Introduction
Technical Specifications
Sound Analysis
Comparisons
Pairings
Conclusions
I’ve heard many “top of the line” monitors in my day and to my ears EE flagships always have a “crystalline sound”. Crystals magnify and focus. I have always heard a very distinct reproduction from Empire Ears. I would describe it as a sound which is neatly organized in the sense of each sound being completely separated in-stage from the other sounds. Each sound it’s own distinct sound, allowed to arise and decay as it sees fit uninterrupted by whatever else may be going on in the song. Extreme resolution is the next trait I hear in flagship EE monitors, when people say they hear things they’ve never heard because of an IEM this is a quality you will most certainly get with EE flagships. The final quality that I feel EE most often provides their customers in their best offerings is an utterly black background. The Wraith is a master of all three; complete isolation of each sound in the sound stage, an astonishing level of resolution and texture of sound and finally all of this on a totally black silent background.

I am grateful to Empire Ears for giving me the opportunity to review the Wraith as part of the head-fi tour.


Empire Ears is proud to present the World's First Quad Electrostatic IEM, The Wraith. The Wraith is Carnegie Hall built for one; a vast cathedral erected in the name of crystalline, pure sound. Performances blossom in the enormous sound stage, so intimate you can brush them with your fingertips, yet so grand as to fill every corner, revealing and polishing the finest nuances. Every element of the music is arrayed before you, an orchestra lit in spotlights. No detail is overlooked, but instead is nurtured, given the space to grow and shine. You will truly hear music like never before. World leading treble extension dances atop rich and precise mids, all of which is grounded by the earthy, tight low end. The utterly unbelievable level of detail achieved by The Wraith is only possible through the freshly pioneered EIVEC - Empire Intelligent Variable Electrostatic Control - technology. In The Wraith, EIVEC utilizes two transformers to bring the Quadruple Electrostatic Drivers into order, dividing the duties of the EST drivers, and blending them seamlessly with the seven balanced armature drivers which fill out the rest of the robust sound profile. The results are astounding, crafting a world around you with a clarity, texture, and detail that redefine what's possible. The Wraith comes standard with our new and exclusive "Amethyst Infused Carbon Fiber" faceplate and an Effect Audio Cleopatra bespoke cable.
I found the EE packaging with the Wraith to be the best I have ever seen up to this point. I’m sure I could run over the included hefty twist open IEM case with my truck and the IEM’s inside would be just fine. A variety of Final Type E tips are included ranging from extra-large to super small for a total of 5 size options. Being familiar with their packaging as a former owner of both Zeus and Zeus XR, I can firmly say the packaging provided with the wraith is far better than what they used to provide with their IEM’s. It’s industry leading and what is to be expected at this price point.


This is an audiophiles monitor, excelling above all in the technical aspects of sound reproduction. The Wraith is an absolutely clean sounding upper-mid/high centric monitor with industry leading resolution and just enough bass quantity to create an emotive sound. It excels in technicality, becoming the most technical monitor I’ve ever heard when paired with a TOTL source (Hugo2). The stage is circular with an ovular bent, favoring depth ever so slightly over the other stage dimensions. The stage can sometimes appear smaller than it really is due to the extreme resolution of each note as the brain hears sounds with more detail as being closer. Imaging is top shelf giving the sound an impressive sense of realism. Realism is especially evident in voices where every nuance of throat sound is reproduced causing many “wow” moments. The monitor is also quite emotive. Separation in stage is class leading as every instrument is allowed space to emerge and decay against the blackest background I’ve yet heard. Driver technologies are integrated to create a cohesive and seamless whole. Midrange notes are dense and detail packed. With regard to genre’s I see the Wraith’s talents best used in metal, rock, orchestral and acoustic music. Listeners who favor other genres like rap or EDM may find bass quantity lacking.

Keywords: Audiophile tuning , Extreme resolution, Upper mids favored over lower mids, Ovular three-dimensional stage as opposed to width skewed, Utterly black background, Seamless, Emotive, Realism.


I wouldn’t call myself a bass head as I don’t enjoy bass when it overpowers or dampens the rest of the sound causing a loss of resolution. I find mid bass quantity to be neutral while both mid and sub bass go very deep in tone but with neutral impact/quantity. I’ve read many IEM reviews where the reviewer will say this is a “quality bass” but not a “quantity bass”, the Wraith fits this description. I was initially turned off by the quantity of bass but as my ears became accustomed to the Wraith I reveled in the clarity of bass, the texture of bass notes reproduced at such a high level of resolution is impressive and fast but it’s at the cost of visceral impact. Bass heads will likely find the quantity lacking but if you do not require significant bass quantity then I suggest you allow your ears to adjust to this new signature because the tradeoff’s you get can be worth if speed, tightness and resolution are sound qualities you enjoy.

Keywords: Extremely resolute bass, neutral mid bass quantity, light sub bass impact, excellent bass extension(deep but not impactful).


All the models of Zeus had exceptional resolution and realism in the midrange, Wraith dethrones them in this regard. Wraith provides a higher resolution, bringing note texture to the fore while presenting an even more real sounding experience especially with regard to vocals wherein all the throat sounds come through cleanly. This is a crystalline midrange, totally transparent and natural in tone. Midrange notes are extremely detailed while presenting moderate density. Upper mids are favored over lower mids and the midrange is forward the rest of the signature.

Keywords: Upper mid focused, Moderate note density, Exceptional resolution especially in vocals.


Highs are non-fatiguing. Electrostatic drivers shine down on the rest of the signature illuminating the texture of notes and creating clear lines of demarcation around the edges of each sound enhancing the separation. Wraith never crept into sibilance with any recordings for me. Listeners will find a great deal of density in the highs, this monitor is a treble head’s dream. Tremendous detail rendered with electrostatic speed and a silky smooth tuning meld to create one of the best high end tuning's I’ve ever heard with female vocals being where the Wraith truly shines.

Keywords: Butter Smooth Sparkle, Dense, Fast.

Stage construction is three dimensional as opposed to a wide panned IEM presentation. Stage dimensions are epic with extreme note precision and isolation merging to create a sense of black vastness between notes. An un-congested presentation with each sound having full freedom to emerge and dissolve fully without being distorted or blurred into other sounds. The brain can track a sound down to its faintest echo with Wraith if desired. The super black background aids in this regard as well. The stage is huge in all directions, X, Y and Z. I don’t find any axis to be overly favored over another, maybe an ever so slight ovular shape but it’s very slight.

Keywords: Vast, Top shelf layering and separation, Full 360 circular, Super black background, Exceptional separation.


The A18t with M15 or Fir audio black module is the most resolute monitor I've heard. I hear the A18t w/M15 or Fir black slightly outperforming Wraith in overall resolution, but Wraith presents ultra high resolution as well through an upper mid and high centric tuning. If you are a huge fan of resolution and you are content with moderate bass impact you will love Wraith but make sure to pair it with a competent source. Wraith's resolution is spread evenly from the silky smooth highs right down to the impressively rendered sub bass texture. Wraith is tonally accurate with excellent transparency. I find myself disappearing into the music with the Wraith’s non-fatiguing and accurate and emotional tuning.

Keywords: Class leading resolution, Accurate tonality leading to total transparency, Emotional.


To me this is the only comparison that matters as of right now. I am waiting to hear the top shelf vision ears stuff but until then A18t has been my favorite monitor for its’ easy to love signature, in offensive highs, exceptional detail, solid bass impact and incredible layering and separation. A18t has stood the test of time with its’ traditional balanced armature approach while other offerings coming later offered hybrid designs.

Wraith possesses a faster sound due to its’ electrostatic design. Extreme resolution and texture is more effortlessly presented with Wraith especially in the sub bass regions. A18t presents the same resolution but it requires more active listening to pick up with M20 module installed, with M15 the detail is presented more like Wraith and I give the slight edge in overall resolution to A18t. Wraith has more sub bass resolution and texture but A18t counters with more visceral bass impact. As stated earlier, some may find the bass impact on Wraith to be lacking. They both present very realistic vocals with Wraith vocals being more forward.

A18t has a wider stage whereas Wraith counters with a vast circular stage with an ever so slight ovular bent. These are both massive stages that dwarf most other IEMs. If you prefer a more rounded stage you may prefer Wraith, if you want to have those moments every once in awhile where the vastness of the stage jumps out at you then you will prefer the A18t because left to right panning is epic on A18t to the point that it stands out and says “look what I can do.”

With the A18t you have the option of 6 different modules to fine tune the sound, the M15 and M20 from 64 Audio, the hard to find carrot module which totally seals the monitor and the Fir Audio modules. This kind of customization isn’t possible with Wraith of course. A18t will play nicer with more genres and is the versatile. Wraith isolates notes better and sets them against a darker background, A18t also has class leading layering and separation it’s just that the electrostats slightly exceed the BA’s from what I can tell in this regard. It’s the hallmark of electrostatic designs, a crystalline clarity and cleanness to the sound.

These two are both at the top of the heap and I don’t see either one dethroning the other. It all comes down to preference. If you need bass that’s impactful chose A18t w/M20 or the Fir Audio gold module because you’ll still get a massive stage with excellent layering and separation or go M15 for maximum resolution. If you want an upper-mid/highs rich sound and to see what’s technically possible with regard to clarity, separation background blackness and technicality but at the expense of bass impact chose Wraith.

Vision ears comparison will be coming when I hear it.


The Valkyrie presents a surprisingly high level of resolution at its’ price point but ultimately falls short of Wraith due to its lack of separation. Herein is the most distinguishing feature between the two, the Wraith has the best note separation I’ve ever heard while the Valkyrie is a notch below due to note bleed. The Valkyrie has much more sub and mid bass impact than Wraith and doesn’t compromise in this regard. Valkyrie’s V-ish shaped signature plays much nicer with most typical genres. The Valkyrie is an incredible deal at its’ price point vs the Wraith and I found it non-fatiguing and enjoyable for hours on end. I found myself toe tapping and bobbing my head much more with Valkyrie whereas with Wraith I was critically listening and being wowed by the resolution and separation.


Do not buy a top shelf monitor and soley run it out of your phone. The Wraith is an incredible piece of sonic engineering that deserves a Hugo2, a top shelf Astell and Kern or a desktop setup. This is a moderately power hungry monitor, I find myself listening comfortably past the ½ point with my Note10+ phone. You will get plenty of volume out of a phone but again feed it right.


Low end, low end, low end. I think it’s safe to say most people will be served by a pairing the wraith with a cable that attenuates the upper mids in favor of lower mids. I can’t help but want more bass impact and note density. The wraith paired with a cable that accomplished this would be something to behold. There is plenty of weight that could be trimmed off the highs and transferred down to the lows in my opinion.


To my ears the hallmark of top shelf Empire Ears monitors has always been their utterly black background. I have never heard a blacker background than from Zeus XIV and now Wraith. The Wraith presents a supremely resolute, totally transparent and precisely separated sound with an enveloping stage. This is the bleeding edge of what’s technically possible with regard to IEMs. The signature may at first be off putting to bass heads but I suggest you give the Wraith time to grow on you, it was hard for me to put it down once my brain became accustomed to it. The Valkyrie is also an incredible deal vs Wraith that would allow you to get into the EE electrostat game at a lower price point.

From http://www.64audio.com:

The 64 AUDIO tia Trió™ Universal-Fit earphones are the perfect balance between reference quality sound and personal entertainment. Featuring a fully-tubeless design, the breakthrough patent-pending tia™ system consists of the tia single-bore, tia acoustic chambers, and the proprietary open balanced armature tia drivers. You won’t miss a beat or a bass line thanks to the dynamic driver that provides weight and punch to the trio’s musical low end. The Frequency eXtension Chamber allows for superior mid-range control on a back-vented dynamic driver and paves the way for perfectly placed mid frequencies, giving vocals and instruments a remarkably natural sound. Detailed and reliable upper mids are relaxed in presentation and layer easily into the smooth and extended ‘tia top-end’, the signature of any IEM bearing the tia high-driver. Additionally, internal patent-pending apex™ technology vents air pressure from the ear canal for fatigue-free listening. All of this technology is housed in an ergonomic shell machined out of a solid piece of aluminum. With a stunning brushed aluminum faceplate, the 64 Audio tia Trió is a durable and equally elegant addition to the T-Series line-up.

Sensitivity: 104db @1kHZ @1mw
Freq. response: 5Hz - 22KHz
Isolation: -15dB
Transducer configuration: 1 tia™ high, 1 high-mid, 1 dynamic mid/low
Impedance 5.5 +.5/-1.5 ohms from 10Hz - 20kHz
Transducer type: 2 precision balanced armature drivers, 1 dynamic driver
Crossover: Integrated 3-way passive crossover



The tia Trio possesses a slightly warm high resolution sound that can sparkle without offense and pound out deep visceral bass with the right tips. When comparing Trio to the other top shelf offerings from 64 Audio such as the A18t, tia Fourte and A12t, the Trio is the most transparent to my ears. A natural, organic sound, accurate timbre and accurate enough tonality combine to make the Trio effortlessly transparent. This transparency is one of the Trio’s strongest abilities and something every monitor in this price range from every manufacturer should possess. A powerful low end with significant quantity meets a sparkly bright elevated high end in the tia drivers, creating a velvety butter smooth but simultaneously high resolution presentation thanks to the tia drivers shining down from above illuminating the edges of notes.

Keywords: Slightly Warm With Inoffensive Yet Far Extending High End, Good Resolution, Butter, Velvet, Transparent, Powerful Bass.


Both mid and sub bass are quite impactful with properly isolating tips (comply donuts produced the most bass response and isolation) the vibrations can become tactile. Mid bass attacks slightly faster than the low-tuned Dynamic Driver’s sub bass. Sub bass rumbles and hits with authority. Tone extension is moderate-deep but not the deepest I’ve heard. Sub bass is more prominent than mid bass. Attack speed is moderate per the typical dynamic driver delivery while decay is long, creating a warm richness to the overall sound, enhancing image solidity while taming and contrasting with the tia drivers making the sound velvety smooth but highly detailed. Bass notes are heard in full: instead of a bloated round impact devoid of texture, Trio presents an impact/rumble wherein the fluttering variations between the onset of a bass note, its’ center and end are all clearly defined.

Keywords: Impactful Sub Bass, Elevated Above Mid Bass, Detailed Bass Textures, Natural/Organic Tone, Long Decay and Moderate Attack.


Trio has an essentially neutral midrange with the exception of the upper mids being slightly elevated over the lower mids. This marginal elevation created by the tia driver combined with the warm analog dynamic driver bass that permeates the background space with its’ long decay creates female vocals that are stunning. Despite this elevation the mids remain transparent/realistic enough in tone due to the overall warmth of the signature. The mids are neither forward nor recessed while demonstrating flagship level transparency. On a sliding scale measuring image density (dense ßà airy), the Trio would be a notch off the midline favoring an airy presentation, overall moderate image density in the Mids. The mids are highly resolved and uncongested despite the powerful but well contained sub bass. Both sub and mid bass decay without congesting the midrange while the tia driver shines down from above to increase resolution.

Keywords: Neutral-ish Mids W/Marginally Elevated Upper Mids, Airy images, High Resolution, Uncongested, Transparent.


Every tia monitor I’ve heard has sparkled beautifully while extending far into the high’s but never in a harsh manner. The same is true of the tia Trio. The High end is butter smooth and highly resolute. Images generated in the highs have good body, they not afterthoughts in the back of the stage at all, they share an equal footing and placement with the rest of the sound. Tonally accurate enough reproduction similar to that which is heard at a live performance combines with excellent decay and smooth extension to create a flagship worthy high end. Trio sacrifices a bit of high end extension for image density, opting for a natural “live performance” type high end that’s weighty as opposed to the artificially bright type that just won’t disappear and isn’t transparent to the listener. It’s a tradeoff I’m happy to accept as I’m hearing plenty enough detail (definitely flagship level) to satisfy my resolution requirements and prefer the denser top end images as opposed to an airy artificially illuminated presentation of the highs.

Keywords: Butter Smooth Sparkle, Dense Images(in the highs), Share Center-Stage (Not Recessed Nor Forward) With Other Frequencies, Transparent.


Stage construction is three dimensional as opposed to an X-axis skewed design. It’s equally as deep as it is wide, it extends as far forward and back on the Z axis as it does up and down on the Y axis. It’s a natural and transparent stage tuning, nothing sounds artificially stretched, compressed, distant or close. Some monitors present lots of detail to the left and right on the horizontal plane but often images near the rear or front of the stage can lack the same resolution, resolution is spread evenly throughout in the Trio and it is of high quality. The aforementioned elevated sub bass quantity and moderate mid bass contribute a slight sense of airiness to the overall sound but somehow do not negatively affect layering and separation as the analog DD driver bass does not congest the images. Layering and separation is very good. One would imagine a sub bass elevated presentation with marginally airy image density would skew layering and separation but instead the Trio demonstrates very good layering and separation likely to due it’s medium-large intimate stage and resolution illuminating tia driver. The bass is elevated but not to an extent to make the overall sound diffuse.

Keywords: Good Layering and Separation, Three Dimensional Equally Proportioned (Density/Resolution/Size) Presentation, Uncongested.


The tia Trio is dynamic and full of life due to its’ powerful sub bass, elevated upper mids and far extending highs yet it remains transparent due to its’ smooth reproduction and accurate enough tonality and timbre. When I’m listening to the Trio it truly disappears for me. Resolution is exceptional in the sub bass and upper mids. It’s hard to find much of anything wrong with the Trio but if one must fault it in some aspect it would be the resolution of the absolute middle frequencies and lower mids. Trio trades off a bit of detail in these regions for a more organic warm and tonally accurate and transparent signature, in my opinion a wise tradeoff.

Keywords: Exceptional Resolution In Sub Bass & Upper Mids & Highs, Good Resolution In Lower Mids, Class Leading Transparency.


I had no comfort issues with the Trio’s at all.


Hugo2:

The Trio Hugo2 pairing was sublime. Totally and completely transparent and hiss free to my ears. Sub bass extended deep, the highs were butter smooth and the overall resolution was of course exceptional with Hugo2 squeezing out every bit of note texture and resolution the Trio’s were capable of reproducing.

S8+:

The Trio continues the trend of 64 Audio IEM’s sounding spectacular with all devices due to their Linear Impedance Design (LID) technology. I get a similar sound to Hugo2 just with far less detail and a bit more harshness due to the sound being digital as opposed to the butter smooth organic and analog sound coming out of Hugo2. I am quite pleased with the sound straight out of my S8+ with tia Trio and a little trick those of you with a similar phone can do is to enable Tube mode in your sound settings. It sounds truly magical as the midrange comes forward and gains weight while sub bass impact and tia extension are maintained. The tone overall becomes more alive and dynamic in tube mode. A fun feature I suggest everyone with this pairing employ, I can’t always lug around a Hugo2 when I’m on the move so this tube amp replication by the S8+ is spectacular with tia Trio.

Tips:

Vs Zeus XR:

Zeus XR achieves a more reference audio-engineer style tuning than Trio, suitable for a studio environment while in R mode. Trio’s mids are further back in-stage by comparison and less detailed. Trio has more bass quantity/impact across the board while Zeus in either mode opts for a brighter more detailed signature instead. Zeus especially in XIV mode edges the Trio slightly in layering and separation. Zeus in XIV mode has much more image solidity/density especially in the midrange while Trio counters with more at the ends of the frequency spectrum. Trio has the more natural bass sound with much better decay and extension due to it’s Dynamic Driver. The Zeus’s greatest strength is its’ eerily three dimensional reproduction of vocals, the Trio cannot compete in this regard neither can any other monitor in my opinion. They are both exceptionally transparent but go about achieving this transparency in different ways; with Zeus it’s unbelievable midrange detail adding to the sense of realism while with Trio it’s the overall slightly warm tuning, analog bass, accurate enough tonality and timbre. The crash and shimmer and extension associated with cymbals is more three dimensional and impressive with Zeus in either mode. If you’re a vocal enthusiast, value an incredibly detailed and three dimensional midrange presentation or need the ability to switch to a more reference tuning (Zeus R) then go Zeus XR. If you want a slightly warmer, transparent, high resolution, viscerally impactful presentation go Trio. Both monitors are worthy of their rankings near or the very top of the market as most reviewers have ranked them.

Vs A18t:

A18t has more resolution from mids to upper mids and through to highs while Trio has more bass texture and resolution down low. Trio’s sub bass pushes more air/impact and its’ bass presentation is more natural overall due to its’ decay from the dynamic driver. Trio has the more transparent sound. It's easier to distinguish image location with Trio due to its’ smaller more intimate stage and thus images are closer, more solid and less airy. Herein lies the tradeoff; a smaller stage with closer more concrete images vs much larger stage(especially width) with more airy images on A18t. Trio presents a three dimensional stage construction whereas A18t is more width centric-surpassed only by Fourte in this regard. Trio's more natural slightly less dynamic presentation and more intimate stage makes for a more precise layering and separation in the midrange superior to A18t but only in the midrange. A18t has the tonally deeper bass-especially sub bass while Trio counters with more analog texture. A18t extends further with a brighter sparkle whereas Trio is smoother. A18t offers the ability to fine tune the signature with M15/M20 modules which to me is a massive benefit since the modules significantly alter its’ signature.

Vs A12t:

U12t is more a reference signature than Trio whereas Trio has more elevated sub bass and upper mids. The tia driver is far more evident and illuminates the entire signature and the edges of notes more in A12t than Trio to my ears. This effect is especially apparent in the midrange and vocals. Trio has more bass quantity in mid bass but especially sub bass. I find layering and separation to be roughly similar. Soundstage dimensions are similar with Trio having the slightly more three dimensional sounding stage. Mids are slightly more forward on U12t. Both demonstrate excellent resolution but in different areas; Trio in the upper mids and lows and U12t in the lower mids and highs. A12t has the ability to be fine-tuned with the M15/M20 modules whereas Trio does not.

Vs tia Fourte:

The biggest difference between the Fourte and the Trio is the warmth of the signature; Trio being warmer. Trio has more bass quantity and impact. Fourte was not to my taste as it was quite bright and the bass seemed disjointed from the rest of the signature, the stage seemed artificially wide due to this whereas everything blends seamlessly in the Trio creating flagship worthy transparency. I found Fourte to be less transparent, I could sense it was always there while with Trio I had more of those spine tingling moments where I thought someone was behind me while listening. The unnaturally disjointed bass in Fourte was a double edged sword as it made the stage massive but decreased transparency. Fourte stage is massive, the largest I’ve heard ever and quite a bit larger than the more transparent natural sounding stage of Trio. With Trio I felt as though I was just listening to a live performance, high resolution, slightly warm and smooth. Trio was more tonally accurate to my ears with Fourte having a high end centric signature. Fourte easily bests Trio with regard to detail retrieval, if you want ultimate detail with a massive stage but at the expense of transparency and tonal accuracy then Fourte is the IEM for you. If you want a high resolution slightly warm but totally transparent signature with good bass quantity Trio is for you.


I always try to find improvements no matter how minor. Sound wise I see nothing to be improved with tia Trio the signature is precisely my “cup of tea”.


Transparency is the word that I keep coming back to with the Trio. It’s a very special monitor in this regard and transparency is its’ strongest asset. A high resolution slightly warm and buttery smooth/velvety signature with a medium-large stage that’s equally distributed 360 in all directions. A natural and organic sound reproduction save the ever so slightly tonally bright nature of the tia driver which to my ears is rendered transparent by the warmth of the Dynamic Driver and quantity of lower mids. Despite its’ balanced midrange, the Trio captures the magic of male and especially female voices. Bass is visceral as one would expect with a Dynamic and can be increased with tip selection. Bass decay is excellent. Images across the spectrum are marginally airy, I do not find them lacking density or time-presence. Layering and separation is good and uncongested across the frequency range. The high’s sparkle inoffensively and the images therein demonstrate good density. The tia Trio is highly recommended to anyone who loves a highly transparent, slightly warm, highly detailed monitor with exceptional layering and separation. Trio may seem high at it’s price but its’ providing value above its price point if we consider it vs the A18t, Fourte, Zeus XR, etc.

Keywords: Transparency, Resolution, Layering and Separation, Visceral Bass, Three Dimensional Equally Proportioned Stage.

Despite the introductions of the Legend X and Phantom by Empire Ears, the Zeus XR remains the pinnacle of all EE offerings. The XR is unique in that it offers dual signatures; flip the switch down and you get more bottom end (XIV), flip up for a reference signature (R) that would serve professional audio engineers despite its’ slightly forward midrange. Fourteen drivers per ear are married in a proprietary synX dual crossover damper-less four bore configuration using individually insulated sapphire, gold and silver plated copper litz wiring which is stunning to observe through the shell. Driver configuration is as follows: dual low, six mid and six high. An EE proprietary nanotech coating is applied to the internals increasing image: isolation, layering, separation and stage features associated with such properties. The XR operates with an impedance of 21Ω @ 1 kHz/119dB @ 1mw. A two year warranty is included with the purchase of an XR. A myriad of customization options are available to the buyer on EE’s easy to use website: http://www.empireears.com. Your XR will arrive in approximately three weeks from the date of purchase, a rush service is available for a fee. Your Zeus XR will travel through 22 different build stations for a total of 14 hours of labor.


Overall the XR is mid-centric, slightly warm, smooth and sparkly in the highs and produces thick notes in the mids. It produces extreme detail not through artificial brightening but through complex tuning and technological advancement-a slightly warm yet highly detailed signature with perfect coherency across the spectrum. Bass quantity is moderate-light with the mid bass being the greater and sub bass the lesser-both can be increased by flipping the switch down. The highs sparkle softly, imparting enough detail to the sound so that concert hall reverberations are clear, distinct and uncongested. Both XIV and R are elegant and smooth. The marginally warm tuning combined with the neutral tone results in a good timbre. Zeus XR exhibits noteworthy peaks in the following regions: 1.5K(counter balances 1-3dB bump from 20Hz-500k with slight upper mids bump), 6.5K(increases resolution/crispness), 9K(sizzle) and 12K(smooth sparkle). Others have mentioned they haven't noticed a big difference between the two modes, I didn't find this to be true and I think the difference is more noticeable with higher quality sources. With my Hugo2 the difference is dramatic as the midrange is thrust to the forefront. Overall Keywords: Warm-neutral, mid forward, elegant, highly detailed.


The quantity of bass and forwardness of the midrange are the two main differences when flipping the switch. XIV has a more forward midrange, more bass quantity and impact and has approximately 1-3db more fullness in the 20Hz-500k region. Both XIV and R utilize a tight controlled bass. Regardless of XIV or R mode, the sub bass extends deep in tone. Audiophiles that enjoy a well-articulated highly detailed and contained (in the sense of bleeding) bass will enjoy the low end of the Zeus XR but bassheads may find it lacking in quantity. Bass Keywords: Tight and controlled sub bass, prominent/slightly forward mid bass with no bleed, quality over quantity.


The high end is crystal clear and inoffensive. For me it never becomes harsh or grating. Zeus has a smooth but well extended sparkle, providing the necessary emotion and weight to piano high notes. I do find that the R setting has slightly more sparkle than the XIV setting due to the more substantial bass from XIV and more recessed-than XIV-mids. The upper mids and highs are where a majority of the detail resides. I have never experienced sibilance at all owing to the lower mids being emphasized over the upper mids. High End Keywords: Clarity, clean, quick, non-fatiguing and smooth.


Whether using the R or XIV setting the most impressive feature of the Zeus XR is the midrange. It remains forward regardless of setting with XIV bringing the vocals quite noticeably more forward than the R. Clarity is crystal clear owing to the sparkle. Emotional connection, life-like holographic realism and high definition combine with this clarity for an impressive result. By presenting the midrange forward an emotive sound is created and you feel an intimate connection to the vocalist. Vocals are dense, intimate and with a unique 3D holographic realness that only the Zeus can produce. I have caught myself looking around many times because I was convinced someone was standing behind while using the XR’s. The midrange is the most highly resolving region of the Zeus’s sound irrespective of setting. Lower mids are more prominent than the upper mids, this aids in creating the full sounding midrange, this affect being more pronounced in the XIV setting. Midrange Keywords: Intimate, tall, holographic, epic, silky smooth, emotive, forward, detailed, lower mid emphasis.


The Zeus XR presents a three dimensional stage that is slightly taller and deeper than it is wide, avoiding the horizontally stretched effect many monitors utilize to create width. The mids are presented in very high resolution and their detail is more apparent due to their closeness to the listener and technical prowess of the XR. The result is a stage that serves not only to create impressive air between the truly three dimensional images but also to impart an authentic realism to the sound not found elsewhere. This 3D effect is most apparent in the vocals where images are heard as incredibly holographic, tall and detailed, it’s as if you could reach out and touch the vocals-an incredible effect that adds tremendous value to the Zeus’s stage presentation.

Images are concrete, uncongested and independent yet blend into a seamless and cohesive whole. Each note emerges from the void and dissipates back into it in a high resolution fashion such that the mind and ear can follow them fully from emergence to dissipation. The high resolution nature of the Zeus increases its’ layering and separation as instruments are more clearly defined as is the space between them. The edges of each instrument can be focused in on and become tactile in the minds eye, there is no confusion as to where one begins in the midst of another and texture is as if each note is viewed microscopically. Most monitors create air with horizontal space, it is much more difficult to do it with vertical space let alone three dimensional space, Zeus is a master of this feat. Stage, Layering and Separation Keywords: 3D, adequate, impressive vocal rendering,. Images: solid, well defined, separate in three dimensions instead of just with regard to width.


A top of the line transparent headphone should be free of distortion and have a natural tone. These two things among other factors create transparency. Tuning for transparency is often a balancing act between dynamism and naturalism. The Zeus XR has good transparency, owing to its’ good timbre and natural sound. Transparency only improves when paired with a good source, Zeus is truly a monitor that will continue to perform at a higher level when paired with higher quality gear. Transparency is achieved in the XR not just through tuning but through the lack of filters, resistors and dampers. This means that Zeus responds and changes dramatically with regard to whatever source you are using it with and it scales and can scale very high. Expect a dramatic difference if going from something like a typical smartphone to the Hugo2 or SP1000. I have never heard more detail in the midrange than I have with Zeus in either mode. In R mode the vocals take a step back on the stage and the amount of detail in the rest of the frequency range becomes more apparent as the listeners focus shifts with the more neutral linear tuning. In XIV mode the level of vocal and mid range instrument texture is stunning. With regard to detail in the highs and lows, I find slightly more emphasis with regard to resolution in the high end than the lows due to the sparkly treble while the overall sound remains warm. A difficult tuning to achieve indeed. Keywords: Exceptionally high level of texture, detail and resolution especially in the midrange.


The canal on the right side was a bit small which was creating a bad seal. EE requested I send it back, they immediately fixed it and got it back to me with lighting speed. Top notch customer service and now my fit is absolutely perfect and has been verified as such using seal tests.


I much prefer Zeus with a cable that increases the sub bass quantity while leaving the rest of the signature alone. With my Hugo2 the holographic nature of the vocals were taken to another level of realism and Zeus was able to show its’ technical prowess as the king of vocals. I think most will agree that pairing Zeus with a technically competent source that is warm and natural and a cable that increases bass end quantity is a solid recommendation and one I can endorse. I did detect a slight hiss with Hugo2, my phone and SP1000cu but it did not affect my listening experience at all and disappeared was undetectable when the music began.

Vs A18t:

Zeus XR achieves a more reference audio-engineer style tuning than A18t, suitable for a studio environment while in R mode. A18t’s vocals are firmly between XIV and R mode with regard to stage positioning with XIV being the most forward. A18t has more sub bass impact and quantity regardless of module. A18t has more detail in the highs and lows while Zeus XR creates more detail in the midrange. A18t does not possess the 3D vocal effect of Zeus but counters with a more visceral and impactful sub bass especially with the M20 module. Both signatures are warm and produce fat mid-centric notes with A18t having the edge in note fullness in the lower mids. A18t has the wider stage while Zeus XR counters with a more three dimensional presentation invoking a deeper stage. Between these two titans it will largely come down to signature. If you prefer a bassier signature with more sub bass impact and mid bass fullness go with A18t, if you’re a vocal enthusiast, prefer a more three dimensional stage or need a more reference tuning go Zeus XR.


I always try to find improvements no matter how minor but in this case I can find none, not with regard to construction, fit or sound. The Zeus XR is a monitor that has no equal with regard to midrange and vocal performance. In my opinion its’ stage depth, layering and separation are class leading as well. If you value vocals and midrange above all else look no further. Zeus XR is future proof in this sense. Detail and resolution are exceptional as is layering, separation and stage. Zeus is still the pinnacle of midrange tuning and with the XR you get his voice in two variations, XIV and R-what’s not to love? I always suggest getting the XR over the R or XIV individually, for a few hundred dollars more you get them both in a single package.

The PLUSSOUND Prism is made in the California and features two balanced armature drivers-one low and one high. It is the middle shelf offering from PLUSSOUND. The body of the IEM was 3D printed using hypoallergenic acrylic. I actually thought they were metal because the coating that is applied to them is so tough and durable it gives them a metallic feel. The housing is very small for a dual driver IEM. A 3D printed horn shaped waveguide creates the spacious and high definition sound of the Prism. An added driver and damper prevents movement and shocks from affecting sound quality. Sturdy gold MMCX connectors and a 28AWG Copper Type 6 Litz cable round out the Prism’s presentation. High quality UP-OCC wiring is used internally. A variety of comply tips are included along with a small metal carrying case.



If as an audiophile you’ve ever been at a live concert and you listen carefully to the sound you will notice that it isn’t bright. It’s warm and dark, of course this changes with environment but on the whole natural concert sound is warm and dark. So is the Prism. When I’m listening to some excellent rock music like the 100 Watt Vipers – Cold Sunday Blues, the dark background combined with warm and massively dynamic sound of the Prism creates a “live effect” wherein the music sounds larger than live, powerful, rich and organic. The overall signature is mid centric and warm with an emphasis toward the lower-mids. The Prism’s background is utter blackness, against this blackness the 6k-20k frequencies standout.


The stage is wide, and tuned with great separation and layering. It’s more of a wide stage than it is 360. It isn’t the largest stage I’ve heard but it’s plenty large enough for me, what makes it exceptional is the space between the players and the instruments which allow for good image solidity and separation.


The detail retrieval is very good for the price point but falls short of the top tier $2000-$3,000 IEMs in the market today but that should not be held against the Prism. This is largely due to the Prism’s laid back and relaxed presentation.


A top of the line transparent headphone should be free of distortion and have a natural tone. These two things among other factors create transparency. Tuning for transparency is often a balancing act between dynamism and naturalism. The Prism is fully in the dynamic camp and it sounds great. If you want an IEM that has a warm, dynamic, smooth and live sound similar to hearing a concert in person.

Separation in the horizontal plane is very good with a lot of spacing between instruments and players placed in the X axis next to each other. The separation and layering capabilities of the Prism rival my IEMs that cost 5x as much. Image stability is very good as is image isolation, images maintain their space and shape during complex passages or passages in which quiet sounds are contrasted against louder sounds.



The Prisms favor the 6-20k region much more than the upper mids, owing to the lower mids being elevated over the upper mids. Extension in the 6-20k region is spectacular and tone is realistic and natural. Layering and separation is exceptional in the highs due to the dark black background of the Prisms.


The mids are relaxed with the low mids being elevated slightly above the upper mids. Vocal placement is pretty close to the center of the head with the instruments positioned slightly further out. The mids are very smooth and laid back yet detailed. The resolution isn’t spectacular but it’s on par for the price point.


The Prism favors mid bass over sub bass. The bass isn’t chameleon like, it will sound the same no matter what genre you are listening to, the Prism can handle any genre and doesn’t lose its’ presentation when doing so. Decay is tight and resolution is good but not exceptional. I don’t find myself needing more bass with hip hop or electronic music, the Prism has plenty of bass for me. The bass coming from the prism isn’t so much visceral or felt, it’s more audible. The mid bass bump tends to make male vocals sound more powerful than female vocals.


I found the Prism’s to be very ergonomic and comfortable with the supplied comply tips. Others have reported the earphones falling out from time to time but I have a very tight seal and have not experienced any falling out. I did not wear these over the ears but also did not find them uncomfortable when doing so, I do get a very deep insertion though due to the shape of my canal. I never had any trouble getting a good seal. Noise isolation is very high with these, at work I had to keep my volume pretty low so that I could still hear the phone. The cable was very tightly attached and I feared I would break it by pulling so hard but for the purposes of this review I had to swap cables from time to time. I am happy to report the MMCX connections do eventually loosen over time. The cable has heft to it but I found it to be extremely comfortable and never had any issues using it.

I found the Prism to pair nicely with all my sources; Chord Mojo, S7 Edge, S8+ and the ALO CDM. It was readily apparent to me just how transparent the Prisms are when changing sources as they’re sound is dramatically affected. On the CDM they were punchy, deep, dynamic and spacious while on Mojo they were smooth, organic and sounded live. S7 Edge made them sound clear as well but with less detail and smoothness than the CDM or Mojo. They sounded great with S8+, big, dynamic and detailed but again they lacked the smoothness of analog signal such as that from the CDM or Mojo.


I always try to find improvements no matter how minor. The midrange was a bit flat for my tastes but that doesn’t mean it isn’t detailed, spacious or well separated. I just prefer a more forward midrange. I didn’t like the pairing with the stock cable. The upgraded cable is much better as it removes the lower midrange bump, makes the entire sound more balanced and increases detail in the upper midrange and highs.


The Prisms are extremely well built IEMs. They are warm and dark with spectacular layering and separation. The mid-range is relaxed, the treble extension is spectacular, bass is authoritative and punchy. The Prism is a great value at its’ current price.

Introduction
Technical Specifications
Sound Analysis
Ergonomics
Comparisons
Pairings
Suggestions For Improvement
Conclusions
I will be reviewing the 2.5mm version Thor II from https://shop.musicteck.com/collections/effect-audio. Musicteck sells a variety of audiophile cables including the Effect Audio lineup. I purchased the cable from Musicteck at full price and will return it at the conclusion of this review for a refund. Unfortunately Musicteck was forced to undertake such a policy after some bad actors did not return their cables after the review. I appreciate Musicteck making this loaner unit available to me because I’ve always wanted to hear Effect Audio cables. Effect Audio’s strategy is to produce premium cables at a lower price than the competition-cables that provide a lot of value. Read on to see if they’ve lived up to that with regard to the Thor II.
I will be evaluating the capabilities of the cable with my 64 Audio A18’s which are a mostly reference IEM with regard to Frequency Response and my Chord Mojo which is also reference with a bit of warmth (I would argue this added warmth is natural anyway because live performances do not typically have the sort of bright analytical sound many sources have). Volume matching using an SPL meter was done between cables for accuracy purposes.


The Thor II from effect Audio is made with 26AWG UPOCC pure silver Litz. It’s a multi stranded design within a single encapsulation. The extremely thin strands increase conductive speed in the cable. It has very sturdy EAC CD connectors and Y-split.


Thor II creates a dynamic, epic and almost theatrical sound. The music becomes more impactful, full and thick. Thor II is a warm silver cable that smooths off sibilant highs, adds more weight to the lows allowing them to go deeper and impact with more stage presence.

Around the 4 minute mark of Minor Blue off of Thurman Green’s Dance of the Night Creatures album, there are multiple layers of instruments with a lot of space between the players. All that space was captured perfectly in the recording. The Thor II faithfully reproduces this space between the players. I don’t find the Thor II to overly be skewed towards one direction with regard to it's effect on stage dimensions, it tends to increase space in all directions and pushes the players out a little further on the stage while maintaining the dynamism of each player-the expansion does not create a thin sound at the edges of the stage instead the sound at the edges remains full bodied and dynamic. Keywords: Expanded Stage, Increased Space Between Images

Rhythm comes through better due to better reproduction of sonic images, especially the attack of notes which is more focused and solid. Definition and resolution increases in the upper mids and highs. There is more high definition texture revealed in sub and mid bass. In General Image and Resolution Test from Chesky’s Best of Chesky Jazz and More Audiophile Tests Volume 2, it’s easier to follow the various players around and keep them separated as they circle around the microphone. Keywords: Increased Texture Definition, More Solid/Impactful Images


A top of the line transparent headphone should be free of distortion and have a natural tone. These two things among other factors create transparency. Tuning for transparency is often a balancing act between dynamism and naturalism. The Thor II isn’t the most transparent cable because it has such a powerful, big, emotive and dynamic sound. You’ll love it if that’s what you’re looking for. Keywords: Dynamic


One of the other standout effects the Thor II has on the sound is its ability to increase layering and separation. It does this by slightly increasing the depth of the stage. As I mentioned in the Resolution and Imaging section, the notes become more solid while simultaneously gaining empty space around them which allows them to bloom in full while increased distance between instruments in the x axis increases layering and separation. Keywords: Increased Space Between Images, Increased Stage Height, Good Layering and Separation


The cymbals are more forward in Mark Nauseef’s Gears from the With Space In Mind album with Thor II. More micro detail is reproduced in their decay. The cymbal shimmering at the end of the song is more forward and full bodied. This cable would be fantastic for audiophiles looking to make the “concert hall effect” more apparent because the Thor II increases the presence and clarity of the upper mids and thus those frequencies and micro details will be more audible. Reverberations from music recorded inside a concert hall, church or similar location with a lot of sound bouncing off the wall is reproduced better with Thor II. The sparkly highs are also tamed a bit, I don’t find that they’ve lost weight or presence but just that they’re easier on the ears. Keywords: Smoothed Highs, Good Micro-detail Reproduction


Upper mids and highs have more high definition texture. Vocals are definitely more forward and full bodied with the Thor II. I hear more natural, vivid and alive vocals. Mid bass punches harder with better texture but is also tidy and doesn’t bleed into the upper mids or highs. Male vocals especially will be more impactful and have more stage presence. Keywords: Natural and Vivid Vocals, Increased Mid Bass Quantity (remains tidy)


One of the most immediately noticeable changes the Thor II brings to the sound is in the low frequencies; it pushes them deeper in tone and gives them more impact. Going back to Mark Nauseef’s drum exhibition from With Space In Mind; the sonar drum is much deeper with Thor II. Sub bass deepens in tone and increases in quantity. Bass decay has noticeable more weight to it, pushing more of that deep deep sonar drum out onto the stage. Mid bass is also more full bodied with more quantity. In the binaural recording of Stank from Lenny White’s Exploration in Space and Time the drums at the far right of the stage have more texture detail with Thor II. Keywords: Deeper in Tone, Good Texture Definition

Sublime. I recently demoed the Linum Super BaX and while the Thor II is heavier than the Super BaX, Thor competes with it with regard to comfort. The Thor II is very soft. I would think the round metal bracers near the 2 pin connection would have been felt while I was wearing the cable but they disappeared.


Linum Super BaX: The Super BaX has more congestion in the X-axis while the Thor II has more space between the players. The Super BaX has much more shimmer and sparkle while the Thor II smooths out the high end which will remove sibilance. The Thor II has a more visceral low end with more presence, body and impact. Thor creates a more epic, dynamic and emotive sound while the Super BaX is more about shimmer and air.

64 Audio Premium Cable: Vocals on the 64 Audio premium cable are less forward. The entire spectrum has less weight and body. In Chesky’s General Image and Resolution Test the movement of the shaker player as he circles around the microphone is more sudden and abrupt on my 64 Audio Premium cable while on the Thor II he moves in more of a smooth circle. The 64 Audio cable is more transparent than the Thor II cable, this is one thing the 64 Audio premium cable does spectacularly well. It doesn’t color the sound in any way that I can detect, it’s a completely natural and transparent listen while the Thor II is more fun, colored and dynamic. The Thor is has more accuracy and more of a “pin point” effect with regard to imaging within the stage.


64 Audio A18: The Thor II increases layering and separation. It removes some of the transparency of the IEM and substitutes it for a deeper and harder hitting sub bass, more emotive and forward vocals (especially male), more micro detail and high definition texture reproduction and a more spacious slightly larger stage.

64 Audio A12: The change is dramatic with this pairing, the distant airy and veiled sound of the A12 becomes more forward, clear and dynamic-much the same effect as going from an ADEL MAM to an apex M15 module. Pairing the A12 with the Thor II and the M15 is quite and apparent change from stock 64 audio cable and ADEL MAM. The Thor II really brings out the deep deep bass in the SACD of Donald Fagen’s Morph The Cat-not so with the stock cable. Morph the Cat has more dynamism, life and full bodied sound with the Thor II.


I can find no ways in which this cable could be improved; it’s soft, does what it says it would do with regard to sound, it beautiful and overbuilt with regard to strength. An impressive cable at a good price and a time when cables are now exceeding $2,000. This isn't a cable that you will have to struggle to hear a change with, the change was obvious with all my IEMs.


The Thor II is a great value that provides a noticeable change in sound, from my experience it deepens bass, increases space between instruments in the stage, slightly softens the highest of the highs and creates an overall more dynamic, weighty, impactful and epic sound. The construction is SOLID, especially the metal connectors around the 2 pin area. The ergonomics are on point as is; the softness, the Y splitter with soft sliding adjuster and the weight never tugged on my ears either. The Thor II is a good value that I highly recommend to those looking for a more dynamic sound that won’t break the bank. Thanks again to Musicteck for providing me the opportunity to review the Thor II, check out their Effect Audio cables here: https://shop.musicteck.com/collections/effect-audio.

The Mixcder X5 is a 12.4mm dynamic driver IEM. It is housed inside a tough aluminum shell, a variety of over ear clips as well as tips are provided. A nice case is included which neatly houses all the components securely. All sound analysis will be done with my Chord Mojo. I received the X5’s free in exchange for my honest review.


I don’t think I have gone deaf since switching to the X5 but I am finding I have to crank the X5 quite a bit to get it up to sufficient volume. I’m on single pink right now on my Mojo which would likely be doing permanent damage to my ears if I was listening to my other IEMs. So what does this mean for you? You may need a lot of power to drive these properly but once driven properly I think you will find they far exceed their asking price.

The X5’s are definitely warm with the mid bass being dominant followed shortly behind in the mid bass is the sub bass which slams with authority-something I haven’t often seen in an IEM this small. The X5’s have a laid back yet big sound with a full bodied lower midrange, and articulate vocals that sound natural and convey emotion.

To analyze the stage of the X5’s I used Lenny White’s binaural recording Stank from the album Explorations in Space and Time and General Resolution and Imaging Test from Chesky’s Jazz and More Audiophile Tests Volume 2 album. The stage has good height in the y-axis and good width in the x-axis while the overall is circular with full head wrap around and centered mostly in the eye level. The stage is centered slightly forward of the Xy intersection with there being more stage in front of the ears than behind. The shaker in the Chesky track moves further out in front of the face than it does behind the head when it’s circling around. I have confirmed this soundstage with multiple sources. The various drums on Stank are reproduced correctly with space between them in the X plane and they do not sound as though they are competing for space. Keywords: Moderate, Circular


I will again be using the General Image and Resolution Test, this time to test the reproduction of texture detail of the X5’s. The most highly resolving headphones I’ve ever heard are the 64 Audio apex A18’s with the M15 module. I use this IEM as my benchmark for comparing the resolution capabilities of other headphones. I find that the shaker used in this Chesky track is extremely detailed on the A18’s, miniscule and minute details of the shaker come through clearly and the texture of the sound is highly defined, clear and felt as though the shaker is in the room with you. The X5’s lose some of that texture but that’s to be expected comparing a $3,000 IEM to a $16 IEM. For their price the X5’s provide a great amount of detail that far exceeds every other IEM I’ve heard in the $50 range and below. If the X5 struggles at any aspect of resolution it’s assigning weight to sound at the very farthest reaches of the stage where they can sometimes sound a bit airy when they should be weighty such as the Sonar Drums on Mark Nauseef’s Gears from the With Space In Mind album. Keywords: Good Resolution


A top of the line transparent headphone should be free of distortion and have a natural tone. These two things among other factors create transparency. Tuning for transparency is often a balancing act between dynamism and naturalism. The X5’s are firmly in the dynamic camp. The sound is large, thick, full bodied and bold. Keywords: Dynamic

Thurman Green’s Minor Blue Is one of the best tracks to test an IEM’s layering and separation abilities, there is a lot of space between the performers and the recording is a masterpiece. As the track gradually increases in complexity, I find the X5’s do an admirable job presenting the space between the players. This track focuses on space in the y axis more than any other track I’ve heard as the players seem to be almost in a sort of V pattern. Moving up the V we should be able to hear the space between the players. The X5 conveys this space and I never felt as though the X axis was congested or the height compressed. Keywords: Very Good Layering and Separation, Good imaging


Others have reported the X5 can be sibilant. I do not hear any sibilance with the X5. I hear a sparkly and high reaching high end but never does it cross over to sibilance for me. To test sibilance I used Angellore’s track A Shrine Of Clouds from the La Litanie Des Cendres album, it sounded sweet, airy and beautiful as it should. Keywords: Well Extended, Not Sibilant


I would echo the sentiment of others with regard to the midrange of the X5. It is full-bodied, rich, detailed but also slightly less resolving due to mid bass bleed. It can be a good thing if you like some rumble in your mid bass punch. I also find this bump increases the weight and emotive power of male vocals. If you enjoy a heavy knockout punch with long decay as opposed to a tidy punch you’ll like the X5’s. The bleed does reduce some of the texture definition and detail reproduction in the upper mids but it isn’t a drastic reduction. Listen to Pass Hopes from Messe Noire’s Black Metal masterpiece In Shadows and Dust and the bass bleed will be obvious. Keywords: Rumble, Lower Mid Dominant, Slight Bass Bleed


Unlike the mid bass the sub bass does not bleed into the rest of the sound, it hits hard and with authority but it’s tidy in decay while attack is quick and hard. I find bass extension to be solid and X5 is able to go deep with regard to sub bass tone. Keywords: Deep Tone Extension, Fast Attack


I found that the X5’s aren’t the kind of IEMs that really go deep in the canal, they are designed just barely insert into the exterior of the canal (at least that’s how they fit me). I find them comfortable as long as I don’t push them in too deep. There is a slight issue which I have photographed below:
The edge where the disc shaped top of the IEM meets the flat body should be revised such that the disc shaped portion slightly overtakes the edge on the flat portion because the flat portion can be sharp when pushed against the skin.


S7 Edge: Of course S7 Edge cannot compete with Mojo or the CDM with regard to things like layering, high definition textures, imaging, separation and resolution but it does well with the X5 if you enjoy EDM, rap, hip hop or other bass heavy genres. I didn’t like the pairing with classical, metal or rock.

Mojo: Soundstage was slightly smaller than the CDM but larger than the S7 Edge. The mid bass bleed was tightened up a bit and the sparkly highs were tamed. Sub bass was deep but tidy and well textured, detail was good across the spectrum.

ALO CDM: The most noticeable change with this pairing was separation improved and as a side effect the imaging as well. The bass went a bit deeper and the stage increased in all directions, the largest stage was with the CDM.


I always try to find improvements no matter how minor. The aforementioned edge issue is the biggest comfort issue I had with the X5’s. It was only noticeable if I pushed them in but towards the end of the day my right ear was a bit sore from it. I would also like to see the mid bass bleed tightened up.


The X5 is a tremendous value for a low price, you get a warm detailed signature with a good soundstage, emotive weighty vocals, deep sub bass, rumbly mid bass and well extended highs. Layering and Separation are on par with much more expensive headphones and detail retrieval is good as well. Overall a large, epic and dynamic sound at a great price. Well done Mixcder.

Linum has always been a company that heavily focused on ergonomics and comfort with regard to their cables. The Super BaX is the pinnacle of this philosophy. Linum says the Super BaX is ideal for multi driver IEMs and IEMs with low output impedance. It’s available in both MMCX and 2 pin connections. The 3.5mm connection is right angled to reduce stress. The composition of the wire is silver plated copper Litz. I will be pairing the Super Bax with my Chord Mojo, A18 and A12.




The most immediately noticeable aspect of the Super BaX’s signature for me was the shimmer. It seemed to cast a shiny metallic shimmer over the upper mids and highs. It remains an overall warm cable with a very dark background against which it casts this shimmer. If you are someone sensitive to sparkly highs this is something to remember. If you prefer shimmering highs you will love the Super Bax. The airiness of the sound was the next most immediately noticeable change in sound. This airiness will result in a thinning of the fullness of notes but an expansive soundstage will be gained. All of the sound seems to tighten up with the Super Bax. It also increases mid and sub (moreso) bass quantity.


The Super Bax will make the stage of your IEM larger especially with regard to width. Depth and height are average as I find the cable highly favors width. This width favoritism can tend to cause compression in the X axis. Imagine you a recording wherein there is a guitarist and a flute player. They are both to the right of the stage but the flute player is a few more feet right of the guitarist. The space between them is somewhat compressed with the Super Bax, an effect I have documented on all my IEMs.


The brightness the Super Bax imparts to the upper mids and highs results in more texture being revealed in these regions. High hat extension is more apparent and textured. I don’t find much change with regard to definition in the other frequencies.



I heard the Linum Bax degrade the layering and separation of my A18’s while improving it on the A12’s so this seems to be monitor dependent.


Upper mids and highs shimmer with metallic brightness against a warm background which makes their shimmering/sparkling all the more apparent.


The airiness of the cable makes the mids thinner but not in the sense of a recession, the notes are just lighter sounding.


Tone is deeper on both mid and sub bass but more so in the sub bass region. This creates the characteristic warmth and dark background of the Super Bax. Sub bass becomes a larger player in the sound and as a result the sound becomes more dynamic.


Unparalleled. This cable weighs 8 grams and is extremely soft to the touch. I don’t think much else needs to be said in this regard, if you want a cable that disappears this is it.


Effect Audio Thor

Most noticeable is the Thor’s approach to airiness, which is opposite the Super BaX’s approach. The Thor has a thicker, fuller sound than the Super Bax. Mids are full and rich on Thor while sub bass goes deeper than Super Bax and both mid and sub bass have more authority on Thor. Layering and separation are better on Thor while Super Bax wins with regard to airiness and treble sparkle.


A18

A bit more sub bass, worse layering and separation in the X axis, the high end is too bright for me as the metallic sparkle and shimmer is almost painful.

A12

The A12 is already a very airy monitor, add to that the ADEL modules which are known for their air and then on top of that add the Super Bax and you have one of the airiest IEM signatures in the world. I was not a fan of it, the notes were too thin and it was difficult to hear detail at the edges of the stage. Layering and separation was ok, the Super Bax made the already black background of the A12 into a bottom less black hole.

With the apex M15 module the pairing is much better as A12 brightens up, presents more detail and sounds more balanced. It was still to airy for my tastes but the Super Bax did a good job adding weight, extension and brightness to the upper mids and highs making the A12 apex more balanced.


The Super Bax is a cable that you will notice an immediate difference with. It has a very dark background and a very airy sound overall. Highs and upper mids will gain emphasis while sub bass gets deeper in tone. The stage is width dominant with average separation within the X axis. I recommended this cable for people who want to increase the presence of upper mids and highs without sacrificing the low end and who enjoy an overall airy signature.

Product Introduction
Technical Specifications
Sound Analysis
Signature
Stage
Resolution and Imaging
Transparency
Layering And Separation
High Frequencies
Middle Frequencies/Vocals
Low Frequencies
Comfort
Wireless
Comparisons
Pairing
Suggestions For Improvement
Conclusions


I was lucky to be selected by VMODA to review the Crossfade 2 free of charge. The Crossfade 2 Wireless (CF2W) is the natural successor to VMODA’s Crossfade 1 headphone. The CF2 was engineered to be a dual purpose headphone with excellent sound in wired and wireless modes. A miniaturized amp developed by VMODA called the Vamp is inside the headphones, the amp can be disabled and analog mode enabled by using the headphone in wired mode.

The heart of the CF2 headphone is the patented 50mm Dual Diaphragm drivers. VMODA spent a great deal of time tuning additional bass into the driver because it is an audiophile style driver with an airy presentation without much low end. Stringent 6 band frequency testing ensures every driver’s performance is up to spec. Anyone familiar with VMODA knows their house sound is known to have significant bass quantity. According to Val Kolton the new CCAW coil featured in the CF2 is:

“…very fast, durable and made in Japan…It wants to be reference and high resolution…so I had to tune it a lot to still have bass! It took me 100+ cushions and many variations of other components to get it just right.”

In case you ever wanted to exceed the limit of human hearing the CF2 is your headphone as it is certified by the Japan Audio Society to support these “super human” frequencies” in wired mode. The Rose Gold version featured in this review has Qualcomm aptX while the other variants-Matte Black and Matte White-do not. Bluetooth effective range with the CF2 is approximately 30 feet and battery life is in the 14 hour range with the 430mah battery which is in the left earpiece. When in wireless mode the Crossfade 2 utilizes a tiny but powerful internal amp called the Vamp. The CF2 utilizes passive instead of active noise cancelling isolation. If you need to take a call the CF2’s have a hidden microphone and a cable with a button that with a single click allows you to pause the music and take a call. A ¼” gold plated adapter is included with the CF2’s.

The CliqFold hinges are patent pending and save a ton of space in your bag.

The steelflex headband meets MIL-STD-810G standards for durability, can be bent a million times without deformation and has about a 1/2” of adjustment per side. VMODA offers a plethora of accessories and customizations for the CF2: BoomPro gaming mic, custom shield plates, XL memory foam cushions and a variety of cables. The case features a carabiner clip, tough exterior and straps for storing cables.


All sound impressions will be done in wired mode as this provides the maximum sound quality the headphone is capable of. At the end of the sound analysis section I will compare wired vs wireless sound. In order to provide the most accurate review I will be pairing the Crossfade 2 with my Chord Mojo. Mojo is a neutral slightly warm DAC with exceptional detail and sufficient power to drive most headphones. Music will be in FLAC format and from a variety of genres, all being highly dynamic and audiophile quality recordings in bitperfect playback mode.

VMODA chose to go in an audiophile direction with the CF2. I hear an extremely detailed audiophile style signature with a dash of warmth. The highs can sound a little harsh at first but mellow out after burn in. The CF2’s have a V shaped dynamic signature that extends deep into the highs and lows. It’s a unique take on the V shaped signature in that it shares some aspects of U shaped signatures as well. The mids are slightly recessed but not to the point to where the user has to crank the volume to hear. To those familiar with other VMODA headphones, they will find the mids as being forward but this is because in the past VMODA has utilized quite a recessed mid-section. Not so with the CF2 as the mids are very detailed. The signature can be tweaked by adjusting the position of the headphones, a slight movement up or back will tilt the sound a little more toward the upper mids and highs. The CF2 plays well with all genres but sounds best with electronic music in my opinion. The CF2’s give me a warm relaxing feeling after listening for hours, as if I’m sitting on my back porch watching the sun go down enjoying a beer on a Friday night. Keywords: Audiophile, Dynamic, Smooth.


Many factors can affect our perception of a headphones stage. Texture and depth cues are important to understand when analyzing stage properties. In the outdoors, the further away a sound is the less texture it’ll have when it reaches us. The texture is absorbed by land and atmosphere. Quiet sounds and sounds with reverb also sound further away. Highly textured sounds appear closer to us than sounds lacking texture.

Below: the Y-axis is the height, the X is the width and the Z is the depth. From these three planes we form a 3D stage.


The CF2 has an intimate stage. At its’ widest it sounds as though it’s coming from about an inch outside the closed back CF2’s. Some of this is due to the nature of the CF2’s being closed back. Vocals typically are positioned forward with regard to stage position (not frequency response as if you are standing at a live show near the front looking up at the band. Like vocals, drums and bass are also focused in toward the center of the head just slightly further back than the vocals. The stage is much wider than it is tall or deep. This creates an “amplified width” effect wherein the stage sounds wider but also creates a simultaneous tightening where height is moderate and instruments can sometimes sound close to each other or as if they are competing for the same space. Keywords: Width Dominant, Moderate, Tight, Intimate.


The CF2’s are high definition headphones, in fact resolution is one of the best technical capabilities of this headphone. Fuzzy distorted guitars, string slides, and mid/sub bass are all highly detailed with rich texture. Reverberations and micro details come through clean and on par with louder sounds. I don’t find the definition to be focused in one region, it is evenly spread across the spectrum-masterful tuning given the deep sub bass and sparkly highs which tend to focus detail in those regions. Keywords: High definition.


A top of the line transparent headphone should be free of distortion and have a natural tone. These two things among other factors create transparency. Tuning for transparency is often a balancing act between dynamism and naturalism. The CF2 is dynamic and unashamed. It has good transparency but loves to have a good time more. The deep, powerful and simultaneously fast decaying sub and mid bass tend to reduce transparency but simultaneously increase dynamism. If you’re a fan of a dynamic sound you’ll love the CF2. I’ve found that significantly stretching out the headphones and flexing the headband makes them fit looser which creates a bit more of a transparent effect because when they’re clamping down hard on your head it tends to muffle the sound and make it sound closer. Keywords: Dynamic.

The CF2 tends to separate vocals from the rest of the sound better than it separates instruments from other instruments. Everything is presented in high definition but because of the shape and proportions of the stage, complex passages with a lot of instruments can lack pin point precision in the stage and sound like they are elbowing each other out of the way for the same space. Excellent separation is maintained up close near the listener, moving further away from the listener results in less separation especially in complex passages. Keywords: Blending at the edges.

Some have reported the CF2 is harsh, I heard a bit of harshness pre-burn in but after 100+ hours of burn the harshness was totally gone. Sometimes with a V shaped signature there is a tendency for the listener to crank the volume to hear more of the mid-range. I did this myself for experimental purposes and even then I didn’t feel as if the highs were fatiguing, sibilant or harsh. I find treble natural in tone. The deep reaching sub bass contrasts nicely with the sparkle to mellow it out and make the sound more dynamic. The treble does not interfere harmonically with the midrange in the sense of reducing decay. Keywords: Sparkle.


The midrange is clean and high definition, while retaining some of the characteristics of a V shaped signature. The lower mids are slightly thicker than the upper mids but they are restrained such that they don’t congest the excellent definition of the upper mids. Vocals are forward with regard to the rest of the mids yet slightly recessed with regard to the rest of the sound. The ever so slight warmth in the midrange allows CF2 to retain a natural tonality. Mid bass punches hard when called upon but doesn’t hang around to overly color the sound. Midrange vocals and instruments alike are highly defined, both male and female vocals share this high definition. Keywords: Definition, Clarity.


The mid and sub bass on the CF2 are hard and fast in attack but polite and tidy in decay allowing for a high definition audiophile style sound. Bass can slam and punch when called upon. Bass quality and texture has been emphasized over quantity. I get more slam and punch than rumble. The bass quantity is enough to be tactile and vibratory. Keywords: Deep, Hard Hitting, Punchy, Textured, Uncongested, Clean, Tidy.


The CF2’s need a good stretching out before they will be comfortable. I have been wearing them 10 hours a day for weeks. I do not find the weight to be a problem due to the comfortable memory foam which does a great job at absorbing weight and keeping the headphones in place. I would however prefer bigger cups because the CF2’s tend to clamp down on the ears instead of encircling them at the edges. At the end of the day my ears are a little sore-it’s nothing dramatic and I don’t notice it unless I touch them. I understand VMODA wants to keep the footprint small but I would prefer the option of ordering a unit with XL pads instead of the default small ones. Heat build has been an issue for some people but not really a big issue for me. No one could hear my music in the office and I had a good seal.

Connecting the CF2 to my S7 Edge was easy, I held the sliding power button in the forward position for two seconds, activated the Bluetooth on the S7 Edge and the headphone was quickly found and paired. I was wireless and streaming Bandcamp to my CF2’s! I then opened UAPP, I had to know if I could play flac files wirelessly, I could! I then disconnected from my S7 Edge and connected the CF2 to my Macbook Pro. It connected without issue. I opened Jriver and VLC and both showed “VMODA Crossfade 2 Stereo”, both programs had no trouble connecting. Flac files played fine and sounded great. I did experience a bit of stutter every few minutes playing flac files while standing about 20 feet away from the S7 Edge or MacbookPro but it disappeared when I got closer.

I don’t think it’s fair to compare the sound quality of the CF2’s wired to a Mojo/CDM running FLAC in bitperfect mode to my S7 Edge streaming flac that has been upsampled by the Android DAC, but to my surprise the difference minimal due to the performance of the Rose Gold CF2. It has exceptional wireless capability and I would strongly advise anyone considering this headphone for wireless purposes to pay a little more and go for the rose gold version. In wireless mode I find the bass goes deep and the mid bass retains punch just like the wired version. Treble reaches just as high as the wired version. Layering, separation and soundstage are mostly unchanged from wired mode. Detail retrieval remains very high.

All the buttons worked well in wireless mode and provided positive tactile response. Sound quality was pretty good for phone calls as well. I tested both the call answering and call blocking features and both worked. I also was able to listen for the full 14 hours on one charge at my normal volume (little past ½ on my S7 Edge), a rare feat as most manufacturers overstate battery capacity.


Meze 99 Neo:

Beginning with the Highs, CF2 extends further than 99 Neo but both remain smooth headphones. The CF2 sparkles, the 99 Neo does not. Both are dynamic headphones but the CF2 is a more dynamic. Mids are more forward and less recessed on the Neo’s as they have a more balanced instead of V shaped signature. Both headphones are non-fatiguing although some sensitive to high frequencies may find the Neo more tolerable. Neo has slightly thicker mids and the taller stage while the width is similar between the two. The 99 Neo has a clearer less claustrophobic sound with more air. The CF2’s have higher resolution and detail; offering the most high definition sound and texture of the two headphones. The 99 Neo has more separation between the instruments and a more spacious sound due to its’ taller and deeper stage. The CF2’s have deeper reaching, more textured bass and more slam/punch than 99 Neo. Both have similar approaches with regard to bass attack and decay; that being a strong quick attack and a quick cleanup or tidy decay. 99Neo’s were more comfortable right out of the box and for extended listening sessions while the CF2’s required a good week long break in period and repeated flexing of the headband.


Chord Mojo:

High resolution texture and detail. Increased warmth, tamed sparkle. Smaller stage than CDM.

Mojo + CDM:

Much taller and wider stage than Mojo alone and with better separation and layering. Space between the instruments has increased, less congestion. More dynamic and vibratory sound, ends of the spectrum have a stronger attack for example high hats are more audible.

ALO CDM:

Similar stage, dynamism and tactile sound as Mojo + CDM. Brighter sound as the slight warmth of the Mojo has been removed.

S7 EDGE:

The pairing with the S7 Edge is very good for a smartphone and it had more than enough volume. The mid and sub bass remain well controlled with regard to decay. Mid bass has solid punch. The highs have good decay and extension. Of course you lose a little bit of dynamism given the power differential between sources like Mojo/CDM and the S7 Edge but the S7 edge is a good match with the CF2’s especially when you consider the convenience and coolness of going wireless.


I always try to find improvements no matter how minor. The stage could have been larger, which affected layering and separation especially in complex passages with many instruments such as an opera. Making the raised portions of the buttons protrude a little further would also be nice as in wireless mode they can sometimes be hard to find.


Few manufacturers put the time, research and quality materials into their headphones that VMODA does. These headphones are very very very tough. The included accessories are all top notch; the case, the gold plated connector and cables. With VMODA it’s obvious that they pay extreme attention to the details that others forget; take the case, it has dual straps for the cables and dual vents to vent moisture or heat.

Also the headphone jack fits ALL my cell phone cases, this is important because sometimes case manufacturers make the whole very small such that connectors will not fit. The 3.5mm jack also has an ingenious protruding hard button on the back which makes inserting the jack easy and straight every time-again, it’s the little details that make all the difference with the CF2.
Even the box is well thought out; using minimal packaging, the neat little ribbon on the side and the foam inserts that fit perfectly. Of course if we are mentioning hardware I cannot neglect the most impressive aspect of the ergonomics of this headphone and that is the Cliqfold hinges. I love these hinges, I wish every headphone had them, they allow the CF2’s to shrink down into a miniscule footprint which is perfect for travel. In my opinion the Crossfade 2 is a headphone that could easily be $500+ if VMODA wanted to charge that much, it’s a steal at $350 for the Rose Gold and $330 for the other colors.

The CF2’s are an audiophile headphone. They are incredibly resolute and highly detailed for their asking price. They will sound great with any genre but they sound spectacular with electronic music. If you’re a detail fanatic who loves a great value and you want a wireless headphone you’ll enjoy the Crossfade Wireless 2. If you are interested in the Bluetooth aspect, make sure you get the Rose Gold version as it has apt X. The CF2 looks spectacular, is tough as nails, allows you to be free of wires, has a very long battery life (14 hours) and produces excellent sound quality. Overall a very solid offering from VMODA and at $350 it’s going to be very hard to beat at that price.

I am both a stereophile and an audiophile. I am an audiophile so as to further my enjoyment of the music I consider essential in life. Life without music isn’t much life at all, when I’m able to hear more detail or the song better rendered the reason for audiophile gear becomes is clear. I enjoy black metal, doom metal, death metal, stoner metal, sludge metal, technical metal, hard rock, synthwave, retrowave and all subgenres within those genres. I prefer high resolution/detailed neutral IEMs/headphones that sparkle in the highs and extend deep into the bass regions that also have a dash of warm to keep them from sounding bright.

When I heard that there was an opportunity to review the Meze 99Neo’s I immediately jumped on board the tour. I am grateful for Meze providing me this opportunity to hear the pre-production 99Neo’s.



The 99Neo is the latest iteration of the 99 Classic’s. The 99 Classics were well received across the audiophile community, their warm neutral tuning and spectacular detail retrieval was a hit. Building on this success Meze sought to create a more cost efficient version of the 99C’s in order to share their sound with a broader community. The 40mm Neodymium and Mylar driver between the two phones remains identical while the tuning slightly varies.

Meze spared no expense on packaging. The 99Neo arrives in a beautiful flip top box that magnetically opens from the side revealing the 99Neo secured in a sturdy hard mesh EVA zippered case that runs snug along the contours of the phones protecting them from impacts. A frequency response graph adorns the outside edge of the cardboard box while inside you find a nice small circular case that contains a braided Kevlar mic cable a ¼” adapter as well as a non-mic cable, airplane adapter and small instruction booklet. The cable has a button that allows you to take calls and a rubber piece designed to absorb microphonics. Dual 2.5mm male connectors mate with the female sockets on the left and right of the phones. The 99Neo uses soft black abs softly lined and swiveling ear cups to channel sound to the ear whereas the 99C’s used wood. Also the cups on the 99Neo were enlarged after complaints about the small size of the 99C cups. The 99Neo is setup such that is serviceable by the user with the driver coming out in a single assembly and the rest being bolted on. The 99Neo’s do not compress into a small footprint like the VMODA Crossfade 2. Weight wise the 99Neo’s are extremely light at approximately 9oz. Meze went with a suspension system that features a leather strap that widens toward the center. Don’t expect any blue tooth functionality as the Meze doesn’t have any, users of Apple phones will need a connector.

Please see below for technical specifications:

Headphone Classification: Closed Back

Transducer: 40mm Neodymium & Mylar

Frequency Response: 15Hz-25KHz

Sensitivity: 103dB at 1KHz, 1mW

Impedance: 26 ohms

Input: 30mW

Max Input: 50mW

Weight: 9oz

THD: 0.03% (1kHz, 1Vrms)


When discussing stage I differentiate between headstage and soundstage. Head stage is the distance we actually hear the sound coming from as we consciously focus on that distance. Think of headstage as listening while holding your hand over the IEM/headphone (you are aware the sound is coming from inside it) and thus the size of the stage is diminished because of this awareness.

I experience a soundstage when I disappear into the music without thinking. It’s best done in a dark room with eyes closed. What the brain is consciously aware of about the visual, thinking and tactile processes affects how we perceive the soundstage and headstage.

Many things can affect our perception of soundstage. In the natural world the further away a sound is the less texture it will have. The texture is absorbed by land, atmosphere and obstacles on its way to our ears. The same is true of high frequency sound. Quiet sounds and sounds with reverb also sound further away. Highly textured sounds appear closer to us than sounds lacking texture.

Imagine a human head with a 3D axis placed in the center of it. The Y-axis is the height, the X-axis is the width and the Z axis is the depth. From these three planes we can form a 3D representation of both headstage and soundstage.
The general shape of the headstage is rectangular with the left and right ends of the rectangle being stretched outwards creating a “far away” sounding effect. Headstage size is large for a closed back headphone: the X axis extends approximately three inches outside the ear, the z axis extends approximately an inch in front of the face and equally so beyond the X and Y intersection. Headstage height is great, being approximately four inches above the X axis and an inch or two below.


With regard to sound positioning within the headstage, I hear vocals, drums and bassline being closer in toward the center of the head on the X axis. Vocals sound closest as they appear to originate about an inch inside the ears on the X while drums and bassline sound an inch or two outside the ear. Accuracy in stage isn’t pin point and it isn’t blurry.

The 99Neo’s soundstage is very wide for a close back headphone. I don’t get an enveloping sense of the sound wrapping around me, what I do get is a very wide stage that has good height as well. In fact the height is one of the best I’ve ever heard in a phone, a very dynamic and tall presentation. The bass heavy midrange and lower frequencies contrasted with the high end creates stage distance between the near and far sounds but the effect isn’t dramatic due to the polite treble. Texture detail is excellent in the mids and lows while bass decay is long as is treble decay. This effect of having highly textured mids with less textured lows creates the illusion of increased stage proportions because sounds with less texture sound further away especially when they are contrasted with highly textured sounds. The distance between vocals and instruments increases when I perceive the soundstage in the quiet dark without other stimuli. This is another trick the 99Neo uses to create distance in-stage, contrasting the positioning of the sound by placing the low end closer and the high end further away.

The 99Neo’s manage to be highly resolute despite their very warm tuning. I get very good isolation and seal from them which increases resolution. I hear the highs and lows as being less detailed than the mids. The sub and mid bass decay is largely responsible for this as the decay creates haze in the highs. Vocals are extremely detailed due to their closeness to the listener; breaths, throat clearing and all those little intricacies are all readily apparent. Imaging is precise, accurate and weighty; solidifying the inception of notes and pin pointing them.


If due to natural tone and transparency an IEM/headphone can disappear completely, at that moment it deserves to be among the top of the line monitors in my opinion. This transparent effect is more apparent in IEMs, especially CIEMs as they are molded to the skin and quickly assume body temperature helping them disappear. Every headphone must strike a balance between dynamism and transparency, the more dynamic the sound the more localized it becomes to the listener.

When I listen to the 99Neo’s I hear a very engaging, dynamic and thick sound. With regard to the balancing act between transparency and dynamism, the 99Neo chooses dynamism. That isn’t a bad thing as the 99Neo firmly preferences dynamism and put’s all effort into creating the most dynamic sound it can. It does this well by utilizing a number of elements that aid in creating a dynamic sound: a wide but more importantly tall stage, a low end with deep extension and excellent separation in-stage between sounds. Despite its’ thick sound it does not create congestion, the thickness does create a more concrete less airy sound.


Warm signatures tend to lead to congestion in the sound and a loss of separation between layers and a loss of in-stage accuracy with regard to the listener pinpointing the origin of a sound. This is not the case on the 99Neo. Layers remain encapsulated such that the listener can easily distinguish them even in very fast passages. Instruments stand out from each other but more so in the attack than in the decay. This is because of the aforementioned sub bass bump as well as the mid bass bump in approximately the 300Hz region. It’s easier to hear the origin of a high note in stage but less so to follow it’s decay, whereas the bass frequencies are both easy to spot and easy to follow. I don’t hear any heard breaks between the highs, mids or low and all of them merge seamlessly into a relaxed flow.


99Neo does not sparkle but it does extend well into the high end. I cannot fault a headphone for not having sparkle when that was never intention of the tuning in the first place and with the 99Neo I do not believe it was. If you are someone who enjoys warm smooth signature you will enjoy the 99Neo’s and you will never have to worry about sibilance even on the harshest recordings. In the high end attack is more emphasized and apparent than decay which can help treble to stand out against the warm background. The long decay is still there but it’s recessed into the background as the bass and vocal texture is brought forward. I was to apply a good amount of EQ to the highs without distortion.



I hear very detailed mids with the detail more concentrated in certain mid regions than others. By that I mean the vocals sound extremely detailed to me, midrange instruments less so but not by much. Much of this vocal detail is due to the forward positioning of the vocal range. Like the lows, the mids are thick and heavy. The 99Neo retains a natural tone and sound no matter if it’s upper, lower or central mids remaining warm and detailed throughout.


The slight bump in the mids at approximately the 300Hz region creates a full bodied sound that spills over into the rest of the sound and punches with authority. The 99Neo can rumble with the best of them and it doesn’t sacrifice very much detail to this bump, it remains an extremely detailed headphone. Mid bass and sub bass both exhibit excellent clarity and extension. When tuning a headphone everything is a tradeoff, if you want that visceral and tactile rumble, punch and slam then you’re going to have to sacrifice some detail/texture. I experienced no distortion when increase the quantity of bass via EQ.


At this time I do not have any headphones to compare the 99Neo to, soon I will compare it to the V-MODA Crossfade 2. For now, I’ll indulge some CIEM comparisons.

A12:

The A12 and 99Neo are extremely similar. Due to the fact that it is a headphone , the 99Neo obviously has a wider stage, however that difference is minimal especially when the A12 has an ADEL MAM module in it. They are similarly warmly tuned with recessed treble. With an ADEL module in the A12 they are nearly identical but with the apex M15 the A12 pulls away with more detail/texture, more high end and better imaging/separation. Vocals are also slightly further away from the listener on the A12 than the 99Neo. Drums are closer X and Y axis intersection on the 99Neo, much the same way it pushes vocals toward the center and toward the listener. A12 and 99Neo share a similarly slow but not identical “speed of sound”. The sluggish “speed of sound” effect is worse on the A12 than the 99Neo as the 99Neo is slightly more nimble. If you enjoy A12, you’ll love the 99Neo, 99Neo could even been seen as a cheap way of getting that liquid, smooth and dark sound of A12 at a fraction of the price with a slightly larger stage.

A18:

A18 has more detail across the spectrum, it doesn’t matter whether you’re looking at mid bass or high frequency textures the A18 trumps the 99Neo in all of them with regard to resolution. A18 stage is obviously smaller with the gap being more apparent than the 99Neo stage vs the A12 ADEL stage. A18 is brighter by a significant margin than 99Neo but the A18 isn’t a bright monitor as it has a neutral tuning with a dash of warmth. Vocals are similarly positioned on both-being inward toward the center of the head on the X axis . A18 has much more high end extension, decay and especially sparkle. A18 has better imaging with its’ pin point precision and exceptional layering and separation. That isn’t to say that 99Neo is a slouch in these areas because it certainly is not it’s just that the A18 is better at it.


Mojo:

I like the Mojo pairing but it wasn’t my favorite. It remained very detailed but too warm and the dynamism seemed diminished. It was as if the headphone lost a few inches of headstage in all directions.

ALO CDM:

I liked the sound coming out of the CDM in DAC + amp mode with 99Neo much more than I did with Mojo. The CDM’s DAC is brighter than Mojo and as a result it didn’t darken the sound. It also retained and even increased the spaciousness of the stage. Stage itself was larger and the space between the instruments was greater as well. The already thick sound was even thicker and the midrange was more forward which was quite nice. Dynamism was also increased, a very nice pairing.

Mojo + CDM:

I heard the detail of Mojo and the dynamism, spaciousness and massive stage of the CDM’s amp however the sound was still to dark. CDM went a long way toward correcting the laid back un-dynamic sound of the Mojo but it just wasn’t enough as the sound was too warm. The 99Neo is already a very warm headphone and I just can’t find any pairing with Mojo that makes it tolerable for me. Perhaps a very bright amp when paired with Mojo and 99Neo would be great but I don’t know as I don’t have one.


I always try to find improvements no matter how minor. The most apparent and immediate improvement was the realization that it would be nice to not have to disconnect the cables every time I place the headphones in the case. Sound wise I would like to see the mid and sub bass decay tightened up a bit and the sparkle increased-remember though that this is all preference as you may love the signature just the way it is. After reading Tyll’s review I see that he has found some issues with the cups so this may be the reason for the bass bloat.


I think it would be difficult to find a headphone in the price range of the 99Neo that can do everything the Neo does. You get a smooth warm signature with great detail, dynamic and thick sound, full bodied mids, authoritative tight and punchy lows, the largest stage I’ve ever heard on closed back headphones, exceptional comfort devoid of hotspot and excessive clamping pressure. With regard to comfort I found the 9oz Neo’s to be exceptionally light, they can get a bit warm around the ear after an hour so but most all the headphones I’ve tried that I get a good seal with do this so I don’t fault them for this. The real leather strap suspension is exceptionally comfortable. If you like a warm detailed signature I do not believe you can do better at $250 than the 99Neo’s.

Introduction
Review Introduction
Product Introduction
Technical Specifications
Sound Analysis
Stage
Soundstage
Resolution
Transparency
Layering and Separation
High Frequencies
Middle Frequencies/Vocals
Low Frequencies
Comparisons
Pairings
Suggestions For Improvement
Conclusions

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I am both a stereophile and an audiophile. I am an audiophile so as to further my enjoyment of the music I consider essential in life. Life without music isn’t much life at all, when I’m able to hear more detail or the song better rendered the reason for audiophile gear becomes is clear.

I immersed myself in a dark quiet room with only the dim lights of my Mojo and ALO CDM with stock tubes illuminating the room at times as I dimmed my screen, closed my eyes and let the A18’s play. This review will be done with the M15 and I will add a section at the end discussing how the M20 affects the A18. My sources were an S7 Edge running UAPP and my 2009 Macbook Pro running Media Center 22. I alternated between the CDM + Mojo, CDM and Mojo by itself. The CDM is probably one of the best portable DAC/amps amps but even hybrids like the CDM create distortion so I made it a point to listen with Mojo only as well. My personal preference was for the Mojo + CDM. I am grateful to 64 Audio for giving me the opportunity to review the A18’s at a discount.

The A18 Tzar is 64 Audio’s BA flagship driver supplanting the former A12. Only the Tia Forte exceeds it in price but Forte is a not a traditional BA IEM. The A18 features apex module technology which vents pressure and allows the user to alter sound signature by changing modules. As of April 2017 there are two modules available: M20 and M15. M20 provides 20dB of isolation and more bass presence while M15 provides 15dB of isolation and a more balanced signature. M20 has a single vent hole while M15 has dual vent holes.

The shells are 3d printed and you can customizable your own on http://www.64audio.com. Due to the 3D printing process my fit is perfect. I ordered the premium Abalone faceplates and 64 included their premium cable and both modules even though I only ordered the M15 module.


64 Audio prints your name on the case and it’s the best case I’ve ever used. It’s the size of two stacked cigarette packs. The captured design of the cable slot where the IEM sits inside its’ pocket ensures no stress is on the IEM when closing the case. A removable rubber insert prevents shocks and wax buildup that happens in cases with a cloth bottom. My A12 case is three times larger. A sealed rechargeable dehumidifier is included along with a cleaning brush/pick and shirt clip.

The premium cable is higher quality than my old A12 cable. Bogdan Belonozhko (CEO) informed me that the old version of their cable kept breaking at the plastic 2 pin area so 64 Audio re-engineered the connector to be a fiberglass filled resin. The new cable is stronger and worthy of a flagship product.

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The A18 has 18 drivers: 1 Tia high, 1 high-mid, 8 mid and 8 low drivers. Some of the walls of the Tia driver have been machined and removed such that the driver doesn’t need a sound tube and thus the sound emanates from it instead of being distorted by the a sound tube. A18 operates at a 9Ω output impedance which is a decrease from the 16Ω A12.
A 4 way integrated passive crossover ties the sound together into a cohesive whole and then sends it to a single bore which features the Tia tweeter attached behind a mesh screen approximately an 1/8” from the end of the acrylic canal. It has 166dB/mw sensitivity which is 1dB more than the Tia Forte. The A18 is described as neutral via the graph on the http://www.64audio.com:

There is a lot happening inside this IEM as I have shown in the images below. Note the massive hollowed out single bore near the canal portion of the A18 below:

Note the mesh screened single bore which has a Tia driver behind it (shadowed portion in the lower left). The single bore eliminates the need to clean separate tiny bores and the discoloration associated with having sound tubes that far into the canal.

In the orange area in the photo below you can see how the internal architecture is actually 3D printed (note the tracking that looks like waterlines). This area is where the short sound tubes from the non-Tia drivers are slotted into place and merged into the large single Tia bore. The low pass filter is the blue box and the sound tubes are the yellow lines.

Below in green you can see what 64 Audio calls the “Octaray” device which funnels each pack of 8 drivers into the sound tubes.

The improved standardization and 3D printing of internal areas and shells means less free handing, which leads to higher quality and provides 64 more control over the sound. My shells are bubble-free.

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Many factors can affect our perception of a headphones stage. Texture and depth cues are important to understand when analyzing stage properties. In the outdoors, the further away a sound is the less texture it’ll have when it reaches us. The texture is absorbed by land and atmosphere. Quiet sounds and sounds with reverb also sound further away. Highly textured sounds appear closer to us than sounds lacking texture.

Below: the Y-axis is the height, the X is the width and the Z is the depth. From these three planes we form a 3D stage.

The A18’s stage is a 360 stage that is tuned to favor the X axis/width over depth and height. It renders large space between the images in all directions. Typically an IEM will have good space between images in the X axis, less so in a 360 manner. The A18 exhibits the same layering, separation and spacious sound in all planes. Instruments are allowed to bloom in full. It avoids the smashed/flat sound in front of the face/forehead that many IEMs have. Vocals positioning is set slightly behind what could be called center-stage and in some recordings may sound slightly behind the instruments. Vocals present themselves accurately from any direction, maintaining the "pin-point accuracy" coupled with the top shelf layering/separation characteristic of the A18t. This layering and separation allows the quiet less detailed notes to be heard clearly amongst louder ones, increasing perceived space between images within the stage. A18t is very highly resolving with regard to texture detail, I can tell when a cymbal is far away (quiet without texture) as opposed to when it is close and struck softly (quiet and textured). Images are not overly dense nor are they veiled/thin. Keywords: Width dominant, good layering/separation between images, slightly set back vocals, airy presentation.
The A18’s are highly resolving and lively but never harsh. The warm neutral tuning and forward placed Tia high driver create extreme detail that's smooth with a "clean window" like effect that for me never became harsh or sibilant. Pop in the M15 for increased upper mid/high presence and a more reference/clinical presentation vs the M20 and it's fun and powerful bass. The A18 is nimble and quick despite it's powerful lower mids. I hear the starting and stopping of notes very precisely as these moments are given as much weight as the space between. Inhales, exhales, string sliding, concert hall reverberations and image textures are all present and highly detailed. The A18’s provide sufficient magnification of subtle nuance that will make detail fanatics grin, note that with A18t the majority of detail is focused in the instruments due to the vocals taking a slight step back on the stage. Mid bass is especially detailed and textured due to the influence of the Tia high driver. Keywords: Reference/clinical(M15) vs Smooth high resolution (M20), high texture detail, Tia enhanced TOTL resolution.

If due to natural tone and transparency an IEM can disappear completely then it deserves to be among the top of the line monitors in my opinion. Even my worst sources such as an old iPhone sound good with the A18’s. No hard breaks exist between the highs, mids or lows in their 4 way configuration. It’s a smooth transparent flow. Tone is natural which compliments the balanced signature. The dash of warmth isn’t enough to negatively affect transparency. A18t is more transparent with the M15 than M20 module with most sources. Keywords: Tunable transparency via modules, overall very transparent.

The A18’s layering and separation are one of its most impressive abilities. I hear the cymbals from start to finish with no detail or presence lost when they share the stage with louder instruments or more textured and closer instruments. Because the vocals are set slightly back in the mix, they may stand out less from the instruments than the instruments do from other instruments from time to time due to the nature of the recording. Pin point in-stage sound accuracy and ample space between images combine with top of the line layering and separation. M15 creates more space between the images than M20, resulting in less mid bass quantity and more "Tia effect" thus increasing layering and separation. Image separation is largely created in the horizontal X axis as the stage is very wide and not nearly as deep. Keywords: Layering/separation created in the horizontal plane, increased layering/separation with M15 vs M20, pin point image precision dominates layering/separation approach.


The A18 sounds full of life and exciting, this is due to the Tia high driver that lifts upper mids and extends the highs. It extends well into the highs without sibilance while sparkling beautifully. Smooth sparkle combines with airiness for a nice tag team indeed. High notes do not lack weight or stage presence and they can sound far away when the song calls for it or they can sound close with shimmering detail and either way they decay with top of the line extension. M15 increases the weight and decay of the high notes while M20 has the opposite effect. The cost for this beautiful and inoffensive treble is a slight reduction in the naturalness of the timbre, a tradeoff worth it in my opinion. Treble illuminates air at the edges of the stage. The highs create contrast with the lows making both more apparent while maintaining the slightly warm yet balanced tuning. The ability of the A18 to pin point the start of sounds is especially apparent in the high frequencies. Keywords: Best in class treble extension/decay, shimmer and sparkle without sibilance/harshness.

Male vocals are slightly emphasized over female vocals due to the aforementioned emphasized lower mids. M15 brings more emphasis to female vocals while M20 emphasizes the lower mids even more thus adding more fullness to male vocals and instruments in that range. The bass is very controlled and doesn't spill at all into any other frequency ranges nor does the significant bass make A18t sound slow-on the contrary it is blazing fast. Upper mids remain exceptionally detailed despite the powerful lower mids; texture is conveyed so well, sound is uncongested. Most of the warmth comes from the mid bass. Images in the midrange aren't thick or thin and all possess an ethereal airiness to them. Mid bass is fast, uncongested, punchy and polite. Mid bass attacks quickly and displays excellent decay-more than the high end. Due to the aforementioned separation it’s easy to follow the bass line through a loud and fast metal song without trying. Keywords: Controlled, highly resolving, moderately solid vocal images, powerful mid-bass, clear, crisp, sparkly upper mids.

Sub bass reaches way way way down deep in tone with heavy weight, powerful rumble and moderate decay. Sub bass quantity is high enough to convey a vibratory and tactile rumble which puts the A18 sub bass north of neutral. This bump to sub bass warms up the signature without making it dark or veiled. Mid bass has solid impact as well, bass decay overall is long while attack is quick and fast. As with the other frequencies sub bass stands apart with good layering/separation yet blends seamlessly with the whole. Low frequency harmonics in male voices are rich and add weight to the presentation. Bass is controlled with no spillage whatsoever, one of the hallmarks of the A18t. The powerful impact of the bass is extremely addicting and I much prefer the A18t with M20 to the bass even more impactful. Keywords: Powerful/impactful sub/mid bass, controlled, highly textured, fast attack slow decay.

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A18 vs A12:

The A18 trounces the A12 in resolution due to its’ tight bass and detailed upper mids/highs that have excellent decay. A18 renders more detail and nuance, the A12 is more fun sounding with a hard hitting low end and thick syrupy mids/vocals. The A18’s are less congested than the A12’s. The start and stop of each note is also more pinpointed on the A18’s. A12 has more detailed sub bass. A18’s highs and upper mids decay longer while A12’s sub bass has more decay. The highly textured upper mids/highs of the A18 make the stage sound larger than A12. The bass heavy signature on the A12 makes it sound sluggish and less resolute with very fast music while A18 excels at conveying timber and rhythm. A18 is much more sensitive. A18 has better layering, separation and space between sounds. A12 has a more airy sound overall-especially with ADEL modules.

I hear more isolation with the apex modules. The apex module contains a resonant absorbing material to eliminate resonance and the it's passageway is engineered to have little to no resonance as well. This allows the pressure to be vented without negatively affecting the sound. I feel less pressure with ADEL than apex when inserting the IEMs and in the first few minutes of listening and after that pressure tends to be less apparent. Apex has better sound quality due to the reduction of resonance and distortion, it also makes the IEM pair much better with a variety of sources.

The A12 pairs poorly with most sources. The A18 sounds great out of everything from my iPhone 5 to my CDM. The A18’s single bore makes cleaning a breeze while the A12’s multi bore makes it a pain. The A18’s are larger in all dimensions than A12, only the faceplates are the same size. Note the massive single bore on the A18:

A18 vs CustomArt 8.2:

The A18 has more warmth but also more detail in the upper mids and highs while the 8.2 has more sub bass texture. The sub bass is more powerful on the A18. The A18 has a true 360 stage that exceed s the 8.2 in all directions while the 8.2 has a wide stage. The A18 has more treble presence, high end decay and extension. Vocals sound more rich and intimate on A18.

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Mojo:

The A12 + Mojo pairing was too warm to the point of being dark. Mojo + A18 is warm but doesn’t go dark or veiled. Detail is high and the presentation is relaxed. High’s are slightly less sparkly than with the CDM. Layering and separation are top of the line. Chord uses the term depth in a different way than I do. When Chord says depth they mean seeing into the layers of the song. Imagine a record crate full of records. You look down at the records and you can see the front of the first one but to see covers of the rest you have to flip through them one at a time. Depth in this sense is the ability to see all the layers at once in front of you like you laid all the records out in the floor. This is what the Mojo does best with the A18, shows you all those layers without you having to focus in intently to hear them. Soundstage isn’t huge and isn’t small, it’s intimate and not as spacious as the CDM. The timing of transients is one of the things Chord is known for, combining that aspect with the resolution of the A18 creates a fast and detailed sound.

CDM:

In DAC mode (when I stack with Mojo I’m only running the CDM’s Amp not its’ DAC) the signature brightens up a bit with more sparkle as compared to Mojo. Stage expands beyond Mojo + CDM. Detail is slightly less than with Mojo + CDM for example cymbals on the edge of the stage have a more texture when they’re coming from Mojo.

Mojo + CDM:

I hear more sparkle than with Mojo alone. You get the layering of Mojo combined with the stage of the CDM. Everything sounds thicker, more dynamic and bass sounds more vibratory. The sound overall is more impactful and emotive.

S7 Edge:

I used to experience a massive drop in sound quality going from my Mojo/CDM to my S7 Edge with my A12’s. Of course there is still a drop going from such a high quality setup to a phone but it is not as far of a fall as with A12. With S7E you get a big stage, great detail/texture and great sounding vocals that remain intimate.

M15 Module:

The M15 has less bass then M20 and the stage is wider. I prefer M15 with A18 and with A12.

M20 Module:

The M20 has more bass across the board and a smaller stage.

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From case to canal the A18 is a solid offering from 64 Audio. I always try to find improvements no matter how minor. The premium cable will pop out of some Android phones such as the S7 and S7 Edge, this is annoying especially at the gym. The 3.5mm Jack is a standard neutrik connector. It isn’t a problem if you’re listening in a chair (in which as you'd be using a higher quality source than an Android phone anyway) but if you’re out moving around with an Android phone it can be a problem. Also one of my M20 modules has a chrome finish and the other m20 has a matte finish, doesn’t really matter to me as they sound identical. Looks like 64 has gone to a matte finish based on the latest modules being shipped. Again these are all minor issues but in the interest of providing value to companies I always list them.

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The A18 has a neutral tuning with some warmth. It isn't totally neutral, mid bass is powerful as is sub bass but both do not congest the sound or slow it down at all. Instead they add warmth and body to the sound. The entire spectrum is extremely detailed. The highs and upper highs exhibit long and detailed decay while the mid bass is tightly controlled and sub bass is as well but less so. The A18 is uncongested, pinpoint and sounds quick due to the controlled lows and detailed upper mids and highs. The A18 doesn’t sound thick and syrupy and it isn’t thin and weak either, it's balanced in this regard. A18 has a very three dimensional sound, it can sound enveloping, distant, close or far and all at the same time as well. The A18's would be spectacular for virtual reality. Layering and separation are very good, multiple highly detailed song layers are rendered simultaneously without any congestion or loss of separation and with big space between the instruments/sounds. This layering/separation ability is one of the A18's greatest technical achievements aside from the stage and detail. The stage is the first full 360 stage I've heard from an IEM texture is highly resolute conveys distance when called for. The A18 carries a hefty price tag but top of the line sound quality comes with it and you can fine tune the frequency response with the apex modules.

Introduction
                Reviewer Introduction
                Product Introduction
Technical Specifications
Sound Quality
Signature Overview
                                Sound Stage/Imaging
                                Resolution
                                Transparency
                                Layering and Separation
                                High End
                                Mids/Vocals
                                Lows
                Signature In Depth
Comparisons
Pairing
Suggestions For Improvement
Conclusions
 
 
 
 
 
 

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               I am both a stereophile and an audiophile.  I am an audiophile so as to further my enjoyment of the music I consider essential in life.  Life without music isn’t much life at all, when I’m able to hear more detail or the song better rendered the reason for seeking out exceptional audiophile gear becomes is clear.
 
               A big THANK YOU goes out to @Barra for organizing the US tour and @Piotrus-g for lending me the 8.2’s for review.  I am grateful for the opportunity to review the best CustomArt has to offer.  I demoed the acrylic universal version of the 8.2.  I had a difficult time finding a tip that worked for me but after much experimenting found the double flanged clear white tips to work good and allow me to hear the IEM as intended by Piotr.  I chose the title of this review Brown Belt In Everything because in Jiu-Jitsu a brown belt is right before black and because one of the most legendary MMA fighters was a brown belt in everything (more on that later).
 
 
              The 8.2 is the current revision of the Harmony 8 that Piotr crafted in 2014.  The current iteration features 8 drivers in a single phase four way crossover network with four bore holes: 2xhigh, 2xlow, 2xmid and 2xfull frequency range.  The 2xfull range drivers help form a coherent and balanced sound. The universal model was incredibly small.  I thought my A12’s were small but these are far smaller.  One of the things that sets Piotr apart is the silicone coating he applies to the insides of the acrylic shells to isolate the drivers and prevent noise such as ringing which can occur in BA designs.  This IEM was also designed with a low impedance so that it would sound great from any source.  
 

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Sound Stage/Imaging:
 
                I found the stage to be large in all directions and slightly wider than deep.  The stage you hear will vary by source with this monitor.  I hear a medium stage with my Mojo, a medium stage with my iPhone 5 and a spacious large stage with my ALO CDM being fed by Mojo.  Imaging is TOTL quality with instruments being clearly defined in stage.  I’ve heard more air between instruments in a few other TOTL monitors but you will have no trouble clearly telling where each instrument is being played from with little effort.
 
Resolution:
 
                I am hearing details from the 8.2’s that I have never heard before, especially in the upper mids, vocals and highs.  The 8.2’s are not detail monsters but on a scale from A-F the detail I’m hearing would be a solid B+.
 
Transparency:
 
                The monitor completely disappears.  The challenge with transparency is to provide a natural tone that doesn’t sound like it’s being produced from inside your head.  Transparency is the most significant hallmark of a TOTL monitor in my opinion and the 8.2 performs this feat flawlessly.  The 8.2 was transparent from all my sources.  The balanced tuning lends itself to the transparent sound of this monitor.
 
Layering and Separation:
 
                I never heard congestion from the 8.2’s even when listening to technical death metal.  This is because of the polite mid and sub bass which keeps sound of the IEM fast.  A good amp like the ALO CDM will help increase the separation and layering with this IEM although I don’t see it as necessary.  Overall separation and layering are above average.   
 
High end:
 
               The treble is not sparkly and doesn’t cross into that line into ear fatigue/discomfort territory that sparkly monitors can induce in some people.  The highs are slightly north of neutral and very clear.  Treble decay is very good and both upper mids and highs are quite detailed.  The brightness is balanced with the warmth so that nothing is missing yet nothing feels v shaped either.  The precision tuning of the high end is apparent when you hear cymbals crash with high resolution and then decay for a very long time with good detail.   
 
Mids/Vocals:
 
               Some other reviewers have said this is a mid-forward monitor I would not go that far as I don’t believe the mids standout more than a hair from the rest of the frequencies.  I hear a nearly completely balanced monitor with a slight bump to sub bass and an even slighter bump to mid bass.  Don’t think that these two bumps in the frequency response are going to stand out because the 8.2 is remarkably balanced across the spectrum.  In no way do these bumps obscure detail as the monitor is not warm enough for that to occur. 
 
               These are warm but detailed mids, the degree of warmth is the bare minimum necessary to make the IEM smooth.  Both male and female vocals are slightly closer to the front of the stage and sound like they emanating from a place further inside your ear canal toward the center of your head than the rest of the sound.  This creates more emotion in the sound and a high resolution vocal range as the vocals are more segregated from the rest of the frequencies.  Those looking for a detailed and emotive vocal presentation should look to the 8.2. 
 
Lows:
 
               The 8.2 isn’t the deepest reaching or hardest hitting IEM and with regard to punch it jabs instead of throwing knockout blows.  You can feel the punch of the sub bass but it is tight and controlled so as to not obscure the high level of detail retrieval the monitor presents.  Imagine how a boxer quickly pulls back his jab after it’s thrown-the 8.2 is similar.  I do not find mid or sub bass lacking.  Both mid and sub bass decay less than the high end does which gives a fast feel to the sound.  Bass texture is good but not spectacular-it’s plenty for my taste.  I was worried that my doom/stoner metal would sound neutered with this IEM since this genre is bass heavy with regard to the down-tuned, highly textured and amped guitar sounds employed in this genre but to my pleasure they sounded rich, detailed, thick and plenty heavy.
 

 
               There is a saying among Mixed Martial Arts fans: “Fedor was the greatest fighter to have ever lived because he was a brown belt in everything.”  You couldn’t point to one thing and say: “He’s better at that than everyone else.”  It was the way he put it all together that created the masterpieces we who we saw during his reign.  The pinnacle of his career was his defeat of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in their first match. 
 
               More than just brutes bashing each other in for prize money MMA is a dance and flow of hard earned techniques, improvisation, cunning and mastery of will and endurance.  A true master in his prime is never forgotten by true fans and his legend lives on long after he’s gone.  Such is the legacy of Fedor, a man who was the first in MMA to blend explosive striking, Sambo/Judo style takedowns and ground and pound into a single continuous flow that left opponents bewildered and defeated.  The Custom Art Harmony 8.2 is a lot like Fedor. 
 
               The 8.2 doesn’t have the hardest hitting sub bass, it doesn’t have the most sparkly treble, it doesn’t have the most textured bass or the most spacious soundstage but it merges the elements into a seamless flow that’s emotional, detailed and spacious.  A Shrine of Clouds from Angellore’s La Litanie Des Cendres album elicits a strong emotional response as the voice of the vocalist sounds so intimate from the 8.2’s.  KzR’s visceral screams and howls are presented with excellent decay and extension against the contrast of the chaotic maelstrom of his feverish 10 string guitar playing on The Archer from Bölzer’s album Hero .  Yet KzR’s voice is not lost in the turbulent black vortex as the 8.2 renders everything with good detail and separation so that the layers can be pinpointed and isolated with ease if so desired.  Due to it’s jab like bass the 8.2 is able to keep up with speed demons like Archspire, Infant Annihilator and Necrophagist with ease all the while maintaining good separation/detail and avoiding congestion.
 
               When discussing the 8.2 balance is a term you’ll hear from Piotr and other reviewers.  This balanced tuning is a big part of the detail, clarity and separation I am hearing.  The 8.2 is balanced with a hint of warmth.  I prefer neutral signatures to have a slight bass bump which makes the sound more tactile as the air in the ear canal is more compressed, vibratory and alive.  The 8.2 does this balancing act the right way with a small bump in the sub bass and an even smaller one in the mid bass.  A small bit of warmth goes a long way, much the same way a chef will add a pinch of a spice to his dish.  The dual full range drivers are something that not every IEM maker employs and with regard to the 8.2 they go a long way toward creating the natural flow, balance and coherency I’m hearing.
 

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8.2vs64 Audio ADEL A12 w/MAM Module(Best module for A12 In my opinion):
                The 8.2 has more detail in the mids, upper mids and highs than the A12.  It’s highs extend further than the A12 and decay longer.  They are also more present and closer to the stage.  The A12’s soundstage is significantly larger in all directions than the 8.2’s.  A12 has far more powerful and authoritative sub and mid bass that hits much harder than the 8.2’s.  A12 has more textured mid and sub bass.  The 8.2’s have more forward and intimate vocals than A12’s.  A12 has thicker mids.  8.2 sounds faster due to it’s controlled bass while the A12 is more fun.  Both are warm with the A12 being quite a bit warmer.  They are both very transparent monitors.  The 8.2 does well at all genres, the A12’s sound great with Rap, Hip Hop, R&B, Jazz and Stoner/Doom metal.  The A12’s needs a powerful Amp like the ALO CDM, only then do they exceed the 8.2’s in nearly all categories.  The 8.2’s sound great from any source.   
 

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iPhone5 & Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge:
 
               I like that the tuning for the monitor is such that people don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on sources and amplifiers to get great sound.  For example I experience a very significant downgrade in sound when using my A12’s at the gym with my S7E but when I switch over the the 8.2’s I get exceptional sound out of it (both phones pair very well with the 8.2’s).  I didn’t notice very much lost detail between them and my Mojo or Mojo + ALO CDM.  I did notice that the iPhone5 and GS7E were not as dynamic or spacious as the CDM.  No hiss detected from the 8.2’s.
 
Chord Mojo:
 
               Switching over to Mojo the stage expanded slightly as compared to the phones, treble became a hair more recessed, both mid and sub bass gained some weight and the separation, imaging and depth improved.  No hiss detected from the 8.2’s.
 
MOJO + ALO CDM:
 
               Adding the CDM to the chain (Macbookpro Jriver MC20 bitperfect à Mojo à CDM à 8.2 / S7E UAPP bitperfect à Mojo à CDM) resulted in more dynamism.  The soundstage became even larger in all directions and air between the instruments and thus separation increased simultaneously as imaging improved.  Treble took on a bit more sparkle and the bass notes had more weight.  No hiss detected from the 8.2’s with the CDM in low gain mode(which had more than enough volume).    
 
Suggestions For Improvement
 
                Make the nozzles on the universals longer to make the tips easier to put on.
 

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               One word jumps out at me when thinking about the 8.2 after having spent some time with it: value.  The 8.2 is certainly deserving of the TOTL moniker.  It costs a fair bit less than many other TOTL monitors.  You get a nice warm neutral-ish signature that pairs well with nearly all sources and sounds great out of a mobile phone.  You don’t need to buy expensive DACs, DAPs, Amps or cables to get great sound with the 8.2’s.  The 8.2 is a brown belt in everything and probably one of the best values in the IEM world for those looking to break into the TOTL bracket. 

Pros:
Warm signature will pair well with many IEMs/headphones
Transparent
Lush midrange
Tight bass
Dynamism without harshness
Tough construction
Emotive: breathes life into music
Custom PCB attachment method
Could be keep you from freezing to death if your car broke down during winter in the middle of nowhere
 
Cons:
Runs hot
Moderate battery life
Limited to DSD64 and below
Lack of optical input (for users of AK and similar devices)
Gain & input selector switches protrude from chassis, reducing portability options
EMI/RF interference
 
Review Contents:
Introduction
    Reviewer Introduction
    Product Introduction
Technical Specifications
Under The Hood
Review Approach
Unboxing
Hands On/Operation/Aesthetics
Sound Quality
    Signature/Tonality
    Sound Stage
    Resolution
    Transparency
    Highs
    Mids/Vocals
    Lows
Suggestions For Improvement
Conclusions
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
          I am both a stereophile and an audiophile.  I am an audiophile so as to further my enjoyment of the music I consider essential in life.  Life without music isn’t much life at all, when I’m able to hear details I couldn’t hear before in a song I’ve heard hundreds of times or when the song is brought to life even more via better reproduction the reason for seeking out exceptional audiophile gear becomes self-evident.
          A big THANK YOU goes out to @canyon-runner for lending me the ALO CDM.
          The CDM is a unique collaboration between Ken Ball and Vinnie Rossi.  It’s a class AB tube and solid state hybrid DAC/amp, per Vinnie:
 
 
          The ALO website (https://www.aloaudio.com/) summarizes the device:
 
          Both men are well respected in the audiophile community; Vinnie being the amp, cable and source mod extraordinaire and Ken being a cutting edge innovator in the amp space.
Peering through the Gorilla Glass you’ll find dual class A mechanically isolated auto-biased Sylvania 6111WA tubes attached via Ken’s custom PCB.  Changing tubes is easy due to Ken’s system, just make sure you are installing the tubes on the CORRECT side otherwise you can damage your CDM.  Please see Ken’s video on swapping out tubes (http://www.aloaudio.com/cdm-faq).  Various tubes can be purchased on the ALO website.  Ken says you should get 5+ years of use out of set of tubes.  Their design uses the tubes as a current buffer, supplying the current gain to the amplification resulting in a “clean, strong and dynamic signal”.  In amp only mode only one channel is used but both tubes remain powered, hence the “dual-mono” monniker.
          A Wolfson 8741 DAC chip is used for digital processing and a Cmedia USB receiver chip processes micro USB input.  According to Ken he chose the Wolfson 8741 because it had a very low signal-to-noise ratio, low distortion, low noise, superior linearity and an extended dynamic range.  Independent internal voltage stages (a linear voltage regulator is allotted to each stage) reduce voltage sharing and crosstalk across the various stages which allows for reduced output noise and cleaner amplification.  The left and right signals are independent of each other with regard to amplification.  The CDM can handle data up to DSD64.  An led light system indicates sample rate:

          The CDM is a jack-of-all trades (minus optical).  It features a 2.5 balanced input/output (has lower IMD/THD/crosstalk than the other ports), microUSB to DAC, 3.5mm stereo and a 3.5mm line out.  A lo/hi gain switch and a load that is handled by class A/B transistors ensures your entire inventory from extremely sensitive IEMs to power hungry cans will be fed properly.  The CDM features 3x18650 batteries joined together in circuit.  They are high quality batteries, the same Panasonic 18650’s many flashlight enthusiast like myself use and also the same batteries Tesla uses in their vehicles.  The button top protection on each battery prevents these powerful batteries from exploding as a result of over or under charging.  The battery back can be popped out and replaced with a new one if you find you aren’t getting good battery life after years of use with the CDM.  As long as you can plug into the wall you can rock on.  Micro drilled vent holes dot the CNC’d aluminum chassis.  The unit is easy to tear down with a 1.5mm hex key.  Finish options include black or silver.  When Ken & Vinnie designed the CDM they wanted to “…do something amazing.”  Did they or is your money better spent elsewhere?  Read on to find out.
 
 
 
 
          I paired the CDM with my 16 ohm ADEL A12 CIEMs.  I used the Chord Mojo with both my 2011 Macbook Pro & S7 Edge, both in DAC/amp and amp only modes.  The A12’s are warm and dark with recessed highs, powerful sub bass and bumped mid bass.  There are removable modules available for ADEL compatible CIEMs (https://asius.myshopify.com/), for this review I will be using the manually adjustable module (MAM) at the ¼ turn from fully open setting and the B1 module.  I had the CDM for approximately three weeks, listening to it every day for 8-10 hours.
          The CDM is well protected in its’ thick walled minimalistic cardboard box and grey foam cutout cushion.  A small drawstring bag contains several elastic bands for stacking, a European style wall plug and a USB cable.  Also included is a typical cabled American plug wall charger and a small instruction manual.  
 
          I get the same feeling of extreme quality I got from holding the Chord Mojo when I hold the CDM. It’s hefty.  All the words found on the device are engraved.  The finish is top notch.  The ports are all nearly flush with the body.  A s mall rotation of the potentiometer turns the unit on while dual LED’s indicating battery state and sample rate flank either side of knob.  The LED’s accurately displayed the sample rate as I cycled through DSD64 to MP3 on my Macbook using Jriver Media Center.  The potentiometer knob is grippy allowing for miniscule adjustments.  Unfortunately the gain and input switches protrude quite far from the chassis, making only a flat lay possible and restricting portable options.  The switches produce a reassuring click and feel solid.
 

 
          The CDM weighs approximately 15 ounces.  It’s about 5.7” long, approximately 3.2” wide and 1” thick.  The unit gets very hot very quickly, more so in microUSB fed DAC mode as opposed to Amp only mode.  High quality batteries reassure the user that the CDM can handle the higher temperatures and the vent holes do well to dissipate heat.  Putting it in a pocket or bag isn’t a good idea as it will get even hotter.  I have found it most convenient to use it unstacked on my desk.  With my laser thermometer I measured ~118F while running in DAC mode and charging at the same time for several hours.  The batteries deplete faster in DAC mode.  The DAC will not receive power unless a microUSB cable is plugged in.  I averaged about 6.5 hours from a full charge with time split between amp only and amp/DAC modes.
          I get more than enough volume with my ADEL A12’s on low gain.  I can’t imagine the CDM not being able to provide enough dB to any CIEM.  I did experience moderate EMI/RF interference with my S7 Edge, to eliminate it I used airplane mode.  To further eliminate EMI/RF I use ferrite devise in my microUSB-microUSB OTG cables.  I experienced no EMI/RF when using my Macbook Pro with the CDM and my S7 Edge was nearby.  I experienced no hiss on lo gain with my A12’s.
I had no serious issues getting the CDM setup, I did have to download a driver pack for my Mac: https://www.dropbox.com/s/2x6ybrv011ed28o/CmediaDoPInstall.dmg?dl=0  I had no issues when sync’ing the CDM with my S7 Edge using a startech microUSB to microUSB OTG cable.
 
          The CDM does a great job of creating a warm signature without sacrificing resolution and detail.  You get the tonality you expect from a high quality tube system without losing accuracy while simultaneously having the precision, tightness and black background of a solid state system-remarkable.  It takes the middle road between high resolution and a transparent musical experience, walking the tightrope perfectly.
          Everything sounds more alive with the CDM.  I can’t help but think of a warm fire, dancing on a cold winter night on one of my solitary winter hiking trips: comforting, warm and alive.  Listening to Chord Mojo now without the CDM, it sounds thin and dull.  The CDM breathes life into the music, infusing it with a warm dynamism that increases contrast between frequencies yet remains smooth and not harsh.  This life-energy that the CDM brings to the song is what I will miss most when I have to send it back to @canyon-runner and it’s likely I’ll to buy one myself someday because of this.    
Fed digitally via microUSB (DAC mode) there is a slight softening of the sound, a miniscule recessing of the high’s, increased bass quantity and increased separation between highs and lows, due to this I hear slightly less resolution when the CDM is fed a digital as opposed to a high quality analog signal form a top shelf DAC.  To extract the highest sound quality from the CDM you need to supply with a high quality analog signal from a powerful DAC.  In either mode I experience incredible separation, imaging, soundstage size/accuracy and immense micro detail pulling together into a lush cohesive and transparent whole.
          The stage of the CDM is much larger than that of my Mojo.  Width of the stage is the most noticeable aspect of the CDM’s soundstage presentation.  Mojo gave me the effect of hearing the cash registers in Pink Floyd’s Money as being an inch or two outside my CIEMs, the CDM increases this distance while allowing placement of the instrument in the stage to be more precise.  Floor space between the musicians on stage has increased and as such a more accurate stage is created-call it stage resolution.  Vertical height exceeds Mojo and is present across my head from left to right.  Depth is on par with Mojo, revealing layers of a song as individual yet part of the coherent whole.
 
          In amp mode and fed with an analog bitperfect signal from S7 Edge/Macbook -> Mojo -> CDM, this is the most resolution I have ever heard.  Details are more discernable due to the increased high and mid high presence from the CDM(remember my A12’s are rather dark and very warm).  The CDM does a fantastic job contrasting the highs from the lows, the mid-highs from the mid-lows and as a result you get this incredibly detailed output-especially when an analog input is used.  Micro details about and I couldn’t be happier with the resolution in amp mode.  When using DAC mode from my S7 Edge or Macbook Pro (bitperfect signal from both sources) I notice ever so slightly less detail than when running amp only mode with my Mojo.  This is due to the gently rolled off highs and slightly increased bass in microUSB mode.  The difference is pretty small and unless you were actively looking for it I doubt you’d notice it, but it is there for those of you who are willing to stare keenly into the sonic abyss.   
 
          Every time I listen to the CDM I find everything else disappearing and only the experience of the music remaining.  On many occasions I was listening to Bandcamp with the intent of wish listing albums I liked for future reference as I went along.  Several hours into the session I’d forgotten to wish list anything having heard many excellent songs.  The emotive, warm and alive signature of the CDM draws me in and sweeps me away every time.  It pulls me into the music and into the moment.  I experienced none of the pop’s, chirps or other issues that can often occur with tube systems.  I did experience EMI/RF when using the CDM with my phone but it was easy enough to simply switch on airplane mode to completely eliminate it, ferrites attached to the cable also lowered the volume on the interference.  When using my Macbook Pro as source with my S7 Edge about 2 feet away, I experienced no EMI/RF interference.  
 
          The CDM presents the mid-highs and highs exceptionally well.  I’ve never heard the pin point stage accuracy I hear from the CDM with regard to the highs.  Cymbals are placed accurately in stage, whether that be above and to the left, below and to the left, etc.  Finally I hear the twinkle/sparkle I’ve always wanted from my dark A12’s.  Helping this effect is the aforementioned contrast the CDM renders between the frequencies.  Extension is above average.  It’s twinkle without harshness or an unnatural roll off or recession.  Spikes are non-existent, high notes let you know they’ve entered the stage but they don’t stand out apart from the rest of the presentation-the transparency is preserved.  Micro detail is very good, probably good enough to satisfy most detail fanatics.
 
          It would be a tossup between soundstage and mids as to which is the strongest hand the CDM plays, both are exceptional.  The mids are lush, elevated, warm, incredibly detailed and smooth.  The balancing act between a warm smooth signature and micro details is performed flawlessly in this frequency spectrum.  Mids are full and slightly forward but in no way does mid bass bleed into the other frequencies, the decay is minimal due to the solid state attributes of the CDM. Timbre is ideal being neither overly musical nor harsh-a very transparent experience.  I detected no sibilance at all from the CDM even when tested with female vocals that are known to be sibilant.  Male vocals sound spectactular.  Take Matt Hyde from Beastwars, he sounds even more like he’s in the room with me.  His voice is more fleshed out, more present, and powerful.  The best qualities of vocalists are amplified.  No matter if it’s a male or female voice, the CDM renders voices with more stage presence and more life.  The mid presentation is very easy on the ears, lending to a fatigue free experience although I’ll admit I haven’t felt fatigue since switching to monitors with ADEL technology.  
 

 
 
          The lows-and the timbre-are where you can hear most that the solid state portion of the CDM is in play.  Both the mid and sub bass are energetic, bold, tight and punchy.  They enter the stage with authority and decay quickly allowing for more accuracy in the mid and sub bass presentation.  Extension is low and deep enough for my tastes.  The characteristic warmth and fuzz a tube creates is alive and well in the CDM but it does not distort micro or macro details to a noticeable degree.  The CDM wraps you up in it’s warmth, it’s an enveloping energy and something my Mojo can’t do on it’s own and it’s one of the reasons I enjoy the CDM so much.   
 
          Use flush or barely protruding switches on the chassis and make an Amp only version of the CDM as many of us already have excellent DAC's.  I would love to see a cheaper version of the CDM minus DAC mode, it would be amazing if it were under $1,000 and I'm sure it would sell fantastic as long as the output sounded exactly the same as the CDM sounds now.
 
          It’s a pretty safe bet that the CDM will pair very well with most any headphones/IEMs you own.  With it’s warm enveloping sound, great detail, no harshness, excellent dynamism and contrast, massive soundstage, tight and authoritative bass decay, fast timbre, inky black solid state background, a lush sibilance free midrange and smooth sparkly highs you'll be in audiophile nirvana in no time.  It does get hot so don’t stuff it in a bag.  Two of the switches stick out far and render many portable modes of carry impossible because one would be positioning the CDM with it’s weight on those switches in many instances and I wouldn’t do that to the CDM.  Runtime is good, expect approximately six hours from a single charge.  Charging while playing means you never run out of music so long as you can plug into a wall outlet.  The price is high but when you consider the quality of the parts and the sound quality I find it on par with other top shelf audio gear.  The battery and tubes are both serviceable by the consumer without too much headache.  Tubes are plug and play so long as the tubes utilize Ken’s custom time saving attachment method. There’s no optical input but I do not need it as I don’t use optical connections.  DSD64 is the quality limit but not an issue for me since having heard DSD many time’s on a competent system I would agree with Rob Watt’s of Chord that it sounds flat and lifeless and I prefer FLAC.  EMI/RF interference will happen with a smartphone not in airplane mode, I experienced none with my Macbook.  
          The CDM is an absolutely incredible piece of audio gear, I will miss it when I give it back to @Canyon-Runner.  The CDM is well worth the price and I know you’ll be very impressed with the sound quality it produces.
 

Introduction
          Review Introduction
          Product Introduction
Technical Specifications
Sound Analysis
Signature
          Headstage
          Soundstage
          Resolution
          Transparency
          Layering And Separation
          High Frequencies
          Middle Frequencies/Vocals
          Low Frequencies
Pairing
Comparisons
Suggestions For Improvement
Conclusions
 
 

 

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          I am both a stereophile and an audiophile.  I am an audiophile so as to further my enjoyment of the music I consider essential in life.  Life without music isn’t much life at all, when I’m able to hear more detail or the song better rendered the reason for audiophile gear becomes is clear.
 
          I have been listening to the ADEL A12’s for approximately 2 years.  I got my A12's right after the Kickstarter campaign while they were still being shipped with the prototype clear plastic ADEL modules that were a precursor to the metallic S1 modules.  I reviewed the A12 around that time but now I have decided to redo the review now that I have heard the A12 with these new apex modules as it is quite a different IEM now.  Both the apex A12 that is being sold now and the ADEL A12 have the same tuning as confirmed by 64 Audio so this review will be a comparison between ADEL and apex with regard to the A12.  For this review I will be using the apex M15 and contrasting that with the ADEL MAM, I believe these two modules are the best that each company has to offer at this time with regard to modules.  It seems hard to fathom that such a small module could change sound to such a degree but it does.  I own and have used all the currently available modules with A12: G1, B1, S1, MAM, M15 and M20.  Each section of the review will feature discussion of ADEL and an apex.  This should help differentiate the two different technologies and their effects on pressure and signature.
 
          The A12 is an IEM from 64 Audio it used to be their flagship until the A18 and Tia Forte were created.  The A18 and Tia Forte exceed A12 in price but A12 holds its own in some ways.  The A12 now ships with apex module that vents pressure and allows the user to alter sound signature by changing modules.  As of April 2017 there are two apex modules available: M20 and M15.  M20 provides 20dB of isolation and more bass presence while M15 provides 15dB of isolation and a more balanced signature.  M20 has a single vent hole while M15 has dual vent holes.
          The shells are 3d printed and you can customizable your own on http://www.64audio.com.  Due to the 3D printing process my fit is perfect.
 

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          The A12 has 12 drivers: 4 high, 4 mid and 4 low drivers that merge into a three way passive crossover network.  From there the sound is channeled through the sound tubes and into your ear via three sound bores, a fourth and the largest bore sits at the bottom of the canal.  This fourth bore designed to vent pressure inside the canal and channel it to an ADEL or apex module.  A12 operates at a 12Ω @ 1kHz. output impedance. 
 
The A12 is shown on http://www.64audio.com as having an elevated sub and mid bass.
 

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          When discussing stage I differentiate between headstage and soundstage.  Head stage is the distance we actually hear the sound coming from as we consciously focus on that distance.  Think of headstage as listening while holding your hand over the IEM/headphone (you are aware the sound is coming from inside it) and thus the size of the stage is diminished because of this awareness.
 
          I experience a soundstage when I disappear into the music without thinking.  It’s best done in a dark room with eyes closed.  What the brain is consciously aware of about the visual, thinking and tactile processes affects how we perceive the soundstage and headstage.
 
          Imagine a human head with a 3D axis placed in the center of it.  The Y-axis is the height, the X-axis is the width and the Z axis is the depth.  From these three planes we can form a 3D representation of both headstage and soundstage.
 

          The shape of the stage doesn't change with modules therefore stage can be discussed without needing to include modules.  The shape is roughly a horseshoe.  If you've been in drawing class then you'll be familiar with the lesson on left to right perspective:
 

      A12 is a lot like this perspective image to the left with regard to stage.  It has a very wide stage, much wider in the X-axis than it is tall in the Y-axis.  The A12 does very well conveying a sense of distance in the X plane due to it's massive bass drivers which darken and warm the sound making high frequency notes sound further away via contrasting.  The effect is not as apparent on vocals as it is on drums because vocals are positioned closer to the X and Y intersection and are thus more textured. 
ADEL Stage:
 
          The ADEL A12 sounds slightly more expansive in all directions than the apex A12 with the biggest difference being in the X-axis where the ADEL modules creates approximately an inch of extra headstage width.  The effect of everything sounding slightly further away in all planes is due to the "resonant fog" that the ADEL creates.  "Resonant fog" is the best way that I know how to explain it.  It's an airiness that ADEL casts over the sound combined with what sounds like a resonance that happens very fast; in fractions of a millisecond.  If you're a stage fanatic you'll enjoy that extra spaciousness of ADEL but at the expense of resolution.
 
apex Stage:
 
          The apex head stage is slightly thinner than the ADEL head stage with regard to width making it about 2" outside the ear on the X-axis.  It's easier to pin point sounds in the apex stage because of the lack of resonance and higher detail.  I prefer the apex M15 stage due the clarity, better separation, higher detail and pin point accuracy within the stage.     
 
 
                  The A12 has an exceptional soundstage irrespective of apex or ADEL.  To my ears it’s massive in all directions.  Soundstage width is massive and the most noticeable aspect of the stage.  Listening to songs with wide soundstages produces the effect of sounds coming from several inches outside the CIEM.  When I turn the lights off, put in the A12's with the ADEL MAM (knob all the way in) I experience a true 3d soundstage.  In spoken passages I often felt like there was someone behind me in the room and the feeling was scary at times.  The tonal realness and natural pressure free environment that the ADEL modules create goes a long way toward creating this holographic effect because ADEL allows your ear to hear the way it naturally does as if the you didn't have IEMs in.  I experience less of this hair tingling effect with apex but apex is more detailed and creates a distance effect by increasing texture detail.  This increase of detail of the apex modules creates more contrast between high resolution textures and low resolution textures, the human brain interprets highly textured sounds as being closer therefore this contrast between textures creates a distance effect in the apex sound.    Soundstage shape remains the same regardless of module.
 
 
          The background of the A12 is utter blackness and voidness.  When paired with a warm source like the Chord Mojo with its’ inky black stage the effect is quite pronounced.  The A12 isn’t a detail monster-except in the lowest registers.  It’s extremely warm.  The sub and mid bass extend far into the mids and highs muffling the upper mids and highs.  This effect is more pronounced in the ADEL modules than the apex modules.  I hear more isolation and higher resolution with the apex modules.  The apex module contains a resonant absorbing material to eliminate resonance created by having a module and canal in an IEM and the apex passageway is engineered to have little to no resonance as well via 3D printing.  This lack of resonance increases the resolution of the monitor when used with an apex module. 
 
 
          Tonally speaking the A12 is very transparent sound when paired with high quality sources.  Regardless of whether the note is a high note or the deepest sub bass frequency the A12 renders the notes in a transparent manner with natural timber and tone.  Bass especially has a lot of impact much like it would if you were at a live show.  A12 recreates that full bodied hit, rumble and punch in a tactile sense more than any IEM I have heard to date.  Bass heads rejoice this will likely be your favorite IEM.  The highs carry a similar sense of naturalness in tone and transparency although their decay is quite a bit less than the low end.  With regard to modules transparency is roughly equal except for the low end in which the ADEL modules provide a more visceral tactile feeling to the lower mids and lows.
 
            Due to the aforementioned mid and sub bass bumps, the A12 isn’t exceptional at separating layers and isolating instruments in stage.  It does an admirable job but the sound is too congested for separation to be spectacular.  The M15 apex module goes a long way toward improving the layering and separation.  The ADEL MAM offers the best layering/separation from the ADEL side but isn’t nearly as good at it as the apex M15.  M15 increases the ability to perceive the origin of a note, making its emergence a pinpoint experience whereas the less detailed ADEL sound is better at creating a distance effect than a layering/separation one.   Pairing the A12 with a DAC that has exceptional layering/separation like the Chord Mojo or Hugo2 is a great way to squeeze out every bit of layering/separation the A12 is capable of.
 
 
            The weakest point of the A12’s sound presentation is the high end.  Sparkle is absent from the A12 and the powerful sub bass makes high notes sound far away in the stage.  Upper mids and highs have little weight.  Female vocals sound distant whereas male vocals sound close and intimate.  Highs sound as if they’re pushed to the edge of the stage.  If you don’t mind this recessed high end and prefer a larger stage this could be a good thing.  There are a few things you can do to increase the high end.  The most improvement comes from the apex M15.  It increases detail in the upper mids and highs while restraining the low end and increasing texture across all frequencies.  If you prefer ADEL you will need to use the B1 or MAM to restrain the low end.  The Ultimate Ears Buffer Jack has the biggest effect toward creating a more balanced signature on A12 but it also compresses the sound and neuters dynamism.  Pairing A12 with an exceptional amp like the ALO CDM results in more extension in the high end.  The A12’s seem to need to be a powerful amp to be dynamic and present more high end.  Pairing A12 with high output impedance sources or sources with bright signatures will also tame the bass and allow the highs to be revealed.   
 
 
          The A12 sacrifices mid-range detail for musicality, impact and a more full-bodied sound.  Mids are very full sounding due to warmth being favored over detail.  With ADEL modules like G1 or MAM you can get mid-bass to punch very hard to the point that bass guitar vibrates the canal on especially heavily amped and down tuned guitars.  Male vocals are very emotive and impacting while female vocals are distant and much less  emotive.  The A12 is one of the few monitors that I’ve heard that have a syrupy mid-range.  Mid-range notes can sound incredibly dense and fat in the lower middle range.  This warm mid-range combined with an emphasized sub bass makes the A12 sound slow and sluggish with fast music but simultaneously epic, towering and massive with slower music.          
 
 
          The sub bass on A12 is powerful, detailed, textured, decays for ages and emerges authoritatively from a deep inky black stage.  Regardless of what ADEL or apex module you use, you will get top of the line balanced armature sub bass from A12.  It hits like a sledgehammer.  Sub bass impacts the stage from far away and displays excellent decay as it fades away without losing detail.  It can emerge from all directions; behind, front, back, left and right.  It has a real 3D effect to it.  The ADEL modules will give you a more vibratory and tactile sub bass while the apex M15 will give you a more textured but still quite slamming sub bass.  The sub bass is the best I’ve ever heard in a balanced armature based IEM.
 

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          The A12 is a picky CIEM.  It likes high output impedance sources or low output sources with a bright analytical signature-assuming you want more high end out of it.  Low impedance sources will typically increase the veil over the upper mids and highs while high output sources and bright analytical sources will typically produce a more balanced sound with more high end.  Regardless of source the sub bass and to a lesser extend the mid bass will always be dominant over the upper mids and highs.
 
Chord Mojo:
 
          There was too much of a roll off in the high end for me to enjoy the Mojo and A12 pairing.  The B1 and to a greater extent the M15 reduce the low end allow the highs more stage presence but it still is not enough for me to enjoy this pairing.  The veil is too great, too much detail is lost and the signature is too dark.  The incredible amount of detail that Mojo produces is lost in the blackness.
 
ALO CDM:
 
          The ALO CDM in DAC and amp mode is an interesting pairing for A12 because the CDM is a warm device yet it gives the A12 more high end.  All frequencies tighten up with regard to decay and deepen with regard to extension.  The very highest and very lowest frequencies are both increased.  The already massive stage of the A12 is made even more spacious especially with regard to space between the instruments.  The increased space creates a more precise sound.  Everything is thicker, more dynamic, spacious and lush than with Mojo.
 
Chord Mojo + ALO CDM:
 
          This is my favorite pairing with A12 and the cherry on top is the M15 module.  With this pairing you get the incredible detail and resolution of Mojo combined with the lushness, thickness, spaciousness sand dynamism of the CDM.  The CDM is being run in amp only mode in this case.  The biggest difference versus using only the CDM is the amount of texture detail that the Mojo is able to create.  Decay from both the low and high end is far more detailed than with CDM alone. 
 
S7 Edge:
 
          The sound quality takes a pretty significant negative hit when pairing the A12 with the S7 Edge.  The bass becomes even more bloated while detail decreases as compared to the other sources.  Stage also diminishes in all directions. 
 

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A18:
 
          The A18 trounces the A12 in resolution due to its’ tight bass and detailed upper mids/highs which exhibit excellent decay and extension.  A18 renders more detail and nuance, the A12 is more fun sounding with a harder hitting low end and thicker syrupy mids/vocals.  The A18’s are less congested than the A12’s.  The start and stop of each note is also more pinpointed on the A18’s.  A12 has more detailed/textured sub and mid bass.  A18’s highs and upper mids decay longer while A12’s sub bass has more decay.  A12 has more bass quantity across the board which makes the stage sound wider as it contrasts the highs vs the lows.  The highly textured upper mids/highs of the A18 make the stage sound slightly smaller than A12 because sounds with a great deal of texture sound close to us.  The bass heavy signature on the A12 makes it sound sluggish and less resolute with faster music while A18 is a speed demon.  A18 is more sensitive and exhibits a slight hiss, the A12 exhibits no hiss.  Due to the A18’s hiss the A12 has a blacker background.  A18 has better layering, separation and space between sounds.  A12 has a more airy sound overall.   
 
          The A12 pairs poorly with most sources.  The A18 sounds great out of everything from my iPhone 5 to my CDM.  The A18’s single bore makes cleaning a breeze while the A12’s multi bore makes it a pain.  The A18’s are larger in all dimensions than A12, only the faceplates are the same size.
 
CustomArt 8.2:
 
          The A12 is a lot warmer than the 8.2 but 8.2 isn’t bright either because it has an elevated sub and mid bass as well.  A12 has less detail in all areas except the sub and mid bass in which it has a more detailed and textured sub bass.  A12’s sub bass goes much deeper than the 8.2’s sub bass and it slams and punches much harder.  The A12 stage is larger in all directions.  The mids are meatier on the A12 while the 8.2 prefers to keep the sound light and airy across all frequencies.  The thicker mids on the A12 render male vocals with a lot of emotion and impact while the 8.2 has a less dramatic vocal presentation.  The 8.2 has more detail in the upper mids and highs.  The 8.2 has much more extension in the upper mids and highs whereas the A12 is recessed in those areas.  
 

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          The smaller sound tube bore holes on my A12's have excess material around the rim, this excess material becomes a trench for the collection of wax making it extremely difficult to clean the small bore holes.  I also had the stock cable break where the cable enters the CIEM.  Several other users reported the same problem.  Seeing this, 64 Audio went back to the drawing board and redesigned the plastic around the end of their 2 pin cables.  They created a stronger fiberglass resin connector and I am happy to report the issue is solved.  The new cable is much stronger than the previous iteration and they went the extra mile and sent me one of the new ones for free to replace my broken one.  I also had an internal crack appear in a critical area (in the center near many of the sound tubes) inside the left CIEM after about a week of using them  I sent it back for repair and 64 Audio repaired it free of charge.  I have now acquired their latest flagship the A18 which has 18 drivers and I am happy to report that 64 Audio has evolved beyond even having sound tubes that far down in the canal.  They now use a massive single bore which makes cleaning a breeze.  I used to clean my A12's everyday but with this new mesh covered single bore design I can just wipe down the outside of the canal area and give a quick swipe to the inside and my IEMs are clean.  Please have a look at my A18 review to see for yourself: http://www.head-fi.org/products/64-audio-1964-ears-a18-tzar/reviews/18444
 

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            If you’re someone who prefers a smooth signature with deep, powerful, textured and hard hitting mid/sub bass you’ll love A12.  A12 has an exceptional sound stage that will please even the most diehard soundstage fanatics.  If you prefer a highly detailed upper mid range with a lot of micro details in it or a sparkly treble you may want to look at A18.  Thanks to the modules you can alter the signature to your liking.  I highly recommend looking into a powerful amp like the ALO CDM for the A12's as well the M15 module.

 
Introduction
Review Approach
Technical Specifications
Under the Hood
Hands On/Operation/Aesthetics
Charging/Battery
Sound Quality
            Signature
            Depth
            Sound Stage
            Resolution
Mobile
            Mojo’ing on iOS
            Mojo’ing on Android
            Mojo’ing on Mac
            Mojo’ing on DAPs
Protecting Your Mojo
Conclusions
 
 
           I am both a stereophile and an audiophile.  I am an audiophile so as to further my enjoyment of the music I consider essential in life.  Life without music isn’t much life at all, when I’m able to hear details I couldn’t hear before in a song I’ve heard hundreds of times or said song is brought to life even more via better reproduction, the reason for seeking higher sound quality and reproduction becomes self-evident.
 
           I have had Mojo since it was released in October 2015-approximately one year ago.  I listen to the Mojo around 5-8 hours a day, everyday.  I have been able to hear deep into the Mojo, I hope you’ll gain some insights into whether Mojo is right for you from my review.
 
 
           I listen to Mojo using either my “old school” 2011 Macbook Pro or my “new school” Samsung S7 Edge.  I used iPhone 5 before I got my S7E, therefore I can speak to using idevices with Mojo as well.  When listening with my Macbook Pro I use Jriver Media Center 21 and a micro-USB to USB cable.  With the S7 Edge I use a micro-USB to micro-USB OTG cable and the excellent UAPP app(purchasable in the Play Store).  I prefer portable setups and use IEMs exclusively, in this review I’ll be using the ADEL A12 CIEMs.  You will find everything you need to know about using Mojo in a portable capacity in this review.
 
 
 
Dynamic Range: 125DB
THD: 3v – 0.00017%
Power Output: 1kHz
Amplification: 600ohms 35mW, 8ohms 720mW
Output Impedance: 0.075 ohms
Plays: Up to 768kHz & DSD256
 
           In my opinion the most important specification for you as an average user is output impedance.  Ensure that your headphones/IEMs match up well with the low impedance Mojo.  Audiophile level sources are low impedance for good reason, per Rob Watts:
 
           If your IEM’s sound better with a high output impedance source, I suggest you DO NOT look beyond Mojo but instead look to an adapter like the Ultimate Ears Buffer Jack($~10 via UE) or similar adapters that will increase output impedance.  The majority of audiophile level IEMs/headphones will pair well with Mojo-needing no impedance adapter.
 
If you want to geek out, here is a link to detailed measurements/technical specifications:
 
http://ohm-image.net/data/audio/rmaa-chord-mojo-24-bit
 
 
           Mojo was designed by Chord as a programmable FPGA, per Rob Watts:
 
 
It was designed to have as few components as possible as each component can color/influence sound quality.  Much of the magic of Mojo is in the programming utilized in the FPGA.  This programming creates the unique signature of Mojo and the type of sound people familiar with Chord products call the "Chord sound".  Central to Chords sound and indeed the main focus of their products is addressing the timing of transients.  According to Rob Watts, transients are responsible for pitch, sound stage, timbre and the timing (stopping and starting) of notes. Immense computational power allows Chord to address these timing issues and as a result Mojo sounds more lifelike than anything I've heard before.
 
           It wasn’t until recently that it was even possible to build a device as small and powerful as Mojo, the technology didn’t exist.  When the Xilinx Artix 15T 28nM was released, Chord turned their attention toward completing Mojo.  Mojo is a computational monster, upsampling 2048 times-that’s ~16 approximately times more than their competitiors.  Upsampling eliminates RF noise, noise floor modulation and jitter is eliminated by a factor of 64.  This creates an inky black background unto which Chord creates their signature sound.
 
           Mojo has a discrete transistor output stage, this means it can drive just about any power hungry headphone.  Chord had a battery custom made that could meet the unique requirements of the Mojo.  Using cutting edge chips, customizable programming and innovating where necessary is a hallmark of Chord.  This has allowed Chord to offer novel solutions to recreating a digital signal in analog form; improving sound quality by addressing the timing of transients, THD, noise floor and other technical aspects which cannot be addressed as effectively using traditional industry technology and methods to the extent Chord have using their proprietary progamming and FPGA approach.
             
 
            Mojo is very small-smaller than a pack of playing cards in fact-yet it is quite heavy: 6.1oz.  Holding it in my hand and pressing down on it with a good amount of force produces no bend or give anywhere in the high quality aluminum housing.  Eight tiny screws hold the case together into a solid block and four solidly-glued bumpers keep the device in place on your listening surface.  None of the bumpers have come off in a year of daily use, that's some serious adhesive!  Holding Mojo gives an impression of durability and quality not found in the hardware of other mobile devices.
 

 
 

 
           Mojo was designed such that it can charge while in use (even from total battery depletion) as there are separate data (middle left in the first image below) and charging micro-USB ports (middle right in the first image below).  This is an excellent feature as you never run out of sound so long as you can plug Mojo in.  The optical port is on the right and the 3.5mm coaxial on the left. 
 

 

 
 Dual 3.5mm headphone ports are on the other side:
 

 
           Plugging into and out of the headphone port creates a solid reassuring click.  The micro-USB ports are also solid but care should be taken to avoid stressing them.  Invest in right angle micro-USB cords and avoid putting pressure on these connections, such as putting Mojo in your pocket while in use.
 
           I’ve recoiled in horror when dropping Mojo or believing I've scratched it, only to find it unscathed.  Rubbing a finger on the hairline scratches caused them to vanish and the solid metal body prevented any damage from the fall.  The finish and overbuilt design are very satisfying. I suspect Mojo is a device you’ll be able to listen to decades from now.
 
           Chord realized many of us will be stacking, thus they cut notches into the corners of the aluminum body creating grooves into which rubber bands can clasp Mojo more securely when stacking.  Stacking will increase RF/EMI interference, I suggest using ferrite devices (discussed later) or to eliminate RF/EMI completely use airplane mode when stacking.  When I'm listening at a desk and cannot use airplane mode I'll attach ferrite chokes as seen below and position Mojo as far away from the phone as possible.  Restricting background data to essential apps only like (text messaging, email, etc) will help reduce RF/EMI as well.
 
           Three buttons sit atop Mojo recessed into the aircraft grade aluminum case.  The lone orb is the power and sample rate indicator orb, the other two are the volume orbs.  The orbs do well to remind you of your listening settings.  Mojo will remember the last settings you were using when you shut it down so you don't have to scroll to your desired setting everytime you use Mojo.  The power orb indicates the sample rate of the music you’re listening to.  Note that the correct light will not be displayed unless the software you’re using is properly configured to output bitperfect data.  Scroll down to the Mobile section to see how you can do this on Android, iOs and Mac.
 

 
           
            When Mojo arrives, open it and charge it immediately with a powerful wall plug charger (1A+).  If charging correctly Mojo will display a solid white LED below the charging port.  If charging incorrectly this LED will blink with a white light.  If it blinks switch to a more powerful wall plug.  Charging will take excessively long with a low powered (.5a and below), for example: Apple iPhone square block chargers or laptop USB ports.  When the charging light shuts off, Mojo is fully charged, taking approximately 4 hours.  Mojo may get hot while charging and playing at the same time, this is not cause for concern per John Franks:
 
 
           Mojo has a built in auto-off feature that automatically shuts it down when a certain temperature is reached.  This has never happened to me and I charge and listen with 12 driver CIEMs everyday, you shouldn’t worry about Mojo shutting down on you.  Mojo indicates battery status via LED under the charging port: blue is fully charged, green is 75% charged, yellow is 50%, red is 25%  and blinking red means the battery is critically low.
 

 
           My first Mojo had to be sent back for warranty because I was getting 3-4 hours of use from a fully charged Mojo.  The Mojo I received back is getting 8-10 hours from a full charge as advertised.    Some have reported a buzzing/whining sound while charging Mojo, I have never heard this sound and I’ve used many chargers and cables.  This buzzing/whining was an issue with early run Mojo's that Chord addressed and remedied within a few months of release.
 
 
            If you look at the website I linked under the Technical Details section you will see from the graphs provided there that Mojo has a neutral/flat signature with the highest highs slightly rolled off.  This echoes what my ears are telling me, Mojo sounds neutral with a hint of warmth.  Very slightly rolling off the highest high’s means your ears won’t get fatigued.  I can still clearly hear the highest notes without attentively searching for them-none of the detail is lost.  I can find no dips or peaks in the Mojo’s signature except the aforementioned sparkle roll off and it is very subtle.
 
            Sub-bass extends quite a long time, doesn’t bleed into mid-bass and punches fast and tight.  It hits with authority when it’s called for and takes a back seat when it isn’t.  There is no mid bass bloat or bleed to speak of.  Mid-bass is easily discernible even while the sub-bass is punching hard.  I can focus on the bass guitar and pick it out of the mix and follow it through the whole song without ever losing it.  The mids as a whole are full, rich and exceptionally clean.  Mid-highs standout nicely from the mid-bass.  Everything is balanced with an ever so slight emphasis toward the mids.  High’s sparkle without being harsh, grating or fatiguing. 
 
            Mojo produces the most natural realistic sound I’ve ever heard.  Upon hearing Mojo for the first time I said to myself:  “Studio recordings sound live! All my music sounds live!”  In my opinion it is the timbre and tone of the instruments as reproduced by the device that creates realism.  Mojo is off the charts with regard to realism.  This high level of realism adds transparency-the sensation of having everything else disappear and only the music remains.  If Mojo sounded unnatural, we would constantly be reminded of using it while listening.  This realism adds an energy and live-ness to the sound that other portable DACs/DAPs I’ve heard do not have and as a result the music produced by these other devices can sometimes feel tired and clinical.  I never get this feeling with Mojo, the energy is always there.       
 
           Perhaps the most striking feature of Mojo is its’ depth of sound.  The layers and complete separation of each instrument is astonishing.  You can sit back and let the naturalness and effortlessness of the song wash over you or you can change powers on your mental microscope and peer into the layers of a song, hearing micro details and sometimes even layers you never heard before.  I have never heard anything like this before; total layer separation without a clinical, harsh or bright signature.
 
           Consider how a dog’s nose functions as compared to human nose.  When a dog smells a vegetable soup it smells every single ingredient separately.  The dogs' nose will single out every single ingredient as its’ own unique smell.  A human nose will smell the soup as one smell we call “vegetable soup”.  This is one of the strongest selling points of Mojo, its’ ability to single out every layer, place it accurately in-stage and get out of the way so you can enjoy the music.  You don’t have to try to separate layers, it’s there for you the same way a dog smells yet instruments won’t stand out and say LOOK AT ME in a distracting way instead they’re presented as “vegetable soup”; naturally and effortlessly with incredible separation imaging and resolution.  I suspect the inky black and utterly silent background in addition to Mojo's impressive computational power and Chords FPGA programming are the reason for this separation effect. 
 

 
 

 
            The stage isn’t extremely wide or tall in an artificial way.  It’s a moderate stage except for depth which is spectacular.  To me this is perfect as I don’t want an artificially wide stage that is pulling me out of the experience of the music and distracting me, reminding me that I’m listening to a song instead of hearing and feeling it in the moment.  Yet I can still be treated to a good stage when I want to hear it.  For example, when I listen to a track with good sound stage width, it sounds as though the sound is coming from 1”-3” (depending on the track) outside my A12 CIEMs as it journey’s into my head.
            The imaging/separation discussed earlier aids in pinpointing the position of the instruments in the room.  I can tell the drum player is sitting on the back right of the stage or the singer is performing to the upper left front of the stage.  These effects don’t stand out and say LOOK AT ME but they are there as part of the experience and the extremely high resolution and separation of Mojo allows me to laser-beam focus on them if I wish. 
 
 
            Due to its’ immense computational power Mojo is able to produce a higher quality image than the competition.  Consider a massive uncompressed image, now imagine compressing it down into a 300x300 cover art image.  When you zoom in and look at the compressed image you will notice much of the detail is gone and the much larger image is much more resolute.  This is quite the accurate analogy for how Mojo renders sound.  You will hear things you’ve never heard before.
 
           
           When using Mojo with mobile devices there three things important points to remember:
 
1. Ensure data is being sent to Mojo bit-perfect (covered in Mobile section)
2. Address RF/EMI interference
3. Choose cables for the right reasons
 
           First when it comes to micro-USB cables, it would seem logical to purchase expensive audiophile cables, but as Rob Watt’s says this can often be counter-intuitive:
 
 
           In my opinion, it’s best to purchase cables for connecting to Mojo based on:
 
1. “Does the cable eliminate the need for a second cable?” (increasing transparency)
2. “Does the cable have better durability and reinforcement than cheaper cables?”
3. “Does the cable address RF/EMI interference?” (RF/EMI reduction can also be done by adding ferrite chokes to an un-choked cable)
4. “Will the cable reduce stress on device ports by utilizing a right angle configuration?”
 
           I recommend not putting the Mojo in your pant pocket but instead using a belt holster and rubber bands if you wish to use Mojo on the go and don't want to hold it in your hand, this prevents you from putting pressure on the ends of the cable and more importantly the Mojo ports.  You can even use Mojo at the Gym easily if you’re so inclined:
 

 

 

 

 
           Other than bit-perfect-ness, RF/EMI is the biggest factor that can affect the sound quality of your Mojo setup.  The simplest and cheapest way to completely eliminate RF/EMI is to put your device in Airplane mode.  The next best thing is to put ferrite chokes to the data cable feeding Mojo, making sure to get them as close as possible to the Mojo as you can as seen below:
 

 
           Some report differences between using a DAP or a phone to feed Mojo, I do not hear any differences.  In my opinion Mojo + android running UAPP is top tier mobile sound quality at an excellent value.  If you use a phone to feed Mojo you don’t have to carry around a third device.
 
 
           In order to connect Mojo to an idevice such as the iPhone you have two choices: an Apple CCK cable, see below:
 

 
or a simpler single-cable approach.  Lightning to micro-USB cables eliminate the need for two cables thus increasing transparency, they can be purchased from forum vendors.  You’ll also need to download Onkyo HF from the App Store in order play HD (FLAC or higher quality) music on an idevice.  You will need to buy the HD version of the app in order to play these HD files.  Once you have Onkyo HF HD, configure the settings accordingly to enable bitperfect output:
 

 
           Now connect the device to your Mac computer via your phones USB charging cable, open iTunes, select your phone and navigate to Apps, select Onkyo HF.  Open a new Finder window, navigate to your HD files and drag and drop them into the box as seen below:
 

 
           If you’re importing Mp3’s or similar non-HD music onto your device simply drag and drop them into iTunes as you normally would and Onkyo will recognize them and store them under the iPod header inside the app. 
 
           Onkyo HF often has difficulty displaying cover art.  I suggest naming cover art as cover.jpg, keeping files below 500x500 pixels for best results and keeping it in the same folder as the music files.
Onkyo HF allows you to send data to Mojo bitperfect, which is essential if you want maximum sound quality.  I don’t use EQ but in playing with the EQ in Onkyo HF I have found it adequate.  Onkyo HF should sound no different than UAPP on Android since they are both sending data bitperfect to Mojo but to me Onkyo HF sounds slightly less alive and a bit more veiled/low energy than UAPP.  Onkyo HF is also quite inferior to UAPP in regards to features and capabilities.  Unfortunately on an idevice-at this time-you are stuck with Onkyo HF.  There are a few other choices like JetAudio or Capricio, but I find Onkyo to be the most neutral and it comes recommended by Chord.
 
 
            If you don’t have a micro-USB to micro-USB OTG cable for your Android device, you will need to use an adapter-again forcing you to use two components.  I use cheap micro-USB to micro-USB OTG cables purchased from Amazon and attach a few ferrite chokes to them as seen above.  I believe this is the best setup you can have with Android.  I have tested many Android music apps with Mojo and there is a huge gulf between the quality of these apps and UAPP.  UAPP is the undisputed king of mobile audio on Android in my opinion.  The sound it produces is neutral like Onkyo HF but sounds more alive.  There’s an excellent 64 bit equalizer and a purchasable parametric EQ as well as a plethora of tweaks, features and capabilities.  You can even link it with some streaming services.  It nearly always recognizes cover art and adding files to it is as easy as dragging and dropping into the MUSIC folder on your Android phone using Android File Transfer as seen here:
 

 
To setup UAPP to send bitperfect data to Mojo simply enable the following settings:
 

 
            I have experience on Audirvana, Jriver and iTunes.  For me, Audirvana was the most intuitive, but lacked a good library-like experience.  Jriver has a steeper learning curve but offered the best sound quality as well as library like experience.  iTunes was my least favorite, being stuck in the Apple jail unable to use FLAC and other formats without conversion was annoying.  Audirvana and Jriver can produce bitperfect output to Mojo and will play anything you can throw at them.  In my opinion the best experience with Mojo on Mac can be had with Jriver Media Center, here are the settings you need to get bitperfect output to Mojo in Jriver irrespective of file format:
 
 

 

 

 
Regardless of which program you chose to utilize with Mac, you will need to configure your Mac’s audio settings as follows:  
 

 
 
 
           If you want to connect your Mojo to a DAP you’ll need an optical or coaxial cable, because I do not use DAPs I cannot comment on them.  I have heard them paired with Mojo on occasion and see no use in using them as my Apple iPhone 5 or Samsung S7 Edge sound just as good if not better (assuming all the devices are transmitting bitperfect data).  Choosing a phone instead of a DAP means you don’t have to lug around a third device.
 
 
            Chord now sells official cases for Mojo and they look very nice.  I just use an old camera case I had laying around, many others are using pelican cases and the official Chord case.
 
           
            Mojo may seem expensive but it is outperforming desktop and mobile setups that cost multiples of what it costs.  I do not think you will find a better price to performance ratio at this time in the audiophile industry.  I have had Mojo a year now and feel no need to upgrade to a more expensive DAC or DAP. 

Now that I've heard all the ADEL modules from Asius technologies(what has been released since 8/16), it's even harder to pick a favorite. Some days I want to tune the sound to my unique anatomy, in that case I'll grab the MAM. Other days I want a thicker sound with a V-shaped sound signature, in that case I'll grab G1. When I'm in the mood for a subtle more balanced and zen like sound where the A12's truly dissapear and only the music remains I'll grab the B1. Today I'll be reviewing the G1, please look at my other ADEL module reviews if you need more info about the other modules.

G1:
- More isolation than B1, seems slightly less than S1
- Powerful sub bass with better extension than B1
- Bass guitar is more readily identifiable than B1, stands out more
- Brighter treble than B1: This is probably about as much sparkle as you'll be able to get from the A12 with a fixed module
- Sparkly treble seems to come from a darker further away place, therefore it stands out more
- Soundstage slightly smaller than B1 or MAM, you have to look hard for it to notice it
- Soundstage is darker than B1 but nowhere near as dark as S1
- The "I can feel the bass" module: when accustomed to IEM's with ADEL modules then switching to normal IEMs without ADEL modules you immediately become cognizant of the pressure typical iem's produce. You become hyper sensitive to pressure and in my case develop a disdain for any iem that isn't pressure relieved via ADEL module. This module probably has slightly higher pressure than B1 because when I'm listening to bass heavy songs I can feel the sub bass flutter via the pneumatic pressure created by the drivers and it tickles sometimes.

This is an amazing ADEL module, I highly suggest it. They are all unique and while the MAM can replicate a lot of the sound of the B1, G1 and S1, due to the 6 vented holes in the MAM and the various membrane configurations, I do not believe you can mimick the fixed modules exactly-especially G1. There is a thickness of note, a syrupy kind of non-airiness that the MAM IMO cannot replicate. I think ADEL technology automatically makes an IEM's sound signature airier, when I'm in the mood for rich, syrupy and thick notes, I grab G1.

There are several ways to use the MAM; all the way open, all the way closed, set to the anatomy of your ear or just set somewhere along the spectrum of adjustments the MAM is capable of.  If I'm in a tinkering mood I'll use the hum method(outlined below) to find my sweet spot, one ear at a time.  If I don't feel like doing this, I'll just crank them knobs all the way in so that I'm using as much of the ADEL tech as possible. 
 
Finding the "sweet spot" in the MAM can be a bit finicky to setup AT FIRST.  The sweet spot is where you set each module INDIVIDUALLY to match the anatomy of each ear.  IMO the hum method is the best method to use to accomplish this, since it configures the module exactly to your ear anatomy.  You simply hum a medium-high pitched note in the top of your mouth with your mouth closed and the module all the way closed(thumbscrew as far out away from the ear as it can go).  Slowly turn the thumbscrew in, listening for the occlusion effect to lesson in the ear you're setting, once you hear the effect lesson you stop and that side is set.  Then simply set the other side and you're done.  A microphone boom-like effect will be observed every time you touch the module since it's connected to something inside your ear canal, this makes the process more difficult but it's just the nature of the beast.
 
IMO the sweet spot is definitely the best way to use the ADEL, without sounding too woo there is some kind of feeling that happens when the each MAM is precisely matched to the volume each ear anatomy.  I'll echo what I've said about the whole ADEL experience before, it makes music sound more live, like you're there watching the artist perform in front of you.  Everything sounds more intimate, alive and natural.  The MAM takes this effect to another level.   
 
If you're someone who doesn't want to deal with all that, just crank the turn screws as far into the housing as it will go(going into the ADEL tech).  What you'll notice when you've reached the end is that the bass will again increase because the basket that you're moving back and forth when turning the module is now flush or very close to the ADEL membrane, this causes the pressure on the membrane to increase and the membrane shakes increasing the force of the bass frequencies.
 
I am extremely satisfied with the workmanship, quality and effects that the MAM has on the sound.  I can essentially dial the sound to my desire at will and it is NOT an EQ since with the ADEL membrane, these adjustments also affect airiness and soundstage width, depth and height in all directions.  MAM has the capability of increasing the soundstage of your ADEL compatible CIEM, the difference in soundstage between a MAM set at maximum soundstage and a module like the S1 module is significant.  You can also decrease isolation as necessary, for example the 6 vent holes in the rear of the module can be completely closed and theCIEM essentially turned into a typical closed back CIEMs by backing the thumbscrew all the way out.  I do this when I'm mowing the grass.
 
The MAM also solves all the issues I mentioned I had with the S1 module in my ADEL B1 review, the veil created by pairing the A12 with the S1 ADEL module is gone in an even bigger way than with the B1 since I can adjust beyond it's capabilities.  If you enjoy tinkering get the MAM, you'll love it.  If you want to set it and forget it both the B1 and G1 ADEL modules are amazing, I cannot recommend the S1 module as I think it ruins the A12. 
 
I love the concept of having all these different modules; S1, B1, G1, MAM, we can alter the sound sig of our CIEMs as we see fit and get excited about new modules!
10/10

Seeing as this is the only black module among the Asius technologies ADEL modules, I dub thee....METAL module. |,,| I was on the verge of selling my A12's because the sound was simply too veiled, dark, clarity was lacking, mid bass was overpowering and the treble was recessed.  Mid bass bled into other frequencies and made the CIEM sound cluttered and unclear.  It seems as though Asius listened to it's customers, around the same time we all started complaining about this, a new module called B1 was released that solves all these issues.  No more is my A12 veiled, distant and cluttered.  Now it's open, spacious and the treble returns to the stage after being shut out by the mid bass bump caused by the S1 module.  The treble is allowed to shine and seems closer to the user whereas before with the ADEL S1 module it sounded like the treble was emerging out of some distant dark cave, a veiled whine of what it should be.  Sub bass is also reduced in addition to mid-bass.  Soundstage also increases.  One of the tracks I use to test soundstage is Pink Floyd's Money off the SACD version.  The soundstage is wider with the B1 vs the S1 module, the sounds of the cash register in Money seems to be coming from a place further outside my ears and head with the B1 module than the S1.  If you're a metal head, this module sounds great with. metal.  IMO it sounds better than S1 in every way, unless you're a bass head that loves excessive sub bass and overpowering mid bass.