Violectric V226 Disclaimer The Violectric V226 was very kindly made available to me on a long-term loan by Dune Blue and Violectric. No incentive was given for a favourable review. V226 features Analogue stereo inputs, unbalanced via RCA 1 digital input, USB-C with up to 32 bit and up to 384 kHz for PCM signals, DSD 64 256 32-bit DAC with typical 130 dB dynamic range and -115 dB THD+N +/- 18 dB Pre-Gain for a perfect match of the DHA V226 between source and headphones Volume control with Alps RK 27 attenuator, big 38 mm massive aluminium knob 4...

TGX Ear Serratus Disclaimer I would like to thank Jim of TGX Ear for providing me with the Serratus earbuds in exchange for my honest opinion. No incentive was given for a favourable review. Serratus 300 Ohms Blue Sapphire PET diaphragm Pure silver cable 3.5mm single ended or 4.4mm balanced termination Price: $199 Links: https://www.tgxear.com https://www.instagram.com/tgxear/ Preamble I have been an earbud enthusiast for several years now and I love the form factor. Despite the eternal struggle to get a secure fit, I use them on a daily...

EarMen Angel Disclaimer I would like to thank Miroslav from EarMen for providing me with the EarMen Angel portable DAC/amp for this review. No incentive was given for a favourable review. EarMen Angel Specifications Inputs: USB-C (Charging), USB-C (Data) and S/PDIF (COAX/TOS) Outputs: Single End 3.5mm, Balanced 4.4mm DAC: ES9038Q2M Audio: DSD 256 DoP / Native DSD 512, DXD Up to 768 kHz, PCM Up to 768 kHz, MQA Rendering, MQA Full decoding, OFS, MQA, MQA Studio, MQA Auth Battery: 2 x Li-Po 3000mAh Charge : Use 5V >= 2A adapter Dimension: 152 x 27 x...

FiiO FF3 Disclaimer I would like to thank FiiO for providing me with the FiiO FF3 earbuds in exchange for my honest opinion. No incentive was given for a favourable review. FF3 316L stainless steel polished shell in Cosmic Silver or Elegant Black Bass enhancing acoustic flute design Ultra-fine copper-clad aluminium Daikoku voice coil 14.2mm beryllium-plated dome + PU gasket diaphragm New generation twist-lock plug, swappable 3.5mm SE and 4.4mm termination High-purity silver-plated monocrystal copper cable Price: US$99.99 Links...

FiR Audio VxV Disclaimer I would like to thank FiR Audio and Project Perfection for providing me with the FiR Audio VxV in exchange for my honest opinion. No incentive was given for a favourable review. VxV 1x 6mm Dynamic Driver 2x Mid-driver Balanced Armature 1x High-driver Balanced Armature 1x Ultra-high Driver Balanced Armature MMCX connectors 2.5mm TRRS balanced connector Chassis: Hybrid 6000 aluminum and DuPont ® engineering plastic. Price: US$999 Links: https://www.firaudio.com https://www.facebook.com/Firaudio https://pp-distribution.com...

MMR Gáe Bolg Disclaimer I would like to thank Joseph Mou for providing me with the MMR Gáe Bolg in exchange for my honest opinion. No incentive was given for a favourable review. Gáe Bolg 5 Custom Tuned Balanced Armature Drivers Configuration 1 Tweeter, 1 Vented Mid-High, 1 Mids, 2 Vented Lows 4-Way Passive Electro Frequency Division TriBore Waveguide GB Acoustic Chamber™ Frequency Response: 20Hz-40kHz Impedance: 25ohm Noise Isolation: -18db (UIEM) Price: US$1,199 (Lite) or US$1,399 (Complete) Links: https://metalmagic.co...

Violectric V380 Disclaimer The Violectric V380 demo unit was kindly offered to me on loan by Michael Wongso of Dune Blue, distributor for Violectric. No incentive was given for a favourable review. V380 features Balanced headphone output with 4-pin XLR, 2 single ended outputs with 6,3 mm jack Line-out, stereo, 1 x unbalanced via RCA, 1 x balanced via XLR Headphone path and line-out path individually switchable 2 analogue stereo inputs, unbalanced via RCA 3 digital inputs, opto and coax with up to 24 bit and up to 192 kHz capability, USB with up to...

Shanling M8 Disclaimer I would like to thank Shanling for providing me with the M8 DAP in exchange for my honest opinion. No incentive was given for a favourable review. M8 Specifications CPU: 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 Storage: 4GB RAM + 64GB RAM + 2TB Expandable System: Open Android 7.1 DAC: AKM AK4499EQ × 2 Bluetooth chip: Qualcomm CSR8675, support Bluetooth 5.0, Hi-Res: 768 kHz/32 bit, DSD512 native Screen: 5-inch 1080p Sharp display Bluetooth transmitting support: LDAC/HWA/aptX HD/aptX/SBC Bluetooth receiving support: LDAC/HWA/aptX...

Campfire Audio Ara Disclaimer I would like to thank Ken Ball of Campfire Audio for providing Twister6 with the Campfire Audio Ara and Alex/Twister6 for letting me borrow them for this review. No incentive was given for a favourable review. Ara Drivers: 7 balanced armature (4 x low, 1 x mid, 2 x high) Frequency Response: 10Hz–28 kHz Sensitivity: 94 dB SPL @ 1kHz: 7.094 mVrms Impedance: 8.5 Ohms @ 1kHz Shell: Machined Titanium Tuned Acoustic Expansion Chamber™ (T.A.E.C.) PVD Black Stainless Steel Spout Connectors: Beryllium / Copper MMCX Links...

FiiO EM5 Disclaimer I would like to thank FiiO for providing me with the FiiO EM5 earbuds in exchange for my honest opinion. No incentive was given for a favourable review. EM5 Drivers: 14.2mm beryllium-plated diaphragm Frequency response: 10Hz - 20kHz Sensitivity: 109dB at 1mW Impedance: 32Ω at 1kHz Cable: 4-stranded 120 cores Litz sterling silver cable Plug: Twist-lock with swappable 3.5mm SE and 2.5mm/4.4mm balanced plugs Price: US$299.99 Links: https://www.fiio.com https://www.facebook.com/FiiOAUDIO/ Preamble Earbuds? Yes, earbuds. The...

MMR Thummim Disclaimer I would like to thank Joseph Mou of MMR for providing me with the MMR Thummim in exchange for my honest opinion. No incentive was given for a favourable review. Thummim Triple hybrid with 9 drivers: 1 x bespoke 9.7mm Foster dynamic driver, 2 x Vented Mid (BA), 2 x Highs (BA), 4 x Electrostatic Crossover: 4-Way Passive Electro Frequency Division TriBore Waveguide Eletech Proprietary Internal Litz Frequency response: 10Hz-80kHz Impedance: 35 Ohm Price: US$4,499 Links: https://metalmagic.co...

FiR Audio M4 - Good Clean Fun (Very Good Clean Fun) Disclaimer I would like to thank FiR Audio and Project Perfection for providing me with the M4 in exchange for my honest opinion. No incentive was given for a favourable review. M4 Drivers: 1 x dynamic driver (low), 3 x balanced armatures (mid, high) Frequency response: 10hz - 20Khz Impedance: 6.4ohms Proprietary tubeless design 3rd gen Atom pressure release system Price: US$1,899 Links: www.firaudio.com www.facebook.com/FiRaudio/ www.pp-distribution.com www.facebook.com/projectperfectionsg/...

DITA Audio Dream XLS - Enticing musicality Disclaimer I would like to thank DITA Audio and Project Perfection for providing me with the DITA Dream XLS in exchange for my honest opinion. No incentive was given for a favourable review. Dream XLS Driver: Single Ultra-linear 10mm Dynamic Driver Gen. XLS Frequency response: 10-25,000Hz Sensitivity: 104 dB Impedance: 22 Ohms Connection (Plug End): DITA Awesome Plug 2.5mm TRRS, 4.4mm TRRRS and 3.5mm Single Ended Connection (Earphone End): XLS 2-Pin Cable: OSLO-XLS Cable Chassis Material: Aerospace Grade...

Eletech Plato - Reveal All Disclaimer I would like to thank Eric Chong of Eletech for providing me with the Plato cable in exchange for my honest opinion. No incentive was given for a favourable review. Plato 24 AWG (non-Litz) Flawless Monocrystal Bespoke Silver Maximus efficiency strand geometry; Kevlar infused Cryogenically Treated Eletech Bespoke Solder Eletech Customised connectors and Y-split FlexiMax Insulation™ (patent pending) Price: US$999 Links: https://elementechnology.com https://www.facebook.com/eletechsg Preamble Eletech...

Lotoo PAW6000 - The Quintessential Pure Music DAP Disclaimer I would like to thank Lotoo for providing me with the PAW6000 in exchange for my honest opinion. No incentive was given for a favourable review. PAW6000 Specifications at a Glance Screen: 3.77 inch IPS GFF Retina LCD Dimensions: 112 x 65 x 18mm Weight: 225g Memory: Micro SD only (max 2TB) WiFi: For firmware update only Bluetooth: Bi-directional BT 4.2 OS: LTOS DAC: AK4493EQ Amp: OPA1622 Decoding: Up to DSD256 Battery: 5,200 mAH Li-Polymer Playback: 16 hours Output 3.5mm: 300mW (32Ω)...

FiiO M11 Pro Disclaimer I would like to thank FiiO for providing me with the M11 Pro in exchange for my honest opinion. No incentive was given for a favourable review. M11 Pro vs. M11 Specifications at a glance Links: https://www.fiio.com/Home https://www.facebook.com/FiiOAUDIO Preamble The M11 Pro is one of the most highly anticipated DAPs of the year. FiiO's M11 was already a big hit earlier in 2019 and this was going to be the biggy: the M11 adorned with the three golden letters 'P', 'R' and 'O'. As irresistible as sticking an 'X' after a...

Stealth Sonics U9 Disclaimer I would like to thank Stealth Sonics for providing the demo units for this tour and Jackpot77 of Audio Primate for organising the UK tour and letting me participate even though I escaped back to the continent last year. No incentive was given for a favourable review. This was originally posted as a single review, but adapted to fit the proper Head Gear sections, therefore certain sections will be the same as for the U2 (link) and U4 (link) reviews. Links: https://stealthsonics.com https://www.facebook.com/stealthsonics/...

Stealth Sonics U4 Disclaimer I would like to thank Stealth Sonics for providing the demo units for this tour and Jackpot77 of Audio Primate for organising the UK tour and letting me participate even though I escaped back to the continent last year. No incentive was given for a favourable review. This was originally posted as a single review, but adapted to fit the proper Head Gear sections, therefore certain sections will be the same as for the U2 (link) and U9 (link) reviews. Links: https://stealthsonics.com https://www.facebook.com/stealthsonics/...

Stealth Sonics U2 Disclaimer I would like to thank Stealth Sonics for providing the demo units for this tour and Jackpot77 of Audio Primate for organising the UK tour and letting me participate even though I escaped back to the continent last year. No incentive was given for a favourable review. This was originally posted as a single review, but adapted to fit the proper Head Gear sections, therefore certain sections will be the same as for the U4 (link) and U9 (link) reviews. Links: https://stealthsonics.com https://www.facebook.com/stealthsonics/...

FiiO M11 Disclaimer I would like to thank FiiO for providing me with the M11 in exchange for my honest opinion. No incentive was given for a favourable review. M11 Specifications at a glance Screen: 5.15", 18:9, 720p Dimensions: 130 x 70 x 16mm Weight: 223g Memory: 25GB internal (of 32GB ROM), dual micro-SD card slots Dual band 2.4/5G WiFi Bluetooth 4.2 (LDAC/aptX/aptX HD/SBC) OS: Custom Android 7.0 CPU: Samsung Exynos 7872 DAC: 2 x AK4493EQ Amp: 2 x OPA926 Low-pass filter: 2 x OPA1642 Decoding: PCM up to 32bit/384kHz, native DSD256 Battery: 3800...