Views 37,397 Matrix Audio Element i is a Streamer with a headphone output, DAC output, and much more, priced at 1150 USD, and will be compared to some of the best streamers, DACs and headphone amplifiers in the price range, including Cyrus One Cast (2000 USD), cocktail N25 Music Streamer …
High End is where the effect of diminishing returns kicks in the hardest and you have to spend hundreds or thousand of USD to chase the last few details in music. This is where most of the fun is for enthusiasts, like in every hobby, but it can be a frustrating area, especially if you don’t have a lot of disposable income. The price range starts around 500 USD, and everything above is considered high-end in the audiophile hobby.
You can find my reviews on high end products below, and also the best high end products here: https://amzn.to/3zKGm1F
High End
NHT C3 3-Way Bookshelf Stereo Speakers – Music For Life
Views 80,890 NHT C3 is a high-end premium speaker priced at 624.99 USD per piece or 1249.98 USD for a stereo setup, with a 3-way design, sealed Box Design, and with a beautiful aesthetic. It will be compared to Buchardt S400 (1800 USD), Aurender S5W (3000 USD), and Audioengine A5+ …
IMR Acoustics PRO Dark Matter (God Particle) – Universal Utopia Sounds
Views 46,402 IMR Acoustics PRO Dark Matter is an IEM priced at about 700 GBP or Great Britain Pounds, or about 910 USD, handmade by pros for pros, with two drivers, one dynamic and one bone conduction in its design. Given their price point, Dark Matter resides in the territory …
Ambient Acoustics MAD24 – Insanely Musical
Views 59,713 Ambient Acoustics MAD24 is an in-ear monitor priced at 3499 USD, designed with 24 balanced armature drivers, under the Main Audio Destination naming scheme, and which is quickly gathering recognition in the Audiophile World. Given the price point, they have to be compared to pretty much every single …
Eletech Inferno Cable – Dante’s Dream Of Devilishly Good Sound
Views 29,574 Eletech Inferno is a high-end cable made for headphones, with a really thick gauge and design, excellent reliability, and superb aesthetics, priced at about 750 USD, with a good length, proprietary connector jackets, but configurable for any headphones and IEMs. It will be compared to the default cables …
Oriveti OV800 Flagship IEMs – Geometric Acoustic Beauty
Views 23,201 OV800 by Oriveti is a premium high-end universal IEM priced at 999 USD, with 8 Balanced Armature drivers, and a handmade cable. Aiming to offer a natural and balanced sound, with a luxurious low-end delivery, OV800 will be compared to other flagships, including iBasso IT07 (900 USD), Campfire …
Audeze LCD-5 – Flagship Performance Supremus
Views 78,118 Audeze LCD-5 is the top dog planar magnetic headphone, and it is on a kill streak to destroy all the competition, with a price tag of 4500 USD, to match the ambition that went into designing and producing it. Given the design, purpose and overall market position, LCD-5 …
Grell TWS 1 IEMs – Evolution Of Earphone Engineering
Views 22,760 Created by the worldwide-renowned engineer Axel Grell, the 199.99 USD grell TWS 1 IEMS are a new chapter in the industry of IEMs, here to change how we feel and interact with TWS IEMs. Given their price point, TWS 1 will be compared to other high-end TWS Bluetooth …
Lotoo PAW 1 XY Mic Player / Recorder – Records My Dreams
Views 21,471 Paw 1 is a complex recording interface bundle with a price tag of 800 USD, and with multiple usage scenarios. It has an embedded memory of 64 GB, which should be enough for most people, and it also has a type-C interface, it can drive headphones, and the …
iBasso DX240 AMP8 MK2 Module – A Whole New Experience
Views 42,715 I just reviewed iBasso DX240, the linear evolution from their DX220, and now it is time for a new amplifier module, made just for it, AMP8 MK2, priced at 219 USD, with both a balanced and a single ended output, and much more driving power than the AMP1 …
Unique Melody MEXT – Price Cut, Musicality Increase
Views 66,999 Unique Melody MEXT is the latest high-end IEM from UM, priced at 1099 USD right now, usually priced at 1200 USD, sporting Bone Conduction drivers, Dynamic Drivers, and Balanced Armatures. Supported by Unique Melody’s high-end 4.4mm balanced cable, MEXT will be compared to other flagship IEMs that left …
HIFIMAN HE-R9 – Mystery Of Cherry Songs
Views 81,962 HIFIMAN HE-R9 is the latest 599 USD headphone from the master Chinese producer, and this time we have a closed back design on our hands, with dynamic drivers, and a bluetooth receiver, that will increase the cost to 749 USD. Given the price point, I will be comparing …
Fir Audio VxV IEMs – Flagship IEM Hits Luckiest Notes
Views 40,266 Fir Audio VxV or 5×5 is a high-end IEM priced at 999 USD, and with five drivers per ear, a full bodied presentation and a special ATOM pressure venting system. Given their price point, they will be compared with Campfire Ara (1300 USD), Unique Melody MEST MKii (1500 …
Dethonray Tender 1 – Sound Of Dreams
Views 23,203 Detonray Tender 1 is a boutique high-end IEM with a 10mm Planar magnetic driver, and a price tag of 639 USD. It will be compared to other flagships, including Campfire Mammoth (650 USD), Moondrop Illumination (800 USD), and Metalure Wave (600 USD). I will also be including airings …
Zoom F6 Portable 32-Bit Float Point Recorder – Ultimate Portable Interface
Views 50,573 Zoom F6 is the latest, strongest and best (spec wise) portable recorder made by Zoom, and comes with a price tag of 700 USD. Today we will explore it and its abilities, and we will also explore how it compares to Zoom H5(280 USD), Zoom H2n(200 USD), Lotoo …
IMR Audio Elan – Lion At The Door
Views 43,381 IMR Audio Elan is the current IEM flagship priced at 600 GBP or about 800 USD, made by IMR Audio, with a 10mm CNT ADLC Driver + Bone Conduction motors, and a highly customizable design. Given the price point, it needs to be compared to other flagships like …
Earsonics ONYX IEMs – French Melody
Views 23,429 ONYX is the name of the latest high-end In Ear Monitor handmade in France by the French company Earsonics, priced at 490 EUROs or roughly 561 USD. This is a proof of art movement made by the company, trying to create the most affordable high-end IEM they could, …
Sendy Audio Apollo Headphones – Godlike Delight
Views 43,160 Sendy Audio Apollo is a 500 USD headphone based on the QUAD-Former technology, basically a Planar magnetic driver with double magnets + double sided coils and double sides of coils. This means that it gets to be compared with Adam Audio Studio PRO SP-5 Headphones (550 USD), iBasso …
HIFIMAN Ananda Headphones – Sweet Mids, Huge Stage
Views 78,106 HIFIMAN Ananda is the headphone I took the most photos of for the past 3 months, and it is a high-end planar magnetic design priced at 1000 USD, sometimes going on sale for 700 USD. They have been the culmination of price / performance ratio for HIFIMAN, and …
Cocktail Audio N25 Streamer – Elegance & Usability Connected
Views 65,931 Coming straight out of the technologized South Korea, N25 is a flagship streamer with DAC functions, and priced at 1400 USD. For this price, it features a Streaming function, network player, Roon point, and MQA decoding, along with a DAC function, so you can connect it straight to …
Crosszone CZ-8A Hifi Headphones – Speaker Sound, Closed Back
Views 62,294 Crosszone CZ-8A is the latest headphone made by Crosszone, with 3 drivers, all of them dynamic, and in multiple sizes and are priced roughly 1700 USD, and mostly available on the Japanese and Asian markets. Those are some high-end over-the-ear flagship headphones with ingenious design, so they will …
Maktar Spectra X2 – Power For Apples
Views 39,829 Maktar Spectra x2 is a DAC/AMP made for smartphones, and iPhones (the model we’re reviewing today), and it features a price tag of 200 USD, placing it above, or at least in line with iFi Hip-DAC2 (150 USD), Earmen Sparrow (200 USD), and Lotoo Paw S1 (170 USD), …
Cyrus One Cast Smart DAC / Integrated Amplifier – English Media Flagship
Views 75,136 We’re finally having a look at a masterpiece from a British company, and namely One Cast from Cyrus is the star of today’s review. Priced at 2000 USD, One Cast is a full sized entertainment center, and it features a high-end DAC, a Class AB Headphone Amplifier, a …
Plussound Copper+ – Time For Flagship Cable Magic
Views 59,735 Cables have always been a heated subject of conversation for music lovers, with some really passionate about them, and some reticent to speak their mind, and today’s cable is a 24 AWG, UP-OCC Copper Wire, priced at 999 USD. This places the Copper+ at the top of the …
Dethonray Prelude DTR1+ Music Player – Beautiful Music Box
Views 60,402 We’re reviewing a music player priced at 1000 USD, named Dethonray DTR1+ and made for those who don’t want no touchscreen, and who want a pure music experience with no distractions. This means that the first competitor it needs to have is QLS QA361 (700 USD), a DAP …