The humble Topping A70 Pro does it all. Following amplifier design breakthroughs in the late 2010s via nested feedback/composite amplifiers, Topping has adopted this technology to produce amps that provide not only the best technical performance, but they do so at low prices and while being compact. What we're seeing here is the typical evolution of electronics: improved performance, efficiency, smaller size, and lower price. No more need to spend thousands on the best headphone amp, which is hard to believe for some. So it was time for me to...

Update 1/22/24 - lowered my score to 2 as mine can no longer reliably power on and I'm working on returning it. So now, it does live up to its name! My original 5 star review is preserved below. This DAC will always stand out for its name, but it sure doesn't sux! The SMSL SU-X does almost everything most people would want from a DAC, unless you want built-in room correction or EQ functionality - this isn't present, though it does have two sets of coloration options: one via the many filter options, the other via presets like the three "tube"...

Headphones have come a long way. I can't say anything that hasn't already been said about the E3. I'll just briefly discuss the journey that led me to it and give my subjective impressions of it. I was searching for a new closed back headphone to go with my Chord Mojo 2, and recently I tried many: ZMF Eikon, HiFiMan Sundara closed, AKG K371, ETA Mini Closed, Focal Celestee (between this and the Utopia, it didn't seem necessary to try the Stellia and none were available for me to try easily), plus I've listened to the Audeze LCD-XC (though not the...

I saw the HE-R9 on sale and decided to pick it up directly from HiFiMan, since HiFiMan often has headphones that hit far above their price range, like the HE-500 towards the end of its life, the Sundara especially, and supposedly the latest Deva which I have yet to try. Unfortunately, that same level of excellence isn't apparent here. I've tested it only wired out of a much higher end system than it was intended for. The HE-R9 is pretty, plasticky but lightweight as a result. Ultimately it's an extremely dark headphone with very bloated mid-bass and...

Here is the brief story of the first time I listened to the HiFiMan Sundara: I sat down in a very quiet storefront to audition both this and the Final Audio D8000 Pro Edition ($4,299 very efficient planar) side by side on a Chord Hugo 2. I had no real expectations for anything, I was just satisfying my own curiosity. Lo and behold, it was a crushing victory for the $350 Sundara over the $4,300 D8000 Pro. The D8000's bass was very muddy in comparison, like listening to a mid range dynamic headphone at best. Decay was slow in comparison, again like a...

The GS-X Mini is around 95% of the GS-X Mk2. I can't honestly recommend spending beyond this for a headphone amp. Same basic amp circuit as the GS-X Mk2 but "only" 1 power supply instead of 2, but this is still plenty of power even for the likes of the HiFiMan HE-6 as long as you're using the balanced output. At the moment I don't have any extremely difficult to drive headphones; only the HiFiMan Sundara, HE-5XX and ZMF Eikon, and I'm using the Bricasti M1 SE DAC with Kimber Kable Hero XLR interconnects. But I've had a very similar amp in the past -...

Not only is the Chord Hugo 2 simply the best portable DAC/amp on the market right now and simply one of the best DACs I've heard to date (tested only with headphone systems), surpassing much bigger, heavier, balanced DACs to my ears. Reviewing a DAC might seem tricky at first, but I don't believe it will be for the Hugo 2 since I have something to compare it to directly. The improvements it adds to most systems I've used is night and day. I will write about the Hugo 2's sound in the following systems: Standalone portable DAC/amp powering the ZMF...

Too Long Didn't Read Version: <insert endless stream of superlatives> How can a headphone sound so realistic? How can a headphone so clearly have the best transparency, detail, bass, mids, AND treble by far of any headphone I've used? Ah, one of few headphones with a sound stage and imaging that sounds as if it was trickled down from excellent loudspeakers. As close to perfection as headphones will ever get I think. If there's any compromise in the audio chain though, or if I have a laid back DAC, the magic is gone for me... the only things I...

The Chord Mojo seems to be one of the hottest items in the high end audio world today. It can be found in the $500-600 range (I paid $500 for mine from Amazon), is of a very small form factor (it measures approximately 3.2" x 2.4" x 0.9") and is battery powered, it is both a DAC and headphone amp and supports high bitrate files including DSD, features advanced technology that everyone likes to talk about, and has an attractive aluminum chassis and cool buttons to control it. So the Mojo is certainly designed to meet first impressions, as are all...

The HiFiMan HE-560 is an open back planar magnetic headphone with a single sided magnet array. For more information about planar magnetic headphones, read Tyll's excellent article on the subject: https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/how-planar-magnetic-headphone-drivers-work This is going to be a more concise review than my others, simply because I don't love this headphone so I don't feel compelled to write as much in this review. I will write as much as I feel is necessary to describe its sound and build quality, which is what matters. I bought...

The ZMF Ori is a semi-open (85% closed, 15% open according to the website) planar magnetic headphone based on the Fostex T50RP MK3. One common concern I see is, how can a modded $160 headphone compete with the big dogs in the $1,000 price range? The answer: with ease. It's one thing to have the biggest driver with the thinnest diaphragms and most powerful magnets in the world, but it's another to tune and voice a headphone. Zach from ZMF has mastered the latter, empowering these modded T50RPs (Blackwood and Ori) to be among the best sounding...

Or so I would appear. This is my honest review of the Audeze LCD-4. Let's get straight to the point, since that's probably what most of you would want after seeing only 3 stars for this flagship headphone. About me: I'm 24 years old, I attend audio shows every year to listen to gear, and I live in NYC and have access to many Hi-Fi shops and more private auditions. So I've listened to all sorts of top of the line headphone systems. Other headphones I have owned or own presently: Stax SR-007A, Stax SR-30, HiFiMan HE-560, ZMF Ori, ZMF Blackwood, Fostex...

Equipment used for this review: - Chord Mojo (DAC) - Schiit Lyr 3 on low gain w/ Electro-Harmonix 6SN7 Gold tube and Tung-Sol 6SN7 - Note that every other headphone cited in this review is one I've owned and used extensively. I've owned and heard lots of headphones in my life, including the lower end Audio Technica ATH-A900X which is better than the W1000Z. The W1000Z is one of the least authentic headphones I've heard aside from all the ones with super exaggerated V-shaped frequency response. Not only that, but it is very thin sounding, has a...

For a long time I was searching for the ultimate closed back headphone according to my listening preferences. After years of purchasing and auditioning different headphones, I wound up with a ZMF Blackwood. To date it is the only blind high end headphone purchase I have made, and I don't regret it even though it was risky. The ZMF Blackwood is a heavily modded (by hand) Fostex T50RP (MK3 at this point in time). I own a stock T50RP MK3, and the difference is indeed significant. It is extremely impressive how fine tuned the Blackwood's treble is, but...

    The AKG K7xx is one of the most popular headphones around right now.  In this review you'll see some explanations as to why that is, and how it stacks up to a revered classic in the Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro.   Background and Test Setup   I am a 21 year old audiophile who sticks to headphones primarily.  So my impressions may differ from many of yours due to my age.  I'm not nearly as treble sensitive as most audiophiles.  Throughout my childhood me and one of my brothers dabbled quite a bit in acoustic music reproduction (him more so)...

About Me: I'm just a young man who loves music.  My music taste is quite selective but not limited to one genre: I listen to some acoustic rock, melodeath, classical, and soundtrack music.  I don't really believe in burn-in, and upgrading cables and using power conditioners are secondary to me.  I generally prefer a neutral sound but I'm fine with mid-range warmth, some mid-range forwardness, some darkness, or even slight brightness, as long as there are no extremes.   My System:   Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD sound card - Features a...