~::I originally published this review on The Headphone List. Now I wish to share it with my Head-Fi fellows::~ ::Disclaimer:: The Kaiser Encore was given to me free of charge in exchange for my honest review, for good or ill. The Kaiser Encore sells for $1,850.00 NobleAudio.com ____________________ For many in this hobby, Noble Audio has stood as a pinnacle of sorts. We’ve all looked at them, at one time or another, and lusted for their products. When you start out with your first audiophile IEM, you can’t imagine spending $1,850 on something so...

~::I originally published this review on The Headphone List. Now I wish to share it with my Head-Fi fellows::~ ::Disclaimer:: I was given these headphones free of charge in exchange for my honest review. They were provided to me by MusicTeck.com. The H9 goes for $500. To learn more about it, check out the following links: BEOPlay.com B&O H9 on Amazon MusicTeck.com -------------- First, I should probably come clean and admit to having zero prior experience with Bluetooth headphones. The very idea of them raises Pinky’s hackles, and I begin to...

~::I originally published this review on The Headphone List. Now I wish to share it with my Head-Fi fellows::~ ::Disclaimer:: FiiO did everything in its power to keep me out of this review tour. I signed up for it, waited months, and in secret they started gathering confirmations. I nearly missed out. Luckily, my spycraft is honed to a razor’s edge and I slipped in against their best efforts. My time with the X5 3rd Gen was allotted on the condition I share my impressions openly and honestly, for good or ill. And that I leave the razors out of it...

~::I originally published this review on The Headphone List. Now I wish to share it with my Head-Fi fellows::~ To learn more or purchase the Opus#2: theBit (Audio-Opus) MusicTeck MusicTeck on Amazon Here I am, on the very threshold between reality and absolute madness. Some would say we’ve already crossed it. I can’t argue with that sort of reasoning. I mean look at the evidence: Pinky, that delusional pervert from Head-Fi, writing for The Headphone List?! You may be asking, “What evil villain is responsible for this?” That, my good people, would...

The goal I set out with—the idea that drove me—was to find a set of portable cans which performed well enough to not make me crawl, desperate and hungry, back to my Top Of The Line IEMs. As much as I like the sound of my Sennheiser Momentums, they are simply not in the same league as the 64Audio ADEL U12 or Rhapsodio Solar CIEM. With options such as these, I rarely ever pull out the Momentum 2.0. I have to really, REALLY crave the over-ear experience to scorn my insanely expensive IEMs. That’s not a feeling I like. I want the option to go IEM or...

I give Nik (AKA nmatheis) many thanks for lending me his own personal unit for this review. This device opened my eyes and changed my thinking on a number of things, and for that, he has my deepest gratitude. I spent a little over a week with the Opus #1, by theBit (or Audio-Opus, depending on what you read). This was not a DAP I pursued. I didn’t join any tours, for there were none to join. The opportunity merely came along, and I thought, “Hell, why not?” What serendipity, that what amounted to a text-based shrug, would land in my lap one of the...

::Disclaimer:: Cayin agreed to let me join this review tour under two conditions. One: I must share my impressions openly and honestly, for good or ill. And Two: “For God’s sake stop sending us nude photos of yourself!” Life is a compromise, and here we are. ::The Review:: I think this is going to be a rather short review. The sonic qualities of the Cayin tweaked my sensitive areas so well I could not find the willpower to refuse it long enough to perform tests I had no interest in. I never opened up a single app. I did not stream from Spotify or...

This was a shameful, stupid, wrong-headed impulse buy… and I’m awfully glad I made it. Having only recently published my review of the Rhapsodio Solar—a CIEM that still feels new and exciting every time I put it in—I had zero intention of buying another top of the line earphone anytime soon. I suppose the origins of this adventure lay somewhere in the dreadful knowing the Solars needed to go back to Hong Kong for another refit: a process that took two months the first time and a month and a half the second. Which meant, for the foreseeable future...

What would you do if you owned a pair of IEMs you loved completely—if only they weren’t so god-awful big? That’s my predicament with the Jerry Harvey Audio Siren Series Angie. I’ve now owned her just under a year, and sound-wise she leaves nothing to be desired. Everything I wrote in my review still holds. And then some! Unfortunately, her size causes me sorrow and distress in regular intervals, tarnishing an otherwise miraculous relationship. Modern wisdom says the solution to this conflict is to go custom with Angie, and I very nearly did. Yet I...

-::The Review::- That dread sickness returned to my mind and I found myself looking for an upgrade to the Sennheiser HD600. I didn’t quite know what to expect. I mean, the HD600 is a king slayer, so what would “better” sound like? Research, led by a passion for a warmer signature, brought me to the LCD-2.2 Fazor, by Audez’e. I had long coveted this headphone for its appearance, and now I learn its sonic performance may be equally alluring. The more I read, the more I wanted it, and the more I felt it deserved better than my current DAC & Amp. The...

::The Review:: The Audio Technica IM03 was my first multi-driver earphone. The Klipsch X7i delivered a satisfying sound, but I sought a less microphonic cable arrangement. Behind-the-ear wrap seemed likely to solve this. Plus, I admit to some curiosity as to the sonic benefit three Balanced Armatures might deliver. I first bought the IM03 almost a year ago, now. Two months shy, actually. I say “first bought” because I returned the first pair. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me slow this down and tell you a story… When the IM03 arrived, it...

::Disclaimer:: The great and devious nmatheis conscripted poor Pinky into the US Tour for this Shanling DAP, the M2. I review it now, with no financial incentive or affiliation with the manufacturer. What follows are my impressions, which are as free from reason, rational thought, or objectivity as is possible in the human character. ::The Review:: Shanling’s design work on this line is everything I want from artists. It’s bold, unique, and a little silly—especially the M3. I approve. Make it your own, I say! All the buttons are solid. The...

Sometimes there’s this manic impulse that takes hold and makes me buy stuff at the drop of a hat. I wrestle with it all the time. A horrible need reveals itself for that missing piece of your system, and suddenly you can’t sleep until you place that order. I can’t give you a logically compelling narrative as to why I bought these headphones. I’m just glad I did. Most of my listening is done at the office, where I sit at a bench all day working with my hands on electronics, testing, repairing, etc… Most of the time it doesn’t take a great deal of...

::Disclaimer:: I managed to insinuate myself into the North American tour for FiiO’s new flagship audio player. I receive no payment for this review, and have no affiliation with the company… yet. I’m trying to convince James Chung I’m his long-lost son/grandfather/aunt. Fingers crossed! My participation in this tour was permitted only under the mandate that I share my opinions openly and honestly, for good or ill. Let’s all of us take a moment to sit and read and see if I can do that. ::Review:: I have earned the ire of some members of the Head-fi...

-::Disclaimer::- This is my first semi-legitimate review. Cayin was kind enough to send me a unit for their Midwest tour with the mandate that I report my findings openly and honestly, for good or ill. Very briefly I entertained the idea of suit-and-tie’ing my review, putting on a professional veneer in an attempt to tame my atavism. The primate in me clubbed that notion to death. I do not need or want a new DAP. The AK120ii is my principle player, and the X5 Classic, my backup. I am set. Still, the N5 was enough of a curiosity that I joined the...

I’ve never heard Adele’s Set Fire to the Rain before now. That was a lie. But a lie the AK120ii made me believe. The prospect of an upgrade to the FiiO X5 stirred my secret places. I didn’t quite know what “better” could sound like, but I had a notion, half-formed though it was. I could imagine a smoother, more refined presentation. I just didn’t know the ultimate shape this audio would take. My plan was to go the Cayin N6 route in December, funded by my Christmas bonus. What a perfectly rational strategy that was. One might even say responsible...

Oh sweet lord, I’ve done it now. In nine months I’ve gone from my first $100 pair of IEMs to a set that is eleven times as expensive. A smattering of other in-ears bridged that gulf, including two personal favorites, the ATH-IM03 and the Klipsch X7i. I shall hold on to those for some time yet, for they serve two important functions: The Audio Technica delivers a sound I adore, and is therefore well suited for backup, should the worst happen. The Klipsch are the smallest, most comfortable IEM’s I’ve tried, so I keep them near at hand for listening to...

I’ve had my eyes peeled for a staunch enough system to replace my GalaxyS4>UAPP>OTG>Dragonfly1.2 mobile setup. While this package sounds amazing, it’s cumbersome and time-consuming to connect and get running. I have all my adapters and cables, along with the Dragonfly itself, in a leather pencil roll. To set it all up I must unroll the bundle, take the Dragonfly out of its sheath, remove the cap, pull out the cable I need for going mobile, connect everything, load up USB Audio Player Pro, and select an album to play. Oh, and headphones, of course...

      -~::The Review::~-   I’m not much of an audiophile. I’m too new. It was only this last January I bought my first pair of decent headphones. Since acquiring the Klipsch R6m it’s been a weird romp of financial irresponsibility.    After upgrading to the Klipsch X7i a month later, I realized I needed a better DAC than the one inside my Galaxy S4. I could hear the limitations of that poor thing. So I did some research and settled on the Dragonfly 1.2 by Audioquest.         In a lot of ways, this is a review of the Dragonfly nearly...