Redefining Budget ANC: Earfun Wave Pro Finding a pair of budget bluetooth ANC headphones that isn’t a boomy mess and delivers quality sound is hard. When I heard that the new EarFun Wave Pro from EarFun Audio might have a neutral sound signature, were very affordably and had some good ANC features, I had to give them a go. Note: I would like to thank Earfun Audio for providing the Wave Pro for this review. If you are interested in checking out the Wave Pro - the following is their product page: here I have been listening to these for a few weeks...

FiiO M23 - A feature rich DAP with desktop level capabilities FiiO new M23 DAP is a both natural progression on from the M11 Plus but with the addition of some clever new features the M23 is now blurring the distinction between a portal DAP and a desktop headphone Amplifier But is a DAP the right device for you? Let’s find out in this review. Note: I would like to thank FiiO for providing the M23 for the purposes of this review - if you are interested in more information about the M23 check it the details: here Why use a DAP? I have a section...

The 'Frustrating' but Fun FreeDSP cable - Long term review and Tutorial I bought the FreeDSP as soon as it was available. For me as a totally believer in PEQ and DSP this was the perfect concept of a cable that actually can alter the sound signature. While I initially thought this would be an ideal cable for my new usb-c enabled iPhone 15 where we lack of a system wide PEQ capability was always annoying, the frustrating limitations with PEQ filter setup has meant it was a little less fun that I hoped. Also, the lack of a way to configure the...

Moondrop Space Travel Review Moondrop continues to explore different segments of the audio market. A few months ago they launched their super bargain priced TWS, the Moondrop Space Travel. While I was recently reviewing the Moondrop Golden Ages I felt I should buy the Space Travel for comparison and now having experienced the Space Travel for a few weeks I think it is time for a short review to give my impressions. This TWS model seems to be a direct target the ultra budget-conscious audio consumer who still seeks quality sound and usability but...

V3 Mono - Stunning Monoblock from Fosi Audio In this review, we’ll discuss the Fosi Audio V3 Monoblock Power Amplifier Fosi Audio are one of a handful of Audio companies that rapidly iterate and most importantly take feedback from the audio community and then incorporate the best suggestions from that feedback into the next generation of their products. The new Fosi Audio V3 mono is both a natural next step for Fosi Audio using that process, but I also feel that this Power Amplifier has moved Fosi Audio into the next tier of Audio products where...

Review updated with Firmware 1.1.0 Measurements and some technical updates Moondrop’s futuristic love letter to the Sony Walkman 2024 is obviously the year of retro-futurism in audio, FiiO released a ‘real’ walkman clone (but with some modern niceties like a rechargeable battery and a USB-c DAC ), Cambridge Audio released a ‘Back to the Future’ Delorean Amplifier and now Moondrop have released the Golden Ages TWS with some subtle and not so subtle design references to the original Walkman. Moondrop’s offering is a much more practical one than...

A high quality cable upgrade your headphones might deserve Anyone who has purchased (or even read a review) of a recent FiiO headphone, like the FT5 or FT3 knows that FiiO accessories with those headphones where high quality and really put long-established headphone companies like Hifiman or Focal to shame. So I was delighted with the opportunity to get early access to FiiO latest headphone cable. This was a great opportunity to use this cable with some of the headphones in my collection and I thought I share my findings. The 1.5M version is priced...

The AKG K702 is a classic studio reference headphone with a legendary soundstage which can be picked up at a very pragmatic price especially compared to competition. I purchased my K702 a few years ago specifically for its soundstage, and it does not disappoint. This was my goto ’evening’ listening experience before I got a pair of much more expensive Hifiman Edition XS for the same use-case. But it is still a goto headphone in my collection and I often use it to evaluate headphone amplifiers, so I thought I would share in this review some of my...

A good entry level ANC headphone can be made better with measurements This was my initial Soundcore headphone, it was (and still is) a very cheap fully featured ANC bluetooth headphone (currently around $60 probably and often even cheaper when on sale). Though by the latest standards it is a bit outdated and missing some features and codecs that have become standard even at this low price point. Having used the Q30 as my travel ANC headphone for a few years now. I recently bought a 711 clone coupler and a KB501X soft pinna, so I decided to...

Surprising good Bluetooth TWS Up until the summer last year I was mainly using the Airpods Pro for my “TWS use case” of listening to podcasts, audiobooks and for conference calls with the microphone. I thought they were pretty good ( though the sound profile wasn’t great ) and I could never get a satisfactory ‘seal’ with the bundled ear tips (or even third party ones). So when I accidentally left them in th washing machine and found I messed up the microphone, I decided to look for a simpler / cheaper TWS set, in case I made the same mistake again...

Blafili RTX Review Introduction I have been playing with the Blafili RTX for the past few weeks, looking it how it could be integrated into my home audio setup and I impressed with the different use-case I came up with for this device. I was especially impressed with what it can do for $59.99. So I thought I would share my opinions and the details of how you might use this device in your own setup. Note: I would like to thank blafili for providing the RTX for this review. If you are interested in buying the RTX - the following is a non-affiliated...

Hifiman Svanar Wireless LE Review The Svanar Wireless represent Hifiman’s entry into the TWS market. There are 3 separate variations in this new TWS platform, the flagship Svanar Wireless, the mid-priced Wireless LE and the entry level Wireless Jr, as you shall see these models share a similar design and some technologies but Hifiman have done a nice job in having a clear delineation between each model in the platform. Let’s get into the details of which of these might be best for you. I would like to thank Mark from Hifiman for providing the...

Sundara Closed-Back - Ignore the name, this is a stunning headphone at its price It can be hard to look past a name but I believe early reviewers assumed this headphone would sound like the well-loved Sundara “Open back” but with more sound isolation, but of course it does not. And now that Hifiman have recently lowered the price of the Sundara Closed-back to $149, I believe it is time to revisit this headphone for what it is and not for it’s name. While the Sundara Closed-back shares some of the same technology and design as the ’normal’ Sundara...

Hifiman HE-R9 - your Flashy Flamboyant Friend Lets get one thing out of the way immediately, HE-R9 is a flamboyant and quirky headphone both in its looks and its sound profile but one that you might also learn to love and one that at its current price of $109 deserves to be considered for your headphone collection. I would like to thank Mark from Hifiman for providing the HE-R9 for the purposes of review Introduction I imagine we all have some loud flamboyant friends, the friends who always wear bright loud clothes, are a bit of a showoff but are...

Review of the Fiio KA17 DAC and Headphone Amplifier FiiO’s latest flagship model of USB-C dongle, encompasses an array of innovative features providing the very small and portable dongle with the power and capabilities of a desktop unit. The KA17 has been the perfect usb-c dongle for me for the past few weeks. I have been commuting by train each day to work in a ‘hot desk’ environment where I couldn’t use my normal desktop headphone amplifier, but I never missed that desktop amplifier even when I decided to bring my harder to drive Hifiman planar...

FiiO KA11 USB-C/Lightning Dongle Review I have been looking for a suitable portable upgrade over the aging Apple usb-c / lightning dongle for a while. I want something small enough to essentially just feel like an extension of my headphone cable but powerful enough to really drive some of my harder to drive planars. So, as you will hopefully see in this review, I believe the KA11 is exactly that and is a very pragmatic choice for a portable usb-c / lightning dongle for your smartphone especially at its $29.99 price. Note: I would like to thank...

Rose Technics QuietSea Review In this review, I want to share my experiences listening to and enjoying the Rose Technics QuietSea over the past few weeks. As you will see the QuietSea is a quality offering from Rose Technics with some pretty unique features especially at it price point of $89.99 but given it can be found for as little as $49.99 it deserves to be heard. So how would the Rose Technics QuietSea fit into your collection, lets find out in this review. I would like to thank Rose Technics for providing the QuietSea for this review. If...

Introduction The FiiO BTR15 is a significant upgrade over its predecessor the BTR5, aiming to offer an enhanced experience in a very compact Bluetooth DAC/amp package. One of the major upgraded features in this new model that caught my eye, was the ability to have PEQ on all the inputs (so USB as well as Bluetooth) and as a firm believer in EQ capabilities I decided to make this review focus on the PEQ capabilities in detail but I delve into the other aspects of the BTR15 also. This review will cover the features, design, performance, and its...

Nicehck DB2 Review In this review, I want to share my experiences listening to and enjoying the NiceHCK DB2 hybrid (1 DD + 1 BA) over the past few weeks. As you can see from the picture above the DB2 is a gorgeous IEM, but is it something that is right for you. I believe we are in the golden age for IEM’s especially for those that want to build a nice collection at very little cost. I also believe if you are building a collection you should own a variety of sound signatures especially if you like appreciated different genres of music and want to...

A ‘Futurefi’ IEM at a bargain price This is one of the most pragmatic devices I have bought in the past few years. It is effectively a 2:1 IEM for less than $30, by ‘default’ the Tanchjim One DSP has an excellent sound signature which for the price I would not complain about but then once you open up the App (Android only I am afraid) you have a series of very well specified alternative EQ based 'profiles', effectively giving you lots of variety without needing to get fully into the 'numbers' within the PEQ filters provided. And then if you feel...