Reviews by redrich2000

I was able to test out the Mems 3 as part of the Australian tour, thanks to @Damz87 as always for these amazing opportunities. We had the enhanced energiser option and I had the revised version of the IEM that had tried to address coherence issues.

Build/Aesthetics

The Mems three seem solidly enough built, but I demo'd the revised version after the left side of our original tour unit died, so make of that what you will. They come with a very nice cable, flexible and easy to work with. They were comfortable for long sessions.

They require use of an energiser to power the microspeaker drivers. The energiser was fiddly and not well built. It rattled and required usb-a to c to charge. I think if you owned these you'd get set up to charge the energiser and so it would probably be fine.

SOUND

The first thing to say here is the resolution and detail these produce is stunning, true flagship level. It was the kind of resolution that makes you want to go back to all your favourites to see what they can dig out of them you may have missed before. Soundstage is wide and deep with excellent imaging. They are open back IEMs, but not super open like open back full size cans but it does help them sound more open, airy and spacious than most IEMs.

The tonality is pretty neutral, light and airy. I didn't have a problem with the bass like some others have but I'm okay with a bit more subdued bass like this. But if you like a visceral thump, you may find these too lean. The bass is nicely detailed and well balanced. The mids were neutral, spacious and beautifully detailed. The treble extends for ever and is open and airy.

I did find them a bit splashy with poorer recordings and found myself knocking the treble down on the mojo2. But I didn't have the same issues with coherence that others have reported. I believe they addressed that on the revision and most of those reports came from folks who heard the first version. But some have reported it with the revision so YMMV.

CONCLUSION

These are a unique and impressive IEM. I think they would suit someone with a decent collection looking for something a bit different. They represent pretty good value with detial and resolution that competes with IEMs twice their price. But if you're like me and only ever have one or two IEMs, then you might be better with something more versitile. But definitely with a listen if you get the opportunity.

I had the privilege of trying the Burson Sololist Voyager, complete with the upgrade V7 Vivid op-amps and super-charger power supply, as part of the Australian tour. Big thanks to Ryan Triplets and @AddictedToAudio for giving us this this amazing opportunity.



Build/Aesthetics

It’s a chonky beast for sure, but that goes with the territory in this tier of amps. Burson have gone for a design that takes the edges off, which gives it a sleeker and more unique profile. Its feels really solid and well-constructed.

There does appear to be an issue with the volume knob on the tour unit. It doesn’t press easily like I assume it should and is a bit rough when turning. Not sure what the issue is but felt I should mention that.

User Interface/Experience

I’ve never been a fan of digital interfaces on amps like this, I find them always to be clunky and awkward to use. I would personally prefer physical switches. That would probably allow you less functionality but give me gain, input and output switches and I’d be happy. That said, it does get the job done, albeit with difficulty given the volume knob issue on the tour unit.

The amp is a dual-mono design aimed to provide maximum channel separation, so the inputs on the back are on opposite sides of the unit. This can make it a little tricky if you’re using short cables. I don’t think that’s an issue, just something to note.

The upgraded power supply is in the form of a rather large wall wart that could be slightly awkward depending on your space. Not a deal-breaker but I would prefer either a built-in power supply or separate box. If you’re in the market for an amp in this price range and have the space, I’d suggest looking at the Fusion Core option. It would both max out the potential of the amp and be a more elegant solution than the wall wart.

It does get pretty warm. But not to the point where it was a problem for me. I only have a small space where I listen and had to have the Pietus on top of the BSV. I used some rubber spacers to raise it off by a few cms, which seemed to work fine. Long-term though you’d want it in a rack or with enough space to have other components placed beside it.



Sound

I was listening to the BSV via my Mojo 2 using Focal Clear, Radiance headphones and Thieaudio Prestige Ltd IEMS.

Overall, it’s a warm and very resolving amplifer. My current amp is the humble Nitsch Pietus Maximus, which is known for being a very lush and warm amp. The BSV is pretty close to it in terms of tonality but with more extension and a little less midrange forwardness, a more balanced presentation overall. It was an excellent pairing with my Clears and Radiance, which tilt slightly bright for my taste. It also worked well on low gain with my Prestige Ltd IEMs.

I’m not going to break down the individual components of the sound spectrum. I don’t think I have enough experience with amps in this tier to do that justice. Also, I’ve always thought relative comparisons are much more useful in reviews.

It was a very clear upgrade on the Pietus Maximus, as it obviously should be. More resolving, wider soundstage, better clarity and separation and more balanced tonality. I don’t imagine there are many of you weighing up the BSV versus something like the Pietus LOL, so not sure how useful that comparison is.

I previously owned an Auralic Taurus, which was a summit-fi tier amp back in its day. It’s a while since I had it but I feel like the Pietus is in the same ballpark as the Taurus, meaning the BSV would be a significant jump up from the Taurus as well.

Does the improvement justify the huge price difference? Well of course that’s really a subjective question depending on your budget, gear chain and experience. I would think a comparison with the Schiit Mjolnir 3 would be a much fairer and more telling comparison. I’ve read people say the Pietus is about 90% of the MJ3, if that’s correct, I would expect it to be much closer to the BSV. But I’ve not heard the MJ3, so please check out other reviews on that.

* The first photo is stolen from the web, I took a few but didn't like how most of them turned out. The second photo is mine though.

I was able to try the Crimson on the Australian tour. Thanks as always to @Damz87 and Symfonium.

Design/Build: The Crimson is a premium IEM and looks and feels the part. I love the feel of the metal shells, they feel more premium than my Prestige Ltd. They are heavier but I didn’t find that a problem. I had no problems with comfort however don’t really listen for longer than an hour or two at most, so YMMV.

They come with an excellent cable. The tour unit came with the 8-wire upgrade cable. Ergonomics are superb, much lighter and more flexible than the 8w EA cables I own with no trade off in performance. Probably worth the upgrade if you’re getting these and can stretch.

Sound: I listened out of a Mojo2. Overall I found the Crimson to be pretty neutral, light and airy. I’m not gonna do a better job at detailed evaluation as others here. So I will describe my impressions relative to the Thieaudio Prestige Ltd which I was evaluating at the same time (and ended up buying) and which is in the same price range.

I would rank the Crimson and the Prestige Ltd in the same tier overall. I think technicalities they are pretty even. The Prestige has better bass benefiting from its dynamic driver. The Crimson has excellent BA bass (which is becoming more common now), it is detailed, fast and deep. But the Prestige has the tactility that only a DD can give you.

I found the Crimsons midrange a hair cooler than the Prestige. They both have superb, detailed and clear mid ranges. The Prestige maybe has a bit more space and clarity but the Crimson might be a little more coherent/together.

In the treble, the Prestige brings more a little more sparkle and air, but the Crimson is a little more forgiving.

Overall, I could have happily lived with either of these IEMs. I went for the Prestige because there was a good deal on them used from a friend and because my previous daily driver was the all BA Campfire Ara and wanted a hybrid that was something different to those. But if you wanted something bit more neutral and relaxed, the Crimson would be a great choice.

I had the chance to tour the Hiby R6 Pro II thanks to @Damz87. It’s the first time I’ve toured something that I had considered buying, so I was very keen to try this.

Design and Aesthetics

I really like the design of the R6P2, the textured matte back is a big improvement on glass-backed DAPs. It's unique and stands out. It feels really nice in the hand and more solid, less fragile. I think I would use this without a case if I owned one. It does have some sharpish corners, but that’s a pretty minor issue.


UX

The R6P2 runs the SD 865 chip with Android 12. I recently owned the FiiO M11 plus ESS that ran Android 10 on the 860 chip. The R6P2 is not really noticeably faster than that DAP for common functions. I never pushed them with mutli-tasking etc. Android 12 may give you more longevity. But apart from that, I don’t think that’s a reason to prefer the R6P2.

When Hiby first released the R6iii with Android 12, it was a bit buggy. But those bugs seem to be resolved now.

It offers the usual Hiby features, including the system-wide MSEB EQ. I quite like that myself, once you get the hang of it, it’s useful for making small tweaks. If you’re into full band EQ, you can run apps like Wavelet and PowerAmp on it.

I didn’t really have a chance to push the battery life on it. But I was surprised by how well it lasted given the specs. If you’re only listening for an hour or two here and there, you’d only need to charge every 4-5 days. Obviously if you’re a heavy user the battery life may be an issue.


Sound Quality

I’m going to do this in comparison-mode. I currently own the Mojo 2 and Hiby R5G2. I recently owned the Hiby R6iii and FiiO M11 plus ESS. Out of those, the Mojo for me is the clear winner in technical performance. The R6P2 is good, but the Mojo gives better resolution, better staging, better micro detail and a more refined/natural overall tonality.

That said, the R6P2 is not too far behind and would an excellent alternative to the Mojo if you are using it while on the move and prefer a single box solution (unless you spring for the Chord Poly with the Mojo).

In terms of tonality, compared to the Mojo 2, the R6P2 is cooler, less organic, more leading-edge sharpness, less upper bass and midrange warmth. If you like that type of presentation you may prefer the R6P2. But I prefer the Mojo’s tonality.

I also own a Hiby R5G2 that I used to use as transport before I got the Poly. The R6P2 is significantly better the R5G2 in every way, as it should be. I previously owned the R6iii, from memory I’m pretty confident it would be an upgrade on that. Similar tonality but more resolving.

The M11 plus ESS I think would be closer comparison, but I no longer have it to direct compare. The R6P2 is new with a better SoC chip but worse battery life. If I was buying new, I would go for the R6P2, the design is nicer, newer tech and battery life is not an issue for the way I would use it.

Conclusion

The Hiby R6 Pro ii is an excellent DAP. It brings a great combination of unique design, slick UX and superb sound quality for the price. I think it probably reigns atop the pile of mid level DAPs at present.

Should you buy it? If sound quality is your primary concern and you don't need a pocket-friendly one-box player, I'd still go for the Mojo 2 (and the Poly if budget allows). As a Mojo2/Poly user, I was very interested whether the R6P2 would tempt me to simplify back down to a DAP. It didn't. It is slightly nicer UX then the Mojo/Poly, but not enough to justify the drop is sound quality for me. YMMV.

If you do want to be able to pocket it though and have large pockets, then the only concern would be battery life. But as long as you're only listening for an hour or two each day or are okay charging every couple of days, the battery life is fine IMO.

Build, comfort and aesthetics: The packaging for the Supernova is relatively straightforward. The cable is a 4-wire design with high-quality metal hardware. I generally like light and flexible cables and this one was pretty nice. I like this trend towards puck cases, much better than pouches for me. This one was okay, good size but not the smoothest threading. I’m not a fan of the audio-jewellery aesthetic, I’m a matte black kinda guy. So not a fan of these really but YMMV.

Comfort wise these are great, I used spin fit tips and had no comfort issues.


Sound Quality: I did my listening out of Mojo 2/Poly. My daily drivers are Focal Clear and Radiance and Campfire Ara. I like a smooth, laid-back, lush, warm presentation. I modded the Radiance with some damping over the drivers to calm them down a little. So that’s where I’m coming from.

Tonal Balance: The Supernova are what I would call almost perfectly neutral. Somewhat forward/aggressive, very crisp and clear. I initially found them a little too crispy/glarey for my tastes, but only slightly. Very similar to the Radiance which most people call warm. So I think most folks would consider the Supernova warm-neutral.

Technical Performance: I thought these were really good for this price range. They are very clean and clear so there is good separation and clarity but they lack the micro-detail and texture retrieval of top-tier IEMs.

Bass: I’m not a basshead but don’t mind the odd the thumping guilty pleasure. These however are very flat and natural sounding in the bass, not emphasised but not lacking. Extension is good. There is good clarity and definition in the bass but again not the texturing you get from top-tier IEMs.

Mids: Flat, clean, clear, neutral. Maybe a hint of warmth but not as warm as the Ara.

Treble: Initially I found these a bit to crisp in the treble. I had the Effect Audio Fusion 1 cable at the same time as these and when I switched to that I had much less problem with the treble. The Fusion 1 didn’t reduce the treble, it improved the quality. So I think the issue with the super nova is a little bit of treble grain/harshness.

Conclusion: These are great IEMs for the price. Very neutral and balanced tonality and good technical performance for their price range.

I'm the first to post a review of these from the Australian tour. So first up, thanks to Audiofly, Noisy Motel and djvkool for making it happen. Now some eye candy:
 
 


 

 
Build and Aesthetics: In a word, superb. Like the other Audiofly gear I've seen, these are beautiful and very solid. Well made and with cool detailing that you expect from the big boys like Sennheiser, not from small boutiques. The case is really nice, it's a canvas material which is a nice change from the usual nylon. The cable is great, cordura covered and a little longer than usual, which is useful without being too long. 
 
Sound: Generally these are warm, smooth and oh so sweet.
 
Bass: Big and punchy and very well detailed. Not as big or deep as the H300s I tried recently. I'm and ER-4 kinda guy, the bass on the AF is still bigger than I'd call natural, but not so much so that I couldn't enjoy it as a change of pace. I reckon they will put a small on all but the most severe bass-heads.
 
Mids: Sweet and warm but still flat and quite clean. Reasonable detail but nothing special.
 
Highs: This is the weak spot, they are rolled off and lacking sparkle. But with a touch of treble boost I was happy.
 
Conclusion: This is not a sound sig I'd normally go for. The treble roll off and overall warmth makes these sound a bit veiled and lacking in detail and clarity. But with a touch of treble boost I really, really liked them. That gives them the sparkle they need and EQd I found them quite clean and balanced and very naturally smooth. I've been using the new AT-IM02 lately, they are about the same RRP down here. The IM02 has better treble, detail and clarity but I'd rate the two phones about equal, which one you prefer would depend on whether you go for warm and sweet or sparkle. The AF140 is built every bit as well as the IM02 but has a better cable and case and looks a bit more handsome.

I've just packed up the H300 loaner ready to send it on its merry way, thanks to H20fidelity for organising this. My impression largely accords with those above, a big V-shaped sound sig, with fantastic bass. The clarity and detail across the spectrum is great too, but the treble is too hot. A couple of folks have said they're like a DBA02 with more bass, that's bang on for me. 
 
Build and aesthetics: Build quality on these is pretty standard, acceptable for the price but nothing spectacular. The housings are big and stick out of your ears like a couple of little corks. I would say they are strictly for audiophiles in this regard, but there are plenty of popular consumer IEMs that are as big so that's probably just me. I found the fit and comfort excellent. I prefer wearing phones cable down, it lets you put them in and out much more easily. They should add a shirt clip though, but having said that I didn't miss it too much. I didn't use any stock tips so can't comment on those. I also didn't try the mic-cable.
 
I briefly used a pair of silicons then switched to a pair of comply tips with the foam cover on the nozzle. Most of my comments are with the latter.
 
BASS: I'm an ER-4 type of guy, so the first thing hit my on these was the bass. It's big, deep, detailed and fantastic. The bass is beautifully detailed and controlled, and it does not bleed much at all outside of it's range. The bass is fast and tight and extends very deep. For me personally the bass is a bit too big to be called natural, it's great for something different from time to time but not every day for me. But I'm likely to be in a small minority on that, most will LOVE the bass on these.
 
MIDS: The mids are surprisingly good given the bass. They have that beautiful thick meaty tonality in the mids that make acoustic instruments sound truly beautiful. But they remain very clear and reasonably flat. You expect the mids to be recessed when you first listen to them because the bass is so prominent, but then when you focus in you're pleasantly surprised. The mids are not completely flat but they're pretty close. I think the mids are actually better than the DBA02, a bit more natural sounding.
 
TREBLE: Here's where these really fall down for me. With silicons these are hot, hot, hot. People who like the hyper-sparkle of the CK10/DBA02-type will have no problems. But even as someone who likes a bright, fast sound sig, these are too much for me. They are sibilant and harsh to my ears. BUT, once I put the complys on they calmed down a lot, to the point where I didn't bother to EQ them further. If I was using them longer term I might still play with the EQ but they were acceptable with the complys. In that respect I'd say they're superior to the DBA02. They have excellent detail and extension. But even when tamed, they are still a bit harsh and screamy in the treble. I'm not a graph guy but I suppose it's the peak others are talking about.
 
DETAIL/CLARITY/SEPARATION/SOUNDSTAGE: The H300 are excellent in all these categories. Detail and separation is truly excellent from the very bottom to the very top of the spectrum. Soundstage is excellent, not the best I've heard but no one will have a problem with them in this respect. 
 
Conclusion: There is a lot to like about these, if you like big, deep and tight bass without sacrificing detail and clarity, you may well love them. The treble is hot but with minimal intervention that can be well-tamed.

Just a quick review... I think the people critiquing these miss the point a bit. These are not reference headphones. But they are actually decent sound wise, not great but far from terrible. They are hands down the most stylish headphones I've seen, both on and off. They have a particularly low profile when worn. If I never went out in public I probably wouldn't use these, but for those of us that care, the sound compromise is not too great to outweigh how good these look IMO.
 
They are about $100 cheaper than the Sennheiser Momentum, they look quite a bit nicer but don't sound as good. So value-wise I think they are about right. You just have to decide where you fall on the style/substance continuum.

Nothing major to add here. I have been searching for a long time for a closed portable that sounds good, looks good and is genuinely portable (ie. no 3m coiled cables). I think this is the closest to that I have found. They have a bit too much bass emphasis to be perfect but their detail, resolution and soundstage is excellent, which makes the bass less intrusive and they have a lovely smooth, thick but natural texture. They are also very forgiving of less than perfect source material and very efficient, which means they sound great straight out of your DAP or smart phone.
 
They are really well made, not quite as nice as the B&W P5, but very nice, much nicer than the Sony R1s. They are not truly over-ears IMO, the ear cups are too small to fit around any but the smallest ears, so they sort of sit half over and half on the ears. But what you lose in comfort you gain in a lower profile.

A gem from the past: fast, transparent, detailed and up-front.

I think these are a great portable option for those who don't like full in-ear phones. These are comfortable, easy to get in and out, don't completely cut you off from the world and they are durable.
 
SQ wise I think they are very good, much better than a lot of the semi in-ear canal phones I have tried. they are reasonably balances and detailed. Although they have that slightly bloated in the bass, but MUCH less so than most canal phones.

You don't need another review about how good these sound. But I had two pairs, both of which lasted only a couple of months before one ear went dead. I was keeping them wrapped around my ipod in my bag but wasn't abusing them. So either I had shocking luck or these phones are a bit fragile.