SDA-2 from Singxer is the Next Level of a Midrange DAC/AMP with balanced XLR outputs at the back, Hi-Res processing, a Balanced Headphone Output, and a price of 700 USD. It will get compared to the Mytek Brooklyn DAC+, M2Tech Young MK III, and Denafrips Ares II. For the pairings …
Portable is an umbrella term that covers everything you can think of in the audiophile world, as long as it is designed to be used outdoors, or while on-the-go, as well as products that are intended to be transported with ease. Most headphones, IEMs as well as smaller DAC/AMPs are included.
You can find the best portables here: https://amzn.to/3ARD6lZ
Portable
That Magical Sound – Sivga P-II Planar Magnetic Headphones
Sivga P2 or PII or P-2 or P-II is a planar magnetic headphone priced at 400 USD, and which promises a warm and musical sound. It will get compared to iBasso SR-2, Audeze LDC-2C, Brainwavz Alara, HIFIMAN Deva, and MAS X5h. It will also get paired with Lotoo Paw S1, …
Love Me Now – HIDIZS AP80 PRO Ultra Portable Music Player
HIDIZS AP80 PRO is an ultraportable DAP priced at 170 USD, and mainly designed for IEMs, but capable of also driving some easier headphones. It will get compared to Shanling M2s, FiiO M3PRO, and Hiby R3 PRO. It will also get paired with FiiO FA9, iBasso AM05, and MAS Audio …
Warm, Forward & Blue – iFi Hip DAC / AMP
iFi Hip DAC is a very pocket-friendly DAC/AMP from the UK-based producer iFi, and it comes with a full feature set, including a beautiful design, and is priced at 150 USD, making it one of the most affordable DAC/AMPs out there. It will be compared to Earmen TR-AMP, Earstudio HUD100, …
Sonic Revealing Maestro – Final Audio A8000 Summit-Fi IEMs
Final A8000 is the Summit-Fi release from Final Audio, an IEM costing over 2000 GBP, so it will compete with the absolute best, like the Clear Tune Monitors Da Vinci X, FiiO FA9, Campfire Atlas, Dita Fidelity, and Lime Ears Model X, all of which are similar in price, but …
Spectacular Performer – FiiO M11 PRO Music Player
FiiO M11 PRO is the borderline between being a flagship and being an uber high-end DAP, and being midrange, thanks to its pretty peppy price of 650 USD. This places it right at the lower bottom of flagships / high-end DAPs and the top of midrange DAPs, so it is …
Class A In A Nutshell – Centrance DACport HD
CEntrance DACport HD is a class-A portable DAC/AMP for smartphones, priced at 180 USD, making it one of the more expensive DAC/AMPs out there. It will be compared to Earstudio HUD100, FiiO BTR5, Periodic Audio Nickel AMP. It will also get paired with FiiO FA9, HIFIMAN Deva, MAS Audio X5h …
Motion & Emotion – iBasso SR2 Tesla Headphones
iBasso SR2 is the latest headphone from the DAP producer iBasso. Those are their second iteration of the SR Series, and happily they are priced at 500 USD, which places them right in the middle of the midrange price range. Despite this, they will be compared with headphones more expensive, …
Elegance, Style & Sound – Master & Dynamic MH40 Wireless Headphones
MH40 Wireless is a monster of a headphone, priced so aggressively, at 250 USD, and being so feature-rich, and sounding so good, that it blew my mind the first time I heard it. So I decided to give it a run for its money and compare it to HIFIMAN Deva, …
Peak of Ambition – iBasso DX220 MAX Music Player
DX220 MAX is not your average DAP, this is $1888 USD the 700 grams of Music at your fingertips. We’re talking about the most ambitious DAP ever created by the best DAP company out there, so we’ll make it rough and compare it to desktop units, pair it with the …
R2R Alive – Denafrips Ares II Balanced R2R DAC
Denafrips is a name that will bring a smile to many music lover’s faces, especially when they have such an awesome product, but today we’re putting it to the wall, we’re going to see just how good it actually is, and if the Ares II is worth its money. The …
Paradigm Shift Complete – FiiO FA9 Earphones Review
FiiO FA9 is the first flagship IEM made by FiiO, and they are priced quite aggressively at 500 USD, making them a direct competitor to other flagships, like Meze Rai Penta, Final Audio B1, and Campfire Atlas. Can’t forget to do a proper comparison with FH7 too, given that FA9 …
Resolution Ain’t Everything – RHA True Connect TWS IEMs Review
The price of the RHA True Connect dropped to 70 USD from 170 they were launched at, making them a pretty good deal now. With a ton of competitors, like Master & Dynamic MW07GO, HIFIMAN TWS600, and 1More Stylish TWS IEMs, they have to fight for their place in today’s …
Entirely Connected – Pro-Ject Bluetooth Box E Receiver / DAC Review
Bluetooth Box E is a Bluetooth receiver like BTR5 from FiiO, but this one’s for desktop. It has a really good build quality, and a pocket-friendly price of about 80 USD, the only part that everyone’s hesitant about being the actual sonic performance. We’ll compare it to BTR5, BTR3K, and …
Calculators, Music & Feelings – FiiO M3Pro Entry-Level DAP
M3PRO is not exactly a linear upgrade from the original FiiO M3K, that I reviewed quite a while ago. Given its pocket-friendly price point of 80 USD, it does replace the original M3K, and it will get compared to M3K, FiiO BTR5, and Earmen TR-AMP. The pairings list will include …
How About Configurable – 1Custom Junior IEMs Review
1Custom Junior is a product that’s carried and sold by Jaben from Singapore, a really nice shop with a huge product offer. The product costs about 300 SGD usually, or around 225 USD, but can be found on sale at Jaben right now for 185 SGD, or 140 USD, making …
Bright, Sharp, Technical – oBravo Cupid Planar Magnetic IEMs Review
oBravo Cupid are some nifty IEMs, making the way for Planar Magnetic IEMs. They are priced at 250 GBP or roughly 300 USD, and they promise a Planar Magnetic Tweeter, a Dynamic Driver 16 OHMs of impedance, and 105dB of Sensitivity. They’ll get compared to IEMs similar in price, like …
Sport Is Their Nature – Master & Dynamic MW07 GO TWS IEMs Review
It has been too long since I had the MW07GO around, and since I made the video review about them, so it is time for the full-length written review. Those have a price point of 160 USD as of the moment of making this review, they will be compared to …
Receive Signal – Send to Chifi – FiiO BTR3K aptX Bluetooth DAC-AMP
BTR3k is the more affordable Receiver mady by FiiO, priced at 60 USD, and it will be paired with Fischer AMPs FA-4E XB, IMR R2 Aten, and Dita Fidelity. For the comparisons, it will be compared extensively throughout this review with BTR5, and also with iBasso DC01, FiiO M6, and …
Love Your Pocket – Jade Audio EA3 IEMs Review
Jade EA3 is made by a sub-base company of FiiO named Jade Audio, and they are priced at 40 USD. They will get compared with FiiO F9 PRO, Shozy Hibiki, and with REVONEXT QT3. Given their price point, they will mostly be paired with less expensive sources, or ultraportable DAPs …
Super Bass & Super Treble – Light Harmonic Mera Signature Earphones Review
Mera Signature is a very expensive IEM made by Light Harmonic, a company known for both high-end DACs, but also for innovative designs. Mera Signature is priced at 720 USD at the moment of making this review, and it will be compared to other flagships, like Beyerdynamic Xelento, Dita Fidelity, …
Best Thus Far – FiiO BTR5 LDAC & aptX HD Bluetooth Receiver Review
BTR5 is probably the most complete Bluetooth DAC/AMP on the market right now, and it costs 110 USD at the moment of making this review. This means that it will get compared to Earstudio HUD100, Lotto Paw S1, and Topping E30, all of which are close enough in price to …
Meze RAI Penta IEMs Review – Radically Smooth
RAI Penta is an IEM or In-Ear Monitor from the Romanian producer Meze. Since I never got to review the Empyrean, which I really wished, pardon me if I’m a bit salty…
Half Done, Half Won – Earstudio HUD100 DAC/AMP Review
When you need something tiny, something that’s practical, you know that there will be some sacrifices. HUD 100 is smaller than BTR5, it has a nimble body, and it is priced at 140 USD, and for that price, HUD100 has two headphone outputs, one in low gain and one in …
LSA HP-1 Headphones – Crazy Clear Views
LSA HP-1 is a variant of Kennerton’s best headphones, but with an improved comfort, support based in USA, and, shockingly, a much lower price point than the original headphones from Kennerton. It is so impressive and so aggressively priced at the 1400 USD Price Mark, that it makes the original …