There is just so much craptastic dreck in the <$100 IEM category. You know the sort, right? Sizzly sibilant treble that feels like an ice pick to the brain, recessed blurred midrange, bloated slow bass that bleeds into the lower mids so much that every male vocalist sounds like a bad imitation of Pavarotti. Ugh. I find myself unable to bear another mass-market brand asking me to listen to their 'reference' $99 headphones. The inevitable disappointment is depressing.

So there I was, enjoying the sights and sounds of CanJam SoCal, when David Kellogg of 1MORE headphones came up to me and asked me to audition his $99 reference headphones. I politely declined, citing a meeting for which I was overdue...which was true, but I was happy to have an excuse to avoid more disappointment. I promised to stop by later...hoping to avoid just that.

A day later, after several other polite avoidances, David cornered me and I caved in. I brought out my A&K player and Chord Mojo (connected by Drew Baird's awesome mini optical cable), plugged in the $99 1MORE Triple Driver headphones and prepared for the inevitable Sizzle-BOOM.

It never came.

A little bit about me...I prefer a flat response from my headphones. My two reference IEM's are $399 Noble 4's and $1000 Ultimate Ears Reference Monitors...both as flat as a board and a little bass light.

What I heard coming from the Triple Drivers was so close to my references that I had to take them out to make sure someone hadn't played a joke.

$99? This was anything but the usual dreck. David saw my grin and then dropped the next bombshell. The $99 Triples had a little brother, the $69 Dual Driver. I took a listen to these champagne colored beauties and found them even flatter and more musical than the $99 Triples! It was at this point that I had to ask for an opportunity to review them at length. David complied by giving me a loaner pair to take home and spend more time with.

Disclaimer: I also worked out a deal to do some paid work photographing their whole line. That's why there's been a delay in getting the view done...I never listen to the gear I shoot until the shot is wrapped.

Packaging: the packaging is first rate. I've seen FAR worse on headphones costing 5-times as much. Included were total of four rubber tips in different sizes. If you want foam tips, you'll need to get them yourself or step up to the Triple Drivers. Also included is a nice faux leather case and an airplane adaptor.




Look and build: I'm a fan of the tasteful champagne gold finish on the phones themselves. The cable is non-detachable and very pliant. The wires themselves are jacketed in a fabric cover from the 1/8" jack to the nicely finished metal splitter. From there to the phones, the wires are jacketed in a rubber sleeve. They are not particularly microphonic. The right cable features an iPhone mic and controls. All in all, an impressive build for $69.




Listening:

I have broken the Dual Drivers in for about 100 hours of music and did my listening through the AK120ii and Chord Mojo.

Cowboy Junkies, Sweet Jane, Trinity Sessions

I started them with a lay up...sorta. I knew from my initial listening that they would perform well with female vocals, and I was correct. What surprised me was their ability to allow the spacial cues from the 360° mic come through so clearly.


Clannad, a Something to Believe In, The Best of Clannad

Ok, now I wanted something with bass. This track has that and then some. The bottom end was a little slow, but played deep and stayed away from the 'EQ Slider Abuse' that is so prevalent in the category.


Coolio, Fantastic Voyage

Bass, you say? Ok. How about some rap/hip hop. Coolio's homage to the Lakeside classic proved a challenge to the Dual Drivers. The bassline was a bit muddy, especially when played loud. I still enjoyed the track, but needed to back off the volume...which was probably a good idea anyway.


Donald Fagen, IGY, The Nightfly (24bit 48khz)

The gorgeous cymbals in the intro rang with perfect decay and the hyper detailed production was reproduced with stunning accuracy. How much are these again?


Fleetwood Mac, Dreams, Rumours

Driving bassline...check. Gorgeous vocals...check. Toes tapping...check. Ready to move on to the next track...HELL NO.


Incubus, Wish You Were Here, Morning View

This was another example of where the Dual Drivers (DD's) were a little over-matched. The complicated instrumentation and loads of deep bass left the DD's playing catch up. There was smearing during complicated passages. This again improved when I brought the volume down a bit...which my ears appreciated.


Jack Johnson, You and Your Heart, To the Sea

This is what these 'phones were born to play! Simpler instrumentation, great clean vocals, and quality production.


Kings of Leon, Family Tree, Mechanical Bull

I learned my lesson and didn't try to pump up the volume to ear-bleeding levels and found my next experience with rock music much more enjoyable. The bass was driving and clean, the guitars were distinct in their space and the vocals just plain rocked. More toe tapping...LOTS more.


Led Zeppelin, Ramble On, Mother Ship, vol 1

The subtle details shone through so beautifully. Zero complaints. Seriously.


Lyle Lovett, Church, Joshua Judges Ruth

This album is notoriously sibilant. On cheap IEM's, it's like fingernails on a chalkboard. But not today. The S's and T's were smooth and didn't detract from the great wide imaging. Wait...imaging? As in wide soundstage? Yup. I couldn't believe it either.


Stevie Ray Vaughan, Tin Pan Alley, Couldn't Stand the Weather (24bit, 192khz)

I saved my reference demo track for last. I've used this track to test the limits of the $2,999 HifiMan HE-1000's, so there was no way the DD's could possibly stand up to the dynamics, bass and guitar of my favorite Stevie Ray track, right? While they didn't do it justice the way the HE-1000's did, they certainly didn't fail to step up to the challenge. They are attack and kick drum were palpable and SRV's guitar was sublime.

Conclusion: I forgot an important lesson my father taught me...never Assume. You'll just make an ASS out of U and ME. I assumed there was no value to be had in the under $100 (or under $300 for that matter) IEM marketplace.

I was wrong. (Please don't tell my wife I wrote that)

The $69 1MORE Dual Drivers are musical, neutral, well made and aesthetically attractive. If you're in the market for IEM's, are on a budget and like music, run, don't walk, to buy these. You won't be disappointed.

RHA MA-600 Review
 
I was given a sample of the RHA MA600 (Thank you RHA!) to review.  They arrived on Monday of Thanksgiving week with the request that I get some impressions up by Thanksgiving…so here are my initial impressions.
 
I received the MA600…not the iPhone version, but the standard version without iPhone controls.  Price from various online retailers is $79 ($89 for the iPhone control version)
 

 

 
They arrived well packaged and undamaged.  The packaging is very nicely done and well thought out…
 
     
 
Included is a hard leather(ette) travel case and a large selection of nibs in various densities, shapes and sizes.  As it turns out, the ones that came installed on the IEM’s were an ideal comfortable fit for me, but those with larger or smaller ear canals should have no fear…they have a nib for you!  
 

 
The build quality is excellent, the cable is sturdy and attractive, the metal bodies are solid without feeling heavy.  There is an overall feeling of quality.
 

 
There is no 1/8 to 1/4 adaptor, so most of my listening is directly from the iPhone or iPad with some additional time spent running them through the ibasso DB2/PB2 combination.
Before listening, I ran them in at medium to high volume for 5 hours. 
 
Sound: 
 
RHA bills these as a bassier alternative to their more neutral MA750’s and I have read other comments that suggest it is a very ‘V’ shaped sound signature.  While I found there to be plenty of bass, I wouldn’t necessarily call it V-shaped.  There appeared to be a major trough in the vocal range that extended upward into the lower treble such that voices and snare drums were not just recessed, but suppressed.  Further, the sub-bass wasn’t as well represented as I would have liked.  I’m spending most of my time with the LCD-X’s recently, so I have an expectation of outstanding bottom end that wasn’t being met.  Out of the box and un-equalized, I couldn’t recommend these.
 
That said, I thought I had a feel for what was missing, so I picked up a free EQ app for the i-devices and started playing.  Within 10 minutes, I had them sounding pretty damn good!  The vocals and drums were back as was the sub-bass.  The highs were tamed a little and I found my feet tapping again.  Here's a graph of the custom EQ I applied:
 

 
You can see that they required some pretty aggressive equalization, but it worked well.
 
The remaining impressions are all made with the EQ in place…
 
Classical…the Yo Yo Ma interpretation of Dvorak’s Cello Concerto in B was well rendered.  The warmth of the cello came through and the imaging was solid, tho not holographic.  There was decent soundstage depth, though not as much height or width.  
 
Rock…Radiohead’s Lotus Flower features loads of bass that can overwhelm even the best headphones.  The MA600’s handled it all and deftly.  The vocals were solid and well placed.  The treble sounded crisp without being too fatiguing.  These are still a bit bright even after the EQ, but not piercing by any stretch.  
 
Jazz…Miles Davis’ So What is a track I’ve heard a thousand times and on the very best equipment.  The MA600’s did the track justice.  Miles’ horn had good texture and timbre.
 
In conclusion, If you are using a source that doesn’t afford you the chance to EQ them, I would not recommend them, however if you are willing to EQ these, you have the opportunity to get sound worthy of 2-3x the asking price.
 
I will give these a proper 40 hour break in and revisit them...and I'll update this review accordingly.

Audez’e LCD-X www.audeze.com
 
Packaging:
 
The LCD-X’s arrived well packed in an outer cardboard shipping box around their rugged transport case.  Inside the case, the LCD-X were well protected in custom cutout foam.  Also in the case were a Single Ended Cable, a Balanced Cable & a 1/4 to 1/8 Adaptor.  I love the rugged case.  It features a nice handle for transporting your headphones.  While no one will mistake these for typical portable headphones, it’s nice to be able to take them from home to office or from meet to meet with the confidence that this case inspires.  That said, I do wish the ‘phones would fit in the case with cable of your choosing still attached.  The LCD-X mini-XLR solution for attaching the cables to the headphones is by far the best I’ve seen, but I still don’t love the idea of taking those on and off over and over.  This is a minor quibble as I don’t expect to be taking these out of the house all that often.
 

 
 
Fit and Finish:
 
To date, Audez’e has been known for using various woods to make the ring that surrounds the drivers.  With the X and XC incarnations, they have chosen to go instead with a metal ring, available in gunmetal gray or black.  Opinions vary, but I find myself quite enjoying the aesthetic.  The leather pads and headband are carry-overs from their prior headphones.  They are comfortable and exude luxury.  I’m able to get a very secure fit that allows for no around-the-ear sound leakage.  These are, however, open back ‘phones and you will hear ambient sounds and others will hear your music.  These are not headphones for commuters or frequent flyers.  If you need isolation from the outside world, consider the XC’s.  Those are the cousins of the X’s that feature a closed back design...but that’s another review altogether.
 

 
 
Comfort:  
 
Make no mistake, the X’s are heavy headphones. At 600g, they are almost double the weight of the reigning comfort kings, the Sennheiser HD800’s  That said, I have never experienced discomfort from either the weight or the clamping force while wearing the LCD-2’s nor the LCD-X’s.  In long listening sessions, I tend to sit in an Ikea chair that allows me to rest my head, thus relieving my neck from having to hold them up, but even in long sessions sitting at my desk, I find them to be comfortable for long periods of time.  If you have neck or back issues or if you don’t like heavy headphones, these may not be the model for you.  
 

 
 
Review Equipment:
 
For this review. I used FLAC or ALAC files from MAC computers  Most of the listening was done on the Red Wine Audio Balanced ‘Audez’e Edition’ Isabellina HPA DAC/Amp (Mullard ECC88 tube, optical input) and Schiit Gungnir/Mjolnir (USB input) with additional listening done on the Schiit Bifrost/Lyr (tubes used: Amperex Orange Globe ECC88 and Mullard ECC88, optical input).  All listening was done using the stock cables from Audez’e.  www.schiit.com www.redwineaudio.com
 
The Sound:
 
Let me begin by saying that the Audez’e LCD-2’s (rev. 1) were a revelation in listening for me.  When I first heard them, I had a solid mid-fi budget system and thought it was as good as it could possibly get.  Then I attended a Head-Fi.org meet up and heard the LCD-2’s and my jaw literally dropped.  I will always have a soft place in my heart for the LCD-2’s as they brought me into the world of true high end headphone listening.  
 
I still have my pair of LCD-2’s and I listen to them often.  Again, I thought I had found audio nirvana.  So much so, that I wasn’t even tempted by all the accolades that were heaped upon the LCD-3’s when they were released.  I was content.  Flash forward to October 2013.  I attended CanJam at the Rocky Mountain Audio Festival.  Much like that first Head-Fi meet, I had my ears and mind opened.  Even over the cacophony of the CanJam room, I was able to tell that the LCD-X were something special.  I was able to procure a pair for an upcoming meet I was hosting and have been able to spend an extended time listening to them for this review.
 
After playing them on a continuous loop for 24 hours to loosen up any tightness that might have remained in the new drivers and then having them in use for the day at the meetup, I started listening critically.
 
The first track that listened to was Stevie Ray Vaughn’s Couldn’t Stand the Weather.  The intro showed immediately that the new drivers were a big step forward over the LCD-2’s.  Transients were much faster.  There was clear delineation between cymbal strikes and the corresponding decay with no hangover between the two.  The treble was more extended without being bright. The snare attack was palpable.  The voice seemed less congested and the bass line was delivered with typical Audez’e force and depth.  Though with the Lyr, a warm sounding amp, the upper bass seemed to have a hump that blended into the lower midrange a little bit. 

This was all quite surprising, as I would never have characterized the LCD-2’s as congested nor slow, but the X’s were simply more open and faster throughout the midrange and treble regions.
Moving on to female vocals, I dropped the digital needle on the title track from Allison Krause’s paper Airplane.  The opening guitar plucks showed that the treble speed was no fluke.  The pluck, ring and decay were all distinct and clear. Her wonderful voice soared without a hint of graininess or sibilance.
 
Switching to acoustic Jazz, I played title track from Harry Connick Jr.s excellent Lofty’s Roach Soufflé album.  Again I was struck by the natural sound of the drums. The snare was realistically portrayed while the cymbals had just the right amount of metallic ring rather than digital ‘tick’.  The upright bass was a little in-my-face for my liking with the Lyr.   The piano was lovely.  From left hand to right, it seemed to have the right combination of detail and timbre.  More surprising than all that was the imaging. One of the knocks on planar magnetic designs was that they didn’t present a wide, deep and tall soundstage.  While the jazz trio didn’t really provide an opportunity to demonstrate width and height, the depth was a significant improvement on the planars I have auditioned to date.  There was a clear sense of the space with excellent separation between the instruments front to back and left to right.
 
Time to put that imaging to the test with some classical music.  LvB’s 5th Piano Concerto (Till Fellner, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Kent Nagano) was first up.  The tonality was spot on.  While I would stop short of calling the imaging ‘holographic’ I will say that the left to right width and the placement all across the soundstage was excellent.  There was no ‘Three Blob’ imaging here.  I could clearly ‘see’ the placement of the piano center stage forward while the strings were distinctly just behind and evenly spread. It was also easy to get a sense of the space.
 
Next up was Yo Yo Ma’s interpretation of Dvorak’s Cello Concerto in B (Yo-Yo Ma, New York Philharmonic, Kurt Masur).  The warmth of Yo Yo Ma’s signature Montagnana cello comes through in spades.  It’s almost as though the cello was what these ‘phones were meant to play.  Again the imaging was distinct, but this recording really lent itself to showing how tall the image was.  Mic placement was closer to the stage and the sound enveloped from both sides as well as from above and below.  The horns are rendered exceptionally as well.  There was no hint of grain or metallic sound from the violins.  
 
Listening to two different recordings of the 4th movement of LvB’s 9th was a fascinating exercise with the X’s.  Their imaging ability made the choices the recording engineers had made crystal clear.  The London Symphony Orch recording with Wyn Morris on the podium was clearly a stage mic’d recording with the soloists much more up front in the presentation despite them more likely being behind the musicians.  This presented an great opportunity to hear the detail retrieval capabilities of the X’s as well as how they handled the choral vocals.  The words to the ode to Joy are clear and easy to understand.  The soloists each occupy their own space.  The timbre is excellent but there is little sense of the space in which the recording was made.  Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Orchestra’s performance under Christoph Eschenbach was a live recording and you get a much greater sense of Verizon Hall where the performance took place.  You get the obligatory coughs and creaks from the audience, but even those are clearly well placed.  The soloists are much further back in the presentation and tend to blur together more as a result.  This should not be seen as a knock on the LCD-X’s, but rather a logical difference stemming from the recordings.  What I found interesting was that the X’s made the differences so readily obvious.

A note on Amp Synergy:
 
While the LCD-X’s are relatively easy to drive with their resistive 22ohm load and 96dB efficiency, they do require an amplifier to get the best sound from them.  They are a current hungry design that will be best served by transformer coupled tube amps or discrete solid state designs rather than OTL tube or op-amp based amps.  As to which specific amps, I can speak to the ones I have on hand.  I found the Lyr to have great synergy with the X’s cousin, the XC, but not as much with the X’s.  The notoriously warm sound signature of the Lyr rendered a ‘thickness’ in the midrange that I found to syrupy.  The RWA Balanced Isabelina, with it’s 5W of high current battery driven power, proved a great match.  None of that syrupy signature from the Lyr while rendering palpable imaging and still never approaching what I’d call bright or aggressive  The RWA got the best from the treble capabilities of the X’s.  Another solid match is the Schiit Gungnir/Mjolnir combination.  I had been concerned that this combination might be too aggressive or bright with the extended treble of the LCD-X's, but quite the contrary.  There is power and detail to spare, but I never get the hint of any glare.  This combination rendered the best fine detail and offered the greatest control over the prodigious bass.  The best news is that the X’s absolutely do scale with the amplifier and will showcase the pluses and minuses of your electronics chain.
 
Conclusion:
 
I found the LCD-X’s to represent the state of the art in headphone design.  They improved upon the prior designs in a way that did nothing to detract.  The imaging is improved, the speed and detail retrieval is excellent.  I did note a small upper bass emphasis on a very few recordings, but it was not consistent and it left me thinking it had more to do with the recording than the phones, but it may mean a little care should be taken when pairing them with a very warm amplifier.  
 
I’m happy to say that the LCD-X’s will be remaining in my system and I am looking forward to experiencing my entire library again for the first time.  
 

 
 
Highly Recommended