iBasso is one of the most known players on portable HiFi markets. Their DAPs DX100, DX50, DX90 become nearly legendary. And they are still keeping straight direction on the journey to high quality portable audio equipment for reasonable price.

Some time ago iBasso open new chapter and introduce on the market IEM signed as IT03. 3-way hybrid designed earphones with one dynamic driver and two ballanced armatures and these gained shortly after introduction high attention between audio community and start collect positive rating from many respected reviewers. This year just before Xmas iBasso offered new model IT01 and after experiences with previous model, got IT01 even higher level of attention and expectation. Are these fulfilled? According to me absolutely yes.

IT01 are only one 10mm dynamic driver earphones, but there are few tricks. Biggest one is, that driver is iBasso in-house developed and is combining 3 technologies ( quotation from iBasso site ):

Approaching 1 tesla – with customized magnet, approaching 1 Tesla magnetic flux, that efficiently drives 5um diaphragm, there is an improvement in resolution, bass, dynamics and speed

Dual Helmholtz resonators – a dual Helmholtz resonator driver provides deep and powerful bass, that prohibits standing waves and ensures full natural sound

5um Multi layered graphene diaphragm – graphene is form of carbon consisting of planar sheets with the atoms arranged in a honey-comb shaped lattice. Graphene has a breaking strength 100 times greater than steel. And as an earphone diaphragm, instead of being artificially damped as other material diaphragm are, the graphene diaphragm can be damped by air itself. Of the many benefits from graphene´s ultra thinness, extreme speed and low distortion of sound waves works extremely well for audio


Top of that iBasso packed together with IT01 4-wire high quality braided OFC cable. Cable itself looks great, only hand braiding is not looking same great. Specially part between Y-split and 3,5mm jack looks somehow ”quickly made“. On other hand this cable is very comfortable. Is nicely flexible and there is no any memory wire in ear-hooks, which is great, because I hate memory wires. In the package you can find also few bags with different ear tips and solid case to protect your IT01. According to me is this case much better solution, than “wallet“, which was packed with IT03.

Ergonomics of shells are superb. At least for my ears is much better, than IT03. After some testing I took Comply tips and comfort is superb. I can hardly feel earphones in my ears and can wear them for long sessions without any marks of pain or discomfort. Shells are made in two color variations. Black and Red/Blue. I chose black. It look elegant and well made. I did not found any flaws in workmanship. Shells are plastic, nozzle is made from metal and it have right length for proper seal. Shells have two vent holes on inner side. On face plate are mentioned mark and model.

iBasso recommend burn-in time around 120 hours. I´m now about 100 hours and I do not hear any further sound changes. In fact I do like IT01 straight out of the box. My current main earphones are CA Andromeda, so I can compare those two directly face to face, which may look as the unfair comparison, but it is not in deed.

IT01 has same openness and wide space feeling as Andros. Of course Andros are a bit better in these aspects, but this different is not mirror of huge price gap between these two. It seem that IT01 with more playing time lost bass a bit, but I would rather say, that they are more aligned. Sound is not strictly neutral, but non of bands is dominating the others. Nothing is really missing and even, when I mention decrease of bass during burn-in time, is not missing at all. Bass is deep enough, articulated and is well balanced with midds and trebles. Trebles are worth to mention separately. Their presentation gives IT01 high level of transparency with no any signs of sibilants or sharpness. Midds sound natural and vocals are very smooth. General tonality is slightly warmer and is very close to Andros sound. It has same level of fun and musicality, only with a bit less resolutions. Andromeda have deeper and well controlled bass, than IT01, but honestly these difference are only minor. As I wrote above, in blind test will be hard to find price tag justification. I do not mean this wrong against Andros. I love them and I consider them as best earphones I ever had. I only try to express my pure enthusiasm for latest iBasso attempt IT01.

Some time ago I browse on AliEpress with no specific target, but I found in huge offer of earphones one, which really look great. They were called ,, universal custom made earphones " what sound interesting so I placed order and paid them ( 221,60USD with coupon ). There are few different driver configuration available for different money, but I choose hybrid model in 1DD+3BA setup. As shop announced it took few days, because earphones are made based on order plus shipping time, so after few weeks of waiting I got them on my desk.
Shells are really custom like shaped, but in fact they are universal. Nozzle is wider with 3 bores and JVC SpiralDot tips fit perfectly on them. Shells are very comfortable and fit is firm. In fact these are one of best fitting earphones I ever got. Shells are made from transparent brown plastic ( 3D printer probably ) with face plate made from exotic wood. Design of earphones look classy and shells are made without any flows. Cable terminate is done through MMCX socket and cable have to be wear over ear.
Package is quite simple. In metal box are earphones with stock cable. Because I was not sure, if earphones will come with cable or without, I order one too. Beside that are in box few of foam and silicon tips in various sizes.
I tested T4 earphones with various sources - xDuoo X10, iPhone 6s with Hiby music player and Walnut V2s. T4 are very detailed earphones with wide and deep soundstage. Instrument separation is extraordinary as is their localization on wide scene. Sound is slightly V shaped with more emphasis on top end, but trebles are not sharp or aggressive. No sibilance either. In fact they have nice sparkle and airiness. Sound is very open and female vocals are addictive ( Patricia Barber's voice is so emotional to listen ). T4 bass is not going deepest I ever heard, but is present and is giving nice accent and body. As I mentioned already best thing on T4 is detail retrieval and clarity.
T4 are very good on Jazz, Classic music, Folk, female vocals. Rock is not really bad, only sometimes I do miss a bit more impact on sub bass.
T4 are phenomenal with Walnut V2S, I really like this combo most. They are very good with iPhone, but there is not best combination with xDuoo X10. Sound is becoming brighter than I like. Which is first time, when my earphones are not in good synergy with X10.
Anyway I'm very happy with my purchase and I'm glade to see, that there is good alternative, with very good sound, but for very reasonable money too.

Walnut V2s – this little screenless player got my attention some time ago. I resist buy first version because of no support for FLAC. As soon, as I find that new version V2s is fully supporting HiRes formats I placed order to PenonAudio.com and thanks to their generosity I got nice discount for my whole order in exchange of my honest opinion and impressions.

I received package with player this week. Package it self is very modest. In paper box is only player and cable for battery charge. No fancy case, no screen protector, nothing. Player itself is size of credit card. Shape is cuboidal. On the bottom are two slots – one for memory card ( Micro SDHC up to 32GB, but I tried 64GB not fully loaded and it work ok ) and one for charging. Between them is On/OFF switch. On the top of player is Line out, Headphone socket and volume knob. On front panel, where is obviously screen are five buttons and indication LED. Top three buttons are for Play/Stop, Prev, Next. Two buttons below are for EQ and play mode switching. If you are interested how can be changed EQ or play mode with out any indication, so be aware, that lady will tell you what you are changing and it will tell you in English. EQ change is not easy to fully understand, but in the end is sound what is important, so you can easily choose sound you like and who cars what setting it is, right? EQ can be set on rock, pop, electronic, jazz, classical. Play mode can be set on order play, repeat once, shuttle play. V2s is supporting following formats:

FLAC , APE ，WAV，MP3

Battery should last up to 15 hours, which is nice. Bode of player is painted in matt black with antique description on front panel.

Player is ready to play in 2 seconds from start up. Player has no capability to remember last track or position - correction! player do remember last song. So after start up you have to find where you like to start listen. Short press on NEXT button will move forward one track, long press will move to next folder. I made only one folder on my card and I put in to that as much songs as I could until card was full, which is probably best thing to do on screen less player.


Sound is very impressive on player, which cost 33,90USD. Soundstage is very wide and deep. Instrument separation is precise as is location of instruments on scene. Sound is slightly midforward with decent and impactful bass and trebles do not miss sparkle. If there will be a bit more clarity in sound, than V2s can be very serious competitor for many much more expensive players. In fact it can daringly compete even now. Good thing is that hiss is on very low level and is noticeable only for very short moment between tracks ( yes there is no gapless play ). Generally sound is big, much bigger, than you can expect from small screenless player in price of cheap sneakers. Not so long time ago I tested Lotoo PAW Pico, which have same philosophy, but I really like V2s way over Pico in all aspects. I listen to V2s on my Custom Art Ei.3 CIEMs and they are made for each other. I do enjoy Walnut sound very much and it will be now my companion on the go. Walnut is perfect candidate for those, who have tight budget, but who like to enjoy listening their music in best possible sound quality. If you can miss display and you are going only after offline listening form your own music library, I can’t honestly find better choice than Walnut V2s. Do not get me wrong, Walnut is for sure not best player on the market, but for 34bucks …?

I got recently opportunity to try and review triad of cheap earphones, this opportunity was given to me by PenonAudio.com and I´m grateful for that. These are last one from tested group.

Hidizs EP3 – EP3 shells are made from plastic in few colour variations. These I got are in white. Shells are shaped to be worn with cable over ear and their design is … let say normal for this kind of earphones. Cable is very similar which were on Apple earbuds and it have one control button with microphone, so EP3 can be used as HF as well. Besides of earphones and eartips is add in box case with Hidizs logo on it. Cable is less microphonic than on Seahf and control button work for Stop/play - tested on iPhone. Generally EP look cheap. They cost 19,90USD.

Isolation is a bit better than with Seahf, but I got a problem to get proper fit. I do not know, if nozzle is too short or if it have bad angle for my ears, but I did not achieved comfortable fit at all.

Sound is more neutral, more balanced and coherent than on Seahf. It is less detailed but better balance between bands make impression of more advanced sound. Soundstage is wide, but not deep as Seahf have. EP3 can be good replacement for earphones you get with your phone. They are more versatile in terms of music genres and even huge symphony sound good. EP3 are for sure not high end gear, for 20 dollars they sound good. Problem only is that for same amount there is a lot of similar other earphones with better look, better manufacturing quality and in some cases better sound too.

I got recently opportunity to try and review triad of cheap earphones, this opportunity was given to me by PenonAudio.com and I´m grateful for that. This is my impression and honest opinion on second one.

xDuoo EP1 – new player on the market. xDuoo is known as DAP producer, who provide one of bests ratio between spent money and sound performance. X3 player got attention of many for its detailed sound which in some cases outperform players with much higher price tag. X10 is another example of xDuoo success, when player with price below 200USD easily beats his competitors twice or triple more expensive. This year xDuoo release their first earphone attempt – EP1. EP1 have best manufacturing quality from all 3 tested earphones. Shells are made from metal alloy, it have similar shape as Seahf, only EP1 are bigger, but still very comfortable. Fit is good, isolation is on average in the class. EP1 are equipped with best cable with no microphonic at all. Cable is very well made, flexible and is made from oxygen free copper. Inside shells is one 10mm dynamic driver per each side. In the box are only earphones and 3 pairs of ear tips. Nothing more.

Sound is most heavy from all three tested units. These can be basshead choice. Bass us really strong and goes deep, but it is not bleed to rest of bands. Only in some more complex music parts is loosing a bit on resolution. Midds are well articulated and clear and trebles do not miss some airiness. Sound is tuned to V, but top end is less elevated, than bottom. Soundstage is wide and as the only candidate in this test is deep as well. It is not best 3D imaging I ever listen, but for 30USD is good enough. Clarity and detail retrieval is on lower level than have Seahf, but EP1 sound is more relaxed and will be for many less fatiguing than bright Seahf. EP1 can be good alternative for those who possess expensive earphones and do not like to take them on jogging or some other activities, but on other hand do not like sound compromises either. EP1 are decent earphones with more than decent manufacturing quality for reasonable price. I personally do not think, that xDuoo earphones reached xDuoo Xfactor as their players have, but as the first attempt, direction is right and will be interesting to see, what will come next.

I got recently opportunity to try and review triad of cheaper earphones, this opportunity was given to me by PenonAudio.com and I´m grateful for that. This is my impressions of first one.

Seahf-AWK-009 – these earphones are smallest from tested group. Shells are made from metal alloy and quality of manufacturing is very good. Seahf shells are shaped as bullet in gold/red colours. On the back of shell is hole for ventilation. Inside is one dynamic driver of dimeter about 8mm, but I could not find any exact information about it. In the package beside of earphones you can find set of ear tips and clip. Probably weakest part of Seahf earphones is cable. It is like common twin cable you can find at your reading lamp. I found that there is more versions with different cables, but this one I got really look poor. Is not flexible enough as it should be and it not make impression that will last long.

Fit is thank to small size not issue and it is very comfortable. But isolation is below average. Seahf earphones will be not bad choice for office listening, but for outside use, in noisy environment is better to take something else. Clip, which is added in to package is very useful, because microfonic effect of cable is very present.

Sound is generally on brighter side, but is very clear and airy. Detail retrieval is on 15USD units very decent and same is instrument separation. Bass is present when it should be, but its coherency on rest of band is not best and is slightly cut off. Sound stage is well presented from left to right, but it miss deepness and in that sense is flat. Seahf will suit well for string instruments and smaller music bands. Sound of huge orchestras will miss body and dimension. On the contrary violin quartet will be sweet and nice to listen.

Seahf-AWK-009 will be not earphones for everybody. They are not versatile in terms of music genre either, but they do not sound really bad and if you prefer brighter side and classical music perform by small band is your genre, than you will not regret 15USD you will spent on Seahf-AWK-009.

Today I would like to share with you my recent experiences with Beat Audio and their two cables. I purchased these cables for my own money, but when I mentioned to Beat Audio, that I like to write reviews about their products, I got offered nice discount and I´m grateful for Beat Audio ( http://www.beataudiolab.com/ ) generosity. Anyway I´m not attached to any audio brand and all I do write are my own impressions and honest opinions.
Before I ordered cables form BA I was looking for some decent silver or hybrid cable which add a bit sparkle to my current earphones – Custom Art Ei.3. These are mine first custom made earphones and I mentioned that few times, that I´m more than happy with sound, fit, isolation. Only my desire to try new things and curiosity lead me to try find best fitting cable. I got my eye on Beat Audio for some time already, so I decide to start my hunt there.
 

 
Beat Audio is on the market from 2006 and they have in their portfolio aftermarket cables for headphones and for earphones. I´m not kind of big headphones guy, so I omit this part in general and I paid my attention only to IEM cables. At this moment there is 10 products offered by BA with price tags from 199USD up to 1.899USD. I directed my attention on two models located in the middle of BA portfolio. One cable is made from silver and is called SIGNAL, other one is made from copper and is called Vermilion.
Signal conductors are made from high purity silver with adding mixture of rare metals to achieve best performance to conduct signal from your player in to your earphones. SIGNAL is four braided cable in black plastic sleeve. Cable is very soft, flexible with no any inclination to tangle at all. Both termination are custom made under BA brand and they are made perfectly without any visible flows. Generally is quality of processing one of highest I ever seen. Another good news is that cable not suffer from noise, collected by its sleeve. BA are not using memory wire, but ear guide is pre-shaped and is stiffened by another plastic transparent sleeve. In fact is this way much more comfortable and fit is very safe. Y split is simple, it is only small cylinder with brand logo. Termination for earphones can be choose from various types for most common earphones. Navigation on AB site is very simple and there is no danger, that anyone will choose wrong one. Same is for DAP termination, various choices of most common jacks single ended or balanced, 2,5mm, 3,5mm, whatever one can need or desire.
 


 
 

 
Sound, how it sound? Signal is for sure nice and high quality cable which on top of that add decent sound improvement. Both BA tested cables sound very open, with wide sound stage and very decent resolution. Signal add to all of that impact on low end and sparkle on top end, overall sound is richer and vivid. Signal fulfilled my expectation and give to my CA Ei.3 more liveliness and airiness and made low end more cultivated and precise.
Is all of that worth of asking price 349USD? Well, in my opinion stock cables are not best you can get with your earphones and that is especially valid, when you spent 500USD+ for your IEM or CIEM. So if you be looking for some nice and sound improving replacement, than Beat Audio should be on your list. BA cables are good looking, very well made, comfortable, flexible and in wide range of offered models should be every one of you able to find right cable to improve sound performance of your earphones.
 

Some time ago catch my eyes small device for those who like listen music due their sport activities, but do not like compromise sound quality. This small thing I’m talking about is digital audio player made by known brand Lotoo and is called PICO.
            PICO have real picosize. It is slightly bigger than postage stamp. It is very light and absence of display just confirm, that this device is mentioned only for pure listening.  It has no streaming capabilities, no WiFi. It have Bluetooth, but that is only for communication purposes with your phone. Why is that? Because PICO have integrated GPS sensor and can track your sport activities, so you can later get them in to phone. I did not tried it. PICO will inform you as well during your jogging about distance, speed etc. Unfortunately that can do so fare only in Chines, so now we have hope and keep fingers across, that Lotto will with some update add English too. And of course it is player so it can play your music. PICO can play most of common formats like MP3, ALAC, AAC, M4A, OGG, WMA, WAV, APE, FLAC, ISO, DSF, DFF, DSD128 and DSD64. It is equipped with ADI Blackfin 706 DSP processor. Battery is 300mah LiPol and should last up to 10 hours, I got about 8 hours when I played mix of formats, but most of them were FLACs. In the box you will get Player, Manual, USB cable, armband and very nice holder with clip.
            To control PICO you will find button on top for change between HiFi and GPS mode, on left side of it there is switch OFF/Random/Repeat, on bottom side is 3,5mm single socket for earphones and on the front side is Forward/Backward button next to Play/Pause button. Finally on the right side you will find volume knob. No less, but no more. On the top side is socket for USB connection. When you will connect PICO to your PC, PICO will appear on desktop as memory device with 32Gb capacity. I create one folder called MUSIC and in to that folder I copied my favorite songs. As I mentioned, I have mix between loss and lossless formats, so in my case I was able upload about 670 songs in to PICO. That seem to me more than enough for any sport I can do while I would listen music. I got few issues with PICO, but it seems, it was more my issues, that PICOs in the end. Twice happened to me, that after longer time, device stop playing music and annoying whistling appear instead.  PICO can be restarted when you press MODE and PLAY button together and hold. I did that, but I was not able to get PICO play again. I become really desperate, because all I got was Chines lady, who try to told me something, but I did not follow her. I write to all sides with request for help. Finally I got PICO play again and I do suspect, that reason for all my misery was empty battery. I’m not sure about that, but that is only explanation I found. Since that I have no further problems with PICO. But will be very kind from Lotoo, if they will teach PICO speak English.
            Sound, that is what is all about. I can say, that sound is surprisingly good on its size. I try it with my Empire Ears Spartan IV and Custom Art Ei.3 earphones I have in these days. With Spartans is sound very open, airy and neutral. Compare to CA Ei.3 is sound slightly brighter ( or CA are darker ), but I did not noticed any signs of sharpness or sibilants. Unfortunately I noticed hiss with Spartans, but that is nothing extraordinary, because Spartans are very sensitive and there are only few of DAPs, which are not hissing in combination with Spartans. With Ei.3 I did not noticed hiss at all. Generally PICO is well tuned, sound is balanced and there is nothing dominant or missing. Bass go deep, is strong and clear. Vocals are natural and neutral, middle band sounds very open, which make sound-stage wide, trebles are with sparkle and gives lightness in to music. PICO is not champion on detail retrieval and clarity. Is good on that small device and it is more than good considering, that PICO is purpose-build player. It will be great for those who cherish their Lotto Gold or similar top DAP as on the go device. For me it is first experience with Lotoo and it is not disappointing. Of course It will be not easy for PICO to get buyers, specially when Shanling M1 cost same money and it is much better equipped player with similar size, but I believe it will found its fans.
            I like to say thank you to PenonAudio ( http://penonaudio.com/Lotoo-PAW-Pico ) for their great support and discount I got in exchange for my honest opinion in my review. Thank you very much.
 

 

 

 

 
 
 

First of all, please let me say thank you to Piotr from Custom Art, who provide to me nice discount in exchange of my honest opinions in this review attempt.
                Ei.3 are very special to me. They are mi first real custom earphones made based on my ear impressions. I was hesitating for long time and I always prefer universal versions because I did not believed, that custom shell can make so big different and because of liquidity later, when I like to collect funds for new audio adventures. So I´m believer now, that is for sure. Who did not try yet, can´t imagine level of comfort, isolation and general joy from listening. But there is really huge different. For impression I visit local audiologist in neighborhood and I got my impression. That was more than month before I placed order to CA and I did it for different purposes. I got at that time EE Athena VIII CIEM and I was considering to get them re-shelled for my ears. Problem is that get it done here in Europe is a bit complicated and despite of fact, that CA were willing to do so, I found is not fair to them. Instead I sold Athenas and I choose one model from Custom Art line. It took few more weeks, than I make-up my mind and I finally choose Ei.3. Of course I got a lot of questions before I placed my order and I like say thank you again for Piotr and Kamil patience. So on the end I placed order and after 4 weeks I got them. My first custom made earphones.
                I choose simple black design on shell and on face plate, just with CA logo mentioned on face plate. Nothing special, but I really do like it a lot. Except earphones you will get stock cable, cleaning tool, warranty card and simple manual. That all was packed in Peli case size 1010. Nothing extraordinary, but good enough.
                CA earphones are very well made, with no visible flaws. My only very minor criticism is regarding to logo print on face plate, that would deserve a bit more attention, but I got opportunity to test CA Harmony model in European tour and there was not this issue at all, so it is not for sure some consistent issue.
                Fit, fit is excellent. It took for me a bit get used to, but when I did, I can´t say anything else than it is superb. I would never expect, that I be so much happy with custom shells. Isolation is nothing what can be compared to any universal earphones I ever got. I believe that many of you, who have custom earphones already is this normal, but for those who are hesitating, please do not. With custom shells will open new universe of listening for you.
                Sound, well how to put it right. I´M MOST HAPPY DUDE UNDER THE SUN. Really Ei.3 got me and from day I got them from Fedex, I did not listen practically no other earphones from my collection. Ei.3 are ,, only “ 3 drivers units, but way how they are tuned is breath taking. It seem, that well tuned earphones with lower count of drivers are much better for me, than earphones with 6, 8, 10 or more drivers. Recently I got chance for short listening HUM Pristine ( two drivers only ) and that confirm that in full. Back to Custom Art Ei.3. What at CA achieved with Ei.3 is unbelievable. Sound is a bit on darker side, but it is perfectly balanced between all 3 bands. Ei.3 Have 3 balanced drivers in 3 way configuration (Single Low, Single Full-range, Single Tweeter ). Most impressive part of sound is bass, no discussion about that. Bass is deep, strong, confident and arrogant in most positive sense of that word. Middles are velvet in perfect coherency with bass, articulated and transparent. Trebles sound to e on first listening a bit recessed, but they are not really. Before Ei.3 I listen a lot my Spartans or earphones with dynamic drivers so compare to that got Ei.3 a bit less presence of trebles, but generally again highest band is perfectly tuned and integrate in to rest of sound spectrum and after longer session I did not missed anything. Details, airiness, sparkle. That all is underlined with decent sound stage, separation and clearness.
I must confess, that I do not use stock cables. I have my own inventory of decent aftermarket cables, so mostly I´m not taking stock cables even out of box. In this case I tried my PlusSound Xseries cable, but result was not anyhow amazing. So I replaced PlusSound by Forza AudioWorks copper series and I liked sound much more. It become to be more bodied with even more impactfull bass and very wide sound stage. But I suspect, that silver will get me a bit more sparkle on top end and will keep strength of low end. So I switch cables again and I now have Ei.3 paired with Beat AudioLab Signal cable. This combination is heaven for me. Sound is as before, balanced with strong bass, velvet middle, and well integrated trebles. Only trebles are now more airy and sound is more open. Compare to FAW copper cable is sound stage a bit narrower, but is still very good. Generally sound of Ei.3 is like sound from very good floor standing speakers. Another benefit is that Ei.3 are versatile in terms of music genres. Of course there are some which sound really exceptionally, like classic music perform by big orchestra. There will take you your earphones in to concert hall. It is hard to described, it is better to experienced. Ei.3 do not suffer from hiss and they are not sibilant at all. There are only positives I can mentioned. Only ,, negative “ is that with Ei.3 left me my hunting mood for to try new and another earphones J .
Ei.3 will be perfect choice for anyone who would like to get maximum from his iPhone. In combination with Hiby music player, you can get sound which is not equal to price you will pay for this gear. I mean that performance you will get for your money you will hard to find elsewhere, even for more money. But even in combination with dedicated players you will be not disappointed. I tried with Shanling M1 and xDuoo X10 and with both are Ei.3 nice to listen. Ei.3 are not analytic and have no reference sound signature. But for those who are considering entrance in to custom made world, I believe Ei.3 are good starting point. In fact I do believe that many of those who will choose them, will not feel desire to go further. That good, according to me, they are.
 

 

 

 

 

Before I will start with this review I would like to say BIG thank you to Baptiste from AEDLE who provide to me ODS-1 free of charge in exchange to my honest opinion.
AEDLE cross my sight here on HeadFi where my eye was catch by thread about AEDLE, which is very short BTW, it should change. When I start read about company and products they offer, it wake up my curiosity.  AEDLE is not very famous name between audio community and I think, that it is pity. AEDLE are two enthusiasts from France who start build headphones and earphones, which they dream to do. So fare this story could be similar to many other makers who are present on headphone market. But those two chaps are different. Their products are different. These two artists start build their headphones like jewel. It is not only earphones, but even cable is great piece of artwork. At AEDLE found way how to combine unique style, great fancy look, perfect hand-crafted work and high-end sound. Baptiste and his partner Raphaël found right mixture of all these ingredients and voila we got very special earphones ODS-1.
Even package it self is peace of art. Earphones are in white paper box with inner aluminum structure. Inside you can find earphones, cable, box with silicon tips, foam tips, airplane adapter, cable and warranty card. For every day carrying you can find nice textile bag.
ODS-1 are offered in 3 different color combinations – brown with silver is called CLASSIC, black with silver is LEGACY and black with black is ECLIPSE. These combinations are based on color of ear hooks, which are coated with hand stitched calf leather from Italy and color of shell. Ear hooks looks robust and it may look that seam can cause discomfort, but no. I have glasses and ear hooks do not make me feel like that. Actually it is very comfortable. True one need a bit practice to wear ODS-1 earphones, but when you get it, you be ok, believe me. Earphone shells are made partly from aluminum, which have nice marks after machining. Inner side with nozzle is made from plastic. Generally is ergonomics very good and earphones are very comfy. Only nozzle may deserve a bit adjustment. First of all diameter of nozzle is 4,2mm, which is mean, that most favorite tips like SpiralDots or SpinFit CP100 will not hold on nozzle. Stock tips hold on nozzle pretty well, but they are short and I was not able to get good seal with them. So I improvise a bit and build kind of lining from old foam tip and I was able to use SpinFit tips than. After this home made adjustment I got good seal and nice comfort. But more than anything I could enjoy superb sound.
ODS-1 are two driver hybrid earphones with one 10mm custom-made dynamic driver (titanium diaphragm with neodymium magnet) and one balanced armature. Frequency range is 20Hz to 20kHz. Cable is detachable through MMCX connectors, which are hidden in shells and for that reason, will be not easy to replace stock cable by some aftermarket. On other hand who would like to take away original cable, which is in great visual and aesthetical synergy with earphones. Synergy you can hardly see and get anywhere else. Cable is equipped with phone remote control, which can work with iOS devices. This remote control is not best in class. It is located on left side, is relatively high and buttons are not easy to find and recognize by touch. Cable itself is very firm and strong, 3,5 mm trrs termination is straight.
Sound is well balanced, vivid, well refined with plenty of details and yet not analytical, but very musical. ODS-1 do not suffer of hiss with any of my current sources ( xDuoo X10, Shanling M1 and iPhone 6s ). With iPhone is sound very punchy and bass is sometimes omnipresent. Best synergy I found with xDuoo X10, because sound is well balanced and non of bands are present over others. Bass is deep and present only where is required, trebles are light and airy, signers are placed on middle of scene and music is behind and around them as it should be. Detail retrieval is exceptional and can help you discover your music as never before. Instrument separation and they location on scene is precise. Sound stage is not widest or deepest I ever heard, but it is believable and realistic. ODS-1 are also versatile in terms of music genre. Classical, Rock, Jazz, any music I listen was entreating and I really do enjoy that a lot.
AEDLE ODS-1 are unique earphones with unique look and great rich sound. I can honestly recommend them to anyone of you, who are looking for some special gear for reasonable price with touch of craft man’s hand, with own style, which is not uniform and you can see them on every buss stop.

Before I will start with this attempt to review, I would like to thank to Piotr ad Custom Art, who provide Harmony 8.2 for European tour, which I was honored to be part of.
Custom Art is located in Poland and they were found in 2012 by Piotr Granicki. CA is focusing on production of custom made IEM form two materials. Acrylic and Silicon. Advantages and disadvantages of bot are described at CA site. At this moment CA offer five models, from one driver per side unit up to 8 driver per side. Last one is called Harmony 8.2. 8 mean eight drivers, two is mean, that this is second version if these earphones. CA work so fare with balanced armatures only and eight of those in Harmony are set in four way configuration - Dual Low, Dual full-range, Dual mid, Dual tweeter. Frequency range is from 10Hz up to 20kHz. Ordering process is quite common – model, material, design, ear impressions, etc. Current lead time is about 5-6weeks.
 
I was second in line in this tour and I got Harmony 8.2 after some adventures with Czech post office last week. H8.2 which were provided for tour are made from acryl and they are universal version shells. As I mentioned CA is mainly focusing on custom versions, but upon the request they are able offer universal shells too. Harmony on tour have orange transparent face plate, so you can see all insides, shell itself is too transparent, but color is brown, honey like. On left face plate is CA logo, on right is model signature. Termination for cable is standard 2pin, so there is plenty of possibilities to fine tune sound with cable switching. I read some complains about universal shell fit and seal, but I´m lucky and I do not share these complains. I found Harmony quite comfortable in fact. Only nozzle is a bit bigger than usually ( 4 holes in it ), but I could use both of my mi favorite tips easily – SpiralDot and SpinFit. Although in the end I stick with SpinFits, which I found more convenient over JVC tips.
I can´t say, that my first listening impressions make me hyper excited. Past last few weeks I listen mostly earphones with dynamic drivers and switch from that to purely balanced armatures was not easy. I really like liveliness of dynamic drivers. I found, that on hybrid IEMs, is not easy to tune DD and BA drivers together, but there are few pieces on market, which are tuned pretty well. BA drivers may sound a bit boring compare to DD earphones. And that exactly was my first kiss with H8.2. Boring, not interesting. I did not use stock cable, provided with H8.2, I used my own PlusSound Audio X Series ( Silver + Gold Type6 Litz Cryo treated ) instead. I really like this cable, is flexible, comfortable and yet sturdy.
 

 

 
 
I listen to H8.2 for few days and after brain burning I start collect my thoughts for this review. So I do not consider H8.2 boring anymore. In fact I really like their warmer sound. From top to bottom. I think, that ,, weak point “ of H8.2 are trebles, which are a bit distant on background. I do miss more sparkles in trebles. That led me to another two points of my criticism - not exactly extraordinary detail retrieval and transparency. On both of these can be H8.2 outperform by some even cheaper rivals. However middle band together with low end are where H.2 rule. Coherency between those two is one of the best. Bass is strong and deep, when it should be and mids are nicely smooth. Instrument separation is good, although not exceptional, but instrument placement on scene is precise. Sound stage is not widest I ever heard, but is for sure above average. General sound character of Harmony 8.2 is calm, but can offer nice joy from music listening. H8.2 are suitable for listeners, who like warmer sound, not over-detailed, for longer listening sessions. H8.2 are relatively versatile in terms of music genres. I did not found any music which sound extra bad or extra good. Everything I have on my card form classical to Heavy Metal is quite listenable.
 
At this moment I have at my disposal 3 DAPs – Shanling M1, xDuoo X10 and iPhone 6s with Hiby music player in it. From all these I really like combination with xDuoo most. X10 is balanced and detailed and so fare I did not found earphones which will sound bad with it. With iP6s was too warm combo for me and Shanling is good small player, but is not that good as X10, which are much more detailed and it fit to H8.2 better.
 


 
 
At this moment I have no at home any multi BA driver earphones. I sold EE Athena ( direct competitor ) and my EE Spartans are on tour I did organized here for my headphone Czech and Slovak friends. Anyway just from the memory. My feelings from Athena were similar as I have with H8.2. Very first listening was not really stunning, bat after some time I found reason to like them. It took some cable experiments, than I got result, but in the end – nice. Athena are better on resolution and has wider sound stage. But Harmony sound to me more balanced and If I would chose Athena or Harmony … I will take Harmony with no hesitation.
 
My personal opinion is that Harmony have very hard position compare to many cheaper especially hybrid models from Asia, but considering how fare Custom Art get after 5 years of their existence, I strongly believe, that we have many too look forward from Pioter and his team. Great job at Custom Arts. Thank you.

I received Basic from Oriveti free of charge in exchange of my honest opinion.
 
Basic are second model of company Oriveti and complete their line after previous model Primacy, which was recently updated. Basic have single dynamic driver configuration. Shell reminds a bit M&M candy with added cable terminal with MMCX termination. Cable connection is firm and earphones are not rotating on cable. Shell is made from aluminum alloy and thanks its size and weight will ear swallow it and fit is very comfortable. Isolation is slightly above average, but it very depend on chosen tips. Cable is four braded and is very flexible. General quality is very high. Basic are packed in black paper box, where you can find apart of earphones and cable – set of tips, textile carry case, ear hooks and carbine. On box are printed technical information about earphones and manual how to wear them.
 
From just one driver per side configuration it seem to be, that Basic are behind their bigger made Primacy. Well they have different tuning, but I would not say, that Basic are in shadow of Primacy at all. General tuning is a bit on dark side with strong and deep bas as you can expect from dynamic driver. But that is not all. Mids are clear and vivid, highs do not miss sparkle and airiness. Although bas is star of the show here it not overshadow rest of spectrum. It is like listen to speakers in 2.1 configuration. Bas is there where you would expect, where is belong and gives to music body and space, but sound has clarity and sparkle. Only with some fast Heavy Metal tracks Basic loos a bit of their resolution, which is expect able on one driver earphones. But generally these small candy performs extremely well.
 
I really like Basic tuning and my opinion is, that Basic is ideal for those who like to get better sound from their phones, for those who are looking for every day go to earphones with good quality sound for still reasonable money. Basic with their friendly non aggressive tuning are great for long all day listening in office or elsewhere.
 
Basic are not source demanding and you can enjoy them with iPhone only. Of course Mojo will kick them on higher level, but even with phone is sound juicy and full of energy. With my xDuoo X10 Basic become mature. All frequencies are more in line and sound is on neutral side. Still deep bass where should be, but it´s a bit tamed and civilized. Good news is that there is no hiss at all.
Basic are relatively versatile on music genres, but according to me their biggest strength is classical music perform by big orchestra, acoustic music and specially string instruments. I have Korn Unplugged album for MTV and this is pure joy to listen. Throw Me Away drum solo is exquisite.
 
So according to my believe are 99USD spent on Oriveti Basic very wise investment. Happy listening to all.
 

 

Thanks to Czech dealer I got a chance to give a try to new DAP Shanling M1. I got lend it for free in exchange of honnest opinion and sound impression. From opening of box I got very strange feeling. How such a little matchbox can sound? I never hold player of that size since iPod shuffle. Because player has USB type C, which is not common yet, producer put in to box few different combination of cables to allow user connect M1 to computer or other devices. Only for connectivity with Chord Mojo must user get some aftermarket cable. Top of this cable set, you will get card reader and protection shield for screen. Protection case is available, but need to be purchased separately. Battery should give around 10hours, I did not test it, can not confirm.
M1 body have rectangular shape with rounded top corner on right side where is volume and control wheel. Below wheel on the right side is button for on/off and off screen. On the left side are three buttons. Top one is for return in menu and two below are forward and backward buttons. On the bottom side is slot for memory card ( micro SD ), USB connection and 3,5mm headphone output. Through USB you can charge player or use it as digital in/out. So M1 can be used as external DAC. All buttons are well made and they do resist enough to avoid accidental push. Only control wheel is a bit less sensitive and sometimes its reaction takes second or two. Wheel do control volume and moves in menu, which need to be confirmed with push on wheel in diagonal direction. According to me is UI simple and quick. DAP is working after start in roughly 4 seconds and after that is UI fluent and I did not found any issues with it, except control wheel which take sometimes a second to react. Be careful on default volume setup. I got 60 from 100 on M1 when I try it first time and that can be really big hit for your ears. Normally I do listen on 25 to 30 from 100 with gain set on low. DAP have gapless which is working good. You can set play mode, timer, balance, equalizer ( 10 bands ), resume, etc.
I tried M1 with my earphones from Empire Ears – Spartan IV ( universal ) and Athena VIII ( custom ). Unfortunately on both my earphones I got noticeable hiss. EE are sensitive and so fare I got silent only from just a few DAPs. M1 is running on some Hiby mutation and is equipped with AK4452 chip + MAX97220 amplification. All this together is great mix I can ensure you. M1 is new fish in pond and for its competitors such as Cowon Plenue D or FiiO X3ii it is really strong rival. It is unbelievable how huge sound you can get from so tinny package. General character is a bit midcentric, bass is firm with strong impact, mids are transparent and gives to sound clarity and plenty of details. Highs are not that airy as some other rivals get, but still very good, only on some tracks a bit to sharp with tendency to be sibilant. Sound stage is wide, wider than many other even pricier players. Overall M1 sound is way above its price bracket. M1 is big surprise and in comparison with my other players ( AK70 and DX80 ) differences in sound are not aligned with differences in prices. From that perspective is M1 winner of contest. Only noticeable difference are on trebles, which are on AK70 or DX80 less synthetic, more natural and airy. In other sound aspects M1 challenge its rivals with high level of confidence.
M1 will be great backup on the go player for those who like to spare their expensive DAPs just for home listening, it will be ideal DAP for jogging, every day use on the road, for those who like to get great sound comparable with higher players, but budget not allow them to buy one. It is simply big sound in small package.

 
 
           My journey into Empire Ears Universe began with Cerberus III, which I found very pleasant to listen. After few months with Cerberuses I start to be curious how other models from EE line sound. There is plenty of impressions about top of line – Zeus XIV and rest of models is somehow a bit hidden in shadow of father of gods.
            Spartans IV are third model in line (counted from bottom) and have four balanced drivers in three way configuration. One driver for low, one for high and two for mid. Frequency response is from 16Hz to 20kHz.
            As many know Empire Ears allow their customers choose their own design. So I choose combination of blue on left side and red for right side. Spartan IV share housing with Supra II and Cerberus III and shells are small with perfect ergonomics. Shells fit in to ear concha with out any problem and hold there comfortably. Isolation is not best in class and it depend on chosen tips, but with Comply is very good. In package you can find:

1. In-Ear Monitor
2. Empire Aegis case
3. Empire dust bag
4. Empire IEM pouch
5. Empire cleaning cloth
6. Cleaning tool
7. Quick Start User Guide

 
Besides of that, you will get package of Comply and SpinFit tips in S, M, L size. One can hardly expect more.

 
            My highest expectation was of course regarding to sound and I must submit, that reality is fare ahead. Sound of Spartans is open and airy same as firm and detailed. From first few moments I put Spartans in to my ears was clear, that these little things are special.  Bass is strong and can kick, when it should, but is not going to be dominate. Mids are clear, vivid and transparent. For me are best part trebles. They make sound open and airy, with plenty of details, but never sibilant or exhausting. It is like first intake of breath early morning on mountains, when fresh and frosty air will fill your chest and you physically feel beauty of live. Anyway, coherency between all bands is extraordinary and one can hardly find anything wrong. Sound stage is decent on just four drivers and instrument separation and localization on scene is exemplary.
            Spartans are amazing for stringed instruments and genres like folk, jazz, classic rock. They will pleased you on classical music too, but of course they have limits with reproduction of huge orchestra, when sound will be not that bulky as from earphones with higher driver count. Despite of this very minor thing, I found Spartans versatile and easy to listen for most of music I have.
            I found generally Empire Ears earphones sensitive and they can suffer of hiss with some sources. There is no hiss and very good synergy with Ak 70, specially on balanced end. There is very minor hiss with iPhone 6s, but there is plenty of hiss with iBasso DX80. With all mentioned sources Spartans work very well and sound is precise, but entertaining.
            My only criticism will be regarding to shape of shell neck, which totally miss some block against tips movements. Deliver Comply and Spinfits fit well and there is no issue, but I like over both of these Spiral Dots and they sometimes drop down or they are loose in my ear, when I pull earphones out. It will be nice, if EE will consider change in design and end on neck will get some ring to avoid tips movement.

 

Cerberus is mythical 3-headed dog, who protect entrance in to Hades underworld. So it seems, that Cerberus is proper beast. Cerberus I’m will write about are not beast at all. More like your loyal dog, which love you and never let you down.
About few months ago my eye was catch by Empire Ears. Name I overlooked for some time and that was huge mistake. In middle of summer during my holiday with family I read as usually what is new in IEM world and Empire Ears appear front of my eyes. From that moment I was wondering and eager to try some IEM from EE line. After some proper research I choose Cerberus III and I placed order.
At this moment you can chose between 8 different models and those are separated further in to custom, universal and universal MTO ( Made to order ) design. Each model have several colour choices from transparent or non transparent hypoallergenic UV acrylic material. Shells are made in 3 different sizes – small is common for Supra, Cerberus, Spartan, medium for Hermes, Athena, large for Apollo and both Zeus models. Each model have own colour range and with MTO you can combine different shells and faceplates as per you personal taste. According to size comparison I add picture with Cerberus and CA Nova side by side.
I did choose conservative Transparent Smoke shell. Delivery was fast and after few days I got chance to unbox legendary Empire Ears box which have no competition between any IEM I ever hold.
Standard content:

1. In-Ear Monitor
2. Empire Aegis case
3. Empire dust bag
4. Empire IEM pouch
5. Empire cleaning cloth
6. Cleaning tool
7. Quick Start User Guide

 
When I pulled Cerberus out out of box I was surprised with their size. These are smallest 3 drivers earphones I seen yet. Cerberus have 3 balanced armatures and is equipped with 3-way crossover.
Because I’m usually not using stock cables, I left cable in the box and I connect Cerberus on cable from my inventory – Toxic Silver Poison. Later I tested other cables like Rhapsodio RSD SG2,98 or Rhapsodio Dark Knight, but best sound according to my taste I got with PlusSound Xseries cable Silver + Gold ( type 6 LITZ ). After some tip changes I found Comply foam tips as best for comfort and sound.
Fit of Cerberus is exceptional. Isolation with Comply tips is very good as well.
How Cerberus sound? Very adult on 3 driver earphones. As mythical Cerberus has 3 heads, here you can hear how these barking. Most active is middle one. Mids are clear and give a lot of details. Lows are firm and you will get bass where it belong. It have not level of sub bass as earphones with dynamic drivers, but I never really miss basses in any music genre I listen. Highs are nicely smooth, they are not crispy as you will get from Jupiters for example, but according to me, that is great, because it make sound very pleasant even for longer time listening. Generally is sound nicely balanced with gentle middle accent and soften high end. Details retrieval and instrument separation is exemplary. Soundstage is very decent. At Cerberus price level are these little things one of best choices. There are only two things which need to be mentioned. Shells are very fragile. After few cable changes appears cracks in shells around 2pin terminal. But that is probablyb because I'm clamsy. Second one is, that with some sources will be hiss noticeable. I connect Cerberus with iP6s – no hiss, DX80 very noticeable, Aune M2 dead silent, Cowon PD is quite and my current DAP AK70 is silent. Cerberus are very good with iPhone, Aune M2 or AK70. DX80 is nice except hiss, but FiiO X5ii I found flat and boring.
This is my first attempt to review, so please be gentle with me. Thank you very much you read at this point.