This is the video review of the Cayin i5 Digital Audio Player. The player has been compared with iDSD Micro BL and Audeze Cypher cable for its sound qualities. Skip to 12 minutes 50 seconds mark for the comparison section.
 

Fiio X7 video review
 
 

Introduction
 
I am a head-fi member since 2013 and have been an avid fan of this forum. Back then I was an audio newbie and since then I have been introduced to this wonderful world of audiophile equipment's. I was and still now an ipod fanboy and loved classical and 90s pop music to every bit. But after joining head-fi I have experienced music through the top of the line equipment and what a journey it is. It is pure magic and bliss.
 
In this post, I am reviewing Noble Audio's entry level Savant Universal In Ear Monitors. Noble audio is a name every audiophile knows throughout the world. They have pioneered in crafting some of the best top of the line universal and custom in ear monitors available today.
 
Being a previous owner of the Noble Audio's TOTL IEM K10 Universal, when I saw that Noble Audio is organizing an Australia - New Zealand tour, I had made my mind that I need to be in this tour and experience this wonderful product which according to Dr. John (Co-owner and the wizard behind these IEMs) "A Savant is usually a sleeper... and 'unexpected, unassuming being' can perform tasks at amazing levels. The price point of the Savant makes it unassuming... when compared to other top-of-the-line IEMs in the market right now." I am grateful to Mark (dMarc0) for arranging this tour and giving us the opportunity to experience the latest creation from Noble.
 
Packaging/Accessories
 
When I opened the package of the Noble Savant the first thing that striked me was the exact same packaging I have seen with the Noble K10U. This shows Noble does not compromise on quality of the packaging even if you were to buy their entry level IEM. The Noble Savant comes in simple cardboard protection box. When you open the box you are welcomed by the Noble Audio stickers and the warranty card. The headphones are housed in a tough pelican carry case. Following are the contents we get inside the box :

1. The IEM obviously
2. IEM eartip cleaning brush
3. Red & Blue coloured tips in S,M and L sizes.
4. Double flanged tips in S,M and L sizes
5. Foam tips in in S,M and L sizes.

 
                           
 
 
Gear used as part of this review
 
The source for this review is my macbook with Audirvana plus player-> Ibasso D-Zero MK2 DAC/Amp. I have also used my OnePlus2 64GB as my portable driver with HF Onkyo App.
The comparison IEM as part of this review is my Jerry Harvey Audio Layla Universal ($2500). I know it is not fair to compare a $2500 IEM with $600 IEM but it gives an overall idea about the sound signature differences among Noble Audio sound and JH Audio sound. I haven’t used the ear tips which came with Savant. I have used my own ear tips.
 
Build Quality
 
The Savant shows how premium Noble gears are made. I was highly impressed with K10 Universal to learn how they had integrated 10 BA drivers into such a tiny shell. Noble has done it again with the Savant to incorporate their multi BA drivers in this two piece Polycarbonate Shell body. The faceplate has noble logo and has a nice rubberized feeling and also the three rose gold screws show the similar Noble build trademark. The cable is removable and connected to the earpiece as non-recessed 2 pin westone style stocket and is very strong. It will surely take some effort to remove the cable.
 
The Savant comes with one cable in the box which is braided and highly durable. Each side of the cable is a 2 cable twisted pair joined together in a Y-splitter. The cable is terminated in 3.5mm straight gold plated jack of very high quality.
 
Compared to the Layla's, the build quality of the Layla is supreme with carbon fibre housing. The Layla earpiece is double the size of the Savant which I will come to more in the comfort section. The Layla comes with two cables - one terminated in 3.5mm jack and the other in 2.5mm TRRS balanced jack. The cable quality is better than Noble Audio's. The cable on each side of the earpiece is 4 wires (compared to 2 wires) twisted together with better sheathing and more durable strength. The cable also has a bass adjustment pot for both the ears. 
 
                    
                  Noble Audio Savant                                                                                           Savant's twisted cable
 
 
                    
                JH Audio Layla                                                                                           Layla's bass adjustment controls in the cable
 
 
Comfort and Fit
 
This is where the Savant completely outshines the Layla's. I have small ears comparitively and to get a proper fit with the Layla is a pain. Luckily I got hold of the spin fit ear tips which are of excellent quality and provides perfect fit compared to the stock ones which come with Layla.
 
The Savant blends in with the ears like it was custom made for my ears. The fit is superbly comfortable and I can go for a serious jog with these headphones on my ears. Whereas the Layla barely fits my ears, even when I am walking it feels like the it will fall off any minute. It shows how ergonomic the Savant is in terms of the fit and comfort to the ears.
 
In terms of sound isolation, the Layla does a job better than the Savant. But they are very close to each other in terms of isolation.
 

Layla's bulky shell's are difficult to get a good fit
 
Amplification and Ease to drive them
 
Savant is 30ohm impedance IEM and is easy to drive them with almost any source. They open up more when I was listening through Ibasso Dzero Mk2 but they were not bad when being driven directly from the oneplus2. Now in contrast to the JH Audio Layla which is 20ohm it is a different story. The Layla's are quite sensitive and you need a clean source with ample power to drive them to their full potential. When driving the Layla from OnePlus2 it sounded dull compared to the Savant. The Layla sounded like a $50 headphone with no potential at all. The Savant completely outshines in terms of drivability.
 
But when connecting the Layla to the Dzero or Astell & Kern AK240. Oh man!!! Layla sings like an angel and shows it true power and capability. 
 
Sound Quality
 
The sound signature is very similar to the K10. The level of detail and clarity for a IEM of this value is simply astounding. The instrument separation is very good and is a joy to listen to an orchestra. For me the Savant shined the most when listening to classical music. The modern albums such as Taylor Swift's 1989 sounded good but not as good as my AKG K3003i or JH Audio Layla. Sometimes it was feeling bit clinical maybe due to the higher emphasis treble. Overall, the sound is very clean and if you have bad mp3 recordings they will start to show up very clearly.
 
I felt it is missing the sub bass impact which was plenty in the JH Audio layla. The lower bass always felt it is being subdued and not allowing to open up. When listening to the Led Zep's Moby Dick the cymbals were accurate and precise but the drums bass felt rolled off quickly without lingering in my ears a bit longer to give that magic.
 
 
Comparison
 
AKG K3003i
 
These headphones are really well balanced, fairly neutral with the neutral filter and found them to be way better than the Shure SE846 tonally. But these fall short when compared to the Savant. The Savant was much more clearer and the highs are better than the K3003i. The Savant falls short again in the in sub bass department compared to the K3003i. Overall the K3003i is better balanced across the entire frequency range compared to the Savant. K3003i's are similarly easy to drive from almost any source. The soundstage is very much similar between the K3003i and the Savant.
 
JH Audio Layla
 
The soundstage is wider compared to the Savant and the lows and mids are a pleasure to listen to. Thanks to Jerry for introducing the bass adjustment system in the Layla. I can go from complete flat to bass head heavy as per my preference. The bass and sub bass completely blows the Savant and also from my memory the K10s. Where the Layla's fall short is in the treble section, but the Savant outshines there.

Video review of Fiio X5ii.
 

Video review of the Fiio X3 Second Generation player.
 
  
 
DSD SQ comparison:

Comparison review:

 
Detailed video review of ZX2 player. 
 

 
This is a quick unboxing and review of the player. More detailed review coming soon.
 
 

AK120II and Pono player combined review
 
 

Disclaimer:



I received this unit for review purpose as a part of the Australasian tour. The unit is owned by Paul (Brooko). Thank you for making this happen.
 
Summary:
This is the review of Fiio X1 high resolution DAP. I am a new aspiring audiophile member and have experienced quite handful of DAPs from Colorfly C4, HM901, AK240  and several others. But this is my first experience with any Fiio product. I am currently owning AK120II, therefore there will be some reference comparison among X1 and AK120II.  The earphones used for this review are IE800 and JH Roxanne Universal. The X1 DAP is always reviewed with Equalizer Off.
 

 

 

 
What's in the box:

1. Fii X1 player
2. Black silicon case.
3. Micro USB cable for data transfer and charging purpose.
4. Documentation: Quick start guide, screen protectors, warranty, etc.

 
 
Hardware and Build quality:

1. The unit is made from machined aluminum screaming excellent quality throughout. The only non aluminium part is the jog wheel which has a rubber coating on the top.
2. The X1 design cue comes from Apple Ipods.
3. The size and form factor feels just right. It is quite light and easy to carry around.
4. The screen size and resolution is good enough to get the job done. But the screen is hard to see on outdoors though.
5. The DAP's physical interface has standard buttons such as Prev/Fwd track, Back button and a menu button. The buttons have small symbols etched beside them to indicate their functionality. If you press and hold the back button it will take you to the home screen. There is a learning curve in remembering what each button does and can be annoying when the DAP is in the case.
6. Dedicated pause and play button would have been better.
7. There is a welcome tiny blue LED light on the bottom of the DAP to indicate the DAP is on.

 

 
 

1. The volume buttons are on the left side of the player. The Up volume key has a small nub on it to distinguish between up and down volume key.
2. I am not a fan of silicon cases. The rubbery silicon case feels bit cheap and it accumulates dust.
3. The DAP has a 3.5mm audio jack which functions as a line out too. I have not tried the line out as part of the review.
4. The DAP can support up to 128GB of micro SD card and has no internal storage. The media update for my 64GB card full of songs took only few seconds, very impressive!!!!

 
Battery:

1. I got around 8 to 9hrs runtime. The Fiio website says approx 11 hrs. Though majority of my listening included 24bit tracks.

 
Software:

1. The UI is simplistic and offer all the standard options, for e.g. Now Playing, Albums, Artists, Genre, Favs, Playlists, Folder view.
2. I generally browse songs by albums and it would have been good if the software allows the user to configure default shortcuts in the home screen so that I don’t have to go through several clicks to access the album category.

 

 
 

1. I love the way the settings have been divided into Play settings and system settings.

 

 
 

1. The following play settings got my attention.
   1. Allow the user to resume from where it was playing.
   2. Gapless playback.
2. The remaining settings are standard audio settings such as Equalizer.
3. The system settings have info about the firmware, themes, auto power off, etc.
4. One annoying thing I noticed is every time the screen turns off, I have to press the power button to turn on the display. Maybe there is a way to change the behavior but I could not figure it out.
5. I was surprised to see that a player for $100 USD is about to play 24bit songs without any hiccups. It can play APE/FLAC/ALAC/WMA/WAV at max 192KHz/24 Bit.

 

 
 
Sound Quality:

1. The sound is excellent based on the price point and I found it better than AK100 which costs about 4 times the price of this player.
2. The sound felt bit thick and on the warmer side with a narrow centre stage. Sometimes it felt the treble is attenuated and the sound is almost there but something is missing.
3. The DAP was not able to drive my JH audio Roxanne to its full potential, which the Calyx M and AK120II did with ease.
4. However, the synchronization with my IE800 was actually very good much better than AK100.  The background was not completely silent with the Roxanne's. There was a small hiss noise which is not there in the AK120II for the same track.
5. The output power is great and at 50 volume level (max 100) my IE800 was singing pretty excellent.

 
Conclusion:

1. You cannot go wrong with this player for this price point.  The only bad thing is $99 will not get you going out of the box, you need to invest in micro sd card as there is no onboard memory. I think the X1 is the most musical hi res player you can get amongst its competition. Hopefully they will solve the wheel UI synchronization issues with some firmware updates.

Hi All,
 
I have done a video review of Hifiman HM901.
 

 
Thanks for watching