Hall Of Fame

The Entry-level area is usually dominated by products from China, or as most name them Chi-Fi.

Of course, there are good products made in every part of the world, but lately, the market there exploded with a wide palette of high-quality products, and happily for us, they’re getting more and more amazing by the day.

OneOdio Monitor 60 Closed Back Dynamic Headphones (80 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2022/02/oneodio-monitor-60-huge-cans-for-my-soul.html

OneOdio Monitor 60 is a high-quality monitoring headphone priced at about 80 USD at the moment of writing this review, made for music producers, DJs and artists on a budget. It features a 50mm full-sized dynamic driver, and it will be compared to Sivga SV021 (150 USD), Dekoni Blue Planar Magnetic Headphones (250 USD), and Master & Dynamic MH40 Wireless (250 USD). I simply have not listened to many other headphones priced so low, so it will be hard to keep the price out of the equation, but let’s have a look at what OneOdio managed to pull while on a budget. At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter if you’re a passionate listener, beginner creator, or just need an affordable headphone, as long as you don’t mind some slightly sharp edges, and if you want a clean, open, detailed headphone with good bass, and good comfort, which is closed back, then Monitor 60 will be the perfect choice at this moment. 

FiiO BTR15 Bluetooth Receiver DAC/AMP (119 USD)

Link To Review – https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2024/02/fiio-btr15-bluetooth-receiver-absolutely-wireless-dac-amp.html

FiiO BTR15 is a $119 USD / EURO Bluetooth DAC / AMP / Receiver, with a super light design, and an upgrade from the popular BTR5 model, with an improved design and overall abilities. Today we are putting it to test, diving into an in-depth review, and comparing it to other popular Bluetooth Receivers, including Shanling UP4 2022 (85 USD), IKKO ITB03 HEIMDALLR (149 USD), and Khadas Tea (209 USD). We will also be exploring throughout the review what the differences between BTR15 and BTR5 are, as well as how things evolved from BTR5 2021. Although the Bluetooth receiver market now has competition, and many companies have taken on the quest of beating FiiO’s original BTR5, it is FiiO who manages to really create a device that not only overcomes the original BTR5 in a clear way, but also provides a tangible upgrade.  The best part is that despite the constant inflation in all the sectors of our world, BTR15 is actually 119 USD, just 10 USD more than the original BTR5, but offering a much better performance, better design, and just a better device. At the end of the day, if you’re looking for a way to use your high-end IEMs and headphones, without breaking the bank, but having access to a complex, high-end EQ that works for both the Bluetooth input and the USB DAC input, with a rounded, full sound and with a good treble extension, FiiO BTR15 is right now the best Bluetooth receiver I can recommend for its size and 119 Pocket-friendly price point. 

HIFI Walker H2 Portable Music Player (125 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2022/02/hifi-walker-h2-music-player-retro-chinese-dap.html

Today’s review will focus on the 125 USD HIFI Walker H2, a DAP with a navigation wheel, Hi-Res play abilities, and support for up to 256GB microSD cards. It will be compared with other entry-level DAPs like Shanling M3X (340 USD), Hiby R2 (100 USD), Surfans F20 (125 USD), and Hiby R3 PRO (200 USD). At the end of the day, for 125 USD, HIFI Walker H2 is the DAP I can recommend the most to you, it does what FiiO BTR5 2021 is supposed to do, acting as both a USB DAC, Bluetooth receiver, can decode music, and for the price comes with some high quality Chifi IEMS, making most competition look really bad in terms of price / performance ratio. 

Sivga SV021 Headphones (150 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2021/11/sivga-robin-sv021-headphones-bassheads-united-winner.html

If you’re a basshead with a strong love for lows, good quality, and a fair comfort, SV021 is excellent for the low price you’re supposed to pay. Some users didn’t get this comfort, as the cups don’t swivel horizontally, but the earpads are soft, and the headband has soft padding too.

The Midrange is actually where I started my audio more than ten years ago, when I bought a pair of Sennheiser IE80. Back then, I had no idea how much fun this hobby would be.

Products in this price range usually have both an excellent sound, and a great price-performance ratio, and are what you’re most likely to be using after a few years in this hobby and when looking for a significant upgrade. 

FiiO FT1 HiFi Headphones (159 USD)

Link To Review – https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2024/09/fiio-ft1-hifi-headphones-review-wooden-temple-of-dynamics.html

FiiO FT1 is a $159 USD pair of over-the-ear headphones with wooden earcups, detachable cable and dynamic drivers, made from American walnut solid-wood cups, and today we will review the FT1 and explore where they stand in the vast world of headphones and if they’re fit to be your next music companions. 

Burson Audio V7 Vivid PRO OP-AMP (169 USD)

Link To Review – https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2024/08/burson-audio-v7-vivid-pro-op-amp-music-played-in-supreme-layers.html

Burson Audio V7 Vivid are a $169 USD pair of OP-AMPs, with both Dual and Single variants, designed by Burson Audio for DAC/AMPs with modular OP-AMP design, using the DIP8 Sockets. To get a full upgrade for Burson PlayMate 2, you require 2 pairs of OP-AMPs, a pair of Dual OP-AMPs and a pair of Dual OP-AMPs, and Burson sells the whole upgrade package for $215 USD. Other Burson products require a different number of OP-AMPs and different configurations, but you can find prices on the official Burson website for each package.  

Dekoni Blue Planar Magnetic Headphones (250 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2021/05/dekoni-blue-planar-t50rp-mkiii-mods-electric-punch.html

The price of the Dekoni Blue is really good if you want a basshead headphone with excellent impact, great overall resolution, and if you don’t mind it being really hard to drive. In fact, it is so hard to drive that you mainly need a high-end AMP or something with a crazy high power to control it, but once you get it in line, the Dekoni Blue should be your best friend for a long period of time, and it is a headphone that won’t break the bank. 

Lotoo Paw S2 DAC AMP Dongle (279 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2022/09/lotoo-paw-s2-dongle-dac-amp-equalized-presentation.html

The Lotoo PAW S2 is a 279 USD portable DAC AMP with an AKM4377 DAC inside, and up to 150mW at 32 OHMs of power over the 4.4mm Balanced Output. Given the price which is higher than most dongle DAC AMPs, Lotoo PAW S2 will be compared to Qurstyle M15 (250 USD), Hiby FC5 (159 USD), Shanling M3X(279 USD), and Khadas Tone 2 PRO (250 USD). 

iBasso IT05 IEMs (299 USD) 

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2023/08/ibasso-it05-iems-best-performance-in-the-class.html

iBasso IT05 is a $ 299 USD IEM or In-Ear Monitor made by iBasso, with a 11mm Dynamic Driver, an impedance of 16 OHMs, and a SPL of 119 dB. This review will focus on exploring them, along with comparing the latest high-end offering from iBasso with other high-end IEMs, including KIWI Ears Orchestra Lite, Periodic Audio Ti V3 Titanium and Xenns Mangird Tea2. 

Moondrop Blessing 3 Earphones (319 USD) 

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2023/08/moondrop-blessing-3-earphones-abundant-music-synapse.html

Moondrop Blessing 3 is a $319 USD pair of In-Ear Monitors, with 2 Dynamic Drivers + 4 Balanced Armatures configuration, which has a superb design, and is made to take over the midrange IEM market. Today we will be reviewing them together, and we will also be comparing them to other high performance IEMs, including KIWI Orchestra Lite, Xenns Mangird Tea 2, Periodic Audio Titanium Ti V3, and 7Hz Eternal. 

iFi Audio Go Bar Dongle DAC (329 USD) 

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2023/09/ifi-audio-go-bar-dongle-dac-mini-amplifier-maxi-powered.html

iFi Audio Go Bar is a $329 USD Premium Ultra Portable USB DAC, with a balanced 4.4mm output, a single ended 3.5mm headphone output, and with iEMatch, along with digital filters, and sound enhancements support. It will be compared to other high-end dongle DACs, including Lotoo PAW S2, Questyle M15, Khadas Tone2 PRO. 

HIFIMAN Deva PRO Planar Magnetic Headphones (330 USD) 

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2021/11/hifiman-deva-pro-stealth-r2r-ldac-bass-fun.html

Deva PRO is the better Deva, now with R2R tech inside the Bluetooth receiver, and the Stealth Magnetic technology backing up the excellent comfort, wide soundstage and warm sound of Deva. We have what is the best open-back Bluetooth headphone, where the receiver can work as a USB DAC, but is able to fully drive those music makers. 

Aune X1s GT DAC/AMP/Streamer (349 USD)

Link to Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2022/08/aune-x1s-gt-bt-dac-amp-streamer-flow-of-music.html

Aune X1s GT is a 349 USD DAC/AMP with LDAC Bluetooth, Balanced 4.4mm Headphone Output, and Hi-Res decoding. Given the price and design, it will be compared to the Soundaware A1X (700 USD), iFi xDSD DAC/AMP (400 USD), and Palab M1 Mini (500 USD). 

Verum Audio 1 (One) Planar Magnetic Headphones Mark 2 (350USD)

Link to Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2021/06/verum-one-mk-ii-headphones-eastern-champion.html

The second iteration of Verum One has a more neutral presentation with more dynamics, better detail, better ergonomics, more comfort and is generally a better headphone than the first was, making competition for Audeze LCD2C even.

SIVGA Luan HiFi Dynamic Headphones (359 USD) 

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2023/08/sivga-luan-hifi-dynamic-headphones-signal-precision-master.html

SIVGA Luan is a $359 USD pair of headphones, made by SIVGA Audio / with handmade wood housing and CNC metallic parts, a dynamic driver, and superb comfort. They will be compared to other high-end headphones, including Austrian Audio HI-X60, Erzetich Thalia, iBasso SR3, OLLO S5X, HIFIMAN Edition XS, and KLH Ultimate One. 

HIDIZS MS5 IEMs (399 USD) 

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2023/08/hidizs-ms5-iems-4-ba-one-dynamic-and-a-lot-of-fun.html

HIDIZS MS5 is a $399 USD pair of In-Ear Monitors with 5 Drivers playing for each ear, a replaceable pneumatic sound tuning filter, and with a detachable cable, coming in a premium package. Given the price point, they will be compared to other high-quality midrange IEMs, including Xenns Magird Tea2, Unique Melody 3DT, Earsonics Corsa, and Westone MACH 60. 

Austrian Audio HI-X60 (399 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2023/04/austrian-audio-hi-x60-detail-extractor-tuned-masterfully.html

Austrian Audio HI-X60 is a $ 399 USD pair of closed-back headphones, with a 44mm high excursion dynamic driver, two detachable cables and metallic hinges for maximum durability and made in Vienna. They are going to be compared to other high-end headphones, including OLLO S5X (489 USD), SIVGA SV023 (499 USD), HIFIMAN Edition XS (499 USD), and KLH Ultimate One (400 USD). 

KLH Ultimate One Open-Back Headphones (400 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2022/03/hifi-expert-klh-ultimate-one-basshead-impact-from-future.html

KLH Ultimate One is a high-end, open-back pair of headphones priced at 400 USD in Europe (including taxes), sold and fulfilled by Hifi Expert in Romania. Given the price point, the main competitors will be Sendy Audio Apollo (500 USD), Sennheiser HD660S (500 USD), Avantone Pro Planar (450 USD). 

OLLO S4X Monitoring / Mixing / Listening Headphones (400 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2021/02/mix-master-listen-ollo-s4x-dynamic-headphones.html

S4X is the kind of headphone you just want to keep using, regardless whether you’re listening, mixing or mastering. Their smoother, yet detailed sound makes it really easy to spend hundreds of hours with your music, without ever feeling tired. They also have enough textures, detail and dynamics to keep that music going and interesting, plus the good comfort will make you forget you’re wearing them. 

Dethonray SG1 Pegasus Bluetooth Receiver / DAC / Headphone Amplifier (400 USD)

Link to Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2022/10/dethonray-sg1-pegasus-bluetooth-dac-amp-high-resolution-bass-receiver.html

Dethonray SG1 Pegasus is a 400 USD Bluetooth DAC/AMPlifier, with DPPU (Desktop Plus Power Unit), support for LDAC, aptX HD, aptX LL, aptX, and a large 3000mAh battery. It will be compared to other DAC/AMPs, including iFi xDSD (400 USD), iBasso DX160 (400 USD), Palab M1 Mini (500 USD), and Soundaware A1X PRO (700 USD). 

OLLO S5X (489 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2023/02/ollo-s5x-dynamic-studio-headphones-immersive-production.html

OLLO S5X is a $489 USD Dynamic Headphone with an open-back design, a flat frequency response, made in EU. It is designed for studio usage, but also can be used for audiophile / enthusiast music listening, and it will be compared to other similarly priced headphones, including SIVGA SV023 (499 USD), HIFIMAN Edition XS (499 USD), HIFIMAN HE-R9 (599 USD), Sendy Audio Apollo (500 USD), and Avantone Pro Planar (450 USD). 

Hiby R6 III (499 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2023/03/hiby-r6-iii-gen-3-hi-res-player-dual-class-dap.html

Hiby R6 III (Gen 3) is a $499 USD midrange DAP with a Dual Class design (you can change whether it is currently running in Class A or Class AB), Android 12, Snapdragon 665 CPU, and Balanced Output + Balanced Line Out. It will be the focus of our review today, and it will also be compared to other DAPs, including Shanling M3 Ultra (469 USD), Hiby RS2 Darwin (479 USD), iBasso DX170 (449 USD), and TempoTec V6 (399 USD). 

HIFIMAN Edition XS Planar Magnetic Headphones (500 USD) 

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2022/04/hifiman-edition-xs-king-of-stealth-neo-supernano.html

HIFIMAN Edition XS is a revolutionary headphone made by HIFIMAN, released in 2021, and priced at an aggressive price of 499 USD, creating competition for everyone, and pushing the market to bring the best headphones possible at more affordable prices. They will be compared to other similarly priced headphones, and more expensive ones as well, including Sendy Audio Apollo (500 USD), HIFIMAN Ananda (999 USD), Denon AH-D7200 (700 USD), Dan Clark Aeon Flow RT (500 USD), and iBasso SR-2 (500 USD). 

Palab M1 Mini DAC/AMP (500 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2021/09/palab-m1-mini-dac-amp-beats-the-chord-in-music.html

Palab M1 mini is a DAC/AMP made by Palab, and it is no secret that it is a mighty good one, with a price tag of 500 USD, MQA decoding abilities, and a Balanced output. The main comparisons included in today’s review will be with really capable competitors, Chord Mojo, iFi xDSD, and FiiO Q5S. 

Dan Clark Aeon Flow RT Headphones (500 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2021/02/dan-clark-aeon-flow-rt-hardest-of-them-all.html

Luxury build quality, comfort and an amazingly detailed sound are all reasons to go for Aeon Flow RT. Mr. Speakers and Dan Clark (pretty much the same company) managed to design something really good with their Aeon series. The biggest surprise was how capable the driver itself can be, when removing all of the filters inside. It can get to detailed, it could easily sit in the ~1000 USD price range, but happily Dan Clark was very safe with the pricing, so that those with a more limited budget can totally enjoy the Aeon Flow RT. 

iBasso SR-2 Open-Back Dynamic Tesla Headphones  (500 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2021/01/motion-emotion-ibasso-sr-2-tesla-headphones.html

SR-2 is made for those looking for a really comfortable headphone, and one with a beautiful musical, rich and antural sound. It is not a detail extractor, and it prefers to stay musical, fun and light. The best part is the natural soundstage, and beautiful vocal performance, making SR-2 one of the best experiences one could ever exprience. 

Sendy Audio Apollo Planar Magnetic Headphones  (500 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2022/02/sendy-audio-apollo-headphones-godlike-delight.html

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 SR-2 Open Back Headphones (500 USD), Sennheiser HD660S (500 USD), Dan Clark Aeon Flow RT (500 USD) and Avantone Pro Planar Headphones (450 USD). At the end of today’s written review, Sendy Audio Apollo is an excellent purchase, for both those who love to relax, and those who want to hear beautiful music, it has extremely good performance for the price, and a fully recommended purchase for those who enjoy a mid centric sound with a smooth and relaxed nature. 

The High-End Area is for those who are already deep in this hobby and who love music and are looking for an exciting update hard enough to drop quite a hefty amount for this hobby.

Once you’re here, the price-performance ratio becomes less important, and you’re lookint at the latest, cutting-edge developments, and products that really refine the experience further away. Since the price-performance ratio starts to drop, most products in this price range must perform really well to exist. 

iBasso DX180 HIFI Music Player DAP (529 USD)

Link To Review – https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2024/09/ibasso-dx180-hifi-music-player-dap-enlightenment-across-the-midrange.html

iBasso DX180 is a $529 USD DAP Digital Audio Player with 4 CS43131 DAC chips, Snapdragon 665 SoC, Android 13 Operating System, and Dedicated USB DAC function. With a high driving power from the 4.4mm balanced headphone output, and low noise from the 3.5mm single ended output, DX180 is the focus of our review today, and we will also compare it to other high-quality DAPs, including Hiby R6 III (499 USD), Shanling M3 Ultra (469 USD), TempoTec V6 (399 USD), and iBasso DX170 (449 USD). 

Lavricables Master Silver Headphone Cable (544 USD)

Link To Review – https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2024/01/lavricables-master-silver-headphone-cable-invigorating-presentation.html

Lavricables Master Silver is a $544 USD / Euro cable for headphones, which can be configured with multiple connectors, and in multiple lengths. The variant costing 544 USD is 3 meters in length, and comes with AECO XLR special connectors for the source, and with the Sky Blue color. You can always grab a shorter variant for a lesser price, or a longer variant. With Lavricables everything is custom made, and the cables cost about 100 EURO per every extra meter of length, with a starting price of 344 EURO for the 1.2 meters variant. Today we will explore how the cable sounds like, how it compares to other cables, including LavriCables Ultimate Silver (235 USD for the base version), Meze Silver Cable (200 USD), and Eletech Inferno (750 USD). We will also be pairing the cable with HIFIMAN HE1000SE (3500 USD), HIFIMAN Audivina (1999 USD), and iBasso SR3 (599 USD). One of the reasons Lavricables is so popular these days is the pricing of their cables, and Master Silver is one of the best performing cables I’ve heard, and yet it doesn’t break the bank, and comparing its price to the price of most high-end headphones, it is an acceptable investment to improve the ergonomics, sonics and overall experience of using those headphones, gaining the title of an excellent price / performance ratio for a cable. At the end of the day, if you’re looking for a way to make your headphones more dynamic, more airy, and deeper sounding, with better impact and instrument separation, a wider and more holographic soundstage, and to improve on the overall clarity, Lavricables Master silver is one of the best purchases you can make to improve on your experience. 

JDS Labs Element III Mk2 Boosted DAC / H-AMP (550 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2023/10/jds-labs-element-iii-mk2-boosted-dac-h-amp-pure-music-raw-power.html

JDS Labs Element III MK2 is a $449 USD DAC/AMP designed for desktop and to power headphones, and to act as the DAC for your system and power other amplifiers, both for headphones and for speakers, or active speakers as well. The base version is priced at 449 USD, but you can also order a Boosted version that doubles the headphone output power for just 49 USD Extra. Today we will be reviewing it together, and also compare it to other super dac/amps including EverSolo DAC-Z6 (459 USD), Palab M1 Mini (500 USD), and Aune S6 PRO (550 USD). 

Burson Funk Headphone / Stereo Amplifier (550 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2021/10/burson-funk-amplifier-for-speakers-headphones-iems-lets-jazz.html

There’s no DAC inside this one, but it can act as both a headphone and a Stereo Amplifier, actually having more than enough power for diving pretty much any headphone, IEM and Speaker you throw at it, including both bookshelf and floor standing speakers. Funk likes to play, it has a musical presentation, excellent overall detail, and great dynamics. Class D for the Hifi Stereo speaker AMP, and Class AB for the headphone amplifier means that it won’t burn through your pockets with the energy it gurgles. 

FiiO FH19 HiFi IEMs (599 USD)

Link To Review – https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2024/09/fiio-fh19-hifi-iems-euphoria-bass-extrema.html

FiiO FH19 is currently FiiO’s high-end flagship IEM priced at $599 USD, coming warm and smooth with both dynamic and balanced armature drivers, including 2 Dynamic Drivers and 6 Balanced Armature drivers. As this is FiiO’s best IEM at this point, we are going to take a deep dive, explore every corner of their sound, and compare FH19 to other similarly priced IEMs, including Sweear He-Live5 (899 USD), Spirit Torino Twin Pulse Beryllium (1000 USD), Soundz Blade V2 (812 USD), Campfire Cascara (499 USD), and Westone MACH 40 (600 USD). 

Keces Audio Ebravo Essential Streamer ($599 USD) 

Link To Review – https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2024/04/keces-audio-ebravo-essential-streamer-the-digital-transport-actually-makes-a-difference.html

Keces Audio Ebravo is a $599 USD Streamer / Digital Transport designed to improve the audio performance of high-end audiophile enthusiast systems and equipment. Today we will take a listen and see if it brings any changes to the setups we’ll be implementing it in, including high-end systems where we already have a very good performance, and what it actually sounds like. As we did review quite a few streamers in the past, we will also compare the Ebravo Streamer to Matrix Mini-i Pro 4 (959 USD), Magna Hifi Mano Ultra MKII (1200 USD), and Soundaware A1x PRO (700 USD). 

Sennheiser HD 660S2 Dynamic Headphones ($599 USD) 

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2023/08/sennheiser-hd-660s2-dynamic-headphones-magnificent-musicality.html

Sennheiser HD 660S2 is a $599 USD pair of high impedance dynamic headphones, which are a retuning of the Sennheiser HD 660S that I reviewed a few years ago. It will be interesting to explore this new version, how it compares to the old Sennheiser HD 660S, but also how it compares to newly released headphones around the 500 USD price point, including iBasso SR3, OLLO S5X, SIVGA SV023, and HIFIMAN Edition XS. 

HIFIMAN Ananda Nano Headphones ($599 USD) 

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2023/08/hifiman-ananda-nano-headphones-refinement-of-the-planar-art.html

HIFIMAN Ananda Nano is a $599 USD pair of over-the-ear Planar Magnetic Headphones with the new Nano diaphragm, which is a direct update from the Ananda Stealth that we reviewed before, and which should be a huge sonic upgrade from it. We will be comparing it with other high-end headphones, including OLLO S5X, iBasso SR3, Dan Clark Aeon 2 Noire, and Sendy Audio Apollo. 

iBasso SR3 Dynamic Tesla Headphones ($599 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2023/06/ibasso-sr3-dynamic-tesla-headphones-magics-back.html

iBasso SR3 is a $ 599 USD pair of dynamic over-the-ear headphones, with an open-back design, tesla drivers, and with a high, 150 OHM impedance. They will be compared to other headphones similarly priced, including OLLO S5X (489 USD), Dan Clark AEON 2 Noire (899 USD), SIVGA SV023 (499 USD), and HIFIMAN HE-R9 (599 USD). 

Erzetich Thalia – Handmade On-Ear Dynamics ($599 USD) 

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2023/05/erzetich-thalia-handmade-on-ear-dynamics.html

Link To Purchase: https://www.erzetich-audio.com/products-thalia/

Erzetich Thalia is a $ 599 EURO / USD pair of on-ear headphones with dynamic drivers, handcrafted in Europe, with a super cool design that’s made to withstand the test of time, and with a fully modular build, by Erzetich and Mr. Blaz. They will be compared with other high-end headphones, including Dan Clark Aeon 2 Noire (899 USD), HIFIMAN Edition XS (499 USD), and Sendy Audio Apollo (500 USD). 

HIFIMAN EF400 R2R DAC / Headphone AMP ($599 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2022/10/hifiman-ef400-balanced-dac-amp-the-r2r-music-magician.html

HIFIMAN EF400 is a 599 USD balanced DAC/AMP with an R2R DAC inside, the Himalaya recipient of 2022 VGP Technology Award in Japan, and with a fully balanced design for the headphone output part. It will be compared to the best DAC/AMPs I reviewed on Audiophile-Heaven in the past, including Matrix Audio Element i (1150 USD), Pro-Ject DAC Box DS (400 USD), Palab M1 Mini (500 USD), Soundaware A1X PRO (700 USD), and even Aune s6 PRO (550 USD), SMSL DO200 Balanced DAC (490 USD), and Keces S3 (1300 USD). 

Aperion Audio RST MKII – 3-Inch Aluminum Ribbon Super Tweeter (649 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2023/11/aperion-audio-rst-mkii-3-inch-aluminum-ribbon-super-tweeter-precision-master.html

Aperion Audio RST MKII is a $649 USD / 649 EURO pair of supertweeters, designed for bringing some extra high-end extension, air and clarity to any speaker system. The price is for a pair, and sadly I don’t really have anything similar to compare them to, but what I can do is compare the sound of a speaker system and the natural extension without versus with those super tweeters added, exploring how they can improve your current system. You will need to purchase a Premium Silver Cable Set from Aperion Audio if you want to get the best of your system, this costing you an extra $50 USD – $100 USD. Since those need a speaker beneath them to really work, but can be connected to an amplifier as a standalone speaker, the main speakers placed beneath the Aperion Audio RST MII for today’s review have been Buchardt S400 (1800 USD), NHT C3 (1250 USD), KLH Model Five (2499 USD) and Amphion Argon3s (3000 USD).  

Aune S17 PRO Headphone Amplifier / PRE (699 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2023/11/aune-s17-pro-headphone-amplifier-pre-symmetrical-class-a-magic.html

Aune S17 PRO is a $699 USD high-end Headphone Amplifier and Preamplifier, with a superb design, made to be paired with other Aune products such as the S9C PRO, with an incredibly high driving power, two gain stages, and a temperature probe that will remind you what’s happening inside at all times. Today we will be reviewing it, taking a look at how it sounds like, and what the competition has to say, including Aune S9C PRO (699 USD), Violectric HPA V340 (2000 USD), Feliks Echo 2 (799 USD), and Astell & Kern ACRO CA1000T (2299 USD). 

Aune S9C PRO DAC Headphone AMP (699 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2023/07/aune-s9c-pro-dac-headphone-amp-the-silver-lining-of-flagships.html

Aune S9C PRO Reference is a $699 USD high-end DAC / Headphone Amplifier and currently the flagship from Aune’s 2023 offering. It comes with 2 DAC chips, namely the ESS ES9068 DAC chips, it has up to 5 Watts of power over the balanced headphone output, a USB input with no delay, LDAC Bluetooth input, and superb performance all across the usage scenarios. This means that it will also be compared to the best DAC / Headphone Amplifiers, including Aune S6 PRO, HIFIMAN EF400 R2R DAC, Singxer SDA-2 Balanced DAC / Headphone AMP and Soundaware A1x PRO. 

Zoom F6 Portable Recorder Interface / Mixer  (700 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2022/03/zoom-f6-portable-32-bit-float-point-recorder-ultimate-portable-interface.html

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 Paw 1(500 USD), and we will also be exploring pairings between Zoom F6 and Rode NTG-2 Shotgun Microphone and Rode NTG-3B Shotgun Microphone. At the end of today’s review, zoom took me by surprise with their F6, and although I was not a strong believer in the quality of interfaces, F6 delivers really nicely, and delivers on everything it promises to deliver. It is an interface with a detailed, vivid, and clean sound, no distortions, and it is perfect for both novices, but also professional film makers, and game developers too. 

Rubyoung Master R830 Stereo Hi-Fi Speaker (749 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2023/03/rubyoung-master-r830-stereo-hi-fi-speaker-art-in-many-ways.html

Rubyoung Master R830 is the $749 USD star Bluetooth speaker of today’s review, and this version is the Alcantara Blue, with the Blue Love cover, and which can be purchased directly from the Rubyoung or hopefully Amazon. The speaker has a Bluetooth 5.1 protocol, and it has a powerful woofer too, so it will be compared to other high-end speakers, including NHT C3 (1249 USD), Vifa Copenhagen 2 (700 USD), and AIWA EXOS 9 (300 USD). 

HIFIMAN He-R9 Dynamic Headphones (750 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2022/03/hifiman-he-r9-mystery-of-cherry-songs.html

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 HE-R9 to other high end headphones, including Dan Clark Aeon Flow RT (500 USD), Sennheiser HD660S (500 USD), Adam Audio Studio PRO SP-5 (550 USD), HIFIMAN Ananda (700) and Beyerdynamic Amiron (599 USD). 

HIFIMAN EF600 Balanced & DAC Headphone Amplifier (799 USD)

Link To Review – https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2024/01/hifiman-ef600-dac-headphone-amp-towering-r2r-music-excellence.html

HIFIMAN EF600 is a $799 USD high-end desktop DAC / Headphone amplifier, with a vertical design, Himalaya Ladder DACs, and with a design to maximize desktop space. Today we will be reviewing it and comparing it to other high-end desktop DAC/AMPs, including Aune S9C PRO (699 USD), FiiO K9 PRO ESS (849 USD), Matrix Mini-i PRO 4 (959 USD), and HIFIMAN EF400 (599 USD). There are many High-End DAC/AMPs and desktop units out there, but EF600 stands out strong and tall in the market today, it has exceptional price / performance ratio, with the driving power for headphones, decoding ability of the DAC and overall design being key elements of why it is such a great deal. You may need a preamplifier to use it for a desktop setup, but it will surely make your sound magical, and that’s priceless. At the end of today’s review, I want to name a  few of the features that EF600 manages to achieve, and those include extraordinary driving power, exceptional build quality, and the super resolution it manages to have while staying organic, clean and natural in the midrange. It surely is a fully recommended purchase, and one of the best DAC/AMPs you could ask for, especially if you have a pair of HIFIMAN Headphones and want to give them the best sound they can have. 

Meze 109 PRO Dynamic Headphones (799 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2023/07/meze-109-pro-dynamic-headphones-romanian-sound-art.html

Meze 109 PRO is a $799 USD pair of High-End Open-Back Dynamic Headphones with an open-back design, dynamic driver, and a demonstration of Meze’s commitment to deliver pure emotion and go beyond a faithful reproduction of sound. They will be compared to other high-end headphones, including iBasso SR3, Audeze MM-500, Dan Clark Aeon 2 Noire, HIFIMAN Ananda, and Crosszone CZ-8a. 

SVS Prime Wireless Pro Powered Speakers (899 USD) 

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2023/11/svs-prime-wireless-pro-powered-speakers-hifi-magic-all-inclusive.html

SVS Prime Wireless Pro is a $899 USD (internationally, without VAT), 4999 RON (Romania, AVstore, final price) pair of high-end speakers with a package that includes literally everything you may require, including the speakers, 200W Active Power (50W x 4 , 4 – Way stereo integrated amplifiers), Wireless abilities, a DAC, and an eccentric sound that’s sure to satisfy even the most serious of audiophiles. Today we’re reviewing those hidden jewels of audio, and also will be comparing them with other setups, including Rubyoung R830 (749 USD), KLH Model Five (2499 USD), NHT C3 (1250 USD), Aurender S5W (2999 USD), and Buchardt S400 (1800 USD). 

Dan Clark Aeon 2 Noire Closed-Back Planar Magnetic Headphones (899 USD) 

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2022/09/dan-clark-aeon-2-noire-true-flow-music-design.html

Dan Clark Audio Aeon 2 Noire is an 899 USD pair of headphones with a full black design, in-house designed and created planar magnetic drivers, and a multitude of cables available for you upon purchasing them. They will be compared to other high-end headphones, including Sendy Audio Peacock (1500 USD), Underwood HIFI LSA-HP1 (1400 USD), HIFIMAN Ananda (1000 USD), Crosszone CZ-8a (1600 USD), and Audeze LCD-XC 2021 (1800 USD). 

SWEEAR HE-Live5 HIFI IEMs (899 USD)

Link To Review – https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2024/08/sweear-he-live5-hifi-iems-holy-driver-of-pure-bliss.html

Sweear HE-Live5 is a $899 USD pair of IEMs with one 10mm custom dynamic driver, and 4 balanced armatures. They also come with a modular cable, high-end packaging, and a sound that will surely satisfy even the pickiest listener. Today we will review the Sweear HE-Live 5 and compare them, to the best IEMS in the range, including Campfire Bonneville (1399 USD), Spirit Torino Twin Pulse Beryllium (1000 USD), FIR Audio e12 Electron (1799 USD), and Soundz Avant (1390 USD). 

iBasso IT07 IEMs (900 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2021/03/ibasso-it07-in-ear-monitors-diamond-in-the-rough.html

One of the few IEMs that really made me smile during the Corona Lockdown was the IT07. I heard it at the beginning of 2021, but it kept me smiling even months after, with that natural, slightly warm, full and rich sound. There’s something magical about the way it can deliver a very detailed experience, but never fails to stay natural and smooth, natural and also comfortable. It may be a bit pricey compared to iBasso’s previous IEMs, but it is perfect for the music lover looking to experience a proper flagship, yet less pricey than today’s most flagships. 

iBasso DX260 DAP (949 USD) 

Link To Review – https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2024/04/ibasso-dx260-dap-epic-octa-dac-music-player.html

Link To Purchase – https://ibasso.com/product/dx260/

iBasso DX260 is a $949 USD DAP / Digital Audio Player, with a an Octa DAC configuration, balanced headphone output, Qualcomm 660 SoC, Hi-Res Playback, FIR interpolation filter, and a dynamic range up to 134 dB. Today we will review it, every aspect of its usage, and compare it to other high-end DAPs, including Astell & Kern ACRO CA1000T (2299 USD), iBasso DX320 (1599 USD), Dethonray DTR1+ (1000 USD), iBasso DX240 (950 USD), and Lotoo PAW 6000 (1200 USD). 

Matrix Mini-i PRO 4 Music Streamer / DAC / AMP (959 USD) 

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2023/09/matrix-mini-i-pro-4-music-streamer-dac-amp-does-it-all-does-it-well.html

Link To Purchase: https://www.matrix-digi.com/contact/dealer

Matrix Mini-i PRO 4 is a $959 USD Music Streamer, high-end DAC, and headphone amplifier / driver with a really smooth, high-end design, a versatile design that can do a lot of things, from music streaming, USB DAC function, Balanced and RCA outputs that work at the same time, all the way to having a touch screen, remote, and AirPlay 2 support. This makes it a very competitive device and I will be putting it against the best of the best, including Aune S9C PRO, Soundaware A1X PRO, Matrix Element i, Mano Ultra MKii and Keces S3. 

HIFIMAN Goldenwave Serenade (999 USD) 

Link To Review – https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2024/06/hifiman-goldenwave-serenade-himalaya-pro-r2r-dac-amp.html

You can grab one here – https://amzn.to/3XkgZBB

HIFIMAN Goldenwave Serenade is a $999 USD DAC and Headphone Amplifier, with a Himalaya PRO R2R DAC inside, with a new FPGA algorithm and 0.01% precision resistors, and with a THD rate of -6 dB, 0.0012%. Today we will review it and compare it to Dethonray Listening M1 (2599 USD), HIFIMAN EF600 (799 USD), FiiO K9 PRO ESS (849 USD), Keces S3 (1300 USD), and Aune S9C PRO (699 USD). 

Oriveti OV800 IEMs (999 USD) 

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2022/05/oriveti-ov800-flagship-iems-geometric-acoustic-beauty.html

Link To Purchase: https://amzn.to/3vT6C9l

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 Dorado 2020 (1100 USD), Audeze Euclid Planar IEMs (1300 USD) and Lime Ears Aether R (1400 USD). I will also include pairings with iBasso DX240 + AMP8 MK2 (950 USD + 219 USD), Astell & Kern SE180 (1500 USD), and Dethonray DTR1+ Prelude (1000 USD). 

Fir Audio VxV IEMs (999 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2022/03/fir-audio-vxv-iems-flagship-iem-hits-luckiest-notes.html

Link To Purchase: https://amzn.to/3jbR5KS

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 USD), Audeze Euclid (1300 USD), iBasso IT07 (900 USD), and Lime Ears Aether R (1400 USD). I will also be including pairings with iBasso DX240 running AMP8 MK2 Module (950 USD), Dethonray DTR1+ Prelude DAP (1000 USD), and Astell & Kern SE180 (1500 USD). At the end of the day, if you’re looking for one of the most versatile IEMs ever designed, with a really comfortable fit, high quality chassis and driver technology, support well by the producing company, and sporting unique tech for their sound, Fir Audio VxV is going to spend a lot of time with you, and find a place in your heart, as one of the most natural sounding IEMs ever creating. 

Dethonray Prelude DTR1+ Music Player (1000 USD) 

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2022/01/dethonray-prelude-dtr1-music-player-beautiful-music-box.html

Link to Purchase: https://amzn.to/3tKGjlc

We’re reviewing a music player priced at 1000 USD, 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 also made on this philosophy, but also high-end DAPs from this price bracket like FiiO M11 PRO (650 USD), iBasso DX240 (950 USD), and Lotoo PAW 6000 (1200 USD). For the pairings part of today’s review, we will be doing pairings with Dethonray’s own Tender 1 IEMs (700 USD), Campfire Audio Ara (1300 USD), Sendy Audio Peacock (1750 USD), and Crosszone CZ-10 (900 USD). 

MUSICIAN PEGASUS II R2R HiFi DAC (1099 USD)

Link To Review – https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2024/08/musician-pegasus-ii-r2r-hifi-dac-revealer-of-hidden-worlds.html

Aliexpress Store – https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001054786298.html

Musician Pegasus II is an R2R $1099 USD DAC sold and fulfilled by Aoshida, and produced by Musician. Today we will review and explore the Pegasus II and compare it to other high-end flagship DACs, including Dethonray Listening M1 (2599 USD), Denafrips Ares II R2R DAC (800 USD), FiiO K9 PRO ESS (849 USD), Keces S3 (1300 USD) and Audio Analogue AAdac (4000 USD). 

Soundz Flame High-End HiFi IEMs (1101 USD) 

Link To Review – https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2024/09/soundz-flame-high-end-hifi-iems-ignite-the-dazzling-melody.html

Amazon – https://amzn.to/4dX0aCg

Soundz Flame is a 990 Euro / $1101 USD pair of In-Ear Monitors designed for recording / mixing / performing artists, but also for music lovers who want to hear the accurate burning passion of a live musician. Today we will review the Flame and also compare them to similarly priced IEMs, including Sweear He-Live5 (899 USD), Campfire Bonneville (1399 USD), Spirit Torino Twin Pulse Beryllium (999 USD), Sennheiser IE900 (1499 USD), and Unique Melody Maven PRO (1799 USD).

Westone Mach 60 IEMs (1100 USD)

Link To Review:  https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2022/10/westone-mach-60-iems-triple-plan-bass-mids-and-treble.html

Purchase Link:  https://amzn.to/3EjZBTF

Westone Mach 60 are a pair of IEMs priced at 1100 USD, currently found on sale for 879 USD, with 6 Balanced Armature Drivers, and a unique sound to match the super ergonomic design. They will be compared to other high-end and flagship IEMs, including Ambient Acoustics MAD16 (2500 USD), Oriveti OV800 (999 USD), Unique Melody MEXT (1200 USD), Fir Audio VxV (999 USD), and Campfire Ara (1300 USD). 

NHT C3 Stereo Bookshelf Speakers (1250 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2022/06/nht-c3-3-way-bookshelf-stereo-speakers-music-for-life.html

Link To Purchase: https://amzn.to/3QzulDf

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+ Wireless (500 USD). I will also be pairing NHT C3 with Cyrus One Cast (2000 USD), Burson Funk (550 USD) driven by an AAdac from Audio Analogue (4000 USD) , and SMSL AO200 (280 USD) driven by SMSL DO200 (490 USD).

HIFIMAN Arya Organic (1299 USD) 

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2023/11/hifiman-arya-organic-stealth-nano-and-comfort.html

Link To Purchase: https://amzn.to/48FPyEx

HIFIMAN Arya Organic is a $1299 USD pair of open-back planar magnetic headphones, with exceptional sonic performance, good price / performance ratio, and the latest iteration of the HIFIAN Arya series. While we already reviewed the Ananda Nano, and it was the most pleasing of the Nano series, the new Arya Organic gets the same treatment, and improves over the original Arya Stealth by adding the new Nanometer Thickness Diaphragm. This being said, the Arya Stealth was already using a Nanometer Diaphragm, so Arya Organic is a tweaked version of an exceptional original. Today we will explore the sound of the Arya Organic, and compare them to other high-end headphones, including the Arya Stealth (1599 USD), but also HE1000 Stealth (2999 USD), HIFIMAN Audivina (1999 USD), Audeze MM-500 (1699 USD), Spirit Torino Super Leggera (1999 USD), AND Crosszone CZ-8a (1700 USD). 

Keces S3 DAC/AMP (1300 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2021/07/keces-s3-dac-balanced-amp-preamp-my-favorite-warm-performer.html

Link To Purchase: https://amzn.to/3n88K9p

S3 has the power, refinement, detail and overall build quality to be among the best DAC/AMPs ever created. With a warm sound, an XLR headphone output, but also controllable gain, you’re sure to be able to pair it with pretty much anything, from relatively easy IEMs and earphones to hard to drive headphones. 

Soundz Avant IEMs (1390 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2023/12/soundz-avant-iems-greek-high-end-sound.html

Link To Purchase: https://www.soundzcustom.com/avant/

Soundz Avant is a 1390 USD / Euro IEM or In-Ear Monitor made in Greece by Soundz Custom, with 10 drivers playing in each ear, being ideal for both on-stage performers, but also studio workers and audiophiles. There is a Custom version you can purchase, if you have an audiologist nearby and are able to take impressions for them. Given the fact this is the flagship from the Soundz company, and the price point, we will be comparing them to other high-end IEMs, including Sennheiser Ie900 (1499 USD), Letshuoer Cadenza 12 (2299 USD), HIFIMAN Svanar (1999 USD), Dita Audio Perpetua (2999 USD), Ambient Acoustics MAD 16 (2999 USD). 

Campfire Bonneville Universal IEMs (1399 USD)

Link To Review – https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2024/03/campfire-bonneville-universal-iems-cradle-of-pure-music.html

You can grab one from Campfire here – https://www.campfireaudio.com/products/bonneville

Campfire Bonneville is a $1399 USD pair of High-End Flagship Universal IEMs or In-Ear Monitors, with 4 drivers, one dynamic driver, and three balanced armatures, designed as one of the current Campfire Flagship IEMs, and a simple, stealthy design. Today we will fully review it in writing, also comparing it to other flagships currently on the market, including Spirit Torino Twin Pulse Beryllium (1000 USD), FIR Audio e12 Electron (1799 USD), Sennheiser Ie900 (1499 USD), HIFIMAN Svanar (1999 USD), Soundz Avant (1390 USD). As Campfire Bonneville has a unique sound, and it sounds best with certain sources, we will be exploring pairings with iBasso DX320 MAX TI (3499 USD), Astell&Kern A&Futura SE180 (1500 USD), and Lotoo PAW 6000 (1200 USD). 

Cocktail N25 Music Streamer (1400 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2022/02/cocktail-audio-n25-streamer-elegance-usability-connected.html

Link To Purchase: https://amzn.to/3JiYD9t

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 an external Amplifier. It will be compared to other high-end and flagship DACs / Streamers, including Magna Hifi Mano Ultra MK2 (1200 USD), Cyrus One Cast (2000 USD), and Soundaware A1X PRO (700 USD). Given that it has a DAC function, it will also be tested as the main DAC for a few headline systems, a Violectric HPA V340 Amplifier (2000 EURO) + HIFIMAN Arya Stealth Headphones (1600 USD), and SMSL DO200 Amplifier (280 USD) + NHT C3 Speakers (1000 USD). At the end of the day, if you’re looking for beautiful sonics, excellent usage scenarios, with support for Bluetooth inputs, bluetooth outputs, MQA decoding, Roon Point support, External HDD support, and even USB DAC support, with a beautiful, well isolated, detailed sound, and good Wifi coverage, then cocktail Audio N25 is the best streamer I can recommend you out of everything I reviewed so far. 

iBasso PB5 Osprey HiFi Tube Amplifier (1499 USD)

Link To Review – https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2024/09/ibasso-pb5-osprey-hifi-tube-amplifier-apex-analogic-musicality.html

Amazon – https://amzn.to/47DHzZx

iBasso PB5 Osprey is a $1499 USD Summit-Fi Portable Tube Headphone Amplifier, featuring the most complex Dual Nutube 6P1 Tube setup manufactured by KORG and Noritake, being the 6th generation NuTubes, combined with 6 Batteries, and and a stepped volume attenuator to deliver the best sonic performance you can dream of having with a portable headphone amplifier. Given the price and design, we will compare the iBasso PB5 Osprey with similarly priced Headphone / IEM Amplifiers including HIFIMAN Prelude (2499 USD), Aune S17 PRO (699 USD), Feliks Audio Echo 2 (799 Euro), Violectric HPA V340 (2000 USD), and Audio-GD Master 19 (880 USD). 

iBasso D16 Taipan 1 Bit FPGA DAC AMP with 128 DACs (1499 USD)

Link To Review – https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2024/08/ibasso-d16-taipan-1-bit-fpga-dac-amp-the-ultimate-listening-experience-of-cascaded-8e-pwm-dacs.html

You can grab one here – https://amzn.to/4fvwP2Y

iBasso D16 is a $1499 USD Digital to Analog Converter and Super Class A Headphone Amplifier, designed as a portable unit, with what I consider to be the most unique DAC tech we have seen this year. I am talking about 1Bit DACs, with 16 sets of cascaded 8E PWM-DACs, resulting in 128 PWM-DACs, for 1bit D/A conversion. This is literally the daddy of all portable DAC/AMPs available for purchase today, and given the price point and design we will compare iBasso D16 Taipan to other similarly priced units, including iBasso DX320 MAX Ti (3499 USD), Astell&Kern Acro CA1000T DAP (2299 USD), Dethonray Listening M1 (2599 USD), Astell&Kern A&Ultima SP2000T (2500 USD) and AudioAnalogue AAdac (4000 USD). As this is a high-end DAC/AMP model with unique driving qualities, we will also pair it with HIFIMAN HE1000SE (3500 USD), Soundz Avant (1390 USD), and iBasso SR3 (599 USD). 

The Summit-Fi is the end, products here dropped most sense of price-performance ratio, and are all about reaching the cutting edge of what is humanly possible at the moment of their release.

Things can get pricy, but the experience with a product must be sublime for it to exist in a hall of fame once you hit this kind of price. A product must be pretty flawless to exist here. 

Sennheiser IE900 Flagship In-Ear Monitors (1500 USD) 

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2023/11/sennheiser-ie900-flagship-in-ear-monitors-orchestral-majesty.html

Link To Purchase: https://amzn.to/48r7fZ2

Sennheiser Ie900 is the $1499 USD flagship IEM designed by the ultra-popular audio company Sennheiser, which comes with both balanced and SE cables, a single dynamic driver, and with one of the best designs we’ve seen out there. Today we will be reviewing them, and also comparing the Ie900 to other high-end IEMs and flagships, in a battle of the best, the list including HIFIMAN Svanar (1999 USD), Unique Melody Maven PRO (1799 USD), Dita Audio Perpetua (2999 USD), FiR Audio NE4 NEON 4 (2299 USD), Ambient Acoustics MAD 24 (3499 USD) and Sennheiser Ie800 (999 USD). At the moment of writing today’s review, Sennheiser Ie900 can be found on the Sennheiser official website on sale for $999 USD, and it is part of the Amazon Black Friday deal for the same $999 USD price. 

Sivga Peacock Planar Magnetic Headphones (1500 USD) 

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2021/10/sendy-audio-peacock-flagship-of-music.html

Link To Purchase: https://amzn.to/3pswlkY

Sendy Audio Peacock is the latest headphone from Sendy Audio and it is priced at about 1500 USD at the moment of writing this full written review (USA), and 1750 USD (Europe after taxes). The main comparisons will be with Kennerton Thror (3000 USD), Audeze LCD MX4 (3000 USD), Rosson RAD-0 (2600 USD), Spirit Torino SuperLeggera (2000 USD), and Crosszone CZ-1 (2000 USD). We will also be having pairings with Astell&Kern SE180 (1500 USD), Analog Audio AAdac (4000 USD), Keces S3 (1300 USD), and Lotoo PAW6000 (1200 USD).

Astell & Kern A&Futura SE180 Music Player (1500 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2021/09/astell-kern-afutura-se180-music-player-alpha-dap-incoming.html

Link To Purchase: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=se180

This one DAP has been on my mind for such a long time, and I’ve been so happy to review it that I’ve been using it ever since reviewing it. Literally, while writing this piece, I have it on my desk. It is impressive, musical, yet smooth, yet detailed, punchy and dynamic. If you’re looking for the best the musical world has to offer, you need to check out Astell & Kern and their DAPs, they surely have an amazing thing going on for them, and there’s a reason they are considered kings in this hobby. 

Ricable Invictus Speaker Reference Cable (1518 USD) 

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2023/08/ricable-invictus-speaker-reference-cable-purified-copper-music-flow.html

Link To Purchase:https://www.ricable.com/en/prodotto/invictus-speaker-reference-audio-cable-hi-fi-with-noise-reduction/

Ricable Invictus Speaker Reference Cable is a $1518 USD pair of high-end speaker cables, with a reference sound, exceptional design, super nice connectors, and a huge promised increase in quality for your listening setup, also handmade in Italy. Ricable is the first hifi cable manufacturer to offer a Total Lifetime Warranty for their cables, along with free returns, and a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Given the current setup that I’m using, I will be pairing and injecting the cable in a setup consisting of a KLH Model Five Speaker, a Keces s300+ Speaker Amplifier, and a FiiO K9 PRO DAC. 

iBasso DX320 DAP / Music Player (1600 USD) 

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2022/07/ibasso-dx320-dap-music-player-ultimate-sonics.html

Link To Purchase: https://amzn.to/3QdckLp

Ibasso DX320 is the 1599 USD flagship DAP or Digital Audio Player made by iBasso, with a modular AMP design, two colors available for purchase, and with new ROHM MUS-IC DACs instead of ESS or AK chips. Given the price point, it will be placed against the wall and compared to all the other flagships, including Astell & Kern A&Futura SE180 (1500 USD), Lotoo PAW 6000 (1200 USD), FiiO M17 (1800 USD), Astell & Kern A&Ultima SP2000T (2500 USD), iBasso DX300 (1200 USD), and Dethonray Prelude DTR1+ Music Player (1000 USD). 

Audeze MM-500 Studio Planar Magnetic Headphones (1699 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2022/10/audeze-mm-500-studio-suprema-planar.html

Link To Purchase: https://amzn.to/3DUNU45

Audeze MM-500 is the 1699 USD pair of Planar Magnetic headphones designed by Audeze for Studios, Music Producers, Sound Engineers and everyone who wants to hear the latest word in detail and resolution, without breaking the bank. In fact, this is going to be not only hard to beat, but almost impossible if you’re here for resolution, precision and a crisp studio sound. The comparison list will include all the best headphones I’ve reviewed before, like Audeze LCD-XC (1800 USD), HIFIMAN HE6SE (1800 USD), Crosszone CZ-1 (2000 USD), Spirit Torino SuperLeggera (2000 USD), Rosson RAD-0 (2600 USD), and HIFIMAN HE1000 V2 (3000 USD). For driving MM-500 I’ve been using a collection that’s modest compared to the usual suspects, and it includes iBasso DX320 (1600 USD), HIFIMAN EF400 (600 USD), and Astell & Kern SE180 (1500 USD)

Unique Melody Maven PRO (1799 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2023/04/unique-melody-maven-pro-iems-most-beautiful-music-note.html

Link To Purchase: https://www.uniquemelody.org/products/maven-pro

Uniuqe Melody Maven PRO is a pair of $1799 USD pair of IEMs with 10 Balanced Armature Drivers and two EST Drivers playing in each ear, a Titanium Shell, and outstanding cables, all for the ultimate musicality. They will be compared to other flagship IEMs, including CTM Clear tune Monitors Da Vinci X (2400 USD), Unique Melody MESt MK2 (1500 USD), Lime Ears Aether R (1400 USD), Ambient Acoustics MAD 24 (3500 USD), and Final Audio A8000 (2400 USD). I will also be doing pairing for this flagship IEM, including pairings with Astell & Kern SP2000T (2500 USD), iBasso DX320 (1600 USD), Lotoo PAW 6000 (1200 USD), and Hiby RS2 Darwin (480 USD). 

Buchardt S400 Stereo Bookshelf Speakers (1800 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2021/09/buchardt-s400-speakers-music-is-everywhere.html 

Link to Purchase: https://amzn.to/32XLgfb

Buchardt S400 are a pair of speakers made with ingenious marketing and design, and they are sold for 1800 USD at the moment of writing this review. They will be compared with Aurender S5W, Edifier S1000DB, and Audioengine A5+. For driving the S400, we will have pairings with Roksan Caspian M2 Amplifier, driven by a Keces S3 DAC, Cyrus One Cast HD DAC/AMP/Streamer, and a Class D Arylic A50 Receiver / Amplifier.  

Audeze LCD-XC 2021 Planar Magnetic Headphones (1800 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2021/10/audeze-lcd-xc-2021-headphones-art-of-planar-monitors.html 

Link to Purchase: https://amzn.to/3DwKnXA

Sometimes you need a good headphone for both your mixing, mastering, and listening needs. This is exactly where LCD-XC 2021 comes in handy, as it has a good price / performance ratio, but also one of the most detailed, clean sounds you could get, and with a smoother texture presentation, it won’t be fatiguing and you won’t feel the need to take them off every few minutes because you can’t stand the sound or the comfort. Audeze made those lighter, for long hours of listening, and if you don’t need the rugged case, you could get them for around 1300 USD.  

HIFIMAN Audivina Closed-Back Headphones (1999 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2023/10/hifiman-audivina-closed-back-headphones-audio-pleasure-maxima.html

Link To Purchase: https://amzn.to/3twMYSB

HIFIMAN Audivina is a $1999 USD pair of over-the-ear closed-back planar magnetic headphones designed by HIFIMAN for Studio and Home usage. They come with the new Acoustically Invisible Stealth Magnet, Neo Supernano Diaphragm (NsD), and with superb ergonomics to redefine what kind of fun can be had with a closed-back can. Today we’ll be reviewing it together, but also compare them to other flagship headphones including HIFIMAN HE1000 Stealth (1400 USD), Audeze MM-500 (1699 USD), Crosszone CZ-8a (1700 USD), Sendy Audio Peacock (1500 USD), and Spirit Torino Audio Super Leggera (2000 USD). We will also be doing pairings between HIFIMAN Audivina and FiiO K9 PRO ESS (799 USD), SMSL DO400 (475 USD), iBasso DX320 MAX TI (3499 USD), and Astell & Kern ACRO CA1000T (2299 USD). 

HIFIMAN Svanar IEMs (1999 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2023/05/hifiman-svanar-iems-fantastic-music-flagship.html

Link To Purchase: https://amzn.to/48Eb5xA

HIFIMAN Svanar is the $ 1999 USD flagship IEM or In-Ear Monitor designed by HIFIMAN, to dominate the earphone market with single dynamic driver designs, with the name being inspired by the Swedish word for Swan, beauty, elegance and grace. It will be compared to other flagships, including Unique Melody Maven PRO (1799 USD), Dita Audio Perpetua (2999 USD), FiR Audio NE4 Neon 4 (2299 USD), Ambient Acoustics MAD16 (2500 USD), HIFIMAN RE2000 (2000 USD), and Audeze Euclid (1300 USD). Svanar will also be paired with a few portable sources, including Astell&Kern Acro CA1000T (2299 USD), iBasso DX320 (1599 USD), and Lotoo PAW 6000 (1200 USD). 

Violectric HPA V340 Headphone Amplifier / PREamp (2000 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2021/12/violectric-hpa-v340-headphone-amplifier-preamplifier-german-musicality.html

Link To Purchase: https://amzn.to/3GPNXP7

Copious amounts of driving power, a high-end build, along with both Single Ended and Balanced Headphone outputs are just a few of the reasons you may be considering the HPA V340. This is one of the finest solid state Headphone AMPs that you can find on the market at the moment, and can be used as a Preamp for a full sized hifi system as well. 

CrossZone CZ-1 Headphones (2000 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2019/01/gentle-art-of-listening-crosszone-cz-1.html

Link To Purchase: https://www.amazon.com/CROSSZONE-HEADPHONE-CZ-1-Domestic-products%E3%80%91/dp/B01J0KMP62

CZ-1 isn’t open nor closed back, but semi-open, having ventilation, but not having a fully open cup. They are one of the best headphones there is, being in fair and straight competition with some of the most expensive hifhi speaker setups, when it comes to playing classical music. They sound huge, but fair, natural, and they are one of the most comfortable headphones in the world, relying on a very unique mechanism for being this comfortable, and they easily enter the Hall Of Fame for their interesting build, aesthetics and impressive sound that’s gentle and easy to listen to. 

Letshuoer Cadenza 12 (2299 USD) 

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2023/11/letshuoer-cadenza-12-wise-but-delicate-flagship.html

Link To Purchase: https://amzn.to/3NPlH4E

Letshuoer Cadenza 12 is a $ 2299 USD Flagship IEM or In-Ear Monitor with twelve drivers playing in each ear, a titanium chassis, and a six-way electronic Crossover, five acoustic bores, and the top performer from Letshuoer. It comes to challenge all the other flagship IEMs so today we will be reviewing it and comparing it with HIFIMAN Svanar (1999 USD), Unique Melody Maven PRO (1799 USD), FiR Audio Frontier Series NE4 Neon 4 IEMs (2299 USD), Ambient Acoustics MAD16 (2999 USD), and Dita Perpetua (2999 USD). We will also be including comparisons with Astell & Kern A&Ultima SP2000T (2500 USD), iBasso DX320 MAX TI (3499 USD), and Hiby R6 III (499 USD). 

FiR Audio NE4 Neon 4 IEMs (2299 USD) 

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2022/09/fir-audio-frontier-series-ne4-neon-4-iems-exceeding-all-expectations.html

Link To Purchase: https://amzn.to/3Ej0DPK

FiR Audio NE4 IEMs are a pair of Universal IEMs that can also be bought as customs, priced at 2299 USD, and designed with a superb sonic quality for both musicians and audiophiles. They aren’t the priciest IEMS I review on Audiophile-Heaven, by a good margin actually, but as we’ll explore today, they’re actually exceeding others easily, and are also different in tuning from the iconic VxV that I reviewed previously. This means that FiR Audio NE4 will be compared with the best of the best, including Ambient Acoustics MAD24 (3500 USD), CTM Clear Tune Monitors Da Vinci X (2400 USD), Unique Melody MEST MK2 (1500 USD), Lime Ears Aether R (1400 USD), FiR Audio VxV (999 USD), Final Audio A8000 (2400 USD), and Campfire Ara (1300 USD). 

HIFIMAN HE1000SE (1999 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2023/12/hifiman-he1000se-the-original-stealth-nano-music-wonder.html

Link To Purchase: https://amzn.to/47hLaKY

HIFIMAN He1000SE or HE1000 Special Edition is a $3500 USD pair of over-the-ear planar magnetic headphones, designed as the mid flagship from HIFIMAN (if you don’t include Susvara, and the more exotic options), being one of the first headphones to have introduced the Stealth Magnet and Nano Diaphragm designs in 2018. Today we will be reviewing it and comparing it to the new HIFIMAN HE1000 Stealth (1400 USD), Audeze MM-500 (1699 USD), Crosszone CZ-8a (1700 USD), Sendy Audio Peacock (1500 USD), Spirit Torino Super Leggera (2000 USD), Rosson RAD-0 (2600 USD). Since this is a headphone we’ve reviewed many times in the past under many forms, this Special Edition Review will also focus a lot on the differences between the generations of HE1000 that are available on the market. You can find HE1000SE for 1999 USD at the moment, which puts it in a whole different category of price / performance ratio compared to the original pricing, as we will explore towards the end of the review. 

HIFIMAN Mini Shangri-La Headphone System (2300 USD)

Link To Review – https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2024/08/hifiman-mini-shangri-la-headphone-system-brilliant-electrostatic-hifi-delight.html

Official Link – https://store.hifiman.com/index.php/mini-shangri-la.html

HIFIMAN Mini Shangri-La is a 2300 USD Electrostatic headphone system, composed of the Mini Shangri-La Headphones which cost 1100 USD, and the Electrostatic Amplifier which costs 1500 USD, with the system having a better price combined than if you bought each individually. Today we are going to review the mini Shangri-La, and compare the system to other headphones driven by high-end amplifiers, including Crosszone CZ-8a Enhanced (1700 USD) driven by Burson PlayMate 2 (544 USD), HIFIMAN He1000SE (3500 USD) driven by HIFIMAN Prelude (2499 USD), and Audeze MM-500 (1699 USD) driven by Dethonray Listening M1 (2599 USD). 

HIFIMAN Prelude Pre / Amp (2499 USD)

Link To Review – https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2024/06/hifiman-prelude-pre-amp-bold-leader-headphone-amplifier.html

You can grab one here – https://amzn.to/3z8zQVT

HIFIMAN Prelude is a $2499 USD full Class A Headphone Amplifier, with a Mos-Fet High Current Output, which can convert even the single ended input to fully balanced, with ALPS Potentiometer, and a whopping 10W of power into a 32 OHM impedance. We are reviewing the leader of Amplifiers today, and putting it to the test against the AMPs in the best alternatives, including Smyth A16 Realiser (4000 USD), Analog Audio AAdac (4000 USD), iBasso DX320 MAX Ti (3499 USD), Feliks Euforia (2000 USD) and Violectric HPA V340 Amplifier (2000 USD). As this is literally the leader of power amplifiers in power and current delivery, we will also be exploring pairings with Crosszone CZ-8a Enhanced (1700 USD), HIFIMAN HE1000Se (3500 USD), Audeze LCD-5 (4500 USD), Sennheiser IE900 (1499 USD), Soundz Avant (1390 USD) and Campfire Bonneville (1399 USD)

Ambient Acoustics MAD16 IEMs (2500 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2022/08/ambient-acoustics-mad16-iems-crazy-music-colors.html

Link To Purchase: https://amzn.to/3A2QBzs

Ambient Acoustics MAD16 is an in-ear monitor priced at 2500 USD, designed with 16 balanced armature drivers, under the Main Audio Destination naming scheme. Given the price point, they have to be compared to other flagship IEMs, including CTM Clear Tune Monitors Da Vinci IX (1800 USD), Unique Melody MEST MK2 IEMs (1500 USD), Lime Ears Aether R (1400 USD), Final Audio A8000 (2400 USD), Audeze Euclid (1300 USD), and Fir Audio VxV (999 USD). 

Astell & Kern A&Ultima SP2000T Portable Music Player (2500 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2021/12/astellkern-anorma-sp2000t-tube-solid-state-blends-musically.html

Link To Purchase: https://amzn.to/3nHrSdW

SP2000T is currently the best DAP in the whole world to implement Tube AMP and Solid State tech, and to also blend them together, allowing their users to select how much of the Tube and how much of the SS tech they want with their sound. The usual high-end Astell & Kern build quality, reliability, along with support for streaming services, MQA, and beautiful aesthetics are present. They include a high-end leather case as well with SP2000T, plus it has tons of driving power, perfect for basically any headphone or IEM. 

KLH Model Five Acoustic Suspension HIFI Stereo Speakers (2500 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2021/12/astellkern-anorma-sp2000t-tube-solid-state-blends-musically.html

Link To Purchase: https://amzn.to/3WRTwVM

KLH Model Five is a 2499 USD Per Pair / 1249 USD Each Hifi Stereo Speaker setup with huge 10-Inch Bass Drivers, 3-Way Design, and superb 3/4″ MDF enclosure. They will be compared with other speakers I reviewed, including NHT C3 Bookshelf HIFI Speakers (1250 USD), Buchardt S400 (1800 USD), Aurender S5W (3000 USD). They will also be paired with a multitude of driving amplifiers, including Cyrus One Cast (2000 USD), SMSL AO200 (280 USD), Burson Funk (550 USD).  

Dethonray Listening M1 DAC / Headphone Amplifier (2599 USD)

Link To Review – https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2024/04/dethonray-listening-m1-dac-headphone-amplifier-beautiful-and-deep-music-sound.html

Link To Store – https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006576672840.html

Dethonray Listening M1 is a $2599 USD DAC AMP made for desktop, with a really sleek design, ultimate sound architecture, and as we wil explore today, a sound that’s unlike anything we heard before. Given its price point, we will compare it to the best of the best sonic sources, including Smyth A16 Realiser (4000 USD), Analog Audio AAdac (4000 USD), iBasso DX320 MAX Ti (3499 USD), Astell & Kern A&Ultima SP2000T (2500 USD), Cyrus One Cast (2000 USD), and Keces S3 (1300 USD). As this is one unique DAC / Headphone Amplifier, we will also explore pairings with select IEMs and headphones, including Campfire Bonneville (1399 USD), HIFIMAN HE1000SE (3500 USD) and FIR Audio e12 Electron (1799 USD). 

Rosson RAD-0 Planar Magnetic Headphones (2600 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2020/03/rosson-rad-0-headphones-review.html

Link To Store: http://www.rossonaudiodesign.com/

With Rosson RAD-0, you get a headphone that is solid, well built, but also has an absolutely grain-free sound, with each sound flowing into each other, with a natural soundstage, clear presentation, and with one of the best sounds ever to exist to present guitars, rock, metal and electronic / pop.  

Dita Audio Perpetua (2999 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2023/03/dita-audio-perpetua-forever-musical-and-beautiful.html

Link To Purchase: https://amzn.to/3BhRzbg

Dita Perpetua is a $2999 USD high-end flagship IEM, designed a single dynamic driver, the new PPT-D 12mm driver, and wit a super high-end cable included in the package, namely Dita’s New Coil/Cover cable, with a PCOCC Copper, with internal wiring from Kondo Audio Note Japan. It will be compared to other high-end flagship IEMs, including Ambient Acoustics MAD24 (3500 USD), Clear Tune Monitors CTM Da Vinci X (2400 USD), FiR Audio NE4 Neon 4 IEMS (2299 USD), Unique Melody MEST MK2 (1500 USD), and Final Audio A8000 (2400 USD). I will also include pairings with a selection of sources, namely Astell & Kern SP2000T (2500 USD), iBasso DX320 DAP (1600 USD), and Lotoo PAW 6000 (1200 USD). 

Pylon Diamond 30 mkII Stereo HIFI Floorstanding Tower Speakers (3000 USD)

Link To Review – https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2024/06/pylon-diamond-30-mkii-speakers-pure-audiophile-euphoria.html

Official Link – https://www.pylonaudio.com/diamond-30-mkII-pylon-audio

Pylon Diamond 30 mkII is a $ 3000 USD pair of high-end Speakers designed in Poland by Pylon Audio, and they come to redefine what we can expect from a relatively affordable price point for speakers. As a floorstanding tower speaker, it is the modernised version of the flagship, largest floorstanding speaker in the Diamond series produced by Pylon. Given the price for a pair, we will compare the Diamond 30 MKii with Amphion Argon3s (3000 USD), KLH Model Five (2499 USD), and Aurender S5W (3000 USD). Given the nature of the speakers and the price point we will also explore pairings with a multitude of amplifiers, including Keces S300+ (3499 USD), Cyrus One Cast (2000 USD), and SMSL AO300 (289 USD).

Audeze LCD-MX4 (3000 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2018/05/audeze-lcd-mx4-precisely-amazing.html

Link To Purchase: https://www.amazon.com/Audeze-Over-Ear-Open-Back-Headphones-Magnesium/dp/B077XLLDKW

LCD-MX4 is the true power of a high-end Planar, a Headphone good for both listening to music, but also mastering, mixing, and general work with music production. They are a bit heavy, but they are one of the most precise, most detailed, most clear headphones that ever existed. With a smoother treble, so you can work on for hours, and an easy-to-drive nature, so they can pair with virtually any AMP or Workstation, LCD-MX4 is truly an amazing headphone that has a bright future ahead, not just in music lover’s homes, but also in the work space of many music producers, looking for a really precise tool to better their work. 

Keces S300+ Stereo Speaker Amplifier (3499 USD) 

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2024/02/keces-s300-stereo-hifi-power-amplifier-speaker-utopia-sound-master.html

Link To Purchase: https://www.kecesaudio.com/S300+.html

Keces S300+ is a $3499 USD high-end flagship Stereo HIFI Power Amplifier, with both Balanced and Unbalanced inputs, High and Low Bias modes, and with a power consumption of up to 1000W, able to use Loop Triggers, designed to drive the beefiest, most picky of speakers out there. Today we will take a deep dive in the sound design and compare it to other high-end Power Amplifiers, including Cyrus One Cast (2000 USD), Burson Funk (550 USD), Jadis Orchestra Reference (4500 USD). With a Class A or AB, you know the S300+ will move any speaker driver, so we will also explore pairings with different DACs, and speakers, including pairings with NHT C3 (1249 USD), Amphion Argon 3s (3000 USD), KLH Model Five (2499 USD), and Buchard S400 (1800 USD). There have been some changes from the original S300, namely the Damping factor increased from 1500 to 4000, the internal materials have been upgraded, and the speaker terminals have been upgraded to WBT-0703Cu. 

iBasso DX320 MAX TI DAP Music Player (3499 USD) 

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2023/07/ibasso-dx320-max-ti-dap-music-player-ultimate-portable-flagship-dream.html

Link To Purchase: https://ibasso.com/product/dx320max

iBasso DX320 MAX TI is a $ 3499 USD Music Player or DAP designed to be the ultimate companion to your audio journey. It features Android 11, Class A Amplification, 6GB or RAM, 4 ROHM DACs (BD34301EKV) and both a Single Ended and a Balanced headphone output. It is also made to be portable, so it will be a travel companion, being comparable to all of the other high-end flagships, including iBasso DX220MAX, Astell & Kern A&Ultima SP2000T, Astell&Kern ACRO CA1000T, iBasso DX320, Lotto PAW 6000, and Dethonray Prelude DTR1+. Since we’re going to have a lot of fun, we’ll also be doing pairings, with iBasso SR3, Erzetich Thalia, Ambient Acoustics MAD16, Unique Melody Maven PRO.

Ambient Acoustics MAD24 / MAD 24 Flagship IEMs (3500 USD) 

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2022/05/ambient-acoustics-mad-24-insanely-musical.html

Link To Purchase: https://amzn.to/3AbS5rL

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 other flagship IEM, including CTM Clear Tune Monitors Da Vinci X (2400 USD), Unique Melody MEST MK2 IEMs (1500 USD), Lime Ears Aether R (1400 USD), Final Audio A8000 (2400 USD), Audeze Euclid (1300 USD), Campfire Ara (1300 USD), Fir Audio VxV (999 USD), and Oriveti OV800 (999 USD). I will also be pairing the MAD 24 with the best sources I have on hand, including iBasso DX300 (1200 USD), Lotto PAW 6000 (1200 USD), Astell & Kern SE180 (1500 USD), Dethonray DTR1+ (1000 USD), and Astell & Kern SP2000T (2500 USD). I will also be taking notes on the matching with the Plussound Copper+ Cable (999 USD), STE Cu W16 (400 USD), and Effect Audio EVO 1 (440 USD) 

ECdesigns PowerDAC-SX Stereo HIFI Integrated DAC (3700 USD)

Link To Review – https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2024/07/ecdesigns-powerdac-sx-stereo-hifi-dac-amplifier-ultimate-levels-of-power-and-control.html

You can grab one here – https://ecdesigns.nl/product/powerdac-sx/

ECdesigns PowerDAC-SX is a 3450 EURO / $3700 USD DAC which can directly drive speakers, and balanced headphones without using any amplifiers. It comes with a remote, and it is one of the most interesting and unique stereo sound reproduction solutions in the whole world. Today we will review the PowerDAC-SX, how it sounds like, and also compare it to other high-end stereo HIFI Amplifiers, including Keces S300+ (3499 USD), Cyrus One Cast (2000 USD), and Jadis Orchestra Reference (4500 USD). 

Analog Audio AAdac (4000 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2021/04/audio-analogue-aadac-italian-master-design.html

Link To Store: https://amzn.to/3ypUL2e

When you want to experience the best dynamics a DAC can have, the AAdac is there waiting for you. The shape unique to Analog Audio, it surely is refreshing to see a new design compared to the old fashioned DACs by other companies. There is one 6.3mm Headphone output, as well as an IR port, but most of the part happens at the back, as I explain in my full in-depth written review above. 

Smyth A16 Realiser Headstand DXP / HT / Processor / DAC / AMP (4000 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2021/05/smyth-a16-realiser-headstand-dac-amp-3d-stage-for-everyone.html

Link To Store: https://ouo.io/EF46JS

If you wanted to check out something that has waaaay more usability than your average DAC, here comes the winner, like DGD would say. A16 is a Home theather, DXP, Processor, DAC, Headphone AMP, and many other things in one unit. As I noted in my full in-depth written review about it, while checking it out, you can’t miss the features it has, as it can measure, EQ and plan for your headphones, transform them sonically into soundstage and bass monsters, but also be used as a Desktop DAC, used with an external headphone amp, and do so much more. 

Audeze LCD-5 Flagship Planar Magnetic Headphones (4500 USD)

Link To Review: https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2022/05/audeze-lcd-5-flagship-performance-supremus.html

Link To Store: https://amzn.to/3QdBtFv

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 will get compared to absolutely all of the other flagships I reviewed in the past, including Kennerton Thror (3000 USD), Rosson RAD-0 (2600 USD), Spirit Torino Super Leggera (2000 USD), Crosszone CZ-1 (2000 USD), HIFIMAN He6SE (1800 USD), Sendy Audio Peacock (1500 USD), and HIFIMAN Arya Stealth (1600 USD). For such a special flagship I will be including pairings with the best sources available to music lovers, including Audio Analogue AAdac (4000 USD), Feliks Euforia paired with a Smyth A16 Realiser DAC / Processor (2000 USD + 4000 USD), Violectric HPA V340 paired with a Keces S3 DAC (2000 USD + 1300 USD), Cyrus One Cast (2000 USD), and an Astell & Kern SE180 Music Player running the SEM2 DAC/AMP module (1500 USD).