Reviews by machinegod
Introduction
Anode Acoustics is a boutique manufacturer of high end audio products in India. Their products are handcrafted from scratch in India with parts from India as well (all but a few of the components which are not manufactured in India anymore).
One of the main goals of the brand is to provide high performance components at honest prices and thus providing a huge bang for the buck. At the time of writing this, they sell direct only, thus keeping the cost as low as possible.
I have bought and owned all of their headphone amplifiers (No.1, No.2, No.3, No.4) and their 12AU7 based stereo preamplifier and I can safely say that when it comes to raw performance their stuff is on a league of their own, punching way above their price class, giving most retail components costing substantially more a run for their money.
Disclaimer
The Anode Acoustics No.1 Headphone amplifier was bought with my own money for my personal usage. The brand has no influence on what follows below. My analysis is presented after 1 year of thorough usage. You can purchase it here directly from them.
Build Quality
No.1 is built like a museum piece, it is extremely rugged. It is also big and heavy but that is because it needs to be so. The unit weighs about 9kg and prospective buyers need to have sufficient space for this big amp.
As with all things such heavy, there is a reassuring feeling of ruggedness and quality. The enclosure is made from Teak wood, which is sourced in India. The result is absolutely gorgeous. There is something about tubes and wooden enclosure. Like warmth from a fire in a cold day. All in all, it is one of the best built objects I have come across.
Such solid build quality is rarely seen in retail components.
Features
This is an output transformer coupled tube amplifier and not an OTL. This means that the amp is compatible with dynamics and planars alike, and the impedance matching is done via 40 ohm, 150 ohm, 300 ohm, 600 ohm taps. There are 2 modes : Pentode and Triode. In pentode mode, the tubes are operated in pentode mode and full power of 1W is supplied while in Triode mode, 200mW is supplied. The output transformer is entirely made in house. The output transformer enclosure is cold to the touch even after 2+ hours of continuous usage. If you know anything about output transformers, you will also be surprised to find one this affordable (~1000 USD). But the performance speaks for itself.
The tubes supplied are either PCL82/ECL82 and the buyer can select either one. I opted for the PCL82 tubes that are NOS BEL tubes (made in India) with long plates. The glass is thick and the tubes themselves feel quite premium, which is indicative of its authenticity. It is not one of those cheap Chinese junk vacuum tubes. I am told that the tubes are not pushed hard at all, but used judiciously to greatly prolong the lifespan of the tubes. Even after around 300+ hours of usage, there is barely any visible wear on the tubes.
When using a headphone, the correct impedance or the impedance closest to that of the headphone must be used. But it is to be noted that that one shouldn't pair loads much lower than 40 ohm or higher than 600 ohms. And thus compatibility with headphones is a breeze no matter what. In my one year of rigorous usage, I have paired a variety of headphones including multiple planars that are really hard to drive, bordering on insanely hard to drive and yet the amp handles them like a boss. Although strictly prohibited by the brand, I have used as low as 18 ohm planar earphones like the Tin P1 Plus (which are really hard to drive) and had no issues. On the opposite end of the spectrum I have used the Beyerdynamic T1 Gen 2 whose nominal impedance is 600 ohms but shoots up to 900 ohms as well and as expected, no issues whatsoever. I have paired vintage Yamaha Orthodynamics like the HP1 and its brothers (150 ohm, 92-94dB/mW) and the amplifier drove them very nicely. And mind you, these orthodynamics ideally need obscene amounts of power to shine properly. I have compared the Yamaha HP1 being driven off speaker amp and No.1 and I was shocked at how nicely it was being driven : deep chest thumping bass, slamming hard dynamics and energy.
So one can pair all headphones out there provided it is between 40-600ohms, (maybe not the outliers like Susvara, HE6 etc) and in my experience all of them being driven to perfection . The thing that really bugs me is the LED light, it is unacceptably bright and I have it taped up. Also, it's a bummer that the metal plate has no writing printed on it for the controls. It is not a big deal but it would surely go a long way if the controls for the triode mode, pentode mode and impedance values were printed.
But I am guessing it was a conscious decision to keep the costs down.
Sound Quality
In my thorough usage, I have used a variety of headphones starting from the HD540 Reference 600 ohm, Beyerdynamic T1 Gen 2 600 ohm, AKG K240 Sextett, the all time classics HD600,HD650 to planars like the Yamaha orthodynamics and planar earphones. The amp has a very subtle yet total coloration in the sound. In pentode mode, the sound is more forward and engaging, details are pushed forward more. In triode mode, the sound is pushed back a little, adding more space to the sound. Midrange takes a step back in Triode mode. This mode is highly recommended for more refined and quieter genres. I used the pentode mode almost exclusively.
The coloration being a slight touch of wetness. It has this uncanny combination of being totally uncolored in tonality and timbre but having an all encompassing subtle wetness in its presentation. Present are the hallmark characteristics of a quality tube amp namely excellent air and treble extension with abundant shimmer and sparkle. This is NOT a warm amp, its treble is beautifully extended.
When using planar headphones I was presented with deep bass that slammed so hard, so clean. Bass extension is phenomenal. So are the dynamics - the Tin P1 Plus which scales substantially provided dynamics that are almost overwhelming. The imaging is spacious and wide, making the "narrow" sounding 600,650 sound wide and "out of the head". All the while keeping the tonality pristine and helping the headphone speak for itself with its own characteristics.
The amp is truly neutral when it comes to tonality. The level of transparency that this amp provides, beggar's belief. Its transparency surpasses all of the solid state amps I have heard to this day. It is a microscope, it makes the listener look into the music to such great levels that it might even be too transparent to some, specially those who are misguided by the wrong notion that tube amps are supposed to be "warm, tubby, mushy"? Said who? There is no such rule.
In some ways this amp made me open my eyes to what a tube amp can sound like. This means that if your headphone is poo-poo or has some glaring faults in tuning, you will surely hear it. That is why dac matching to this amp is of paramount importance. I have paired multiple dacs throughout my usage to get vastly different flavors of sound. Some provide a lush and forgiving tone while some make the chain uber resolving and transparent.
You must find the right companion dac for your headphones. My personal recommendation would be to add a neutral sounding dac to this amp.
Conclusion
It is truly an amplifier one can happily retire with. Even after 1 year of thorough usage I am still as glad as I was the first time when I heard it and I shall continue to do so. Money well spent.
Anode Acoustics is a boutique manufacturer of high end audio products in India. Their products are handcrafted from scratch in India with parts from India as well (all but a few of the components which are not manufactured in India anymore).
One of the main goals of the brand is to provide high performance components at honest prices and thus providing a huge bang for the buck. At the time of writing this, they sell direct only, thus keeping the cost as low as possible.
I have bought and owned all of their headphone amplifiers (No.1, No.2, No.3, No.4) and their 12AU7 based stereo preamplifier and I can safely say that when it comes to raw performance their stuff is on a league of their own, punching way above their price class, giving most retail components costing substantially more a run for their money.
Disclaimer
The Anode Acoustics No.1 Headphone amplifier was bought with my own money for my personal usage. The brand has no influence on what follows below. My analysis is presented after 1 year of thorough usage. You can purchase it here directly from them.
Build Quality
No.1 is built like a museum piece, it is extremely rugged. It is also big and heavy but that is because it needs to be so. The unit weighs about 9kg and prospective buyers need to have sufficient space for this big amp.
As with all things such heavy, there is a reassuring feeling of ruggedness and quality. The enclosure is made from Teak wood, which is sourced in India. The result is absolutely gorgeous. There is something about tubes and wooden enclosure. Like warmth from a fire in a cold day. All in all, it is one of the best built objects I have come across.
Such solid build quality is rarely seen in retail components.
Features
This is an output transformer coupled tube amplifier and not an OTL. This means that the amp is compatible with dynamics and planars alike, and the impedance matching is done via 40 ohm, 150 ohm, 300 ohm, 600 ohm taps. There are 2 modes : Pentode and Triode. In pentode mode, the tubes are operated in pentode mode and full power of 1W is supplied while in Triode mode, 200mW is supplied. The output transformer is entirely made in house. The output transformer enclosure is cold to the touch even after 2+ hours of continuous usage. If you know anything about output transformers, you will also be surprised to find one this affordable (~1000 USD). But the performance speaks for itself.
The tubes supplied are either PCL82/ECL82 and the buyer can select either one. I opted for the PCL82 tubes that are NOS BEL tubes (made in India) with long plates. The glass is thick and the tubes themselves feel quite premium, which is indicative of its authenticity. It is not one of those cheap Chinese junk vacuum tubes. I am told that the tubes are not pushed hard at all, but used judiciously to greatly prolong the lifespan of the tubes. Even after around 300+ hours of usage, there is barely any visible wear on the tubes.
When using a headphone, the correct impedance or the impedance closest to that of the headphone must be used. But it is to be noted that that one shouldn't pair loads much lower than 40 ohm or higher than 600 ohms. And thus compatibility with headphones is a breeze no matter what. In my one year of rigorous usage, I have paired a variety of headphones including multiple planars that are really hard to drive, bordering on insanely hard to drive and yet the amp handles them like a boss. Although strictly prohibited by the brand, I have used as low as 18 ohm planar earphones like the Tin P1 Plus (which are really hard to drive) and had no issues. On the opposite end of the spectrum I have used the Beyerdynamic T1 Gen 2 whose nominal impedance is 600 ohms but shoots up to 900 ohms as well and as expected, no issues whatsoever. I have paired vintage Yamaha Orthodynamics like the HP1 and its brothers (150 ohm, 92-94dB/mW) and the amplifier drove them very nicely. And mind you, these orthodynamics ideally need obscene amounts of power to shine properly. I have compared the Yamaha HP1 being driven off speaker amp and No.1 and I was shocked at how nicely it was being driven : deep chest thumping bass, slamming hard dynamics and energy.
So one can pair all headphones out there provided it is between 40-600ohms, (maybe not the outliers like Susvara, HE6 etc) and in my experience all of them being driven to perfection . The thing that really bugs me is the LED light, it is unacceptably bright and I have it taped up. Also, it's a bummer that the metal plate has no writing printed on it for the controls. It is not a big deal but it would surely go a long way if the controls for the triode mode, pentode mode and impedance values were printed.
But I am guessing it was a conscious decision to keep the costs down.
Sound Quality
In my thorough usage, I have used a variety of headphones starting from the HD540 Reference 600 ohm, Beyerdynamic T1 Gen 2 600 ohm, AKG K240 Sextett, the all time classics HD600,HD650 to planars like the Yamaha orthodynamics and planar earphones. The amp has a very subtle yet total coloration in the sound. In pentode mode, the sound is more forward and engaging, details are pushed forward more. In triode mode, the sound is pushed back a little, adding more space to the sound. Midrange takes a step back in Triode mode. This mode is highly recommended for more refined and quieter genres. I used the pentode mode almost exclusively.
The coloration being a slight touch of wetness. It has this uncanny combination of being totally uncolored in tonality and timbre but having an all encompassing subtle wetness in its presentation. Present are the hallmark characteristics of a quality tube amp namely excellent air and treble extension with abundant shimmer and sparkle. This is NOT a warm amp, its treble is beautifully extended.
When using planar headphones I was presented with deep bass that slammed so hard, so clean. Bass extension is phenomenal. So are the dynamics - the Tin P1 Plus which scales substantially provided dynamics that are almost overwhelming. The imaging is spacious and wide, making the "narrow" sounding 600,650 sound wide and "out of the head". All the while keeping the tonality pristine and helping the headphone speak for itself with its own characteristics.
The amp is truly neutral when it comes to tonality. The level of transparency that this amp provides, beggar's belief. Its transparency surpasses all of the solid state amps I have heard to this day. It is a microscope, it makes the listener look into the music to such great levels that it might even be too transparent to some, specially those who are misguided by the wrong notion that tube amps are supposed to be "warm, tubby, mushy"? Said who? There is no such rule.
In some ways this amp made me open my eyes to what a tube amp can sound like. This means that if your headphone is poo-poo or has some glaring faults in tuning, you will surely hear it. That is why dac matching to this amp is of paramount importance. I have paired multiple dacs throughout my usage to get vastly different flavors of sound. Some provide a lush and forgiving tone while some make the chain uber resolving and transparent.
You must find the right companion dac for your headphones. My personal recommendation would be to add a neutral sounding dac to this amp.
Conclusion
It is truly an amplifier one can happily retire with. Even after 1 year of thorough usage I am still as glad as I was the first time when I heard it and I shall continue to do so. Money well spent.
Disclaimer : The Kinera Idun 2 was sent by Hifigo as a part of a review tour but all thoughts and opinions are my own. you can purchase the Idun 2 here.
Build And Fit
Starting a kinera review is the same old same old, me complimenting the looks of the earphone. And this time it shall be the same. It is jewelry for your ears. It comes with the 4pin modular cable system which in my opinion should be the standard for any earphone. You get the 4.4mm,3.5mm,2.5mm adaptors for easy swapping. The silver plated OFC cable is a gorgeous blue and white weave that is also supple. The blue has a neon-y glow to it when light bounces off it. Nothing out of the ordinary when it comes to fit; it fits me snug. Due to the snug fit, it cancels out a lot of ambient noise passively.
Amp Needs
32 ohm, 112dB/mW. Based on my experience, no dedicated amplifier is needed for the Idun 2.
Sound Quality
Based on my experience reviewing Kinera earphones, I think with each new release they are improving in overall sound quality. Idun 2, although struck with some small niggles, sounds quite good overall. It has a "W shaped" tonality which is quite obvious the moment you put it on. The bass is deep with linear extension down low. It has got just the right amount of impact and punch and as a result the entire bottom end is fleshed out. The correct word to describe the low end would be..."juicy". There is no sign of bloat in the bass, so detail retrieval is also not hampered. I wouldn't call the Idun 2 uber-resolving, but I hear no micro details being glossed over at any point of time. Part of the reason why the Idun 2 sounds satisfying is the midrange. It is forward (but not overly so) with thick lower midrange. Vocal performance is the best I have heard yet from a Kinera earphone. Vocal timbre is natural for both male and female vocalists except for its slight touch of extra thickness, which I love. The real and possible only niggle for me would be the upper midrange- lower treble tuning. Idun 2 while not being sibilant by nature, is considerably prone to it. If your music is sibilant itself, Idun 2exaggerates it. I have found this to be true in case of female vocalists and high pitched male vocalists as well; if the recording has intimate and raspy vocals, you will hear the "S's" and "T's" being overemphasized. But the emphasis seems to be in a narrow band region because during most of my music listening there was no trace of it. This treble tuning also adds a layer of sheen to the overall music, making it a touch nasal. Up top there is air and open-ness, which leads to the entire treble region being very "present" and active. Hence my conclusion of it being "W shaped". The tuning which prioritizes all of bass, midrange and treble usually will come across as aggressive to some and it is the same in this case. I would not call Idun 2 fatiguing, but it surely demands an active listen. It isn't something you can lie back and relax to. There aren't very many earphones I have come across with tuning akin to the Idun 2, and I feel the overall result is quite good.
Spaciousness and instrument separation is sufficient but the image specificity is a bit fuzzy.
Conclusion
I would pick Idun 2 over the much more expensive Norn. Idun 2's tuning is uncommon but nicely implemented. It has a W shaped tuning that gives you a toe-tapping experience.
Build And Fit
Starting a kinera review is the same old same old, me complimenting the looks of the earphone. And this time it shall be the same. It is jewelry for your ears. It comes with the 4pin modular cable system which in my opinion should be the standard for any earphone. You get the 4.4mm,3.5mm,2.5mm adaptors for easy swapping. The silver plated OFC cable is a gorgeous blue and white weave that is also supple. The blue has a neon-y glow to it when light bounces off it. Nothing out of the ordinary when it comes to fit; it fits me snug. Due to the snug fit, it cancels out a lot of ambient noise passively.
Amp Needs
32 ohm, 112dB/mW. Based on my experience, no dedicated amplifier is needed for the Idun 2.
Sound Quality
Based on my experience reviewing Kinera earphones, I think with each new release they are improving in overall sound quality. Idun 2, although struck with some small niggles, sounds quite good overall. It has a "W shaped" tonality which is quite obvious the moment you put it on. The bass is deep with linear extension down low. It has got just the right amount of impact and punch and as a result the entire bottom end is fleshed out. The correct word to describe the low end would be..."juicy". There is no sign of bloat in the bass, so detail retrieval is also not hampered. I wouldn't call the Idun 2 uber-resolving, but I hear no micro details being glossed over at any point of time. Part of the reason why the Idun 2 sounds satisfying is the midrange. It is forward (but not overly so) with thick lower midrange. Vocal performance is the best I have heard yet from a Kinera earphone. Vocal timbre is natural for both male and female vocalists except for its slight touch of extra thickness, which I love. The real and possible only niggle for me would be the upper midrange- lower treble tuning. Idun 2 while not being sibilant by nature, is considerably prone to it. If your music is sibilant itself, Idun 2exaggerates it. I have found this to be true in case of female vocalists and high pitched male vocalists as well; if the recording has intimate and raspy vocals, you will hear the "S's" and "T's" being overemphasized. But the emphasis seems to be in a narrow band region because during most of my music listening there was no trace of it. This treble tuning also adds a layer of sheen to the overall music, making it a touch nasal. Up top there is air and open-ness, which leads to the entire treble region being very "present" and active. Hence my conclusion of it being "W shaped". The tuning which prioritizes all of bass, midrange and treble usually will come across as aggressive to some and it is the same in this case. I would not call Idun 2 fatiguing, but it surely demands an active listen. It isn't something you can lie back and relax to. There aren't very many earphones I have come across with tuning akin to the Idun 2, and I feel the overall result is quite good.
Spaciousness and instrument separation is sufficient but the image specificity is a bit fuzzy.
Conclusion
I would pick Idun 2 over the much more expensive Norn. Idun 2's tuning is uncommon but nicely implemented. It has a W shaped tuning that gives you a toe-tapping experience.
Disclaimer : The SeeAudio Yume Midnight was sent by SeeAudio as a part of a review tour but all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Build and Fit
If you have greasy fingers, I would advise you to keep a rag near at hand because the Yume: Midnight is a fingerprint magnet. Add to that, the shell is quite slippery as well. So not the most ergonomic earphone. Fit is dicey for my ears. Firstly, the sound is HEAVILY dependent on seal and fit. Secondly, the fit is a bit weird for my ears. The earphone just doesn't seal well unless I use small tips and perform the dreaded deep insertion ritual. With small tips and deep insertion, we can begin analyzing the sound. But before that I must mention that the cable looks and feels premium, it is one of the more classier cables out there.
Amp Needs
At 32 ohm, 106dB/mW there is no need for a dedicated amplifier.
Sound Quality
Having owned and loved the original Yume, I was unsure on what to expect from the Midnight? Would it be an improvement? Or a degradation? Some found the bass on the Yume to be light, I found it..."balanced". Well the midnight adds to it and then some more. Midnight has the optimum quantity of bass and since there is substantially more quantity, I hear more detail and texture in the bass as well. Not only does it reach lower than the Yume, it slams harder, which in turn fixed the real issue of the original Yume, blunted/mushy transients. Yume was quite soft
on the edges, and while that was a very pleasurable characteristic to hear, I did indeed wanted more. It was one of those things that you can't unsee after someone has pointed them out to you. Midnight has substantially sharper transients and better dynamics overall.
I feel there is not much difference in the midrange to speak about, it is mostly faithful to the Yume, which is good news. The midrange is in the right place when it comes to forwardness. Due to yume's softer transients, it made the midrange appear more lush and lucid.
The timbre in the midrange was thus just a tiny bit on the "musical" side. On the midnight the timbre is more precise due to the changes in the frequency response. It is snappier and faster sounding in the midrange. The treble in the Yume was gently rolled off, not in the Midnight. Treble on the midnight sounds very natural with good timbre, it has slightly more presence but even compared to other earphones it is modest at best and not an analytical or dry treble by any means. Cymbals have their natural shimmer and zing preserved and presented in a more palatable way. The treble extension is one of the biggest improvements with the Midnight. There is just a whole lot of air and extension up top. It extends naturally and there is no harshness or sibilance to be found. The added air and openness gives a very different experience as opposed to the Yume. Unfortunately, while the Yume had slight grain in the treble, the midnight has the occasional touch of "compression" in the lower treble region. but in my experience it only comes up with very revealing recordings.
But is it the "Technical Yume"? yes and no. while the Yume is an improvement over the already excellent tuned Yume, the headstage is slightly more intimate than the yume. The yume also had better instrument separation and layering, not by a whole lot to make it a big deal but enough to make it noticeable.
Imaging however is greatly improved over the Yume.
Conclusion
Midnight indeed improves upon the already excellent tuned Yume. Yume is one of my personal favorite earphones which provides with an excellent polite and laid back experience. It made everything sound good. The midnight greatly improves upon the places where the Yume suffered. However to get something, you must sacrifice something in return. Midnight is more intimate, and slightly lags behind the Yume when it comes to headstage, instrument separation and layering.
Build and Fit
If you have greasy fingers, I would advise you to keep a rag near at hand because the Yume: Midnight is a fingerprint magnet. Add to that, the shell is quite slippery as well. So not the most ergonomic earphone. Fit is dicey for my ears. Firstly, the sound is HEAVILY dependent on seal and fit. Secondly, the fit is a bit weird for my ears. The earphone just doesn't seal well unless I use small tips and perform the dreaded deep insertion ritual. With small tips and deep insertion, we can begin analyzing the sound. But before that I must mention that the cable looks and feels premium, it is one of the more classier cables out there.
Amp Needs
At 32 ohm, 106dB/mW there is no need for a dedicated amplifier.
Sound Quality
Having owned and loved the original Yume, I was unsure on what to expect from the Midnight? Would it be an improvement? Or a degradation? Some found the bass on the Yume to be light, I found it..."balanced". Well the midnight adds to it and then some more. Midnight has the optimum quantity of bass and since there is substantially more quantity, I hear more detail and texture in the bass as well. Not only does it reach lower than the Yume, it slams harder, which in turn fixed the real issue of the original Yume, blunted/mushy transients. Yume was quite soft
on the edges, and while that was a very pleasurable characteristic to hear, I did indeed wanted more. It was one of those things that you can't unsee after someone has pointed them out to you. Midnight has substantially sharper transients and better dynamics overall.
I feel there is not much difference in the midrange to speak about, it is mostly faithful to the Yume, which is good news. The midrange is in the right place when it comes to forwardness. Due to yume's softer transients, it made the midrange appear more lush and lucid.
The timbre in the midrange was thus just a tiny bit on the "musical" side. On the midnight the timbre is more precise due to the changes in the frequency response. It is snappier and faster sounding in the midrange. The treble in the Yume was gently rolled off, not in the Midnight. Treble on the midnight sounds very natural with good timbre, it has slightly more presence but even compared to other earphones it is modest at best and not an analytical or dry treble by any means. Cymbals have their natural shimmer and zing preserved and presented in a more palatable way. The treble extension is one of the biggest improvements with the Midnight. There is just a whole lot of air and extension up top. It extends naturally and there is no harshness or sibilance to be found. The added air and openness gives a very different experience as opposed to the Yume. Unfortunately, while the Yume had slight grain in the treble, the midnight has the occasional touch of "compression" in the lower treble region. but in my experience it only comes up with very revealing recordings.
But is it the "Technical Yume"? yes and no. while the Yume is an improvement over the already excellent tuned Yume, the headstage is slightly more intimate than the yume. The yume also had better instrument separation and layering, not by a whole lot to make it a big deal but enough to make it noticeable.
Imaging however is greatly improved over the Yume.
Conclusion
Midnight indeed improves upon the already excellent tuned Yume. Yume is one of my personal favorite earphones which provides with an excellent polite and laid back experience. It made everything sound good. The midnight greatly improves upon the places where the Yume suffered. However to get something, you must sacrifice something in return. Midnight is more intimate, and slightly lags behind the Yume when it comes to headstage, instrument separation and layering.
Disclaimer : The unit was provided by Hifigo as a part of a review tour but all thoughts and opinions are my own. You can purchase it here.
Build and Fit
An open backed earphone! I do not know the effect that this design choice has, what I do know is that the fit is not comfortable for my ears. The disk like portion of the chassis (shaped according to the DD inside) juts out and hits my concha. To top it off if you are using small tips, you will have to push them in, which will make matters worse. If you have big ears, it is a much fairer experience. It has a "sleeper" design that doesn't draw any attention. It looks like any other earphone out there.
Amp Needs
8 ohms, 109dB/mW. It runs off anything.
Sound Quality
MMMMMMMMMids. And then some more mids. The mids are forward and surprisingly full bodied due to the punchy midbass which is plain "thiccc". It is however slightly shouty which occasionally irks you. Due to the open backed nature (I think), there isn't much extension below the midbass region. But honestly the fat midbass (which is not bloated by the way!) will make you forget the lack of bass extension. There is not much treble extension to speak off and the treble is gently rolled off pretty quick. It just has enough treble to not bother you.
A side effect of the rolled off treble is that it sets a "veil" over the music, but just slight, a very thin veil. This is a godsend for poor recordings as it just glosses over all imperfections and makes them so much more palatable. This is a big deal for me and a quality that is near and dear to me. With great resolution, comes great fatigue. There is just no fatigue to speak of. It makes even the thinnest and shoutiest old recording something you can tap your toes to!
The headstage isn't as wide as I was hoping it to be despite being an open back which was a bummer. Due to the intimate headstage, instrument separation isn't as good as I was hoping it to be. But honestly I don't give 2 damns about headstage and imaging from an earphone that makes me whole heartedly enjoy the music (all kinds of music!).
Conclusion
If you want an earphone to just chill out with and have a great time with, the BS1 is really good. Fun, fun, fatigue free fun!
Build and Fit
An open backed earphone! I do not know the effect that this design choice has, what I do know is that the fit is not comfortable for my ears. The disk like portion of the chassis (shaped according to the DD inside) juts out and hits my concha. To top it off if you are using small tips, you will have to push them in, which will make matters worse. If you have big ears, it is a much fairer experience. It has a "sleeper" design that doesn't draw any attention. It looks like any other earphone out there.
Amp Needs
8 ohms, 109dB/mW. It runs off anything.
Sound Quality
MMMMMMMMMids. And then some more mids. The mids are forward and surprisingly full bodied due to the punchy midbass which is plain "thiccc". It is however slightly shouty which occasionally irks you. Due to the open backed nature (I think), there isn't much extension below the midbass region. But honestly the fat midbass (which is not bloated by the way!) will make you forget the lack of bass extension. There is not much treble extension to speak off and the treble is gently rolled off pretty quick. It just has enough treble to not bother you.
A side effect of the rolled off treble is that it sets a "veil" over the music, but just slight, a very thin veil. This is a godsend for poor recordings as it just glosses over all imperfections and makes them so much more palatable. This is a big deal for me and a quality that is near and dear to me. With great resolution, comes great fatigue. There is just no fatigue to speak of. It makes even the thinnest and shoutiest old recording something you can tap your toes to!
The headstage isn't as wide as I was hoping it to be despite being an open back which was a bummer. Due to the intimate headstage, instrument separation isn't as good as I was hoping it to be. But honestly I don't give 2 damns about headstage and imaging from an earphone that makes me whole heartedly enjoy the music (all kinds of music!).
Conclusion
If you want an earphone to just chill out with and have a great time with, the BS1 is really good. Fun, fun, fatigue free fun!
Disclaimer : The unit was provided by Hifigo as a part of a review tour but all thoughts and opinions are my own. You can purchase the Vesna here.
Build and Fit
Gone are the times of bullet style earphones, or so I thought. It doesn't have much going when it comes to the aesthetics. It is sturdy and that is all one can ask for at 20 USD.
The bullet style fit doesn't sit well with my personally, but oh well.
Amp Needs
30 ohm, 102dB/mW. No external amplifier is needed.
Sound Quality
Vesna is surprisingly detailed for the price range. It's tonality is on the leaner side with a slight sizzle in the treble region. I think the surprising amount of raw detail is in part due to the overall tuning of the Vesna. Bass quantity is definitely on the lower side and it doesn't reproduce much texture in this region either. The treble has a noticeable but tasteful boost in the lower treble which emphasizes the cymbals, "S's" and "T's" but it is not sibilant. But it is for sure on the "sparkly" side of presentations. Vesna could use more air up top which would result in a more complete sonic picture in my opinion. It seems to be rolled off beyond the lower treble, which puts a very slight veil on the treble. Midrange is linear in terms of presentation right up to the upper midrange which is boosted, thus affecting timbre just a slight bit and adds a tinge of thinness and compression to the sound. Vesna is not forgiving when it comes to poor recordings. If the recording is shouty, you will know it. Due to the lesser bass impact, the dynamics are not up to the mark and thus this earphone is good for analytical or critical listening. Instrument separation is pretty good and headstage is quite spacious, coming close to what I would consider the king of FR emulated headstage, the KZ EDX.
Conclusion
Tuned more for analytical/critical listening, the only major flaw is the lack of air up top. The lack of air and openness would have made the vesna a much more purpose built earphone.
Build and Fit
Gone are the times of bullet style earphones, or so I thought. It doesn't have much going when it comes to the aesthetics. It is sturdy and that is all one can ask for at 20 USD.
The bullet style fit doesn't sit well with my personally, but oh well.
Amp Needs
30 ohm, 102dB/mW. No external amplifier is needed.
Sound Quality
Vesna is surprisingly detailed for the price range. It's tonality is on the leaner side with a slight sizzle in the treble region. I think the surprising amount of raw detail is in part due to the overall tuning of the Vesna. Bass quantity is definitely on the lower side and it doesn't reproduce much texture in this region either. The treble has a noticeable but tasteful boost in the lower treble which emphasizes the cymbals, "S's" and "T's" but it is not sibilant. But it is for sure on the "sparkly" side of presentations. Vesna could use more air up top which would result in a more complete sonic picture in my opinion. It seems to be rolled off beyond the lower treble, which puts a very slight veil on the treble. Midrange is linear in terms of presentation right up to the upper midrange which is boosted, thus affecting timbre just a slight bit and adds a tinge of thinness and compression to the sound. Vesna is not forgiving when it comes to poor recordings. If the recording is shouty, you will know it. Due to the lesser bass impact, the dynamics are not up to the mark and thus this earphone is good for analytical or critical listening. Instrument separation is pretty good and headstage is quite spacious, coming close to what I would consider the king of FR emulated headstage, the KZ EDX.
Conclusion
Tuned more for analytical/critical listening, the only major flaw is the lack of air up top. The lack of air and openness would have made the vesna a much more purpose built earphone.
Disclaimer : The unit was provided by Hifigo as a part of a review our but all thoughts and opinions are my own. You can purchase it here.
Build and Fit
These are huge! I don't think 10BA is needed. Why stop at 10? Why not 20, 50? Housing 10BA, crossover boards and wiring isn't easy. And thus results a massive chassis. If you have small ears, you will have fit issues. Build is classic KZ/CCA. The cable is identical to the KZ ZEX. I do not dig the green plastic "window". I expected an all metal shell in this price range.
Amp Needs
While I couldn't find exact specs, it is easy to run off any source. No external amp is needed.
Sound Quality
The tuning of CCA CA10 is not up to the mark. It has a certain boxiness to the sound which I cannot shake off. The bass has a big punch but unfortunately bleeds into the midrange and it somehow becomes the most dominant characteristic of the sound. The good news is if you listen to bass centric music like EDM, CA10 should do the job just fine. It has got sufficient detail retrieval and texture in the bass to make such music enjoyable. Midrange is pushed back slightly in comparison. This is not going to be suitable for midrange lovers. Treble is not as forward. Apart from a slight bump in the presence region there isn't much extension in the treble region.
Conclusion
CA10 is suitable for bass heavy genres and for genres that do not require much finesse. If you are looking for a more realistic and balanced sounding earphone, there are other options out there.
Build and Fit
These are huge! I don't think 10BA is needed. Why stop at 10? Why not 20, 50? Housing 10BA, crossover boards and wiring isn't easy. And thus results a massive chassis. If you have small ears, you will have fit issues. Build is classic KZ/CCA. The cable is identical to the KZ ZEX. I do not dig the green plastic "window". I expected an all metal shell in this price range.
Amp Needs
While I couldn't find exact specs, it is easy to run off any source. No external amp is needed.
Sound Quality
The tuning of CCA CA10 is not up to the mark. It has a certain boxiness to the sound which I cannot shake off. The bass has a big punch but unfortunately bleeds into the midrange and it somehow becomes the most dominant characteristic of the sound. The good news is if you listen to bass centric music like EDM, CA10 should do the job just fine. It has got sufficient detail retrieval and texture in the bass to make such music enjoyable. Midrange is pushed back slightly in comparison. This is not going to be suitable for midrange lovers. Treble is not as forward. Apart from a slight bump in the presence region there isn't much extension in the treble region.
Conclusion
CA10 is suitable for bass heavy genres and for genres that do not require much finesse. If you are looking for a more realistic and balanced sounding earphone, there are other options out there.
Disclaimer : The Hidizs S3 Pro was sent by Hifigo as a part of a review tour but all thoughts and opinions are my own. You can purchase the S3 Pro here.
Build Quality
S3 Pro's tiny form factor feels premium due to almost exclusive use of metal. The chassis is entirely made of metal. Thankfully the attaching cable is not unnecessarily long, thus you will not be having a dangling dongle at the end of your phone or laptop.
There are strain reliefs on both ends so overall it is a durable cable.
Functionality
S3 Pro is light on the source's battery. It was plug and play with Windows 10/11 and Android, no drivers required. However there is the provision for installing 3 different firmware : bass boost, balanced, treble boost. I would recommend leaving it at balanced stock mode for the best performance as the other two modes made it sound a bit artificial. Although, choose according to the synergy of your chain.
The really useful feature is the support for inline microphones. I faced no glitches with the microphone play/pause of the KZ EDX. It also supports phone calls needless to say.
Sound Performance
The sound was indeed quite surprising. It is well balanced and clean with nothing lacking or overemphasized. The top end is open and the bass extension is good. To top it all off the midrange feels natural and uncolored. When compared to the competition, the S3 Pro is more natural and capable than the all time popular Sonata HD Pro. Although I have heard better spaciousness and resolution from other dongles like the E1DA 9038x series.
Power output is also not as high as the competition offers so the S3 Pro must be used with sensitive earphones of low impedance. It does not pack enough juice to run full sized headphones or heavily inefficient planar earphones.
Conclusion
While the S3 Pro is not the most technical sounding dac, its tonality and overall balance in the sound quality is good. A good sounding tiny dac for sensitive earphones.
Build Quality
S3 Pro's tiny form factor feels premium due to almost exclusive use of metal. The chassis is entirely made of metal. Thankfully the attaching cable is not unnecessarily long, thus you will not be having a dangling dongle at the end of your phone or laptop.
There are strain reliefs on both ends so overall it is a durable cable.
Functionality
S3 Pro is light on the source's battery. It was plug and play with Windows 10/11 and Android, no drivers required. However there is the provision for installing 3 different firmware : bass boost, balanced, treble boost. I would recommend leaving it at balanced stock mode for the best performance as the other two modes made it sound a bit artificial. Although, choose according to the synergy of your chain.
The really useful feature is the support for inline microphones. I faced no glitches with the microphone play/pause of the KZ EDX. It also supports phone calls needless to say.
Sound Performance
The sound was indeed quite surprising. It is well balanced and clean with nothing lacking or overemphasized. The top end is open and the bass extension is good. To top it all off the midrange feels natural and uncolored. When compared to the competition, the S3 Pro is more natural and capable than the all time popular Sonata HD Pro. Although I have heard better spaciousness and resolution from other dongles like the E1DA 9038x series.
Power output is also not as high as the competition offers so the S3 Pro must be used with sensitive earphones of low impedance. It does not pack enough juice to run full sized headphones or heavily inefficient planar earphones.
Conclusion
While the S3 Pro is not the most technical sounding dac, its tonality and overall balance in the sound quality is good. A good sounding tiny dac for sensitive earphones.
Disclaimer : The CCA CRA was provided by hifigo as a part of a review tour but all thoughts and opinions are my own. You can purchase the CRA here.
Build and Fit
CRA comes with sleek metal faceplate and with the gunmetal color the overall aesthetic gives off a "futuristic" vibe. I do however have some issue with the fit. The top of the chassis has a smooth circular arc which does not sit well with my concha. When the earphone is pushed in, it does create a pressure point right at the arcing point. It is not a dealbreaker but worth mentioning. The cable does not tangle easily but it is a bit stiff.
Amp Needs
At 34 ohm, 105dB/mW, no dedicated amplifier is needed for the CRA.
Sound Quality
The CRA is catered more towards the mainstream market in my opinion. Coming to the bass, it is boosted. There is a certain divide between the midbass and the subbass. While the subbass has relatively deep extension, it has very commendable detail retrieval for its price but the impactful midbass comes across as a one note "thud" which bleeds into the midrange. This creates a rift in the bass and makes it appear disjointed : while I am hearing good detail retrieval from the bass, the impact lacks texture and detail. If you are not listening to complicated and busy passages, you will not run into any more issues with the CRA.
If you are in for a bit of casual listening then it is the same case. It has a mild sizzle in the treble region to add some energy but it will not get in your way. To the more experienced listeners, the sound will appear to be grainy and a bit splashy. There is grain throughout the sound and vocals, specially female vocals appear to be splashy as well. Although I doubt there is room for complaint at just 15 USD.
The CRA does not score strong when it comes to the technicalities but there isn't any dealbreaker either (considering the price).
Conclusion
At 15 USD, one must keep their expectations in check. The CRA is intended more for the casual listener who craves for a bass-centric sound and not for those who are looking for balance in their sound. For those looking for a more balanced sound, may I route you towards the KZ EDX (non pro).
Build and Fit
CRA comes with sleek metal faceplate and with the gunmetal color the overall aesthetic gives off a "futuristic" vibe. I do however have some issue with the fit. The top of the chassis has a smooth circular arc which does not sit well with my concha. When the earphone is pushed in, it does create a pressure point right at the arcing point. It is not a dealbreaker but worth mentioning. The cable does not tangle easily but it is a bit stiff.
Amp Needs
At 34 ohm, 105dB/mW, no dedicated amplifier is needed for the CRA.
Sound Quality
The CRA is catered more towards the mainstream market in my opinion. Coming to the bass, it is boosted. There is a certain divide between the midbass and the subbass. While the subbass has relatively deep extension, it has very commendable detail retrieval for its price but the impactful midbass comes across as a one note "thud" which bleeds into the midrange. This creates a rift in the bass and makes it appear disjointed : while I am hearing good detail retrieval from the bass, the impact lacks texture and detail. If you are not listening to complicated and busy passages, you will not run into any more issues with the CRA.
If you are in for a bit of casual listening then it is the same case. It has a mild sizzle in the treble region to add some energy but it will not get in your way. To the more experienced listeners, the sound will appear to be grainy and a bit splashy. There is grain throughout the sound and vocals, specially female vocals appear to be splashy as well. Although I doubt there is room for complaint at just 15 USD.
The CRA does not score strong when it comes to the technicalities but there isn't any dealbreaker either (considering the price).
Conclusion
At 15 USD, one must keep their expectations in check. The CRA is intended more for the casual listener who craves for a bass-centric sound and not for those who are looking for balance in their sound. For those looking for a more balanced sound, may I route you towards the KZ EDX (non pro).
Disclaimer : The unit was provided by Hifigo as a part of a review tour but all thoughts and opinions are my own. You can purchase the TRN VX Pro here.
Build and Fit
TRN's flagship doesn't come at a flagship price. Thankfully the build quality is what you'd expect from a sub 100 USD earphone. All metal chassis with rounded and nicely machined edges. Comfort is good for my ears and I don't see this is as being an issue for others. Unfortunately the cable is is mediocre quality and I expected one with a better build which exudes a premium quality. The cable looks and feels akin to the likes included by KZ. But hey, if it sounds good, all is forgiven.
Amp Needs
At 22 ohm, 106 dB/mW, the TRN VX Pro is easily driven off phone and there is no need for a dedicated external amplifier.
Sound Quality
The tuning has a V shape to it which is obvious the moment you put them on. Implementing a V shaped tuning nicely is quite difficult as there are inherent pitfalls associated to such a tuning. Unfortunately the VX Pro cannot avoid them either. The bass being boosted, is full bodied and impactful. It has deep extension and rumbles a bit too although the main kick comes from the midbass region. But on the flipside, the overall bass is also on the bloated side. I would say the bloat issue is a little north of mild although far better than many earphones that try to do a V shaped tuning (and the resulting sound is a total mess). As is characteristic of a V shaped tuning, midrange is simply not the main priority here. Similar to almost every V shaped tuned earphone I have heard, the midrange is laid back and has a thin veil over it, preventing the instruments from popping out vividly. Treble region is noticeably forward and considerably energetic, and it sounds to me as if there is a narrow boost in the lower treble region which makes things sound spicier than they are. I do feel that the boost adds a bit of splashiness and thin-ness to the sound. The detail retrieval I would classify as above average, although I feel the it could have been a lot better if the midbass was calmer. The sound is reasonably spacious, I do not feel anyone will find it narrow and too in-your-head but I wish the instrument separation was better which also takes a hit due to the midbass quantity.
Conclusion
It is a V shaped sounding earphone, and as is the case with almost all V shaped sounding, their performance is aided by genres that can take advantage of it. If that is the case with you, I do not see a reason why you may not like it. If you want a more balanced sound, then this may not be the ideal earphone.
Build and Fit
TRN's flagship doesn't come at a flagship price. Thankfully the build quality is what you'd expect from a sub 100 USD earphone. All metal chassis with rounded and nicely machined edges. Comfort is good for my ears and I don't see this is as being an issue for others. Unfortunately the cable is is mediocre quality and I expected one with a better build which exudes a premium quality. The cable looks and feels akin to the likes included by KZ. But hey, if it sounds good, all is forgiven.
Amp Needs
At 22 ohm, 106 dB/mW, the TRN VX Pro is easily driven off phone and there is no need for a dedicated external amplifier.
Sound Quality
The tuning has a V shape to it which is obvious the moment you put them on. Implementing a V shaped tuning nicely is quite difficult as there are inherent pitfalls associated to such a tuning. Unfortunately the VX Pro cannot avoid them either. The bass being boosted, is full bodied and impactful. It has deep extension and rumbles a bit too although the main kick comes from the midbass region. But on the flipside, the overall bass is also on the bloated side. I would say the bloat issue is a little north of mild although far better than many earphones that try to do a V shaped tuning (and the resulting sound is a total mess). As is characteristic of a V shaped tuning, midrange is simply not the main priority here. Similar to almost every V shaped tuned earphone I have heard, the midrange is laid back and has a thin veil over it, preventing the instruments from popping out vividly. Treble region is noticeably forward and considerably energetic, and it sounds to me as if there is a narrow boost in the lower treble region which makes things sound spicier than they are. I do feel that the boost adds a bit of splashiness and thin-ness to the sound. The detail retrieval I would classify as above average, although I feel the it could have been a lot better if the midbass was calmer. The sound is reasonably spacious, I do not feel anyone will find it narrow and too in-your-head but I wish the instrument separation was better which also takes a hit due to the midbass quantity.
Conclusion
It is a V shaped sounding earphone, and as is the case with almost all V shaped sounding, their performance is aided by genres that can take advantage of it. If that is the case with you, I do not see a reason why you may not like it. If you want a more balanced sound, then this may not be the ideal earphone.
Disclaimer : The unit was provided by Hifigo as a part of a review tour but all thoughts and opinions are my own. You can purchase the Aurora here.
Build and Fit
I do not generally write about packaging but it must be said that the packaging of the Aurora is beautiful and elegant. Such kind of packaging is rarely seen in this price point. What is also rarely seen in this price point is the build quality. The shells are absolute units of metal, polished to a mirror finish. The good thing about the finish is that it doesn't attract fingerprints that easily. The cable has this uncommon blue cable which goes well with the aurora theme. The cable quality is also nice, it is supple and premium feeling. The finish of the earphone is really good irrespective of the price point. Kudos to Kbear.
Amp Needs
Aurora is efficient and it works fine off a regular smartphone. No dedicated amplifier is needed.
Sound Quality
The Aurora wont be to the liking of people looking for a neutral-ish sound signature. It has a substantial colored presentation which I feel lacks balance. The lack of balance is almost solely due to the bass region where there substantial bloat. It sticks out and masks a lot of details and overshadows the sound basically. Unfortunately, the bass although bloated, does not reach too far down low and doesn't have much texture either. It is more of a one-note kind of "thud". The good news is that there is decent coherence between the midrange and the treble region and the resulting amalgamation is decent when it comes to timbre. The mids are pushed back slightly due to the reigning bass so the aurora loses some texture in the sound of instruments and vocals. The treble region is smooth and totally inoffensive, laid back in presentation. As you'd might expect, due to the dominant bass bloat, technicalities are indeed hampered.
Resolution takes a hit, and so does the overall spaciousness in sound.
Conclusion
It is less colored than its elder sibling BElieve. BElieve was also a colored earphone that grew on me the more I listened to it. While the Aurora is less colored, I couldn't connect with it on an emotional level. I am sure there will be others who can.
Build and Fit
I do not generally write about packaging but it must be said that the packaging of the Aurora is beautiful and elegant. Such kind of packaging is rarely seen in this price point. What is also rarely seen in this price point is the build quality. The shells are absolute units of metal, polished to a mirror finish. The good thing about the finish is that it doesn't attract fingerprints that easily. The cable has this uncommon blue cable which goes well with the aurora theme. The cable quality is also nice, it is supple and premium feeling. The finish of the earphone is really good irrespective of the price point. Kudos to Kbear.
Amp Needs
Aurora is efficient and it works fine off a regular smartphone. No dedicated amplifier is needed.
Sound Quality
The Aurora wont be to the liking of people looking for a neutral-ish sound signature. It has a substantial colored presentation which I feel lacks balance. The lack of balance is almost solely due to the bass region where there substantial bloat. It sticks out and masks a lot of details and overshadows the sound basically. Unfortunately, the bass although bloated, does not reach too far down low and doesn't have much texture either. It is more of a one-note kind of "thud". The good news is that there is decent coherence between the midrange and the treble region and the resulting amalgamation is decent when it comes to timbre. The mids are pushed back slightly due to the reigning bass so the aurora loses some texture in the sound of instruments and vocals. The treble region is smooth and totally inoffensive, laid back in presentation. As you'd might expect, due to the dominant bass bloat, technicalities are indeed hampered.
Resolution takes a hit, and so does the overall spaciousness in sound.
Conclusion
It is less colored than its elder sibling BElieve. BElieve was also a colored earphone that grew on me the more I listened to it. While the Aurora is less colored, I couldn't connect with it on an emotional level. I am sure there will be others who can.
Attachments
Disclaimer : The unit was provided by ConceptKart as a part of a review tour. All thoughts and opinions are my own. You can purchase the KZ ZEX here.
Build and Fit
I wasn't expecting a metal chassis at this price point, but the ZEX has just that. The sheathing on the mic cable has a rubbery texture to it. As a result the cable is rarely tangled but it is impossible to wind them and stow them away elegantly. It's always a rat's nest. Fit is pretty standard, nothing worth noting in this aspect.
Amp Needs
ZEX is very efficient and it works fine off phone. No dedicated amplifier is needed.
Sound Quality
Mightily impressed by the budget offering from KZ, namely EDX, I was expecting an upgrade to the sound. The ZEX tuning unfortunately isn't what I would call balanced. There is a strong midbass boost which hits quite hard but it sounds bloated to me and it masks details and throws the sound off balance. There seems to be a peak in the treble region which adds a ringing to the cymbals and is quite unforgiving if the recording quality is poor on top of that.
One peculiarity worth noting is that the treble sounds a bit disjoint from the rest of the sound, it is not the last word in coherence. The treble seems fast and substantially resolving while the low-mid region seems to have slower decay. Speaking of midrange, the ZEX will not pair well with music that needs lush and open midrange reproduction, partly because the bass hump shadows it, making the midrange sound a bit veiled. However, this kind of sound (read : fun and enjoyable) might exactly be the thing that rocks your socks off. There are genres that can take advantage of this tuning and present a very enjoyable experience.
Conclusion
The ZEX isn't for people who are looking for a balanced sound; the tuning makes the ZEX sound quite colored with hard hitting bass and forward treble. Maybe that is exactly what you will want in your music if your music benefits from a tuning such as this.
Build and Fit
I wasn't expecting a metal chassis at this price point, but the ZEX has just that. The sheathing on the mic cable has a rubbery texture to it. As a result the cable is rarely tangled but it is impossible to wind them and stow them away elegantly. It's always a rat's nest. Fit is pretty standard, nothing worth noting in this aspect.
Amp Needs
ZEX is very efficient and it works fine off phone. No dedicated amplifier is needed.
Sound Quality
Mightily impressed by the budget offering from KZ, namely EDX, I was expecting an upgrade to the sound. The ZEX tuning unfortunately isn't what I would call balanced. There is a strong midbass boost which hits quite hard but it sounds bloated to me and it masks details and throws the sound off balance. There seems to be a peak in the treble region which adds a ringing to the cymbals and is quite unforgiving if the recording quality is poor on top of that.
One peculiarity worth noting is that the treble sounds a bit disjoint from the rest of the sound, it is not the last word in coherence. The treble seems fast and substantially resolving while the low-mid region seems to have slower decay. Speaking of midrange, the ZEX will not pair well with music that needs lush and open midrange reproduction, partly because the bass hump shadows it, making the midrange sound a bit veiled. However, this kind of sound (read : fun and enjoyable) might exactly be the thing that rocks your socks off. There are genres that can take advantage of this tuning and present a very enjoyable experience.
Conclusion
The ZEX isn't for people who are looking for a balanced sound; the tuning makes the ZEX sound quite colored with hard hitting bass and forward treble. Maybe that is exactly what you will want in your music if your music benefits from a tuning such as this.
Disclaimer : The unit was provided by Hifigo as a part of a review tour but all thoughts and opinions are my own. You can purchase the T3 Plus here. You can also purchase it from Amazon through here.
Build and Fit
T3 Plus is made out of the usual resin shell, which is unusual for TinHifi as most of their lineup use metal chassis. It also features the 2 Pin connector which is also a departure from their mmcx dominated lineup. The cable is lightweight and slender and as a result it can get tangled up. The real good news is in the fit. To this day, I have tried two scores of earphones to this day and the T3 Plus is the undisputed best fitting earphone for me.
It feels as if this is a custom fit earphone.
Amp Needs
The T3 Plus is very sensitive and works fine off phones, no dedicated amplifier is needed.
Sound Quality
The short and dirty version : T3 Plus has a mild U shaped tuning to it. The low end is solid and impactful, it reaches noticeably deep as well but without any bloat. It is slightly boosted compared to "natural" which adds a fulfilling viscerality to the entire sound. On extended listening I found the midrange to be slightly veiled but this is only felt if you are A/B -ing with something with good midrange capabilities. Still, I would categorize the midrange of T3 Plus as slightly veiled. The details and vibrance in vocals fail to express themselves in the way I want them to, the way it can be done. The upper midrange is also boosted, but thankfully not to uncomfortable levels, but it is enough to add an extra bite to the sound although that comes with no tradeoffs here surprisingly. Yes, it renders a certain tinge of plastic-iness to the sound but it is by no means even close to what is out there in the market. Hence T3 Plus has a "mild U shaped tuning" for me. The top end is rolled off in the very upper regions smoothly but has sufficient quantity in the presence region. Overall tonality, save for the slightly veiled midrange is quite nice. The imaging and instrument separation are stand out, which is remarkable for this price range. Although the headstage is not congested, it is to be noted that the sense of layering is a bit lacking. But then again no earphone I have tried in this price range competes with the T3 Plus. The sound of T3 Plus is one with minimal tradeoffs and good technicalities for its price. The closest competition to the T3 Plus is the Moondrop Aria 2021 based on the earphones that I have tested till now. While the timbre and tonality of Aria is better, the T3 Plus trades on the tonality department a bit but offers a more engaging and exciting listen, not to mention with better technicalities.
Conclusion
If your budget is less than 100 USD, I would strongly recommend you take a look at T3 Plus or the Moondrop Aria 2021, these two go neck in neck and are excellent deals in this price segment.
Build and Fit
T3 Plus is made out of the usual resin shell, which is unusual for TinHifi as most of their lineup use metal chassis. It also features the 2 Pin connector which is also a departure from their mmcx dominated lineup. The cable is lightweight and slender and as a result it can get tangled up. The real good news is in the fit. To this day, I have tried two scores of earphones to this day and the T3 Plus is the undisputed best fitting earphone for me.
It feels as if this is a custom fit earphone.
Amp Needs
The T3 Plus is very sensitive and works fine off phones, no dedicated amplifier is needed.
Sound Quality
The short and dirty version : T3 Plus has a mild U shaped tuning to it. The low end is solid and impactful, it reaches noticeably deep as well but without any bloat. It is slightly boosted compared to "natural" which adds a fulfilling viscerality to the entire sound. On extended listening I found the midrange to be slightly veiled but this is only felt if you are A/B -ing with something with good midrange capabilities. Still, I would categorize the midrange of T3 Plus as slightly veiled. The details and vibrance in vocals fail to express themselves in the way I want them to, the way it can be done. The upper midrange is also boosted, but thankfully not to uncomfortable levels, but it is enough to add an extra bite to the sound although that comes with no tradeoffs here surprisingly. Yes, it renders a certain tinge of plastic-iness to the sound but it is by no means even close to what is out there in the market. Hence T3 Plus has a "mild U shaped tuning" for me. The top end is rolled off in the very upper regions smoothly but has sufficient quantity in the presence region. Overall tonality, save for the slightly veiled midrange is quite nice. The imaging and instrument separation are stand out, which is remarkable for this price range. Although the headstage is not congested, it is to be noted that the sense of layering is a bit lacking. But then again no earphone I have tried in this price range competes with the T3 Plus. The sound of T3 Plus is one with minimal tradeoffs and good technicalities for its price. The closest competition to the T3 Plus is the Moondrop Aria 2021 based on the earphones that I have tested till now. While the timbre and tonality of Aria is better, the T3 Plus trades on the tonality department a bit but offers a more engaging and exciting listen, not to mention with better technicalities.
Conclusion
If your budget is less than 100 USD, I would strongly recommend you take a look at T3 Plus or the Moondrop Aria 2021, these two go neck in neck and are excellent deals in this price segment.
Disclaimer : The unit was provided by Hifigo as a part of a review tour. All thoughts and opinions are my own. You can purchase the Dunu Falcon Pro here.
Build and Fit
On first glance, the Falcon Pro appears to be built really well, and it is. But with usage, I feel that operating this earphone is quite un-ergonomic. The faceplates are slippery, fingerprint and grease magnets and on top of that they are small. The filter plate is equally un-ergonomic to use as the filters are so close to each other, it becomes irritating to try and open them from the threaded holes. The slippery surface of the filters make it even harder. Fit is really good though, the nozzle is thin and on the longer side and the final result has great passive noise isolation.
Amp Needs
At 26 ohm and 112dB/mW the Falcon Pro is easy to power from just about any source. No external amplifier is needed.
Sound Quality
The three filters : Reference, Atmospheric and Immersive affect sound drastically, as one might expect. I found the sound quality to be the best from the Reference filters which is what I am going to describe. I found the performance with the other two filters not on par as it adds weird resonances and sounds kinda weird. With Reference Filters, the sound is flat, flat and flat! Its flat enough that some people might find it boring. It felt as if the entire mix was stripped of all color for the hearer to see it naked, reference grade. You could probably do pro work on these with this filter. The timbre and tonality are really good and unadulterated. To elaborate further, the presentation is laid back and polite with the treble smoothly rolled off. Everything seems to be balanced and buttery smooth. Due to the laid back sound signature, you will find the dynamics to be on the rear seat sometimes. On the technicality front, the Falcon Pro is not the best. Imaging is notably vague and smeared and the headstage is so-so when it came to depth and width. But honestly, that's not the point. You are meant to be listening to this and relaxing, not focusing on the nitty gritty of the music. It smoothens off the rough edges of music and so it is not the most detailed either, which might be a very good thing depending on the user.
Conclusion
The Falcon Pro indeed does sound reference grade with the reference filters. Very balanced and a serious sound. Do note that technicality junkies might be disappointed as this is not the main focus of this earphone.
Build and Fit
On first glance, the Falcon Pro appears to be built really well, and it is. But with usage, I feel that operating this earphone is quite un-ergonomic. The faceplates are slippery, fingerprint and grease magnets and on top of that they are small. The filter plate is equally un-ergonomic to use as the filters are so close to each other, it becomes irritating to try and open them from the threaded holes. The slippery surface of the filters make it even harder. Fit is really good though, the nozzle is thin and on the longer side and the final result has great passive noise isolation.
Amp Needs
At 26 ohm and 112dB/mW the Falcon Pro is easy to power from just about any source. No external amplifier is needed.
Sound Quality
The three filters : Reference, Atmospheric and Immersive affect sound drastically, as one might expect. I found the sound quality to be the best from the Reference filters which is what I am going to describe. I found the performance with the other two filters not on par as it adds weird resonances and sounds kinda weird. With Reference Filters, the sound is flat, flat and flat! Its flat enough that some people might find it boring. It felt as if the entire mix was stripped of all color for the hearer to see it naked, reference grade. You could probably do pro work on these with this filter. The timbre and tonality are really good and unadulterated. To elaborate further, the presentation is laid back and polite with the treble smoothly rolled off. Everything seems to be balanced and buttery smooth. Due to the laid back sound signature, you will find the dynamics to be on the rear seat sometimes. On the technicality front, the Falcon Pro is not the best. Imaging is notably vague and smeared and the headstage is so-so when it came to depth and width. But honestly, that's not the point. You are meant to be listening to this and relaxing, not focusing on the nitty gritty of the music. It smoothens off the rough edges of music and so it is not the most detailed either, which might be a very good thing depending on the user.
Conclusion
The Falcon Pro indeed does sound reference grade with the reference filters. Very balanced and a serious sound. Do note that technicality junkies might be disappointed as this is not the main focus of this earphone.
Disclaimer : The unit was provided by Hifigo as a part of a review tour. All thoughts and opinions are my own. You can purchase the P1 Plus here.
Build & Fit
At 170 USD, P1 Plus' finish and build quality is on the money. The OFC copper cable is durable and a charming "rose gold" color, which also does not tangle. The shells are made of stainless steel and it exudes a certain "denseness" to it. No one should complain about the build quality of this. Unfortunately, I will have to knock off some marks in fit as the P1 Plus is of miniscule form factor! In fact it might be a bit too small. I have medium sized ears and the earphones go too far deep and quite literally sinks in the ear canal for me. One needs to use bigger sized tips to circumvent this or it will be a deal breaker, specially if you have bigger ears.
With some fiddling though, the fit is not an issue.
Amp Needs
The Tin P1 Plus absolutely needs a desktop amplifier to get it going. Only then will you get the thunderous bass slam and massive dynamic swings. No DAP or even portable amplifier can drive this. Once driven properly however, it is identical to a full sized headphone's presentation and performance wise it kills many headphones as well upto a thousand dollars.
Sound Quality
I was left with my eyebrows raised and a wide gaping mouth when i first heard them. The instant kicker is the sparkling treble that is oh so sweet and vibrant at the same time. But it NEVER reached harsh territory. The treble region soars high in the sky, due to the excellent extension and air. This adds a lot of resolution and enhances detail retrieval significantly, which results in a much much better experience than the P2. I usually dissect the tuning and try to explain further but for the P1 Plus, that will not be the case because I simply do not care about it. The P1 Plus makes you one with the music, and there can exist no higher compliment. The tonality, timbre are absolutely breathtaking and coherent. There is no need to dissect the tuning because the results suggest that the work is already done to perfection. Whatever genre I play, whatever be the quality of the recording, it sounds pure and beautiful. The only potential sucker is the bass extension. Some will find the bass extension to be a bit lacking and they are right. Indeed the P1 Plus fails to dig that deep. Although the decay and detail in bass is very good. Its not big bass, but its fast bass. The soundstage is wide and the separation is excellent, I have been hearing micro details that I haven't heard before from any earphone before in this price range and even more (maybe you will hear them in a much higher price segment).
Conclusion
The P1 Plus is tuned to perfection. And when the tuning is spot on, everything falls in line. And indeed it does. It's very rare to find an earphone that hits so hard in all the right places. Blind recommendation if you love natural tonality but also strong technicalities.
Build & Fit
At 170 USD, P1 Plus' finish and build quality is on the money. The OFC copper cable is durable and a charming "rose gold" color, which also does not tangle. The shells are made of stainless steel and it exudes a certain "denseness" to it. No one should complain about the build quality of this. Unfortunately, I will have to knock off some marks in fit as the P1 Plus is of miniscule form factor! In fact it might be a bit too small. I have medium sized ears and the earphones go too far deep and quite literally sinks in the ear canal for me. One needs to use bigger sized tips to circumvent this or it will be a deal breaker, specially if you have bigger ears.
With some fiddling though, the fit is not an issue.
Amp Needs
The Tin P1 Plus absolutely needs a desktop amplifier to get it going. Only then will you get the thunderous bass slam and massive dynamic swings. No DAP or even portable amplifier can drive this. Once driven properly however, it is identical to a full sized headphone's presentation and performance wise it kills many headphones as well upto a thousand dollars.
Sound Quality
I was left with my eyebrows raised and a wide gaping mouth when i first heard them. The instant kicker is the sparkling treble that is oh so sweet and vibrant at the same time. But it NEVER reached harsh territory. The treble region soars high in the sky, due to the excellent extension and air. This adds a lot of resolution and enhances detail retrieval significantly, which results in a much much better experience than the P2. I usually dissect the tuning and try to explain further but for the P1 Plus, that will not be the case because I simply do not care about it. The P1 Plus makes you one with the music, and there can exist no higher compliment. The tonality, timbre are absolutely breathtaking and coherent. There is no need to dissect the tuning because the results suggest that the work is already done to perfection. Whatever genre I play, whatever be the quality of the recording, it sounds pure and beautiful. The only potential sucker is the bass extension. Some will find the bass extension to be a bit lacking and they are right. Indeed the P1 Plus fails to dig that deep. Although the decay and detail in bass is very good. Its not big bass, but its fast bass. The soundstage is wide and the separation is excellent, I have been hearing micro details that I haven't heard before from any earphone before in this price range and even more (maybe you will hear them in a much higher price segment).
Conclusion
The P1 Plus is tuned to perfection. And when the tuning is spot on, everything falls in line. And indeed it does. It's very rare to find an earphone that hits so hard in all the right places. Blind recommendation if you love natural tonality but also strong technicalities.
Disclaimer : The unit was sent by BGVP as a part of a review tour but all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Build & Fit
Typical of resin shell earphones, the shells are practically weightless, even though they house 5 drivers inside each. Faceplate looks fancy with its (colored?) wood flecks. The build quality of the cable is very nice, paired with an uncommon intertwined peach and white weaving. Spec sheet says its a 6N OCC silver plated cable. Fit is also pretty typical of this shape of earphones i.e very nice. BGVP supplies their usual collection of nice quality tips which alter the sound significantly. I used the blue ones for listening.
Amp Needs
Very easy to power, it has a max rated power of only 8mW. Enjoy it off your phone directly. No need to scout the amp camp for this.
Sound Quality
Things get a bit dicey here. The tuning is going to be a hit or miss for buyers. It is a very polite, laid back and smooth sound. I like me-self a smooth sound but this kinda maybe sounds a bit...boring? I mean, it has a strong BA timbre about it. Which is to be expected (?) due to the 4BA inside? Yeah, you get a lot of texture in the sound but the transients are definitely smeared and overall image clarity seems to be rounded off significantly. This results in one good thing though : coherence. The bass, midrange and treble are stitched together seamlessly and there is no award kink in the spectrum, or some unusually boosted region sticking out like a sore thumb. But to me it feels like too much of a good thing? I would have liked harder hitting dynamics, a more vibrant and livelier presentation of sound. Timbre, apart from having the BA nature, is pretty much on point for the most point. Nothing really stands out in any way or form listening to these .It appears as if there is a translucent veil between you and the music. This can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on the listener. People allergic to anything but a non-fatiguing smooth sound should most definitely shortlist this one. Usually BA designs have strong technicalities and the same is seen here in the DH5, good separation and layering.
Conclusion
The DH5 plays with a safe tuning, and the competition in this range is fierce. People who can only appreciate a smooth non-fatiguing sound will probably like the DH5, others will want more vibrancy and energy off its presentation.
Build & Fit
Typical of resin shell earphones, the shells are practically weightless, even though they house 5 drivers inside each. Faceplate looks fancy with its (colored?) wood flecks. The build quality of the cable is very nice, paired with an uncommon intertwined peach and white weaving. Spec sheet says its a 6N OCC silver plated cable. Fit is also pretty typical of this shape of earphones i.e very nice. BGVP supplies their usual collection of nice quality tips which alter the sound significantly. I used the blue ones for listening.
Amp Needs
Very easy to power, it has a max rated power of only 8mW. Enjoy it off your phone directly. No need to scout the amp camp for this.
Sound Quality
Things get a bit dicey here. The tuning is going to be a hit or miss for buyers. It is a very polite, laid back and smooth sound. I like me-self a smooth sound but this kinda maybe sounds a bit...boring? I mean, it has a strong BA timbre about it. Which is to be expected (?) due to the 4BA inside? Yeah, you get a lot of texture in the sound but the transients are definitely smeared and overall image clarity seems to be rounded off significantly. This results in one good thing though : coherence. The bass, midrange and treble are stitched together seamlessly and there is no award kink in the spectrum, or some unusually boosted region sticking out like a sore thumb. But to me it feels like too much of a good thing? I would have liked harder hitting dynamics, a more vibrant and livelier presentation of sound. Timbre, apart from having the BA nature, is pretty much on point for the most point. Nothing really stands out in any way or form listening to these .It appears as if there is a translucent veil between you and the music. This can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on the listener. People allergic to anything but a non-fatiguing smooth sound should most definitely shortlist this one. Usually BA designs have strong technicalities and the same is seen here in the DH5, good separation and layering.
Conclusion
The DH5 plays with a safe tuning, and the competition in this range is fierce. People who can only appreciate a smooth non-fatiguing sound will probably like the DH5, others will want more vibrancy and energy off its presentation.
Attachments
Fahmi Misbah Bangsar
Hi , can you suggest me any best 1dd+1 or 2 BA that is slight neutral with good low mids to mids body and imaging ? price at around 60 usd .
Disclaimer : The unit was sent by Hifigo as a part of a review tour but all thoughts and opinions are my own. You can purchase it here.
Functionality
This tiny box seems to be packing a lot more than meets the eye. The biggest improvement over the regular XQ50 is the inclusion of an OLED display which is genuinely functional.
It shows the format, track name and track details. It upgrades the bluetooth chipset to the flagship CSR8675 from Qualcomm from the QCC3008 found in the regular XQ50.
This change brought about the inclusion of AptX HD, AptX LL, LDAC and the pairing & connection process is a breeze. The bluetooth signal remained unfazed even when there walls between my phone and it. I guess the high gain antenna is doing its job.
The main use case of a device like this is to add bluetooth functionality to your DAC. But that's not it, it already has a Sabre DAC inside of itself. That means you can use it as a standalone DAC and output the analog signal via its RCA ports on the back to your amp, if not using this way, the digital outputs connect to your DAC. An underappreciated feature is the front on/off and play/pause combo switch. That just takes the convenience factor up a few notches. Instead of fiddling with your phone or PC, operating the switch is much faster and simpler.
Sound Performance
I found absolutely no difference while using the bluetooth input of XQ 50 Pro when compared to the other digital inputs of my DAC when using other wired sources. I used the LDAC platform when analyzing this. Connection took only like a couple of seconds consistently.
I found no degradation in sound when using the bluetooth input -> digital output to my DAC. I got the same level of dynamics, absolutely no hint of "digital glare" or any sort of nasty glitches in sound. As a DDC then, the XQ50 Pro is a worthy buy due to its functionalities.
When using the internal DAC of the XQ50 Pro, the output was clean, although a bit sterile and dry sounding but when judging its overall performance, is on par with budget desktop DACs in the 100 USD price range more or less.
Conclusion
Bluetooth DDCs in general being quite utilitarian in nature, the XQ50 Pro is worth it to many just because of the functional OLED Display. If you want to add bluetooth input to your DAC and overall improve the convenience of using your hifi setup, these devices are quite useful.
Meanwhile, Xduoo seems to have released the XQ50 Pro 2 which sees a few chipset changes and the inclusion of Bluetooth 5.1 instead of 5.0. I am guessing the Pro 2 will perform identically so the conclusion remains the same.
Functionality
This tiny box seems to be packing a lot more than meets the eye. The biggest improvement over the regular XQ50 is the inclusion of an OLED display which is genuinely functional.
It shows the format, track name and track details. It upgrades the bluetooth chipset to the flagship CSR8675 from Qualcomm from the QCC3008 found in the regular XQ50.
This change brought about the inclusion of AptX HD, AptX LL, LDAC and the pairing & connection process is a breeze. The bluetooth signal remained unfazed even when there walls between my phone and it. I guess the high gain antenna is doing its job.
The main use case of a device like this is to add bluetooth functionality to your DAC. But that's not it, it already has a Sabre DAC inside of itself. That means you can use it as a standalone DAC and output the analog signal via its RCA ports on the back to your amp, if not using this way, the digital outputs connect to your DAC. An underappreciated feature is the front on/off and play/pause combo switch. That just takes the convenience factor up a few notches. Instead of fiddling with your phone or PC, operating the switch is much faster and simpler.
Sound Performance
I found absolutely no difference while using the bluetooth input of XQ 50 Pro when compared to the other digital inputs of my DAC when using other wired sources. I used the LDAC platform when analyzing this. Connection took only like a couple of seconds consistently.
I found no degradation in sound when using the bluetooth input -> digital output to my DAC. I got the same level of dynamics, absolutely no hint of "digital glare" or any sort of nasty glitches in sound. As a DDC then, the XQ50 Pro is a worthy buy due to its functionalities.
When using the internal DAC of the XQ50 Pro, the output was clean, although a bit sterile and dry sounding but when judging its overall performance, is on par with budget desktop DACs in the 100 USD price range more or less.
Conclusion
Bluetooth DDCs in general being quite utilitarian in nature, the XQ50 Pro is worth it to many just because of the functional OLED Display. If you want to add bluetooth input to your DAC and overall improve the convenience of using your hifi setup, these devices are quite useful.
Meanwhile, Xduoo seems to have released the XQ50 Pro 2 which sees a few chipset changes and the inclusion of Bluetooth 5.1 instead of 5.0. I am guessing the Pro 2 will perform identically so the conclusion remains the same.
Disclaimer : The unit was provided by TKZK as a part of a review tour. But all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Build & Fit
The first earphone from TKZK, which is the budget sub brand of TinHifi, comes with a surprisingly supple cable that never tangles much, but its budget nature shows in the plug molding. I wonder why TKZK didn't opt for the right angled connector instead of the awkward thick long molding. And in the budget range, I believe the cable should come equipped with mic, which the Wave misses. Any who, the IEM itself is very light and the fit is snug. Due to the lightweight nature of the cable, the earphones do not exert pressure on your ears. Very comfortable overall I would say. Build is just good for its price.
Amp Needs
Even though the specs on paper are 22ohm at 110dB/mW, I felt my phone stressing out. If you have a dongle DAC with higher than phone output, I would recommend you to use it. Wave doesn't need much voltage, but it's not among the most efficient earphones either. To summarize, its in the middle of the road : have a dongle dac? use that, else use your phone.
Sound Quality
Deceiving by its price, the Wave provided anything but a "budget" experience when it came to sound. I would confidently say that the Wave has a unique tuning which manages to stand out. Thank the heavens, as I was expecting yet another forgettable earphone in the ocean of earphones these days. I have had a fair number of earphones come my way, none of which were tuned like this. As an avid fan of the Beyerdynamic DT880 600 ohm, I would say that the tuning (only tuning) of Wave is very similar. In simpler words : neutral-bright, slightly on the lean side and quite technical. The treble is elevated certainly, but in a tasteful way that doesn't cause much issues for me, and this is coming from someone who is allergic to tilted up top end. If you are heavily allergic to top end extension, then skip this. Bass heads can also skip this. The bass trades impact and punch for nuance and speed. This combo lends a lean tonal weight to the Wave. But to make up for it you are presented with a wide, very detailed, fast and well separated presentation with stand out imaging. I am beginning to think that the Wave is easily the most technical (with minimal tradeoffs in tonality/timbre) earphones out there under 60 USD. Midrange is totally linear, although stained by its lean nature. Vocals might lack a bit of body for some. On first listen, the Wave might appear perplexing to some due to its open nature and overall clarity/resolution but its easy to get used to this tuning in a matter of minutes. Everything seems to fall in its right place after that, specially that unusually good detail retrieval. An earphone costing 36 USD has no right to sound this detailed. Some cons? the upper midrange/treble seems to have an associated grain to it which becomes apparent on extended listening, although not developing into an issue as it is only slight.
Conclusion
It is such a refreshing earphone to listen and live with. I'm going to keep this short : no brainer at 36 USD.
Build & Fit
The first earphone from TKZK, which is the budget sub brand of TinHifi, comes with a surprisingly supple cable that never tangles much, but its budget nature shows in the plug molding. I wonder why TKZK didn't opt for the right angled connector instead of the awkward thick long molding. And in the budget range, I believe the cable should come equipped with mic, which the Wave misses. Any who, the IEM itself is very light and the fit is snug. Due to the lightweight nature of the cable, the earphones do not exert pressure on your ears. Very comfortable overall I would say. Build is just good for its price.
Amp Needs
Even though the specs on paper are 22ohm at 110dB/mW, I felt my phone stressing out. If you have a dongle DAC with higher than phone output, I would recommend you to use it. Wave doesn't need much voltage, but it's not among the most efficient earphones either. To summarize, its in the middle of the road : have a dongle dac? use that, else use your phone.
Sound Quality
Deceiving by its price, the Wave provided anything but a "budget" experience when it came to sound. I would confidently say that the Wave has a unique tuning which manages to stand out. Thank the heavens, as I was expecting yet another forgettable earphone in the ocean of earphones these days. I have had a fair number of earphones come my way, none of which were tuned like this. As an avid fan of the Beyerdynamic DT880 600 ohm, I would say that the tuning (only tuning) of Wave is very similar. In simpler words : neutral-bright, slightly on the lean side and quite technical. The treble is elevated certainly, but in a tasteful way that doesn't cause much issues for me, and this is coming from someone who is allergic to tilted up top end. If you are heavily allergic to top end extension, then skip this. Bass heads can also skip this. The bass trades impact and punch for nuance and speed. This combo lends a lean tonal weight to the Wave. But to make up for it you are presented with a wide, very detailed, fast and well separated presentation with stand out imaging. I am beginning to think that the Wave is easily the most technical (with minimal tradeoffs in tonality/timbre) earphones out there under 60 USD. Midrange is totally linear, although stained by its lean nature. Vocals might lack a bit of body for some. On first listen, the Wave might appear perplexing to some due to its open nature and overall clarity/resolution but its easy to get used to this tuning in a matter of minutes. Everything seems to fall in its right place after that, specially that unusually good detail retrieval. An earphone costing 36 USD has no right to sound this detailed. Some cons? the upper midrange/treble seems to have an associated grain to it which becomes apparent on extended listening, although not developing into an issue as it is only slight.
Conclusion
It is such a refreshing earphone to listen and live with. I'm going to keep this short : no brainer at 36 USD.
05.vishal
A short but very good review. I hope i will like this one as well.
Disclaimer: The unit was provided as a part of a review tour by ConceptKart but all thoughts and opinions are my own. You can purchase the S1 here.
Build Quality
Unassuming looks, picking up the unit instantly conveys its solid all metal build quality. Its got the reassuring heft of metal to it.
There is no doubt in my mind that the S1 is one of the better built dongles out there along with something like the Hidizs S8 with its elegant glass sandwich. The S1 has a full metal jacket.
Functionality
The main attraction of the S1 is the advertised EQ profiles, of which there are plenty to choose from. On deeper digging, a few of these presets work out nicely, the others adding high amounts of distortion and artefacts. I particularly liked the "Headphone" preset with...you guessed it, headphones. It made the sound quite balanced and enjoyable.
It has both 3.5mm and 4.4mm outputs, pushing out 70mW@32 and 120mW@32 respectively. For earphones, there is more headroom than you will ever need. I tried out the 300ohm HD650 to see how it fares off the 3.5mm output. Switching to high gain is mandatory for insensitive big headphones. It drives it just satisfactorily off the 3.5mm output. It does a slightly better job with more headroom off the 4.4mm output.
All things considered, the sound appeared slightly veiled and dull, indicating it does not push enough voltage to drive high impedance headphones. Not unsurprising, given the tiny form factor of this. I would recommend sticking to earphones for the S1 for which it was intended. The connectivity was totally hassle free with driverless plug and play for Windows (tested) and MacOS.
Sound Quality
The sound of the S1 is easily identifiable, in the sense of how it colors the sound. The sound is warm, laid back and smooth. Top end is definitely rolled off but in a natural way. I would like to put it in a different way : the top end is not boosted one bit.
This means cautious pairing, as warm sounding earphones might not play well with the S1. With the rolled off treble and smooth overall sound, you do some fine micro details though. The midrange is lush and full bodied with enough transparency. I would say the bass is mostly natural, aiming for a more "blooming" presentation with its slightly slower decay than push every last texture in your ears. The bass is definitely adequate for all situations.
The presentation of the bass enhances the overall enjoyability. The headstage and separation it provides is mostly natural i.e it depends on the earphone you use. Rest assured, the S1 won't get in the way of your earphones in this aspect.
Conclusion
The S1 is a rare sight in the dongle-verse due to its uncommon sound signature. It has a strong character to its sound which makes it quite memorable. And not to forget the excellent build quality. With the right pairing, this combination will be a match made in heaven.
Build Quality
Unassuming looks, picking up the unit instantly conveys its solid all metal build quality. Its got the reassuring heft of metal to it.
There is no doubt in my mind that the S1 is one of the better built dongles out there along with something like the Hidizs S8 with its elegant glass sandwich. The S1 has a full metal jacket.
Functionality
The main attraction of the S1 is the advertised EQ profiles, of which there are plenty to choose from. On deeper digging, a few of these presets work out nicely, the others adding high amounts of distortion and artefacts. I particularly liked the "Headphone" preset with...you guessed it, headphones. It made the sound quite balanced and enjoyable.
It has both 3.5mm and 4.4mm outputs, pushing out 70mW@32 and 120mW@32 respectively. For earphones, there is more headroom than you will ever need. I tried out the 300ohm HD650 to see how it fares off the 3.5mm output. Switching to high gain is mandatory for insensitive big headphones. It drives it just satisfactorily off the 3.5mm output. It does a slightly better job with more headroom off the 4.4mm output.
All things considered, the sound appeared slightly veiled and dull, indicating it does not push enough voltage to drive high impedance headphones. Not unsurprising, given the tiny form factor of this. I would recommend sticking to earphones for the S1 for which it was intended. The connectivity was totally hassle free with driverless plug and play for Windows (tested) and MacOS.
Sound Quality
The sound of the S1 is easily identifiable, in the sense of how it colors the sound. The sound is warm, laid back and smooth. Top end is definitely rolled off but in a natural way. I would like to put it in a different way : the top end is not boosted one bit.
This means cautious pairing, as warm sounding earphones might not play well with the S1. With the rolled off treble and smooth overall sound, you do some fine micro details though. The midrange is lush and full bodied with enough transparency. I would say the bass is mostly natural, aiming for a more "blooming" presentation with its slightly slower decay than push every last texture in your ears. The bass is definitely adequate for all situations.
The presentation of the bass enhances the overall enjoyability. The headstage and separation it provides is mostly natural i.e it depends on the earphone you use. Rest assured, the S1 won't get in the way of your earphones in this aspect.
Conclusion
The S1 is a rare sight in the dongle-verse due to its uncommon sound signature. It has a strong character to its sound which makes it quite memorable. And not to forget the excellent build quality. With the right pairing, this combination will be a match made in heaven.
Disclaimer: The unit was provided by Hifigo as a part of a review tour. All thoughts and opinions are my own. You can purchase the Lofty here.
Build & Fit
A flagship earphone deserves flagship grade build quality. And it shows in the gorgeous 6N OCC stock cable. The weave, jacketing and the supple nature of the cable surely deserves a "flagship" tag. It really is that good. The earphones itself have an all metal build with a sleek finish. The included carry case is also of great quality, although cannot be pocketed without looking like a fool. Fit is pretty standard of an earphone of this shape and size i.e pretty good for my medium ears.
Amp Needs
At 16 ohms, 108dB/mW, the Lofty works fine just off of anything, no dedicated amplifier is needed. I found it to be powered just fine off my regular phone.
Sound Quality
I care not for what material diaphragm any earphone has, neither do I tag any stereotypes associated to them, that is just a pile of nonsense. The lofty features a "Pure Beryllium" driver. Why Beryllium? Because it is light as well as quite rigid, which is what we want in a driver diaphragm. But does that always translate to "better" sound? Maybe, maybe not. The tuning of Lofty is not up to the mark and there are room for improvements. The awkward presentation of sound leaves more to be desired. Speaking of which, the soundstage is quite narrow, as narrow as the Etymotics. The sound is always between your head, rarely extending even up to the ears. Tracks with a wide soundstage are also squished between your ears. The instruments seem to be along one imaginary line, except vocals which are disjoint from the rest and right up at your face. Coming to the overall tuning : I would say this has a V shape tuning. The bass is well fleshed out but unfortunately has a slight resonance to it. There is a slight ringing to the bass all the time. The midrange is where things could be a significantly bit better. The vocals are a bit muffled, seeming to come from behind a veil. The timbre is also not up to the mark. But this is not really surprising as V shaped tunings almost always involve a less than stellar midrange performance. Coming to the treble region, there is a clear emphasis in the lower treble region, it adds a certain splashiness to the sound. What is really commendable is the raw detail pickup capability of the Lofty, it picks up all the micro details effortlessly, and as a result it is quite detailed. This plays hand in hand with the good imaging that Lofty has. Although the headstage is narrow, the pinpoint imaging helps to win a few points back.
Conclusion
The Lofty's tuning leaves more to be desired, specially at this price point. The head-stage is limited but it makes up with pin point imaging. The presentation of Lofty will not sit well with lovers of midrange, but it will pique the interest of electronic heads for sure.
Build & Fit
A flagship earphone deserves flagship grade build quality. And it shows in the gorgeous 6N OCC stock cable. The weave, jacketing and the supple nature of the cable surely deserves a "flagship" tag. It really is that good. The earphones itself have an all metal build with a sleek finish. The included carry case is also of great quality, although cannot be pocketed without looking like a fool. Fit is pretty standard of an earphone of this shape and size i.e pretty good for my medium ears.
Amp Needs
At 16 ohms, 108dB/mW, the Lofty works fine just off of anything, no dedicated amplifier is needed. I found it to be powered just fine off my regular phone.
Sound Quality
I care not for what material diaphragm any earphone has, neither do I tag any stereotypes associated to them, that is just a pile of nonsense. The lofty features a "Pure Beryllium" driver. Why Beryllium? Because it is light as well as quite rigid, which is what we want in a driver diaphragm. But does that always translate to "better" sound? Maybe, maybe not. The tuning of Lofty is not up to the mark and there are room for improvements. The awkward presentation of sound leaves more to be desired. Speaking of which, the soundstage is quite narrow, as narrow as the Etymotics. The sound is always between your head, rarely extending even up to the ears. Tracks with a wide soundstage are also squished between your ears. The instruments seem to be along one imaginary line, except vocals which are disjoint from the rest and right up at your face. Coming to the overall tuning : I would say this has a V shape tuning. The bass is well fleshed out but unfortunately has a slight resonance to it. There is a slight ringing to the bass all the time. The midrange is where things could be a significantly bit better. The vocals are a bit muffled, seeming to come from behind a veil. The timbre is also not up to the mark. But this is not really surprising as V shaped tunings almost always involve a less than stellar midrange performance. Coming to the treble region, there is a clear emphasis in the lower treble region, it adds a certain splashiness to the sound. What is really commendable is the raw detail pickup capability of the Lofty, it picks up all the micro details effortlessly, and as a result it is quite detailed. This plays hand in hand with the good imaging that Lofty has. Although the headstage is narrow, the pinpoint imaging helps to win a few points back.
Conclusion
The Lofty's tuning leaves more to be desired, specially at this price point. The head-stage is limited but it makes up with pin point imaging. The presentation of Lofty will not sit well with lovers of midrange, but it will pique the interest of electronic heads for sure.
Disclaimer : The unit was provided by Hifigo as a part of a review tour. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Build & Fit
The fit of the Plume is hands down the best I have encountered, along with the Sennheiser IE300. While the IE300 is about minimalism and disappearing in your ears, the Plume is about locking in place totally. The earphone seals so well in my ears it feels as if a hand going in a glove. The strong seal basically locks it in place and cancels out all but the absurdly loud noises outside. This motivates to play at a lower volume which is a good thing for your ears.
The fit is the best I have seen for my ears, bar none. I cannot get over how good it fits in my ears. The mono-crystalline copper cable has a supple fabric jacketing. I dig the brown color. Unfortunately the unit in my review tour has the paint chipping away on the earphones. I am hoping this is an isolated incident, and with a sample size of 1, I cannot comment more.
Amp Needs
At 16 ohms and 110dB/mW the Plume is very efficient. As expected, no dedicated amplifier is needed. It plays with lots of headroom left, even off a regular phone. This is an underrated design choice is a gift that keeps on giving itself.
Sound Quality
I really cannot find any flaws on the Plume, it seems to perform very nicely on all fronts, including detail retrieval. Everything has a nice verticality and heft to it, the overall sound also having good macro-dyanmics. This is surprising as it does the same without needing an amplifier to shine. The midrange is clear and transparent, has good timbre and tonality which aids to provide great vocals. One might expect things to take a turn South, but no. The bass response is juicy, to say in one word. It has good texture and adds a satisfactory weight to the sound. Better still, the bass does not bleed despite hitting hard. Like I said, juicy bass. The relaxed treble imparts a non-fatiguing yet very engaging experience which is quite uncommon. Unfortunately, there is a slight grain and congestion in the treble region, preventing to render the black background in this region. That slight congestion becomes apparent in busy tracks. But the overall sound is engaging enough to sway your mind off it. The headstage is wide enough and extending reasonably beyond the ears, but is a flat presentation, not excelling at layering.
Conclusion
The Plume is a pleasant surprise. It provides an engaging listening experience with a thick and juicy presentation. There are no glaring faults in any aspect of its sound. It aims for a tonal color that I quite dig.
Build & Fit
The fit of the Plume is hands down the best I have encountered, along with the Sennheiser IE300. While the IE300 is about minimalism and disappearing in your ears, the Plume is about locking in place totally. The earphone seals so well in my ears it feels as if a hand going in a glove. The strong seal basically locks it in place and cancels out all but the absurdly loud noises outside. This motivates to play at a lower volume which is a good thing for your ears.
The fit is the best I have seen for my ears, bar none. I cannot get over how good it fits in my ears. The mono-crystalline copper cable has a supple fabric jacketing. I dig the brown color. Unfortunately the unit in my review tour has the paint chipping away on the earphones. I am hoping this is an isolated incident, and with a sample size of 1, I cannot comment more.
Amp Needs
At 16 ohms and 110dB/mW the Plume is very efficient. As expected, no dedicated amplifier is needed. It plays with lots of headroom left, even off a regular phone. This is an underrated design choice is a gift that keeps on giving itself.
Sound Quality
I really cannot find any flaws on the Plume, it seems to perform very nicely on all fronts, including detail retrieval. Everything has a nice verticality and heft to it, the overall sound also having good macro-dyanmics. This is surprising as it does the same without needing an amplifier to shine. The midrange is clear and transparent, has good timbre and tonality which aids to provide great vocals. One might expect things to take a turn South, but no. The bass response is juicy, to say in one word. It has good texture and adds a satisfactory weight to the sound. Better still, the bass does not bleed despite hitting hard. Like I said, juicy bass. The relaxed treble imparts a non-fatiguing yet very engaging experience which is quite uncommon. Unfortunately, there is a slight grain and congestion in the treble region, preventing to render the black background in this region. That slight congestion becomes apparent in busy tracks. But the overall sound is engaging enough to sway your mind off it. The headstage is wide enough and extending reasonably beyond the ears, but is a flat presentation, not excelling at layering.
Conclusion
The Plume is a pleasant surprise. It provides an engaging listening experience with a thick and juicy presentation. There are no glaring faults in any aspect of its sound. It aims for a tonal color that I quite dig.
