HIDIZS S3 PRO REVIEW Introduction: - Today at Aural Cafe we are reviewing the Hidizs S3 Pro Dongle DAC and Headphone Amplifier. This is our second interaction for reviewing Hidiz products. Hidizs is a China-based company founded by Tamson in 2012, who himself is an avid audiophile and fronted an underground rock band and decided to dedicate his life to making HiFi music affordable. As an audiophile, it was a no-brainer; music should be heard as intended. In these 12 years, Hidizs has consistently produced the highest quality portable digital audio...

Tangzu XuanWu Gate: Tangzu’s Take on Neutrality DISCLAIMER: The Tangzu XuanWu Gate was on a tour organized by Tangzu Audio and @machinegod , we are thankful to them for arranging it. The review reflects our honest opinions as always. However, our evaluation is based on a comparison of the price of the item. Introduction: - Tangzu is a China-based company founded initially by the name of Tforce Audio back in 2021. They have debuted with IEMs named Yuan Li. Due to some reason; they have rebranded themselves as Tangzu Audio in 2022. They have always...

iFi GO LINK: The Only Link You Need? Introduction: - Today at Aural Cafe we are reviewing the iFi Go-Link Dongle DAC and Headphone Amplifier. This is our second interaction for reviewing iFi Audio Products. iFi Audio is a subsidiary of Abbingdon Music Research (AMR) which is one of the UK's largest manufacturers of high-end audio products such as Amplifiers, Active Buffer/Preamplifiers, DACs, and USB filters. Founded in 2000, AMR is based in London, United Kingdom. It is a subsidiary of the Abbingdon Global Group. iFi Audio is one of the most...

HISENIOR MEGA5EST: Deep Dive into The Ocean Of Music DISCLAIMER: The Hisenior Mega5EST was purchased by us directly from Hisenior Audio with a small discount, we are thankful to the amazing team at Hisenior Audio for the same. The review reflects our honest opinions as always. However, our evaluation is based on a comparison of the price of the item. Introduction: - Hisenior is a China-based company founded in 2016 by Gareth Chan. Hisenior Audio specializes mainly in handcrafted Universal and Custom IEMs for musicians, studio engineers and...

AFUL SnowyNight Review Introduction: - AFUL is highly reputed for its unique design for IEMs especially. They started their journey with IEMs in 2018 with a dedicated acoustic team that focused on developing cutting-edge acoustic technology. In 2023, AFUL has brought us MagicOne. They have designed a customized balanced armature driver for the MagicOne. Now, they came up with their first-ever DAC/Amp, Snowynight. AFUL Snowynight is a very well-built dongle with a full metal body with volume buttons on the side to control the volume with ease on...

PENON Quattro: Why So Blue?? DISCLAIMER: The Penon Quattro was purchased by us directly from Penon Audio with small discounts, we are thankful to the amazing team at Penon Audio for the same. The review reflects our honest opinions as always. However, our evaluation is based on a comparison of the price of the item. Introduction: - Penon Audio is a China-based company that was started in the year 201,3 by Chi Kong Hui with the goal of selling the best-selected audio products at the most affordable prices for Audiophiles. Penon Audio needs no...

Hidizs MS1 Galaxy REVIEW Introduction: - Before we start with Hidizs MS1 Galaxy we would like to first write a bit about Hidizs as we at Aural Café give supreme importance to the people behind the Audio products. Hidizs is a China-based company founded by Tamson in 2012, who himself is an avid audiophile and fronted an underground rock band and decided to dedicate his life to making HiFi music affordable. As an audiophile, it was a no-brainer; music should be heard as it was intended to be. In these 12 years, Hidizs has been able to consistently...

AUNE AR5000: Momentous Entry into the World of Headphones DISCLAIMER: The Aune AR5000 was sent to us free of charge by AUNE AUDIO, in exchange for this review. The review reflects our honest opinions as always. However, our evaluation is based on a comparison of the price of the item. Introduction: - As an ardent team of audiophiles, we at Aural Café traversed through various soundscapes, seeking the perfect blend of fidelity, comfort, and style when exploring headphones. Our quest recently led us to the Aune AR5000 which marks Aune Audio's...

Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite: A Harmonious Delight Introduction: - Before we write about the Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite let's first write a bit about Kiwi Ears, the team behind the Orchestra Lite. Kiwi Ears is a Shenzhen, China-based company started by a team of dedicated engineers around 2020 with the launch of Kiwi Ears Orchestra. The Orchestra is still remembered for its high-quality build quality and musical signature at an affordable price. Fast forward to 2024, they have launched numerous IEMs in four years such as Kiwi ears Quintet, Quartet...

INEAR SD5: UNVEILING SONIC EXCELLENCE Introduction: - In the ever-evolving world of IEMs and headphones, finding the perfect balance between impeccable sound quality, and durability is the ultimate quest for any audiophile or musician. Enter the InEar SD5 in-ear monitors, a true testament to craftsmanship and sonic excellence. So, no points for guessing but today we will be reviewing INEAR Monitoring’s ‘InEar StageDriver 5 (SD5)’ at Aural Cafe which is an In-Ear Monitor offering especially for stage performers and musicians. Before we start with...

SOUNDZ AVANT: A MODERN TAKE ON REFERENCE-TUNED IEMs Introduction: - Soundz Custom is a Greece-based company that was founded by the hearing aid professional Mr. Alexios Papatasios in 2016, primarily to manufacture premium custom earplugs for professional DJs and musicians. Mr. Papatasios has studied “Professionals in Hearing Health Sciences” at the International Hearing Society IHS – Michigan America. He is also a graduate of the Post-Educational Program of “Audiology – Neuro-otology” at the Medical School of Athens. In 2019 they built one of the...

SPIRIT TORINO TWIN PULSE BERYLLIUM IEM- A Concentration of Technology at the Service of Music Introduction: - Spirit Torino is an Italy-based audio company founded by Andrea Ricci. It all started with collaborations with hi-fidelity stores in 1993 in Turin, Italy which is known for its numerous art galleries, restaurants, churches, palaces, opera houses, piazzas, parks, gardens, theatres, libraries, and museums. After starting with a series of electronic cabinets and pedestals crafted from mahogany and walnut in 1995 to becoming a record label...

HIBY Yvain REVIEW Introduction: - Established in 2011, Hiby Music specializes in research, development, and sales of high-quality portable audio products. They have developed dozens of digital audio players (DAPs), IEMs, USB DACs, etc. Their first landmark product in this audiophile world was Hiby R6 which we are proud to be the first owner in the international market when they launched. Today we are reviewing their latest offering in IEMs categories, Yvain. It consists of Four Balanced armature drivers per side. Knowles Non-damper BA for Bass...

IFI HIP DAC 3: INTOXICATING FLASK OF AUDIO Introduction: - Today at Aural Cafe we are reviewing the iFi Hip-DAC 3 portable DAC and Headphone Amplifier. But before that let us tell you a bit about iFi Audio. iFi Audio is a subsidiary of Abbingdon Music Research (AMR) which is one of the UK's largest manufacturers of high-end audio products such as AmpliFiers, Active Buffer/PreampliFiers, DACs, and USB filters. Founded in 2000, AMR is based in London, United Kingdom. It is a subsidiary of the Abbingdon Global Group. iFi Audio is one of the most...

AUNE YUKI: A CHILLING SOUND EXPERIENCE Introduction: - Dongles seem to be the flavour of the season and more and more brands are coming up with their take on dongles. While Audioquest and Fiio were the first to enter this product segment, big brands such as Questyle, Tanchjim, Luxury and Precision, and Shanling etc. have launched versatile dongles in different price segments to cater to the never-ending needs of audiophiles. Before we review Aune Audio's new dongle Yuki let's talk a bit about Aune. Aune as Wuhan Ao Lai Er Technology Co. Ltd.'s...

KINERA Freya 2.0 REVIEW Introduction: - Freya 2.0 is a hybrid In-ear monitor from the popular IEM brand from China, Kinera. The same brand produces some of the class-leading and popular IEMs such as Imperial Loki, Baldr, Nanna and so on. They have their sister brands operating in the same market Celest Audio and QOA (Queen of Audio). Freya 2.0 consists of three Balanced armature drivers and one dynamic driver. Three Knowles BA for highs and Mids frequency and One 7mm dynamic driver for handling low frequencies. Kinera Freya 2.0 comes with a 2-pin...

AFUL MagicOne: Finding the magic Introduction: - AFUL’s journey began in 2018 with a dedicated acoustic team that focused on developing cutting-edge acoustic technology. In 2019, a breakthrough was achieved with the first engineering prototypes that featured a novel circuit topology and acoustic structure. This enabled a single BA driver to deliver stunning HiFi performance. Cut to 2023, AFUL has brought us the all-new MagicOne. They have designed a customized balanced armature driver for the MagicOne. AFUL has also implemented its newly...

ORIVETI OD200: CHAMELION UNLEASHED Introduction: - Oriveti is a China-based brand providing Hi-Fi quality audio products for daily use by the most discerning listeners. Founded in 2015, Oriveti started from a position of strength with years of engineering and design experience within the earphone/headphone industry. Well, Oriveti as a brand is close to us as we started our Audiophile journey around 2016 when Oriveti launched their first product. Oriveti has revamped its product offering keeping in mind the intense competition with three new...

HIBY R3 II: Pocket Rocket Introduction: - Established in 2011, Hiby Music specialises in research, development, and sales of high-quality portable audio products. They have developed dozens of digital audio players (DAPs), IEMs, USB DACs, etc. Hiby R3 II is HiBy's latest entry-level DAP. This device is a successor model of both the R3 Pro Saber 2022 and R3 Pro Saber regular, but this item has some improvements and substantially upgraded features. R3 II is a super-compact DAP with good features just like the previous R3 iterations. The DAC chips...

PENON 10th Anniversary REVIEW Introduction: - Penon Audio started in the year 2013 with the goal of selling the best-selected audio products at the most affordable prices for Audiophiles. In these 10 years, Penon Audio has also evolved from not just selling but also manufacturing high-quality IEMs, dongles, and cables under their house name at very competitive prices. Now after 10 years Penon, to celebrate their 10th anniversary launched a new tri-brid IEM especially for their fans by the name of “Penon 10th anniversary” at a price of 499 US$. It...