Views 5,337 Creative Sound Blaster AE-9 is a $350 USD PCIe Internal Sound Card with an external console controller, a full audio kit designed to be your DAC/AMP with a rich selection of software features, as well as lots of driving power, Xamp, BiAMP, Line Out, and many more features …
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iBasso DX180 HIFI Music Player DAP – Enlightenment Across The Midrange
Views 3,512 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 …
Ricable Dedalus Speaker MKII (DS3 MK2) Hi-Fi Speaker Cable – Refined, Gentle Sound and Double Noise Reduction
Views 11,032 Ricable Dedalus Speaker MK2 is a $670 USD / 626 EURO per pair cable for speakers, with multiple unique technologies, including the Marc Conductor, and RNR Technology, to reduce the cable and create the best sound possible for your system. With its beautiful orange accent, it will match …
Audeze MM-100 HIFI Planar Headphones – Bleeding Edge Planar Precision And Consistency
Views 12,014 Audeze MM-100 is a $399 USD pair of over-the-ear planar magnetic headphones, designed for studio usage and music lovers, with a heavily improved comfort compared to other studio headphones, with the epic Audeze build quality and a low impedance, and high SPL, designed to work well with any …
Crosszone CZ-10 Enhanced HIFI Headphones – Atmospheric Sonic Field Localization
Views 16,473 Crosszone CZ-10 Enhanced is a $995 USD pair of over-the-ear headphones made with the aim of creating the most pleasing sound and tuning, with a wide and natural soundstage, and they are a retuning of the original CZ-10, the enhanced version aiming to deliver a better sonic quality. …
ddHIFI TC35PRO Eye2 HIFI Dongle DAC AMP – Silver Data Opens Up The World
Views 11,176 ddHIFI TC35PRO is a $75 USD dongle DAC AMP that employs a CS43131 DAC chip, with an ES9603Q AMP chip, designed to bring high-quality audio to your smartphone and portable setup. Today we will review the TC35PRO, how it sounds like, and briefly explore how it compares to …
MUSICIAN PEGASUS II R2R HiFi DAC – Revealer Of Hidden Worlds
Views 21,623 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 SP3 BT High Fidelity Active Desktop Speakers – Grandiose Dreams Of A Smooth Talker
Views 11,733 FiiO SP3 BT is a $349 USD pair of Hifi Speakers made for desktop nearfield monitoring, with 80W of Power, a 3.5″ Carbon Fibre Midrange driver and an 1″ Silk Tweeter. Today we will review the SP3 BT and compare them to other speakers and audio solutions that …
NF Audio NA2+ HIFI IEMs – Balance In Emergence
Views 17,374 Nf Audio Na2+ is a $169 USD Entry-Level IEM with a MC2L-10M Dynamic Driver at its heart, designed for a balanced user experience. Today we will review the new Na2 Plus and compare them to other entry-level IEMs, including iBasso 3T-154 (149 USD), HIDIZS MP145 (159 USD), and …
SWEEAR HE-Live5 HIFI IEMs – Holy Driver Of Pure Bliss
Views 19,599 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 …
HIFIMAN Mini Shangri-La Headphone System – Brilliant Electrostatic HIFI Delight
Views 24,474 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 …
Topping A50 III Headphone Amplifier – Refinement And Power Minified
Views 19,360 Topping A50 III is a $199 USD Headphone Amplifier, recommended for purchase along with the Topping D50 III Dac which we have reviewed recently, and the headphone amplifier counterpart to that DAC. Today we will review the A50 III and compare it with other headphone amplifiers, including JDS …
iBasso D16 Taipan 1 Bit FPGA DAC AMP with 128 DACs – The Ultimate Listening Experience Of Cascaded 16 Sets of 8E PWM-DACs
Views 22,841 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 …
Astral Acoustics Eclipse IEM Cable – Light From Across The Universe
Views 14,326 Astral Acoustics Eclipse is a $950 USD HiFi IEM Cable with all connectors and terminations included, and today we will review the Eclipse, pairing it with multiple IEMs in the process. Given the price point, we will also compare Astral Acoustics Eclipse with multiple IEM cables, including Astral …
Soundz Blade V2 Universal Greek HIFI IEMs – Dazzling Music Abound
Views 19,348 Soundz Blade V2 is a 750 EURO / $812 USD pair of high-end IEMs designed with a switch to either make the sound bright and neutral, perfect for monitoring, or add body, bass impact and more weight to music, turning it to a more enjoyable listening experience. Today …
ECdesigns PowerDAC-SX Stereo HIFI Integrated DAC – Ultimate Levels Of Power And Control
Views 27,683 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 …
Elipson W35 Xi Bluetooth Speaker – Absolute Sphere Connected Sound
Views 18,335 Elipson W35 Xi is a 699 Euro / $750 USD High-End Flagship Bluetooth Speaker designed as a sphere, coming to take the wireless market by surprise, and in this review we will study the design, placement, usage, and how it sounds like. Given the price point, it competes …
Questyle NHB12 Apple MFi Certified IEMs – Galvanized Steel Sound
Views 14,503 Questyle NHB12 is a $399 USD pair of IEMS with Apple MFi Certified Lighting connector / DAC / Adapter which we will review today, and compare to other similarly priced IEMs, including Letshuoer S15 (329 USD), ThieAudio Hype 4 (399 USD), and Yanyin Canon II (379 USD). …
SMSL DO200 PRO Hifi PRE / DAC – 12 DACs From Aoshida With Professional Tuning
Views 21,078 SMSL DO200 PRO is a $399 USD DAC or Digital To Analog Converter sold by Aoshida Audio, with PRE Function, and 12 DAC chips inside working together to bring you a whole new type of sound and tuning for the price point it carries. Today we will review …
Burson PlayMate 2 DAC / AMP – Incredible Efficiency And Precision
Views 24,689 Burson Playmate 2 is a $544 USD DAC / Headphone Amplifier, with a huge driving power for headphones, and a full metallic chassis, but also with modular OP-AMPs for you to tune and sound and enjoy it in your own favorite flavor. Today we will review the PlayMate …
Shanling H2 DAC/AMP – Warmer and Smoother Flask
Views 22,020 Shanling H2 is a $169 USD DAC/AMP with a warm and smooth sound, following the same flask design that we’ve seen with other DAC/AMPs, to which we will compare the H2, including Shanling h5 (369 USD), iFi Hip-DAC2 (190 USD), and Questyle M15 (250 USD). Introduction Shanling …
Pylon Diamond 30 mkII Stereo HIFI Floorstanding Tower Speakers – Pure Audiophile Euphoria
Views 25,826 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 …
HIFIMAN Goldenwave Serenade – Himalaya PRO R2R DAC AMP
Views 28,515 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 …
Final Audio ZE8000 MK2 Bluetooth TWS IEMs – Definition of 8K Sound
Views 19,708 Final Audio ZE8000 Mk2 is a $399 USD pair of IEMs or In-Ear Monitors with what is considered 8K Sound, strong battery life, and with a superb design. Today we will review the ZE8000 MK2 and compare them to other similarly priced Bluetooth IEMs that we recently reviewed, …
Hiby R4 Hifi Android DAP – Class A AMP, 4-Way DAC
Views 22,627 Hiby R4 is a $249 USD high-quality DAP or Digital Audio Player, with a 4-Way DAC configuration, Class A Headphone Amplifier, and with a beautiful, industrial and ergonomic design. Today we will test it in-depth and compare the R4 to other similarly priced DAPs, including Hiby Digital M300 …