The Shozy BK has been out for a little while now, and I have had a pair in my messenger bag for work for some time. There’s an assortment of buds and players in there, from the crass (the Sony MDR808+, with its unapologetic bass) to the refined (the VE Zen 1, recabled with BTG Audio wire). I switch between using a FiiO X1, an iPod Touch, 64GB, an iPod Classic (modded to 256GB) and one of those funky little Walnut V2 players.
 
I have been listening to the BK off and on, and these are my (subjective) impressions.
 
The most prominent improvement I see in Shozy’s progression with their earbuds is, oddly enough, their color. It’s not the most important improvement, nor is it the best, but it is the most obvious.
 
The Cygnus was all white, and even came with a white storage case. This was a little impractical. The cable soon started going green, oxidizing, and the white foams became not-so-white very quickly on my pair. I didn’t ever use the carrying case. I was sure it would be filthy within days. The BK though, is black, and the cable is a rich, dark brown. This works wonderfully. The cable is just as supple and non-microphonic as the one on the Cygnus, but looks like it won’t oxidize. The earpieces are black, and the foams are black. The carrying case is black as well. Very practical, very good looking.
 
This is all secondary though. What matters is how they sound.
 
I rotated between the players listed above, settling on the FiiO and the iPod Classic as my primary players in the end. I hit shuffle and listened to a wide variety of music, from classical, to pop, to hip-hop to rock, and anything in between (ID, noise, drone, etc….).
 
The BK deserve their high position on ClieOS’ personal list of earbuds. They have a wide soundstage, and a crystal clear sound signature. Some might find them a touch bass-light, but being a Grado-nerd as well, I find them simply tight and accurate. They scale nicely with a better source. The iPod Classic is alright, the FiiO X1 and the Walnut are better (even if the Walnut’s output impedance is horrendous).
 
They aren’t as “fun” as the VE Monk, or the MDR 808+, they remind me more of the Rose Mojito, but in a more convenient and practical housing.  I would strongly advise them as a wise purchase for those who liked the Mojito, but not its form factor, or those who missed the boat and never heard a pair of Mojito, and are curious. 

I like to mod…yes, I am one of those head-fiers.
 
My specific area of interest is Grados, and wooden cups for them. I delight in sourcing cups, finding the drivers, and transforming a prosaic pair of Grados (a triumph of dogged determination in industrial design in their stock form) into a personalized, beautiful-sounding, pair of killer conversation pieces to listen to at my office.
 
I have been watching the “non-Grado Driver” thread for a while now, and have long been interested to find out why there has been so much fuss over the new build currently in vogue, the SennGrado. When JoeDoe and 7Keys very graciously offered to do a tour of a pair lovingly built by JoeDoe using some of 7Keys beautiful Cherry cups, I leapt at the chance to spend a little time comparing them to my Magnum X build. As I understand it I was the first in line, I hope more folks get to hear these. My impressions follow…all listening was done on a FiiO X5, with no amp and using FLAC 16/44 files.
 
I switched between high and low gain a few times. The SennGrado definitely benefits from high gain for some reason, even though both the Sennheiser and the Magnum drivers have a 32 ohm impedance. I did my best to volume match simply by ear. My impressions below are probably minimally, if at all, biased by the “louder sounds better” slant.
 
The SennGrado showed a more natural presentation, and performed better with bass. It wasn’t shy, didn’t repress it and try to compensate with mids and treble as the Magnum X did. The Magnum tends to have a slightly one-dimensional bass presentation. Think doof-doof as opposed to boom-booooom. In addition, the SennGrado actually sounded a little more open sometimes, but at the same time a touch less controlled as a result. Both headphones showed similar levels of detail retrieval.
 
The SennGrados, surprisingly (given the drivers cost just over half of what the Magnum ones do) go head-to-head with the Magnum X. I found that comparing the two is more a question of sound signature preference, and not a “…yes, they will do as a poor-man’s substitute…” thing.
 
It’s clear that wje really did create a beautiful monster in the SennGrados. He needs to be credited with bringing the gorgeous sound the modding community craves in every build a little closer to everyone by discovering a very worthy driver substitute in the rough. A very worthy driver that costs very little. In all of my listening, I found a little more air in odd passages here and there using the Magnums. This came at the cost of a little bass though. The SennGrado consistently delivered a richer bass experience.
 
The only thing I need to verify now is…how do the PX100 ii sound in their stock form? Is this the end of my world as I know it?
 
Here is my listening list:
 
Diggable Planets – Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Space and Time)
A thumpy, warmer album from the mid-nineties, with a definite, strong lean toward warm analog, hip-hop production.
The Awakening – Hear, Sense, and Feel
Jazz from the early seventies off a short-lived but super-hip label called “Black Jazz”. Production on the albums I have heard from the  label tends to be great, some would say in the Rudy van Gelder style I suppose.
Jobriath – self-titled
The US’ answer to Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust in the seventies. A tragically overhyped and later discarded artist. All that aside, a nice example of glam-rock realized on a grander scale. Pleanty of great, elaborate arrangments.
Pink Floyd – the Dark Side of the Moon
No explanations needed here…I believe I am listening to a bog-standard, regular copy (none of the new remasters/re-issues/digital orgasm versions that have since been released) and it’s the best production job on a Floyd album in my humble opinion. Mr. Parsons deserves a medal for what he did here…
Flying Lotus – Until the Quiet Comes
The latest from the LA beatmaker with a serious side. Flying Lotus’ albums stand out in that despite his shows being geared toward a party atmosphere, they are built as continuous, themed pieces, made to stand alone as serious listening. The only downside is that he has no qualms about pushing all of the levels and compressing the hell out every track. This means some headphones battle to make sense of what, if more delicately mastered, would be a sublime body of work…
Taj Mahal – The Natch’l Blues
Great, simple blues from the late sixties. Lots of acoustic and electric guitar, and nicely recorded, unlike a lot of the blues canon out there.

Last time I reviewed a FiiO DAP, it was (I think) the X5ii. If I recall correctly, the X5ii sadly succumbed to the exotic charms the Pono offered. I ditched my plans to settle down with a nice safe option like the X5ii, and ran off with the exotic Pono, with its balanced output, weird, yet appealing shape and hellishly temperamental UI.
 
Today I received a review sample of the X5iii to try out for a little while and then forward on to the next reviewer in the schedule. This unit is part of yet another legendary FiiO review tour. I am getting no financial reward or gifts for this review. This is definitely no longer the dowdy, safe, matronly X5ii. It's not even a quirky cousin. The X5iii is a clear and definite upgrade of the X5ii. Three physical items stand out:
 

1. The large touch screen interface.
2. The physical volume knob.
3. The prominent ridge on the left hand side of the device.

 
A closer look shows a couple more physical updates:
 

1. 2.5 mm Balanced output.
2. Smartphone SIM-card-style Micro-SD card holders

 
The device also features a Play/Pause button, as well as a Skip Forward and a Skip Backward physical button on the pronounced ridge on the left side of the device. Gone is the old iPod-style click wheel. There is still a line-out/co-ax out jack. 
 
In the box you no longer get a silicon case. Instead, the unit comes already snuggled up in a clear plastic flexible shell that covers the back and sides. You can pull that off and use the black leather case included instead if you’d like. Personally I preferred the plastic sheath. The leather case has slightly gaudy looking red stitching on the back, and an odd almost Harley Davidson-esque logo embossed on its rear with the FiiO slogan in it: “Born for music and happy”.
 
When you start the unit up, it takes a while to get going. Along the way you see various graphics, one of them proclaims the unit as a “Smart Hi Res DAP”. I am not too sure what this means, and possibly sounds a little hyperbolic to me….but it is an Android device, equipped with wi-fi, capable of streaming from various services, connecting with a DLNA server, connecting with bluetooth headphones and generally being a badass, so I guess “smart” is warranted. 
 
I tested the unit I was given to try out using Google Play, the Bandcamp app, and a 128GB micro-SD card loaded with 16/44 FLAC files of various genres. I tend to be a little esoteric in my tastes, listening to Jamaican Dub by the likes of Lee Perry and Scientist, modern IDM by folks like Flying Lotus and Four Tet, Jazz by Alice and John Coltrane, Miles Davis and a host of others. I also have a thing for Madagascan guitar lately, and a few other acoustic genres coming from the Dark Continent. What can I say, I miss my home. This tested the X5iii across multiple styles and gave a good impression of its ability to handle bass, miss and highs.
 
For my testing, I used some homemade Ypsilon woodies in Black Limba and Burmese Blackwood (single-ended termination), some Monk Plus terminated with a 2.5mm balanced plug and an outlier earbud, the Quian39 (just because….well….why not?). I am not much of an IEMs person. They irritate my ears and annoy me when I start to be able to hear myself chewing, breathing, gulping, etc…
 
Sound wise the X5iii is great., especially when listening to balanced headphones. It conveys bass realistically, without over-emphasis, the mids are clear and coherent, and the highs are clean, without introducing fatigue. Compared to other players I have owned/currently own, its not going open the gates of heaven, or transfigure you into an avatar of pure audio bliss. What player will though? The audio world is plagued by the rule of diminishing returns, and fanciful legends about $3K+ players transporting users to higher dimensions populated by rock gods, their wanton maidens and rivers of milk, honey and money...
 
The only way to show value in the DAP market is to produce a clean-sounding, competent player with a stable UI, and the extra features people look for as the hobby evolves (like Bluetooth, wi-fi, the ability to load streaming apps, balanced output, expandable storage…). 
 
In this regard, FiiO has produced an incredible product. It gives all of these things, and it only costs $400 new. This changes the game substantially. Want balanced? Sure…there are a few cheaper players out there that will give you this…no bluetooth though, and no stable UI. Want a stable UI? Yeah, buy an iPod Classic….no balanced though, no wifi or apps, and limited storage unless you get crazy and crack that sucker open for some surgery. Want wi-fi? Sure thing…it will even come with balanced….but dear Lord you’re going to pay a premium. You get the idea.
 
FiiO, in their characteristic fashion, have seen the hole in the market and firmly filled it with all of the features people clamor for, at a reasonable price, in a handsome package (with a slightly kitschy leather case on the side ). I applaud them for their astute market knowledge, and an extremely successful release, that seems to be free of the usual early firmware bugs that inspire such wailing and gnashing of teeth these days. The X5iii is an excellent successor to the already popular X5 and X5ii. 

As an avid DIY’er and Grado Modder, I am always on the lookput for new drivers, cabling ideas, cup designs, etc, etc…I turn my own cups in my workshop, and primarily like to use vintage Grado SR80 drivers, the pink variants. I also have a penchant for the Symphones Magnum drivers.
 
SR80 “Pinks” are Grados built in and around the mid-nineties. They are named “Pinks because the cheesecloth over the driver grill fades to a shade of pink with age. The cheesecloth has no magical powers to impart upon sound signature, but, it does indicate the drivers are tuned a certain way…a way more in synch with the way Joseph Grado used to tune his drivers. They tend to be more neutral than the current drivers used by Grado, with a less pronounced mid-bass bump, and smoother, yet still articulate, treble.
 
The Symphones Magnums tend to have a little less soul than the Pinks, but better extension on both ends of the spectrum, with the bass hump pushed down a little deeper.
 
Why am I prattling on about the SR80 Pinks and Magnums? A while back I came across a website for a company called Elleven Acoustica. They had metal cups, Mahogany sleeves, RS1-type and GS1000-type Mahogany cups for sale. I noted them down mentally, but was disappointed to find the site shut down later.
 
A while went by, and a fellow modder brought them to my attention again. The site was up and running. This time, it had those GS1000-type cups, the RS1-type cups, no sleeves or metal cups, some very nice looking Gimbals that come with a headband of springsteel, a cable and of particular interest: drivers.
 
I contacted Elleven Acoustica and spoke to a nice gentleman by the name of Chris about the drivers (called Ypsilon on their website). He described them as tuned for neutrality, and optimized for use in a tonewood cup, with a press-fit. This intrigued me. The Magnum V6, per Rhydon, has been tuned to be as consistent as possible, regardless of enclosure, and mounted with a foam strip. I noticed also that unlike any other driver I had seen, these were encased in aluminium. Aluminium is usually a source of ringing and tempered with a wooden inner sleeve in the world of Grado modding (Rhydon bucked this trend as well a while ago when he did his all-aluminium headphone builds…even these had plastic casing on the drivers though).
 
After a little back and forth, Chris was kind enough to offer me a pair of drivers for review purposes. Consider this my full disclosure. I am not employed by Elleven Acoustica and receive no financial compensation for this review.
 
Per the instructions and specifications included with the drivers, I made a pair of cups with a press-fit seating using Black Limba for the body and Rosewood for the end caps. During our discussions Chris and I had talked cup-length. I usually make the inner chambers of mine ¾ of an inch long. This usually makes the total cup length 1 and ¼ inches long. Chris said this was more or less in keeping with his requirements for good results. I made the cups narrow enough on the outside to be used with the headband from a pair of Sony MDR7502 headphones, and when I did final assembly, used a cable made from basic Mogami sleeved in black paracord and terminated with a Rean 1/8^th inch jack. The cable was made by fellow Head-Fier and MoT, PETEREK.
 


 
The drivers themselves arrived in a neat little wooden box bound with twine. They were sandwiched between foam inserts. The contact pads had a dollop of solder on them already, one colored red to indicate the positive terminal. They differed from all other drivers I have used in that they had those aluminium shells, as well as a different magnet….it appears to have 4 holes on its back instead of two. In addition, they seem to have a smaller diameter for the voice coil, and the felt on the back of the driver is positioned under a ring of plastic instead of over it.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Chris had advised (and the documentation with the drivers had reinforced) that the drivers need 20 hours of burn-in to sound their best. I have heard burn-in working before. I have also heard it not working at all. Debate it all you want, I am not interested in the discussion. The man designed the drivers, the man told me to burn them in, I did as advised. Personally I heard distinct changes over that 20 hour period as I checked in randomly out of curiosity. Most notably, the bass started out boxy and mono-tone, by the end it was deep, had lost all boxiness, and was tighter than a [insert inappropriate simile or metaphor here].
 
I listened to my build with several genres of music, from multiple time periods. I listened to vinyl via my home-rig (an Advent Model 300 amp and a Technics SL1200MKII) and I listened to FLAC files at 16/44 on my Pono player and my Sansa Clip+. I also pulled out my “old-school” rig, a FiiO E12 strapped to an iPod Touch (1^st Gen) playing ALAC at 16/44.
 
I compared it to my stock Magnum V6 build (C6 cups, 3D printed by Shapeways, designed by Rhydon, V6 drivers mounted in cups with foam, re-purposed Beyerdynamic T51p cable, Grado L-Cush pads) and my super-vintage Grado SR80 Pinks (circa 1993 per Grado via email correspondence, equipped with HP series style headband and ¼ inch plug, with TTVJ flat pads).
 

 

 
My impressions? The Ypsilon were indeed the most neutral of the lot. Compared to the Magnum, they had less bass, which could be perceived as more controlled bass by some. Their highs were a little less aggressive as well. The Magnum V6, by comparison, has a bass boost on it, albeit a little lower down in the spectrum than modern Grados. It sounds more “fun”. Compared to the Grado SR80 Pinks, the Ypsilon was more reserved. Both were almost equally neutral. Somehow the Ypsilon sounded more “polite” though.
 
Unfortunately I have never had the pleasure of hearing a pair of the old, HP-series Grados (if anyone out there wants to lend me a pair for a few days, I am totally trustworthy, I swear…). I would have loved to have heard the Ypsilon next to them. For my personal preferences, I lean towards listening to the Ypsilon more than any of my other headphones at the moment. Post burn-in, it is the most “honest” headphone I have at the moment.
 
After posting this review, my intent is to share them with a few Head-Fiers I have already spoken to, to get their opinions on them as well. If appropriate I will add their thoughts to this review.
 
In the grand scheme of things, the DIY market has never had it so good…we now have two extremely competent drivers that cater to both sides of the listening coin: those who seek neutrality, and those who seek a “fun” signature. It might even no longer be necessary for me to hunt out on eBay and hoard those old SR80 pinks anymore. I wholeheartedly endorse the Ypsilon by Elleven Acoustica, and feel it deserves equal consideration when folks are looking to build a new set of headphones.

I have on my desk an engineering sample of an Aune DAP. The M1s.
 
I spent time with the Aune M2 about a year or so ago, and I liked it, but it  had some rough edges on it. The sound it put out was like nothing I had heard. The UI was delightfully simple and functional. No bells and whistles, no unnecessary gee-taws, no bull$h1t. It bested a lot of other DAPs I had heard. In fact, it still mentally ranks remarkably high in my memory. It had horrendous battery life though. A deal killer for me. 
 
Fast forward to today. A friend recommended I hear the M1s, and said he’d get an engineering sample to me. I get no compensation for this review, just the experience of listening to another Aune product and sharing my impressions.
 
Visually, its pretty easy to tell the M1s’ lineage. You can tell its by the same folks who designed and released the M2. Aside from that, it has balanced output (2.5mm), a line out/3.5mm single-ended output and….not much else. The body is neither large nor small. Its the length of my iPhone 5S, but not as wide, and about a third thicker. There were some who complained it was a little long and top-heavy. Not for me. I don’t have "Trump Hands” though, and am a taller, bigger guy (6 foot three). The edges on the top face (the face with the screen) are bevelled on the left and right sides, and there are some physical buttons on the right side of the unit: power, volume up, volume down. On the same side is a micro-SD slot. I am currently using a 128GB FAT32 formatted SanDisk card. I haven’t had any issues with the unit reading the card at all.
 
The main controls are a return button, home button and something that looks like a wheel (but isn’t). I believe this is what’s called a “D-Pad”. The build is solid, its all metal and looks like it could take a beating. The D-Pad’s center button does rattle a little, but from what I have read, this is an issue with the engineering samples, and was fixed for production units…for my unit, I slipped on a silicon case ordered from Penon and the problem was fixed.
 
With the M2 it was a mild annoyance that it had no USB functionality. To populate your micro-SD card you had to take it out of the player (at this time it would be smart to leave the player plugged into a wall socket to charge) and use an adaptor to plug it into your computer and add files. With the M1s this isn’t the case. Simply power it down, and plug it into your computer, and the micro-SD shows up as a drive. The unit charges at the same time. This is most handy in my opinion. 
 
The M1s also has a delightfully simple UI. Fire it up, let it take a few seconds to update the library (if any changes have been made) and you’re ready to go. Fast boot up, no buggering around, just a UI. No album art, true, but you forget about that soon enough. The output is clean and smooth. Perhaps not as euphonic as the M2 was, but I am calling on some old and unreliable memories here. Balanced output is a delight. I tested it with a pair of Monk Plus, terminated for balanced, and found nothing wanting. The Monk Plus scales well with a good source, and this time was no different. 
 
And thats about it.
 
Aune makes a simple DAP. Aune makes a beautiful sounding DAP. Aune crams nothing else into the same unit. No Android operating system, no streaming apps, no bluetooth, no breakfast in bed, no coffee on a tray. The M1s is a DAP, and no more, no less. This is appealing in a number of ways for some people. A large group of folks seem to appreciate being able to disconnect these days, and do the unthinkable: listen to music with no distractions, for the simple, sheer enjoyment of the act. They don’t want to check emails, they don’t want to text, and they sure as hell don’t want to read work emails at the same time. This is the thinking that, I think, is least partly responsible for the recent resurgence of interest in analogue media like cassettes and vinyl records. 
 
If that’s what you’re looking for, the M1s is definitely worth looking at. Its a stripped down, functional, solid DAP that has great sound and balanced output. That’s it. I sincerely appreciate it for what it does, and value having it at my desk, in my messenger bag and just generally “around”. The folks who bought it early and got the bundle that included a pair of golden, recabled, balanced Monk Plus and three cases got a great deal. 

I remember when the FiiO X3 came out. It was an idea that had originally been shelved, but was later resurrected, and released. In retrospect, I see it as FiiO’s opening shot, an exploratory probe in to the world of DAPs. After cutting their teeth using the X3, FiiO moved swiftly and decisively. The X5, X3ii and the X5ii followed in quick succession, each a step forward, a refinement of firmware, UI, build and in the background, subtle, but still there, sonic changes (the biggest was the switch from the X3’s warm sound signature, to the more accurate, clearer sound of the X5).
 
Now FiiO has released what I predict will likely be their next opening shot…the X7 looks like it will be an exploratory probe into the world of higher-end DAPs. Among many other firsts, most notably, it is their first player to use an Android interface, have wi-fi and use a touch screen. It also borrows a concept I haven’t seen done by anyone other than Hifiman and expands upon it. It has swappable amp modules.
 
I have had the good fortune to get a week with a tour unit, sent around the world for a few folks to have the opportunity to review the X7 and share their thoughts. I have not been paid for this review, and will not be keeping the tour unit. I am not affiliated with FiiO in any way and am a strictly independent listener. I use 16/44 FLAC files for all of my listening and my tastes run from jazz and the blues through to leftfield and experimental electronic music, with a lot in between.
 
My last moment spent with a FiiO player was when they sent an X5ii around the globe for reviewers. It was at that time I succumbed to a temptation, a dark horse I had not anticipated meeting or running off with. In fact, I planned on buying an X5ii. I was distracted at the last minute by the Pono, and have ever since been enjoying its numerous delights. Time has rolled on and I am still entranced by it.
 
I have spent the last few days listening to the X7 and the Pono, and can honestly say I have enjoyed listening to the X7. It has been a delightful experience. I can’t help but feel though, that I have been holidaying away from my wild co-ed apartment in the city with my quiet, wealthy uncle out in the suburbs. Compared to the Pono, the X7’s sound signature is polite, accurate, reliable and completely relaxing. The unit drove several different headphones and earbuds very competently. I had the good fortune to test it with Hifiman Edition X (also a tour unit), a pair of Magnum V6 drivers in Black Limba and Rosewood cups of my own making, the VE Zen (both the 1.0 and 2.0 version), the VE Monk, the Blox M2C and BE3, the T–Peos Altone 200 and the Zero Audio Carbo Tenore.
 
With the Edition X especially I felt like I could quietly slip back into a comfy chair, drink a cup of tea and let myself maybe take an afternoon nap. Aurally, everything was in its place, neither aggressive nor shrill and immaculate in its presentation. This is a stark contrast to the Pono. Usually it has me up, tapping my toes, looking for an alcoholic beverage and cruising my music collection for fast, rollicking tracks.
 
Like that wild co-ed apartment in the city though, the Pono lacks some amenities that one will always have when visiting that quiet, orderly, wealthy uncle. Want wi-fi access and streaming (Tidal, Spotify, Google Play, Amazon Prime…)? The X7 can help with that. Want access to the Google Play store? The X7 will sort it out for you. Bluetooth? The X7 again.
 
All of this makes me see the X7 as not necessarily better or worse than the Pono…just…different. It aims somewhere else in the DAP market, and hits it squarely in the chest. The average person who uses something like the Pono frequently eschews streaming services in favor of local media. They don’t see the attraction of using an app to tweak sound performance, or feel any desire to use a pair of Bluetooth headphones. The X7 gives you all of this and more.
 
One day, sonically speaking, I’ll be ready to give up my hedonistic ways, and move out to the suburbs, live a quiet life, and settle down. And when I do, the X7 will likely be my first choice for where I want to be. I am sure I am not alone in this, in fact I am sure there are many making that life-choice right now. The X7 is 3 Bedroom, 2 Bathroom ranch house on a quiet cul-de-sac in a small town somewhere pleasant in a nice climate.
 
It has a few odd little firmware quirks and the UI does take a little while to get used to, but other than that its build is solid and sexy, it sounds great and will be customizable when those amp modules start coming out…and FiiO is usually very quick to take feedback and fix firmware issues rapidly…
 
Buy without fear if you’re looking to settle down comfortably 

The Venture Electronics saga continues…I am probably going to get some disagreements on this review (burn-in always seems to provoke fits of rage on the interwebz…), but I am going to play the cards as they lay for me. As always, listening and sound impressions can be incredibly subjective. It’s particularly hard to cleanse your palette between headphones and give a completely unbiased impression of any one pair, however, I hear what I hear with these…
 
This review is focused on the VE Asura 2.0. I used my Pono primarily when I listened to them. I also ran them from my Sansa Clip+ because I am a masochist and a twit like that sometimes.
 
They had roughly 50 hours of burn-in on them when I started listening more carefully. I did not have them in balanced termination…this would have been overkill at $150 ohms. The Pono drove them very easily. I set them up with donut foams with full-foams over them. I find this gives me the best fit for my ear-shape with most, if not all, earbuds.
 
Disclaimer: I received the Asura 2.0 as a review sample from VE and was asked for an unbiased review.
 
I wasn’t too sure what to expect when I first popped the Asura 2.0 in my ears. I have always felt the Asura is the neglected middle child in the VE line-up. It’s always overshadowed a little by the Zen and the Monk. Both shine so brightly in their price-ranges, that the Asura is a touch eclipsed. In its 1.0 iteration it has been good, but not as good as the Zen, and better than the Monk, but lacking the price-performance ratio that distinguishes them from everything else.
 
It was with great surprise that the first thought I had after pushing play on my Pono with them on was a vision of Pauly Shore’s arse. I instantly pictured the scene in “Son In Law”, that dubious 1993 movie in which he plays an LA degenerate trying to make good in a country town for a girl’s parents by dressing like a local. He comes swaggering out of a change room in a pair of arse-less chaps, turns around for the camera and proclaims that he’s wearing “cheek-chillers”.
 
The Asura, at first pass sounds a little arse-less. Its not a bassy-bud, that’s for sure. I wrestled mentally with this for a little while. Did I love it? Did it turn me off? Arse-less chaps….are they a matter of taste only? Am I a simple country boy who can’t appreciate a good pair of cheek-chillers? Lee had mentioned that they are specifically “….for vocals lovers…” and advised something ridiculous like 500 hours of burn-in.
 
After a little time with them I changed my mind a bit…I observed that the bass is there, but it’s subtle and not meant be a feature, but a compliment/accent. Fair enough…at this point, jazz, acoustic music and classic rock sounded beautiful. Some examples would be the Beatles “For You” off Let It Be, Kurt Vile’s “Was All Talk” from Wakin on a Pretty Daze and Mac Demarco’s “Still Together” from 2.
 
Bongos, piano and acoustic guitar sounded incredibly lifelike, and instrument placement was fantastic. The sound was clean and smooth. Some would call it neutral I guess. And then something happened…
 
I encountered an exception: Aphex Twin’s “Ageispolis” off Selected Ambient Works….Suddenly I had sexy, smooth, seductive bass…I switched to a few other bass-heavy tracks, and again was pleasantly surprised. Eventually I listened to an unabashedly bassy, modern album: Mbongwana Star’s From Kinshasa. Everything sounded….great. Not bass-monster great, but neutral great. If bass was asked for, bass was delivered. Not in excess, not in stingy amounts. Just…bass.
 
The Asura 2.0 could almost be called Lee’s earbud style tribute to the Grado sound…with better soundstaging.
 
I can attribute this gradual evolution in my opinion on the Asura 2.0 to two things: brain burn-in or actual burn-in. I am going to go with the latter at the risk of public, virtual crucifixion. The world’s thoughts be damned…Lee and KK have done it again, and produced a fine earbud. Sadly, it sits between two superstars. It will forever be Reno to the Zen 2.0’s Vegas experience. It will remain the wing-man at the bar that looks ever-so-slightly less attractive next to his dashing buddy. It will always be Uriah Heep and not Deep Purple.
 
That’s okay. Sometimes better things are done out of the spotlight. I for one will be holding onto my pair of Asura 2.0 and perhaps giving them a place in my messenger bag. My Monks might just end up back in the drawer…unless the Monk Plus changes things.

Once upon a time, I was a scruffy young gentleman, wandering the United Kingdom, far, far away from home and living out of a backpack. My roots were third-world, simple and rural, and the marvels of the first world still made me gape and feel awed.
 
The fancy boutiques in London, the trendy kids all decked out in crazy, hip clothes…but most of all, the music shops. Every town I wandered through had one, and each was curated by the same vaguely academic looking miscreant, with stubble and clothes just as scruffy as mine Inside were always racks upon racks of used CDs. This was pre-the now-unstoppably-pervasive internet for me. I spent all of my spare time in these stores, and frequently surrendered laundry money to them for that ever-elusive album by whoever I was listening to at the time. It was an era of beautiful musical discovery for me.
 
Fast forward a couple of years (well, almost two decades), and here I am in Southern California. Taking stock, I will freely admit to still being a little scruffy. I am no longer quite able to call myself a young gentleman without a sarcastic smirk crossing my face. I no longer discover music in quite the same way though. Obtaining it is still an adventure, but listening to it….that’s the new angle.
 
Headphones have changed my appreciation for production, artistry, and recording. At first I was simply a Grado-head….but through a little discussion and some kind sharing from a certain gentleman (@EmpJ) at CTC, I have started to dip my toes into the wonderful world of IEMs. I have no neutral vs. colored agenda. I am not particularly loyal to a format. I even, heaven forefend, sometimes deign to listen to mp3 files if I can’t find anything better. I will listen to anything really, but have a bent for jazz. I also compulsively look for the link back to jazz in modern electronic and world music as well as vintage blues.
 
Now that my long and self-absorbed preamble is done, let’s cut to the chase. CTC kindly sent me, as the second IEM for me to try out, the T-Peos Altone 200. The first was the HSA E212. The difference was like leaving Johannesburg airport and landing in Heathrow. I was very pleasantly surprised by the variance between the two. Given one is a single driver, dynamic, and the other a triple driver hybrid, I suppose, in retrospect I shouldn’t be too astonished. But for those out there in the realm of single-driver IEMs wondering if its worth the jump to something a little more high-end, I would like to say “…yes…it appears to be a notable shift…”
 
I used the T-Peos with my FiiO X5 (with the E12 amp and without). I also tried it out with the Clip +, an iPhone 5 and my old iPod Touch (1^st gen). I compared it to the Monoprice 8320, the HSA E212, my trusty old Yuiin PK3 earbuds, my Blox M2C, and my collection of Grados (all re-cupped in wood), as well as my newly acquired ZMF V1 (modified Fostex T50rp).
 
With the X5/E12, there was a significant amount of hiss. This hiss was also noticeable with the iPod Touch and barely there with the Clip +. With the Clip + it went away magically whenever the music played….even in quiet passages. It was not present at all in the iPhone 5 or with the X5 on its own, via its headphone out. Naturally I gravitated toward the X5 and the iPhone for all of my listening as a result.
 
The sound they put out is detailed and even-handed. It is delightfully crisp. With the X5  they sound brilliant…the bass is impactful, not overwhelming at all. Detail is ALL there. You hear decay on piano notes, bass strings, etc…and for those looking for crunchy, sexy guitar, yes it was there when I ran through some obligatory Hendrix…Instrument placement isn’t mind-blowing, but it is good.
 
Below are my listening notes, such as they are. I will say that the Altones are definitely worth all the hype they get. They make listening from an iPhone on the go pleasurable, and they do very nicely straight out of a decent player. They come with my heartiest recommendations.
 
(iPod Touch) Kenny Dorham “Quiet Kenny”
(Clip +) Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers “Moanin’ (RVG Edition)”
(X5) Aphex Twin “Syro”
(X5) Furtwangler, Philharmonia Orchestra, Lucerne Festival Choir “Beethoven Symphony No. 9”
(iPhone 5) the Beta Band ‘the 3 E.P.s”
(iPhone 5) Jimi Hendrix “Experience Jimi Hendrix”
(iPhone 5) Rodriguez “Cold Fact” –A little shrill and harsh…could be the recording…
 
All files 16/44 FLAC, except on iPhone 5. Amazon Music app (256kbps I believe….not sure).

Firmware: 1.20; 1.22 Beta; 1.23 Beta
Gapless Playback: On
Files Used: FLAC (16/44.1)
MicroSD Card: Sandisk 32GB, formatted to FAT32
 
Music used during review:
The Beta Band – the Three EPs
Devandra Banhart – Cripple Crow
Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon
Miles Davis – Musings of Miles
John Wizards – John Wizards
Amampondo – Raw and Undiluted
McCoy Tyner – Extensions
F. Gulda, K. Abbado, Wiener Philharmoniker – Mozart, Great Piano Concertos 20, 21, 25 & 27
 
Headphones used during review:
Magnum X drivers in Cabillas Mahogany Cups
Blox M2C (2013/2014 edition)
Vintage Grado SR80 Pink Drivers in African Blackwood Cups
Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80
Fostex T50rp (unmodded)
 
Sadly, this is not virgin territory. There have been a slew of X5 reviews prior to this one, and at this point not much new can be said for this product. Like a man who meets a delightful young lady on a weekend trip to Las Vegas, the best I can do is perhaps add my voice to the cat’s chorus of people who have also met said young lady, and alongside them, sincerely voice my appreciation of her company. The unit I reviewed is my own, purchased at full price, from B&H Photo and Video in New York.
 
I applaud FiiO for what they have done. I am a firm believer that quality audio (in fact, quality anything…) can be had for a reasonable price. Money does not equal superiority, class cannot be bought, etc, etc… (insert anti-elitist, pseudo-libertarian, wannabe-anarchist cliché here). Anyone interested in this concept should read Robert M. Pirsig’s classic, “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”.  With regards to the X5, read on for a subjectivist’s impressions…
 
The unit comes very well packaged, and has a plethora of accessories. Some of them will never see the light of day for me…they are nice to have nonetheless. A side note of little relevance: the X5 does not include earbuds, but this is not a con in my book. I am waiting for the day FiiO ventures into headphone and earbud territory. They will more than likely be a force to be reckoned with. In the meantime, if you are buying an X5, the odds are that you already have a headphone/earbud/iem of preference.
 
The X5 is solidly built, and in its complimentary silicon case feels rather comforting to hold (like a lead-filled baseball bat or perhaps a nice police baton…or just a nicely engineered piece of consumer electronics).  All of the entry points are secure and solid (I am going to refrain from making an improper joke here). The SD card slots are a touch awkward to get to, but once the cards are in, they are safe (again…refraining from inserting yet another improper joke). I added and removed music without using the micro-SD card reader so thoughtfully provided and encountered no problems at all.
The user interface was built by FiiO from the ground up apparently. As such it is a completely new animal for all of us. I am not completely used to it, but I will be soon enough I am sure. It’s hard to override all that muscle memory built up from years of using iPods…Like a man confined to a hospital bed for 3 months while his broken leg heals, I now find myself having to walk down the hall to take a leak again…It’s going to be a little wobbly at first, and there will be accidents, but I am pretty sure after a little while I will be whizzing (see what I did there?) through the system effortlessly.
 
The sound the X5 puts out as both a portable device and a USB DAC is absolutely perfect for my tastes. It is neutral, but not completely so (if it were, it would be a dreadful bore to listen to). Not only does it sound good, it is (as noted by others) very detailed. I haven’t used this old chestnut for a while: I heard things on old favorite albums I have never heard before. Gapless playback worked flawlessly for me. There was no noticeable pause, not even a miniscule little hiccup, between tracks for me. I do not use playlists or replaygain, so I shall refrain from commenting on these. I was impressed with its ability to drive even the dreadful stock T50rp (See? I had good reason to include the wretched old studio mules in my headphone list at the beginning…) and Beyerdynamic DT770 80 to acceptably enjoyable levels.
 
For someone looking for a step up from the iPod, or a reliable on-the-go player with superior sound, I highly recommend the X5. For those who feel that being asked to pay upwards of $500 to enjoy decent sound in a portable player is asking you to perhaps invest too much of your hard-earned income into something that should feel like a pleasurable pursuit as opposed to a spending habit that rivals a nice combination of a crack habit and a gambling problem, I say pursue the X5, pursue it with a gleeful heart and enjoy it when you have it.
 
 

This review will cover the X5ii, comparing it to the Pono player and the original X5. I have a Pono in my possession now. I unfortunately sold my original X5 prior to receiving the review sample, but had spent a good amount of time with it before selling it (I pre-ordered it at its release time from B&H).
 
The X5ii I listened to was a review sample sent out on a tour of the United States by FiiO. It was not given to me, and I am in no way affiliated with FiiO. It was forwarded on to the next tour participant as soon as I had spent ten days with it.
 
I used CD quality 16/44 flac files on all three devices. Headphones used were the Koss Portapro, the Sennheiser HD650, the VE Zen, the TPeos Altone 200 and the Zero Audio Carbo Tenore.
 
With all that seriousness out of the way, let’s discuss me, and the awkward cross-roads I find myself at here. I am a long-time fan of FiiO DAPs. They are affordable, they sound great, and they take a beating. FiiO as a company are great folks…always responsive to the community, encouraging theme modders, always looking for feedback. Let’s face it, they are an anomaly in the electronics world. They bring the attentiveness of a boutique manufacturer to a very large audience.
 
I loved my X5. I really did. I use the past tense here, because sadly, sometimes love loses its lustre. We grow old, we change. One day you’re a vigorous young man in his prime, the next you have saggy butt-cheeks, a tendency to fart easily, and a profound dislike of young hooligans in that supreme contradiction….the saggy pair of skinny jeans (how the hell did they do that….make something tight so poorly fitted all at the same time?).
 
We all change. Life changes us, gray hair changes us…it’s depressing if thought of as a negative thing. Personally, I like that I will never be the same person from instant to instant (even if part of that change is becoming smellier). Change is what you make of it.
 
What does my flatulence have to do with the X5ii? Well….life happened to me in terms of my audio journey as well. I used to think the X5 was hot. It was sleek, sexy, slightly unique looking. All the things that make my little heart go pit-a-pat. So I made it mine. We made this a permanent thing (well…as permanent as anything in this life can be). We were very, very happy. Even when I introduced a third party (the FiiO E12) and a stacking kit to give the X5 a little more oomph in those trickier headphone situations.
 
We were rock-solid….until the X5ii was announced. People are fickle things. I instantly plonked my beloved X5 in a classified and sold her off at a good price to a nice fellow down in Louisiana. Let’s face it, there are worse places to go when you are left and need a change of scenery. At least I didn’t ship it to outer-Mongolia or somewhere like that (can you tell I feel a little guilty?). I gathered my pennies, put on my Sunday suit, and prepared for my first meeting with the X5ii. All was set to go…until the Pono happened.
 
I had always been curious about the Pono. It’s nothing that fits my usual criteria. It’s a little too quirky looking, its battery life is a little sub-par….but the tricks it can do. My goodness. It can do balanced. It can drive a pair of HD650 or a pair of VE Zen with no amp. More than that, it sounds different. It’s different from anything I have heard. Brooko was close when he described its sound as “…almost holographic…” I hear details I never heard before (yes, I did just use that cliché), and I truly, actually do hear a difference with hi-resolution music. When I listened to the Pono, the heavens opened and little angels sang as I closed my eyes in ecstasy. What was worse was, the Pono snuck into my line of sight while I was waiting for the X5ii. It was a happy accident. A deal on eBay got it into my hands. I thought “…this will be quick…a casual interlude before the X5ii is released…”. Sadly that was not to be.
 
I listened to the X5ii. I tried really hard. But the Pono had already worked its charms on me. There was no going back. It was truly a depressing ten days I spent trying to make things happen with the X5ii. It sounded great. Better than the X5, better than the X3ii, better than the X1 (I was on those tours too). It beat out my iPhone 5, and it trounced my Clip+ (Rockboxed and my old iPod Touch (1^st Gen).
 
The X5ii is a superior player, no doubt about it. I would take it over anything…anything except my freaky, funky, dirty Pono. I will refrain from the usual clinical dissections of bass, mids, treble. I am not a very structured writer, and I know plenty of others will cover this ground very well. I will praise the positives of the X5ii though:
 

• It sounds better than the original X5.
• The UI is great. It’s the new one put out on the X1 and X3ii.
• The build is amazing. Solid, re-assuringly so, and pretty.
• Capacity is awesome. I love the two micro-SD slots (one thing my Pono won’t entertain…multiple micro-SD cards at the same time).
• The price point is perfect.

 
If you’re looking for a new player, add it to the list for consideration. Add it near the top. Seriously. Ignore me and my deviant love for the Pono. I'll probably be back and begging at the X5ii's door in a few months...

How much more can we possibly hear? At some point audio, and personal audio by default, becomes a continual series of efforts to throw oneself over the walls of the physical world. We try desperately to defy our bodies and minds, and so chase file resolution, processing effects, driver technologies endlessly. We are Alice in Wonderland, chasing the White Rabbit, eating this cookie, that mushroom and experiencing all manner of auditory hallucinations.
 
I am drawing dangerously close to a drug analogy, so I’ll wrap this up quickly….Alice took whatever was available to try and enhance her experiences or surmount problems. Different combinations of actions, consumables and words took her to different places.
 
Plenty of people will give you a detailed review covering packaging, build, specs, etc, etc...allow me to give you the "quick and dirty"... How is the X3K like munching mushrooms and talking to a disappearing cat? The X3K is a rather potent *ahem* mushroom, that is guaranteed to help you throw yourself, willingly, back into trying to improve your next audio experience just a little bit more than the last one.
 
I spent a week with the tour unit for North American tour participants. I received no compensation from FiiO for doing this, and am in no way affiliated with them or employed by them. I did not get to keep the unit either. This is what I found: the X3K has a richer, more “classic hi-fi” sound than the X5. This means it sounds fantastic, as long as you pair it with the right headphones. I found that with neutral/clinical iems (like the TPeos Altone 200) and earbuds, it was very pleasing. A little of that hi-fi love (ie: warmth and bass) from the X3K and they shone.
 
Surprisingly, warmer iems and buds do very well too. I thought the Zero Audio Carbo Tenore would be muddy and dense. Not so. It felt delicate and easy, non-fatiguing, with great soundstage and detail. They came across as more engaging and musical than via the X5, where they sound muddier.
 
I wanted to challenge it a little as well, so I tried my personally modded T50rp too. These have been tuned to have a “just-South-of-neutral” signature. The X3K easily powers them on high gain. The sound was clear and appealing, just as it was with the Carbo Tenore. The X3K signature shone through again.
 
With my collection of earbuds, I found the Blox M2C and the Yuin PK3 were less easy-going than the Zero Audio Tenore IEMs. They were driven nicely, and the detail, soundstage and bass were all there. The synergy was not as markedly good as the Zero Audio though.
 
I was recently sent a pair of the VE Zen and Asura to review. These are a particularly challenging earbud. They sound gorgeous, but they like a powerful source. Both buds have a similar signature, which I am guessing is the VE house sound…detailed, engaging, not fatiguing…most enjoyable. The Zen has an impedance of 320 ohms, the Asura has one of 120 ohms. The X3K amp section handled both with aplomb.
 
Overall, after a long and steady diet of X5 and E12 only, I found the X3K a refreshing change. Despite the better implementation of the scroll-wheel in the X3K, and the nice flush screen though, I will not be selling my X5 yet (I am guessing the X7 is going to be the one to make me do that when it comes out). I have no doubt that plenty will find the X3Ks signature more enjoyable than the X5 and the X1. It’s more refined than the X1 and less “serious” than the X5. It’s also pretty powerful as a stand-alone unit, driving difficult headphones with admirable effort. It’s definitely worth trying once….you might even find yourself coming back again….and that’s not a bad thing….everything in moderation….right?
 
All source files were FLAC 16/44, with the exception of a few FLAC 24/192. I did not test DSD playback at all.

This might be a lackluster review from me. This happens sometimes. I get overwhelmed with new products, and as a result, they all become a hodgepodge of different objects that do the same thing for me…it becomes harder to see the standouts in the crowd.
 
Bear with me, though. Lately, earbuds have become kind of a thing. The only downside is, a lot of them are coming out of the Far East, and are only available on TaoBao or AliExpress. A lot are also limited runs, by small businesses, run by random gentlemen with an exquisite ear that they can only share with the world for a very brief time (who knows where they came from, who knows where they go…its quite depressing when your favorite maker disappears though).
 
Thankfully, a few more established makers are emerging, and they look set to stay for the most part. Yuin still exists, as does Blox. Venture Electronics has appeared, thoroughly trounced everyone else on the market, and will not be going away anytime soon with the juggernaut that is the Monk. Shozy has come on the scene as well. These folks are more reliable, are easy to buy from and are definitely not fly-by-night.
 
Shozy is a small company that makes portable amps and DACs. They have also recently released an IEM, and an earbud: the Cygnus. The Cygnus has made it high up on Clios’ earbuds roundup list, and deservedly so.
 
I listened to the Cygnus using the Alien Gold Edition, by Shozy, the FiiO X5 (gen 1) and my Pono Player. Files were mostly FLAC at 16/44.1 or WAV at 16/44.1. I purchased my pair for personal use and will definitely be keeping them. They make for a nice easy-drive alternative I’ll pull out when I am in the mood. One thing folks might be annoyed by is tha fact that the Cygnus is white, both the cable and the body, and therefore a dirt magnet. The cable also oxidises and takes on a slightly green hue. It also comes with a thoroughly impractical, large white carrying case and white donut foams.
 
It has a detailed, non-fatiguing, pleasing sound signature that, like the rest of the new breed of earbuds, is able to convincingly portray bass almost as well as (if not better than some) full-sized headphones. The downside is that it is supposedly made with an NoS (new-old-stock) driver. This means that its life will likely be short-lived….as long as supplies exist for the driver, we’re all fine…but heaven help you if you get too attached and resources become scarce or dry up.
 
In the current field of earbuds, the Cygnus stands out as one of the better ones out there, but because of that NoS driver, it might just go the way of the Blox TM7 and the Sennheiser MX985…an earbud some get to enjoy, that grows a reputation based as much on legend as on actual listening time, but that slips out of the rest of the market’s grasp all too soon.
 
We’re seeing the early days of a market. Hopefully in a few years we’ll see it stabilize, with some great manufacturers with persistent lines and offerings, ones that endure. We’re seeing the beginnings of this in a few of the current vendors. Long may it last. 

A week ago I mailed off the Shanling M2 Tour review unit. As I walked out of the Post Office, I had a few interesting thoughts and observations. I chewed over them for a week. These are them post rumination.
 
I had the Shanling M2 for about a week. During that time I listened to it extensively, primarily at my office. I did not use it as a DAC. I have a private space with a closing door. I use a variety of headphones (after all, variety is the spice of life…except when you are married…all wives reading this, put away your pitchforks please…). My most commonly used headphones are the HD600, some woodied Grado SR80 pinks, VE’s Zen earbuds and the VE Monk. Every once in a while I’ll whip out some Yamaha YH-1.
 
I received no financial compensation for this review, conducted it using FLAC 16/44 files and some mp3 files at 320 CBR, and indulged in my usual favorite genres…some EDM along the lines of Flying Lotus, Four Tet and Boards of Canada, some Jazz (Miles Davis, Coltrane, the usual culprits) and some Blues (Muddy Waters, Mance Lipscombe, a few other guys). I think I hauled out some of the oddities I frequently enjoy as well and some more modern stuff…
 
My primary source is my Pono player most often. Sometimes I’ll haul out my old iPod Touch 1G, or my Sansa Clip+.  My first thought when I first used the M2 was “…warm”. I worried a little about detail levels for a nanosecond, but was quickly placated by the player. Over the next few days I grew to really love it. It had the analogue feel of my Pono player, but none of the harsh edge I sometimes get from that unit.
 
I love vinyl, its my primary physical medium at home, and I am one of those people who feel the difference when listening to anything else. The Pono and the Shanling have been the best DAPs so far at approximating the vinyl experience. Both feel limitless with regards to detail, both have that immersive “I’m in the studio” feeling, both have finicky interfaces that demand your attention.
 
The Shanling is a right-handed-centric device. Its scroll wheel is in the upper right corner. If you’re a lefty, you’ll find yourself unable to see the screen while using it because this forces you to cover the screen with your palm in order to reach the scroll wheel with your thumb. Its micro-SD card slot is weirdly deep as well. I had to get a small screw driver to push my card in deep enough to have it seat. This is unnerving, but also a good thing. Once the card is in, its not going to accidentally pop out.
 
All of this aside, it drove my HD600 on high gain without breaking a sweat. It also ran the VE Zen (version 1…I have a balanced pair of the V2 coming my way and am supremely excited…) with nary a pause for breath. It handled my Grados nicely with no hiss or background noise on low and high gain. In fact, it was a rather good match for their brightness, and suited their tuning towards acoustic and analogue music very well.
 
I found the Shanling to be a fantastic little player, with a solid UI, extremely pleasing sound signature without any of the muddy compromises this usually demands, its only oddity was that lefty-hating scroll-wheel. Its worth a listen for anyone on the lookout for a quality DAP who just doesn’t feel like jumping on the FiiO bandwagon (and we all have those revolutionary, counter-cultural, “I am going to go this way damn you” streaks in us…we just all choose to express them at different times), or selling a kidney to get a A&K.

VE Monk Review             
A few months ago Clieos reviewed two pairs of new earbuds produced by a relatively unknown vendor in China, VE (Venture Electronics).
 
Since then, VE have developed a rapidly growing, cultish following…and for good reason. Their flagship, the VE Zen is almost universally praised by those who hear it properly driven (it has a whopping 320 ohm impedance, that from personal experience, sounds dreamy on the Pono player, especially when driven in balanced mode). Its little sibling, the Asura, is similarly praised (although not quite as rabidly). It follows in the Zen’s sonic footsteps.
 
VE is making great strides. They have also just released the Duke, an IEM I am slated to review. They have an amp coming out soon (a matter of weeks) rumored to be sub-$100 and designed specifically to drive the Duke at its lower gain setting, and the Zen at its higher gain setting. They also recently released the Monk. The Monk is an easy to drive earbud, a baby-brother to the Zen and the Asura. It too has what is now regarded as the VE “house sound”.
 
This review is devoted to the Monk. I received a free sample from VE, but couldn’t understand why it was free. See the end of the review, you’ll understand why. A more ordered and carefully laid out review is sure to come along soon. I am wont to write in a different fashion. You’ll hear what you need to hear though.
 
The Monk is extremely pedestrian in its build. The ubiquitous shells used by Blox, Dasetn and all of the other boutique bud makers make an appearance here. VE has the good taste to keep them basic black though (I have seen them appear in shiny silver, translucent red and all manner of other cheap and gaudy incarnations…), with a neat little logo in white. The simple rubber-coated cable is basic black as well, as is the plug. The plug is a sturdy, straight, no-nonsense affair.
 
Lee from VE recommends you use the Monk with any smartphone. It is designed to put up with the sub-par output of these devices, and still sound good. Does it sound good?
 
I am still surprised at what Lee and his silent partner “KK” have achieved at VE. All of their buds have a delightfully pleasing sound signature. After the suggested ten hours of burn-in using vocal music, the Monk is no different. Most earbuds fall short in some way, frequently bass. Not so the Monk. Some as a result of their bass-less-ness are shrill and tinny. Not the Monk. Some try to compensate for the bass-less-ness and tinny sound with lush and strong mid-ranges and as a result sound wooly rolled off at both ends. Not the Monk.
 
They are not the Zen (they lack the refinement and clarity) and they are not the Asura (which sits just behind the Zen in terms of performance). They do not scale like those two when paired with a stronger/better source. But like a scrappy little street-dog, it will survive and thrive wherever you put it. It needs no pampering…no DSD or 24/1952 files, no massive amounts of current, no careful equalization or special equipment. Drop it in a backstreet of Sowetho township, feed it trash and expect that great, toe-tapping, incredibly pleasing VE sound.
 
And the best part? The Monk retails for $5.98 for the in-line mic version and $5 for the plain version. At that price point it’s a no-brainer.

The VE Zen and the VE Asura
 
If you're going to buy an earbud, you should chat to the fellows at VE...
 
Earbuds are an odd little throwback. An anachronism now, when once they were the defacto form factor for headphones bundled with phones and mp3 players (back when they were called mp3 players, and not “DAPs”…time was a brother would ask for some DAP and you’d give him a fist bump…alas, no more…).
 
Like Elvis though, earbuds never died, they just moved to another planet. They are still out there, actually being produced by loving, enthusiasts' hands, in boutique organizations you never really get to know much about if you live outside of China. And you know...they don’t suck as badly as some would have you believe. In fact, they sound pretty damn good. I revert to buds whenever I get tired of my full-size or on-ear headphones. Of late there has been a wave of great earbuds showing up on AliExpress, eBay and other spots. Personally, I took notice when Dasetn got attention for ridiculously good earbuds being made and sold at ridiculously low prices. Dasetn has since faded into the background a little due to a large number of complaints regarding build quality and order fulfillment, but there are others…
 
Recently ClieOS reviewed something I hadn’t heard of yet from a new company: VE. A 320 ohm impedance earbud. This sort of thing captures my tired and slightly jaded imagination. An earbud that needs that much of a kick in the pants? What do they have in there, lumps of coal, diaphragms made of steel? I had to find out…I sent Lee, the owner a quick PM and asked if he would send a pair of his earbuds out to do a tour of the United States. He very graciously agreed to, and on top of that, sent out his second highest model, the VE Asura as well. I spent a week with the tour units, and they are now winging their way across the US for other enthusiasts to enjoy. Another set, also kindly provided by Lee, are crossing the northern borders into the frozen wastes of Canada to tour a little there too.
I ran both sets of earbuds through the equipment listed above, and listened to a wide range of music through them. I am a jazz nut, but am prone to drifting into electronic and avant-garde sounds as well. I always have a little time for the blues too, both traditional and electric.
 
What can be said about the VE Zen and Asura? They are richer and more fun than my Blox M2C. They have better definition than my Yuin PK3, and exceed my memory of the Blox TM7 and the Yuin PK1. The Zen portray bass and soundstage almost like a full-size headphone, perhaps better than some I have owned (I used to be a Grado-head if that explains much). They have sound signature that is neither sterile, nor is it debilitatingly warm and thumpy (one head-fier called the HD600 of the earbud world). They challenge my full-size headphones in many respects, which is handy when you don’t want to lug a pair of T50rp about with you. For the Asura, simply take away maybe a fifth of the goodness in the Zen. It’s a scaled down, cheaper version.
 
The downsides? The design is very generic. Sennheiser's MX500 shell has gotten incredible mileage. Its amazing how many earbuds now occupy that very familiar shape. Its functional though....and that's what counts, right? They require an amp to shine, and the stronger the better. Lee recommends a Class A portable that a DIYer in China makes. The E12 was good enough for me, but I could tell that perhaps I needed something more. The cable on the VE Zen is a touch annoying. It’s clumsy and a little noisy, but this is remedied with a shirt clip. The VE Asura was like a scaled down version of the Zen. At 120 ohms it’s easier to drive, but it doesn’t have that magical bass quality, and it seemed to get a little muddled in more complex passages.
 
These earbuds come highly recommended in my humble opinion. Like Elvis, they will always have a place in the lineup of your attentions, and you will never regret indulging in them….perhaps even struggle to stop doing so.


*EDIT* Fast forward to today. I recently bought a Pono player, and have founf the synergy between it and the Zen to be ridiculously good. The Pono does balanced operation as well. Lee most kindly offerred to re-terminate my pair of Zen (yes, I have my own pair now) to take advantage of this. The improvement is noticeable. The Pono's discreet, extremely low feedback architecture gives the Zens all the juice they need. Switch to balanced and you get an incredibly refined, organic, detailed, smooth listening experience with even the most difficult recordings...if you buy a pair of Zen, seriously consider the Pono, and make sure you go balanced...

I am a Grado fan. More precisely, I am a Grado modder. Everything I listen to is tinkered with, and woodied….Needless to say, I favor a bright sound signature, open-backs and am not very into IEMs. For all of my listening I use my FiiO X5 on low gain, loaded with 16/44 FLAC files. IEMs are a necessary evil in an occasionally noisy world, but given I have oddly shaped ear canals (thanks to a nice little head-fracture at the tender age of 3) fit has always been an issue with them, and let’s be honest, no one likes giving their office mates the chance to sneak up on and scare the living daylights out of them.
 
I have recently had the pleasure of acquainting myself with @EmpJ of CTC Audio and after a little conversation he very generously sent me a review sample of a pair of the HSA E212. I was skeptical at first, but after a revelatory experience (who knew…use two different sized tips if you have two different sized ear canals…) with fit, a promotion at work that moved me from my open cubicle environment to a private little office and a week-long stint at a noisy conference I find myself…*gasp* listening to IEMs and…dare I say it…enjoying them.
 
With regards to build, the E212 is very robust. I don’t believe they are metal, but they are heavier than they should feel if they are plastic. The cable is a nice, simple affair, braided and wrapped in smooth plastic. I experienced very little of the usual annoyance with microphonics I usually go through. The jack is a nicely angled affair that is, like the rest of these IEMs, a rather sturdy looking thing. They came in a nice little hard case, perfect for flinging into a backpack/messenger bag while on the go. Included were three pairs of red silicone tips, ostensibly small, medium and large. I didn’t see much difference between the mediums and the larges, but bear in mind this is a review sample. A simple slip of the hand is most likely the culprit here.
 
Soundwise, these have a nice, warm, weighty low end. As I mentioned, I am by no means a bass-head. I like it lean and clear, properly subdued. These have become my guilty pleasure. Listening to my usual jazz favorites, as well as some leftfield ambient work and a little hip-hop, they are a wonderful change of pace from the clinical, seared eardrums, brightness of my Grados and my Magnum build. Detail wasn’t lost in the shuffle either…I wasn’t hearing every pin drop, but I had to look to notice that.
 
I did notice that I can hear what sounds scarily like the driver diaphragm buckling and unbuckling whenever I put them in or pull them out. I am assuming this is not the case though. That would be crazy. I am not sure what it is, but once these are in, it’s gone.
 
Overall, these are a fantastic buy for the price. I would not hesitate to pair them with a Clip+ for a nice little on-the-go setup, or keep them for the odd occasions when I need isolation. Between you and me, I intend to have these handy to whip out every once in a while, just to balance out that crazy Grado obsession of mine…if I find a full-size can that sounds like these, I am definitely going to be having a look into it. For now, the E212 will do nicely thank you very much.

Grado headphones have lived in infamy among headphone enthusiasts for decades. They have a fiercely devoted following, for whom the company’s trademark aggressive, in-your-face signature is the holy grail of listening pleasure. Frequently these devotees are also followers of the classic rock scene and for good reason….Grados aren’t bass monsters, they aren’t pretty, but they can bring tears to your eyes if you use them to listen to a little Led Zeppelin…
 
Like all good cults though, there are some Grado tribe splinter groups. A prominent set are the Grado Modders. One of old Joseph Grado’s greatest unsung legacies is the industrial design behind the Grado line of headphones. It is brutally simple, modular and a temptation to every yahoo out there with a soldering iron, a glue-gun and the curiosity levels of a Grey Vervet Monkey…they do everything, from punching holes in the driver felt to increase bass, to making their own wooden cups for the drivers to be transplanted into.
 
The appearance of the Grado Modders in the Grado community spawned another offshoot as well…the Grado Modders who “went Magnum”. The Symphones Magnum is an amorphous, ever-changing creature. It started as a modification service you could purchase for your Grado SR325. It shifted briefly into a source for parts (metal sleeves and Rhydon’s own drivers) you could substitute into your Grados, and has finally settled as an almost completely different animal….a new headphone loosely related to Grados only by its shared headband and design…
 
At Symphones.com, you can now purchase a driver that looks like (but sounds nothing like) a Grado driver. You can also purchase a 3D printed cup, made by Shapeways, that looks kind-of like a Grado cup, but has some interesting modifications…The driver is in its sixth version (hence the name “V6”), and for Grado Modders who reach that ultimate point of no longer being able to squeeze anything better or different from the stock Grado drivers they have used in their builds, it represents a path out of the maze and into a new world.
 
I must confess to being a Grado Modder. I have a penchant for vintage Grados whose driver cloth has faded to pink. For me, these represent a golden moment in the Grado signature. They aren’t too aggressive-sounding, they are open, neutral and detailed. I love finding a pair of Grados with pink drivers, crafting them a pair of cups from an exotic wood or two, transplanting them into those cups and giving them an extended lease on life.
 
I frequently “Go Magnum” though…why? Because those drivers Rhydon makes are technically superior to the entire Grado SR line and I can purchase them alone for a reasonable price. I am not forced to cannibalize a perfectly good pair of headphones to get at them. This review is based around a pair of cups I built for a pair of Magnum drivers. Writing it is a little bit of a tricky proposition. All of the modders who make cups have a different style and method. No two modders make the same cup, and this means no two builds by different modders ever sound exactly the same. I did feel it would be good to write a few words about the V6 driver though. Rhydon has actually designed it to sound as consistent as possible, in spite of all of the different enclosures it finds itself in. His aim with the V6 has been to create a headphone agnostic driver…a stretch goal if I ever heard one. So I put them to the test. I have now made two V6 builds, both with similar cups, but  both trying different methods of mounting the drivers and I can say that Rhydon has almost attained his goal. I paid full price for both sets and am receiving no financial renumeration for this review.
 
For my projects, the cups were made with Black Limba wood for the body, and Rosewood for the outside face. They were made a little narrower in diameter than normal for Grados, and mounted into headbands taken from old Sony MDR7502 studio monitors. They had a banked pad lip around the driver seat (provides a little more mass around the driver, which I like). They had very minimal ornamentation around the outside face. I like to keep a cup as simple as possible sometimes. Both used simple Mogami cables made by @PETEREK, sleeved in black paracord and terminated with a 1/8^th Amphenol jack.
 
For the first pair, the drivers were foam-fit in their seat. This means I wrapped adhesive, foam stripping around the circumference of the driver and used that to ensure a snug fit in the driver seat. The cups were 1.5 inches in length.
 
For the second pair, the drivers were press-fit. This means when I turned my cups, I made the driver seat tight enough to hold the driver with no foam tape in between. The cups were 1.25 inches in length.
For both, I can say the following: the V6 driver feels like a direct descendant of the V5 driver, aiming for better clarity, and extension on both ends of the spectrum than its predecessor...perhaps sacrificing a bit of soul along the way. Think about the difference between your local watering hole/drinking dive, and that nice spot you take your missus on date night because you don't want to have to give her your favorite seat and explain to her why nothing on the snack menu is cooked without the involvement of a microwave or a deep-fat fryer...@Rhydon's V6 are like a spot where the barman has a mustache, but he didn't start growing it in the seventies (he wasn't even born then) and women seem to actually like the damn thing. Their signature is clean, crisp, like new chrome and mirrors in a classy bar.
 
I am not 100% sure the V6 is enclosure agnostic though. The foam-fit, longer-cup headphones had looser, woollier bass than the second pair. They also seemed to require that I turn up the volume to listen to them more…a dangerous thing as it introduced a little fatigue in my right ear. I attribute this to the length of the cup. Previous experiments have shown that Grado drivers also get a little bassier in a longer enclosure as well. The difference with the Grados was more marked though. I tip my hat to Rhydon….his driver tolerated the change far better, and the difference was indeed less marked.
 
I can’t wait to see what Rhydon does next. Although I am thoroughly devoted to the merits of mating wooden enclosures with Grado-style drivers, I can’t help be captivated by his goal to build a driver you could slap into any old thing and still get gorgeous sound from. If he ever attains it, the aesthetic possibilities will be endless for me in my workshop.
 
The first pair (1.5 inch cup length, foam-fit drivers):
 

 
The second pair of cups (1.25 inch long cup, press-fit drivers):
 

 
The second cups with drivers, headband and cable all assembled:
 

FiiO continues to rampage through the audiophile market. Maybe rampage is the wrong term. FiiO are more like a fox with a burning brand tied to his tail, sprinting through the wheat fields of audiophilia. 
 
Their core mission statement of high quality audio products at humane pricing is popular, and everywhere they touch catches alight. They started with amplifiers, and have an extremely respectable range of units for all tastes at incredibly competitive pricing. Chances are, your first foray into portable audiophilia probably involved a FiiO amp. Mine was an E7. The X3 was their first DAP, and once they had made it through the growing pains of development, release and a lifecycle management the gloves were off in the DAP market for them. The X5, Xii, X5ii came, saw and conquered. Early indicators show that the X7 is about to blow a hole through the high-end market as well. The M3 and M1 are on the cards, and who know what they will do in the super-portable segment.
 
And now they are waltzing into the headphone market with an IEM. This time the approach is different. They have partnered with Dunu and taken one of their most successful headphones and re-branded it. Openly as well. This is an understandable strategy. The sub-$100 IEM market is jam-packed with amazing deals at the moment. To attempt to reinvent the wheel would be foolish.
 
I volunteered to participate in their global tour. I received no compensation for this, aside from ten days with the tour unit. I am not usually a big fan of IEMS. The deep insertion, cable-noise and excessive isolation I find bothersome. I focus mainly on earbuds and over-ears. My daily drivers are a pair of Pono-balanced VE Zen or my Pono-balanced self-woodied Grado SR60 pinks. I keep a pair of Tpeos Altone 200, Zero Audio Carbo Tenore and VE Dukes (Pono-balanced as well) on hand for those situations in which I cannot get by without isolation. I use a Pono, my work-supplied MacBook Air and a Sansa Clip+ as sources. Occasionally I’ll pull out my old iPod Touch 1G as well. My listening is done primarily at work, in my office, which is closed off. I listen to mostly jazz (from Hard Bop though to Spiritual), left field electronic music (like Four Tet, Flying Lotus, etc, etc) and blues.
 
After popping on my usual tips (a pair of clear, double-flange tips that can deal with  my funkily contoured ear-canals) I found the X1 to be not quite as resolving as my Altone 200, but with equivalent bass depth. It was superior to the Zero Audio Carbo Tenore, but not as “fun”. I always find myself keeping the Tenore simply because everyone has those days where they don’t want to hear the Coltrane cut a fart as he starts blowing his solo, they just want to enjoy the track. The X1 didn’t catch the fart . The Duke beats out the X1 in the treble department. Some might find this a turn-off though. 
 
Overall it was nicely placed in the middle. It was the Goldilocks of the bunch. Not too hot, not too cold. Not too hard, not too soft. Juuuuust riiiiiight. And that explains why FiiO chose the X1 as their first foray into headphones. It will most likely pair well with all of their players. It will please the widest audience with a little fun, some accuracy, a durable build and best of all, it cost them nothing to develop. It was Dunu’s brainchild. FiiO’s resources are all tied into developing their DAPs. It is the headphone equivalent of their first DAP, the X3….a tentative, exploratory shot into the field. 
 
This leads me to believe we should all be looking out for their next move. Whether it be something they do themselves, or something they partner with someone else on, its likely to be a knockout. 

Well…it’s not the X5, it’s true. It also doesn’t cost US$350.00. It definitely isn’t a Rockboxed Sansa Clip, and it definitely isn’t an iPod Touch. These were the different units (unamped) I compared the X1 to (unamped as well) when I participated in the X1 tour organized by FiiO.
 
So what is it? The X1 is a small, well-built and pretty-looking little DAP built by FiiO to appeal to those more in the “budget-fi” market. It will have an MSRP of about US$100. It features a variant (improved) of the good UI they introduced with the X5. It uses the same clickwheel as the X5, but it’s a little smaller and as a result actually works better. It also has no black border around the screen like the X5 does. It only has one micro-SD slot, and does not work as a DAC.
 
It has a sound signature that is closer, more in-your-face, than the X5’s and as a result is definitely a little warmer (not necessarily bassier) than its older sibling, the X5. It still sports great placement of sounds, and does a wonderful job of presenting dynamic range in recordings that have it.
 
I put the X1 through its paces using FLAC 16/44 files and ran through multiple genres, from jazz to rock to classical to folk to electronic and all were enjoyable, the electronic more so than the others).
 
I used my Magnum X build (Magnum X drivers in Korina sleeves and SR325is cups), my SR80 pink drivers in African Blackwood cups, a pair of Blox M2C and a pair of HiSound E212 IEMs. The bass from the HiSounds was too much…impressive, but a little overwhelming. The Magnum X felt harsh after a while, but the SR80 pinks and the Blox sounded just right.
 
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the X1. I will not, however, be selling my X5 and replacing it with one. This is a good thing. To be honest I was a little afraid I would want to ditch the X5 after five minutes with the X1. To its credit the X5 withstood the challenge. The iPod Touch and the Sansa Clip will remain where they are (in the upper right desk drawer, the Clip waiting for my wife to take it running, the iPod Touch waiting for me to use its timer in my morning meditation sessions).
 
The established hierarchy in my household will remain the same, but I suspect it will not in other people’s homes. The X1 is going to be a solid contender in the market. It has great build quality, has a few improvements on the X5 (UI and clickwheel implementation), and despite not sounding quite as good as the X5, is still nothing to be ashamed of in the audiophile arena.
 
Now all we need is for FiiO to release either an IEM or an earbud to go with it with their usual emphasis on quality and value…
 

A screenless DAP. It makes you question just what is necessary on a media player, and what you want from it. I am currently listening to Derek Gripper’s “One Night on Earth”. I think that’s the album’s name. I don’t know for sure, and I can’t recall the year it was released. I also have an image in my head of the cover art…I am a little clueless, not because my tagging on my library is lacking, but because I am listening on the Shozy Alien DAP.
 
I have the gold edition, and like its successors, it has no screen. It’s a remarkably simple affair. An oddly shaped, block of aluminium in what looks like a rose-gold finish in my office’s lighting. It has odd little angular protrusions, and a simple navigation wheel of sorts that allows volume up, volume down, power on and off and next or previous track.
 
What’s more, I am listening to my albums as 16/44.1 WAV single files. The Alien supports FLAC, but it’s a little hit and miss at times, and despite not usually noticing these things, WAV appears to sound better on the Alien to me than FLAC. That’s right...I am converting all of my FLAC albums from multi-track affairs to single tracks, in 16/44.1 WAV as I load them onto the SD card. Why single track? Because the Alien doesn’t support gapless playback, and makes a teeny, tiny noise (like the drop of a needle on a vinyl record) between each track. I developed my own special way of filing them on my SD card in alphabetical folders (one for each letter of the alphabet) so I could manage a larger collection on the player. I could use .cue files I suppose, but I am a “full album” kind of guy, so I don’t bother. I discovered the Alien recognizes .cue files by accident.
 
I charge the Alien every night while I remove the micro-SD card, plug it into an adapter, and plug that into my PC to update/add/remove files. Yes, the Alien is not USB enabled, and so the micro-SD will not be seen if I plug he alien into the PC with the card in it. Yes, the Alien only gets 8 hours of battery life on a single charge.
 
Why am I still listening despite the lack of information and the extra steps I have to take to use this device? I have never quite heard this album like this. The detail is exquisite. Soundstage is wide and in no way disjointed or unnaturally flat. The tone is inviting, pleasing, neither sterile and painful to endure, or dark and stuffy. Its rich and organic. Yes, I am using organic. Its been thrown around a few times, but what the hell, I am out of synonyms. All of the albums I have been listening to on the Alien are getting a new lease on life.
 
I have spent several weeks with the Alien, off and on, and keep coming back to it. Despite its quirkiness, I love the sound of it. It’s a compact, powerful relatively simple device that makes listening to my music at my office a pleasure. I bought it with a pair of Shozy’s new earbud, the Cygnus, and the two work together exceptionally well. The Cygnus will get a separate review. I have also been using the new Shozy Zero IEM with the player. Those were thrown in as a special gift when I ordered the Alien. They too pair exceptionally well with the player.
 
The only player I have tried that exceeds the Shozy is the Aune M2 (which runs Class A amplification). I’ve been reading a little Zen literature lately, so I am going to leave this review right here. The Alien is simple, yet complex. It is extremely focused in its task, to the point of excluding any and all extra niceties such as a screen, USB recognition and an operating system beyond the amoebically simple one in place. It achieves its focused goal (beautiful playback, an exceptional listening experience) with great success, and I will likely keep using it for a long time because of this.