It’s a good day for anyone with an interest in inexpensive headphone amps! The Liquid Spark, currently available through Monoprice for a penny shy of $100, occupies the same market space as the Schiit Magni 3. I found the Magni 3 to be a great sounding amplifier, and it really set the bar for amps in its price range. I’m happy to say the Liquid Spark is a worthy competitor. (TL;DR at bottom.) The amps seem near identical in form and function. Both are solid state, have pre-outs, have a gain switch, are of a similar size, and utilize an external...

OPPO has taken an interesting approach to their product lineup and launch timeline compared to what I feel like I’m seeing from most other manufacturers. OPPO started with the pricey PM-1, which I thought sounded pretty good, if not overpriced and a bit sleepy sounding. They then moved to the PM-2, which was essentially just a PM-1 with cheaper build materials and without the pretty wooden box. It was an interesting choice to start from the top and work their way down, not to mention how infrequently you see this copy-but-made-cheaper sort of product...

Disclaimer: I received the Brainwavz HM9 under the condition I would write a review for it. I set the purchase price at the current going rate on Amazon, which is roughly $120.   Introduction   The Brainwavz HM9 was always a headphone I was curious to try, but my curiosity wasn't strong enough to warrant a purchase. Thanks to the review sample provided by Brainwavz, I was finally able to check them out! Sure, I always thought they looked stylish, but I had no idea how they would sound. Onto the review and analysis!   Looks, Presentation...

Disclaimer: I have been talking with Zach of ZMF Headphones quite a bit over the past couple months with some ideas that might help him refine the ZMFxVibro headphone based on my thoughts and analysis of it (have tried a couple pairs and couple revisions), so there’s bound to be some inherent bias in my opinion. However, I do strive to minimize any bias and take pride in trying to provide the community with honest, transparent reviews and at least a somewhat objective, but digestible, analysis of products. In other words, I'm trying to break the mold...

Note: Much of this comes from a review I wrote and posted elsewhere a month or so ago, but with some editing and organizational tweaks.   I have wanted to do a full Alpha Dog review for a while, and now that my pair has had some work done on it to better balance the channels and I have had plenty of time to listen and experiment with them, I'm good to go. My pair came with two of the damping “dots” applied to the front side of each driver and the felt damping discs for additional tuning. My main review and analysis will be done without using any of...

Introduction   I found a lot to like about the OPPO PM-1, and I was very excited to give the PM-2 a chance based on impressions I had read for it. With the PM-1, the looks, build quality, and overall presentation were stellar. Though I didn’t have a personal need for it, I appreciated that it worked well from about any device, which I can’t say for a lot of other orthodynamic or high-end headphones.   The PM-1 had a smooth, laid-back, warm, seductive sound that was great for long, relaxing listening sessions. However, as I listened more over...

Disclaimer: I received my R3s for free under the condition I would write a review for them. Purchase price reflects their going rate on a popular online retailer at the time of the review.   The Brainwavz R3 is certainly an interesting IEM in a few ways, but it's the overall design, shape, and style of fit that immediately stand out. I was a little unsure what to expect from a sound perspective, but I was definitely worried these would be impossible to wear comfortably, assuming I could fit them in my ears properly at all. In the end, I was...

Disclaimer: I was contacted by a Brainwavz representative to try out a free pair of S5 IEMs under the condition I would write a review for them. I received them in mid July and have sampled them over the past two weeks or so. I listed the purchase price as their current listing of $99. I have tried them from my dedicated, desktop headphone system and from my phone.   Overview - Build Quality, Looks, Comfort, Etc.   The Brainwavz S5 IEM has a decent amount going for it at face value. They look good, feel solid, are comfortable, and they include a...