So I participated in a HiBy tour of a new (and very nice sounding) DAP that also came with the Zeta. I spent the first few days of the review spending time with the R6 Pro II. Finally I got around to plugging in the Zeta. Now please understand that in general I don't really spend time with ultra high end TOTL IEMs. Most sound exceedingly neutral and are often on the boring side. I usually say to myself "I can get this sound with units that cost 1/4 the price". This is not a boring unit. I fed the unit a mix of Rock, Jazz, and...

I was part of a review tour of the HiBy R6 Pro II. I was attracted to the unit for a few reasons. First, I have owned quite a few HiBy units and am confortable with the interface. Actually I first discovered the HiBy interface with my Cayin N5II. Second, I have developed an aversion to ESS chip designs which are all the rage. So finding a modern design with AKM chipsets was intriguing. When I first received the unit, it had been factory reset by the previous reviewer. I set it first for Class A/B amplification, and experimented with...

By now you have seen any number of reviews of the R5 Gen 2. There are lots of pictures of the units, charts of the power output, explanations of Class A amplification, etc. So this review will get into items that aren't really discussed in those reviews. To start off, it is worth asking: Why even purchase a dedicated DAP nowadays? There are tons of dongles now that work with both Android and IOS phones. Music apps with the dongles can provide redbook HD and hi res. Many can output DSD signals natively. The reason is partially related to...

Cayin is running a US tour of the N3Pro. I was lucky to be on that tour I haven't been on a US tour since the i3 unit, which had a mellow warm sound and I liked it. So a little about use cases is in order to provide a review. It used to be I purchased hi res units in order to get better sound than the ipod or iphone. Full stop. Then units started adding support for streaming music, and the game changed. So in today's market there is a large class of units that can bypass Android audio limits and stream Tidal, Amazon HD, etc. Most of...

Summary:   I wanted to love this unit.  Really I did.   I was looking forward to a sound signature in line with or even better than thebit Opus #1; Cayiin i5, and other Android app capable devices.  And at first I thought I was going to absolutely love it.  With less complicated, semi-acoustic albums it sounded very good.   Miles Davis Kind of Blue (MFSL-SACD DSD rips) sounded clean and articulate. Beck's Sea Change--sounded nice.  But then I started trying out heavier rock; and my opinion became muddier.  Or should I say the sound became muddier...

When you ask most Head-Fi readers about purchasing a USB stick like device for computer audio; they will generally talk about the Dragonfly family.   Bracketed in between the two key Dragonfly unit prices comes the Shanling UP.  Priced at $150, it offers a smooth sound and easy to set up PCM playback.   If you want to turn your smartphone into a DAP you can add this unit and be off to the races.   For Apple users, you do not need to purchase the Apple CCK device ($40 for the latest version).  The device has Mfi built in.      So let's explore...

I had the pleasure of listening to the Cayin i5 as part of the midwest USA tour.  Other than being responsible for passing the item along, I did not receive any compensation or expense from the vendor and my comments are my personal observation.   First of all, as a summary, I would like to say that I enjoyed listening to this device very much.   It had a clear and open sound that I think is in the same ballpark as the FIIO X7 and even the Chord Mojo when paired wtih a digital source.   Yes, I think the Mojo provides a slightly better listening...

I had an opportunity to spend some time with the Shanling M2.  I had some sense this was a popular machine from a less well known brand whose first product, the M3, was also well regarded.  What I was not expecting was how much I would enjoy this machine.   First, a few thoughts on how I use portable players.  I typically listen to FLAC files, either redbook 16-44 or higher res.   I typically play music by folders, usually complete albums.  On my iphone I create playlists as that is pretty much the main way to get music onto the unit.  With hi res...

I had the pleasure of listening to the FLC8S for about 10 days.    I listened to these on a FIIO X3 Gen II, a Shanling M2, and the venerable iphone 6S.   My comparison is to LZ-A2 using Comply foam tips, Phonak Audeo PFE-022 with black filters and Comply foam tips, and Carbo Tenore using stock tips.    I listened to a wide variety of music, including Rock, Jazz, and Classical.  Something that surprised me was that I could listen to all varieties of music with these and get a pleasurable experience.  Normally I reserve the Phonaks for classical...

I had the opportunity to spend almost three weeks with the Chord Mojo.  When it locked on to a signal with my FIIO X3 units (Gen I and Gen II) I experienced a smooth, glitch free audio experience.  Both through headphones and "line out usage" it was non fatiguing and quite musical.  It did not matter what musical material was utilized, Jazz, Classical, Rock....it all sounded great.  With the X3II, I streamed both FLAC and DSD files quite nicely.   With this unit, I quickly moved beyond the "analytical approach" of listening to various instruments...

Introductory Thoughts   I received a test unit of the FIIO X7 as part of the US tour.  I believe this unit is a pre-final production run.     Because there are a few very detailed reviews already posted, I will focus on what I think the key issues in most users minds in terms of evaluating the unit.   On the plus side, if one were to look past some of the hardware design choices that I do not fully agree with and some of the firmware quirks of the unit, the audio quality of the unit is quite nice.  Even superior.  I used the line out in my car...

I have tested the FIIO EX1 as part of the North American Tour.  No compensation was received for this review.   By now you have seen multiple reviews that reviewed the accessories that come with this unit, its Dunu heritage, etc.  So I will focus on sound signature, fit, and sound leakage.   In summary, I think that if you are looking for a headphone with a bright sound and is not bass shy, these are worth considering.   I did find it took larger tips than I am used to in order to get a proper sound signature.  I had to place the units a bit...

This will be an extremely brief review.  I had these headphones for about 4 days.  The timing was not optimal for me; I was about to head out on vacation when these arrived.  The question was whether I should request an few days of extended listening or just send these alone to the next reviewer.  I opted for speeding the review process along.   Testing apparatus:  I used a FIIO X3 Gen II for most of the listening, and then a X3 Gen I to see what happened when I used hardware tone controls to tame the bass and treble.  I played rock and traditional...

X5 Generation II review                 Introduction:   I was fortunate enough to be in the first wave of the review tour of the X5 Generation II hi fidelity, hi power personal audio playback device.  I did not receive any compensation from FIIO for providing a review other than the loan of the machine for 10 days, and I was responsible for shipping the unit to the next reviewer in line.   The design goal of the X5 was to provide a slightly livelier sound than the original X5, which had a flattish sound according to information...

The X3 2nd Generation is a worthy replacement for the original X3.  At a price point of roughly $200 U.S.; the X3 product line provides a wide range of product features along with a sound that provides a meaningful step up the portable players that most people use nowadays, their mobile phone.  The sound is somewhat more refined than the original X3, with less of the mid bass “bloom” or warmth that is the hallmark of the original X3.        Instrumental articulation is noticeably more crisp; but not to the point of being so analytical that the...

I purchased this on Amazon from a vendor that had a combined listing for the older model and newer E07 Andes.  So I received the new model at the old model price and saved about $20.   So that was nice.   But even at $90 this unit is great.  I can use it for getting more volume from the Asus T100 when watching movies on a plane (that was my original reason for buying the machine).  But then I discovered that I can turn my current generation Apple toys until audiophile delivery systems.  Sweet.   I found that a number of apps like nPlayer and VLC...