks, but the aluminum glossy finish is super prone to finger print, you can see it in the pictures.

It would have been much better if they build the whole thing using the black aluminum material at the bottom of the unit.

The assembly could be a bit more tidy, I'm totally nitpicking here but due to the wavy shape, the components don't fit together nicely, you can see some unrefined bits here and there, all smoothed out though so you can't cut or injure yourself, so no worries there.

iFi usually make great volume control with excellent feel and weight to it, this one feels a bit more flimsy and will now increase the volume by steps instead of the usual analog style ones, I think this is a wrong move.
Rubber feet at the bottom is a nice touch and is quite grippy.

Form Factor
Excellent, The device is small and fit in the hand very easily, It is the smallest DAC/AMP product iFi makes, most of the complaint with the nano is the height as it is quite a thick unit, while micro is really not pocket-able, so iFi definitely listened to the customer complains.

Bluetooth Connectivity
When you turn it on it will default to pairing mode for 15 seconds, where you should be able to find and pair the xDSD with the device of your own choosing, after that hold the setting button for 3 seconds to force pair the devices.

My Goto DAP right now is the R6 and for some reason my R6 weren't able to find the xDSD but found many other device, even when both is sitting very closely.
On my Samsung Galaxy S8+, it does find the xDSD along with many other device, i don't know why this is, it seems like the Bluetooth is not discover able on every device, I hope that this is not the problem with the xDSD.

I gave it some listen in wireless mode, but not for long as I want to get how it sounds in full capability.
From my brief listen, it sounds very good and similar to the wired mode, i didn't spend some time to AB test this as the process is difficult and cumbersome, by the time I switch I would have forgotten the sound between wired and wireless.

Sound Signature
I wouldn't call this V-shaped, but more on L-Shaped. Moderate amount of emphasis in the bass, while mids and treble has very similar emphasis.
The mids is slightly forward, with some hefty bass that hits with good power, treble is smooth and not the analytical type.

Bass
The Bass is quite tight with good dynamic and attack. Bass sounds meaty but maintains good speed.
As a listener of Extreme Metal, Blast Beats is bread and butter, it keeps up quite well although it can sound a little diffuse at times.

Bass extension is quite good and hits deep without being rumbly, It is presented in a clear way, if many of your tracks are mastered with weaker bass, this will defintely help as it will receive helpful boost but keeps them clean.
The bass will surely grab your attention in the music, as the ratio of emphasis, thickness and attack is pretty much spot on for people who likes bass.

With XBass on, you can defintely feel that it hits harder and sound louder, the boost is definitely not a small one, and as far as I can tell there is only one level of boost.
I mostly leave this features off as I found that the bass amount is quite good already, but bass lovers will absolutly love this as the implementation is flawless.
with the XBass, I hear no sound degradation to the bass, it never creep into other frequencies and stays clean on the presentation.

Mids
The mids are very natural in presentation, macro detail is good but micro details like drawing breath, lip smacking and minor crackles in growling death metal vocals is missing a little bit.

Clarity is excellent and does not sounds veiled at all even when I was using the XBass.
I find that female vocals sounds a little bit more forward than the male ones, while the male vocals has more body.

Listening to the new album by Amorphis on track Amongst Stars, you can definitely hear how both the male and female vocals shine in the tracks, both are represented with eamotion due to the excellent dynamic range.
The vocals feels really strong in the climax of the track and sounds very distinct and euphonic.

Treble
The treble is tuned in a musical way, the sound is sweet and un-offensive, exposure of details, sizzles and sparkles is not the main priority, It is not rolled off in any way, the treble still have good presence in tracks, but if you want to dig into the tiny details you have to look for it.

Cymbals sounds quite good but you can feel that it is losing it a bit at the end, like tiny little bit of details and sizzles are missing at the end.

Guitar Solos is charming on this, it just catch your attention and takes the highlight of the tracks very nicely. It is smooth and musical, it lose some of the bites that I usually hear in higher end gears but this could be beneficial for some tracks as well.
Many of my Black Metal Tracks has some sharpniss in the guitars, cymbals and hi-hits that can sound very fatigueing, even from my Meze 99 Classic, but here it is absolutly listenable.

Violin is also sweet sounding and melodic, one of the metal bands I like Ne Obliviscaris, employs violin in their music, it sounds nice and solid, it is quite natural with a little bit of added body to make it even more emotional in the tracks.

Overall The treble is very forgiving and sweet sounding.
If you like more Treble, you can also turn on the 3D soundstage feature, which actually adds more treble as well and makes the sound more airy.

Soundstage
It has more width than depth and height, left/right channel separation is good with instruments taking its own place without being congested.
It is not the enveloping type, instruments takes position in its own place and the sound is coming from that direction exactly from that point.

Overall in standard mode the soundstage is not very big, but well proportioned so you don't have instruments sounding super far left and right, everything is at a good distance and does not overlap each other.

With 3D soundstage on, the soundstage becomes more expansive and the difference is very apparent, due to that it is quite often that I might prefer to leave it on in some tracks, it usually fits very nicely with Progressive Rock Tracks.

The problem with this is it also increase the treble response, that means some tracks can be a bit too bright and will not sounds as natural, this feature is definitely usefull but you need to play around with the tracks.

Comparisons (all comparison are done in standard mode)
Fiio X7 II
The X7 II is more sparkly up top, soundstage is very similar in size, bass is tighter and faster and overall the notes has less body.
Micro details are a little more apparent while macro detail is very similar.
X7 II is more neutral overall but more unforgiving to bad recordings.

Hiby R6
The R6 has stronger punch on the bass and better dynamics.
It is also a little bit more neutral and the mids is more forward.
Soundstage is wider and deeper, height is also a little bit better but not by much.
Micro detail pops a bit more on the R6, although sounds very similar in thickness, the notes has good body but too much and pairs very well with thinny headphone.


iFi Nano iDSD BL
The Nano is still warmer and more v-shaped than the xDSD with less clarity and thicker notes.
Macro detail is good and is actually quite close but micro detail is not as good.
Soundstage is a little wider with similar depth and height.

iFi Micro iDSD BL
The Micro is brighter with thinner and more to the point notes, it has slighly better clarity, more detailed and is closer to neutral.
Instrument separation is a lot better and is more airy.
Soundstage is wider and deeper, height is just slightly better.

Headphone pairing
Meze 99 Classic (Smaller Pads)
Good pairing, Background noise is silent, Bass impact is string and vivid, very unoffensive sound but not boring either. Mids has good body and Guitars sounds sweet.
Speed is good and can keep up very well on blast beats drum in Metal music.
Decay is quite good too, you can hear the sound fading away in a quiet passage very well.
Never get any fatigue with this combo, just keep on listening to music all day long.


Focal Utopia
OK Pairing, The Micro details that I usually hear in the same tracks on my usual desktop Gear (DAP -> V281) definitely is less apparent here.
The tonality is a good match with some boost in the bass and good body can help in some tracks when listened with the Utopia.
Clarity is also good but not as vivid and rich as my desktop gear as well.
It did very well for a portable but this is absolutely not the optimal thing to do.


Conclusions
Bluetooth connection is not the best and still need more work, but it is there when you need it.

The sound upgrade from the Nano is there, not 2 times better but still a sizable improvements.
The Micro gives more upgrade but portability is the worst in the line up, I would actually get the xDSD instead.

At its retail price of 589.95 AUD, it packs a good amount of features and in a typical iFi fashion, they pack very generous amount of accessories to come with it.

I would recommend this product for Laptop and smartphone users, who wants more flexibility in their use case.

DISCLAIMER
Hi everyone, Before I start the review, I would like to thank Ifi for making this DAC/AMP.
This review is made by myself based on my observation and listening pleasure of The amp/dac on various gear that I have after about a bit over a month of ownership regardless of price points.

I have no affiliation to Ifi in any way and everything said here is based on my experience over a week.
The pricing in Australia is 799.95 AUD (About 620 USD, converted by Google, not official price), so the review will be made using that as the value.

This Review will also touch on the difference between the micro and the nano, and whether it is worth it to get the micro over the nano.

INTRODUCTION (If you read my other review, you can skip this)
I'm an Indonesian working as a Web Developer in Melbourne, Australia.
Other than programming/coding, listening to music is another one of my hobby.
When I start my headphone hobby, music listening has been a very rewarding experience for me and has helped me in many aspects of life other than music enjoyment, but, with the booming price of high end headphones/IEM, it has become a bit of a heavy hit on my wallet.

Starting from almost 4 years ago I've been really hooked by metal music, and nowadays my everyday music listening always incorporate metal tracks, I guess you can call me a Metal-head.

Other than that I also like Progressive Rock, Jazz, etc basically anything that is very technical and well made except classical, and no I don't really listen to modern music.

Metal music is my primary focus, so this review will appeal more for people who likes Metal music like me and less so for people who likes modern music like Trap music, pop music, ed sheeran, Taylor Swift, etc.

I don't actually listen to all kinds of music, lets say for example Classical, therefore it is important to understand that this review is based on my observation on the kinds of musics I like, and those are mainly:
- Metal (many kinds, mainly the extreme kind, like 80% off the time)
- Rock (mostly Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson, Riverside(rock/metal), Radiohead or something like it)
- EDM (Mostly trance)
- Jazz (Norah Jones, Diana Krall and the likes)
- Folk (just start lately, but I've been listening to Fionn Regan and found it enjoyable)
- Indonesian Song (it's basically the Indonesian version of pop, guitar used is mostly acoustic guitar, sounds natural and relaxing however, mastering of the song is usually poor, this is good to test how good a headphone/Iem handle poorly recorded material)
- etc

Genre's that I don't listen to, not even one bit, unless forced like in shopping center.
- Rap
- Classical
- Bollywood stuff
- Modern pop

GEAR USED
- Meze 99 Classic
- Focal Utopia
- Shozy Stardust
- Fiio X7 II
- Violectric HPA v281

ARTIST/MUSIC USED IN THE REVIEW
- Porcupine Tree
- Be'lakor
- Opeth
- Shadow Gallery
- Cynic
- Lurker Of Chalice
- Amorphis
- Novembre

PACKAGING
Simple white box, containing the unit and 2 more white boxes inside containing USB cable and rubber bands for stacking, you will also find some documentation in there, simple and clean packaging.
A lot of accessories is packaged in the box, neatly and well organized.



ACCESSORIES
- USB adapter (USB to USB-A)
- Blue USB cable for digital input
- 3.5mm to 1/4 inch adapter
- RCA to RCA cable (Ifi Micro to your amp, unbalance in)
- 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable (for stacking your DAC to the AMP section of the Micro)
- Optical/Toslink adapter
- USB-A Female to USB-B Female short adapter
- Black carrying pouch case
- 2 black rubber amp straps for "stacking"
- Extra rubber feet (4, white in color)
- Rubber insert mat for stacking (It will stay in between your device so that it doesn't rub each other and causes scratches)
- Documentations and warranty



I/O
- 1/4 inch headphone out
- RCA unbalance out
- 3.5mm unbalance In
- USB digital In
- USB "smartpower" charging in
- SPDIF In/Out



PLAYBACK ABILITIES / SOUND ENHANCEMENT
- MQA
- DSD playback
- XBass
- 3D +

BATTERY LIFE
About 8 hours depending on loads

BUILD QUALITY
Excellent! Metal Chassis, with great Black Matte finish, screwed together nice and tight.
Switches are great and tactile, volume pot with good resistance, USB and headphone Jacks have a secure feel to them when you connect your devices.



SOUND QUALITY
SOUND SIGNATURE
It is quite neutral, with a little bit of boost and coloration in the bass department, so the bass has a lot of power and attack, however unlike the typical bass elevated signature, where the overall sound can have some lushness to it, this Micro is not like that at all, the amount of body is about straight in the middle of being thin and lush.

The mids is slightly recessed especially the vocal and upper mid and Treble are about right in line with each other with about the same amount of emphasis and straight down the middle in the body department, I feel that it has a slight rise in the upper mids but nothing too major, due to this personality, the Micro has the benefit of being clinical without sounding sterile, where the details pop but still musical.

BASS
The Bass is powerful but tight, the attack are strong, and this combine with very fast blast beat in metal music makes for an excellent combination. The distinction of each hits are apparent, you can almost feel the physicality of the play and it is very engaging. I really like the bass interpretation of the Micro, it has the speed, attack and tightness that enables you to hear notes as fast as this with very minimal effort.

The Bass is slightly boosted, I feel that it is a couple DB more than the mids and treble at any volume level, and this is without XBass, it is also slightly more forward to you, although not by much, so positioning is almost spot on for me.

Despite the slight boost, it has never intrudes the mids at all, I think the tuning of the bass is spot on, it combines very well with the mids and treble, and when all spectrum is playing together in the music, nothing takes over, you can everything that is going on and gives the music cohesiveness.

MIDS
The mids is very natural sounding with some slight clinical tilt to it, listening to violin work of Ne Oblivisacris is a very enjoyable experience, It almost feel a little thin sounding, but not really so, to put it simply, it is just about right to hear all the intricacies before sounding thin while staying smooth.

The mids is slightly more laid back as compared to the bass, but it is only slightly and does not sound recess at all, positioning is good, singer comes out about in the center stage, depending on the recording.

Vocals are natural and is slightly relaxed in presentation, a bit behind the guitar I would say, Amorphis use both clean and harsh vocals in their music, and on the clean vocals side, it sounds clean and smooth, and dare I say a little sweetness in it, slightly mellow and syrupy to portray the emotion.
When transitioning to the harsh vocals, it still remains smooth without harshness and the growl is powerful and guttural, portraying the rage and stronger more raw emotion in the music.

When two singers sing together, I can hear the distinction very clearly and they don't cover each other up which says a lot about the resolving ability the unit has.

When hearing string instruments, you can feel the string as it is being pluck by the player, there is a little "jolt" that can be heard and the sound transition naturally to the decay, the decay is quick but not abrupt, which means that the micro handles reverb very well.

Talking about the guitar, it has an excellent amount of bites, and combines well with the layered sounding distortion, that at times sounds big and grand enveloping the atmosphere.
The guitar tone is very natural both for electric and acoustic guitar, as a metal music fan, I'm a massive addict when it comes to electric guitar sound and I really enjoy the presentation that the Micro offers in this regard.

TREBLE
The treble is flat starting from the upper mid, which is a little behind the bass in emphasis, the rise start in the frequency where the guitar usually lives.

After passing this region, it goes flat, maybe very slightly more so it can get a little bit exciting.
This is quite similar as in the nano, but not as prominent and instead of dipping after the upper mid, the micro stays flat.

Guitar Solo shines when it needs to be, trebly guitar has some sweetness into it and sounds very melodic without sounding thin and sharp, a lot of Melodic death metal music can benefits from this.
Unlike the Nano, the treble is quite linear and is not tamed at the upper region, at least not as much to my ears. Cymbals and Hi-hats are heard clearly and is not in the background, it is not the sparkly type, so don't expect super sparkly treble here.

I think going for the approach that they did in the bass and mids, this is an excellent decision, as we want to keep the general sound clean and fatigue free, too much tizz and spark can reduce haziness to the sound.
If you are a treble addict, I feel that the 3D feature despite being marketed to increase soundstage actually did some trickery to the treble and makes the whole sound brighter, so you might want to try that.

SOUND STAGE / SEPARATION
Sound stage is about average for a unit at this price range, although this is a bit hard for me to test as all my headphone are not the best in sound stage, and I'm also not a big sound stage addict.

The amount of width, height and depth is very close, so this is the #D spherical type as opposed to the nano which I think is more oval in shape.

Regardless, Instrument separation is great, nothing overlap each other, they just do their own thing and play harmoniously.

EXTRA FEATURES:
We have a lot of these, just look at this switches everywhere:



IEMatch (Off, High Sensitivity, Ultra sensitivity)
I didn't play around with this much, I did try the High sensitivity and the off one, I feel some differences in the blackness of the background just like I did in the nano, I leave this on almost all the time.

When going from High to ultra, after volume matching by ears, I feel that there is no difference whatsoever, if there is any it would be too small for me to catch with my current gears as I'm not an IEM user.

XBass + (Off, On)
Does it work? Yes!, Does it work Well? also yes.
I think it mostly does the work on the sub-bass as I feel the kick and rumble of the music much more when I have this on.

I think this feature works very well, although I would like one more level between on and off as I feel that the strong can be a bit on the strong side when left on all the time.
I'm not a bass addict and mostly content with the bass I get from the off set up.

However the implementation of this feature is excellent, I heard nothing weird going on in the bass while having this on, no distortion, no boominess and no softness to it.
The attack still remain strong just with more weight and loudness to it.

This feature is also really useful for playing games and movies, when you turn it on the sound of explosion, gunshot just becomes more powerful and more exhilarating.
I think the XBass is the most useful feature out of all the features the unit has.

3D + (Off, On)
Does it work? Yes!, Does it work well? depends.
This is where it can be a little experimental, I found that they approach this by doing something to the treble, which makes the presentation sound more lively and has a bigger scope of view.

For comparisons sake, we will using a clock as our 360 degree point of view:
When listening to Lighbulb sun from Porcupine tree, the guitar sounds like it's coming from the left around 10.30 in direction, with the 3D on, it sounds like it's coming from 9.30 in direction, plus the treble becomes more lively and brighter. I found that in the lightbulb sun record, it works quite well.

However when I play some Opeth or other metal songs, maybe due to the guitar distortion having a lot of distortion already, the brightness and extra liveliness makes the guitar sounds artificial, as it now sounds too distorted, it loses the cohesiveness and just doesn't sound good at all to me, at least for Metal.

I mostly have this feature off due to my music preference being mostly metal in this review, but I think if you listen to a lot of rock music, you might want to try this.

Extra notes on XBass & 3D (+ some analysis for use case):
Turning this on will skew the tonal balance as you may already know, but the amount changes depending on your listening level.

For example if you are allow level listener, I feel that the amount of boost that the XBass adds to the bass is most likely a fixed number, let's say + 6db.
This means that it will always add 6db regardless of your volume, for example:
You listen to music at 60db, + XBass + 6 db, so the bass boost is 10% in decibel
You listen to music at 80db, + XBass + 6 db, so the bass boost is 7.5% in decibel (you get less boost in percentage compared to 60db volume listening level)

Bottom line is, you get more bass boost at low volume level, and don't forget that decibel is a logarithmic measurement, 1db increase means 10 times louder in sound.
Similar thing could apply to the 3D Natrix, although I think that they work in a different way.

This is actually quite common in other portable amplifier as well, as they usually add a fixed amount to increase the intended frequency, usually the bass.

*notes:
If some has a better understanding on this than me, feel free to enlighten me in the comments, this is just my observation, I could be wrong.

Power Mode (Turbo, Normal, Eco)
This sets how much power the unit use on default, lets say if you use IEMs you may need to go with eco mode, as the ifi documentation say:
"Tip: With a new pair of IEMs/Headphones, ALWAYS start
with the volume no higher than 9 o' clock and with the
Power Mode set to ‘Eco’"
I mostly use the unit in normal power mode.

Polarity (-, +)
I had no idea about this one, I assume it might have something to do with the dynamic transition, I had it on all the time.

Filter (Standard, Minimum Phase, Bit Perfect)
I had it in bit perfect phase all the time, as most of my music is PCM, according to iFi:
"Tip: For PCM we recommend ‘Bit-Perfect’ for listening and
‘Standard’ for measurements. For DSD, select
Extreme/Extended/Standard to find the one that sounds
best for listening and ‘Standard Range’ for
measurements."

Pre-amplifier output
I didn't use this at all, so no comments here.

COMPARISONS
Fiio X7 II
The Fiio X7 II is a good little unit, it is a DAP that I'm currently using on the go now as I grew tired of stacking.
The X7 II I feel has a more neutral sound signature, the mids is a little more forward than the BL, where it is slightly recessed.

However after using both units, I'm confident to say that the Ifi Micro beats the X7 II in power and dynamic, the bass has a stronger attack and treble more defined.

Other than that I also feel that they have a different sound stage, I feel the Micro is more spherical compared to the X7 II, cohesiveness is really close, both are cohesive all the way through the frequencies, where the sound just envelop around you.

The question is, is the BL strong enough to make me give up the X7 II?
the answer is no, the X7 II just have way more functionality for an all in one device, no stacking around with cable, can act as transport, and the sound is really closely match.

Chord Mojo
I used to own one, and back in the day the chord mojo and the ifi Micro has a fierce rivalry!

I have sold my chord mojo probably last year, so I can't do a direct comparison on it, however the iFi micro BL has a different sound signature and feel from the mojo, the mojo was warmish and more lush, details are there but due to it's sound signature, the mojo can sound less detailed compared to the BL, I personally like the BL better, the mojo wins hands down with portability though, the BL is transportable but too bulky too use while on the move.

The BL to me just sounds cleaner and details pop a little bit better, soundstage is slightly bigger and sounds more cohesive.

iFi Nano BL
The nano is more geared and focused on music enjoyment that is fatigue free.

Due to this the the treble is more subdued compared to the Micro, where it can gat a bit exciting at times.
Both are smooth at the top, however one has more emphasis is brighter than the other, if you are very sensitive to treble, you may want to test the Micro before buying the unit.

For long hours use, it might be safer to get the nano if you are unsure about the Micro's treble.
Details, clarity, cohesiveness and bass tightness is superior on the Micro, the bass attack, mids naturalness has some upgrades too but not significant.

POWER OUTPUT / HEADPHONE PAIRING
This unit is extremely flexible, I have no doubt that it is powerful enough to power through everything from IEM to full sized, except maybe the HE-6, which I don't have so I can't test this for sure.

Meze 99 Classic
My on the go set up. I'm still using the small pads on my meze 99 classic as I think the bigger pads has more bass.
Good strong dynamic, with clear mids and controlled treble, bass attack is strong and punchy with good speed, it synergize well with the BL.



Focal Utopia
My main gear at home, the BL powers it up perfectly, unlike the Nano BL where I can feel that my Utopia is not performing at its max, the Micro BL certainly brings out the potential of the headphone.
Cohesiveness and details are the strong point in this set up, you just hear everything in the music, from the guitar plucks, violin strokes, voice vibration, absolutely lots of information you can hear with this combo!



Shozy Stardust
Clear sweet unoffensive sound with controlled treble and excellent bass for a small earbud, for a super lazy set up this works pretty well.
I mostly use this to watch movies, play games etc.



AS DAC
When used with my V281, along with my focal Utopia, The BL did an excellent job, the Violectric HPA V281 just takes cohesiveness, separation and attack to the next level, my utopia sounds very dynamic and smooth.
More natural sounding mid that sounds vivid and personal.
Treble sounds more refined, and controlled, very enjoyable to listen to.

Sound signature is very similar to using the BL asa standalone, this leads me to believe that the amp section of the BL is quite transparent.



CONCLUSIONS
The Ifi Micro iDSD BL is an excellent unit, the main duty for this product for me is as transportable, you can leave the unit at your office at work and just use it everyday while doing some productivity work.

The sound quality for the price range is excellent, it has a lot of features which can be overkill sometimes, but you don't need to use it!

Battery life is good and accessories are pretty generous.
Pricing is good, considering all those extras above and it's performance, I found it well justified.
4.5 Stars

Disclaimer
Hi everyone, Before I start the review, I would like to thank Ifi for making this DAC/AMP.
This review is made by myself based on my observation and listening pleasure of The DAC/AMP on various gear that I have regardless of price points.

I have no affiliation to Ifi in any way and everything said here is based on my experience over a week.
The pricing in Australia is 299.95 AUD , so the review will be made using that as the value.

INTRODUCTION
I'm an Indonesian working as a Web Developer in Melbourne, Australia.
Other than programming/coding, listening to music is another one of my hobby.
When I start my headphone hobby, music listening has been a very rewarding experience for me and has helped me in many aspects of life other than music enjoyment, but, with the booming price of high end headphones/IEM, it has become a bit of a heavy hit on my wallet.

Starting from almost 4 years ago I've been really hooked by metal music, and nowadays my everyday music listening always incorporate metal tracks, I guess you can call me a Metal-head.

Other than that I also like Progressive Rock, Jazz, etc basically anything that is very technical and well made except classical, and no I don't really listen to modern music.

Metal music is my primary focus, so this review will appeal more for people who likes Metal music like me and less so for people who likes modern music like Trap music, pop music, ed sheeran, Taylor Swift, etc.

I don't actually listen to all kinds of music, lets say for example Classical, therefore it is important to understand that this review is based on my observation on the kinds of musics I like, and those are mainly:
- Metal (many kinds, mainly the extreme kind, like 80% off the time)
- Rock (mostly Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson, Riverside(rock/metal), Radiohead or something like it)
- EDM (Mostly trance)
- Jazz (Norah Jones, Diana Krall and the likes)
- Folk (just start lately, but I've been listening to Fionn Regan and found it enjoyable)
- Indonesian Song (it's basically the Indonesian version of pop, guitar used is mostly acoustic guitar, sounds natural and relaxing however, mastering of the song is usually poor, this is good to test how good a headphone/Iem handle poorly recorded material)
- etc

Genre's that I don't listen to, not even one bit, unless forced like in shopping center.
- Rap
- Classical
- Bollywood stuff
- Modern pop

Gear Used
- Meze 99 Classic
- Focal Utopia
- Shozy Stardust
- Fiio X7 II
- Violectric HPA v281

Artist, Music that I used in the review:
- Porcupine Tree
- Be'lakor
- Opeth
- Shadow Gallery
- Cynic

PACKAGING
Simple white box, containing the unit and another white box inside containing USB cable and rubber bands for stacking, you will also find some documentation in there, simple and clean packaging.


ACCESSORIES
- Black carrying pouch
- USB adaptor (USB to USB-A)
- Blue USB cable for digital input
- 2 amp straps for "stacking"


Missing:
OTG cable at least for Android, using USB C (Apple one is using lightning and not usable for pc, so this one is ok to miss, but USB-C is now standard, include this please..)

I/O
- 3.5mm headphone out
- 3.5mm headphone IEMatch out
- 3.5mm Lineout
- USB In



Extra Features:
- IEMatch, according to Ifi site:
Use the iEMatch® when the headphones/in-ear monitor (IEM) is either too loud and/or there is excessive hiss from the music source. From Smartphones to airplane in-flight entertainment systems, powerful headphone amplifiers, the iEMatch® improves musical enjoyment by:
1. Background noise – significantly reduced
2. Dynamic range – more open, transparent
3. Volume control – increased usable range
- Filter for measuring and music listening (Don't really care bout this TBH, i didn't even try it)
- MQA
- DSD playback (Most of my tracks are PCM, so I didn't test this)

Battery Life
8 -10 hours depending on loads

Build Quality
Excellent! Metal chassis with textured finish that is screwed together nicely, with rubber feet at the bottom to prevent sliding, nice analog volume pot with very good resistance that doubles as on/off swith, led indicator lights, light unit but not overly so, it does not slides around too much.

Sound Quality
Sound Signature
Very slight V-shaped with boosted bass with tiny bloom, Mids is not forward and slightly laid back, very tiny emphasis and forward sounding upper-mid/lower treble for guitars with good body, upper treble like cymbals is slightly laid back and not too sparkly.

This is not a neutral type signature, but very enjoyable to listen to for a long time without fatigue, is not too distracting as the treble is not harsh and, perfect for work or when you just want to relax.

Bass
The Bass is not the tightest bass I've ever heard but it has good dynamic and attack, so it doesn't soft or cushion-y and is not boomy. Other than that there is a slight bloom on it so bass kicks sounds thicker and meaty.

Due to this the perceive speed on a very speedy beats like "blast-beats" drum kicks in metal music is not the fastest or most distinct I've ever heard, as the distinction between each hits is not apparent as compared other gears I've owned, but I've heard worse and despite this the speed is good.

Bass extension is quite good but I wouldn't say that this is the bass best assets, however you don't have to work hard to notice it, it is presented in a tasteful way that makes music enjoyable especially in tracks that is mastered with weaker bass.

Bass Guitar sounds sweet with tasteful thickness that does not overwhelm the music and just shines where it needs to be.

Mids
The Mids is not as forward as the bass, resulting in a slightly laid back presentation, It is smooth and has excellent macro detail but micro detail such as taking breadth, lip smack and raspiness is not very apparent, vocal decay is also decent with the voice fading away that can still be heard when other parts of the music takes over, especially at the start of the decay, however as the decay goes to the end it is covered by other sounds, so the separation has some weakness in this department.

The presentation is on the smoother sides, when hearing harsh vocals from extreme metal bands, it is not harsh at all, however the edge of the voice is there but could be better, as those bites also adds to the experience of the music, but too much exposure of these bites when not handled properly can be fatigueing.
The good thing here is that the Ifi is always smooth and I will happily lose out on some of those bites for a fatigue free experience.

Moving on to the guitars, the guitars are forward sounding, this is really good on a guitar solo, It will get your attention and you will feel good about it if you like guitars like I do. So the presentation is very enjoyable, at least for me, how about the technicalities? It is also good, but again not the best I've heard. The guitar sounds melodic and sweet, but it's losing alittle bit of that rawness that you usally associate with electrric guitars on metal music, the bites is missing a little bit, my point is it is there but I want more of it to be exposed, we want to hear all those details because we love it.

Treble
The treble is slightly boosted and forward on the lower treble but laid back on upper treble.

Guitars that has high notes still carry the same characteristics as I describe earlier, however when we move up to other percussion instruments like cymbal hits, it is laid back and sit in the background, it is not roll off in any way, it just that the other frequencies sounds more dominant so when the music gets busy, it is more difficult to hear this frequency, you will definitely need to concentrate.

Technicalities is decent, due to the sound signature, upper treble details and extension is difficult to notice, although it is there but I would say that the decay is difficult to appreciate is the other frequencies all sound louder and this decay got buried in it.

On Lower Treble/Upper mid, it has good body and it is smooth and sweet sounding with some bites of those distortion from the electric guitars shining through taking center stage, the details is appreciable with good body so that it does not sound thin.

Sound-stage
It has more width than depth and height, so it is more oval on the horizontal axis, left/right channel separation is good with instruments taking its own place without being congested.

The depth is decent, you can tell there is some difference on how the sound is coming to you depending on the position, vocals close and center, guitar forward sounding either from left or right, drums from the back either from left or right.

IEMatch
Does it work? I think it does, It is not easy to spot the difference since IEMatch will give less volume compared to it's normal output, The Meze 99 classic (32 ohm, which technically shouldn't be affected) plays fine from both out put, but I want to find out if Ifi's claim about IEMatch is true or not.

In order to test this, I switch back and forth using the same song, but the problem is when switching, I have to adjust the volume knob to get the same volume before I can start concentrating again to feel if there are any difference.

Both output are clean and performs well without any problems, but ever so slightly, I feel that the IEmatch output possibly due to lower noise floor, sounds more vivid and also seems more dynamic, although the difference is really hard to hear and could be placebo effect in my brain, but this is what I think I heard.

Comparisons
Fiio X7 II
The Fiio although still has slight bass emphasis, is much more balance signature wise, to be honest the X7 II sound signature is the type of sound signature that is ideal for my preference, I usually like neutral sound signature with slight bass emphasis, this is because it is easier to appreciate details across the frequency bands as all the frequencies more or less has the same emphasis. This makes X7 II easier to pair with a lot of other amps and headphones without over emphasizing anything when interacting with the sound signatures of other gears.

The Ifi seems to be designed as an all in one DAC/AMP solution, judging from the price points, I can see the market target of this product will probably not experiment too much on amp and headphone pairings, therefore there is less chance of bad synergy.

On this approach I think the Nano totally knock the implementation out of the park, it is not shy of going straight to the point with their sound signature to which they see fit for their audience.

The Fiio X7 II exposed details more and has better balance, but depending on your preference you may like the Ifi more, it is more musical especially for most people who likes some elevation on the bass with fun enjoyable sound signature with clean clear sound.
But the X7 II has the added benefits of a standalone unit, no need for stacking, this is a huge plus for me..
Hmmm, this makes me wonder if Ifi is interested in making DAPs in the future..??

I believe the X7 is more well match if compared to the micro iDSD Black Label, hopefully I will get a chance to compare those soon.

Power output/ Headphone pairing
It is quite strong for such a little unit, it powers my Meze 99 classic perfectly and the synergy is awesome, very enjoyable when working in the office.


The Utopia also sounds quite good on this and it plays music just fine, nothing sounds weird and just plays music well. The sound signature pairs well with the utopia, however it does not unleash the full potential of the headphone.


The shozy stardust also plays well on it, this is where the IEMatch comes to play, I have a good amount of volume pot wiggle room, it sounds nice and clean without any hiss and it's very enjoyable to listen too.


As DAC to V281
When used with my V281, along with my focal Utopia, it becomes apparent that the technicalities doesn't expose the details that I usually find in my usual v281 combo, it is also less natural sounding, however, the bass presentation combos well with my Utopia and adds some of those bottom end that some people want and the treble is pulled back a bit but not as laid back as when using the ifi by itself, I personally think that the Utopia is not bass light, but for those who think so, this can work, although I would suggest looking for higher end DACs if you are on this level to get all those details.

With that aside, all the details extracted by the DAC in Ifi Nano is presented beautifully, with superior layering (like on another level layering), I heard way more details easily that I have never noticed before as compared to using the Ifi alone, I have to say that the DAC although not the most technical in bringing Micro details, but it makes up for it with its presentation of macro detail and enjoyable tonality, at least in my set up.

This combined with The Focal Utopia which pretty much exposed everything without any harshness, gives great results that I wan't expecting from a DAC on this price range, well done Ifi!


Conclusions
The Ifi Nano iDSD BL is a good introduction for the iFi product, for the price I couldn't recommend this product more! It performs better than the price can suggest despite some weaknesses, very flexible power output and an enjoyable sound signature that is fatigue free.

It has excellent build quality and acceptable use case, with a good amount of accessories out of the box.
The only main negative for me is that OTG cable is not included, most people who buys this usually wants to use it with their mobile device.

The pricing is good too, and I think is quite affordable for many people.

Hi everyone, Before I start the review, I would like to thank Fiio for making this awesome DAP at an affordable price and rich features, and also to @Fiio for organizing the tour.

This review will focus on the sound quality and not so much about other aspects, so I'll make the other sections as brief as possible.

INTRODUCTION

I'm an Indonesian working as a Web/PHP Developer in Melbourne, Australia.

Other than programming/coding, listening to music is another one of my hobby.

When I start my headphone hobby, music listening has been a very rewarding experience for me and has helped me in many aspects of life other than music enjoyment, although, with the booming price of high end headphones/IEM, etc at the moment, it has become a bit of a heavy hit on my wallet

Starting from almost 2 years ago I've been really hooked in metal music, and nowadays my everyday music listening always incorporate metal tracks, I guess you can call me a Metalhead but I don't know about that, I also listen to other genres occasionally.


I don't actually listen to all kinds of music, lets say for example Classical, therefore it is important to understand that this review is based on my observation on the kinds of musics I like, and those are mainly:
- Metal (many kinds, mainly the extreme kind, everyday anytime anywhere)
- Rock (mostly Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson, Radiohead or something like it)
- Pop (90s stuff, rarely)
- EDM (Mostly trance and it's sub-genres)
- Jazz (Norah Jones, Diana Krall and the likes)
- Indonesian Song (it's basically the Indonesian version of pop or rock, guitar is used all the time, sounds natural and relaxing, however, mastering of the song is not very good, this is good to test how good a headphone/Iem handle poorly recorded material)
- KPOP
- JPOP and JROCK/Visual Kei, whatever you call it (mostly the older stuff)

I used the Fiio X7 II for about 2 weeks not including transit times, everyday at work and at home on weekend, I will also make some comparisons to my other gears that i have.
I only use the unit in SE mode as I don't have a connector with 2.5mm balance to be used together with the fiio for my headphones.

EQUIPMENT USED FOR REVIEW/COMPARISON WITH THE DAP
- Shozy Stardust
- Meze 99 Classic
- Sony MDR Z1R
- Focal Utopia
- Chord Mojo
- Cavalli Liquid Carbon (X7 II as DAC)

PACKAGING

the box is black with black cover with the picture of the player itself, opening the box you are greated with the player nicely guarded with thick foam at the top and the accessories at the bottom.


ACCESSORIES
Silicone case
Leather case
USB cable
Coaxial cable
MicroSd pin
Screwdriver for the amp unit
Spare sideguard for the amp unit
Pamphlets and documentation

The Fiio X7 II

The Build Quality is very nice, and also clean, nice colouring for the unit with sturdy construction, unfortunately the X7 II will only be available in silver colour unlike it's little sibling.
This is due to the amp module being silver in colour, so having different colour on the player will not match aesthetically.

It is a little thick, but not overly so and still comfortable on my side pocket.
Nice screen with good brightness to be used outdoor very easily.
All the button are nice and tactile although some accidental click has happened while in my pocket
Some minus point include some mismatch in color at the back of the unit where there is a grayish pannel, possibly for better bluetooth reception.
There is no option to turn off the blue lighting.

At the top of the unit there is the power button and combo Line/Coax/Opt out.


At the bottom of the player you got some socket to connect to the amp unit and at the bottom of the amp unit(AM3) is the micro USB port for charging and data transfer duties, I'm a little disappointed that Fiio does not use USB C here, hopefully this will be rectified for future release.
Other than that you will find 3.5 SE jack and 2.5 balance jack.


On the right, You will find 2 Micro Sd slots which is super nice and is probably one of the best features of the unit.


On the left is the play/pause button and also next and previous button, and also the volume wheel that has a satisfying click when you operate it.


The player itself is very responsive to touch, just like the X5 III, it is snappy enough, although some lag is still there and is subject for improvement in the next iteration.

UI & FEATURES

At the home screen, you will find your usual android interface here, you can find menus and apps such as clocks, gallery, internet, etc and some Fiio specific apps such as the Fiio Market and Fiio Music Player itself.


There are 5 Navigation modes available:
- Folder
- Artist
- Songs
- Genre
- Playlist

For other navigation except folder, you need to scan your library first for it to work.
I'm a big fan of Folder navigation since I like to group all my musics in folders based on my preference, I normally listen to music album by album, so It is very good that Fiio has included this feature in my opinion.

You can then access you on-board memory or to your sdcards(2) to play your music, for some reason the second slot takes longer to load, so put all your favorite music in the first slot as it is always ready.


You can also change the setting in the device, such as wifi, bluetooth, brightness, etc.
On the audio side, you can adjust gain and balance, filter mode, output mode, etc. This is also accessible in the music player itself.



Other than the standard stuff, Fiio has also supplied the unit with Viper Effect, although i didn't use it.


The Output mode is smart, the moment you plug in your cable to the combo jack, it will know what connection is being used, although I only use it in line-out to my LC.

Battery Life
In my opinion the battery life is one of the sacrifice of using desktop class DAC in a portable solution, I found the battery life to be ok at best, although it is not the worse thing ever since it supports quick charge, but in the events where you forgot to charge over night, it may be abit hard to have music ready for the rest of that day until you find a charging socket.

Some bugs/querks/annoyance of the unit
I found some bugs trough my use of over 2 weeks, here they are:
1. The screen sometime freeze while you're swiping around in the folder mode while the music is playing, it will be stuck like that for like 5-7 seconds that it will work again.
2. the play/pause button sometimes does not work properly when pausing, instead it replays the current song.
3. There was 1 time where the music stops half way and then skip to the next track.
4. There was 1 time where the music app auto quit/crash while playing music.
5. the blue light can't be turn off
6. the unit runs really warm sometimes, it can get a little uncomfortable in your pocket.

Sound Quality

The Signatures
The Fiio X7 II is neutral, I would say with just a slight touch of warm to the low frequencies, very slight though, chord mojo is quite a bit warmer than this, but people say that it is only slightly on the warm side, so I hope you get the picture here.

The Bass
The Bass has a very slight emphasis to it in my opinion, but I like it, the drums is still tight and has excellent body, it never ever sounds thin, however you can definitely hear the texture of every hits, it is detailed but does not sound too clinical and instead it has the fun factor, the musicality is there and combines very well with all the capabilities of detail extraction that goes deep, to top it off the resolving ability of the Dap is top notch too, in avery fast blastbeats drum hits, it sounds distinct and fast and it has never sound like the notes are diffuse together, this is bass done right, Fiio has always impart some warm to it's product, but the tuning this time is the best implementation so far from all their products I have heard.

The Mids
The mids is detailed, resolving and articulate sounding, it has just the right combination of body in it's tone, not too think and not too thin, therefore it is very easy to make out what the lyrics is in a song, as the syllables are very clear sounding.
In Metal music, Shriek, Scream and Growl vocal technic is a norm, it's often hard to understand what's being said, and for this type of vocals the X7 II shines, the articulation is in effects here, it is easier to hear the lyrics and also the bites, raspiness, and coarseness of the vocals is full on, you can hear the crackle of the vocalist really clearly without sounding sharp, even some Black metal track that I tried that I know has some sharp shrieking to it sounds more bearable in this, very good performance here.
For femail vocals, it is very sweet, again as a Metalhead i use one of my metal collection to test this out, This time Lisa Johanson from Draconian, She just sounds so smooth and sweet, the timbre is emotional in a sad song, it makes me feel a little sad sometimes, but it's very enjoyable to me as it makes me feel something.
Another case for clean vocals, this for Male is Steven Wilson, In "Drive home" track, he sounds so emotional but relax at the same time, it makes me feel good and relaxed too and just enjoy the music, until the emotional guitar solo in the middle of the track presents the climax of sorrowful and anguish emotion that sounds like the guitar is crying, suddenly the relaxedness is change to something else entirely, and this is a good thing.
The guitars is another part where the X7 II shines, the bites of the electric guitars is strong and full, you can hear the sound change from the time the player picks the string until it fades away, the notes lingers well and the decay is there and present, it's really easy to spot the deacy amidst of what is happening in the tracks.

The Treble
The treble is smooth and sparkly, detailed and generally, the least forward frequency in the sound presentation, it is not rolled off or toned down at all, the bass and mids is just more prominent and more forward.
The tizz in cymbal hits is smooth and has nice decay, it lingers and fades very naturally and there is no sharpness to it.
The DAC in use is Es9028PRO which is a Sabre DAC, Sabre DAC has some specific characteristics to it that can sound glare-ry at times, however I have not heard one here, it just sounds natural and energetic, exist when called open and execute superbly.
I found the treble to be Dynamic in it's presentation, generally it is not as forward as the bass and mids, however often time in the climax of the song where it employs the cymbals a lot, i found it to step forward to balance out the other frequencies, this is very enjoyable and helps maintain the atmosphere of the tracks, when it's calm and solemn it does not offend, when it's lively it's energetic and full of energy.

The Soundstage, Imaging and separations
The soundstage presentation is good, the airiness combined with black background gives it a spacious feeling as if there are some empty space between each instruments, i found it to have similar width, depth and height, so it's quite spherical and is not the wide x-axis type, which is my preference.

Pairing

Shozy Stardust earbud

The stardust has an excellent synergy with the X7 II, the bass hits are tight and the mids are detailed and musical, treble is smooth and sweet and not fatigueing.
Soundstage is good and airy, the treble dynamic certainly helps the Shozy abit here as it is a little rolled off.

Meze 99 Classics

This is an excellent pairing, the 99 classic is a bassy headphone, theoretically a neutral source with heaps of details will be an excellent pairing, which is the case here. The Meze is warm and sweet but can sound a little muddy on the vocals for some tracks, the Clarity and articulation of The X7 II helps a lot here, I found the vocal more resolving and more articulate, while the bass controlled, the treble sttill retains the original signature of the headphone a slight roll off at the top fo fatigue free listening.
The meze can be modded to support balance connection fairly easily, this will be interesting to try.
For people that does not like IEM, this will be a good option.

Sony MDR-Z1R

The Z1R is not a hard headphone to drive The X7 II has enough power to drive it fully without external amplification, I found the Z1R retains much of it's qualities and signatures without moch change. What can be noticed though is the detail and articulation prowess of the source feeding it, The bass has it's signature boost down low while being controlled, Mids still has good body, sweet and relaxed laid back feeling.
Overall the X7 II drives the Z1R excellently.

Focal Utopia

Another High-End headphone that is not hard to drive, just like the Z1R, I found the Focal Utopia to be fully driven from the X7 II, Soundstage is intimate but spherical, Vocal is clear, articulate and is vivid and is extremely detailed, Bass is controlled and tight with very fast speed, Treble is detailed, smooth and just want to please, there is no harshness and sibilant, everything is there and I found this pairing to be an excellent one.

AS DAC
Cavalli Liquid Carbon (X7 II -> LC) vs (Mojo -> LC)

As DAC, The X7 II is more of a neutral source, with very minimal coloration to it and relies on it's technical capabilities to resolve the music, compared to the mojo->Lc combo, the mojo combo sounds thicker and warmer, more body down low, while the X7 II is thinner and less body, and more focused on exposing the details compared to the full on pleasing nature + detail of the mojo->LC combo.
I actually think that the X7 II -> LC combo is more to my liking, as the LC itself is already warm, and the mojo -> is even more warm which can be bad sometimes.

Comparisons

Chord Mojo

Other than the Ibasso DX200, the mojo is the other main competitor to the X7 II in my opinion, They are price close to each other, but one is a DAP with DAP's flexibility while the other is a DAC that has a lot of power and can therefore drive more powerful headphone than what the X7 II can.

The question is, which is more important for you? Flexibility or more power?
And then you have to ask, what kind of tonality works for you, do you like warm presentation?
If you have no exact preference to the questions above than it is down to the performance and technicalities.
I'm probably the first person that says this, I think The X7 II is really, really close to the mojo, I'm not even sure, but to my ears the amount of details is about equal in my opinion, and in some situation probably exceed the mojo.
I don't find myself missing anything with The X7 II, everything in my music that I heard in my mojo is there too with the X7 II, there are some difference though.

To try to illustrate the difference, in my opinion The mojo in general is warmer and can be said to sound more analogue compared to the X7 II which is a little more digital if compared side by side, but that warmness in the mojo presents details in a different way than the X7 II, the X7 II presents it as it is there and the detail is trying to appeal to you, like saying "Hey!, I'm here, look at me!" and it feels more noticable, while with the mojo, the detail is there, but you can miss it while your listening to it due to its warm enjoyment, more like saying "Hey! I'm here too if you need me", now if you are a detail person you would want to hear everything, in this case than the X7 II is for you, if you just want to enjoy music without being bothered by it then you go for the mojo.

But then, there is a value proposition to it, in order for the mojo to play music, you either need a PC or phone, so it's not as flexible, and even then you need cable to connect them together, but you may say "ah, wait there is the Poly!", yes, with the poly your mojo is on another level now, it will have a better interface than the X7 II as you are using a phone, you also has more power on tap, virtually capable to drive any headphone there is except the HE-6 and big planars, but then, it will be even more expensive and is in a nother ballpark comparing to the X7 II's price, so in my opinion, The X7 II presents better value while being flexible and has similar if not better performance/general usability result depending on your preference.

Summary
For the price of the DAP, it is a complete deal for me, it sounds great, good portability, ok battery with quick charge, 2 micro sd's, durable build, and great value for money.
I would really recommend this DAP for anyone looking to purchase Hi-Res portable DAP or DAC/AMP combo.

Hi everyone, Before I start the review, I would like to thank Campfire Audio for making this awesome IEM.

This review is made by myself based on my observation and listening pleasure of The Lyra 2 and Lyra (Mostly Lyra 2) for a bit over a month.

I have no affiliation to Campfire Audio in any way and everything said here are true facts, based on my experience and opinion of course.

The pricing of Lyra 2 in Australia is 1099 AUD, as for The lyra, I can’t exactly remember but I think its in 800+ range, but no matter as it has been replace by Lyra 2 so the review will be made according to these data.

I can say outright that both IEMs are quite nice, but to simplify very quickly, I do think that the Lyra 2 Is overall better than Lyra, this will be explored as critically as possible in the review below.

The Lyra in this model is the second revision, evolution of the lyra’s
Lyra -> Lyra (2nd revision) -> Lyra II (3rd revision)
I never heard the first gen so no comments on that one.

INTRODUCTION (If you read my other review, you can skip this lol)

I'm an Indonesian working as a Web/PHP Developer in Melbourne, Australia.

Other than programming/coding, listening to music is another one of my hobby.

When I start my headphone hobby, music listening has been a very rewarding experience for me and has helped me in many aspects of life other than music enjoyment, although, with the booming price of high end headphones/IEM, it has become a bit of a heavy hit on my wallet >_<.

Starting from almost 4 years ago I've been a big fan of metal music, and nowadays my everyday music listening always incorporate metal tracks, I guess you can call me a Metalhead although I wouldn’t describe myself as the most extreme head-banging type, I also listen to other genres occasionally, but metal music is my focus.

I don't actually listen to all kinds of music, for example, Classical music, therefore it is important to understand that this review is based on my observation on the kinds of music I like, and those are mainly:

- Metal (many type, mainly the extreme one (Death, Doom, Black, Extreme Prog), like 95% off the time)

- Rock / Metal (mostly Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson, Riverside(rock/metal), Radiohead or something like it)

- EDM (Mostly trance, uplifting)

- Jazz (Norah Jones, Diana Krall and the likes)

- Indonesian Song (it's basically the Indonesian version of pop, guitar used is mostly acoustic guitar, sounds natural and relaxing however, mastering of the song is usually poor, this is good to test how good a headphone/IEM handle poorly recorded material)

Genre's excluded from my impressions (I never / don't listen to these types of music anymore)

- Rap

- Classical

- Bollywood stuff

- Reggae

PACKAGING

The box is typical Campfire audio, Space themed colored thick carton that enclosed the leather/cloth carrying pouch(depending on your product), with fluffy cushion insides to protect the IEMs.

Model name is described at the front of the box using stickers, with some little descriptions on it.


STORAGE CASE/POUCH

Very nice and practical, it has soft/fluffy materials in the interior, to protect the IEMs, I found the protection to be superb, and is quite slick. Some competitor uses hard-case plastic for their products which is bulky and possibly better for protection, but less practical and not as easy to take around (bigger, heavier, etc).

No complain whatsoever, I prefer this rather than bulky case.

the black one is Lyra II's

ACCESSORIES

3.5 SE terminated cable (SPC LITZ cable for Lyra II)

2 Velcros for cable management.

Eartips (4 spin fits, 3 silicone, 3 foam)

2 tiny red pouch (possibly to store the tips once opened)

CA pins

IEM cleaning tool

Storage Case/Pouch

Documentations

The treasure box itself

Warranty card ( Lyra II only )


BUILD QUALITY, Comfort and Ease of use.

The IEM itself utilize a single dynamic driver. The driver is made of Beryllium which is a very expensive material, Full size headphone that use beryllium for its driver construction is priced very highly (ehem ehem Utopia), not so for the Lyra II though, I think the pricing is alright. Other than that Beryllium is also toxic for humans, Ken must have put a significant effort in the construction of this IEM and also safety for his staff, and the end result is excellent.

Quick google research on Beryllium’s negative effects:

“People who work closely with beryllium as part of their employment have the greatest risk of developing health effects from beryllium. However, people who have had only infrequent exposure to beryllium may still develop health effects. Some individuals develop health effects shortly after exposure, while others may develop health effects many years after exposure has stopped.

Once a person has been exposed to beryllium, they have a lifelong risk of developing disease even if exposure stops.

Beryllium usually affects the respiratory system, although it can affect other parts of the body as well. Listed below are different types of illnesses or health effects associated with beryllium.”

The housing is excellent, Liquid Metal alloy casing that feels premium and more expansive than plastic materials that are used by some competitor, the paint used also feels very high quality, some ergonomics concern of the housing of other models has been addressed here, the new housings has no hard edges, inserting ear-tips is way easier and less bulky ensuring comfort on the ears.

the one with Thicker Cable is Lyra II

The cable of the Lyra is still using the thinner cable, while Lyra 2 is using the higher quality one (SPC Litz) albeit being a little shorter(some cost saving measures here), but much less prone to tangling and most likely provide better sound quality and durability.
I just wish the cable in Lyra 2 to bit a little longer as it can be quite short in some situation, especially for taller people.

Over the course of the review period, there was 1 day where I hear some ticking noises in the Lyra 2, this could because of many thing, it could be a phone glitch or maybe a driver flex phenomenon as it is using a dynamic driver, Driver flex on dynamic driver IEM’s is a common side effects on Dynamic Driver IEMs, as long as it doesn’t persist, there is nothing to worry about here, in my case the ticking noises disappears the next day, but it’s worth mentioning here.

Noise Isolation is good despite the existence of the ports, I use it when commuting on a bus and train, it blocks the outside noise nicely, at work people usually tap me in the back to get my attention when working, so I guess that’s saying something.


SOUND ANALYSIS

The Signature

The Lyra 2’s signature according to my ears is on the warm side, but still has some sparkles at the top with slightly forward vocals that is interestingly quite exposing of the source. I feel some dips in the lower treble region compared to the mids and the bass as I found that in some of my metal tracks (The Gallery by Dark Tranquility for example), the guitar sounds a bit pushed back.

Compared to Lyra 2 the Lyra is more akin to what you find in a warmish IEMS, thick smooth across the range with strong bass performance but can sound veiled but more forgiving if compared directly to Lyra 2, so there are some change to the sound signature here.

Sound signature based on quantity and focus in Bass, mids and treble:
Bass -> Mids -> Treble

The Bass

The bass sounds big and full, and forward, speed is good although it’s still not as fast as Oher BA driver IEMs in the upper model (Andromeda), bass punch is good but not thundering like the Vega.

I didn’t detect any significant bleed to the mids(just a little bit perhaps), and is not boomy despite being full and forward in the mix, and makes way for the mids very nicely.

Details are good, but in my opinion this not the tightest bass that I have heard in the CA line-up and I don’t think that it is designed to be that way, it feels to me that the bass is tuned to please first rather than being accurate, but this works quite well, and for me the details provided is still very good and the bass doesn’t sound dull at all.

Extension through sub-bass is good, and enough to satisfy, but I think the mid-bass is where it shines, probably due to that dynamic driver, very nice snap with enough thickness but not too much and still allows the snaps to be quite detailed.

Bass speed is also excellent, but it’s still not as fast as BA driver, not as distinct and coherent for extremely fast blast beats drum, but still good enough to not make it sound diffuse and blurry.

On Metal and Rock tracks, I feel that the bass instruments positioning is too forward, which is a little unnatural as it sounds a lot closer and fuller to you compared to the other frequencies, but it’s not too bad and actually makes a distinct feature for this IEM.

I couldn’t find any particular weaknesses on the bass, so, good performance here on the Bass, nothing to bad here.

The Mids

The Mids is slightly forward and has good body to convey that emotions, but interestingly can be quite exposing of sibilance.

Guitars both electric or acoustic, sounds excellent on this, it sounds sweet and full with enough bites that does not offend the ears.

On the upper mids/lower treble, I feel a little bit of dip as some bright guitar sounds can be a bit pushed back behind the mix. This does not bother me much as I didn’t find many tracks where this happen, but it could be a bit of a let-down when you hear the guitar solos that does not take center stage, again pretty rare, nothing to worry about.

The vocal is more interesting though, on a well mastered tracks, it sounds excellent and smooth and despite the warmish atmosphere that this IEMs can make it sounds clear and well defined, growling vocals can sound quite nice on this, up close and personal without being too shouty.

Unfortunately, this technical ability can sometimes backfire when fed with less well recorded records, on some tracks the forward vocals can reveal the imperfections so well that you listen to them sibilant and it feels right next to you and it can be harsh (both male and female), this could be really annoying for vocal fans as many recording available today is not as well produced / mastered too hot and getting a very nice quality recording is not that easy and probably close to impossible on some albums.

I would like this to be handled better, being exposing is good but it does not need to be harsh, and considering the target market of this IEMs judging by the sound signature, this should be handled a bit better IMO.*

* (I heard the Andromeda ,Vega and also other headphones that I have in the past with the same tracks and set-ups when I reviewed it in the past, it too expose the sibilant, but it’s not harsh on the ears, but both are more expensive, so you got what you pay for there)


The Treble

Treble is quite smooth, but this surprise me a bit as it’s not toned down too much and is quite apparent in the music, especially the cymbals, you can hear the simmers and has a little bit of airiness to it, but not too much, possibly due to that port allowing some air in.

Treble extension is standard at best and the treble decay is quite quick, although the clarity of the treble is still nice and does not get buried too much in the music, they are there mostly to complete the music but has less focus, I would say that on a lot of tracks that I played, lots of areas where the treble supposed to shine is not achieved / short-lived in this IEM.

Overall the treble is tuned to be sweet, and only expose the parts that helps in making the music sound musical by giving that spark of energy at the top without getting offensive.


Soundstage, Imaging and Separation

Overall The soundstage size is okay for an IEMs, due to the bass and mids being forward, it could seem small, but not overly so in my opinion, that little bit of airiness helps out just a little bit, so it’s not super constricted by any means.

Imaging is good for IEM, I would say it has ok width but ok depth and good height, due to forward mids and bass, I don’t feel much change of width positioning in a lot of tracks.

Separation is also good, I only detect a little bit of bass bleeds very rarely, nothing to worry about, the bass presence is there while the vocal still sounds distinct and clear with the treble accompanying the music. Instruments are well laid out and does not clash and get mixed to each other, but there are some occasions on very busy tracks where congestion happens.

Metal Artist / Albums tested critically
(and some comments with the Lyra II IEM, if there is something bad):

Opeth - Blackwater Park, Ghost Reveries, Damnation, Morningrise, My Arms Your Hearse
Draconian - Arcane Rain Fell, The Burning Halo
Doom:VS - Aeternum Vale, Dead Words Speak
Alcest - Ecailles De Lune, Le Secret, Kodama, Les voyages de l’ame, Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde
Amon Amarth - With Oden On Our Side
Amorphis - Silent Waters, Under The Red Cloud
The Angelic Process - Weighing Souls With Sands (super drony and atmospheric albums by default, but a bit too congested with Lyra 2 due to forward bass, not the best albums with the lyras )
Aquilus - Griseus
Babymetal - various random tracks
Be’lakor - Stone’s Reach, Vessels
Cynic - Focus Remastered, Traced In Air (last 3 songs in Focus has a sibilance that is a little harsh)
Dark Tranquillity – The Gallery, Fiction (The lead guitar can sound a bit pushed back in The Gallery)
Death - Human, Individual Thought Patterns, Symbolic, The Sound Of Perseverance
Edge Of Sanity – Crimson, Crimson II, Purgatory Afterglow
Emperor – In The Nightside Eclipse, Anthems To The Welkins At Dusk (some congestion and sibilance on both, drums sounds a little too forward)
Fleshgod Apocalypse – Agony (some congestion in some parts)
Gojira – From Mars To Sirius, The Way Of All Flesh
Immortal - At The Heart of Winter
Insomnium – Across The Dark, Above The Weeping World
Les Discrets - Septembre et ses dernieres Pensees
Moonsorrow – V Havitetty, Verisakeet
Dissection – Storm Of The Lights Bane, The Somberlain
My Bloody Valentine – Loveless
My Dying Bride – Songs of Darkness Words Of Light
Ne Obliviscaris – Portal Of I (bass speed lacks a bit in super fast blast beats in “Forget Not”)
Nile – Those Whom The God Detest
Nirvana – Nevermind
Novembre – The Blue, Materia (bass a bit congested in Comedia openner)
Persefone – Core, Shin-ken, Truth inside The Shades
Porcupine Tree – Deadwing, Fear Of A Blank Planet, In Absentia
Rapture – Futile, Silent Stage
Riverside – Out Of Myself, Second Life Syndrome (Soma sharp sibilant vocals on some tracks)
Septic Flesh – Communion, The Great Mass
Shylmagoghnar – Emergence
Slowdive – Souvlaki (sibilant vocals on many tracks)
Swallow The Sun – The Morning Never Came, New Moon, Hope, Songs From The North III
Tool – Lateralus
Trees Of Eternity – Hour Of The Nightangle
Tristania – Beyond The Veil
Windir – 1184
Wintersun – Wintersun


As can be seen from above, there are not that many Album/Tracks where the Lyra 2 can sound unpleasant, so it’s a very nice all-rounder for Metal


Pairing and Comparisons

I tested the Lyra2 and Lyra using:

Samsung Galaxy S8+

I have the international version, which I believe use the exynos processor with better DAC chip than the US one, it sounds ok, although at higher volume the phone kinda lose control and can sound distorted at time, but if you’re a mid to low volume listener, this could work in a pinch.


Chord Mojo

I believe the Chord Mojo drives the IEM’s to full potential, interestingly both The Lyra’s scale very well compared to the s8, and unexpectedly I think the Lyra(not Lyra 2), actually scale more, but still not enough to beat the Lyra 2.

The warmness of the mojo can be felt compared to the S8, but The lyra’s sounds superb on the mojo, details pop out and way more dynamic, overall the instruments sounds more detailed and sweeter on the mojo than the S8.

Comparisons

Lyra 2 vs Lyra

There is no question in my mind, that then Lyra 2 is the better of the 2, I was using the Lyra 2 for a week before I try the Lyra, straight away I feel that the Lyra is more muddy and has less clarity, it feels like it is veiled compared to the Lyra 2, and the vocals not as forward, On the other hand that veiled feel and less forward vocals makes it more forgiving than Lyra 2.

As a metal fan there are some situation where that veiled feel adds to the experience(for example, Darkthrone), it feels more atmospheric in my opinion.

But I would take the Lyra2 over Lyra anytime.

Comfort

About the same, Lyra a little bit smaller housing and longer cable, Lyra 2 thicker cable that is not as tangle prone.

Durability

Thicker cable on Lyra 2 feels more durable

Looks

The cable looks nicer in Lyra 2


Summary

The Lyra 2 is a good IEMs, The Lyra is an ok IEM.
I think the pricing should be a bit lower as for what I get with the current pricing, I feel like I would be more inclined to spend more on the Andromeda, Jupiter, Vega as they are a lot better than the Lyra’s in my opinion.
I think this IEMs is made to feel the gap and target a specific target of audience who likes the warm signature, the vocals bother me a bit on bad recordings, but other than that nothing else is wrong or annoying for the IEM’s.

Lyra 2 : 4 stars

Lyra : 3 stars

Hi everyone, Before I start the review, I would like to thank Fiio for making this awesome DAP at an affordable price and rich features, and also to @Fiio for organizing the tour.

This review will focus on the sound quality and not so much about other aspects, so I'll make the other sections as brief as possible.

The official rating of this device for me is actually 4.5 stars, however with head-fi's latest change to the site it isn't possible for me to put 4.5 stars for the ratings.
The review is long overdue so i decided to post it in anyway as a 5 stars as 4 stars is too low for this exceptional device.

INTRODUCTION

I'm an Indonesian working as a Web/PHP Developer in Melbourne, Australia.

Other than programming/coding, listening to music is another one of my hobby.

When I start my headphone hobby, music listening has been a very rewarding experience for me and has helped me in many aspects of life other than music enjoyment, although, with the booming price of high end headphones/IEM, etc at the moment, it has become a bit of a heavy hit on my wallet >_<.

Starting from almost 2 years ago I've been really hooked in metal music, and nowadays my everyday music listening always incorporate metal tracks, I guess you can call me a Metalhead but I don't know about that, I also listen to other genres occasionally.


I don't actually listen to all kinds of music, lets say for example Classical, therefore it is important to understand that this review is based on my observation on the kinds of musics I like, and those are mainly:
- Metal (many kinds, mainly the extreme kind, everyday anytime anywhere)
- Rock (mostly Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson, Radiohead or something like it)
- Pop (90s stuff, rarely)
- EDM (Mostly trance and it's sub-genres)
- Jazz (Norah Jones, Diana Krall and the likes)
- Indonesian Song (it's basically the Indonesian version of pop or rock, guitar is used all the time, sounds natural and relaxing, however, mastering of the song is not very good, this is good to test how good a headphone/Iem handle poorly recorded material)
- KPOP
- JPOP and JROCK/Visual Kei, whatever you call it (mostly the older stuff)

EQUIPMENT USED FOR REVIEW/COMPARISON WITH THE DAP
- Shozy Stardust
- Meze 99 Classic
- Sony MDR Z1R
- AK Jr
- Chord Mojo


Box


ACCESSORIES
my unit come with a silicone case and also leather case.
USB cable
Coaxial cable


The Fiio X5
The Build Quality is very nice, and also clean, nice colouring for the unit with sturdy construction, got a few option for colours too, the black one is really nice, but the red is very bold and daring looking, I like it.
It is a little thick, but not overly so and still comfortable on my side pocket.
Nice screen with good brightness to be used outdoor very easily.

At the top of the unit there is nothing.

At the bottom is the micro USB port for charging and data transfer duties, I'm a little disappointed that Fiio does not use USB C here, hopefully this will be rectified for future release.

Other than that you will find 3.5 SE jack, 2.5 balance jack and combo coax/line out jack.


On the right, You will find 2 Micro Sd slot (very nice, great job Fiio!), and power button.


On the left is the play/pause button, volume rocker wheel, and also next and previous button, of which has too little easy to press.
There are many occasion where I press it accidentally when handling the unit disrupting my music enjoyment.


The player itself is very responsive to touch, but compared to the Cayin I5 which is the primary competitor of this unit, it is slightly less snappy, still very easy to use though, so this is just me nitpicking here.

UI & FEATURES

At the home screen, you will find your usual android interface here, nothing revolutionary here, I went straight to the music player as it is a DAP.


There are 5 Navigation modes available:
- Folder
- Artist
- Songs
- Genre
- Playlist


For other navigation except folder, you need to scan your library first for it to work.
I'm a big fan of Folder navigation since I like to group all my musics in folders based on my preference, so It is very good that Fiio has included this feature.

You can then access you on-board memory or to your sdcards to play your music.

You can also change the setting in the device, such as wifi, brightness, etc.
On the audio side, you can adjust gain and balance, etc


Sound Quality

The Signatures
The Fiio X5 has a warm musical signature with slighly laid back highs and slight emphasis on the bass.
It works well with most modern music and my favourite genre (Metal & rock), The bass although quite a bit north of neutral never intrude the mids at all, and speaking of the mids I find it detailed and smooth with good body without being overly lush in any way.

The Bass
The Bass is has a slight emphasis to it with good extension and sounds quite tight and fast.
It Hits quite hard with good punch, so the dynamic is definitely there and it is good.
The bass is tight however it still has good body so the ratio is spot on on this, very slight bloom does help with musicality at times, adn Fiio surely know about this as the implementation is very nice.
The speed is excellent and combined with the tightness of the bass it portrays distinction between each drum hits very well, giving a distinct presentation per drum hits/beats.
For Metal tracks especially in Brutal/Technical Death metal, double blast beat hits strong and fast with excellent rumble and distinction on each hits, portraying the intensity perfectly.
On EDM tracks, the bass extends down to the sub-bass well and because it is not too tight, you still get that club room bass bloom that you expect in club music.

The Mids
The mids is detailed and has slight warm tilt to it, not too much though.
Clarity of the mids is very good without any overly excessive sibillance and just flows naturally with the music seamlessly, the warm tonality definitely helps with this, very enjoyable.
Screaming and growling vocals in metal track are slightly intimate and smooth, you can definitely hear the crackles in the vocals quite easily with this.
On Jazz Tracks like Norah Jones, the slight warm touch to the mids increase the emotions in her voice while exposing all the detailsin it very well.
Electric Guitar sounds smooth with excellent bites in it, it makes the guitars pop in the mix and I love it.

The Treble
The treble is smooth and slighly laid back, the good this is it is not fatigueing even in a long listening session, some treble sparkles is still there here and there but it is not the focus of the music.
The bass and mids are more forward then the trebles but the trebles does not feel lacking at all, in fact it provides the perfect company for the rest of the spectrum for engaging musical listening.

The Soundstage, Imaging and separations
The soundstage presentation is not very large but it is quite good, imaging is accurate and all the instruments are separated nicely and there is no congestion in the sound.
It more wide than tall/deep, so the positioning of instrument can be clearly heard in X axis across the songs but, meaning left-right channel separtion is excellent.

Pairing

Shozy Stardust earbud (hi-end earbud)
The stardust has an excellent synergy with the X5, the bass hits hard and the mids are detailed but musical sounding, treble is smooth and not fatigueing with relaxed listening experience.
The presentaion is also bigger in a sense, this earbud is excellent on its own in this regard but the Fiio takes it to the next level, sounding more full and bigger in soundstage.
Details in the treble is there and the presentation is still laid back so the mids and bass(mid-bass) pops out more in the mix.

Sony MDR Z1R
The Z1R is not a hard headphone to drive but I'm still impressed with how well the combo sounds, The driver in this headphone is huge but I see no occation where it feels underpowered on The Fiio.
Bass is still there along with the Z1R signature of powerfull but tight bass that sounds grand hall like in presentation, speed is still well maintained and speedy metal track still sounds like an absolute joy on this.
Mids is still detailed and does not get intruded by the bass, has good body and the details are still there, it drives the Z1R excellently and The power of Z1R still shines through in this combo.
Despite the slighly laid back nature of the X5, I don't feel that it changed the Z1R's treble to be too laid back. I actually feel it still remains laid back but detailed just like when I pair it with my desktop setup.

Meze 99 Classics

I expect the Fiio X5 to pair best with this headphone, in fact it does, but it doe not transform the headphone just like the Cayin I5 + meze99 combination.
Bass still hits hard and deep with excellent extension, compared to my AK Jr, the bass seems more refined and full force and unrestrained, it has that immediate effect to it that I like.
Mids is still true to the meze's natural presentation, it is still a litle u shaped as the bass seems a bit more emphasized xompared to the mids, vocal is lush and detailed with steady and quick decay, it is musical and engaging, and if you want to hear the details, you can, it's all there.
Treble is still smooth and laid back with enough sparkles when needed, it never gets fatigueing.

Comparisons

AK Jr
The Fiio X5 beats the AK Jr very easily in my opinion.
The bass has better dynamics and sounds bigger with better extension and clarity even though it has more empahasis, the tightness is about the same yet the details shines through more on the X5.
The mids has similar tonality but is way more detailed with crackles and raspness of vocals very easily heard without much efforts.
The treble on the X5 is slightly more laid back and smooth, the AK Jr's treble is not as laid back but details is more apparent and clear on The X5.
Soundstage is bigger in the X5 especially the width, sounds more spacious with more defined instrument separation.

Chord Mojo
Not a DAP, but I found the X5 is quite competitive despite the price differences.
Mojo's Bass is tight, accurate and still musical and is closer to neutral than the X5, details is slightly more and is also feels a little faster and more natural.
Mojo's mids expose more details and has better extension and decay, the decay on the mojo is very apparent and details in it still shines through as it fades, The X5 is good too, but the final bit of the decay is harder to hear due to stronger bass and less detail retrieval.
Mojo's treble is not as laid back and again is more detailed and neutral compared to the X5's laid back treble, both offers smooth treble and is not the thin analytical type.
Soundstage is about the same overall, the width is probabbly better on The X5 but the mojo is more 3D in it's presentation.

Cayin I5
I was once areviewer of the Cayin I5 a couple months ago, and I have to say I was impressed with the DAP, just like I am now with The X5.
Both offers exceptional performance for the price, there are a couple of difference though:
The bass of The I5 was more stronger in quantity than the X5 tight but emphasized presentation, but also more dynamic and more punchy, detail retrival I give a slight edge to the X5, but not by much.
The mids in The I5 was more forward and more lush and engaging but lose out on details to the X5 by a bit, The X5's mid is more align to the rest of the frquencies and not as forward but not laid back either.
The trebles on The I5 is a bit more laid back than the X5, but both has good extension and is not your typical bright DAP.
Soundstage is wider on The X5 due to the intimate vocals on The I5.
Pricing and feature are better on The X5 with 2 micro sd for a cheaper price and also balanced out, but The cayin has better player interface in my opinion and also feels snappier, buttons are also more resistant preventing accidental presses unlike The X5 which happens every once in a while.
I have to say that comparing the 2 DAPS in all aspects(not only sound), The X5 is a better buy, however depending on your preference you might feel that the I5 is more compelling for it's presentation.
It depends on what you like I guess.

For the price of the Daps, it is a complete package really, have many features, sounds great and very practical with great pricing.
I would recommend this DAP for anyone under a budget or for people who wants to put more of their money on their desktop set-up.

Disclaimer
Hi everyone, Before I start the review, I would like to thank Sony for making this awesome headphone.
Sorry for the photo quality, I'm still using iphone 4 and my photo taking skills are quite poor T_T , but that will soon to change with the Samsung Galaxy S8 hopefully.
This review is made by myself based on my observation and listening pleasure of The Z1R on various gear that I have after about a bit over a month of ownership.
I have no affiliation to Sony in any way and everything said here is true from the heart as it is plain fact, based on my experience of course.
The pricing in Australia is 2499 AUD (1900 USD using google), so the review will be made using that as the value.
I can say outright that this is an awesome headphone and worth the money, but, as this is a TOTL headphone, I'll try to be as critical as possible and nitpick evrything that can be nitpick.
 
INTRODUCTION (If you read my other review, you can skip this lol)
I'm an Indonesian working as a Web Developer in Melbourne, Australia.
Other than programming/coding, listening to music is another one of my hobby.
When I start my headphone hobby, music listening has been a very rewarding experience for me and has helped me in many aspects of life other than music enjoyment, although, with the booming price of high end headphones/IEM atm, it has become a bit of a heavy hit on my wallet >_<.
 
Starting from almost 3 years ago I've been really hooked by metal music, and nowadays my everyday music listening always incorporate metal tracks, I guess you can call me a Metalhead, I also listen to other genres occasionally, but metal music is my focus.
 
I don't actually listen to all kinds of music, lets say for example Classical, therefore it is important to understand that this review is based on my observation on the kinds of musics I like, and those are mainly:
- Metal (many kinds, mainly the extreme kind, like 80% off the time)
- Rock (mostly Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson, Riverside(rock/metal), Radiohead or something like it)
- EDM (Mostly trance)
- Jazz (Norah Jones, Diana Krall and the likes)
- Indonesian Song (it's basically the Indonesian version of pop, guitar used is mostly acoustic guitar, sounds natural and relaxing however, mastering of the song is usually poor, this is good to test how good a headphone/Iem handle poorly recorded material)
- etc
Genre's excluded from my impression(I don't listen to this music on Z1R)
- Rap
- Classical
- Bollywood stuff
 
Gear Used
- Sony MDR-Z1R
- MrSpeakers Ether Flow
- Chord Mojo
- Cavalli Liquid Carbon
- Fiio X5 III

 
PACKAGING
The box is big and well packaged, the carton used is quite thick, and the graphic on it is well designed, inside you will find the headphone storage case wrap in cottony white bag underneath the black carrybag, very nice as Sony definitely is not trying to cut cost on packaging here, the best packaging out of all headphone that I have or have reviewed. 
 
STORAGE CASE
Crazy premium feel made from leather in black gives it a classy feel, like you're into something special with this product, even the flap is metal, no plastic here.
Inside you will find a black soft cloth to protect the headphone and its accessories, very luxurious feel, especially when you open the case and you see your headphone sitting nicely in it.
Again, this is the best case I've ever seen out of all headphone that I have or have reviewed.
It is not very practical though, had Sony provided a carrying case that you can store in the big black treasure case as well, than this would be the perfect thing ever.

 
ACCESSORIES
3.5 SE terminated cable (+ adaptor to 1/4 inch)
4.4 balanced terminated cable (new standard, I really like this a lot, but again not the most practical, not yet)
Documentation
A pouch to store you cables or your other accessories
The treasure box itself

 
 
  
The Z1R / BUILD QUALITY
The headphone in a word is gorgeus, no BS here, genuine leather for the pads, metal grill for the earcups, adjustable metal bar with numbers, locking mechanism for the cables for clean look, matte finish for the yoke.
The earpads are hand stitched so it is impossible to have identical pads on each side, mine is ever so slightly softer on the left side, but as far as I can tell the comfort and the sound are unaffected by this slight variation.
Every once in a while some tiny debris coud get stuck on the grill on the earcups, but compressed air can take care of it very quickly, easy 10 seconds work on each cups.
The cable has a locking connector to the headphone, IMO this is not mainly intended for protection, when fully screwed, the headphone looks so clean and elegant in black without any silver or other metallic obstrusive color diverging it from the design goals of which to look supreme and elegant.
The design is excellent and it makes it possible for the headphone to look premium, feels light, durable and clean at the same time, how great is that?
Again, this is the best looking and designed headphone I've ever seen out of all headphone that I have or have reviewed.
 
Fit, Comfort and ease of use
The fit is excellent, it is light and the earpads are soft and big, it is roomy but it's not very deep, some people with ears that sticks out a lot might not like it, the ears could touch the cloth grill inside.
for normal size ears though, there is no problem at all, the headphone is very enjoyable to use for long periods due to its lightness and excellent clamping force with soft earpads with leather that feels nice to the skin.
There are numbers for easy adjustment, making sure left and right is the same and even weight distribution on the head.
If you have a headphone case, this is the perfect headphone to take to work. It is closed back yet airy and has the sound quality to boot, very practical in almost all situation.
Noise Isolation is good(It does leak on very high volume, like super loud volume) but the passive noise cancellation is not the best, however with the music on and playing, all background noise are suppressed very well, leaving you alone with your music without disturbing other people.
 
SOUND ANALYSIS

The Signature
The sound signature is definitely not what you call typical neutral, it definitely has boosted bass and some warm feel to it, with treble/upper treble being laid back but still apparent to complete the music piece.
It is smooth and relaxing yet detailed at the same time, for a closed back it is quite airy too and the soundstage is immense.
I would say that the tuning is to mimic a speaker setup in a well damped rrom instead of open and airy like a live performance.
 
The Bass
The bass sounds big and full, extension is superb and despite it being boosted, it almost never intrudes the mids at all, maybe a couple of times it did, but it could be my imagination.
Honestly the bass on this is probably the defining features.
It sounds studio room like in its presentation, like you're playing your music on a speaker in a closed room.
Details are paramount, there are many details in the bass that I didn't hear in my other cans, possibly due to its excellent technicality but also the tonality.
 
The Mids
The mids is smooth and a bit lush with a little bit of warm on the tone.
Vocals sound full bodied but vibration is still heard very clearly carrying the singers emotion in it.
Guitars sounds awesome on this, the bite is present but never too harsh for me, it is almost like the Z1R is shining the spotlight on this specific instrument.
Many old metal recordings were not mastered very well, on this occasions the guitar can be harsh and shrilling, but with the Z1R it is smooth, extended and present in the mix
Overall Guitars both electric or acoustic, sounds excellent on this.
The mids on this can may not be as detailed as other TOTL open headphone, but it is close, and due to the closed nature, you gat that private feel in it, you hear the sound in the mids right from it starts till it ends, for all those details it extracts, it presents them to you effortlessly without you paying attention to it.
To sum it up, the way this can present its mids is very optimized to its technical ability.
 
The Treble
Treble is smooth but detailed at the same time, this is one of the unusual thing about the Z1R, I definitely notice the treble despite it being laid back and possibly smoothened, could be because of the excellent imaging and separation of this can but I'm liking it even though it sounds a little restrained due to its laidbackness.
It has the same effect as the mids though, for every bit you hear, you hear from beginning till the end but it is not as effortless as the mids.
Extension is great but I think the presentation is tailored for specific purpose, long-term listening pleasure. It is not the most exposing treble and not tuned for in your face details bombardment kinda thing, It extends well but it is in the background.
The treble by no means is good but you can't deny that the mids and bass are the focus of this cans.
I find that the treble plays down on your taste the most, I listen to metal music, so bright treble is often not good for me as my metal recordings are bright and added brightness could be fatiguing, so I like The Z1R.
For classical music listeners though, it could be a different story.
 
Pairings
I tested the Z1R using my desktop set up which is:
Laptop -> Chord Mojo -> Cavalli Liquid Carbon -> Z1R
And also Fiio X5 III that I'm currently reviewing atm.
I find that differnce from pairings on this can is not super apparent, this headphone stays true to it's sound sig no matter what drives it, but I'll try to be as critical as possible.
 
Chord Mojo -> Cavalli Liquid Carbon -> Z1R (SE)
With this setup, I think the warmness of The LC and mojo makes the Z1R even warmer, but still the bass never intrudes the mids, bass hits hard and treble is still detailed but laid back.
Mids are lush, emotional and smooth, love the mids on this combo.
Extension is excellent and the sound sounds full and big.
This definitely more of the flavour that the Z1R already offered, but I don't think it makes the Z1R sounds too warm at all.
Good pairing, but this is desktop(not quite but intended to function like one) amp we're talking about here, only excellent results will suffice as this is supposed to be your best equipment to drive your headphone. 
To nitpick, The Z1R needs a little bit more qunatity in the mids(couple more db) and slight more forward treble to make it even better (positioning not quantity) for my taste. You can definitely do better on other destop amps that are more expensive, neutral amps is best for Z1R IMO, I'm actually thinking of auditioning The Violectric V281 to pair with the Z1R as it is apparently more neutral and dynamic presentation could be an upgrade. 

 
 
FIIO x5 III (SE mode only)
I only had the Fiio for three days so I'm still warming up to it's sound.
Bass is good but not as punchy and dynamic as desktop setup or the mojo alone. mids very slightly more intimate but not as lush. Treble still there and detailed. smaller soundstage compared to the LC.
Excellent pairing considering I'm comparing DAP with desktop set up, but for some reason it does not seem as powerfull as my other setup, the sound is not as impactfull and full in my mind.
I could happily use this Dap to drive the Z1R no problem if I don't have the other gear.

 
 
Chord Mojo
Bass is tighter compared to other 2 setups, dynamic is there too and better than the Fiio, soundstage similar to the Fiio, not as big as with the LC. Treble is not as laid back as the other 2 and details seems more apparent especially compared to the Fiio X5.
Mids is not as lush as The LC and Fiio X5, but maintains excellent body without sounding thin.
It seems to me The Mojo sounds the thinnest(not bad just compared to the others) out of all my combination and provides and excellent change to the theme here, oh and it sounds great too.

 
 
Comparisons
Mr Speakers Ether Flow & Ether C (not C Flow), I will also say which one I like more for each aspects, remember this is only my taste not for everyone.
 
Comfort
About the same, The sony a bit lighter though.
 
Durability
About the same, Ether flow / Ether C a feels bit more flexible and seems easier to replace parts if it breaks.
Looks
Sony all the way, like not even close, for me anyway. It looks so clean and has that everything is in one piece feel. It makes The Ethers look like a joined piece from many parts if you know what I mean.
 
Bass
Compared to Ether C 1.1 and Ether Flow, the Z1R is way darker in it's presentation with plenty of bass yet somehow almost never intrudes the mids. I can say that the bass presention is of a different type from the Ether C, the Ether C was tight and lean with excellent speed and low in quantity and good sub-bass, The Ether Flow has that mid bass hump, speed and is very natural sounding, while The Z1R also has that naturalness on the body, still tight but it has a good amount of emphasis compared to the other two, the speed is not as fast as the Ether C/EF from what I remember, but it is still plenty fast to keep up with the music and it's not a problem at all for most music.
Extension wise, I have to say that The Z1R extends way better than the Ether C and EF, the extension and decay is much more noticeable due to both better technicalities and also extra emphasis, there details in my music that I never notice in the other 2 cans that I do with the Z1R.
winner: MDR-Z1R, I really don't like how thin the Ether C sound and it looks like some work needs to be done to fix that part(EF has the fix, but still Z1R has that extra detail and extension)
 
Mids
All headphone is a bit laidback generally(I'll explaina bit later) on this, the positioning of the vocal is not as forward compared to the bass on Z1R and also the treble on the Ck, while the Ether Flow can sound scooped out at times.
Mids on the C and EF I feel has more details, but The Ether C is thin and unenjoyable for me, The EF has good body but on some recording I notice that it upper mids extension is scooped out, while MDR Z1R is more lush and has a slight warm touch on it.
Extension is quite similar, only that Upper mids part on the EF I'm not so sure of.
When you hear vocal decay on The Z1R, you literally can hear everything from start to end, while I'm not too sure about this with the C and EF.
Both can expose sibilant in the music but moreso on The EF and even more on The Ether C due to its thin bright nature, The Z1R is so smooth in the vocals, sibilance is still there if its there in the recording but the tuning and smoothness definitely helps and it doesn't bother me at all (think the vocals in the CA andromeda, can be sibilant but somehow it's not bothersome at all) but at the expense of minute details I think. The C and EF are going for details so it will expose all those bad qualities straight up to you.
 
winner: I don't know on this one honestly, The C I feel is too thin so I don't like it, but The EF is very good and overall is a bit better than the Z1R despite it sounding scooped out at times.
 
Trebles
just like the bass, the treble on this can is the exact opposite, the Z1R's is toned down a bit, while the Ether C is very upfront on the treble and The EF not as bright as the C still a bit bright.
Details I feel is about the same, The Z1R is weird in that it is dark, but somehow you can still hear all those details in the treble. The treble is definitely less than the mids and especially the bass.
just like everything else, The treble on The C is thin and the decay is very quick, while the Z1R is slower in general but just like the mids, you can hear the decay from start to finish more than the C.
 
winner: depends on your preference, I like the Z1R more, I listen to Metal so brightness is not my thing. For other Music, EF wins, Ether C is again thin and not enjoyable.
 
Soundstage
Between The Ether C and Z1R, I'm not sure on this one since it's been a while and this is the part where the difference is minor, I'd say it's about the same, but The Z1R sounds really wide for a closed headphone. but it's not a stark enough difference to say one is better than the other.
The EF being open is easy winner on this.
 
winner: EF > EC = Z1R
 
Imaging
I've mentioned that the Vocals is a bit laid back on the Z1R, strangely enough, this headphone really portrays the positioning of the percussion and vocals extremely well, some drums sounds so far in the back and the laid back vocals can sound up-front and personal sometimes, it really depends on the mastering, I've never experience such a big change in positioning that can be this extreme in any headphone including the Ether C and the Ether Flow.
 
winner: Z1R for me, as it portrays recording environment more accurateley and precisely than the other two.
 
Summary
This is a great headphone and best in class for it's type, practicality is way better than other TOTL due to it being a closed back.
Despite being closed, soundstage is great, quite airy and crazy precise imaging.
Bass performance is superb but coloured, never intrudes the mids and excellent extension.
Mids are excellent with plenty of details to satisfy, smooth but not overly so and can still expose both details and recording imperfection.
Treble is laid back but details still apparent, if you're a treblehead, this is not for you though.
Value is great here in Australia IMO, but not so in other region.

Z1R gets a 5 star, it is obviously not a perfect headphone, but what is?
Since the day I got it, it stays on my head way more than any other headphone I've owned, there are a few reasons for this, it looks awesome, sounds bloody great, extremely nice storing case and the sheer practicality due to detachable connectors, easy to drive from a DAP and provides isolation to be used in many situations.
 
In this regard, it is unbeatable by other TOTL, you can't really use an open headphone in your workplace, it might disturb someone else unless on really low volume, but then it's not as enjoyable isn't it?
 
It's a complete packaged really and more well rounded across all areas(everything, not only sound) compared to the other competitions.
Despite some shortcomings, this is my favourite headphone to date and this is why I gave it 5 stars.

Hi everyone, Before I start the review, I would like to thank Cayin for making this awesome DAP at an affordable price, and also to @Andykong for organizing the tour.
This review will focus on the sound quality and not so much about other aspects, so I'll make the other sections as brief as possible.
 
INTRODUCTION
I'm an Indonesian working as a Web Developer in Melbourne, Australia.
Other than programming/coding, listening to music is another one of my hobby.
When I start my headphone hobby, music listening has been a very rewarding experience for me and has helped me in many aspects of life other than music enjoyment, although, with the booming price of high end headphones/IEM, etc at the moment, it has become a bit of a heavy hit on my wallet >_<.
Starting from almost 2 years ago I've been really hooked in metal music, and nowadays my everyday music listening always incorporate metal tracks, I guess you can call me a Metalhead but I don't know about that, I also listen to other genres occasionally.

I don't actually listen to all kinds of music, lets say for example Classical, therefore it is important to understand that this review is based on my observation on the kinds of musics I like, and those are mainly:
- Metal (many kinds, mainly the extreme kind, everyday anytime anywhere)
- Rock (mostly Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson, Radiohead or something like it)
- Pop (90s stuff, rarely)
- EDM (Mostly trance and it's sub-genres)
- Jazz (Norah Jones, Diana Krall and the likes)
- Indonesian Song (it's basically the Indonesian version of pop or rock, guitar is used all the time, sounds natural and relaxing, however, mastering of the song is not very good, this is good to test how good a headphone/Iem handle poorly recorded material)
- KPOP
- JPOP and JROCK/Visual Kei, whatever you call it (mostly the older stuff)
 
I used the Cayin I5 for about a week not including transit times everyday at work and at home on weekend, I will also make some comparisons to my Ak Jr DAP.
 
EQUIPMENT USED FOR REVIEW/COMPARISON WITH THE DAP

- Shozy Stardust
- Meze 99 Classic
- MrSpeakers Ether Flow
- Campfire Audio Vega (1 day only, lol not enough time)
- Cavalli Liquid Carbon (Cayin I5 as DAC)
- AK Jr
- Chord Mojo
 
PACKAGING
the box is black with white cover with the picture of the player itself, opening the box you are greated with the player nicely guarded with thick foam at the top and the accessories at the bottom.
 
ACCESSORIES
my unit come with screen protectors, one with information in it explaing the buttons on the player, very nice touch here.
USB c to usb cable
micro usb to usb c adaptor
Thick brown leather case
Coaxial cable
 
The Cayin I5
The Build Quality is very nice, nice paint colouring for the unit with sturdy construction.
It is a little thick, but it has excellent battery life, so i won't complain about this.
Nice screen with good brightness to be used outdoor very easily.
 
 

It has carbon fibre back which is the signature of Cayin products, I personally like this since it looks premium on the device in my opinion.
 
 

At the top of the unit you will find a volume wheel at the top right, with very good resistance to prevent un-intentional change while in your pocket. Other than that we have a 3.5mm headphine jack and line out jack.
 
 

At the bottom is the USB C port for charging and data transfer duties.
 
 

On the right, You will find 1 Micro Sd slot, play/pause button, previous and next button.
 
 

On the left is the power button.
All buttons in the unit has good tactile feel and does not feel flimsy at all.
The player itself is very responsive to touch, easy to use with snappy operations.
 
UI & FEATURES
At the home screen, you will find User, music, playlist(list) and search button at the top and just underneath that your navigation mode.
There are 5 Navigation modes available:
- Folder
- Artist
- Album
- Genre
- Tracks

 
For Artist, Album, Genre, Tracks to work, you need to scan your library first.
I'm a big fan of Folder navigation since I like to group all my musics in folders based on my preference, so It is very good that Cayin has included this feature.
You can then access you on-board memory or to your sdcard to play your music, there are also Dropbox, Lan and USB flash drive features however I don't usse them at all so I can't comment on their functionality.
 

If you swipe to the right, you have quick access to your user menu wherever you are in the player, in there you have:
- Third party app (Thanks to android, you install your own in it)
- Music Scan
- Equalizer (not a fan but usefull)
- Sleep Time (usefull to save battery life)
- Music Setting (to set gain, filter, SPDIF out mode, gapless playback, etc)

- About
 
 
Sound Quality
The Signatures
The Cayin I5 has a warm musical signature with smooth highs and forward mids. 
It works very well with modern music and my favourite genre (Metal), The bass although quite a bit north of neutral never intrude the mids at all.
The treble is laid back and smooth, sometimes too laid back in some tracks but it is fine most of the time and provides a fatigue-free listening experience.
 
The Bass
The Bass is big and hits hard with excellent dynamics, extension is very good but it is not the tightest bass I've heard, it has a little bloom in it but this bloom actually works very well and the bass sounds grand and satisfying to the ears.
Despite being a little thick due to the very slight bloom, speed is maintained and has distinction between each drum hits.
This is demonstrated very well in many Death Metal tracks especially in Brutal/Technical Death metal, double blast beat hits strong and fast with excellent rumble and distinction on each hits.
On EDM tracks, the bass extension down to the sub-bass is well extended and does a very good job to provide a very enjoyable experience.
I'm not a basshead but I feel that basshead will enjoy this DAP a lot due to it's excellent bass performance.
 
The Mids
The mids is smooth and is on the intimate side. Clarity of the mids is very good without any sibilance and just flows naturally with the music seamlessly.
Like the bass, the mids are a little thick and lush. 
Screaming and growling vocals in metal track are intimate and smooth (I know right, it is harsh vocals but it's smooth as well, lol). The intimacy adds to the emotion and feel of the tracks, amplifying the rage and anguish of the song without sounding veiled in any way.
On Jazz Tracks like Norah Jones, the lushness of the DAP helps in this regard, you can feel the slight warm and raspness in her voice when she sing the lyrics and all the details of her vocals shine trough very well.
Electric Guitar sounds very smooth while maintaining the edges and bites it needs to bring its rawness out without sounding harsh and artificial.
 
The Treble
The treble is again, smooth and fatigue free, it still has some spark in it but it is not a bright DAP.
Details are there although it is a bit hard to spot this due to the excellent bass and mids being more forward by a good margin compared to it.
This brings up a point to be asked about this DAP:
"Is the treble too laid back?"
For me, maybe? 
It is true that in some of my metal tracks I have found that some cymbal hits is a bit far back in the background and you will most likely miss it if you don't listen carefully. 
In most songs, it is still laid back however, can still be heard easily albeit still being overshadowed by the bass and mids.
Overall the treble performance is good, however the placement could be a little too laid back for me, whether you like it or not depends on your preference though, some people is really sensitive to treble.
Other point to consider is that the details on treble will usually get drawn out while using it on the go, even if cayin decides to make the I5 brighter and provides more details up top, it is still hard to hear eveything in a noisy transport. 
The Soundstage, Imaging and separations
The soundstage presentation is not very large but it is quite good, imaging is accurate and all the instruments are separated nicely and there is no congestion in the sound.
 
Pairing
 
Shozy Stardust earbud (hi-end earbud)

The tonality of the cayin blends nicely with the stardust signature, the bass hits hard and the mids are lush and very musical sounding, treble is smooth and not fatigueing, more laid back, relax listening experience, then using AK Jr.
Sub-bass is still rolled off due to the nature of earbud since there is no seal to get a good sub-bass.
Details in the treble still pops out here and there and is laid back so the mids being more prominent could potentially take your attention away from it, it is there if you listen to it though.
 
Mr Speakers Ether Flow

I'm impressed with the power that Cayin I5 provides to power ths planar, I didn't expect the unit to be powerfull enough to drive hi-end planars this well.
Bass gets more boost with some more meat in it and brought forward a little bit, while still being tight with nice dynamics, the snap is there and still maintain the speed even on a blastbeat drum attack with death metal tracks.
Mids is push Forward a bit and has longer decays, the pairing provides some more lushness to the mids providing a more intimate experience(the mids is usually a little bit laid back on the ether flow), details are still there.
Treble gets toned down a bit while still having some edges and sparkles when needed, overall good treble, but the mids and bass get my attention most of the time.
Compared to my usual setup, this pairing is good and would be happy to use the i5 in a pinch, although my usual set up (Mojo -> Liquid Carbon -> Ether Flow) still beats it handily(and it should).
 
Meze 99 Classics

Best pairing of the bunch IMO, very enjoyable experience.
Bass hits hard and deep with excellent extension, the quantity is definitely north of neutral by a decent amount(combination warm headphone + warm DAP), however it does not disrupt the mids at all. Very meaty and maintains good speed for metal tracks, works very well for metal and EDM.
The bass sounds big and grand and fills up the space just like listening to music in a hall but without the resonance.
Mids is again got pushed forward more and is more of an intimate experience, vocal is lush and decay is a tad longer than my usual combo (AK Jr -> meze 99), however it is very musical and engaging, the edges in screaming and growling vocals is smoothened a bit by the longer decay, but there are still plenty of details to satisfy.
Treble is smooth and laid back, cymbal hits is usually heard at the background behind the bass and mids, it never gets fatigueing (I actually feel that the bass dynamic attack is more fatigueing than the treble in the long run).
I've concluded that in this pairing the treble is a bit too far in the background, despite that I still get the most enjoyable experience out of all the cans when using the DAP alone, still the best pairing.
 
Campfire Audio Vega

I only have 1 day to use the Cayin I5 -> CA Vega and I'm not sure if the vega that I receive has been burned in or not (I think it's brand new unit as it did sound better later on on my other set-up),so I can't comment much on it. 
Based on my first impressions on it, in my opinion, it is not the best pairing, the Vega already has a north of neutral bass that sounds big in the soundstage(Confirmed this using the AK Jr and Mojo), when you combo this with the Cayin I5 that has similar properties, what you get is super big north of neutral bass that feels a little overblown.
Basshead may love this but I'm not a basshead so this is too much bass for me.
 
As DAC

When used as DAC with my Liquid Crabon with Balanced Output to MrSpeakers Ether Flow, I found that the line out functionality of the Cayin I5 still work quite well, however I need to turn the volume knob past 12 o'clock to get decent volume on my flow.
Again the most noticeable effect of this pairing is to the treble, The treble becomes more laid back compared to my ususal mojo->LC set up, this is good for me as the Ether Flow is a tad bright and this can help a bit.
With this set-up I don't have any concern for the treble to be too laid back on some songs. when using the Lc as Amp, the treble is not being toned down as much as using the Cayin alone.
This got me thinking that most likely the amp section of The cayin is the main part that is responsible to that laid-back smooth treble signature.
Onto the sound quality, It is quite good!
The bass still hits hard and have excellent extension, with very good speed.
The mids is still forwarded and smooth with good details on it.
The treble is not as laid aback as when using it alone, which is good. smooth treble without sibilance and fatigue free.
The Soundstage is the biggest improvement, it is simply bigger with better image and separation.
Overall I'd say it is quite good to be used as DAC but there are better options, it does not sound as full and dynamics compared to my mojo when used as DAC, details also come out more on the mojo -> LC combo, so given the choice I will always use the mojo for my DAC on the LC.
 
Comparisons
 
AK Jr

The Cayin beats the AK Jr very easily in my opinion. 
The I5's bass has better dynamics and sounds bigger with better extension and clarity, the AK Jr has more neutral bass though.
The I5 has lusher mids that is smooth and emotional, the AK Jr is not as lush and as the i5 but has quicker decays with dryer sounding vocals.
The treble on the I5 is more laid back and smooth, the AK Jr's treble is not as laid back but despite that details does not seem apparent and not as smooth.
Soundstage is about the same, but due to the intimate signature of the Cayin, the Ak Jr sounds a little bigger.
 
Chord Mojo

Not a DAP, but why not..
Mojo's Bass is tight, accurate and still musical but not as much in quantity compared to the Cayin I5 bloomier bass. 
Mojo's mids expose more details and is only a little bit lush, It is smooth and not as intimate compared to the i5, the I5 goes musical all the way providing Lush intimate smooth mids but not as detailed.
Mojo's treble is not as laid back and again is more detailed compared to the Cayin I5's laid back treble, both offers smooth treble and is not the thin analytical type.
When used as a DAC, the mojo is a better choice due to better implemented line-out sounding fuller, dynamic and detailed with the Liquid Carbon.
 
Summary
In Australia, I can buy this DAP for 599 in DWI, the original retail price is 699 AUD here, and for that amount of money, the Cayin I5 definitely punch above it's weight with excellent performance in the bass and mids.
The pairing needs some consideration as Bassy IEM will not fair well with this DAP due to it's Bass characteristics.
For some who has the meze99 Classic and is looking for a DAP, this is the best pairing I've heard.
It performs well when used as a DAC to desktop AMP, but there are better alternatives for that use case.
Battery life is excellent, but charging time is slow.

Hi everyone, Before I start the review, I would like to thank Sennheiser for making this awesome headphone, and also to @whitelotus for letting me in the tour.
Sorry for the photo quality, I'm still using iphone 4 and my photo taking skills are quite poor T_T
 
INTRODUCTION
I'm an Indonesian working as a Web Developer in Melbourne, Australia.
Other than programming/coding, listening to music is another one of my hobby.
When I start my headphone hobby, music listening has been a very rewarding experience for me and has helped me in many aspects of life other than music enjoyment, although, with the booming price of high end headphones/IEM atm, it has become a bit of a heavy hit on my wallet >_<.
 
Starting from almost 2 years ago I've been really hooked by metal music, and nowadays my everyday music listening always incorporate metal tracks, I guess you can call me a Metalhead, I also listen to other genres occasionally.
 
I don't actually listen to all kinds of music, lets say for example Classical, therefore it is important to understand that this review is based on my observation on the kinds of musics I like, and those are mainly:
- Metal (many kinds, mainly the extreme kind)
- Rock (mostly Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson, Radiohead or something like it)
- Pop (90s stuff)
- EDM (Mostly trance)
- Jazz (Norah Jones, Diana Krall and the likes)
- Indonesian Song (it's basically the Indonesian version of pop, guitar used is mostly acoustic guitar, sounds natural and relaxing however, mastering of the song is usually poor, this is good to test how good a headphone/Iem handle poorly recorded material)
- KPOP
- JPOP and JROCK/ Visual Kei, whatever
 
I used the HD800S for 7 days not including transit times everyday at work and at home on weekend, I will also make some comparisons to Mrspeakers Ether Flow which has been my daily driver for about a month now, and maybe to the old HD800 to a certain extent(I auditioned this a lot of times but never come to like it).
 
PACKAGING
The box came in a classic sennheiser style slip on cover, and underneath the cover you will find a box containing the headphone, 1/4 inch single ended cable and also the balance cable.
The box is very nice and can be used as a presentation case other than for storing the headphone of course.

 

 
ACCESSORIES
In the box/presentation case, you will find:
HD800S headphone
1/4 Single ended Cable
4 pin XLR balanced cable (not included in hd800 purchese but it is there for the 800S, the price jump cover the cable as well)
pouch to store cable
 
 

 
 headphone and 2 cables
 
 the dreaded proprietary connectors
 
 
The HD800S
The headphone itself is not much different from the HD800, the only difference here is the color, instead of all silver finish, we got a matte black/silver combo for the coloring.
Another difference is in the driver assembly, where you can find a little donut shaped rubbery thing covering the center hole.
Many have believed that this hole is the culprit of the treble spike which is a really famous problem of the old hd800, this modification is supposed to fix that problem, and I think it does.
 
 the black finishing
 

 
 
BUILD QUALITY
The Build Quality is good, with an excellent choice of materials for the earpads and headband. The earpads is very comfortable to the skin and is not hot however it is a dust magnet.
The Headphone itself is made from plastic I believe with some Aluminum kind of mesh covering the headphone for styling and providing more protection.
It has a matte black finish for the ribs and this is the downfall of the build in my opinion, The unit that I receive for review has a few scratch on the finish and you can see it quite easily, it seems like the paint is prone to scratch and won't last well if not protected.
Cable quality is also very good with good length and not microphonic.
The headphone is very light due to its excellent design and material choice and is very comfortable.
To summarize, the design is superb considering that they came up with it about 7 years ago, but the durability is a bit of a concern  
 
  Some dinks on the finishing on the top side of the ring
 
 Look at the dust and all those foreign particles on it!
 
 
Fit, Comfort and ease of use
The fit and comfort of the HD800S is superb and dare I say that it is the most comfortable headphone I've worn, Sennheiser used this special kinds of synthetic foam for the headband and also the earpads, It feels good in the skin and never gets hot at all.
I find wearing the HD800s for hours an easy task, it is light and comfortable with just the right clamping force, no comfort issues occur after a long listening session.
Sennheiser really did an excellent job designing this headphone, the shape of the headphone when worn on the head provides even pressure and basically just conforms to your head.
I believe the key thing to this is the headband hinge design, you will find wearing this headphone comfortable even after hours of listening session.

 
 
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
My first impression of The HD800S was excellent, I believe that the modification made to the driver tame that treble problem on the old HD800, Soundstage is noticably large compared to all full size open that I have ever used except for the old HD800, this is definitely the largest and is as close as it can be to the "out of the head experience" right now.
Comfort is also really good with ample openings for the ears, my ears never touch the pads and stays cool most of the time.
Bass is more than the HD800 but I still want more, some metal recording feels a little weird at first because of this.
The rumble of the sub-bass is also missing for this type of music.
 
SOUND ANALYSIS
 
The Signature
The sound signature in my opinion leans to the analytical side, bass is there and it is tight albeit a little anemic, mids is very realistic and natural sounding, Treble is detailed and airy.
 
If I have to compare the quantity of the signature, it will be like this: Treble > Mid > bass
 
the signature itself works very well with acoustic instrument, Porcupine tree sounds really clear and airy.
I find that it works very well for Jazz, Rock and classical music.
For modern musics though, this will not work well due to the bass being on the lean side.
 
The tonality of this headphone is not tuned to play well for all genres of music, however with the right music, it sounds excellent.
 
The Bass
The bass is tight with good extension, it is very fast but a little anemic, when I listen to "Forget Not" by Ne Obliviscaris, there is this part where the drum hits gets super fast, it will usually sound less distinct with other headphones and IEM, but The HD800s handle this with ease, every hit can be heard and distinguished easily.
It has the common mid-bass bump that Dynamic Driver often has, but the hits is really snappy and satisfying, so I don't mind this at all.
Sub-bass is a bit too rolled off due to open design, it is okay but, don't expect this to work nicely for rap and EDM.
It has a fast decay on the beat, however because of this it can sound thin at times depending on your music and needs a little more body for added musicality, but overall it is good.
 
The Mids
The mids is very clean with insane amount of clarity, very natural and detailed.
You can listen to many variety of vocal with this and it can only be great.
As a metal-head, I often listen to song where the singer use scream and growl for their vocals, this can be harsh on bright headphone sometimes, but I find it is fine and detailed on HD800S and is enjoyable.
I can hear a little sibillance here and there, I'm not sure if it is in the recording or not, but this a pretty detailed and analytical headphone we are talking about here, It will expose everything in the recording to you whether you like it or not.
 
I found both male and female vocals is being represented very well and there is no distinction where male vocals will sound better or vice versa.
Vocals sound very natural as if the person is right there singing for you, on top of that all the detailing of lip smacking, drawing breath, etc makes the whole experience even better!
 
Guitars sounds really good on this, the bite is present but never too harsh for me.
Many old metal recordings were not mastered very well, on this occasions the guitar can be harsh and shrilling, but with good recordings, the details just come out and it sounds really good and inviting, like you wanna hear everything in the recordings.
Overall Guitars both electric or acoustic, sounds excellent on this.
 
I really like the mid on The HD800s, especially due to its ability to portray vocals so clearly and naturally.
 
The Treble
Treble is very clean, and analytical. It is present in the music and is very airy.
It is sparkly but not to a fault like the HD800 where it can get too strident for my taste. It has an excellent extension exposing all the details as much as possible to the listener.
It sounds lively and energising, providing the engagement factor on each track that I played. 
Violin and guitar solos sounds good on this (again with good source), especially on progressive rock, the sound will get your attention to it straight away.
 
The Soundstage, Imaging and separations
The soundstage on this is the best in class, I've never heard a headphone with bigger soundstage than the HD800 and HD800S.
It truly is an experience to be had if you are a headphone enthusiast like me, It is super spacious and never get congested at all, like at all!!
Imaging is excellent with pin-point accuracy for each instrument placement, you can single out all the instrument very easily.
 
If you are a soundstage addict, this is the headphone to buy.
 
Pairing
I only test the HD800s using my destop set up which is:
Laptop -> Chord Mojo -> Cavalli Liquid Carbon -> HD800S
With this set up, I thinkthe warmness of The LC and mojo helps the bass a bit and add some body to the HD800S, The LC has a little bit of a laid back treble, and this is probably why I find the HD800S to be enjoyable for metal, as the synergy is very good and helps a lot in this scenario.
I strongly recommend warm source for the HD800S to make up for it's shortcomings (lean bass and sometimes too analytical, needs more musicality).
 
Comparisons
Mr Speakers Ether Flow

 

Comfort
About the same, for me The HD800S is a little more comfortable for me due to the bigger ear openings but pads is so cushy on the flow, it may vary from person to person.
 
Durability
Ether flow is just more robust IMO, with very flexible headband and better cosmetic finish IMO, but The HD800S is no slouch either.
 
Bass
Bass is more prominent with the flow with better sub-bass extension and excellent body to it while still being tight, HD800S is just a little too lean for my taste.
Both shows no sign of bass bleed into the mid to my ears and are very fast, they keep up easily to super fast blast-beat drum attack.
Dynamic are excellent, both has good dynamics however the mid-bass hits is snappier on The HD800S,  on The Flow, the sub bass rumble can be heard more and each attack is more meaty.
 
Mids
The Ether flow is a little U shaped in its signature, while the HD800S is more neutral along the treble.
I feel that the clarity is about the same however due to that signature on the Flow, I feel that the HD800S is a little clearer, could be because of the signature and lean bass of The HD800S .
Both sounds natural to me however the Flow's mids is lusher than the HD800S.
Details are very good for both, but I still give the nod to the HD800S as it is still more detailed to my ears but it can expose the weaknesses of the recording while the Flow is smoother and more forgiving between the two.
Sibilance is more exposed on the HD800S.
The Ether flow has more body to it's vocal and can be more emotional and musical while The HD800S is a little analytical and not as musical exposing details.
 
Treble
The Ether Flow's treble I feel is quite bright but not as harsh as the HD800S, HD800S is more detailed but can be harsh on some occasions.
Clarity is about the same, both are really clean and clear, But I think the Ether flow can sound more splashy at times.
The Ether flow has more spark than the the HD800S to my ears, but both are sparkly.
 
Soundstage
HD800S is just better in any way, It is wider, deeper and taller. The Ether Flow has good soundstage too, but nowhere as big as the HD800S, however this can provide a more intimate presentation if it is your thing.
 
Imaging
About the same, both are really accurate on it's placing, although I have to say that I think The Ether flow sounds more diffused than the HD800S.
 
Summary
The HD800S is a headphone design and tuned specifically on a certain goal. This is not the headphone to Use if you listen to Rap, Hip Hop and EDM, where bass performance is really important.
The main selling point of this headphone is it's ability to portray sound naturally and it's huge soundstage, the biggest I know.
This is an excellent headphone to buy if you are a soundstage fanatic and is always hungry for details.
 
Pricing is Okay for me, even though it is expensive, it kept up with pricier competition very well, with great comfort.
You also get 2 cables (Single Ended and Balanced), although I prefer to be able to chose which I want and save more money.

Hi everyone, Before I start the review, I would like to thank Campfire Audio for making this awesome IEM, and also to d marc0 for inviting me in the tour.
 
NOTES
 
The aesthetic and design is almost the same as the Orion apart from the color on the housing and the cable, since that is the case, the "Fit, Comfort and ease of use" & "BUILD QUALITY" is almost the same as in my Orion, Jupiter review but not entirely. If you have read that one, you can skip through to the "Sound Analysis" section.
 
INTRODUCTION
I'm an Indonesian working as a Web Developer in Melbourne, Australia.
Other than programming/coding, listening to music is another one of my hobby.
When I start my headphone hobby, music listening has been a very rewarding experience for me and has helped me in many aspects of life other than music enjoyment of course, although with the booming price of high end headphones/IEM, it has become a bit of a heavy hit on my wallet >_<.
 
Starting from almost 2 years ago I've been really hooked by metal music, and nowadays my everyday music listening always incorporate metal tracks, I guess you can call me a Metal-head, although I also listen to other genres occasionally.
 
I don't actually listen to all kinds of music, lets say for example Classical, therefore it is important to understand that this review is based on my observation on the kinds of musics I like, and those are mainly:
- Metal (many kinds)
- Pop
- EDM
- Jazz
- Indonesian Song (it's basically the Indonesian version of pop, guitar used is mostly acoustic guitar, sounds natural and relaxing however, mastering of the song is usually poor, this is good to test how good a headphone/Iem handle poorly recorded material)
- KPOP
 
I used the Andromeda for all my music listening everyday for 2 weeks using the AK Jr mainly for maximum portability on the go and Chord Mojo at work.
 
Packaging
 

The box is made from some kind of carton with an out of space theme, it goes very well with the IEM name, there is also a paper sticker printed with the logo, name of the IEM and a very brief description of what the IEM is.
 
Accessories

 
 
 
 
Inside the paper box we have:
- A hard Sided carrying case with a brown leather with a soft fluffy kinda material on the inside to protect the iem.
- The IEM itself, with the cable attached on it (most likely 1.2m in length, silvery color).
- cable management strap (2 of them in whitecolor).
- multiple types of tips with size option (small, medium, large)
- documentations
- cleaning tool
 
The Andromeda

 

It has five balanced armature drivers(2 lows, 1 mids, 2 highs) and tubeless resonator in a machined aluminum enclosure with 3 bore design(1 for each frequencies I presume) and removeable cable.​

 

The Cable​

 
The cable on the Andromeda is different from the one included in the Jupiter and Orion when I review them.
They are all silver, but the one for Andromeda is thicker and less prone to tangling.
After  a little bit of research, I found out that the cable in question is called Litz cable.
https://www.campfireaudio.com/shop/litz-cable/
 
I'm no cable expert, but looks like the quality cable has some impact to the sound as the IEM sosunds excellent!
 
Fit, Comfort and ease of use
 
I've always have issues with fits as my ear canal has a significant differences in size. This makes it hard to find a good tips that will sound nice, consistent and comfortable on my ears however, with the inclusion of the comply foam tips in the box, the fit is becoming less of a problem as the foam tips helps a lot with the fit(a very thoughtful inclusion).
 
The iem itself has and edgy design however this does not bother me much, when positioned carefully, my ear feel perfectly find after hours of use.
Do take in mid that in order to ensure the comfort, you need to position the shell carefully, if you feel that the edge is touching you ears in anyway, just carefully reposition it so that it sits nicely on your ear.
Do not push the shell inside to much that it touches the inside of your ear, this will cause discomfort later on.
 
The Isolation is good, I used it a couple of times in the train and at work, it blocks most of the noise just fine.
 
BUILD QUALITY
The build Quality on The Andromeda is excellent, it has a more classier looks then some of the 1000 dollar IEM out there.
The housing looks nice with the metallic green finish and I feel comfortable with the protection it provides.
 
The unit itself has some weight to it, I can actually feel the weight on my hand when I hold onto it although once you put in the iem and play some music I doubt you will be bothered by the weight, considering the weight most likely comes from the iem housing made using a CNC aluminum housing. 
I feel perfectly happy with the weight, considering that aluminum just looks so much better than plastic in terms of look, it doesn't feel cheap, like many other more expensive IEM that use plastic, I think the use of aluminum is a step in the right direction providing more protection and classier looks.
 
The cable has an angled ends which adds to the longevity of the cable, I also like the fact that it has a detachable cable, I didn't try to detach it, but this will be a very good safety insurance for some people, as it can be replaced easily if something happens to it, and it will detach when a lot of pressure is applied to the cable.
 
The positioning of the Y split is perfect for me, not too high not too low. Other than that for people who likes to invest on some high quality cables and wants to change the microphonic cables this will be a very welcoming addition.
This is an over ear type IEM, therefore, it provides better ergonomics than cable down style.
 
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
My first impressions with the IEMs are very positives. At first I feel that this IEM has a forward presentation in the mids and upper mids/lower treble.
I am used to a more laidback presentation of my Mr Speakers Ether which is still a bit intimate but nowhere as intimate as the Andromeda, and becuase of that I felt that the Andromeda is a little on the bright side, but with more listening times, my ear adapts to the sound a bit and my opinion change quite a bit.
 
SOUND ANALYSIS
 
The Signature
In my opinion the sound signature of The Andromeda is quite neutral with forward little emphasized mids, more than the bass and treble, it is by no means a mid focused, the bass is very present in the mix followed by the treble.
 
If I have to compare the quantity of the signature, it will be like this: mids > bass > treble
Although the difference is not big and can still be said neutral in a lot of ways.
 
the signature itself works very well with all genres of music, including metal, my favourite genre.
If you listen to modern musics though, this will be perfect in my opinion as long as you are not a big basshead. 
 
I give the tonality of this IEM a perfect 10/10 since it just works and sounds good on everything I throw at it.
 
The Bass
The bass sound's tight and deep with good quantity and it is very fast, when I listen to "Forget Not" by Ne Obliviscaris, there is this part where the drum hits gets super fast, it will usually sound less distinct with other headphones and IEM, but The Andromeda handle this with ease, every hit can be heard and distinguished easily and on top of that it is punchy.
It has a fast decay and very good dynamics, the drum works in the track mentioned above was transcended to another level when I hear it with the andromeda.
despite the fast decay and tight bass, the bass doesn't feel thin or anemic at all, in fact it sounds very natural and satisfying. 
 
When listening to EDMs or raps, the beat sounds super deep and punch with the excellent dynamic adding to the enjoyment, the switch between the silent phase to the bass shows a significant jumps of volume in a very short time, giving you the surprise factor and attack that you crave for from the tracks.
 
The Mids
The mids is lush, a little forward, very natural and detailed.
You can listen to many variety of vocal with this and it can only be great.
As a metal-head, I often listen to song where the singer use scream and growl for their vocals, it sounds really good with Andromeda and never harsh.
If you listen to Rap, the clarity will make it easier for you to listen to the lyrics.
If you listen to ballad or Jazz, the lushness will melt your mind away as it the sound has this emotional feel to it. (Norah Jones sounds so good on this)
If you listen to Justin Bieber, ummm, I don't know, I don't really listen to that kind of music, but other modern music like Ariana Grande sounds excellent.
 
I found both male and female vocals is being represented very well by The Andromeda and there is no distinction where male vocals will sound better or vice versa.
 
Guitars sounds simply superb on this, the bite is present but never harsh
You can listen to many old metal recordings where the guitar can sound sharp and harsh, but it will come out fine with this, I'm not saying it will sound excellent or anything since the recording itself is bad, but it will not sound harsh at all.
On a good recording though, the guitar has a very natural tone to it but still has the bite that we all like.
Overall Guitars both electric or acoustic, sounds excellent on this.
 
 
The Treble
Treble is very clean, smooth and present in the music with good air, it is very easy to notice the cymbal hits in metal or rock recordings, It is smooth and sparkly but not to a fault and has an excellent extension.
It sounds lively and energising, providing the engagement factor on each track that I played. 
Violin and guitar solos sounds awesome on this and it never gets sharp and harsh or fatiguing, the sound is really smooth and it really catch your attention to it.
 
The Soundstage, Imaging and separations
The soundstage on this is insane, In my opinion this is the best part of the Andromeda, I can confidently say that the soundstage is the widest of all IEMs I've heard to date Including many TOTL that I demoed sometime in the past(including K10U, Jh, etc). I can feel it right away the first time I put it on, It is that good!
 
As a metal-head, most often IEM will not work nicely for me, this is because, metal music is dense and require good soundstage to avoid congestions where every sound seems super close to each other, good imaging to pinpoint the instrument and good separation so that 1 instrument will not cover the other instruments, this IEM definitely has it. and because of this it works very well for metal. 
 
Everything just sounds distinct and I can pinpoint the instrument location very easily, the soundstage combined with the exceptional clarity makes this IEM sounds very clean and articulate without being thin.
This IEM is so good at this that if you are looking for an excellent soundstage in an IEM, this is the best that I can recommend.
 
Pairing
AK Jr

Naked Ak jr
 
The pairing is excellent, the emphasized bass in the AK Jr added more bottom end meat to the Andromeda, giving you a bassier presentation but not overly so, mids is still lush and detailed, with good treble presentation.
The AK Jr also has a very good soundstage further complimenting the strength of the andromeda.
Power consumption of the Andromeda is quite low on the AK Jr, it last almost 2 days at work without charging.
Very good sound, with ok battery and super slim and portable set up.
Easily pocketable, unlike other DAP where I found that it is just too thick and expensive.
easy and quick to use on many situation (on the bed, etc)
If you can put up with the slow UI, I highly recommend this paring if you want more bass on your Andromeda.
 

 
With green uniform on, because green is good!!
 
Chord Mojo

 
 
Again, the pairing is excellent, the mojo is also a warm source, although the bass boost is not as much as the AK, adding some bass to the Andromeda.
the bass is a little less in quantity than the AK but is more extended (this is a trade off, I take the AK pairing for bass though, draw for me)
the mids is still lush and full with slightly more detail and clarity than the AK but still noticeable improvements. (Mojo wins)
the treble is smoother and more articulate than the AK Jr, this is the biggest improvement over the AK (Mojo wins)
soundstage is about the same maybe a bit less than the ak, but better imaging and separation (Mojo wins Again)
Less portable and harder to use than the Ak Jr (AK Wins)
takes longer to set up, needs a computer or phone (AK Wins)
more cable management, not good if you have to move around (AK Wins)
 
The difference in quality of AK Jr combo and Mojo combo is noticebale but does not really gravitate me to use one more than the others, I'll just whatever the situation calls, this tells me that Andromeda is quite flexible with source pairing and will sound good on many sources as long as the source does not stray away too much from neutrality.
 
Comparisons with Jupiter
It has been a while since I heard the Jupiter so my audio memory of its sonic capabilities is not dependable, I think the main deciding factor is the signature, where jupiter is a slight U-shaped.
but speaking of performance, technicalities and my own personal taste, I will always pick the Andromeda, the price difference is not huge and it is definitely worth the extra cost.
In my opinion the performance jump is big considering the small price difference, I certainly didn't get wowed this much when I review the Jupiter, The Andromeda is just better right from the get-go and will always be my first choice IMO
 
SUMMARY
This is a great IEM with a great tonality and insane soundstage that will suit many genres, sound quality is excellent with excellent detail retrieval without sounding analytical.
the only cons for this IEM is the edge design that can be a pain sometimes, thus requiring carefull positioning of the shell when wearing it.
 
Providing a custom options will solve this problem perfectly and will increase the comfort and sound isolation. In my opinion this is a must do as this IEM definitely punch above its price range and can compete with other TOTL IEM with ease.
 
I want to give a thumbs up to Campfire Audio for putting up this awesome IEM in such an affordable price that punch above its weight.

Hi everyone, Before I start the review, I would like to thank Campfire Audio for making this awesome IEM, and also to d marc0 for inviting me in the tour.
 
NOTES
 
The aesthetic and design is almost the same as the Orion apart from the color on the housing, since that is the case, the "Fit, Comfort and ease of use" & "BUILD QUALITY" is the same as in my Orion review, so if you have read that one, you can skip through to the "Sound Quality" section.
 
INTRODUCTION
I'm an Indonesian working as a Web Developer in Melbourne, Australia.
Other than programming/coding, listening to music is another one of my hobby, when I start my headphone hobby, music listening has been a very rewarding experience for me, although a bit pricey on my wallet >_<.
Starting from about a year ago I've been really hooked by metal music, and nowadays my everyday music listening always incorporate metal tracks although I also listen to other genres.
 
I don't actually listen to all kinds of music, lets say for example Classical, therefore it is important to understand that this review of the Jupiter is based on my observation on the kinds of musics I like, and those are mainly:
- Metal
- Pop
- EDM
- Jazz
- Indonesian Song (it's basically the Indonesian version of pop, guitar used is mostly acoustic guitar, sounds natural and relaxing however, mastering of the song is usually poor, this is good to test how good a headphone/Iem handle poorly recorded material)
 
I used the Jupiter for all my music listening everyday for 10 days using the chord mojo in almost everything I do (I tried it out using iphone 4 too!), and for this period I feel very satisfied with it's performance The performance and clarity is excellent and I think the sound signature is perfect for metal or rock.
 
Packaging and Accessories
The box is made from some kind of carton with an out of space theme kinda thing for the coloring, goes a long very well with the IEM name, there is also a paper sticker printed with the logo, name of the IEM and a very brief description of what the IEM is. the sticker also acts as a seal to the paper box.
Inside the paper box we have:
- A hard Sided carrying case with a light brown leather material with a soft fluffy kinda material on the inside to protect the iem.
- The iem itself, with the cable attached on it (most likely 1.2m in length, silvery color).
- an extra cable
- some kind of cable management strap thingy(2 of them in black color).
- multiple types of tips with size option (small, medium, large)
- documentations
- cleaning tool
 
Fit, Comfort and ease of use
I've always have issues with fits as my ear canal has a significant differences in size. This makes it hard to find a good tips that will sound nice, consistent and comfortable on my ears however, with the inclusion of the comply foam tips in the box, the fit is becoming less of a problem as the foam tips helps a lot with the fit(a very thoughtful inclusion).
 
The iem itself has and edgy design however this does not bother me, My Ear feel perfectly find after hours of use.

The unit itself has some weight to it, I can actually feel the weight on my hand when I hold onto it although once you put in the iem and play some music I doubt you will be bothered by the weight, considering the weight most likely comes from the iem housing made using a CNC aluminum housing, I feel perfectly happy with the weight, also aluminum just looks so much better than plastic in terms of look, I had a few of my friends say that the IEM looks nice on the ears and doesn't feel cheap, many other more expensive IEM use plastic, I think the use of aluminum is a step in the right direction providing more protection and classier looks.
 
The cable though is not very satisfactory for me, it has a nice looks on it and not bulky, but it is microphonic and tangled easily, Imagine the hassle that you have to do this everytime you take it out from the case.
 
The Isolation is superb, I used it a couple of times in the train and it blocks most of the noise just fine.
 
BUILD QUALITY
The build Quality on The Jupiter is excellent, it has a more classier looks then some of the 1000 dollar IEM out there.
The housing looks nice with the gold finish and I feel comfortable with the protection it provides.
 
The cable has an angled ends which adds to the longevity of the cable, I also like the fact that it has a detachable cable, I didn't try to detach it, but this will be a very good safety insurance for some people, as it can be replaced easily if something happens to it, and it will detach when a lot of pressure is applied to the cable.
 
The positioning of the Y split is perfect for me, not too high not too low. Other than that for people who likes to invest on some high quality cables and wants to change the microphonic cables this will be a very welcoming addition.
This is an over ear type IEM, therefore provides better ergonomics than cable down style.
 
SOUND QUALITY
The Signature
In my opinion the sound signature of The Jupiter is a u shaped tuning, expect this to has a lot of high quality bass and well extended treble.

The mids is not exactly recess however, I can't deny that most of the time the bass and treble gives a more immediate presentation than the mids.

I Feel that it has a smoothing feature at the upper mids, reducing the attacks of percusionist instrument but this will help with listening fatigue in a longer listening session.
 
Other important Aspects
For me the amount of bass is plenty since I'm not exactly a basshead, however it is never overpowering or bleeds into the mids, very nicely implemented extended punchy bass, I never tried the SE846, but from all the IEM I have tried The Jupiter probably has the punchiest bass , the treble is very extended and hasa  slight hint of airiness to it, it is sparkly, energetic and engaging yet at the same time smooth and very well extended.
 
mids is very well done, a little recessed but it blends together with the bass and treble.
Soundstage is larger than the Orion, Instrument separation and imaging is also improved.
 
The Bass
The bass sound's tight and there is lots of it in my opinion (not a basshead). It is quite punchy, I listen primarily to metal and the bass helps a lot, The bass reach deeps, hits hard, and well textured with no boominess in it whatsoever.
 
the bass extension is excellent in my opinion, you will notice straight away that the drum hits hard and extend all the way down low, especially if you listen to the Orion before, it is not a thick sound bass but it is not thin either, the thickness is just right and it adds to the musicality to it.
 
The bass is very well controlled and never bleeds into the mids, the transition from the bass to lower mids to mids is excellent and sound clean with enough quantity, and I think the quantity is enough for almost about everyone unles the said person is a basshead.
 
The Mids
The mids is also excellent but most often gets overshadowed by the beautiful treble and bass, it is certainly detailed and smooth sounding, Make note that It is not a lush mid in any way and I feel that the upper mid is tuned down to reduce the sharp sounds that an acoustic instrument sometimes emit. This smoothing has a positive and negatives for me.
 
The positives is that the mids sound smoother and not fatigueing, I had no problem with sibilance as well. A lot of times I had this on during my work for hours and does not feel fatigue at all, and this is of course a good thing.
 
The negative to this implementation is that some acoustic instrument loos some bite to its sound, Electric guitar(depending on how they tune it) sometimes sounds like there is something missing, for example for Dragonforce tracks that has a speedy and high electric guitar notes lose their bites and this in my opinion means that the IEM do some alteration of how the guitar should normally sound.
For most general use case though it is barely noticeable, so this is definitely not a deal breaker for this IEM, this features do more positives then negatives in my opinion.
 
I prefer the sound of male vocalist on this IEM rather than the female, both sounds great on this but I think the way the tuning works in this IEM helps the male voice more hence it sounds better then the female, however when you listen to a vocalist like Dido, Adele, Amy Lee, etc. they just sound awesome on this, I feel that the singer's emotion is being represented very well by the mids in this iem.
The female voice also sounds nice and natural but when the singer hits high notes, it sounds smooth and silky with a good extension.

but to my preference in my opinion the male voice sounds more optimize on this IEM.
 
The Trebble
Treble is not harsh and very present in the music, it is very easy to notice the cymbal hits, extension is excellent and I believe this is the main highlight of this IEM, It is smooth, very articulate, sparkly and has excellent extension.
 
I never heard THis IEM sound harsh in any way, this IEM sounds clean and clear in the treble.
I feel no fatigue after a long listening period(4 hours+), the treble sound smooth but at the same time is very detailed and well extended.
 
Minor Notes:
Comparisons with Orion:
I got my Jupiter a few days before I write this review, the jupiter is about 3x the price of the orion, obvously Jupiter will have better technicalities, but Orion is still good for the money, here are some key differences to the Orion from Jupiter's perspective:
- V shaped signature
- more bass Quantity and quality, bass has more extension, meatier and hits harder
- more treble Quantity but still smooth and not fatigueing, more detailed, sparkly, energetic and way more extended (this and the bass is the main upgrade IMO)
- mids is more recessed but still sounds good, I like the orion mids better
- better instrument separation
- the slight congestion issue I mentioned before is almost gone
- soundstage is larger from the Orion
- It is more airy
- better Instrument separation and imaging.
 
SUMMARY
This is a great IEM with a great tuning that will suit modern music genres and also rocks/Metal and probably rap, sound quality is excellent and althougb u-shaped, I can still see people call this neutral depending on your perspective, but for me this is U-shaped. If I want to nitpick, the downside of this IEM is the price, I think it is a little bit expensive, but we all know that the law of diminishing return hits hard and we have to pay to get the best.
 
I want to give a thumbs up to Campfire Audio for putting up this awesome IEM in such an affordable price.
 
Closure
Thank you for reading guys, feel free to give some inputs so that I can make a better review next time.
I hope you guys get some insight and information about the Jupiter from this review ^_^

Hi everyone, Before I start the review, I would like to thank Campfire Audio for making this awesome IEM, and also to d marc0 for inviting me in the tour.
 

INTRODUCTION

I'm an Indonesian working as a Web Developer in Melbourne, Australia. 
Other than programming/coding, listening to music is another one of my hobby, when I start my headphone hobby, music listening has been a very rewarding experience for me, although a bit pricey on my wallet >_<. 
 
Starting from about a year ago I've been really hooked by metal music, and nowadays my everyday music listening always incorporate metal tracks although I also listen to other genres.
I don't actually listen to all kinds of music, lets say for example Classical, therefore it is important to understand that this review of the orion is based on my observation on the kinds of musics I like, and those are mainly:
- Metal
- Pop
- EDM
- Jazz
- Indonesian Song (it's basically the Indonesian version of pop, guitar used is mostly acoustic guitar, sounds natural and relaxing however, mastering of the song is usually poor, this is good to test how good a headphone/Iem handle poorly recorded material)
 
I used the Orion for all my music listening everyday for 10 days using the chord mojo in almost everything I do (I tried it out using iphone 4 too!), and for this period I feel very satisfied with it's performance especially because of the mids, the bass could be more in quantity but this IEM has a reference tuning, for Reference tuning I think it has enough bass.
 

Packaging and Accessories

The box is made from some kind of carton with an out of space theme kinda thing for the coloring, goes a long very well with the IEM name, there is also a paper sticker printed with the logo, name of the IEM and a very brief description of what the IEM is. the sticker also acts as a seal to the paper box.

Inside the paper box we have:
- A hard Sided carrying case with a bluish cloth material finish with a soft fulffy kinda material on the inside to protect the iem.
- The iem itself, with the cable attached on it (most likely 1.2m in length, silvery color).
- some kind of cable management strap thingy(2 of them in black color).
- multiple types of tips with size option (small, medium, large)
- documentations
- cleaning tool
 

Fit, Comfort and ease of use

I've always have issues with fits as my ear canal has a significant differences in size. This makes it hard to find a good tips that will sound nice, consistent and comfortable on my ears however, with the inclusion of the comply foam tips in the box, the fit is becoming less of a problem as the foam tips helps a lot with the fit(a very thoughtful inclusion).
 
The iem itself has and edgy design however this does not bother me, My Ear feel perfectly find after hours of use.

The unit itself has some weight to it, I can actually feel the weight on my hand when I hold onto it although once you put in the iem and play some music I doubt you will be bothered by the weight, considering the weight most likely comes from the iem housing made using a CNC aluminum housing, I feel perfectly happy with the weight, also aluminum just looks so much better than plastic in terms of look, I had a few of my friends say that the IEM looks nice on the ears and doesn't feel cheap, many other more expensive IEM use plastic, I think the use of aluminum is a step in the right direction providing more protection and classier looks.
 
The cable though is not very satisfactory for me, it has a nice looks on it and not bulky, but it is microphonic and tangled easily, Imagine the hassle that you have to do this everytime you take it out from the case.
 
The Isolation is superb, I used it a couple of times in the train and it blocks most of the noise just fine.
 

BUILD QUALITY

The build Quality on The Orion is excellent, it has a classier looks then some of the 1000 dollar IEM out there, a lot of people who is not into audio usually does not believe you when you tell them that the IEM you have is 500 bucks since most of them looks a bit cheap and does not feel the premium, with the Orion though if you tell them that this is 500 dollars Iem I think they will believe you since it looks premium.
 
The housing looks nice with the matte black finish and I feel comfortable with the protection it provides.
The cable has and angled ends which provides longevity to the cable, I also like the fact that it has a detachable cable, I didn't try to detach it, but this will be  a very good safety insurance for some people, as it can be replaced easily if something happens to it, and it will detach when a lot of pressure is applied to the cable.
 
The positioning of the Y split is perfect for me, not too high not too low. Other than that for people who likes to invest on some high quality cables and wants to change the microphonic cables this will be a very welcoming addition.
 
This is an over ear type IEM, therefore provides better ergonomics than cable down style.

SOUND QUALITY

The Signature

In my opinion the sound signature of The Orion is of referenced tuning, so don't expect this to be bassy with thundering bass.
 

Other important Aspects

for me the amount of bass is adequate (Not a basshead), the treble is kept in check and has a safe tuning to it, it still has some spark into it but I wouldn't say that this is a bright IEM.
 
Mids is very well done, it is not overly lush nor distant, all in all I feel that the amount of bass, mids and treble is on balance with each other giving no coloration to the music and present the music as it is.
 
Soundstage is small as expected from an IEm but it is not bad.
 
Instrument spearation is good but, there is a slight congestion issue on very fast and busy track.
 

The Bass

The bass sound's tight and the quantity is enough for me for most genres, I just feel like it lacks punch sometimes, this is very important for some genre, and feel like I'm missing the punch a bit, other than that the quantity of the bass could be more for some genres such as edm, rock, Metal and rap, it makes them feel a little bit lifeless and anemic sometimes for those tracks, it certainly is enough for other genres like pop, jazz, acoustic, etc.
 
the bass extension is good in my opinion but it is not excellent, If you are an analytical listener, you will notice staright away that some of the drum hits does not extend all the way down low, it is also a bit thin due to the quick decay rate, I'm not a very analytical listener so I'm fine but, sometimes I can't help but notice I want more bass and more punch.
 
The bass is certainly not on the thick side, it has a fast decay rate however, the bass is very well integrated with the mids, the bass never bleeds into the mids, never sound bloomy and does not interfere with the mids at all, very well controlled but slightly anemic. 
 

The Mids 

The mids is a winner for this IEM, it is awesome, the vocalist just sounds so natural on this and take the spotlight for me, on every track, the first time I hear the singer start singing it grabs my attention straight away, the mids sound smooth but also still has that upper midrange bite from the guitar in it, the electric guitar sounds crisp but not fatigueing, I love how the electric guitar sounds on this it is very addicting.
 
I prefer the sound of female vocalist on this IEM rather than the male, make no mistake both sounds graet on this, however when you listen to a vocalist like Dido, Adele, Amy Lee, etc. they just sound awesome on this, I feel that the singer's emotion is being represented very well by the mids in this iem.
 
The male voice also sounds nice and natural but lose a little bit to that emotional female voice, the dynamic for when the singer wants to sound powerful and when they want to sound calm is very clear. It never gets shouty and I detect no sibillance even on my poor recorded indonesian tracks, instead it sounds smooth and silky.
 
Those of you who likes forward, lush mids won't find it here but the presentation is great overall, this might change your preference when you hear the mids on this IEM, to put it simply it is just right.
 

The Treble

Treble is not harsh and present in the music, it is very easy to notice the cymbals hitting in metal tracks, extension is good but not the best I have heard but it is very good and provide some spark when needed.
 
I feel no fatigue whatsoever after a long listening period(4 hours+), the treble sound smooth although it may not be sparkly enough for everyone, it is still detailed and does not feel left out by the mass and mids, it is always present.
 

Minor Notes:

Driven By Iphone 4:

This is a good IEM and obviously it is not a good idea to listen to this IEM from a phone, however lets say that I'm in the train station and wants to listen to some music and then find out that I left my Mojo at home, I have no choice but use my phone am I?
 
Good news is, this IEM still sounds OK from an Iphone4!
 
Main sound change against the mojo:
- bass becomes more bloomy and less controlled, lose some extention but has more in quantity, more bass quantity but lower quality, not a bad trade.
- mids sounds more artificial especially guitar, lost of dynamic, some detail is lost
- treble can sometimes sound a bit sharp and piercing, noticably more degradation here then the bass and mids, I don't recommend high volume from a phone
- very slight hiss, unnoticable when music is playing
- sounds even more congested
 

Comparisons with Jupiter:

I got my Jupiter a few days before I write this review, the jupiter is about 3x the price of the orion, obvously Jupiter will have better technicalities, but Orion is still good for the money.
 
Some key differences to the Orion:
- V shaped signature
- more bass Quantity and quality, bass has more extension, meatier and hits harder
- more treble Quantity but still smooth and not fatigueing, more detailed, sparkly, energetic and way more extended (this and the bass is the main upgrade IMO) 
- mids is more recessed but still sounds good, I like the orion mids better
- better instrument separation
- the slight congestion issue I mentioned before is almost gone
 

SUMMARY

This is a great IEM, sound quality is great and very well balnce across the spectrum. at 349 USD this is a bargain, if I have to pick though the mids is the best quality of this IEM and should be your point of consideration when you're deciding whether you want to buy this or not, if you like vocals and guitars and not a basshead, this is perfect for you!! Otherwise maybe look for the jupiter for a V shaped Signature?
 
I want to give a thumbs up to Campfire Audio for putting up this awesome IEM in such an affordable price.
 

Closure

Thank you for reading guys, feel free to give some inputs so that I can make a better review next time. 
I hope you guys get some insight and information about the Orion from this review ^_^

Disclaimer:
I'm part of the Australia/NZ tour of Fiio X7, This review will be based on my opinion and experience over the course of 7 days with the Fiio X7, Overall experience in that 7 days has been good although I fell sick(flu) for 3 days and has some difficulties with my hearing during those period due to imbalance hearing caused by the flu. But after that the review was buttery smooth.
 
I use X7 on high gain everyday at home, on the trip to work by train, while I'm at work and strolling outside to get dinner, etc.
Overall X7 perform really well to fulfill my music needs for all types of activities that I did.
 
Headphone used in the review is Oppo PM-3 and occasionally the Baldoor E-100
My daily driver at the time of review is Iphone -> Oppo HA-2 as DAC/AMP
This review will also outline whether or not the X7 can replace my current Music Driver.
 
Lastly, big thanks to brooko for letting me in the tour on the last minute request.
 
UNBOXING AND ACCESSORIES
The X7 unboxing process is simple, quick and easy.
The box itself is well padded and has foam surrounding the X7 for protection.
Other than the X7 itself, there are a few accessories inside the box: Screwdriver for changing amp modules, screenprotectors(2), USB to micro USB cable, short coaxial cable with 3.5mm TRRS connector, extra tox screws(4), documentations.
 
BUILD QUALITY AND DESIGN
The unit was ensambled nicely with no rough edges on the unit enclosed within an aluminum(I think) construction, the unit felt rigid and sturdy providing excellent protection, heat dissipation on the unit was okay, it does felt a3bit warm while running on the hand and on my pocket though.
The design of the player was not the prettiest looking player I have seen with a big lump on the back of the casing, I would prefer it if they streamline the desgin a bit more, reasoning behind this is unknown to me though, there might be a good reason behind this, but it does look stupid to me sometime.
When the unit is turned on, There will be a blue light indicator that lights up in front of the unit that as afar as I know can't be turned off, this is quite annoying sometime since I like to enjoy my music alone in the dark.
The touch screen is responsive and has enough brightness for easy use in direct sunlight.
The button was a bit annoying though since I feel that there is not enough resistance on it, I accidentally click a next button just by holding it sometime.
The X7 feels heavy and big in my pocket, You will definitely feel that there is a big lump on your pocket when walking around.
I like the position of the headphone jack on the bottom though.
 
UI
UI is good for me, it is certainly easy enough to navigate through the songs, the UI design itself was okay for me but not groundbreaking, swiping motion was smooth and responsive.
Song s can be listed based on alphabetical order, artist, album, folder.
the now playing screen was pretty straightforward, skipping ti the middle of the song was quick and easy.
although I didn't use it, the 10 band EQ might be useful for some people out there.
The X7 also supports a search function which is very useful when you have a big library of songs.
 
BATTERY LIFE
This is the most stressful part for me because when I buy a high-end DAP like this, I want it to perform as an all-in-one solution for all situation anytime anywhere, the battery life was not good enough for this as I average around 5-6 hours of music playing with 100 on the volume pot to drive Oppo PM-3, I work for 8-9 hours a day with music on all the time, the X7 has always give out on me at the end of the day. Charge time is slow too, simetime I still want to use it at home but I need to charge it for a while before I do it.
It is by no means poor though, I just expect more.
 
IO
IO(Input/Output) was just okay for me, it still has a line/coax out so that I can use it with external amps, but falls short of not being able to act as a USB DAC
 
SOUND
In my opinion the sound signature of the X7 is a slight Ushape, the bass and treble feels a bit more elevated than the mids to me, but still can be classified as neutral, the  detail retreval was excellent, I hear lots of little nuances that I didn't hear before in my previous set up.
The bass was deep and strong but well controlled to my ears, the treble was detailed but smooth at the same , I experience no fatigue while listening for hours.
The mids was beautiful, especially the males voice, vocals feels strong and moving.
Soundstage was good I can definitely feel an improvement from my current set up on this part although not much.
Layering and separation was excellent, I was able to point out where each sound is coming from.
 
CONCLUSION
The X7 is a very good Hi-End DAP for it's sound quality, It falls short of usability by being unable to act as a USB DAC and poor battery life, slow charging. for this reason I don't think the X7 is an all in one unit, it has to be able to act as USB DAC to be an all-in-one.
At the moment I can only recommend this product for people who wants the best sound quality on the go without bringing too many device to play their music, this DAP is perfect if you already has a powerful desktop DAC and AMP and wants a complimentary device for music listening on the go.

Hi, Before I start I need to say my thanks to Noble for making this awesome IEM, and also to d marc0 for including me in the tour.
 
INTRODUCTION
 
I'm a programmer living in Melbourne, Australia. Other than programming, listening to music is another one of my hobby, for me this is a very good hobby as I can incorporate the activity to everything I do, like when I do my work or when I just want to relax after a hard day of work.
 
This is my first time listening to a premium IEM, and so I didn't know what to expect for The Savant, I've always have issues with fits as my ear canal has a significant differences in size which makes it hard to find a good tips and that will sound nice and comfortable on both of my ear, because of this limitations I have always opted for a full sized headphone.
 
I used the savant for all my music listening everyday for 10 days in almost everything I do, and for this period I feel very satisfied with it's performance and feels a bit sad when I have to let it go T_T
 
BUILD QUALITY
 
The build Quality on The Savant is good but not very impressive in my opinion, it would be great if Savant get the same kind of housing the K10U has, at the moment I don't feel like I'm holding a premium product in my hands, but of course this is just me nitpicking here as it doesn't has an impact on comfort, etc.
I also like the fact that the cable is detachable, this will be  a very good safety insurance for some people, as it can be replaced easily if something happens to it, and it will detach when a lot of pressure is applied to the cable, although I wouldn't want to detach this too often, I just don't wanna risk spoiling the connector.
 
ISOLATION
 
The Isolation is superb, I used it everyday when I go to work by train and it blocks most of the noise, I can only hear some noise outside when no music is playing.
It is so good that I feel a bit hesitant to use it at work because people will have to shout to call me.
Not that I listened to some embarrassing song or anything but even if I do no one can hear what I'm listening to with these.
 
SOUND QUALITY
 
The Signature
In my opinion the sound signature of The Savant is a bit on the brighter side, I feel that the bass quantity is enough for me most of the time, but I do sometimes want more bass for some of my tracks.
I feel that the mids is very slightly recessed for me, but some people might feel that it is just perfect for them.
 
The Bass
The bass sound's engaging, fast, tight and forward, the bass quantity is just enough for me, I just feel like it lacks punch, this is very important for some genre, I listened to mostly Rock/Metal and feel like I'm missing the punch, because of this I feel like I lose a little bit of energy from the music.
the bass extension is good in my opinion, overall I can only complain about the lack of punch as the other aspects of the bass are very good.
 
The Mids 
The mids is a bit recessed but is detailed but somehow smooth and very beautiful to listen to, I feel like female vocals sounds amazing with the savant, the males sounds good too but the female voice just sounds better.
It never gets shouty and I detect no sibillance except for when I tried to listen to it on a very high volume just once.
Those of you who likes forward, lush mids won't find it on The Savant though, maybe get the K10?
 
The Trebble
The Savant has a sparkly treble but is very well controlled and never sound harsh to my ears, it is very well extended and detailed to my ears.
I feel no fatigue whatsoever after a long listening period(4 hours+).
 
SUMMARY
This is a great IEM, sound quality is great and I'm very impressed with it. I never feel like I want to buy an IEM, but because of the Savant, I now feel like I want to, in fact I feel like I'm gonna make either the Savant or The K10 CIEM version as my final headphone, nowadays the price of other TOTL headphones is just crazy, I feel like for that amount of money any kind of compromise is unacceptable, with the selection from Noble IEM I can get a very portable listening device with a superb performance that will satisfy my music needs without feeling after purchase guilt after buying a crazy expensive headphone that is impossible to take where I go.
 
I want to give a thumbs up to Noble for putting up this awesome IEM which can be said as a K10 alternatives.
Because of the Tax law In Australia the K10 is about 2.5 times the price of the Savant, for people who wants the highest quality possible for 1000 AUD, I can say that this will be your best bet.