Reviews by project86

project86

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Great soundstage and imaging, crisp clear sound without being fatiguing, build quality, portable!
Cons: bass shy (expected at this size)

project86

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Effortless sounding - generous but tight bass, liquid mids, smooth yet energetic highs, and a holographic soundstage
Cons: Single input only so pre-amp use would be limited, probably can't drive an HE6 very well

project86

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: All in one utility, compact size for the features, superb build quality, spectacular sound
Cons: FLAC playback please

project86

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Warm, smooth sound with a very analog feel to it, well built and heavy, low price
Cons: Text on front panel could be styled better

project86

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Very nice build quality, attractive design, super comfortable, highly durable
Cons: To get the durability that it has, flexibility had to suffer

project86

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Great build quality, very comfortable, looks slick, includes a classy storage case
Cons: Not as prestigious as some flagship cables from other brands

project86

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Excellent sound quality, very smooth yet detailed, powerful with great dynamics, superb bass reproduction, very good build quality
Cons: Limited as far as inputs - basically only good for one input at a time
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/551173/review-violectric-hpa-v200-amp
 
See above for my in depth review. In summary: This is one of my all time favorite amps. I find that it is a worthwhile upgrade even over great budget amps like the Matrix M-stage or Yulong A100, without costing an insane price. If I could do it all over I'd probably get this amp as my one and only amp, or perhaps supplement it with a more colored tube amp. I am seriously considering offloading my expensive Luxman P-1u because I haven't really touched it since obtaining the V200. It's that good. 
Synthax
Synthax
What particulary better is in v200 that Matrix M-Stage?
Synthax
Synthax
..don't have (missing part of the phrase before question mark)

project86

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: BASS! Very deep and impactful but still clean, great soundstage, very good build quality, fast turnaround time
Cons: Although fairly neutral, mids will seem too recessed for some users, and highs are sometimes harsh and sibilant

project86

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Excellent sound, plenty of input options, price is reasonable when you consider the sound quality
Cons: not many... the uit is BIG and heavy, Audio GD website not the greatest, and shipping this thing is no fun

project86

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Warm, smooth, immediate sound, simplistic design but exceptional build quality
Cons: More inputs might be nice, but that would require a bigger case so I like it as is
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DannyBuoy
DannyBuoy
I agree with the sound and input remarks but even one further. I have a balanced DAC (Audio-gd Ref5) and when I connect the balanced inputs, I have to disconnect the SE inputs from my RSA F1117 Nighthawk Phono Stage, Otherwise the whole things gets really muffled and quiet. So even though there is no signal present from my phono stage, the fact they are connected does something to the balanced inputs. It would be nice to be able to leave my analog RCA's plugged in as well as the XLR's and then just have a source switch.
It does not bother me enough to sell the amp though as it was an impressive jump from my WA6SE to the V181.
cneeww
cneeww
I agree with you too!! It's amazing.

project86

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Nice clear transparent DAC sound, warmish amp section that makes everything sound good, nice appearance and build quality
Cons: More power is always welcome
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/540631/review-yulong-u100-compact-usb-dac-amp
 
Above is the link to my full review. In summary:
 
This is a great little USB DAC/amp for the price. Nice clear transparent DAC section paired with a somewhat warm and almost tube-like amp. There are plenty of good options out there in this price range, and the U100 is one of the best I've heard. Worth a try if you want a sub $250 USB DAC and amp combo. 

project86

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Highly transparent, neutral, well balanced sound, nice build quality and a low price
Cons: Lack of balanced option feels like a missed opportunity since the matching D100 DAC has balanced outs
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/535630/review-yulong-a100-headphone-amp
 
See above link for my detailed review.
 
In summary: The A100 is to amps what the D100 is to DACs. Very neutral, accurate, and transparent. It's an excellent value for the price. I docked it a star in the "Design" section because it omits balanced ins/outs, which seems odd given the D100 does balanced.
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project86

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Tonal balance, bass extension and clarity, neutrality, price, accessory package
Cons: will not have quite enough bass for bass heads (but it wasn't intended to)
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/530335/review-1964-t-triple-driver-customs-from-1964-ears
 
See above for my detailed review, as well as a link to an excellent review by user lJokerl. In summary: this is the best entry level custom that I have heard (and I own several). Very pleasing sound signature, mostly neutral but slightly boosted bass and relaxed highs. Works well with a good portable DAP but really shines with higher end gear. Regular price $450 but currently on sale for $350, unknown how long that will last. A good buy at either price.

project86

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: competes with DACs costing much more, amazing clarity and transparency, elegant simple design
Cons: USB inpuit can't handle hi-res audio, no balanced option

project86

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Amazingly deep hard hitting bass but still well controlled, top notch sound in every area, great value compared to competition
Cons: Still have to ship your impressions overseas
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/524282/review-unique-melody-miracle-6-driver-custom-iem
 
That's my full review. In summary: These are simply the best customs, and possibly the best headphones of any type, that I have ever heard. I prefer it to my JH13pro due to it's better deep bass response and more natural tone.
 
These sound great paired with a simple portable DAP. But when driven by a high end source and amplification, they respond by becoming world class performers. They remind me more of my Sony R10 than any other headphone I've heard, but with better bass and a much smaller price. I wish more people had the pleasure of experiencing these.
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ArcLight
ArcLight
Prior to today, for some reason, I never considered IEMs. I was always worried about the comfort, and lack of sound stage. A number of reviews on other sites are by non-audiophiles, so I tended to not count their review for much.
However - I am willing to keep an open mind.
Are you saying that I can comfortably listen to music (Jazz and Classical) for say 2-3 hours, have great sound, and sound stage, with great clarity, and feel some bass? This is what some audiophiles have said, and I'm intrigued.
smial1966
smial1966
Paired with the Tera Player these IEM produce an utterly beguiling sound that is pure bliss!

project86

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Very smooth and transparent, handbuilt in USA, great price
Cons: Not pretty but that isn't the point

project86

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Great sounding amp section -very forward and aggressive, DAC sounds fairly nice too, small size, price
Cons: none at this price point
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/484033/review-vivid-technologies-v1-usb-dac-portable-amp
 
That's my in depth review. In summary:
 
The Vivid V1 is a deceptively powerful little amp. It performs pretty well with almost any headphones, including full sized and IEMs. It has a somewhat unique forward and fairly aggressive sound signature, which is surprisingly pleasing. It pairs especially well with the Sennheiser HD600. The battery lasts a long time, and the USB DAC function is handy; it isn't exactly a top notch DAC but is almost certainly better than the one in your laptop.
 
Several people besides me have made positive comments about this amp, and for the price I think it is great entry level product.

project86

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: works as a decent amp, and the bass boost feature is surprisingly effective
Cons: the target market is a bit hard to define
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/504037/mini-review-digizoid-zo-portable-subwoofer
 
That's my whole review. In summary:
 
The zo is an interesting product. It seems like it would be just marketing fluff, but it actually does work like they claim. I was able to get (seemingly) hard hitting bass out of some headphones that had never been able to produce anything like that before. As a portable amp, the zo is a bit better than most cheaper amps you would find, such as the various cmoy based designs on ebay. But the real star of this show is the smartvector bass contour EQ feature.
 
My only issue with it is that the target market is a bit ambiguous. It seems like it would be an entry level product for beginners, but that's decieving.... most really cheap consumer headphones are already too bass heavy so this won't pair well. If you have a decent budget headphone or IEM, it might arguably be better to spend the $100 on an upgraded model rather than the zo. So it ends up being enthusiasts who already have several headphone models who will get the most out of the zo; but those are the same people who are likely the most skeptical of this this type of product. At least digiZoid offers a free trial period.
 
I'd like to see this technology licensed to some higher end equipment. This could be one of those things like crossfeed that some people would get a lot of use out of.

project86

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Great sounding DAC, powerful amp section, works as a pre-amp, optical passthru, handles 24-bit/96kHz audio, swappable opamps
Cons: none realy.... a toslink or coaxial input would be nice but would of course add to the price and complexity
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/484235/review-audinst-hud-mx1-usb-dac-amp
 
That's my full detailed review. In summary:
 
The Audinst is still one of my most often recommended pieces of gear, especially for people just getting into this hobby. As a DAC it is detailed and transparent with no specific weak points. As a headphone amp it is very poweful but of course has it's limits (could use more refinement but what do you expect for the price?). The overall package is very well done, with lots of nice features like an optical out for transcoding from USB to toslink, a front panel switch for disabling the RCA output when listening to headphones, and variable volume outputs allowing it to act as a pre-amp. It even lets you swap out opamps if you are interested in tweaking it a bit.
 
There are plenty of great products in this price range but I keep coming back to this as my recommendation.

project86

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Great sounding, excellent design and build quality from a very knowledgable enthusiast
Cons: requires impedance adapter (extra $15) for use with IEMs
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/494832/review-fournier-hta-1-hybrid-tube-amp-excellent-budget-amp
 
That's a link to my full review. In summary:
 
The Fournier HTA-1 is a small hybrid tube amp. It is made by an enthusiast who sells on eBay under the name "Linear Designs". He designs and hand builds each amp he sells, and is very knowledgable about this hobby.
 
The sound is fairly "tubey", with an excellent soundstage. Mids are the prominent focus in the spectrum, although lows and highs are quite nice as well, and transients are startlingly good for such a small cheap amp. It easily performs as well or better than a HiFiMan EF5 when I did a direct comparison.
 
One minor downside is that it doesn't quite have a "black background". It is completely free of any tube related hum, but does have a slight "hiss" regardless of volume level. This his makes it unsuitable for use with IEMs, although Linear Designs will sell you a nice impedance adapter for $15 that mostly takes care of the problem. With the adapter in place, the HTA-1 does a great job with IEMs, although I still find it's biggest strength to be when powering Grados and other full size cans.
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