It’s a bit hard for me to write this review, but I find it necessary — the 64 Audio U12t has been a major factor in my unexpectedly low level of enthusiasm in audio gear… but maybe not in the way you’d expect. Scroll down to Conclusion for a TL;DR. It was a summer day in the streets of Los Angeles, where I found myself half lost looking for the entrance to CanJam Socal 2018. After buying and trying many IEMs over the prior two years, I had settled on the Campfire Andromeda as my personal portable audio paradise. Regardless, there were so many IEMs...

QDC is a Chinese professional IEM manufacturer that has been rising to the forefront of the industry with their past few flagship releases, receiving praise from several respected and experienced listeners. Today I’ll be checking out their current flagship earphone, the Anole VX (or VX-S, for the universal version we have here). The loaner unit was graciously lent by Andrew from Musicteck, and will be returned shortly after. The Anole VX can be had for $2299 from Musicteck, an authorized dealer for QDC in the US. Musicteck: QDC Anole VX-S QDC...

I wrote a review on the final audio E4000 earlier — it’s a good earphone and a great value at that, offering a fairly balanced and natural slight v-shaped tone for a very reasonable price; downsides being its somewhat loose bass response and poor isolation. Let’s see what the next step up, the E5000, brings to the table. The E5000 is the final E4000’s ‘older’ brother. It has a completely different, more luxurious shell finishing, machined from mirror-polished stainless steel rather than its anodized black aluminum counterpart. In addition, it...

Recently, FiiO has been consistent in releasing publicly well-received earphones such as the FH5 and FA7, with the intention of providing great sound at a great value. The FA1 is a new single balanced-armature IEM offering from FiiO, retailing at an even more affordable $99 MSRP. The FiiO FA1 sample was provided by FiiO. I’d like to give thanks to Lily and FiiO for supplying the unit for review, as well as the opportunity to share my impressions on the FA1. It is available in two color variants (red/blue and smoke), the latter being shown in this...

The FIBAE Black is a single-balanced armature in-ear monitor from Custom Art, available in both custom and universal form factors and retailing for 450 EUR. In terms of customization, the shell is only available in black (as the name precedes), but the faceplates can be customized. I'd like to give big thanks Piotr and Kamil from Custom Art for sending out a sample of the FIBAE Black for me to test and review. I'll be attempting to cover the quality and sound of the FIBAE Black with as little bias as possible. Almost all of my listening is done...

I’ve currently got the Lotoo Paw Gold Touch on loan from Musicteck.com, and have been giving it a bit of use in the past few weeks. Big thanks to Andrew for giving me the opportunity to give the ‘legendary’ TOTL DAP a go. I’ll be returning it shortly after. You can view more information and pick up your own at the following link: Lotoo Paw Gold Touch: $3,199 @ Musicteck.com Full disclaimer: I’ve stated it before, and I’ll state it again. At the heart of my love for audio quality, I still ultimately consider myself a consumer above all things...

The FLC8n is a three-driver hybrid design (single dynamic, dual BA) IEM from FLC Technologies. It is the latest update to the previous generation of the design, the FLC8s. The FLC8s was a name that would pop up fairly often in my days of browsing r/headphones, commonly recommended for being a strong purchase in the $300 range. Let’s see if the updated 8n can live up to the legacy that FLC has built for themselves. I’d like to thank Andrew from Musicteck for setting me up with the FLC8n for review. I will be assessing the overall quality of the...

The E4000 is a single dynamic driver IEM from final audio design, currently selling for $149 via Amazon.com. In a world of multi-driver IEMs being available at continuously plummeting prices, it seems a bit counterproductive to purchase a single-driver IEM at this price point. However, the E4000 has been touted by many to be a solid value — curiosity got the best of me, and here are my impressions. - ACCESSORIES The E4000 comes with basic accessories. Though not extravagant or elegant in presentation, they are completely adequate and cover the...

The Simgot EM5 was an IEM that I had tried quite some time ago (I believe it was Canjam Socal just this year), but had no strong opinion on it. However, many of the IEM’s that I had neutral opinions on at the show floor turned out to be a bit different when I actually spent some time with them. The Simgot EM5 is a 5-driver universal IEM, sporting a single dynamic driver in tandem with four balanced-armature drivers. The dynamic driver in this IEM is the same driver found in the well-received Simgot EN700 Pro. Musicteck offers the EM5 for $499 in...

Preface Confession: I use my phone as a source for my portable listening purposes. A handful of people out there are probably disgusted by my mindset -- I’d spend over $1,000 on quality IEMs, only to waste their potential by driving them through a cellphone? But this one is for those out there in the same boat, those who struggle with the dilemma of balancing the two attributes of portable audio -- quality and convenience. I’d say I’m very much focused on the convenience side of things; I do enjoy higher quality audio (who doesn’t?), but not...

From the stars comes ... COMET. Introduction The Campfire Audio Comet is one of Campfire's two latest offerings, sporting brand new stainless-steel housings not yet seen before. Comet, surprisingly comes in as the most affordable Campfire Audio earphone yet, at $199 MSRP. I'll start this review off by saying I'm a huge fan of the CA Andromeda, it's one of the few (possibly the only) IEMs that I've kept throughout my various buying / selling / trading of IEMs. Even though I value it highly as my 'endgame' IEM, I still find myself intrigued and...

I'd like to thank Vivian from Dunu for providing me with the Falcon C to sample and review. All words are my own and my honest opinion. PACKAGING & ACCESSORIES The Falcon C comes in a metallic silver cardboard sleeve, which slides out to reveal a matte-black folding box secured by a magnetic latch. Upon opening the box, you are presented with the IEMs themselves and the metal carrying case. The metal carrying case itself is not very pocketable due to its height and rigidity, but is a nice addition included with the overall package. The convex...

Introduction The EARNiNE EN210 is a dual balanced-armature driver in ear monitor, utilizing drivers created in-house by TSST. The driver setup, per earpiece, includes a full-range driver and woofer. EARNiNE was graciously able to provide a sample for me to test and review. At the moment the EN210 is not currently marketed for sale outside of Korea. However, it was stated that if anyone were interested in picking one up, they could do so by emailing to tsst@tsst.co.kr They will help you purchase one. Their shipping was extremely quick and...

The ENOD Mini Ring was provided to me for review by Cherry from J&L Shop, who contacted me through Head-Fi.org private message. All opinions are my own and I will attempt to be as fair as possible in my review. They are available for purchase from J&L Shop on Amazon for $79.99. http://amzn.to/2uLcbca Keep in mind that audio is highly subjective, and I may hear things differently from another reviewer. INTRODUCTION The ENOD Mini Ring is a pair of true-wireless bluetooth IEMs, meaning there is no cable whatsoever. Prior to the Mini Ring, I've never...

Kinera H3: Impressive Clarity and Impact Overall: 3.9/5 First and foremost, I'd like to thank Penon Audio for reaching out to me and sending me a review unit of the Kinera H3. I am not associated with Penon Audio in any other way, and these thoughts are my own only -- keep in mind that my review will mostly be subjective, as we all hear things differently. I will do my best to give the H3 a fair and honest review, as well as give some comparisons to IEMs I have/have owned. The Kinera H3 is available for $99 from the awesome people down at Penon...

TFZ Series 4: Improving... Overall: 4.5/5 stars I've been a fan of the TFZ IEMs for a while now, and I was ecstatic when Penon Audio reached out to me with the TFZ Series 4 IEM for review. So big thanks to Penon -- I am in no way associated with Penon Audio and this review will be my own thoughts. This will be concise and to the point, I will try to be as forward as possible with my thoughts and avoid unnecessary padding/fluff. Please understand that hearing is subjective and I am only describing how the Series 4 sounds to my ears. I will include a...

The EN700 Bass was graciously provided to me by Sabrina at SIMGOT for review purposes; I am not affiliated with SIMGOT in any way. The EN700 Bass can be purchased from Amazon.com, and you can visit Simgot's website here. Presentation The first thing that stood out to me when handling the EN700 Bass was the luxurious, yet simplistic unboxing experience. There's not much depth to the box contents, but everything is laid out very neatly, and organized in such a way that it just feels good to unwrap. The outer sleeve of the box is matte with a luster...

This unit was graciously provided to me by Penon Audio for review purposes, as I expressed great praise in the TFZ Series 5 several months back. Big ups to them for fast and courteous responses, as well as impressive shipping speeds! They are available for purchase for $99. I just wanted to add that this review is entirely my own opinion -- my perception of sound can vary differently from yours, or any other reviewer. My sensitivity to treble may be greater or lesser than yours. My preference for sound is a relatively balanced FR with impactful...

The Oriveti BASIC: A dark and inviting entry-level offering into higher level audio BASIC was provided to me free of charge in exchange for feedback and review -- I am in no way affiliated with Oriveti. I would like to thank Marco for providing me with the opportunity, as it is greatly appreciated. Generally, with my reviews I've gravitated towards writing shorter reviews that have no fluff or unnecessary BS -- I am not going to be using fancy audiophile synonyms to describe the same thing in multiple ways, and will be honest and unbiased in my...

Introduction The Fragrant Zither (TFZ) is a company that I am very fond of. I absolutely loved their previous flagship, the TFZ Series 5 and praised it with very high word. It became one of my most recommended IEMs for those who desired a heavy bass impact, tuned for an exciting listen. Upon requesting information on the TFZ Series 7, they reached out to me to graciously provide a sample of their next model, the TFZ Balance 2M. I was ecstatic -- I can say that overall, the B2M has met my expectations for a TFZ Product. This review will mainly...