This following is the verbatim text from my ohm-image.net review, linked below. Ohm is my website and I own all content on it. If you want to see more detailed photos of it, please head over there. Or hit up the video above.

ohmage to the Hidizs MS1-Rainbow

Disclaimer: Hidizs sent MS1-Rainbow to me for the purposes this review. It goes for 55$ USD. Inside is a 10,2mm dynamic driver. To find out more, hit up Hidizs’s MS-1 Rainbow page.

You already know what I think of the MS-1 Mermaid. Heck, you may remember my opinion of Hidizs’s AP100 DAP- and subsequently may understand why I don’t recommend pitting them together. If you can’t put two and two together, it is because the AP100 hisses way more than the MS-1 likes. Seriously, it basically blows it up. Incidentally, hiss is the main reason I don’t plug recent Hidizs earphones into my favourite Minidisc players and recorders, not to mention a number of DAPs out there.

Honestly, it is almost as sensitive as Shure’s SE846. You’ll just about hear trace shhhh shhhh sounds from every source, no matter its price. I say just about because a few choice modern devices are basically free of hiss. Hidizs say the MS-1’s sensitivity is just 112dB, but if the spec sheet read 130dB I’d not be surprised. Anyway, if you own or want to own an MS-1 Rainbow, you’ll have to get used to hiss.

If you hate hiss, allow me to suggest the following sources: NextDrive Spectra X, iPhone SE, Astell & Kern AK380, Onkyo DP-S1, Cowon Plenue D2, Sharp MD-DR7.

Haptics and build: ohmage and porridge

Against the Mermaid version, Rainbow is practically weightless. It’s got solid heat shrink sleeve around its cable, which, totally tosses Rainbow around. Heck, it tosses around heavier earphones. Want to set it on a table for photos? You’ll need tape. Want to hold it between two fingers? Get some glue. If Rainbow were physically smaller and the same weight, it wouldn’t be so unwieldy. But, gosh, even if all you have are post-puberty metrosexual man fingers, you will have a hard time gripping Rainbow without it flying out of your grip. If you’re a woman, or a kid, you’re probably good.

Rainbow’s resin shell doesn’t really scratch. Or, if it does, it doesn’t show. Sombre and sexy as it is, the MS-1 Mermaid is a little too serious. That said, now that its shell is clear and lets me see inside, I wish Rainbow were much smaller. I also wish it sported anything but the tired custom-cum-universal shape. What have I mind you ask? Something like a biggened-up Audio Technica CK10, or a Tin Hifi T4. Either one would be perfect.

Rainbow’s large body makes it easy to attach and detach cables and ear pieces. On the flip side, it is hard to stuff it into small ears. My wife managed, but not comfortably. And me? Well, it goes in, but, for me, comfort is down to tips.

The 2-pin jack wears a protective sleeve about 1mm thick. It is matte and not easily scratched. It also diverts contact-borne wear effects away from the body as well as makes it easier to locate the port in the dark.

Like Mermaid, Rainbow is impeccably fastened and finished. You’ll find neither glue nor gum anywhere on its body. It is finely tooled and finished, and its grill is sexy. The one fly in the ointment is that its logo sits bare atop the resin, and in time, is bound to rub away.

The cable is solid, and protected from tip to tip in substantial sleeving. The maw in the up end of its y-split allows the cables a bit of play. As to the mic in its slim-ish remote, it sounds okay, and houses controls for volume up/down if you have the right phone.

Accessories: ohmage and porridge

Rainbow’s box is thick and deep, and white inside and out. Inside it is a smaller box, within which you’ll find the cable, and ear pieces. Above that, in tailor-made niches, is MS-1 Rainbow, in a colour of your choice. Under all of that are a manual, discount card, and Hidizs business card. The ear pieces are divided into two nose styles: tapered and flattened. Both are pretty resistive, and isolate well. For my ears, neither is comfortable. Whilst reviewing I used the flattened ones, but when I’m out to enjoy music, I use anyone else’s foamies.

The draw bag is simpler, cheaper, and probably better equipped for the daily grind than the awkward boxes that came with Mermaid editions. Overall, I like what Hidizs have done with Rainbow, but I really wish it had some softer ear pieces.

Kitsch: ohmage

Rainbow looks great. And, despite its sparkles, it is less kitschy than the MS-1 and MS-4 that preceded it. It sports colour where it should, dekes out strange gilded designs, and even manages to keep a playful feel with its solid, silver-coated cable. It is also the cutest design Hidizs have yet put forth.

Sound: ohmage and porridge

Sound-wise, the essential MS-1 remains unchanged. It retains crisp, sparkly highs, lean bass, and forward mids. The lot renders close to completely neutral at the ear, with no discernible rise in the lows, and only a small rise in the upper midrange.

I find that the included ear tips accentuate the upper mids and highs, which after-market sponge flanges soften. Either way, there is a small amount of environmental reverb going on, which I loved in the original MS-1 and love still in Rainbow.

That said, Rainbow has just a bit too much high-end sparkle for live dance hall recordings, at least for me. The reverb helps add context and describe the environment, but it may also accentuate how piercing the highs become. If you really love energetic presentations, by all means, consider the MS-1 Rainbow. Heck, much of the signature that makes the Audio Technica CK10 great (and also a pain) also describes Rainbow.

In the last three years or so, I have come to prefer earphones with a high-range warming/softening gradual low pass filter. Here I much prefer the MS-4 to both MS-1 models. The thing is, the sense of speed, and mid/high-range instrument delineation you get from the MS-1 is incredible. Spatial cues are right on from the midrange on up, and even in its mild bass, the MS-1 pushes a good sense of stereo detail, if not texture.

That said, in a volumetric sense, Rainbow delivers a mild rather than wild soundstage. Stereo cues fall just a bit wider than the shoulders and don’t rise much above the crown of the head. The Z-axis is more impressive, detailing a decent 3D space out to the elbows. Tin HiFi’s T4 goes wider and farther forward than Rainbow. It also does so with the perfect amount of high-end roll off. There is some similarity between Rainbow and Sony’s EX1000, but the Sony’s softer high range edges are easier to listen to over a long period of time. It also casts a much larger stereo stage along any axis.

While Rainbow: large, cool-looking, and sparkly, is basically the physical opposite of the Darth Vader EX1000, it sounds like an adolescent (read squeakier voiced) version of it. Coming from a man that loves the EX1000 to bits, that is high praise.

Another cool thing about MS1-Rainbow is that its four-pole cable somehow transfers audio signal to the earphones despite being wired for mic and volume controls. What does this mean? Well, for smartphones and DAPs, nothing. But for Sharp Auvi MD players? It means finally, stereo sound from a stock third-party earphone. Usually, Auvi units top out at around 20dB when driving aftermarket earphones. Well, the MS1’s cable doubles that, whilst retaining a good degree of crossfeed. Of course, plug MS1 into an Aiwa or Sony? No stereo at all. Totally monaural. Cool bit of trivia though.

End words

Rainbow looks better than Mermaid, and is funner to use. Its packaging, carrying bag, and more, are up to date, and stylish. But unless you have tiny fingers, it isn’t as easy to handle. I really like the direction Hidisz are heading, and can’t wait to see a Rainbow version of the MS-4. But more than that, I hope they will consider ditching the custom-cum-universal design.

ohmage: 4
porridge: 3

Disclaimer: Shanling sent the Q1 to me for a review at Headfonics. That you can read here: Shaling Q1 review. I also reviewed it at ohm-image. I paid nothing for it and have enjoyed it immensely. It is a pre-production unit in special reviewer purple. Production versions look different. They also come in boxes.

NOTE: This text is verbatim the text found at ohm-image.net. I am the publisher of the original text and own ohm-image. I ain't no pirate. For full photos, hit up the original, again here:

ohmage to the Shanling Q1

Companion RMAA measurements can be found here:

RMAA: Shanling Q1 24-bit

Finally, if you want to see how the Q1 handles in a real hands-on, check out my YouTube video below. Same review text, but lots of use case showcase moving pictures.



The Q1 is smaller, cheaper, and, at normal listening levels, it sounds just as good as the M2X. Sure, it lacks the M2X’s rubber port gaskets, balanced output, wifi, Tidal (and on and on and on), but its simplified graphical and physical UI are just what my doctor ordered.

Specifications:
Screen: 2,7 inch 360x400 touch screen
System: Touch OS by Shanling
Weight: 136,8g
DAC: ESS Sabre E9218P
Battery life: up to 21 hours (depending on usage)
Deep standby: up to 20 days (depending on usage)
Charging time: 2 hours (depending on usage)
Battery capacity: 1100 may
Storage: up to 2TB micro SD card
Audio formats: APE, FLAC, ALAC, WMA, AAC, OGG, MP3, OPUS, WAVE, AIFF, DSF, DIFF
Output port: 3,5mm jack headphone output
Output power: 80mW @32Ω
Output impedance: <0,2Ω
Channel separation: -78dB
Recommended headphone impedance: 8-300Ω
Frequency response: 20-40kHz
Distortion: 0,004%
Signal to noise Ratio: 118dB
Ground noise: <3,2uV (High Gain) <1,5uV (Low Gain)
Dynamic Range: > 105dB
Hi-Res support: up to 384kHz / 32bit, DSD64 & DSD125
Bluetooth: Two-way Bluetooth 4,2
Bluetooth Codec: Two-way LDAC, AAC, SBC, Transmit only aptX

Haptics and build: ohmage and porridge

The Q1 is more compact than a slimline Aiwa MD player. Heck, its footprint is smaller than a minidisk cassette and is only about three times thicker. Unlike a HX100, its buttons are easy to reach, and sized for adult fingers. The tracking back button falls right under the index finger, the play/pause button falls right under the middle finger, and the tracking forward button right under the ring finger. The one fly stirring in the ointment is the ambiguous iconography behind its play/pause button, which sure as not, looks like a stop/start control for a portable recorder.

The Q1’s headphone jack is centre aligned along the bottom edge. This ensures that headphone cables droop directly from the player in a clean parabolic arc to your ears. Top-aligned ports force the headphone cable to double back behind the player and hook on or stab random stuff in front of you, which can damage both the player and plug.

Thanks to its curved bottom, the Q1 feels great in the hand. But on a table, it spins like a top. Still, the Q1 is buttoned up pretty tight. If not for its protruding glass screen, I reckon it could take a spill or two from your kitchen table. Its back is hollowed from a single piece of metal, and its large buttons sit atop solid plinths. Glass screen aside, it is ready to be rough handled.

The Q1’s screen is pretty low resolution and isn’t great for browsing photos. But, its colours are reasonably crisp. Viewing angles are sufficient enough to keep text and art legible for most viewing, but gosh if it doesn’t wash out pretty fast when held at an angle. In every aspect, it is superior to the screens in Cowon’s D2 and Onkyo’s DP-S1. Even when scrolling fast, image tearing is minimal. Conversely, when browsing two or three layers deep in the UI, the Q1 stammers a bit.

Speaking of UI, while easy as pie to learn, and reliable whilst jogging from home to work, its icons are straight from Windows XP. They are ugly and a poor match to the Q1’s playful exterior. But they are the right size for easy touching. And, they are perfectly placed for fingers of all sizes. Behind them is a responsive touch/swipe engine. A few screens are confusing, hide too much, or display incorrect information. An example of the latter is ‘You’re The One For Me’’s place in my Frequent list. I’ve never played it on any portable device, let alone the Q1, and I’ve not listened to it more than a handful of times on any device. How it nabbed spot one on my frequency list constitutes a conspiracy on the order of 9/11.

I’ve tracked the Q1 at near twenty hours of playback with a good salad of use cases. Sure, you can do better, but it is more than enough to get through a day of work and the commute to and fro.

Its Bluetooth functionality is awesome. You can dual it up as a receiver for your iPhone and plug in your favourite tethered earphones, or send signals from it to your favourite wireless buds. The latter can get up to 50 metres from the Q1 before the signal quality goes kaput. That’s almost as good as an iPhone, so cool beans.

Kitsch: ohmage

This bad boy is pre-production. If you want to see how the full package looks, check out any review from February on. It’s generally no-nonsense, if styled a bit joke-ily. Its easy to suss GUI and reliable button array are great. The chrome accents are a bit kitsch, but installed in such a solid player, they are nothing but a bit of eccentricity.

Storage: porridge

You’ll have to pony up for a micro SD card because the Q1 lacks internal storage. I’ve been using 32GB Toshiba beasts of speed and reliability and 200GB Sandisk dogs of surfeit and self-destruction.

Battery life: ohmage

I’ve tracked the Q1 at near twenty hours of playback with a good salad of use cases. Sure, you can do better, but it is more than enough to get through a day of work and the commute to and fro.

Sound: ohmage

I look at sound quality a bit differently to many reviewers out there. If a device does what it sets out to do, and performs well within its category by keeping hiss low, nailing gapless playback, and keeping current-to-voltage ratios high, it gets good marks from me. If it does all of that whilst providing a unique signature, dayum!

The Q1 hisses a tiny bit more than an iPhone SE, making it almost perfect for the most sensitive earphones on the market. And, it spits perfect current into low-Ω headphones and earphones. This ensures great frequency response and stereo performance no matter what’s plugged into it.

Recently, I’ve tested a few mid to high-end players that return worse measurements than the Q1, a fact about which I recently argued at length with a high-profile reviewer. If sound quality means how it makes you feel, the Q1 isn’t as good sounding as Cayin’s N6ii, but if sound quality is measurable as a percentage of deviation against the original signal, then the Q1 basically shows up players as high up the scale as the AK380.

Even with a minimum slow filter engaged the Q1 belts out music at a foot-tapping pace. There’s not a real comfy chair bone in its body. And that is the biggest bone I have to pick with it. I’d much rather soften its top end with a DAC filter than EQ. The good news is that the Q1’s EQ is robust and easy to use.

As you can see, the Q1 keeps up incredible stereo pressure across the spectrum through a variety of loads. IMD and THD distortion top out at 0,052% under the extreme load of an Earsonics SM2. Driving the current-hungry but voltage shy Audio Technica ES7, the worst distortion the Q1 puts out is 0,0089%. Obviously, both are totally inaudible. Jitter is nominal for a player in its price range, and as low as many high-end DAPs on the market today. At normal listening levels, SNR, stereo separation, and DR drop, but only commensurately to the volume differential between MAX and comfort.

Objectively, the Q1 is impeccable and among the best DAPs I’ve tested. It also sounds good, but it is obvious that Shanling didn’t put much effort into really tailoring its output for a specific sort of sound. Whether peaky and open, or dark and rich, I wish they had. Yes, I prefer the latter, but that preference isn’t what drives the desire for a more unique sound signature. For whatever reason, high-end DAPs tend to deliver the more unique signatures. Oftentimes this comes coupled with unique distortion patterns, and more. The Q1 sounds like a better-measuring iPhone. That means: near perfection, but it means very little character, even after applying DAC filters, EQs, and the like. I love the DAP, and I know that technically, its sound is top-notch. But, like many if not most audiophiles, I pine for a DAP that advertises itself along many audio avenues, including a unique and tailored house sound. Unfortunately, the Q1 totally lacks a house or brand-painted sound.

End words

Its few flaws in UI and haptics aside, the Q1 is the best DAP I’ve reviewed in recent memory. It performs almost without flaw. And, while it lacks a unique sound signature, it sounds great. Its battery life is good, and it is robust, easy to use, and generally responsive. You can even use it as a tethered or wireless DAC for your phone or computer. The Q1’s got it where it counts; better yet, counting up to its price point doesn’t take that long. It’s awesome.

ohmage: 4
porridge: 2

As has been tradition for some of the sites I run, the below text is a verbatim version of the original review, which can be found at the link below this paragraph. At that link more illustrative photos can also be found.

ohmage to the Cayin N6ii

That review has also been turned into the following YouTube video:



And now for the review text.

Review begin:

Disclaimer: Cayin Japan kindly loaned me the N6MKII for the purposes of this review, an RMAA article, and more.

I’ve had the N6MKII since late October last year. In quick succession I tore apart its boxes and took a handful of purdy photos of it. But software problems (my end, not Cayin’s), kept me from doing much testing. (Apologies to both Cayin and to those next in the review queue.) Those issues are long gone.

Despite the delays, I am readay to say what I was ready to say from day one: that the N6MKII is beautifully made, nicely branded, but not for me. I say this not because it is too big; I say this because it is too complicated; I say this because its battery life is poor. I say this because I’m a mid-range guy and the N6MKII obviously aims higher than that.

Not sound

The N6MKII’s biggest problem is lithium-ic. Even when shut off, its battery drains in less than a week. Playing back music, its battery drains in (less lthan fifteen hours), but add browsing, fiddling with various controls, and album swapping, and that number quickly dips below ten hours. Considering its power, that isn’t bad. Typically, however, the DAPs and other audio gear I use, can, under the most demanding use, keep up a steady fifteen hours. To be fair, many TOTL DAPs similarly fare, but to be fairer, getting through a modern work day and the commute home on a single charge should be par. My most used audio devices are MD recorders, none of which gets worse than 15 hours of battery playback, some of which get more than 20. And then there are my Cowon Plenue DAPs, each running for more than a day. Even Onkyo’s DP-S1 gets at least twenty hours.

The N6MKII’s second biggest problem is robotic. Under the bonnet resides a robust Android OS that can play any file type you want, connects to the Google Play Store, and browses both media and the web just like a smartphone. The problem is that the N6MKII is neither as smart, nor as fast as your typical Google or Sony Android phone. The latest iPod touch is much more deeply integrated. Jumps from music, to web browsers, and other apps, are smoother, and uniformity between apps gels. (Show photos and album artwork.)

Certain Android touches: swipe down access to audio and other settings, a robust files system, better lock screen controls, are superior to iOS’s abstruse OS sandbox. Regarding volume controls, Cayin read my mail. 100 discrete steps? Touch-defeatable volume screen? Plus/minus controls? Utility over looks? Dayum. Add to that combination controls for attenuation/mains, and Bob’s your uncle.

Minor victories aside, the N6MKII is still a boat. Across its top are: a stereo line out (SPDIF combo output), 3,5mm stereo, and a 4,4mm TRRRS balanced output. Both its headphone outputs are among the most powerful I’ve ever used. Along its right side are a combination attenuator/mains dial, tracking back, play/pause, and tracking forward controls. Along the bottom edge are a USB-C and i2S port. The latter is pretty novel in DAPs. I have only ever used them in home DACs.

The entire thing is buttoned up really well into a single block of milled aluminium. Its seams are perfect. Its edges are kind. And, while I don’t like its stylistic flourishes, I have to admit that Cayin’s grasp of gentle branding is refreshing. The attenuator hides between two protective horns and isn’t easily riddled one way or another. Its tracking controls, however, are. I accidentally hit them ever time I pick it up. Thankfully, they can be disabled in the settings app.

To me, the N6MKII is a boat. And it handles like one. Because it arrays its outputs across the top, it tips forward, forces you to hit the attenuator and/or navigation buttons, and catches on things when used in and out of the pocket. Heck, even in the hand, cables running from the top are unwieldy.

It comes with a nice leather case. That case protects all the necessaries, but makes it hard to access the swipe down menu. Ho hum.

Cayin offer a small but good range of after-market amp modules for the N6MKII, each of which is powerful and catered to a certain type of listener and use case. Each is also punctuated by commensurately differentiated performance curves, measurable, or otherwise.

It also features modern Bluetooth, though, probably due to antennae design, one that can’t hold a candle to a smartphone. For instance, using AirPods Pro, which, on a sunny day, can get a solid 60 metres away from an iPhone, get only twenty metres from the N6MKII.

Sound

The N6MKII just about nails gapless playback. When forced, errors are minor. Better, they seldom appear. This means no more cue sheets, or other workarounds. Live music, trance sets I love, and good number of studio and classical albums will be happy.

You won’t find too many DAPs that hiss less than this bad boy. As far as I can tell, they sit between an iPhone SE and an AK380, both of which are practically noiseless.

The Cayin Music app, and its associated settings, are impressive. A total of seven DAC-level PCM antialiasing filter settings )Sharp Roll-off, Slow Roll-off, Short Delay Sharp Roll-off, Short Delay Slow Roll-off, Super Sharp Roll-off, Super Slow Roll-ff, and Low Dispersion Short Delay) work wonders to de-digitalise or re-digitise certain music. My favourite of course is is the Super Slow Roll-off. It de-peaks the top end of my favourite earphones, and otherwise comfies up harsh music.

With the exception of Burson’s Fun, the N6MKII easily outstrips every desktop audio amp and DAC I own or have owned for output power. Of course, Fun is as crazily overpowered as Rise of Skywalker’s Creamy Sheeve. As hardware tests bear out, the N6MKII also sends ample current to earphones, headphones, and lines out, ensuring music totally free of frequency fluctuations.

It also means that, regardless the load, stereo signals are kept truly discrete. In fact, the N6MKII remains among a handful of mid and high end DAPs I’ve used that treats harsh loads as complete stereo afterthoughts. Yes, an Earsonics SM2 presents a higher stereo load effect than a DT880/600. But, that effect is basically Even Stephen from 20Hz to 20.000Hz. And the same goes for every load I’ve tested. Such control is truly inspiring. But it leaves me wishing for low-level controls over crossfeed. Why? Because, while I love headphones, I much prefer listening to music through a decent 2,1 system where both channels feed into both of my ears.

Even in sharp roll-off form, the N6MKII sports an undefeatable low-pass filter. It starts its slow descent from 10.000Hz and continues to 20.000Hz, where it measures -1dB on my system. Yes, it is totally inaudible, but because someone is bound to mention it, I thought I’d sound the bell first.

Even spitting volume levels that far exceed typical thresholds for pain, the N6MKII is able to output over -90dB of stereo separation into an Earsonics SM2. Of course, at normal listening levels, that number drops down. But -90dB is nothing to scoff at. In fact, no measurement the N6MKII returns is worthy of anything but respect.

That said, the N6MKII isn’t a measurement king. It’s more about power and feel than absolute signal sanitisation. The way stereo fades to the sides makes vocals float to the front. Gentle reverb and soft, muscular tremble really, really brings out tender emotion and feel from female vocals.

The other thing I think the NK6II totally nails is low-frequency stereo. Texture resolution down there is good to great, but stereo reverb and wide-set gradations force attention to the centre, whilst gently extruding the most important details from the periphery. Combine this with a good super slow low pass filter and your peaky Audio Technica CK10s are as soft-edged and beautiful as any high-end earphone out there.

Apart from output power, all of that can be passed downstream via the optical output to a DAC or MD recorder of your choice. That means, SPDIF’d through the N6MKII to your favourite MD recorder, you basically get a different/better master of your favourite albums. Dayum.

End Words

I dislike the N6MKII’s stylistic flourishes. I dislike the location of its navigation buttons. I dislike its implementation of Android. I wish it got better battery life. In short, Cayin have a long way to go where design meets utility. Still, they managed to treat the human to a clean base-10 volume scale, fast UI, and a good screen. The N6MKII is built and finished as good as any TOTL DAP out there. Better yet, it sounds truly amazing. No, it doesn’t measure as well some high-end DAPs (or, for that matter, a few lower end DAPs), but with the right DAC filter applied, what comes through is truly breathtaking. And, the N6MKII is powerful enough for your 600Ω Beyerdynamics and is good enough for a number of voltage-hungry planars out there.

Impressive.

NOTE I: The full text with illustrative photographs is at ohm-image, linked below. I own ohm image and personally decided to upload the text, verbatim. This was my decision, but I give no one else the same permission.

review: ohmage to the JVC HA-FW10000

NOTE II: I have a companion YouTube review coming up which I will also link in this review.

Disclaimer: I do not own this earphone. I want to own this earphone. I’ll do almost anything for this earphone. I borrowed it for a few days for a photo shoot and was only able to spend a handful of hours with it. For that reason, please consider this an immature review. It’s JVC’s latest-gen, and 10th anniversary, wood dome series earphone, which begun with the FX500 in 2008. It is glorious. It houses a single dynamic wood dome driver and, at e-Earphone, goes for roughly 1550$ USD. You can find out all about it here: Everything for sound - FW10000.

Before earphones really blew up, I publicly flirted with a number of then-obscure Japanese earphones. FitEar was my biggest break. Final Audio was on its heals. In 2008 I snagged the HP-FX500, JVC’s first wood-dome earphone. I loved it. I hated it. Eventually I broke it. In its wake I was left with an FX500-shaped hole, defined by out-of-head staging and other wordly texture detail. I was also left with a weariness for its piercing highs. More than that, I was left with an ardent dedication to the dynamic driver. I’ve since scoured the market for dynamic driver earphones as impactful and detailed as the FX500. Sadly, not even JVC’s follow ups: the HA-FW02 (which I reviewed here), and the like, did the trick.

Last week, queued for a magazine shoot, a small box arrived in my studio. In it was the HP-FX10000, JVC’s tenth anniversary wood dome earphone. I polished it. I shot it. I packed it back up and called the courier. Then, with no indication from my publisher that I had to immediately return it, I knifed the box, froze the courier, and embarked on one of the most obscene short-term audio adventures of my life.

I love the HP-FW10000 and here is why.

Haptics and Build

Around its middle the FW10000 wears lacquered, stained wood. That wood sits in stainless steel caps at its butt, fulcrum, and sound tube. It wears fine nylon grills, and is ported front and rear. The grills gum up pretty fast, but otherwise, the FW10000 is rock solid. It also bears the marks and fine blemishes of a hand-made product. Inside, the wood dome hangs in a titanium cage, and is pinioned on carbon ligaments. Behind the driver is a good helping of thick, damping material, and the right amount of air. These earphones are heavy, solid, and precious. The MMCX ports are well-anchored in stainless steel. They won’t be going anywhere. They are colour-coded, red for right, blue for left.

The cable is heavy JVC stock. It has a solid core, which, unless properly racked, resists stretching. It resists body oil and sweat, and is only barely susceptible to touch noise. The y-split is a simple, slim affair in sand-blasted aluminium. Its cinch is a bugger. It is too loose, slipping up and down in thrall to gravity’s every whim. The plug is well protected by a thick, supple stress relief, but as you can see the glue that holds its metal sleeve together is weak.

Despite its weight, the FW10000 is comfy, if tricky to insert. It sticks out of the ear and never sits flush. Surprisingly, the cinch stays put when the earphone is inserted. It appears that a gentle y-shape, formed by inserting the earphones into the ears, is enough to keep it in place.

Accessories

JVC’s finest earphones came in a beat up shipping box, apparently scored, waxed, and bumped, by legions of magazine and web reviewers. This complicated the photographic process. In its box is five sets of spiral dot ear pieces, and a form-fitting display/carrying case. For the price, it isn’t much. The box is cheap and the case is far from practical. Sure, it protects the earphones when on display, but on the road, it is worthless.

Kitsch

As is a JVC wood dome earphone. Nothing about it is kitschy.

Sound

Wonderful for Minidisc lovers like me, the FW10000 isn’t super sensitive to hiss. This means I can plug it into some of my favourite pre-MDLP recorders without undue distraction.

While not a physical beauty, the FW10000 is the most beautiful-sounding earphone I’ve heard in years. Its midrange stereo scape is wide, detailed, and, thanks to good space on the z-axis and a small lift on the y, involving. It’s not got the immediate feel you get from a Grado, it’s got the sort of in-the-music feel you get sitting in the sweet spot of a nice 2,1 channel audio system.

Low frequency sound pressure is strong in the mid to upper lows, and just south of neutral at the ear in the sub region. Mainstage‘s intro seconds flutter only barely, but after that, a firm, resolved, textured, and stereo-wide bass takes over. And that bass is superlative. Channel and band transitions both from low to high bass, and then to mids, are fluid.

Whilst describing early impressions at discord, I was asked if I didn’t find the FW10000 bright. No, I don’t. Part of that is that I love bright sounding headphones and earphones. The other part is that is that the FW10000’s brightness is only edge-sharp. It is sibilant free and bright through the upper mids, but neutral if not diffuse, beyond that. In short, it is unique among JVC’s wood dome earphones in that keeps peaky highs from poking through your eyeballs.

It’s control of reverb is perfect. Attack speed is good and decaying edges never splash or hang. Despite this, vocals are anatomically correct, wet, and perfectly positioned. Chimes and bells echo sweetly, never holding on too long, never chopping off too quick. The FW10000’s brightest band is just beyond the typical female vocalist range. Sound stage is both deep and wide, and puts you in the music. At times, percussion can get hot, but it isn’t buttressed by the ridiculous amounts of high-end pressure endemic to many JVC wood dome earphones. Treble heads will love it, but may want more bite. Neutral heads may initially think the FW10000 bright, but given time, I think they’ll find it glorious. What will win them out is a midrange spacious and rich and which pulls all attention into itself.

As long as you don’t need gobs of bass, or heaps of pressure way up top, the FW10000 has loads to offer. It is bright where needed and heavy where it should be. The mids are textured, lush, and spacious. There is nothing scratchy, aggressive, or annoying about it. Again, to JVC’s wood dome range, this is new.

It nails my preferences like no earphone I’ve heard.

The Ocharaku Flat4 Sakura Plus has even more midrange detail, but it gets scratchy, and fast, and sometimes it renders strings too dry and unemotional. The FW10000’s midrange is wider than FitEar’s Parterre, and balances against high bass better the ToGo!334. It’s got some of the warmth of the Flare Audio Flares Gold, but its midrange is wider, and more detailed. In fact, it ties together the basic idiosyncrasies of two of my favourite earphones: Astell & Kern’s AKT8iE MKII and Beyerdynamic’s Xelento. And it does this whilst remaining wider and more detailed than the former, and richer than the latter.

In a word, it is perfect.

End words

I had only a few days with the FW10000, so consider these impressions bitter sweet if not immature. I’m considering selling the farm, including Ocharaku’s Sakura Plus, to get them. This is saying a lot. For the price, the accessories and quality of display are poor. Everything else is gold.

Note: this review is verbatim from the ohm image article I published Friday on the Campfire Audio Comet. If you'd like to see more photos, please visit the original. Otherwise, here it is. Also note: ohmage is good, porridge is bad.

Original: ohmage to the Campfire Audio Comet

Disclaimer: I received Comet directly from Campfire Audio in Tokyo. I paid nothing for it nor have I been prompted to return it. It goes for 199$. Hit up Campfire Audio for more about it.

No earphone as Comet small shines as Comet much. No earphone as Comet small is as Comet tough. Comet nails build, nails branding, nails budget, and nearly nails fit. It’s a 199$ USD earphone, that, after doing the maths (Atari Jaguar style), feels and works like something much, much more expensive.

Spec:

20Hz–20kHz Frequency Response
97 dB SPL/mW Sensitivity
48 Ohms @ 1kHz Impedance
Single Full Range Balanced Armature Driver (Custom vented)
Beryllium / Copper MMCX Connections
Stainless Steel Body

haptics and build: ohmage

Among Comet’s many design coups are its use of L/R-independent channels. Snap whichever side you like atop the appropriate mini MMCX plug and you’re gold. The cables bear colour-coded L/R labels in case you really want panning stereo to work properly, and if you’ve just spent 199$ on an earphone, I reckon you do. (In case you’re in the dark, or can’t be bothered to look, the inline mic and remote unit hangs off the right cable.)

Comet is universally swappable, blind-operable, and nearly slides right in. I say nearly because if your fingers are meaty, you will find little purchase anywhere for levering them into your canals.

Comet also looks like a hairdryer. (I’m sure that was on purpose.)

Below the remote, the cable is thick Litz stuff. Pulled hard it stretches, but only barely, and is strong enough to support a good dining chair, though perhaps not overnight. Finally, it terminates in a 4-pole, case-friendly slimline L-shaped plug.

Comet is about as sturdy an earphone as you’ll put in your ear. Fire it from shotgun. Grind it under SUV tyres, and maybe even tank tracks. It’s forged steel. Breaking it requires a forge.

Fit: ohmage and porridge

I dare you to find a slimmer remote. I dare you to find one primed by discrete controls iOS with controls for play/pause and volume. I mean, check it: about as thick as an over-sturdy y-split. It bears stress relief on neither its front nor rear, but works well, and despite good functionality and controls, only barely weighs down the cable.

Its neck cinch hard stops to the right of your heart, right below the remote control. This position makes it next to difficult to use when wearing Comet over the ear. Despite this, I think it’s good that the cinch isn’t above the remote.

Because Comet is so compact, meaty fingered folk may find pulling it out again tough. I imagine that Comet will weather the coming war.

kitsch: ohmage

Branding marques mill into the earphone bodies, are stamped onto the zipper pulls, case, and pin. As typical of Campfire, the case is overkill. Pack in a bunch of high-end earphones and sit on them. The fuzz-lined case will keep them safe. And it will outlast any other case. It’s perfectly engineered for everything except stuffing into pockets. Overkill but the best thing out there. From literature to box stylistic flourishes match perfectly, and each is wholesome. Comet’s accessory package fits next to grandma’s Mason jars as well as your tool bench. It’s well made, beautifully tooled, and doesn’t leave you guessing about the brand.

No kitsch here.

Sound: ohmage

Despite its 97dB/48Ω spec, in practice Comet is nearly as sensitive as a Grado GR8e (itself one step removed from the Shure SE846). This means that it will pick up hiss from a large variety of players, DACs, and amps. This is particular trouble for louts like me who are getting back into Minidisk portables, the bulk of which hiss like the Dickens. The good news is that most well-designed DAPs have low enough noise floors to be absolutely silent through Comet. The few that aren’t really don’t deserve to be called audiophile, let alone targeted toward portable earphones.

Comet reveals enough hiss from my personal favourite Minidisk portable, the Sony MZ-E55, to be annoying at low volumes. The real problem is that the MZ-E55’s baked-in digital bass enhancement mates brilliantly with Comet, making me want to pair the two all the time. Enjoying the MZ-E55's amazing bass means weathering its hiss.

Despite being relatively sensitive, Comet requires an volume extra step or two above a GR8e or JVC’s HA-FD 01, which is a god-send for analogue attenuators with mild low-power volume cant.

Bass vs. Mids: ohmage

Comet doesn’t power-yawn the intro seconds of Markus Schulz’s Mainstage, but it gets as close as I’ve heard from a neutral-leaning single armature earphone. In fact, I often wonder that Comet is powered by a single BA driver. Bass monster single BA earphones exist. Most decant mad lows to the detriment of everything else. Comet keeps mid to mid-high pressure in the lowest of lows whilst dekeing bloom. In short, Comet outputs good power that can pack a wallop, especially in bass-driven music like trance. It also responds well - though not excellently - to heavy EQs, Digital MegaBass, and the like. Paired with the MZ-E55, it handles Digital MegaBass at a setting of 2/3 without bloom, but at 3/3 it blooms, though mildly. In contrast, the Audio Technica CK10 is bloom-free all the way up to 3/3.

Comet’s low range is speedy. It shows good stereo spread. The spread hits the shoulders with minor z-axis gradients and a medium-high y-axis lift. While z-axis detail is limited, x-axis detail and spread defines smooth gradients that soften the wall-of-sound image typical to many single-BA earphones. Consequently, low-frequency instrument separation is good, but generally centrally anchors in a wide band that ping-pongs from one ear to the other, escaping outward when necessary, but largely staying put. Next to a good dynamic driver earphone like the MDR-EX1000, Comet reveals less low-frequency texture, but better delineates channels than the Sony.

It’s lows and lower, pre-vocal mids are nice and bitey.

Bass vs. Highs: ohmage & porridge

In my opinion, its weak spot is vocals, male in particular. It’s not that they are recessed, it’s that their top edges dull in comparison to their lead-in bottoms. At times, Comet puts Nick Cave, Christopher Martin, and sometimes, even The Boss, behind one too many filters. That quibble aside, Comet nails my personal preferences. They are: medium to high energy mids and upper mids, and non-spiky treble. Comet extends far with good sound pressure, and none of it peaky. Female vocals are clear, and free of ring. Cymbals, high hats, and other shimmery, shouty, instruments attack and decay quick with next to no wet reverb.

Nailed it.

Balance: ohmage

For a single-driver BA, Comet sounds full, from bass to mids, errs slightly warm, and reaches well into the upper mids and highs with good, but not annoying sparkle. Personally, I'd like more vocal bite. But I can see where Comet, as is, is right on for the lad or ladess who doesn't faff around with The Boss, Nick Cave, and other fading stars of ballad and blue collar pathos.

Vs. Audio Technica CK10

Next to to a CK10, upper vocal edges are dull. This is particularly the case with male vocals, against which percussion derives more energy and edge. But the upper mids and highs, where the CK10's sibilance and ring really annoy, Comet is spot on, clean, and clear. The CK10 also sounds more layered, giving more space to vocals. An amalgamation of Comet and CK10 would probably be perfect.

Vs. JVC HA-FD 01

The HA-FD 01 is hard to nail down, but in sum, it’s a flatter, less layered, less ringy version of the CK10. It’s also super customisable. In casts a wide sound stage, is more energetic up top than Comet, and its bass, while more textured, and stereo wide, is less impactful and controlled. I love its highs and vocals, but wish it had Comet’s bass sound pressure and control.

Vs. Sony MDR-EX1000

The MDR-EX1000 and Comet share something in the upper mids, but the Sony’s crazy wide stereo spread thins it out in comparison. I’ll be honest here, the Sony has, in short order, become a favourite. It has no weaknesses. But it’s not got the tight, controlled feel of Comet.

End words

Soft-edged male vocals side, I have no complaints with Comet. Its solid, impactful bass really moves things, and its controlled upper mids and highs round out one of the most tightly engineered sounds I’ve heard in a long time. It’s also really well made and generally easy to use. And, because it’s from Campfire, its branding isn’t just unique, it is practically collectible. Brands and products that speak for themselves are a treat, and way too few. Way to go.

ohmage: 7
porridge: 2

I picked up these earphones a few weeks ago from Musica Acoustics. I'm a fan of ortofon's earlier earphones, though more a fan of the e-Q5 than the e-Q7. The e-Q8 provides a more nuanced listen than the e-Q7, mainly in that it is more forward, more bitey. It is quite a bit more aggressive than the e-Q5, but not fatiguing from too much high emphasis. What it does possibly overdue is upper mids. I think some people will find it a bit too much. With the right genres: folk, rock, small ensemble vocal, traditional, it is phenomenal. Not a fan of it with trance or classical.
 
I recently did a full review of it at Ω image. The below text is lifted straight from the review. Pictures, more on fit and finish, and my conclusion are all there. Sound is detailed below:
 

  Its been said that these are forward-sounding earphones. They are. Quite. Not etchy-sketchy ear-peelingly abrasive, just forward. These phones love guitars, upper percussion, and post-punk vocals. I’m sipping a cafe latte and listening to Bloc Party. The e-Q8 tells me the latte is much too smooth. 

It is.

The e-Q8 reveals excellent texture in the upper mids but doesn’t overly hone in on anything higher. Cymbals are super duper clean and fast. Bass is lean, quick, and relatively detailed. Lower mids lead perfectly into the upper mids. The e-Q8 lacks the delicate layering of Dita’s earphones, and the massive bass detail of the Shure SE846. But the quality of its transitions are second to none. What I loved about the e-Q5 was its layered, well-rounded bass and its negligible influence on lower mids. The transition from mids to bass via the e-Q8 is even cleaner, but with the single caveat that bass volume is quite a bit less. 

The sound stage extends well out from the ear to about twenty centimetres in front of the eyes. Width trumps layers; the effect is like a wall of sound coming straight at your ears. Picking out details on that wall is easy, but like a wall, details are etched on the same vertical plane. The net effect is precise, forward, and wide.

Bass is tidy, but not heaps nuanced. Edgy and aggressive, this phone is really well tuned for rock. While it boasts enough speed, its forward upper midrange sort of precludes its being awesome for trance. It’s just a bit too hot. Classical, where organic, textured bass really defines the tone of the music, I’d rather use the e-Q5.

I would take the e-Q8 it in a heartbeat over the e-Q7 except for trance. Its a far better Nick Cave phone, a far better Bloc Party phone. It also delivers an angstierDepressed Depeche Mode. If your music tastes roam far and wide and you enjoy a hot upper midrange, I think you’ll dig it. If you are more in it for a traditional listen, the e-Q5 might be for you. You can't go wrong with either one.

Click to expand...

Loads of great commentary is flashing in James444's excellent e-Q8 thread here.

 
 
This is a rewording and shortening of the Ω image DUET review. More pictures there, easier access and way bigger community here!
 
Yes, I've been following Cypher Labs' stuff from the beginning. Why? I'm into the same thing Jude is: game changing. The original Solo is still a fav. DAC of mine. But DUET may be the item that redefines Cypher Labs. No longer are they a DAC manufacturer. As much as I love the Theorem 720, I am not completely convinced. Why? Too much noise from the headphone output. Even my DJ1Pro could detect it. That is too much. But apart from that, 720 had all the goods: control, precision, resolution.
 
Build
 
I have no problems with DUET's overall build. It is Rx-MKIII-B+ strong but painted to last. Fastening hardware is fast, switches are shallow, and pot is balanced. It charges via micro USB. Hell yeah. What bothers me slightly is volume pot travel. Still the pot's full travel isn't being used. Instead, only about 50-60% of pot travel decides output voltage and thus, volume levels. IEM users shouldn't have a problem as low volume levels are well balanced and noise is low, but L/R headroom is never a bad thing. And I think the last 40-50% of the pot should be used. Control is paramount for the portable user. That said, L/R balance is pretty damn good even at minimal volume settings. And there is plenty of power from there on up. I sort of wish F/R sections of the amp would sport their own in/out sections so that the DUET could be used in a pocket without cables springing from every cranny on the other side.
 
Sound
 
DUET retains the goodies while goodifying the bads. There are few amps out there with a lower noise floor than DUET. Very few indeed. IEM users will be able to use DUET with all qualms buried. Noise is very low. Control and resolution, are not. DUET exudes detail, especially from upper bass to mid-mids. You will get used to the soft mouth sounds of your favourite singer- that or trash the record for being too explicit. Warmth worms its way in throughout, but not overly much. There is plenty of sparkle up top. If you can get used to what is one of the widest stereo images out there, you will find details literally popping out of your favourite wood instruments. 
 
But you have to find it. Insanely wide stereo images are kind of hard for the ear to suss. Why? Because we don't hear in stereo, we hear in binaural. Bleed from left to right is key for us to understand width and so on. But in the stereo world, dear me, you may not be able to find a wider image than the DUET. Vorzüge PURE II is similarly equipped. Actually, both share very similar sounds, though PURE II is slightly more detailed up top, while DUET focuses most of its imaging detail in the mids. 
 
Of course, PURE II doesn't do balanced, and DUET does it brilliantly. It uses the same Kubikon connector the majority of American amp makers use, and so is pretty compatible around the world. If your favourite dynamic or planar headphones are wired for balanced, you may enjoy an even crazier stereo image. May. Remember, your ears are trained to hear channel bleed rather than autonomous channels. But if you can train them, you will find balanced signals even more detailed and fuller of the best parts of your music.
 
For reference: balanced and single ended DT880 are easily pushed to safe listening levels at L gain. I am uncomfortable using H gain with them. Higher current low-Ω headphones such as HE6 are a bit more hungry, but can be comfortably run with the DUET. IEMs are well controlled in L gain mode, with very small L/R deviation at low volumes, but achieving 95% perfection at normal volumes. All in all, the gain stage impresses me plenty.
 
Conclusion
 
I'm not overly excited by DUET's form factor, but dear me is it a good amp. It is one of the best out there. It's a bit big for IEMs, but it works nearly flawlessly with them. And it still has power enough for headphones. Plenty in fact. It is Cypher Labs' BAMiest product and one, that like the original SOLO, will define the do-everything headphone amp market for years to come. 
 
This is a rewording and shortening of the Ω image DUET review. More pictures there, easier access here!

 
 
This is based on a comparative review of the Rx MKIII-B and Rx MKIII-B+ I recently finished.
 
I've been one of the biggest Rx fans since 2009. ALO's experience has grown since then, and the high-end market has blossomed into a hi-def, balanced one. RXIII-B carries the Rx tradition of excellence forward. Rx still is one of the best all-round portable amps out there. But today's MKIII-B+ more than one-ups it in power, battery life, and connection quality/options. Power-wise, it is enough to push LCD-2s to semi-dangerous levels without distortion. Even whilst pushing them into dangerous volume levels, the RX MKIII is able to keep incredible signal quality going. 
 
Gain
What is amazing is that the B+ version's gain control, which is one if not the best implementation of gains I've ever seen. Despite being able to push the LCD-2 to dangerous levels, it has control and finesse for sensitive IEMs and headphones. Previously, Rx MKIIs and early MKIIIs put out too much voltage into low gain levels, making some earphones/headphones too loud for sensitive-eared people. RX MKIII B+ matches the requirements for ever IEM I have tried, including the uber-sensitive Sleek Audio CT7, which can howl at certain amps' lowest volume settings. 
 
I had missed the original Rx digital volume because perfect balance with sensitive phones was impossible with later versions. RX MKIII-B+ is perfect again. Which makes enjoying that detailed, clean Rx sound all the better. 
 
Battery
Seems to go forever. I listen to portable amps whilst on the train going from shoot to shoot, or whilst editing photos. Admittedly I don't listen as much as some others do, I have earphones in my ears for hours a day. And typically, the RX MKIII-B+ lasted about a week before I needed to re-charge it. Amps with this much power and resolution generally have terrible battery life. I've been very impressed.
 
Sound Signature
The Rx tradition of resolution over sound signature continues. This amp spits out perfectly flat signals from end to end. Mid are somewhat preferred when you get to sussing the stereo image. Lots and lots of midrange detail. And it is very open, and airy. But crisp edge delineates everything that hits the ear. There is no blurring, no sizzle, no softness. Detail-lovers will love this sound. Classical, trance and live music are particularly energetic, keen, wide, and airy. 
 
Bass is controlled by about 4,5dB. Enacting it lowers overall volume by 1dB and then amplifies bass above that by 3,5dB for a total of ~4,5dB. 4,5dB isn't going to satisfy bass heads. The adjustment hits lower frequencies to very slightly upper bass levels. Its roll off is perfectly timed to not interfere in the mids. Because it isn't overly aggressive, keeping it on won't ruin any music, and is just enough to warm up or emphasise the lows. I think this approach is very good. 
 
Background Noise
The only fly in the ointment is background noise. It's been a mark of Rx amps since the beginning. ALO have made amps with very very low noise floors. The International is it. I really really wish that amount of low noise could hit the Rx series. Now that Rx has returned to perfect IEM/portable headphone control, it needs to. While this achilles heel isn't overly large, it is obvious. As a series, Rx has pretty much been perfected. It has returned to the perfect balance of the original and so, it works perfectly with everything from current-shy high-ohm balanced headphones to current-hungry cans and sensitive earphones in any mode. But if you primarily listen to sensitive IEMs (108-120dB), Rx isn't my first recommendation. It should be. It's got the power, the control, the resolution and the battery life to make portable listening perfect. But background noise is still too high.
 
Conclusion
The Rx series sort of went off on its own way for a while. It never strayed from excellence, but the first version was my favourite for earphone use because of its excellent left-right balance with sensitive earphones. MKIII-B+ can finally be used as well as the original can for the same earphones. And it does balanced output/input as well, so there is lots of room for experimentation. Output quality has been improved and there is more power than before. And better battery life. It is the series' best upgrade and yet it is a return to the series' excellent start. The only thing Rx needs is a lower background noise output. ALO already proved that they can do that. Still, this is one of the best, if not the best high-resolution portable amp out there for ALL your headphone needs. There are few portable amps that offer as much power as this Rx and yet are still able to control earphones just fine. 

 
I'm such a newb. Pretty sure I should have uploaded image for the PURE II from Vorzüge's website. I used the one I took. I hope that doesn't wreck this review. Coincidentally (and also quite obviously) this is my first time adding a new product. And, I tried posting this before, but got it by mistake, into the PURE I box. MODS: feel free to kill me or the old thread.
 
Anyways, onto the review:
 
I did my best not to effuse about the PURE II at ohm image. I think I got away pretty clean. I did not get away from the PURE II though. And though I have several camera lenses to shoot rather meticulously for some relentlessly hounding magazines, I cannot get away from my desk, from Bruce Springsteen, or from the PURE II. Currently, I have the 600Ω Beyerdynamic DT880 headphones on. The PURE II runs them just fine on low gain at 50-75%. Near the end: about 90%, it starts to thin out. That's why there is medium gain.

And I listen to music at levels that average slightly below 80dB, measured. I have this thing about protecting my hearing. Even if I didn't, I am confident I could blow my ears with the combination of the DT880/600 and PURE II in very high fidelity. 
 
But PURE II is a better portable headphone/earphone amp. I'm surprised. It outperforms the old PURE by a margin both measurable and audible. It outperforms every portable amp I've picked up, ever, when paired with difficult to drive low-Ω multiple-armature IEMs with intense impedance swings. The Earsonics SM2, for instance, puts most portable amps and players out of sorts, dropping stereo levels to -55dB. At best, they kick out -69dB. The PURE II does -79dB, which really helps. SM2 is somewhat of a dark-sounding earphone. Opening its stereo image helps bring back cymbal splash and sense of space.
 
But enough of that. This thing has a obvious smooth, melty signature. Neither is over done. Details expand to all sides and to the front and back in all frequencies. Not a one steps too far ahead of the other. Detail is retrieved extremely well- but not to an etchy-sketchy effect. It's not that PURE II sound neutral. It's not that it sounds natural. It's that it just sort of melts out of the way. I've begun using an iPod 5 from 2005. Why? Because my ears have developed this thing for a slightly softer sound signature. But when I'm doing trance and progressive, I go back to the DX50 or iPod nano 6G. The latter can't handle my earphones perfectly. The former does a very good job. But both audibly benefit from adding PURE II into the mix. DX50's audible hiss goes bye bye. The forced congestion along the borders of midrange/bass, which riddle the iPod when paired with certain person earphones: gone. PURE II is the great equaliser of equipment. 
 
I'm sure more sound signature oriented reviews will pop up. I'm in it for the way the PURE II melts away without leaving a trace. If I want that old iPod sound, PURE II. If I want that harder-edged Cirrus sound, PURE II. If I want my music to sound as close to the recording as possible through the most ridiculous of earphones out there, PURE II and my favourite source. 

And yes, it works great with other portable headphones as well as low-current high-impedance headphones. The only problem is its battery life. The old PURE did 26-30 hours on a charge. The new one gets 9-11 hours, volume depending. That surprised me at first. Generally, I'm a battery-life-and-resolution-trumps-all sort bloke. It's hard to still fit into that mould. PURE II has me putting up with shorter listens and thrice weekly charges.
 
If this is indicative of what Vorzüge are up to, this is the company to watch. 

 
There is no entry for PURE II, so I have added this review to the original PURE, which I also love... just not as much. 
 
I did my best not to effuse about the PURE II at ohm image. I think I got away pretty clean. I did not get away from the PURE II though. And though I have several camera lenses to shoot rather meticulously for some relentlessly hounding magazines, I cannot get away from my desk, from Bruce Springsteen, or from the PURE II. Currently, I have the 600Ω Beyerdynamic DT880 headphones on. The PURE II runs them just fine on low gain at 50-75%. Near the end: about 90%, it starts to thin out. That's why there is medium gain.

And I listen to music at levels that average slightly below 80dB, measured. I have this thing about protecting my hearing. Even if I didn't, I am confident I could blow my ears with the combination of the DT880/600 and PURE II in very high fidelity. 
 
But PURE II is a better portable headphone/earphone amp. I'm surprised. It outperforms the old PURE by a margin both measurable and audible. It outperforms every portable amp I've picked up, ever, when paired with difficult to drive low-Ω multiple-armature IEMs with intense impedance swings. The Earsonics SM2, for instance, puts most portable amps and players out of sorts, dropping stereo levels to -55dB. At best, they kick out -69dB. The PURE II does -79dB, which really helps. SM2 is somewhat of a dark-sounding earphone. Opening its stereo image helps bring back cymbal splash and sense of space.
 
But enough of that. This thing has a obvious smooth, melty signature. Neither is over done. Details expand to all sides and to the front and back in all frequencies. Not a one steps too far ahead of the other. Detail is retrieved extremely well- but not to an etchy-sketchy effect. It's not that PURE II sound neutral. It's not that it sounds natural. It's that it just sort of melts out of the way. I've begun using an iPod 5 from 2005. Why? Because my ears have developed this thing for a slightly softer sound signature. But when I'm doing trance and progressive, I go back to the DX50 or iPod nano 6G. The latter can't handle my earphones perfectly. The former does a very good job. But both audibly benefit from adding PURE II into the mix. DX50's audible hiss goes bye bye. The forced congestion along the borders of midrange/bass, which riddle the iPod when paired with certain person earphones: gone. PURE II is the great equaliser of equipment. 
 
I'm sure more sound signature oriented reviews will pop up. I'm in it for the way the PURE II melts away without leaving a trace. If I want that old iPod sound, PURE II. If I want that harder-edged Cirrus sound, PURE II. If I want my music to sound as close to the recording as possible through the most ridiculous of earphones out there, PURE II and my favourite source. 

And yes, it works great with other portable headphones as well as low-current high-impedance headphones. The only problem is its battery life. The old PURE did 26-30 hours on a charge. The new one gets 9-11 hours, volume depending. That surprised me at first. Generally, I'm a battery-life-and-resolution-trumps-all sort bloke. It's hard to still fit into that mould. PURE II has me putting up with shorter listens and thrice weekly charges.
 
If this is indicative of what Vorzüge are up to, this is the company to watch. 

If you want to read me ramble on more about haptics and finish quality, head to Ω image's review. 
 
I know it is a year on and this earphone is no longer en vogue. However, I reviewed it. Take that world! ARggggh!
 
Why has it taken so long for me to get this on? Well, because I take a long time. Yes, even if the review is short. And I've sort of changed opinions on a few things, preferring items that guarantee long-term investments. Items that are well-designed (not just for looks) to be comfortable, strong, and that don't get in the way- these are the items I really dig. Really. 
 
The AF78 is okay in this regard. I love its sound. Its build is strong, but its usability isn't as good as a number of options out there. I'm not on the fence, however. In the world of 200$ earphones, there are a lot of wannabes that just do sound or just do style. AF78, while not what I call a handsome earphone, is simple enough and easy to wear. Its sound is good for those that like a bit of a warm, expansive feel to their music and don't mind a soft upper frequency dip. 
 
So I tip back and forth.
 
Fit and Haptics
Best fit is done with the cable down. You can wear them with the cable draped around the ear, but the neck cinch-less heavy cable turns the earphone around and it the earphone may fall out of your ear. The sound tube is thick, so tiny canalled peeps may find it tight. Some may find it uncomfortable. The cable transfers way too much noise to the ear. Curdura: it's strong. Yay. But this isn't a big headphone and it is meant to be worn out and about. Something light and that mitigates touch/bone noise would be much more welcome. Strong can be all those things. Check the Audio Technica CK10 cable. 
 
A neck cinch is imperative. Alternatively, use a twist-tie. But then you have uglied your fly earphone.
 
The remote nub works somehat like an iPod shuffle: triple tap to return to the first song of an album/shuffle queue; double goes forward; single to pause/play. It's a workable system but the button is too recessed and the remote small. Triple tapping: if you can do it repeatedly, you are destined to be a brain surgeon. If you are already in your thirties, can do the triple tap, and are not a brain surgeon and rich... better luck next time. Bad design.
 
Sound
I did not like this sound at first. Boring. Dull. "Where's the upper stuff?" I was apt to say in my bathrobe of ripped towel and moth-eaten banana pants. It's there, but it takes time to hear it, especially if you are coming from, you know, Audio Technica's CK10, ER4, or even the ortofon EQ5. But once you uncover it, you uncover a richness that really isn't that common in in-ear earphones. It is a somewhat dark, mostly sumptuous upper frequency. Good 3D space in the uppers and lowers. Mids don't fair as well for space, but the overall impression is good. Bass power is certain, but it doesn't reach really low. It doesn't travel too far up the frequency scale, but it exudes low end warmth. Mids are their own, but slide a bit into upper bass and lower treble. 
 
It's very like an earphone version of the HD650, but maybe slightly warmer. Viz., if you're expecting shimmer and rattle, you may be disappointed, or you may have to wait a while. Definitely wait a while. I did NOT LIKE THESE PHONES at first. Two months later, I have a very hard time putting them down. But it required a LOT of effort on my part. I'm typically an ER4 guy, you know. I'm changing. 
 
And the AF78 really helped me realise that. 
 
Speed isn't overly fast, but it keeps up with today's poppy trance quite well and a lot of 2001-2003 turning-point albums like DJ Tiësto's 'In Search of Sunrise' series. Speed is good enough. Atmosphere is perfect. Perfect. Fast metal tracks with machine gun percussion such as Dyer's Eve isn't maybe the best venue for the AF78 to stretch it's legs. But it works well enough. 
 
These phones are for: The Smiths, Arcade Fire, Nick Cave and so on and forth and all that stuff. And I dig them very much. Just not their fit. 
 
If AudioFly could put this sound into an over-the-ear design with a portable-friendly cable, I'd ride right in on these all the time. 
 
If you want to read me ramble on more about haptics and finish quality, head to Ω image's review. 

 

 

 
I've been a fan of Earsonics since the SM2. Then the SM3. I found the SM3 to be almost perfect and the SM2 to sometimes be too dull. Actually, the SM3 had a similar voice. 
 
SM64 came along and surprised me.
 
1: it looked exactly like the SM3, even down to the accessories
2: it sounded way better than both the SM2 and SM3
3: it rarely hisses, and when it does, it is because the source is either too powerful or is absolute crap.
 
Numbers 2 and 3 are absolute killer points for the SM64. And number 3 really pulls straight into number 2. 
 
With an impedance of 98Ω, the SM64 puts no current stress on any portable player or microphone box. The only stress is if the source can spit enough voltage out. The answer is that most players out there can. In fact, at 122dB sensitivity and 98Ω, the SM64 is the perfect earphone. It hits the sweet spot because it never needs an amp. If you plug it into an iPod, it will sound the same as if you plug it into a DX100, that admittedly, has far better output. 
 
The SM64 is the great leveller of gear. It presents almost no load to even awful outputs. Amazing. Again, if your source is absolute crap (having very little voltage in its output) the SM64 will be too much. But I've yet to find a single source that can't make the SM64 sing perfectly. The sources I use are:
 
- iPod shuffle 1G (512)
- iPod nano 6G
- iPhone 5
- iPhone 4s
- iBasso DX100
- iBasso DX50
- Fiio X3
- iRiver AK100
- Sony A828
- iMac
and more.
 
Each one sounds great, has no hiss, and is balanced along all frequencies. The only other earphone I can say the same for is the Tzar 
 
Sound
I'll not go overboard into details here as I'm tired. I wrote a long review at Ω image. If you want, you can check that out.
 
Crispiness and space
These two were somewhat lacking in previous SM earphones. The SM2 could throw a large stage, but its rather dull upper mids and lower treble compressed the stage. The SM3, too, had a somewhat subdued upper mid range that tended to darken the sound. It however was a big step up. The SM64 stands firmly between the SM3 and a truly bright earphone like the Audio Technica CK10 (which I love still).
 
It has very good mid to upper bass response. Low bass <70Hz is audible, but not at all emphasised. It is a very good balance. Mids are bright and generally well balanced. Lots of detail to be had and also  lots of stereo separation. Very impressive. Slight suckout in the range of female vocals and upper violins dulls a very small portion of the music, but it is minimal at worst. Sound is overall excellent. 
 
Again, I went into more detail at Ω image.
 
Why is this the BEST stage monitor?
Previously, I had labelled the Sensaphonics j phonics the best. I believe that at the time it was. The j-phonics had a sturdier body than did Earsonics. It also had an easier to drive load. Today's SM64 is easier to drive, less prone to hiss, has removable cables, and a stronger body. Its (with some quibbles) flatter sound is also better for monitoring applications. I would be happy if Earsonics upgraded their stock cable and used deeper sinks in their cable-earphone connections. But I think they won't be the ones to change the par for this course.
 
All around a great earphone that is fully recommended. Its killer features: flat sound with good upper frequency energy and high resistance make it a winner that doesn't need an amp and plays well from 99% of the sources out there. 

The full review of this nice amp is up at TouchMyApps. For the sake of brevity, the L3 is a fascinating amp because it is positioned in the market as a premium product. It certainly does a good job of performing into any set of headphones and earphones. Low Ω earphones don't daunt it, and unless you are pushing 100% volume at high gain WITH bass boost, the signal will remain strong into DT880 600Ω level headphones from the battery. Mains will fix any errors otherwise.
 
There is a slight noise in the signal with sensitive earphones and the output pops when power is pushed on/off. 
 
The real problems are in its layout, which is sub-par for an amp of this price. The front panel is too cramped, the input is too close to the bass boost pot, the gain switch is up for low and down for high, and there is no 6,3mm headphone jack despite harbouring RCA inputs (presumably for hooking up to a hifi system). 

The L3 performs, yes, but with so many other trade offs that don't point to an amp of 800$. I'd take a Tralucent T1 and with the savings get a desktop amp of equal power for use with a HiFi. That is the best of both worlds.
 
I do not own this amp. I am borrowing it.