Introduction Sundara Closed – a new release from the HiFiMan raised many questions. Join me on a quest to answer them all. Let’s dive in and see if it is worth the noise around it. Sundara Closed was a huge announcement. HiFiMan is one of the leaders in the headphone market, no wonder why everybody got excited when the first information started pouring in. I was lucky to meet the HiFiMan crew at CanJam in London this year. If you ever have any chance, take your time to talk to them. They are amazing people, very passionate about audio. Also, very...

Introduction If you’re reading our reviews, you definitely know a company called Meze and its products. Today I would like to write about their TOTL closed-backs – Liric. But let me remind you of their story. The brand was founded in 2011 but its first headphone, the Meze 99 Classics was released in 2015. The launch was followed by a very successful Indiegogo campaign. What’s more interesting now, in almost the last quarter of 2022 the 99’s is still considered a good and worth recommending headphones. Almost 8 years have passed since 2015, in the...

Introduction Yes, this is surprising to me as well. About a month ago, Apple announced the new Airpods Pro 2, after its predecessor has been on the market for about 3 years. Apple is one of the most controversial brands in the tech world, there is no doubt about it. Some people love Apple, and some people hate them, but it’s really hard to pretend that it doesn’t exist. A quick story of my experience with Apple: Years ago I’ve been using their iPhone 6S Plus, had it for about 2 years. I was pretty fine with it, but my next smartphone was a...

Introduction It’s been a while since we had an iBasso review here at Ear Fidelity. This time seems even longer, because of the fact that iBasso is pretty much dominating the DAP market lately. It’s not just about releasing new products frequently, but the quality of those products. The DX160 is to this day, one of the most popular choices among audiophiles on a budget. Their DAP portfolio looks quite impressive with the DX240, DX320, MAX variants, etc. This entire lineup is well thought-out and polished, so after launching more DAPS in the higher...

Introduction Today’s review is going to be quite different. We’re taking a look at Burson’s Super Charger 3A, a low-noise power supply built for their devices. Here’s the list of compatible devices: As you can see, it can be used with most of their current lineup. This is a good thing because even if you’re going to upgrade your current Burson device, it’s very probable that you’ll keep the Super Charger and use it with your next purchase. We have reviewed Burson’s Playmate 2 and V6 Vivid Opamps recently (here and here), and we’re going to test...

Introduction Another product from a well-known company in the audiophile world but let me introduce Meze to some of you, who have never heard of it. The Romanian company was founded in 2011 by industrial designer Antonio Meze. Why am I mentioning who was the founder? Because when you take any of their product into your hands, look at them and play with them, you will know that behind each of Meze’s headphones stands a big passion to design. For example, Elite in The Battle of The Flagships just left behind other competitors in terms of the build...

Fir Audio Krypton 5 Fir Audio Kr5 is the mid-level of Fir's newest series called The New Frontiers. It uses a dedicated dynamic driver for the bass and four balanced armature drivers. It packs some great technologies, and it's priced at $2999. Introduction Today we’ve got another IEM by the great company called Fir Audio. After reviewing their VxV, M5 custom, and XE6 custom, now it’s time for the Krypton 5, the so-called Kr5. This has been the most requested review ever on Ear Fidelity, with countless comments and private messages asking about...

Introduction The time has finally come, the first review of Dita Audio on Ear Fidelity! This is a rather exotic brand for us here in Europe, having its Headquarters in Singapore. Their products got my attention a while back, and I really like their approach to making products. Instead of going for hybrids and new, flashy specifications, they have a rather minimalistic way of creating IEMs, focusing on the quality of every single aspect. Today we’re reviewing their new flagship, the Perpetua. This is a single Dynamic Driver IEM priced at $2999...

Introduction EarMen products have been reviewed many times here, always scoring great. Their Tradutto DAC is still my favorite after months of using it. EarMen is always spot-on when it comes to timbre, sounding both technical and musical at the same time. It’s just one of these brands that never disappoints. Their products are just great to listen to, never sounding too extreme or too laid-back. This is probably due to the fact that EarMen origins from Auris Audio, a high-end manufacturer of tube amplifiers and such. They truly know how to tune a...

Introduction I recently posted a cable review and I started it with a statement, that I would like to put here as well, as it makes a good intro to this review, so here it goes: Reviewing cables is always fun and exciting…will I get attacked by people that don’t believe that a cable can make a difference? Will it be called snake oil? Will the world end up covered with fire and nuclear winter arise? Jokes aside, I know that a lot of people will never even consider such expensive cable to buy, so if you’re one of them…just don’t read this review...

Introduction Founded in 1996, Burson Audio is one of those companies that has been here basically forever. I remember having their Conductor Virtuoso in 2016 for quite some time, and I really liked this little thing. I still remember the volume indicator in the form of little holes punched in the front panel, gently lighten up with led lights. This thing was crafted to perfection. But, Burson Audio has always been legendary thanks to its Opamps. I’m not an engineer, I have never been into the whole DIY game, I’ve never modded or repaired any of my...

The IEM market is a true gem of the audio industry. No other market segment is growing so rapidly and none is as entertaining. We’re getting new and exciting stuff pretty much month by month, with manufacturers racing with new ideas and technologies. Campfire Audio has been out of the “innovation” game for a while now. Till now, they limited their lineup to all BA, DD, and hybrid designs. The rest of the market hasn’t slept through it though, and now we’re not only getting tribrid designs but also quadr-brids (?) with bone conduction drivers, etc...

Introduction Reviewing cables is always fun and exciting…will I get attacked by people that don’t believe that a cable can make a difference? Will it be called snake oil? Will the world end up covered with fire and nuclear winter arise? Jokes aside, I know that a lot of people will never even consider such expensive cable to buy, so if you’re one of them…just don’t read this review, you really don’t have to. You might want to however because there’s always new and exciting stuff in audio that can actually make a difference, and IEM/Headphones cables...

Introduction Founded in 1996, Burson Audio is one of those companies that has been here basically forever. I remember having their Conductor Virtuoso in 2016 for quite some time, and I really liked this little thing. I still remember the volume indicator in the form of little holes punched in the front panel, gently lighten up with led lights. This thing was crafted to perfection. Some years have passed, and since then I barely tried any new Burson devices, so this was hugely exciting when Burson Audio reached out to me if I’d be interested to review...

Introduction Every single time I write a review of Hifiman’s product, the introduction paragraph is getting harder and harder to write. How many times can I point out that this is the nr.1 manufacturer in the world when it comes to headphones. They do offer arguably the best value models in every price segment when it comes to open-back, planar-magnetic headphones. Lately, they’ve released the dynamic closed-back model called HE-R9 (review here), and it’s just shockingly good, becoming one of my favorite headphones in my collection immediately after...

Introduction Every single time I write a review of Hifiman’s product, the introduction paragraph is getting harder and harder to write. How many times can I point out that this is the nr.1 manufacturer in the world when it comes to headphones. They do offer arguably the best value models in every price segment when it comes to open-back, planar-magnetic headphones. It’s quite recently though when they started to go into dynamic driver headphones, so this is pretty interesting. Their first dynamic headphone was the HE-300, a budget model released back...

The Aurora is the newest DAC/Amp combo by a Chinese manufacturer Yulong. It's designed around the latest ESS ES9068AS chip, also offering a Class-A headphone amplifier. It's priced at $520. Introduction Founded in 2009, Yulong has been manufacturing audio devices for 13 years now. They mainly focus on all-in-one solutions, and they have some very popular offerings in their portfolio, such as the Aquilla, Canary, and many more. For me, Yulong has always been a kind of a “niche” company that doesn’t launch new products every quarter of a year. Reading...

Introduction I usually start my reviews by introducing the manufacturer of the product I’m currently reviewing, but come on, you know SMSL. One of the leading manufacturers of DACs and amplifiers for years now, offering an extraordinary value and one of the best measuring devices in the world of audio. So, straight to the point, the hero of today’s review, the DO100. This is a pretty affordable DAC coming at $239. No MQA support, no pre-amp, just a DAC that is focused purely on good audio performance. With its CNC-machined aluminum case, balanced...

Introduction Okay, I’m a fan of DROP and an even bigger fan of Hifiman. Drop (previously known as Massdrop) made a name for itself a few years ago by doing great products at even better prices. Now, they’re offering a lot of stuff from knives, mechanical keyboards, clothing, and of course, headphone audio. They have some excellent products in their lineup, with their flagship Sennheiser 6XX that they sold more than 150000 (!) units. This is a huge number for a +/- $200 pair of headphones, trust me. So, Drop partnered with Hifiman to create the R7DX...

Introduction Meze Audio is just a great “underdog” story in the headphone audio world. Founded in 2011 they started with some OEM headphones like many others. In 2015 they launched their vastly popular 99 series with the 99 Classics. This was the turning moment for the company, as the 99 Classics is still selling great in 2022, meaning it’s already 7 years old and still going strong. Nonetheless, it was a good $300 pair of wooden, mobile headphones, nothing to really write a book about in terms of raw technical supremacy. After that, they launched...