Views 22,692 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 …
Holographic
Soundz Flame High-End HiFi IEMs – Ignite The Dazzling Melody
Views 26,400 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 …
iBasso DX180 HIFI Music Player DAP – Enlightenment Across The Midrange
Views 21,946 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 …
OneOdio OpenRock X Open Ear Air Conduction Earbuds – Resolution Finally Here
Views 19,559 OpenRock X is a $169 USD pair of Open Ear Air Conduction Earbuds Bluetooth earphones, with a long battery life, large dynamic driver, and with IPX5 Water resistance. Today we will review them and briefly compare them to the market, exploring whether the Air Conduction technology is finally …
Crosszone CZ-10 Enhanced HIFI Headphones – Atmospheric Sonic Field Localization
Views 26,555 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. …
Burson Audio V7 Vivid PRO OP-AMP – Music Played In Supreme Layers
Views 18,454 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 …
FiiO SP3 BT High Fidelity Active Desktop Speakers – Grandiose Dreams Of A Smooth Talker
Views 24,699 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 …
SoundPeats Space HIFI Bluetooth Headphones – Graffiti Notes On Paper Walls
Views 18,650 SoundPeats Space is a $89 USD pair of Bluetooth Headphones, with long battery life, Hybrid Active Noise Canceling, and large 40mm dynamic drivers, that we are going to review today. As this is part of our entry-level range of reviews, we will focus on how each sounds like, …
HIFIMAN Mini Shangri-La Headphone System – Brilliant Electrostatic HIFI Delight
Views 37,785 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 25,131 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 33,103 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 26,703 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 …
ECdesigns PowerDAC-SX Stereo HIFI Integrated DAC – Ultimate Levels Of Power And Control
Views 29,703 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 …
Topping D50 III HIFI DAC – Desktop ESS Studio Dynamics
Views 25,018 Topping D50 III is a $229 USD HIFI DAC with a beautiful silver metallic case, Bluetooth input, TRS Balanced outputs, and RCA Single Ended outputs, with a mini display, and with High Resolution support. Today we will explore how the new D50 III sounds like, and how it …
Rose Technics Star City 5 PRO IEMs – ACG Tune, Comfy Fit
Views 21,405 Rose Technics Star City 5 PRO is a $75 USD pair of IEMs or In-Ear Monitors, designed with MMCX cables, hybrid drivers, and with an almost semi-open design, which we will review today. Introduction Rose Technics is an upcoming company designing IEMS and Earphones, currently sold on …
Burson PlayMate 2 DAC / AMP – Incredible Efficiency And Precision
Views 26,815 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 …
ddHIFI BC150B Cable – Silver Soundstage Upgrade for Headphones
Views 21,543 ddHIFI BC150B is an $119 USD is a new upgrade cable for HIFIMAN Headphones, as well as others using 3.5mm jacks at the earcup side, with a flexible construction, good ergonomics which we will review today. The cable promises to bring a wider soundstage to music lovers, so …
Pylon Diamond 30 mkII Stereo HIFI Floorstanding Tower Speakers – Pure Audiophile Euphoria
Views 46,530 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 31,537 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 23,142 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, …
High-End Munich 2024 Audio Show Review – Music Fun In Germany
Views 35,408 High-End Munich, held in Munchen Germany is the world-wide largest annual audio show that takes place in Europe, and this year we had the best time so far, as we learned a few tips and tricks from the previous year, but we also learned about the new launches …
Keces Audio Ebravo Essential Streamer – The Digital Transport Actually Makes A Difference
Views 37,838 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 …
Creative Sound Blaster X5 – Delightful Music Comes From Unexpected DAC / AMP / Sound Card
Views 26,384 Creative Sound Blaster X5 is a $299 USD high-quality Sound Card / DAC / AMP mainly aimed at gamers and audiophiles, or rather a hybrid of the two, with a 4.4mm balanced headphone output, RCA outputs, mic input, and with a selection of other features that may come …
Aune Yuki DAC / AMP – Beautiful Looking But Serious Sounding Dongle
Views 29,724 Aune Yuki is a $179 USD Dongle DAC AMP with a dual DAC inside, and with a 4 x 4 Transistors design. Today we will be reviewing the Yuki and comparing it to other dongles and similarly priced sources including Hiby R3 II (179 USD), Audioengine D1 (169 …
iBasso DX260 DAP – Epic Octa DAC Music Player
Views 39,785 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 …