EDITED: Firmware Comparison     This X5 Gen 3 unit is provided by Fiio for my honest review. The unit will be returned at the end of my review period.   I come from AK380Cu+Amp Cu which is ten times the price of Fiio X5 Gen3 but has the same DAC that Fiiio X5 Gen3 has. So most of my thought about Fiio X5 Gen3 will be compared to AK380Cu+Amp Cu   Testing Equipment: Zeus-XRA + Effect Audio Mars+Leonidas Bespoke 8 braids 2.5 TRRS.   Packaging: Fiio did a very good job in packaging. It looks like a luxury packaging that AK does for all their...

Empire Ears: Zeus-R G1 Introduction             I’ve been following Empire Ears (EE) thread since they were EarWerkz. At that moment I mainly use my CIEM JH Roxanne and haven’t had any chances to audition any EE iems until Summer 2016. The first EE iem that I’ve tried is the Zeus-R. Zeus-R got me crazy for weeks due to performance. In September, 2016, EE partner with Asius to equip their iem line with ADEL Technology. I planned to attend the RMAF but I couldn’t be there. Thus, I exchanged a few texts with Jack Vang (VP of EE) about the Zeus-XR ADEL...

Effect Audio: Arthur+Excalibur   Introduction             Arthur is a special collaboration between Effect Audio, a cable manufacturer in Singapore, and Empire Ears, an iem manufacturer in USA. I was lucky enough to be selected as part of the Arthur Europe and USA tour. Arthur is a free loan that will be returned to Effect Audio at the end of the 7-day review period. Specification and Details   Arthur Price: $3799.00 Drivers: 14 Balanced Armature drivers (6 highs, 6 mids, 2 lows) with Silver and Copper internal wiring Crossover: 8-way...

Perfect Seal Deca       Introduction             I came across Perfect Seal Labs by accident. I was looking for someone to reshell my reshelled Layla for my girlfriend when I found “Mike” from Perfect Seal. At that time Deca just came out. Mike offered Deca for a discount price ($1050). I think it was a good bet for my new CIEM.   Specification $1450 Acrylic ($1050 with introduction promo) Perfect for those who desire more bass while maintaining awesome clarity and imaging - 10 Balanced Armature Drivers -2 Low -4 mid -2 high -2 super...