Apos Audio is a HEADFI sponsor and an authorized retailer of new audiophile equipment from a growing but carefully curated set of brands as well as some of their own lines. This assortment of gear ranges from DACs to NOON streamers to IEMs to their own Caspian headphone. To show off the quality of their offerings, they have offered access to HEADFIERS to review and post impressions here through a tour I am hosting on my AUDIOTIERS site. Having received and listened to a full range of the Apos Audio lineup, I can tell you that I have been in audio bliss, but now it is time to share and hear what you think.
Apos Audio Gear Discussed in this Tour can be found here: https://apos.audio/
Apos Desktop Tour Kit 1:
Apos Audio Gear Discussed in this Tour can be found here: https://apos.audio/
Apos Audio Tour Equipment
Given the size of the list, we have decided to break out the gear into two kits - a desktop kit and a portable kit. We also have full retail boxing for our tour. Below is a description of what you have in store for yourself as a tour member:Apos Desktop Tour Kit 1:
- Apos Caspian Open-Back Headphones ($499): Made with hand-assembled, sustainable materials, the Apos Caspian is an open-back headphone that looks timeless and sounds thrilling.
- Apos Flow Headphone Cable ($149): Apos Flow Audio cables are made of 99.99997% pure single-crystal copper, ensuring an oxide-free, unobstructed signal.
- Matrix mini-i Pro 3 ($1025): The Matrix Mini-i 3/Pro 3 is an all-in-one DAC/Amp that features MQA, Roon Readiness, and a beautiful full-color display.
- TOPPING D90SE DAC ($899): The D90SE is the all-new (Summer 2021) digital-to-analog converter from TOPPING featuring a new ESS SABRE ES9038 PRO DAC chip and second-gen 16-core XMOS processor, with MQA now standard.
- xDuoo TA-26 Tube Amplifier ($319): Go all-analog with the 500mW xDuoo TA-26 tube amplifier which goes minimal where other amps get fussy.
- Moondrop Aria IEMs ($80): The Moondrop Aria is a Liquid Crystal Polymer IEM with a metal-injected chassis, brass inner cavity, and a crowd-pleasing Harman Curve tuning.
- Lime Ears Pneuma IEMs ($2160): The Pneuma is a five driver hybrid with a 7mm titanium dynamic driver for rumbling sub-bass, with four BA handling everything else from low-end punch to high-end sparkle.
Apos Audio Tour Kickoff Video
Barra’s Quick Initial Impressions
The best part of managing tours is getting to hear all the great gear for myself. Here are some brief impressions from what I have heard so far between the tasks required to set up this tour:- Apos Caspian Open-Back Headphones ($499): This is my favorite item in the tour. There is a rich audiophile flavor with deep bass that is very seductive. The HP is light and comfortable while offering a good deal of isolation compared to other open competitors finding an optimal ratio. This headphone is great for both movies and audio listening finding an optimal spot at my desktop making my workdays fly.
- Apos Flow Headphone Cable ($149): While I have not yet compared this balanced cable to the provided single-ended cable that comes with the HP, I have not found a reason to try anything else as it is a great match. It is well constructed and ergonomic feeling like it will last many years through any desktop rigors.
- Matrix mini-i Pro 3 ($1025): As a streamer that is ideal for Roon, I have not tested its full capabilities given I don’t have a Roon setup, but as a headphone amp, it works wonderfully. The key appeal for this unit is its bright-colored display that advertises your song and album art making it very fun. I Will wait to hear from some of our Roon experts during the tour.
- TOPPING D90SE DAC ($899): This unit is impressive – a detail forward audiophile DAC with a large soundstage. In comparison to my other DACs, this one pushes forward gobs of detail that you may not hear/notice otherwise offering a new way to listen to your audio library. I really like this unit.
- Moondrop Aria IEMs ($80): Having been spoiled for so long with constant access to the best of the best, it is hard for me to fairly judge this category, however, I have to say that I am surprised by what I experienced at this price point and it would be an easy recommendation for anyone looking in this price range. This is one that I know my wife would appreciate for look and feel, logistics of having a very nice non-tangling cable, and having the clarity and bass that she appreciates. While it will never compare to my customs priced in the thousands, I do have to admit that it is at least 80 percent of the way there for a lot of bang for the buck.
- xDuoo TA-26 Tube Amplifier ($319): TBD
- Lime Ears Pneuma IEMs ($2160): Lime Ears has done it again. This new flagship stands up to the crowd with a unique appeal. This is an extremely transparent, dynamic, and fun CIEM. It is the new transparency king taking away that title from my Hidition NT6pro. It also is hugely dynamic with the fun 7mm dynamic bass driver offering fantastic PRAT that pulls you into the music. The DIFFERENT is the 7mm which is extremely fast and bumps the fun midrange fun without crowding the stage. All put together, it is hard to put down. Everything sounds great on this new flagship.
Signing up for the Tour
As requested by HEADFI, we are managing logistics for this tour on my AUDIOTIERS site. Please follow the link in my signature to get signed up. You will find this particular tour on the tour page in current signups.Impressions
This is our impressions thread where our tour participants will post their impressions. Full reviews will be posted to HEADFI and linked here. Please watch this thread by selecting the watch button so you will be alerted to all our reviews and impressions as they are posted.
Last edited:
-Jeremy
