Views 19,739 Hiby Digital Xeno is a newly launched IEM priced at around $150 USD, which is the first to combine the new MEMS Driver technology with a dynamic driver, and produce what can be called the ultimate entry-level IEM, for both sonic quality and customizability. Today we will take …
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Fosi Audio V3 Mono HiFi Amplifier – Twofold Music Punch Expansion
Views 28,242 Fosi Audio v3 is a Mono Power Amplifier priced at $169 USD per piece, or $338 USD for the pair of amplifiers that we’re reviewing today. This is a Class D Amplifier, with modular OP-AMPs, which can accommodate both Sparkos and Burson Audio OP-AMPs, and which is a …
iBasso PB5 Osprey HiFi Tube Amplifier – Apex Analogic Musicality
Views 39,780 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 …
FiiO FT1 HiFi Headphones Review – Wooden Temple Of Dynamics
Views 29,280 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 …
FiiO FH19 HiFi IEMs – Euphoria Bass Extrema
Views 32,109 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 …
Creative Sound Blaster AE-9 PCIe Sound Card – Ultimate 32-Bit Xamp Music Explosion
Views 29,600 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 …
Soundz Flame High-End HiFi IEMs – Ignite The Dazzling Melody
Views 36,947 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 38,328 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 …
SMSL PS200 HiFi High Fidelity DAC – Unpretentious Design, Alacrity Attack
Views 28,438 SMSL PS200 is a $89 USD Multi Function Audio Converter with Bluetooth 5.0 input, DSD512 Support, MQA-CD support, and with an ES9039Q2M DAC at the heart for decoding the input signals. With all the signals going through the XMOS Xu316 popular USB interface, today we will review the …
MUSICIAN PEGASUS II R2R HiFi DAC – Revealer Of Hidden Worlds
Views 46,384 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), …
KAEI TAP-1 HiFi DACs AMPs – Fuzzy Magic Of Pocket Tubes
Views 36,905 KAEI TAP-1 DACs is a $329 USD DAC / Headphone Amplifier, with Dual CS43131 DACs inside, a Tube Preamplifier stage, and a solid state amplifier stage with modular OP-AMPs, that allow you to fine tune and change the sound. The unit can come in multiple variations, with DACs …
Burson Audio V7 Vivid PRO OP-AMP – Music Played In Supreme Layers
Views 27,337 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 39,031 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 27,717 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, …
Topping A50 III Headphone Amplifier – Refinement And Power Minified
Views 34,670 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 46,376 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 29,705 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 …
FiiO K11 R2R DAC Headphone Amplifier – Two Worlds Of Sound And Music
Views 32,838 FiiO K11 R2R is a $169 USD DAC and Headphone Amplifier with an R2R or RRR DAC inside, lots of driving power, and as we will explore today, a very colorful, dynamic and punchy sound, not necessarily characteristic of R2R, but enjoyable and fun nonetheless. Instead of the …
Soundz Blade V2 Universal Greek HIFI IEMs – Dazzling Music Abound
Views 34,755 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 45,654 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 …
Burson PlayMate 2 DAC / AMP – Incredible Efficiency And Precision
Views 34,939 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 …
Pylon Diamond 30 mkII Stereo HIFI Floorstanding Tower Speakers – Pure Audiophile Euphoria
Views 86,977 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 65,556 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 …
Sivga Nightingale IEMs – An Absolute Classic Earphone
Views 27,535 Sivga Nightingale is a $279 USD pair of IEMS / In-Ear Monitors designed with a classic wooden design, detachable cables, and with 14.5mmk planar magnetic drivers at the heart, made for the hifi enthusiast who wants to remain classy and eccentric. Today we will review the Nightingale and …
Crosszone CZ-8a Enhanced Boutique Headphones – Soundstage Extending Globally
Views 55,101 Crosszone CZ-8a Enhanced is a $1700 USD new headphone released by Crosszone Japan, as an improved version of their original Crosszone CZ-8a, which I reviewed and found to be a really unique, interesting headphone with a wide soundstage. The new version comes to replace the original, with a …