Arguably one of the most legendary headphone in audiophilia. A stable that’s practically a part of every single conversation when high end headphones are mentioned. And now we’ve the supposed “successor.” The HD800 S coming at us in a IMO tacky all black look and a new dampener that is claimed to fix treble spike which is considered to be the only fault of the original 800. So after many, and let me stress MANY months of saving and gear selling I was finally able to buy this endgame headphone…..off a total whim. Yup, I bought this $1800 behemoth before ever getting the opportunity to hear it, and even over my dream Oppo PM-1 headphone. Let’s talk about it.



The Opening Experience

The “consumer” flagship of the Sennheiser brand. To say I had EXTREMELY high hopes of this headphone is an understatement. Thankfully, I can say that Sennheiser delivered a truly beautiful experience that I still remember. The HD800 S comes in a amazingly simplistic packaging with the only words are the branding. This screamed try me try me, and honestly even gave me chill bumps to plug them in and experience them. This level of simplism gave me, the buyer, full confidence that I bought a product that will let its ability speak more than useless jargon on a box. As I opened the container I’m now greeted with a beautiful, but sadly cheap, cardboard box that is NOT small by any nature. On top of the box (somehow it fit) is the user manual and startup guide and warranty booklet, that interestingly enough, shows both the original and new 800’s on the cover.

As I opened the substantial box I’m immediately greeted with a new headphone smell and the visual prowess of a beautiful (and again all black) silky like material that gives a soft caress of the HD800 S headphones that lay cozy inside its embrace. Below the massive legendary headphones you’ve now 2 cables that are extremely premium looking AND feeling. Pre-connected is the single ended (SE) jack and next to it is the balanced connection (which I used entirely). Also, there’s a very fancy looking USB drive that already has my PERSONAL headphones frequency graph. Oh no, not a check one in every 1,000 headphone and print off that chart, this is my personal, serial#10029, HD800 S frequency graph. That, to me, is such a cool aspect and one that REALLY makes me feel like I have a top of the line, top shelf, best of the best, product. As a firefighter, I don’t make a great salary. So when I finally save up to be able to buy something nice like this, it’s really a great feeling to know that the company respects me to include what’s honestly a very easy thing for them but it goes miles for me.

So needless to say, I was extremely happy and pleased and happy with the handshake Sennheiser gave me. I feel like I’m valued and appreciated as a consumer and though I personally don’t like the all black look, they delivered a beautiful product that shows their level of competency.

Construction





To be honest, I kinda don’t know how I feel about its construction. At the price point of $1,800 I expected it to be much better made with much more premium materials than mostly plastic (high grade [feeling] plastic albeit but plastic nonetheless). They say that this was the material the gave them the best auditory results but I personally don’t really buy that. Granted, the HD800 S doesn’t feel flimsy in my hands but at the same time I do feel I need to baby this product.

The headband is a aluminum plate with the HD800 (not HD800 S logo interestingly enough) and serial # etched into it (which is a really cool feature). The ear cups move on a glide on top of the headband vs inside of it which I’m most accustomed to. The cups themselves are extremely large and easily fit over my above average ear size. My first worry comes from the aluminum backs surrounding the driver. They look beautiful but I find myself always worrying about something hitting them or my finger touching them when I take the HD800 S off my head and them breaking through. Now, I’m well aware that I’m likely being silly but it’s a something I do think so I make sure to hold the headphone by the cans outer edge when taking them on/off. The inside of the cups have a Sennheiser branded dust cover to help keep dust, hair, etc… from getting inside the drive units. Moving down you have the very proprietary BUT REPLACEABLE cables that fit VERY securely into the headphones. So securely in fact you really have to give it some force to disconnect them (and I’m not understating that). The cables themselves are quite thick and braided to help keep interference out of the signal and to preserve their life span.

Like I said at the start of this section, I really don’t know what to think about the build quality of the HD800 S. It’s not badly built but I don’t feel that these are $1,800 headphones either. Though yes, using plastic over aluminum drastically cut back on the weight it also, to me, drastically cuts back on the premium factor. So if I had to pick a side of the fence, I’d side with the being disappointed side.

Comfort




So we’ve a spectacular unboxing experience and a meh construction. So how comfortable are they? Pretty darned comfy if I do say so myself. They don’t massage my head or anything like that but they actually hardly sit on my head. And what I mean by that is I can hardly even feel them, so the headphone just disappears into the music. The padding is pretty thin but surprisingly I have no issue with them, so whatever combination of padding materials they used, they hit it spot on. For better or worse I’ve worn the HD800 S EASILY for more than 5 hours at a time, several times; mostly with heavy Destiny gaming sessions but I hit music pretty hard too. The ONLY irritation I have is if my head isn’t straight, or the headphones aren’t being supported by a pillow etc…, they’ll quickly start sliding off my head so I have to continuously adjust them, which does get old. But other than that small set back, I really love the feathery (light) feel of the HD800 S.


Sound





Alright, now onto the super important factor and one I’ve been really excited to talk about. Now, to disclaim, I have, and may at some points continue to, compare the 800 S to the original 800 however let me say upfront that my experience with the original 800 is very limited to the few minutes I’ve had a few times at the 2 audio meets I’ve been to. But with that being said I love the change they did to the S model. Though I found the original HD800 to be incredibly revealing, to me, it was just too bright and grew to be fatiguing, even after only the few minutes I’ve had with them (again personal experience). The new HD800 S is, to me, much more neutral and easy to listen to but that’s as far as I feel comfortable comparing the 2 in terms of sound due to my very limited time with the HD800. Another disclaim is that I’m using the HDVD800 amplifier sometimes with and sometimes without it’s built in dac as the source for the HD800 S. This amp. and headphone were literally made for each other so their may be some bias in the pairings.

The soundstage on the HD800 S in incredible. There’s so much air and space present that listening to, well recorded, live music is phenomenal. The ability to envelop the listener into what they’re listening to is better than anything I’ve ever heard to date (doesn’t blow out the Hifiman Edition X but still, to me, betters it). Add in the ridiculous amount of detail retrieval the HD800 S can do and prepare yourself for even the most replayed song you can think you’ve heard you’ll still likely hear something new. A great example that I can personally give is the song “Time 2” by Ewan Dobson. I’ve heard this song so many times google pretty much auto places it on my lists for me, but never, until listening through the HD800 S, have I heard what appears to be a door opening and closing a couple times in the background. It’s so faint but through the HD800 S is clearly recognizable.

I probably already made this point clear but the HD800 S sounds amazingly realistic. To my ears I can’t personally tell any bias in the frequency response at all. It, to me, sounds completely flat and neutral. This and the massive soundstage mentioned earlier gives the HD800 S beautiful imaging. As I’m writing this paragraph I’m listening to the piece “Shadow of Doubt” from the Escaflowne anime/movie (dunno the artist), and the cellos and violins sound so lifelike and musical that I can easily visualize each musician’s pluck and draw of the sting as well as where they’re located in relation to their counterparts. It’s an experience to no other headphone has ever given me and one that leaves me not just coming back for more, but staying and relishing in it for several hours at a time.

It goes without saying but the HD800 S is a phenomenal sounding headphone that these mere words I’m writing won’t come even close to doing justice. The HD800 S truly needs to be experienced to fully enjoy and explain what I’m trying to. But in hopes of explaining it, please allow me to talk about my personal thoughts and findings about the individual areas of music.

Treble

The eyes of the music. To me treble gives the listener a look into what the music is going to be like and heightens the ensembles presentation. When listening through the HD800 S, every note, every chime is like stars shimmering in the new moon sky. Absolutely stunning. One of my favorite instruments to listen to is the violin. So much energy can be portrayed with this instrument but at the same time an artist can show calmness and ease through one as well. A song I came across recently that’s quickly became one for reference is “A Moon Filled Sky” artist unknown. This piece gives me a sense of calm and relaxation and when listening through the HD800 S I can fully appreciate this sentiment. Not once throughout my listening experience has the HD800 S became anything remotely to sharp of sibilant. Every note played up to the highest of my ability to hear is played controlled and realistic.

The incredible treble extension present in the HD800 S enables it to reveal every spec of detail that may be present, rather good or bad, in the audio file. That does bring up a potential negative as well. If your files are not well rendered or recorded the HD800 S will put a shining beacon on that buzz or hiss that most other headphones would cover up. But when recorded/mastered competently, the results are all but guaranteed to give the listener chill bumps.

Mids

Though the mids are second in this list I find myself actually having to talk about them first. Right now I’m listening to the song “Rain” by Simply Three, and I’ll likely use this song again as reference in the treble section but section I’m listening to now just has so much realism in the cello that I’m almost physically feeling the vibrations in the strings. As I hear cars driving by in the background the cellist is playing his instrument so beautifully and through the HD800 S I am truly able to enjoy this stunning piece. I make no withdrawl about my bias towards headphones with a more forward sounding mid range for if you read/watched any of my reviews you know how important the mids are to me (for to me their the soul of the music) and though the HD800 S is extremely neutral the mids are still able to come alive and breath their fullest emotion to me the listener.

On the note of emotion, I’m a huge fan of watching animated music videos (or AMV’s for short), when taken pride in and matched to the music being played they do a great job of portraying the emotion the artist (in this particular case the content creator) was wanting to portray to the listener. What’s unfortunate is that through “normal” headphone or popular, overly bassy, headphones I just can’t ever get anywhere near the emotional connection to the video. Two examples I’d like to touch on are “Hello, Sasuke My Old Friend” (Sound of Silence by Disturbed), and “Naruto And Hinata Fight Song” (fight song by Rachel Platten). These two AMV’s I’ve listened to and watched countless times but it’s only through headphones like the HD800 S that I can truly experience the emotion present in the singers, then amplified by the video really envelops me into the experience. The artist's voice come through so clean, even on the rather poor YouTube compression, that I feel that I’m having a performance given to me alone.

Having the HD800 S has actually taught me that you don’t necessarily need to have forward mids to truly enjoy the presence of the artist's voice or draw of an acoustic instruments string. So long as the headphone is in general flat and neutral you can relish in the emotion without the mids being overshadowed by the bass or treble. And the HD800 S does a truly impeccable job in showing this.

Bass

The heartbeat of music. I actually laughed a little because that statement is so true but has become diluted over the popularity of super bass products. The heart needs to be in harmony with the body or else things just don’t feel right, and this is the same with music. If the bass is too heavy is just doesn’t quite feel right with the music. If it’s too light it feels empty and maybe even stale. When I was able to A/B the HD800 S with my other dream endgame headphones, Oppo PM-1, the HD800 S almost seems to be bass light and distant but when really listening to it the HD800 S, to me, shows true tranquility with the rest of the music being performed. If you’ve ever been to a concert you know how the entire ensemble sounds as one cohesive unit and that’s exactly what the HD800 S is.

The bass is by far the most controlled I’ve EVER heard on a dynamic driver headphone. There’s a sense of presence with each bass hit that, though light and not too impactful, doesn’t leave me feeling longing. It’s quite fascinating actually. The HD800 S CAN produce bass that you can feel but they don’t impact you like headphones with powerful bass can. Check out this remix of the song “Animals” (originally by Martin Garrix) by RAZON35. Admittedly it’s a rather bad rendition (personal opinion) but it gets my goal of describing the bass.

The HD800 S is by far not the headphone that people who like super heavy bass should even remotely have in their radar. The HD800 S is a symphonic (I think that’s a word) headphone that presents its much pure and undiluted.

Conclusion



I’ve had the Sennheiser HD800 S for a few months and I continue to fall in love with them like it was my first day. The sense of realism and musical space and depth is just unmatched. I purchased these on a complete 100% whim that they would live up to their claims of fixing the treble spike and I proudly say they’ve accomplished that. Though I’ll also be upfront and say they’ll always be the complementary headphone to my sometime will own dream Oppo PM-1’s (just fills my personal tastes in music). Make NO mistake however and I cannot stress this enough. The HD800 S is a truly phenomenal headphone that after owning one I can fully understand how these have become a staple in the end game audiophile market. The performance they CONSISTENTLY put out is just ridiculous for their respective cost. I do with they used more premium materials that the plastic used but the audio quality is just so, amazingly, clean and pure I can honestly say that I love this headphone with every fiber of my being.




Also, make sure to check out my unboxing and review videos. They’re pretty awesome AND you getta put a face to the Army-Firedawg name. If this review helped you out at all please hit that thumbs up button for it really helps me out a lot. Till next time my friends, stay safe.

I was first introduced to Effect Audio when they partnered with the company Empire Ears to create their Arthur and corresponding Excalibur cable. I was unfortunately unable to hear this unit personally but as a huge fan of the Empire Ears brand I had to look into this Effect Audio company a little bit more and was very impressed by the quality and appearance of their products and grew to understand why Empire Ears would offer up their flagship Zeus to create what turned out to be an amazing product (again I haven’t personally heard this product and am only going off of reviews and impressions).

Fast forward to May of 2017, I was browsing through the forums and seen that Effect Audio was having a giveaway of a few models of theirs. Well I thought it’d be silly to at not put my name in the hat. Then, when I was beyond surprised to find out I actually was lucky enough to be a winner of their Ares 2 cable I was beyond happy. So after a month with the Effect Audio Ares 2 I feel comfortable enough with it to present my impressions.






The Opening Experience





My only experience with aftermarket upgrade cables is the BTG Audio Starlight cable that I purchased along with my Empire Ears Hermes VI, so they arrived together and I can only go off of the unboxing Empire Ears provided. The other is the Moon Audio Black Dragon cable they were kind enough to send me when I was reviewing the Sennheiser HD700, which was a rather, disappointing, unboxing experience. So when I received the package in the mail, I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting much. However, Effect Audio has most certainly given me the best unboxing experience of an upgrade cable to date. True, there’s not a whole lot you can do to make a cable exciting to open, but Effect Audio, I believe, did the best available.

So starting with the beautiful box supplied with the Ares 2 cable (I can only speak to this cable for I’ve no other experience with any of their products). The top of the box is very simplified with only the Effect Audio logo being present.The bottom has the full company name along with its logo and website information. Now, going back to the top of the box and as you’re looking at the box, as you turn in downward to where you’re looking at the sides the first panel has generic information as to what the product inside the box is which in this case is Effect Audio Premium Cable. Then moving clockwise the corresponding panels only say the words “Perfection”, “Design”, and “Sound” respectively. Yup, that it!

‘But Army, that doesn’t tell you anything? Why do you like unboxings like that?’

Well completely made up voice in my head, I like boxes like these because they feel enough confidence in both their brand name and their product that they don’t need bog down their box with specs., and various other “look at me’s” that many companies do. When products are simplistic on the outside, to me, it’s then telling me ‘my actions speak louder than my words. Listen to me and allow me to show you what I can do than simply boast about it (and often not follow through)’.

Finally, as you open the box you’re then greeted with the Effect Audio Ares 2 cable coiled around, and edged by, black Styrofoam. This is a very nice presentation of the aftermarket upgrade cable but I will say I wish they would have included a little information about the cable (which yes, is also found on the website) and also the warranty information (which this does not have any paper included HOWEVER, per Effect Audio, they DO warranty their cables for 1[one] year).


Construction



This is an immediate thing I noticed when I picked up the Ares 2 out of their box. The quality and craftsmanship that went into making this cable goes above and beyond any other cable (albeit few) that I have personally reviewed. From the connectors (both phone and c/iem) to the Y-split can be customized (somewhat) from the website and each is built very sturdy.]

Just from an appearance aspect I feel prideful wearing these out. Both myself and the team at Empire Ears put a lot of effort into designing my personal Hermes VI to look exactly like I imagined and when matched with the Ares 2 cable, the “premiumness” (I couldn’t think of a word so gimme a break will ya) just didn’t fully show, plus the copper cables color really matches my wooden back w/ red casing frame. My version is terminated in a 2.5mm balanced configuration with 2 separate cables going to each iem (4 in total). The Effect Audio company name and logo are printed on both the silver and carbon fiber appearing 2.5mm termination and the Y-splitter while the c/iem terminations have the Effect Audio logo facing the outside.

The cable itself is wound up in a niece, standard, weave pattern that maintains its flexibility while allowing it to “stretch” some in case of shock load or it getting stuck on something. I can see the terminations and Y-splitter either cracking or having its face start to peel off after some years but that’s just to be expected with the type of material used. I haven’t experienced anything of the sorts personally but, from experience, I can see this happening in the years to come.


Sound



The sound of the Effect Audio Ares 2, to me, was immediately noticeable when switching up from the silver cable of my BTG Audio Starlight. At first, I honestly wasn’t impressed and even somewhat disappointed. The sound was notably slower, there was a couple, albeit small, details that I couldn’t hear anymore in certain songs, the bass has slightly longer decay, the treble was more tame and the mids were a fair bit more forward (which I personally love). But after a few hours of listening to them and allowing my ears to adjust I grew to REALLY enjoy the more musical experience vs detailed one of the Starlight cable.

I really enjoy listening to acoustic music and when listening with the Ares 2 the strings sound more realistic and almost personal. Though going back to the note of loss of detail, on a few songs I can no longer hear the artists fingers scratch across the strings as they change notes. That is a little bit of a downside but the tradeoff, to me, is worth it.

I mentioned earlier that the treble was tamed. To be more precise I believe the Ares 2 makes the roll off a little sooner than that of the silver Starlight cable, which is likely to be explain the loss of scratching of the guitar strings being lost. The mids however to take a notable forwardness and sound more lifelike and have more body than what the Starlight cable presents. To be a little more specific on that, male vocals (such as Trace Adkins) sound incredible through the Ares 2 cable. Then finally to continue on, the upper bass also presents a little more forward which makes drums (some not all) present a little more prominent as do lower toned string instruments.


Conclusion


My overall thoughts on the Effect Audio Ares 2 upgrade cable is that it really is a splendid cable in both appearance and sound. Though it may not have the detail retrieval of my other BTG Starlight cable, it presents the music with a nice touch of warmth which, as most of you who know me know, is something I personally love. A couple people here and there will notice that my ciems are custom but it wasn’t until I equipped them with the Ares 2 cable that people really started taking note that I wasn’t just listening to some regular earphone, and even asked about the cable. The Effect Audio Ares 2 cable is a great upgrade cable that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg to get a nice”er” sound from your beloved c/iems. I honestly couldn't recommend this cable enough for its price/quality ratio is very respectable.



Also, make sure to check out my unboxing and review videos. They’re pretty awesome AND you getta put a face to the Army-Firedawg name. If this review helped you out at all please hit that thumbs up button for it really helps me out a lot. Till next time my friends, stay safe.

Over the last 2ish years I’ve really enjoyed being a personal audio reviewer and that only continues to grow every month. Having the honor and opportunity to listed to products and brands that otherwise seems strongly unlikely, if not impossible, is incredible. A really cool aspect that I personally think doesn’t get enough credit is the ability to be introduced to new companies I’ve never heard of, such as Mixcder (pronounced Mix-c-der). A couple weeks ago I seen a forum on here that they were looking for reviewers for their new HD601 (not to be confused with Sennheisers lineup) headphones. After reading up on them a little bit, and also interested in trying out a new product, I put my application in and was fortunate enough to be accepted. So to Mixcder, I say thank you for allowing to be a reviewer for you and share my opinion with any who like to hear it. But without further adieu, allow me to now share my feelings towards the Mixcder HD601 wireless heapdhones.





The Opening Experience











I must be upfront, I didn’t have much hopes for enjoying the unboxing of the HD601 headphones. The vast majority of products in this price range (<100) are absolutely cluttered down with showoffy jargon and claims that are designed to make the given product look more interesting than the competition that’ll be sitting directly next to them on the shelf. Now, as for the Mixder HD601’s they pretty much followed suite. I really like what they did with the front (even though bright colors are also a ploy to bring in more attention) with keeping it pretty simple and a nice bright vs the dull, all black look that dominates the high end market. The sides show off most key features that the HD601 have and the back contains a cluster *bleep* of the specs written in 7 different languages that completely cover the back. Again, this is completely common and was pretty much spot on with what I expected.

Now, as we open up the box the headphones are placing inside of a grey plastic cutout of the headphones with a small black box in the middle (which hold the micro usb charging cable and 3.5mm-3.5mm aux cable) and the warranty info. behind the plastic. A REALLY cool thing that Mixcder includes is a generic thank you note that though it’s generic, I personally like seeing those. To me, it’s a small token of appreciation the company shows their new customer and I don’t think many people realise how far the small things can go in making a lasting impression.

As far as my overall thoughts on the unboxing experience of the Mixcder HD601 is it’s average. I liked the box being brighter vs a boring dark color and I really liked the thank you note, but everything else was pretty much exactly like every other company would do with a product of this price point. I’m aware that I’m one of the rare few people that really care about the unboxing of a product which is why it’s weighted very low on my scale, but it’s something I look at regardless.



Construction







Something that products rarely in the sub $100 impresses me for usually the focus will be on featured and cosmetics. But I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Mixcder HD601’s are built, at least to me, very nicely. In fact they’re built pretty much to the same quality as my Sony MDR-10RNCip’s, which is rather disappointing on the Sony’s because they’re between 4-5x more expensive.

But anywho’s, the headphone itself is primarily all black (woohoo) with a few red and white accents for the name and edges. The frame is made of a quite firm but lightweight aluminum with ample padding (to be talked about more in the comfort section), the top of which has the “mixcder” logo stamped into it. As we move down the earcups are made of a, very likely, cheap plastic but it feels like a moderate grade (again just like my more expensive Sony headphones) that have the ability to swivel 90 degrees (it’s not a smooth rotation for you can hear and feel the plastic rubbing against plastic). The cups are plenty large enough so the majority of the population shouldn’t have any issues with fit (even my big ears were fine),

On the right ear cup is where you’ll find all the controls for the headphone condenses into 3 buttons, V+ which controls the volume up if pressed and track forward if held, V- which controls the volume down if pressed and track back if held, and Φ which control the play/pause if pressed, power if held, and if continuously held upon startup will enter the headphones into sync mode. Also on the right ear cup is the NFC pad so NFC enabled devices merely have to tap the pad for the devices to pair. The drivers themselves are also angled which thankfully I’m finding to be more and more common in headphones but rarely in lower priced products such as he HD601. This says quite a bit and IMO does a great job at improving the imaging capabilities.

The aux cable that comes with the headphones are a standard, cheap cable that will do the job when the battery dies but it does have notable microphonics and most likely less than superb durability because it does feel rather cheap and flimsy.

I feel like Mixcder did a great job in the construction of their HD601 headphone. They’re seemingly built very sturdy (I say seemingly because I didn’t throw them against the wall, step on them, or any other durability test) while remaining lightweight for extended use. The HD601 is definitely built better than many products I’ve tried and/or reviewed in this price range, that’s for sure.



Comfort



Though this area is quite subjective, with respect to the price of the HD601’s I personally found them to be quite comfortable. The HD601’s have a nice goldilox amount of clamping force and both the head and earpads, though cheap feeling, provide excellent amount of cushion. These headphones are very lightweight and I have comfortably worn these for several hours on end both relaxing and even doing yard work. Also, on the note of yard work, these isolate impressively well. I was able to comfortably listen to my Destiny lore videos on youtube and easily understand the words of the commentator.


Sound




I’ve gotta start this section by kinda jumping the gun but I gotta say I really enjoyed how these sounded. They’re definitely made to be more on the fun sound vs sonic accuracy but they don’t do it in the over common V shape. The Mixcder HD601 is most certainly a bass focused circumaural headphone that I honestly think will make most bass heads happy. The imaging is something that I was most impressed with. When I am listening to these headphones they do a surprisingly impressive job at allowing me to visualize the performance that far exceeds the asking price.

Soundstage though is what I expected, which is quite small personal. When I’m listening to the HD601 I never forgot that I was listening to headphones. When I discuss the individual aspects I believe you’ll be able to understand why better, but these never made me want to close my eyes to just take in the experience, they’re just headphones.

But allow me to now talk about the individual aspects of the Mixcder HD601 so that you may better understand how I feel the headphones perform.



Treble



The highs on the HD601 are quite lackluster. I was honestly expecting a prominently V shape to the sound as most products (especially in the >$100 price range) are but that definitely isn’t true with these. When listening to more higher pitches songs/artists such as Lindsey Stirling, Maxence Cyrin, or The Piano Guys, none of the higher notes really got me excited or gave me the energy or excitement that the artist was expressing. The treble peaked really early and just sorta, dove off.



Mids



Oh the mids, how I critique thee. Will the Mixcder HD601 make me happy and give me the soul and emotion the artist is expressing? Or, will I just hear what’s being played and nothing else? Well, if I had to choose it’d honestly have to lie smack dab in the middle. The mids on the HD601 are actually quite nice and impressive and make listening to Cellos, Guitars, etc… very enjoyable but just the limitations of the driver prevent it from expressing to me the feelings of the music.

Check out the song “The Last of the Mohicans” by Luca Stricagnoli. This song is beautiful to listen to and hear the reverb of the guitars. Rather the bow going across the strings or his own fingers making the guitar sing, it’s all a wonderful piece. And though the H601 makes this an enjoyable song to listen to, I never close my eyes to experience it. I just hear it and say ‘man that’s a nice piece.’


Bass



Oh Lawdy the bass on these cats. The first song you play you’ll likely get a pretty good idea of what I’m talking about but the bass on the HD601’s is quite impressive. From the upper to the sub you’ll get a nice punchiness that will satisfy but won’t overwhelm you, it’s like it teases you like it’s going to be overkill bass heavy but then backs off just before.

There’s a large amount of decay as well which on some songs bleeds over the details. There’s a few songs that show what I’m talking about but one that I’m listening to right now that’s a fairly decent example is “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten (yes I linked to a Naruto AMV, it’s a beautiful NaruHina and you’ll love it but anywho’s back to the review). The bass feels overpowered and the decay lingers on into the following notes which eats up some of the vocals.

To contradict myself a little bit, though all this talk seems to be like I wouldn’t like the headphones, for I rather don’t like over bassy cans, the entire sound signature of these headphones flowed really well and I honestly really enjoyed my time with them.



Conclusion




What can I say about the Mixcder HD601’s that I haven’t already? I usually don’t particularly enjoy headphones that are as bass heavy as these but them not subduing the mids into oblivion probably helped. They’re surprisingly comfortable and have great isolation, even when mowing the yard, and something I forgot to mention but they have a superb battery life (I’ve been listening to them well over 15hours this week and have yet needed to charge them).

I’m really glad I got to learn about this rather young company and despite having an interesting name they have produced a rather impressive and inexpensive wireless headphone.




Also, make sure to check out my unboxing and review videos. They’re pretty awesome AND you getta put a face to the Army-Firedawg name. If this review helped you out at all please hit that thumbs up button for it really helps me out a lot. Till next time my friends, stay safe.

There’s a popular saving that the best is always saved for last. Well for this one I really like the saying that patience is a virtue, for I’ve hit delay after delay with getting this review underway and it’s finally time for me to get it written and provide my opinion of the well known and current flagship (at the time of writing this review) of the Audio-Technica brand. I couldn’t be more grateful to the good friend of mine who allowed me to take part in this review period and for being patient with me during my fire academy. Sir, you know who you are and both business and personal, you are a true friend and one I wholeheartedly mean when I say, an honor to have.

But with the pleasantries and excessive delays aside, please allow me to now give my opinions and thoughts during my time with the Audio-Technica ATH-W5000 Raffinato or “Refined” in Italian.








The Opening Experience






Now, I’m not going to for a second to even imply that I had any hope towards receiving a worthwhile unboxing experience from the ATH-W5000. Why? Because every previous model that I’ve received from Audio-Technica (minus the A550Z) was big disappointment. But, I must give each individual product the benefit of the doubt for who knows, maybe they’ll show their flagship product some love.

So the product itself doesn’t come in a traditional cardboard box but instead the W-5000 comes in a suitcase looking carryer complete with a handle and all, now the front of the carrying case does have a nice aluminum name plate with the Audio-Technica name and logo printed on it. So, cool, so far this is leaps and bounds better than their previous offerings (albeit admittedly strange) but we’ve yet to open the packaging, for all I know it could just be another cheap plastic headphone holder. NOPE! Audio-Technica really pulled all the stops for their W-5000 flagship. When you open the container of the ATH-W5000 you’re greeted with a truly premium presentation of royal red either satin or silk that covers both the lid and the bottom half with the headphones themselves being contained in a cutout in the foam underneath the smooth material. What more, that cable is also held inside of a felt case that admittedly I don’t think has any function other than to look nice, but I still personally enjoy the extra thought that went into this products presentation. Something else, you know how I’m always preaching how I wish the companies would put their technical information etc...well, Audio-Technica did that with these for there’s no writing at all anywhere on the carrying case. They really want you to put on the ATH-W5000 and let it speak for itself.



Construction




Audio-Technica continued their premium offerings to the build quality of the ATH-W5000. The majority of the W-5000 is made of a lightweight aluminum, including their so well known wing support system. The only plastic parts that I can tell are that of the still useless split headband, I really wish that the springs that hold them up was also strong enough to hold the headphones themselves up, that’d be splendid. The most notable part of this headphone (at least to me) is their striped ebony wood cups that is not just a beautiful visual touch they’ve added to their headphone but one that adds a nice warmth to them as well (to be discussed in more detail in the sound section). The pads are made out of firm leather that’s filled with foam but they’re much smaller than that of the younger ATH-W1000Z. They do still share the angled shape of them which helps the drivers point directly towards your ears, granted the angles themselves are also angled so these really are practically pointed at your ears vs to the sides. The cables are, unfortunately, still the same, cheap feeling, non-detachable cable as their other models; but they do have a really nice aluminum covered termination though.



Comfort




This is another area that I’ve been rather disappointed in with Audio-Technica thus far. Now, their ATH-W1000Z’s with their really thick pads I will say got a pass from me for they weren’t too bad, quite the opposite in fact, but the ATH-W5000’s don’t share the same thick padding. Getting back on track, starting with the clamping force; the clamping force on the W-5000’s like their other models I’ve no complaints about. Their wing support system, though goofy looking (IMO), does a splendid job at providing the perfect amount of force against my head. But then it’s quickly ruined by the useless split headbands and thin earpads. This not only puts all the weight of this product on my ears but it puts a lot of the pressure of the cups as well. To their credit, they’re not the heaviest headphones I’ve tried but they aren’t the lightest either, so this construction definitely needs some work.

Another note that REALLY off puts me is the angle of them. What I mean by this is that yes, the pads themselves are angled (as is the drivers themselves) but the headphones themselves have a very prominent “V” shape angle to them which I found rather uncomfortable and rather hurt the seal. This became even worse on someone with a smaller head, such as my wife. So though I’m able to wear these for an extended duration, it’s not a very pleasurable duration. I kinda more or less tolerate the fit more than anything. And I’m sorry, but a headphone that MSRP’s for $1200, I shouldn’t have to “tolerate” its comfort; even for the $6-800 range that these can be found shopping around for, I rather think could be drastically improved on.



Sound




I strongly recommend you read the preamble to this section, I’ve never had to write one before but it explains a very interesting characteristic of this headphone that I believe to be important. Unfortunately I even find it to be a boring read but an important one I feel nonetheless.




While listening to music through the Audio-Technica ATH-W5000 I can certainly see why this headphone is as acclaimed as it is, for it most certainly has some great potential when played through the right gear. Once you get by the awkward comfort of them they possess a wonderful ability to just sing to the listener. The W-5000’s do many things well and imaging is most certainly one of them. Vocals come through so beautifully clear that I’m able to perfectly visualize the artist and hear each time they take a breath between notes. Guitars, or rather most all string instruments, sound incredibly realistic. This, this right here is what I imagined a wooden back headphone sounding. The natural warmth that is present in these headphone are remarkable which makes it all the more interesting why they dislike tubes so much.

The soundstage is also a very nice and intimate one. And by intimate I don’t mean in your face and invasive, oh no. This soundstage is very welcoming, enveloping and private. I can also add that the instrumental separation is quite impressive for a closed back headphone. Right now I’m listening to the song “Daft Punk” and “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Pentatonix and I am easily able to differentiate between the vocalists, even when they’re all singing together. Even more they don’t sound like they’re overlapping each other they sound like individual people singing harmony together; hmm kinda like an acapella band should, what a concept.

Overall the Audio-Technica holds a very warm and mid forward sound that is, with the right gear, very enjoyable to listen and relax or even critically listen to. But let me discuss its individual aspects a little bit so that hopefully I can better portray my thoughts and opinions of them.


Treble



I’m amazed by the clarity of the highs in the ATH-W5000. The extension is far reaching but not fatiguing so long as you don’t consistently listen to high pitched treble songs. What I mean by this is that the treble extends very high and rolls off just AFTER the treble gets to be uncomfortable. While listening to the song “Where Is My Mind” by Maxence Cyrin, her piano notes really hit home in these headphones which makes me think that on certain songs that get even higher than her (not too hard to find) and I can see this producing a rather unpleasant glare which may turn some people off.

Other than the high extension, the treble on the W5000’s are airy and detailed and full of energy. I LOVE listening to the violin through the ATH-W5000 due to this brilliant energy and the headphones ability to transfer that, check out the song “The Phoenix (not to be confused with my German Shepard)” by Lindsey Stirling to see exactly what I mean by that.



Mids



The mids, as you can likely guess from my prior notion of the vocals earlier, are lovely. The vocals are so realistic and clean that I can gather every bit of emotion that the artist I’m listening to is portraying. Song that really hit home in particular are “Hurt” by Johnny Cash, “Arlington” by Trace Adkins and “Human” by Rag’N’Bone Man among many many others. I personally feel that the ATH-W5000’s really shine on acoustic style music for the mids are nicely forward and the natural and warm resonance of the striped ebony wooden backs add just a sense of realism that I have to go to headphone quite a bit more expensive (or rather headphones that are in what this headphone MSRP’s for) to get this level of vocal clarity. I’ll use the song “Son Of A Bitch” by Nathaniel Rateliff to describe the body that the W5000’s. In this song they clap their hands quite a bit and you can clearly hear the flesh of each clap and the slight differences between the different hands. And though it’s not completely hand and hand, when they’re hitting the tables you can also hear the difference between that and hands, a very pleasant detail that I personally really enjoy.

I honestly don’t have a single complaint with the mids on the Audio-Technica ATH-W5000. When pair with a good SS setup, these truly sing the life of the music you’re listening to, to you. It really makes me understand the draw that these headphone have.


Bass



The heartbeat of the audio. The bass is, to me, what makes music (or whatever audio you’re listening to) sound full. It keeps everything in rhythm and allows the user to also keep pace with events but also gives the user excitement and allows them to also physically feel the presence of the music as well.

As with the ATH-W5000 the bass is very controlled and surprisingly tight for a dynamic driver headphone but also surprisingly light. For all the praise I can give this headphone in its mid range it certainly takes away from the bass because listening to bassy songs like “Party Till We Die” by DJ Timmy Trumpet or “When The Beat Drops” unsure who makes this remix, you can hear that there’s supposed to be bass in these songs, even that they’re intentionally drawn out with extra decay but threw the ATH-W5000 they certainly lose the fun that comes with party much like them. I really like artists like Five Finger Death Punch and the like but none of them really sounded too good through these headphones due to the bass lightness, so those who listen to a lot of metal, hard rock, techno etc… should, IMO, look for an alternative.


Conclusion




I honestly can’t help but laugh at my love-hate relationship I’ve had with these headphones. When I listen to them on good solid state gear I love them and see the beauty of them; but when through tube amps, though I personally prefer them, I just do NOT like them at all. They have so much potential but also only really shine in with certain genres of music, and it’s actually for this reason that I can never see the ATH-W5000 being a front runner headphone. Regardless of your setup, the notable dip in the midbass range downwards and the potential harshness in the treble make these too much of a niche headphone to take over more well rounded headphones. In the $1200 range that these MSRP for I just think there’s a LOT more to be desired, in the $700ish range and through the right gear, I think they make a great companion headphone. If Audio-Technica can just modify a few things here and there I honestly believe these headphone can become a frontrunner in the audio world.






Also, make sure to check out my unboxing and review videos. They’re pretty awesome AND you getta put a face to the Army-Firedawg name. If this review helped you out at all please hit that thumbs up button for it really helps me out a lot. Till next time my friends, stay safe.

Continuing off of my Bifrost 4490 review, the Schiit Lyr 2 is the amp. side of my upgrade from the Aune X1s. ‘So Army, you’re saying in one step you went from a $350 amp/dac combi unit to a $850 setup?’ And yup, I certainly did which goes even further into me being a prime example of this hobby being a Pandora’s box; that once you open it and have learned what true quality audio sounds like, you’ll always crave better.

So after having this unit for right at a year now, how do I feel the Schiit Lyr 2 performs? Can it compare and hold its own against much higher end dacs? Well, please allow me to discuss with you my thoughts and finding of the Schiit audio Lyr 2 headphone tube amplifier. Also, to disclaim. My review will be with using the matched pair of NOS ‘68 Amperex 6DJ8 Orange Globe tubes I purchased. I used the stock tubes very briefly but all the forums hit the veil they have right on the head. The Lyr 2 really opened up its potential with the better tubes and it’s been so long since I’ve heard them stock I honestly couldn’t remember how it sounded.





The Opening Experience


Disclaimer: The Lyr 2 DOES NOT come with tubes already in the socket. That was an oversight on my part to forget to take them out.

Schiit is very consistent with how they package and deliver their products. Each has the same color/design scheme with the only difference between products being the size of the boxes for the given frame style, i.e. magni/modi/vali, bifrost/lyr2/jotunheim, gungnir2/mjolnir, ragnarok/yggdrasil. In addition the framework to the units themselves are very similar with only the input/output ports being different (same examples as before). This is one of the ways that Schiit saves money on building their products, which in turn coincides with cheaper yet higher quality products for us as consumers. But enough of the generality, I should probably talk about the Lyr 2 specifically.
The Lyr 2 arrives in a plain white cardboard box that differs it by having the Schiit logo stamped on the sides along with the given product you purchased written in a blocked, well, box; For example the Lyr 2 115V with just the tubes is written as “L I 115 I S” As you open the box you’re greeted by, IMO, a very nice presentation and care given to a product to ensure it arrives safely and in one piece. Each side of the unit is encased in a very firm foam material that, from appearance (I never tested the durability myself), seems to be able to handle any reasonable falls or hits; also, right on top is the user/instruction manual. Finally the product itself is covered with a plastic sleeve to prevent dust from entering the unit, which even it is sealed by a Schiit quality approved sticker. In a small, separate box (that’s actually on top of the unit), you’ve the pair of 6BZ7 tubes (and/or the solid state LISST) which are very protected in a nice, yet softer type of foam. Lastly, on the bottom of the package, you’ve the power cable.
Lastly, on the bottom of the package, you’ve the power cable.
As I said in my Bifrost 4490 review, Schiit does a fantastic job at packaging their products and keeping them safe until they arrive at their customer's doorstep. They then present their product so that us as enthusiasts are genuinely excited to hook it up and hear what ti can really do. This is exactly the kind if thing I look for in a “handshake” given by a company in their unboxing experience. And finally, this is only a personal thing and doesn’t effect the review, rather for or against, but Schiit is an American based company that also builds their products here; and I personally really respect that. .


Construction



It seems like I’m comparing the Lyr 2 and Bifrost a lot but seeing as how popular and well build the Bifrost is that’s certainly not a bad thing. The Lyr 2 is build from a U shaped aluminum frame with thinner metal sides and bad which works as head blocks to protect both the Lyr 2 and whatever is around it (it can get quite toasty). The front of the unit, from left to right, has the Schiit Lyr 2 logo, very nice and buttery volume knob, and ¼” headphone jack. The back of the unit, from left to right, has the rca inputs, rca outputs, gain switch, power switch, and power input. The top of the unit is where the business is, for the top is where the 2 tube ports are which in and of itself is wrapped by a vented aluminum same as what’s on the sides and back. This does a great job at keeping the unit and tubes as cool as reasonably possible, helping the longevity of the unit and tubes alike.

There’s a good reason (well, most of the time) that a company becomes and stays popular, and Schiit does it for all the right reasons. They take pride in their appearance, they deliver their products with care, and also build them to last for many, many years to come.



Features




Though most amps. are pretty straight forward with the Schiit Lyr 2, in all honesty, not being much different, it does have some very important things build into the unit that, to me, set it apart from the rest. Available tube sets are 6BZ7, 6DJ8, 6922, ECC88, 2492 just to list a few but a GREAT reference for you is this Lyr 2 thread. This, and the Mjolnir 2, have the ability to be turned completely solid state by means of Schiit’s linear, integrated solid-state tube or LISST. Then, and this reason played a very large part in my purchase, there’s the ability for this amp. to be played with not only high power orthodynamics or even annoyingly picky headphones like the HD800 but they can also play well with sensitive c/iems such as my personal Empire Ears Hermes VI. That flexibility is EXTREMELY important to me for I don’t have the funds nor interest to buy multiple products to satisfy multiple needs, I need an amp. with the ability to do it all and do it all very well and during my year with the Schiit Lyr 2, it most certainly has.

Specifications (copied straight from the Schiit website)

Frequency Response: 20Hz-20Khz, -0.1db, 2Hz-500KHz, -3dB

Maximum Power, 32 ohms: 6.0W RMS per channel

Maximum Power, 50 ohms: 4.0W RMS per channel

Maximum Power, 300 ohms: 660mW RMS per channel

Maximum Power, 600 ohms: 330mW RMS per channel

THD: < 0.01%, 20Hz-20KHz, at 1V RMS, gain = 8 mode (worst case, stock tubes)

IMD: < 0.01%, CCIF at 1V RMS, gain = 8 mode (worst case, stock tubes)

SNR: > 98db, unweighted, referenced to 1V RMS, in gain = 1 mode

Crosstalk: < -65dB, 20 Hz-20KHz

Output Impedance: 0.7 ohms (high gain), 0.3 ohms (low gain)

Gain: 7 (16.9db) or 1 (0 db), via rear switch

Topology: Dynamically Adaptive Class A/AB, noninverting, hybrid tube/MOSFET, single voltage gain stage, DC-coupled input and output

Protection: standard muting relay for delayed turn-on and fast turn-off

Power Supply: Two internal power transformers, five internal regulated rails, with over 30,000uf of filter capacitance

Power Consumption: 30W

Size: 9 x 6 x 2.25”

Weight: 6 lbs

All measurements made on a Stanford Research SR1+ Audio Analyzer



Sound



Alas, what the main event of this entire review; how the legendary Schiit Lyr 2 sounds (please see my above disclaimer about the tubes I’m using). I’ve found that I’m most certainly a tube sound lover and definitely prefer it’s warm inviting distortion over that of the solid state accuracy (kinda counter intuitive seeing the amp. I’ve just recently purchased but oh well). And the Lyr 2 absolutely envelops you in its sound. The Lyr 2 pairs incredibly well with almost any headphone I’ve put through it from the HD650’s and 800’s, to Audeze LCD 2 to my custom Empire Ears Hermes VI. Each sounded so at home and really, imo, brought out close to, if not the, best out of them. The only headphone I’ve tried that didn’t pair too well with the Lyr 2 is the Audio-Technica W-5000, can’t put my finger on it but they just don’t sound that good on it.

My favorite thing about the Lyr 2’s sound it its control has over the drivers. The bass becomes very impactful and more controlled than with the other amps I’ve tried in this price range. The mids gain more body to them and more forward, not by much but enough to be noticed. I also feel that the amp. can take much better advantage of the source it’s receiving (like that of the Bifrost [whatever model you’re using]) and express all the detail that the dac is creating. The Lyr 2, when I listen to it, breaths such realism into the headphones that they’re powering that other amps costing MUCH more came nowhere near. An example I’ll compare it to is the SPL Audio Phonitor e. This amp/dac. costs roughly $1,800 and make no mistake it did sound great but, to my ears, it just couldn’t do what the Lyr 2 does with making music sound alive and musical.

I really and truly enjoyed my time I had with the Lyr 2 and I will miss it very dearly for its performance per its price really can’t be outdone (or at least I’ve yet to see anything compare). Though I’m not personally into tube rolling, for I did days of research to find what tube fits the sound I personally enjoy, the Lyr 2 can be adapted with a smorgasbord of different style tubes so the consumer may fine tune the sound to fit whatever sound they particularly are looking for. Schiit, to me, allowed the Lyr 2 to be one of the best gateway products to get people into the high end market. At full retail price of $449 this is a respectably affordable amp. that as mentioned earlier, performs MUCH higher than its price would let on. Even those who don’t use overly difficult products to drive, in fact quite the opposite, can be at rest with the Lyr 2 (so long as it’s in LOW gain mode). The Lyr 2 presents a, for the most part, black background that really plays well with my customs. I can’t really fault the Lyr 2 that much because DAP’s that cost MORE that are even made and claim to be silent have issues with the Empire Ears line.


Conclusion



To so sum up my thoughts on the Schiit Lyr 2. I am a firm believer that anyone, regardless of their setup, will benefit from the Schiit stack that is the Lyr 2 and Bifrost (whatever model). They pair so well together and price/quality are absolutely unmatched. I’ve since parted ways with both units but it took an amp and dac costing roughly $4,000 to make me part ways with them. Schiit proudly encourages you to compare their products to others costing multiples more and it’s easy to see why after owning them. They perform.




Also, make sure to check out my unboxing and review videos. They’re pretty awesome AND you getta put a face to the Army-Firedawg name. If this review helped you out at all please hit that thumbs up button for it really helps me out a lot. Till next time my friends, stay safe.

Several months ago I was approached by the company Edifier again who asked me if I was interested in reviewing their new Bluetooth headphones, the W855BT. So from the angle of being a product reviewer of course I would accept; but also from the angle of being fortunate enough to have tried a few other products they offer, including their infamous H850’s and being overwhelmingly impressed at the quality per their asking price. So I very quickly, and admittedly eagerly, accepted their offer.

So my hopes with the W855BT’s were that they would essentially be a wireless H850 with a couple upgrades (seeing they’re 3x the price). But before I jump into the review I again would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Edifier for allowing me to review another one of their products. But with all the pleasantries aside, let us begin the review of the Edifier W855BT wireless headphones.








The Opening Experience






The outside box of the W855BT is made to look like you’re getting a much higher priced product. Edifier did a great job with keeping the packaging relatively uncluttered and honestly only showing a couple things on the back and left the rest on the pamphlet on the inside. For those of you who keep up with me and my reviews likely who how much I love a simplistic look, and I’m quite satisfied with this presentation.

As you open the box, you’re then greeted with another, harder, cardboard box that holds the very nice carrying case centered with the Edifier logo in a bright white contrasting the all black case. The directly under (not behind) the headphone case you’ve a smaller box that contains the accessories to the headphone, i.e. micro usb charging cable, auxiliary cable, and warranty/startup guide.

Now, getting into the headphone case it obviously holds the headphones so the reason I would like to talk about it in particular is that I rather didn’t like the layout. This is because as you’re looking at the case the Edifier logo is on the bottom, but when you open the part of the headphone that’s there is the headband so you have to turn the case around. I feel it would be much better if Edifier would have just rotated their logo 180 degrees and all would’ve been well. Granted this a very insignificant thing but, to me, it’s the little things that matter and make all the difference, but again this is only a $150 product so I’m not going to be too critical on it.

Overall I was very impressed with the “handshake” that Edifier provides with their W855BT headphones. While opening the product I truly felt that the company feels pride in their products and wants their consumers to have just as much.


Construction






This is an area I do find fall by the wayside with cheaper products. Granted, the W855BT’s aren’t really what I would call cheap at $150USD but I’ve seen some pretty poorly made products costing more. Edifier I feel found a nice middle ground with the W855BT’s construction. It’s headband and earcups are made from what they call an aluminum-magnesium alloy which definitely helped on the cost, but it’s not the cheap flimsy plastic that us consumers need to worry about breaking (so long as it’s not just thrown around casually).

The headband has a pretty decent amount of articulation HOWEVER, I have a reasonable size head but on the W855BT’s my head is on the lowest setting, so those with smaller heads may have issues getting a good fit with these. Now, I have put many hours on this headphone the it is a very good possibility that the headband has just stretched out to accommodate my head better for I remember in the unboxing that these looked rather small at first.

The right side of the headphones is where you’ll find all buttons and ports and all the whatevers for the W855BT, this is also the only place that anything other than plastic will be found for there’s an aluminum ring where the controls are. But in the middle is your play/pause/answer/hangup/ and NFC connection (yup it’s even NFC enabled) which is pretty standard but the button was nicely responsive. The right of the center button (unmarked) is the single tap for volume up and long tap for track forward, with the opposite (still unmarked though) for the left side. On the bottom of the ear cup is where you’ll find the power on/off and bluetooth paring (hold for roughly 3 seconds or till you hear the tone to enable pairing mode) slider, the 3.5mm aux. port, and finally the micro usb charging port.

The W855BT has very little front to back movement but enough I found to enable the cups to get a good seal on the ears, however, they have a great amount of up and down movement which should help accommodate the varying head sizes.

The build quality of the Edifier W855BT is respectable, especially for it’s price point. The design is very elegant looking and the materials are adequate. One doesn’t have to baby these headphones but at the same time can’t just throw them around either (course I would recommend throwing around any headphones if you want to be perfectly honest) So long as you take care of these I’m confident they’ll last you many years to come.


Comfort





Constructions is very important, don’t get me wrong, but how much does the build quality of a product matter when they’re not comfortable enough to even be worn? Just because they’re made to last for a long time doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be enjoyed for a long time. As for the Edifier W855BT this is certainly not a worry.

The W855BT has a normal amount of weight to it (not too light nor heavy) so no complaints there but it really excels at the comfort of the padding. Edifier uses a foam filled faux leather padding that at first feels like it’s nowhere near thick or firm enough but with the nice amount of clamping force the B855BT’s possess I’ve personally been able to wear these for several hours on end with zero fatigue. The headband though it quite solid for the padding that’s supplied there basically does nothing cover the metal, so for those with sensitive heads you may have some discomfort there. Going back to the pads right quick, I also need to add the my ears didn’t get hot at all. I feel this is due to Edifier placing small vent holes on the inside (where the ear touches) of the padding, which I believe allows my ears just enough breathing room to stay comfortable.

Overall I have ZERO complaints with how comfortable the W855BT’s are. As stated above I’ve worn these for several hours at a time with no issues nor discomfort. Very well done.


Features


I touched on this above but I wanted to make sure that for those reading are aware of the extra perks that the W855BT offer. Granted, they’re pretty much all standard stuff for a bluetooth headphone.

Firstly is that they’re wireless (WHAT A SURPRISE!!!!!), hey we can’t all be super obvious can we? But they can also be connected via NFC (or Near Field Communication). This is a really cool thing, kinda. I personally find it takes just as long (or longer) to connect a device via NFC than by standard bluetooth pairing. But anywho, what NFC does is if you’re phone is NFC compatible and YOU HAVE IT TURNED ON (which wastes just as much battery as leaving your bluetooth on unnecessarily) all you have to do it tap the back of your phone to the NFC icon on the headphones, which is on the right ear cup.

Next is that these headphones have a built in microphone that actually has some pretty good call quality. I’ve had a fair amount of phone calls on these headphones and have heard the speaker quite clearly and they have said I sounded just fine, most didn’t even know I was using something other than my phone.

Lastly is a feature that I feel should be standard (and granted it usually is and is becoming even more so) is that these headphones can still be listened to even when the battery is completely dead. All you have to do is plug in the supplied aux. cable and you’re good to go. Which the battery life on the W855BT is outstanding so unless you just forget to charge the headphones for several days, you’ll rarely need the aux. cable.


Sound



Alright so I’ve been building up the Edifier W855BT’s enough, so how do they sound? That’s what the vast majority of you care about right? For those who have heard the W850 know just what I’m talking about when I say Edifier can make an incredible sounding product for not a lot of money. So do the W855BT’s follow in the very famous H850’s and their incredible bass presence? Well, yes and no, and I’m going to mostly side with the no aspect.

Though the W855BT’s still maintain the overall bass heavy sound that was so impactful in the H850’s that’s about where the similarities end. The W855BT’s, to me, sound much more “audiophile friendly” as in they’re much more balanced out and MUCH more detail oriented. The H850’s were a headphone that I only listen to when I really want to feel the bass when I’m listening to music like Freaks by Timmy Trumpet. Now, the W855BT ain't no slouch in the bass category for they’re certainly still mostly bass biased but they also have MUCH better extension into the other areas of the audio as well. But before I move on I need to emphasize that though the W855BT isn’t as heavy in the bass as it’s predecessor, they still have a wonderful presence to them that has honestly satisfied me enough that when I want those same feels I grab these now over the H850’s. Have a gander listening to this song (Party Till We Die) and you’ll understand what I mean.

The soundstage, of the W855BT’s are moderate. They’re not directly in your face but they’re certainly close. Usually this results in a muffled sound with poor musical separation but that’s not really the case with these. In fact I can discern different instruments pretty clearly up to a small classical performance.

The imaging is meh at best though. When listening to music through the W855BT’s you’re doing just that, listening to music. Don’t expect to be swept away in the performance of movie you’re watching because these won’t do that. The music is definitely coming from headphones and do to the bass nothing sounds natural enough to be able to get that feeling of it being real, at least for me and my months of listening.

But let me talk about the individual aspects of the sound so hopefully you can get what I’m trying to explain a little bit better.


Treble



The treble is honestly quite revealing despite the bass forwardness of the W855BT’s. When listening to various artists I can still make out a surprisingly pleasant amount of micro details I feel I would have missed. The treble does have a quick roll off so extension isn’t so great but even with that I still really enjoyed listening to pianos, violins, even bells. Hearing these instruments in the background really accentuates the music I’m listening to and I’m glad that even with the bass presence these have I can still enjoy them.



Mids



The mids, as those of you who read any of my reviews know, are my favorite area of audio. This is where the soul and emotion of the music lies. I love hearing the artist sing and it sound as if I’m being directly sung to. As with the W855BT’s I don’t really get this at all. I can hear the vocals and surprisingly they’re not too imposed by the bass but they still don’t sound natural to me. Also, female vocals do sound a couple octaves lower than they usually do. I really noticed this when listening to “Sanctuary” by Utada Hikaru (love this woman's voice).



Bass



Dat bass though! The bass on the W855BT is awesome. It’s very fun and very impactful. There does exist a fair amount of decay but these aren’t necessarily audiophile headphones. These headphones are designed to be fun to listen to and feel your music in. And I feel they accomplished that mission sublimely. I love listening to club, dub, and house music in these because they’re just fun. The bass doesn’t overly envelop the other frequency ranges that most bass heavy cans do so I can not only get all those bass feels but I can still enjoy the finer details as well.



Conclusion




My final thoughts on the Edifier W855BT is that these are an outstanding headphone to listen to when you’re wanting to have fun. Though they’re more “audiophile friendly” as compared to their other products they’re still not designed for that which is something to keep in mind. I was really impressed with how comfortable these headphones are to wear even for long extended listening durations and even more so with how long the batteries last (easily get the claimed 20 hours Edifier states). I’m continue to be more and more impressed with the products that Edifier creates and am just waiting for the day they they become a household name. Since their acquisition of the renowned Stax brand I’m just counting down the days before we’ve a top tier headphone from them.





Also, make sure to check out my unboxing and review videos. They’re pretty awesome AND you getta put a face to the Army-Firedawg name. If this review helped you out at all please hit that thumbs up button for it really helps me out a lot. Till next time my friends, stay safe.

I often say when talking to either audio enthusiasts or people inquiring about my gear that this is a never ending quest in finding what’s better. I compare it to opening Pandora's box. Before we get a taste of what's possible, we’re more than content spending $10-20 on headphones. But once we’ve been tainted we grave to make it better and find the sound that we enjoy the most, often times spending multiples more money on a product that’s fractionally better than our current gear. And I am of no exception to this. In fact it’s what led me to the purchase of the Schiit Bifrost 4490 when I already had a fantastic combi unit (Aune X1s [and now the purchase of the PS Audio DL3 I’ve now {which I’ll compare to as well}]).

I continuously kept hearing how great this dac was for its price and seeing as it was the #1 DAC on head-fi (before the website layout change [I’ve no idea how to find the current listings]) I just had to pull the trigger on it. So fast forward almost a year and I would like to now share my thoughts on just how I see the Schiit Bifrost 4490 performs.






The Opening Experience





Now, I will be upfront and disclose that I purchased this DAC second hand and it didn’t come in its original packaging. However, I also purchased the Lyr 2 which did come exactly as new, Schiit also packages their models similarly (which can be seen on many other unboxing videos) so I will be communicating off that. But again I will state, I personally did not open the Bifrost 4490 in its original packaging.

The Schiit Bifrost 4490, and all other variants of the Bifrost model, come in a standard white cardboard box with the only identifying mark is the oh so well known Schiit logo on the sides along with the corresponding model number written in a box next it.

As you open the box you’re greeted by, IMO, a very nice presentation and care given to a product to ensure it arrives safely and in one piece. Each side of the unit is encased in a very firm foam material that, from appearance (I never tested the durability myself), seems to be able to handle any reasonable falls or hits; also, right on top is the user/instruction manual. Finally the product itself is covered with a plastic sleeve to prevent dust from entering the unit, which even it is sealed by a Schiit quality approved sticker. Lastly, on the bottom of the package, you’ve the power cable.

I will say that Schiit does a fantastic job at packaging their products and keeping them safe until they arrive at their customer's doorstep. They then present their product so that us as enthusiasts are genuinely excited to hook it up and hear what ti can really do. This is exactly the kind if thing I look for in a “handshake” given by a company in their unboxing experience. And finally, this is only a personal thing and doesn’t effect the review, rather for or against, but Schiit is an American based company that also builds their products here; and I personally really respect that.


Construction








Luckily, this is an area that I rarely find a company slack in (in relation to DAC’s), and the Schiit Bifrost 4490 is of no exception. The main chassis is built of a beautiful and very durable U shaped piece of aluminum that covers the front, top, & bottom, while the sides and back are of a thinner metal that is meant for heat dampening. Getting into a little more detail and starting with the front and proceeding left to right then top to bottom, the front holds the Bifrost (which regardless if you’ve the original, 4490, or multibit model this doesn’t change) logo and the source selector button (USB, Toslink, Coaxial) with the corresponding selections LED indicator lights. The top only has the Schiit logo and cooling vent ports. Finally the business end, the back. The back shows a sticker as to which model you own, RCA outputs, a little information about the unit, the Coaxial input, USB input, Toslink input, power switch, and finally the power cable port.

The Bifrost has a really good weight to it as well and, to me, doesn’t feel cheap or at all flimsy. In fact this DAC feels way better than what I’d personally expect to find at this price point.

Despite being able to see the screws that are holding the DAC together, this is also one of the cleanest units I’ve seen. So in addition be being able to be a strong performer, it’s a great looker as well, and when matched to its corresponding Schiit stack partner (Valhalla 2 or Lyr 2) the look really goes nicely together. And it’s for all of the above mentioned points that I feel Schiit did an outstanding job with their Bifrost model. I’m confident that any who choose to buy one will have it satisfy their audio needs for many years to come.


Specifications (copied straight from the Manufacturers website)


Bifrost

D/A Conversion IC: AKM Verita® AK4490

Analog Stage: Fully discrete, DC coupled

Frequency Response: 20Hz-20KHz, +/-0.1dB, 2Hz-100KHz, -1dB 


Maximum Output: 2.0V RMS


THD: <0.003%, 20Hz-20KHz, at max output


IMD: <0.004%, CCIR


S/N: >108dB, referenced to 2V RMS

Inputs: Coaxial SPDIF, Optical SPDIF, USB

Input Capability: up to 24/192 for all inputs, including 24/176.4

Input Receiver, SPDIF: AK4113, USB: C-Media CM6631A

Output: RCA (single-ended)


Output Impedance: 75 ohms

Power supply: 5 stages of regulation, including separate supplies for critical digital and analog sections.

Upgradability: Separate, modular USB Input Card and DAC/Analog Card are snap-in replaceable.

Power Consumption: 12W


Size: 9 x 6.75 x 2.25”


Weight: 5 lbs



Sound

I’m finally to the part I’ve been most excited to talk about. Now granted, I’ve reviewed a fair number of products and have had the pleasure of being able to listen to and demo a great deal more. And I say that not to brag, not even remotely, for there’s people on here who’ve forgotten about more products than I’ll ever have the opportunity to try. I say that to express how impressed I’ve been with the performance that this product has provided during my time with it. The level of detail that has been revealed to me, and the level of realistic imagery that is given to my headphones (and accentuated by my amp.) is more than beyond the $399 MSRP given by Schiit. Earlier I mentioned that audio is like opening up Pandora’s box, how once you’ve been tainted with the knowledge of how good your audio can sound you continuously want to seek out better and how I upgraded to a PS Audio DirectLink 3 (my model also has the Cullen Stage 4 mod) because of this. Now my DL3 originally retailed for just shy of $1,900 or almost 5X what the Bifrost 4490 sells for. And this is where the term diminishing returns really comes into play and even more so with the Bifrost. Yes the DL3 is better than the 4490, I won’t even remotely start by implying it’s not. However, it is nowhere remotely close to 5X the value, in fact, the DL3 is only slightly better than the 4490 to my ears.

When listening to the Schiit Bifrost 4490, regardless through your choice of amplifiers, you become aware of details that you never even thought to think about being there. I LOVE listening to live performances ever since I acquired this level of DAC, I can hear, and somewhat understand, ambient chatter amongst people in the audience and if it’s an acoustic performance, the reverb that the string instrument makes just sends chills down my spine and a smile to my face.

Earlier I mentioned I upgraded to the Bifrost 4490 (and Lyr 2) from the Aune X1s and in that review I mentioned how I loved the song “Pirates of the Caribbean” by the Rhapsody Philharmonic Orchestra. In this flash mob performance (which is unfortunately ONLY on YouTube) it takes place outdoors and in front of a seemingly rather busy street and as the double bass begins to play you can still make out the level of depth present by the cars driving and honking in the background and also by the people talking and whispering about what I assume it what’s going on (it’s in another language). Through the Aune X1s the idea of instrument and vocal separation and imagery was taught to me, but with the Bifrost 4490 it was instilled in me. Each instrument sounds so clean and realistic that whatever headphone you’re listening to, will sound much better than you thought possible. And I love listening to this song when reviewing products because it provides so much of that.


Conclusion




To conclude my thoughts on the Schiit Audio Bifrost 4490 is that this is what I knew would be possible in this price range. For those of you who don’t know or follow me that closely, I’m a rather frugal person. Rarely do I find something worth the full price of its MSRP (kind of contradictory in this hobby I know) and after seeing so many different brands and hearing the quality difference in respect to asking price my frugalness just gets worse and worse. But in respect to all the Schiit products I’ve personally tried and more specifically in this case the Bifrost version 4490 I find it full forth the $399 MSRP for it out performs MANY other units I’ve tried that cost HUNDREDS of dollars more and is only slightly outdone by a product costing almost 5X as much. Schiit provides their customers a great “handshake” in its unboxing experience and goes even further by making their products built incredibly well. I love the company’s sense of humor but that doesn’t deflect them from making a solid DAC and I for one have been tremendously satisfied with my Bifrost 4490 this past year.





Also, make sure to check out my unboxing and review videos. They’re pretty awesome AND you getta put a face to the Army-Firedawg name. If this review helped you out at all please hit that thumbs up button for it really helps me out a lot. Till next time my friends, stay safe.

Now that I’m finally finished with the fire academy I can begin getting back on track with all these reviews I’m beyond behind on. So, what better one to start than with than a product that’s all too well known and received over the years? I am of course referring to the Audio-Technica ATH-W1000Z. I was given these, along with a few other models, a while ago and simply asked to listen to them and see what I thought. So now I’m finally able to share my thoughts.


A little about me
I would like to say that first and foremost I am NOT an “audiophile” but rather an audio enthusiast. I listen to music to enjoy it. Do I prefer a lossless source? Yes, of course. But I can still be very happy streaming from Pandora or even my YouTube “My Mix” playlist. I also prefer equipment that sounds the best to me personally regardless of what frequency response it has or rather or not it's “sonically accurate” and I always have and shall continue to encourage others to do the same.
I'm a 26 year old firefighter, for the City of Concord, North Carolina as well as the U.S. Army North Carolina National Guard. The cliché of wanting to do this since I was born couldn't be more present with me. I've worked hard over the last several years to earn this position and now it's time for me to work even harder to keep it.
My interests/hobbies are power lifting, fishing and relaxing to audio products and reviewing them to help other decide on what products would work for them. Few things make me as an audio enthusiast/review feel more accomplished than when someone tells me that I helped them find the type of sound they've always been looking for.
Now, the sound signature I personally favor is a relaxing, warm and sensual sound that just drifts me away in the emotional experience of the music being performed. Yes, accuracy is still important but I will happily sacrifice some of that if I'm presented with a clean, warm sound that can wisp me away into an experience that makes me yearn for more.
My ideal signature are that of respectably forward mids and upper bass range with the bass being controlled but with some slight decay. I like my treble to have nice extension and detail reveal with a smooth roll off up top as to not become harsh in the least. Examples of products that have given me chills and keep giving me the yearning for more feels are the (in no particular order) Bowers & Wilkins P7, Oppo PM-1/2, Empire Ears Hermes VI & Zeus XIV, Audeze LCD-XC, Meze Headphones 99 Classics.

Equipment used at least some point during the review
-Amp.
-Schiit Lyr 2
-w/ matched '68 Amperex Orange Globe 6DJ8 tubes
-D.A.C.
-PS Audio DirectLink III w/ Cullen Stage 4 mod
-Schiit Bifrost 4490
-Sources
-LG V20
-Playing Tidal Hifi, Pandora, YouTube, and various formated music
-Luxury & Precision L3
-Misc. Equipment
-Source cleaner
-iFi Nano iUSB3.0

Disclaimer
I am by no means sponsored by this company or any of its affiliates. They were kind enough to send me a product for an arranged amount of time in exchange for my honest opinion. I am making no monetary compensation for this review.
The following is my take on the product being reviewed. It is to be taken “with a grain of salt” per say and as I always tell people, it is YOUR opinion that matters. So regardless of my take or view on said product, I highly recommend you listen to it yourself and gauge your own opinion.

The Opening Experience
Why I feel so strongly about the initial unboxing experience





So, thus far the experiences of the initial handshake Audio-Technica provides their customers are, how I say, quite disappointing. So when I got to opening the ATH-W1000Z I truthfully didn’t have much hopes but was admittedly thinking that for a product that MSRP’s for $700 (retail prices are around $400 [this will be touched on later]). Well, unfortunately the ATH-W1000Z’s kept with the theme of a rather disappointing unboxing experience.

The box itself is a basic black cardboard with the front and sides being simplistic and only having the branding and model name printed on them with the front having the headphone name Maestoso and model name/number in gold lettering. The back of the box had the specs., features, and a ton of other “look at me” stuff written on it in multiple different languages. This really bogs down the draw of this packaging (to me), for honestly, IMO, it could all have been added to a pamphlet on the inside. Now granted, at the $399 price point I’m seeing it at it’s not uncommon in the very least for companies to put a lot of writing on the boxes to differ it from other similar priced higher consumer priced products. However, this is, from my personal experience, the most disappointing unboxing I’ve ever done in this price point (and quite a bit lower as well).

When you open the top and slide the headphones out, they’re being held on a very cheap plastic spacer thing that is only different from the previously reviewed AD1000X and A550Z models by having a red felt feeling material sprayed on top of it. It looks nicer at least. Then behind the plastic spacing thing is the instructions and warranty information. Yup, that’s it. No case.

This’ll be a short paragraph but my summary of my experience in the unboxing experience has already been said a few times so, moving on.

Construction





Not the best start but there’s still a lot more to be discussed. Now we’ll talk about the overall build quality of the ATH-W1000Z. So starting from the top and going down. The ATH-W1000Z continues that Audio-Technica theme of utilizing the wing support system. What this is is the two “bars” at the top of the headphone on top of the split headband. This is what gives the lineup the wonderful clamping for it has. The downside to this system is the split headband. There is just ZERO support to it so the entire weight of the headphone lies entirely on the ears (or area around the ears to be more precise). I feel if Audio-Technica would just implement a more firmer spring than this issue would go away, but as it is now the headbands are only there for appearance.

Moving down we’ve a completely plastic frame (not taking away from it necessarily for it’s very common in products of this price point) that has almost zero maneuverability to it. As in they may have put a 30 degree swivel, so if you have an odd face of more commonly just want to take it somewhere, in addition to the needing a 3rd party carrying case, you better account on using up a lot of room.

Continuing our journey south, the added real teak wood back I will say adds a beautiful touch to the ATH-W1000Z’s. I’ve zero complaints with the wooden back, it’s professional looking and adds a touch of uniqueness that isn’t showboaty (in fact it’s hardly noticeable). On the other side of the cups we’ve a faux leather material that, to me, appears to be very well stitched together and I don’t forsee any issues in the near future.

Finally we’ve the cable. Any continuing with my disappointment is that this cable, though IS NOT a bad cable, appears to be a cheaply placed cable due to both its appearance and feel. Now, what is not acceptable, especially in today’s market, is that the cable is not removable or replaceable. The biggest reason for a headphone to stop working is a short in the cable. The majority of consumers aren’t aware of this and just assume their perfectly working headphone is well, no longer working. So now they’re out buying another unneeded headphone when all they had to do was replace the cable. Oh wait. In the ATH-W1000Z you’re unable to and will have to send it off to pay a ridiculously expensive repair cost (speaking from experience [not with any of the Audio-Technica products]). So, and this is just my viewpoint on this, because of this I see any company putting a non detachable cable on their products as not keeping the consumer, their customers, in mind and are only thinking about or rather is only interested in themselves. But the cable is terminated in a really nice looking ¼” jack, so that’s a plus.

So overall the construction of the ATH-W1000Z is meh. It’s by no means the best you can get, far from it honestly. But it could most certainly be worse.

Comfort




I often go back and forth as to if the products comfort or its build quality is more important. The construction will make the product last a long time while the comfort will allow the user to want to wear the product for a long time. Thus far the ATH-W1000Z isn’t faring too well but we’re not finished with it yet oh no. By just looking at the headphone you’ll likely notice either the teak wood back of the giant circumaural ear pads first. Now, I’m unaware if those of you are aware but I have larger than normal ears (you can see for yourself on my YouTube channel linked below) so I all but have to have big cups or else I lose out on a lot of time listening to a product merely because they become painful on my ears.

So how do the Audio-Technica ATH-W1000Z’s feel? Pretty darn good overall. Of all the Audio-Technica models I’ve reviewed (as of writing this review) this is the only model that I actually enjoyed wearing for it never fatigued me. Now, they still suffer from the shortcomings they self imposed with the wing system and zero support headband, as well as the minimal movement of the drive housing; but the large pads, that are also angled a little bit, matched my head wonderfully. The pads were firm but at the same time offered just the right amount of give which provided great comfort and a tremendously solid seal. The clamping force is also spot on and again, due to the choice of pads selected for this model, the zero support headbands deficiencies were negligible. The only downside I personally experienced is that my ears did tend to get slightly warm after a couple hours listening to them.

To conclude my thoughts on the comfort of the ATH-W1000Z’s is that to me they are wonderfully comfortable solely due to the choice of padding they chose. If it weren’t for that, as with the other models I’ve reviewed prior, I likely would have found the comfort of these mediocre.

Sound



Alright, so we’ve finally made it (or you just scrolled straight here and that’s cool too), my findings and thoughts on how the ATH-W1000Z’s sound. And not to spoil a future review too much, but these were definitely my favorite sounding Audio-Technica product that I’ve ever listened to (as of the time of writing).

The sound for the longest time tricked me. What I mean by this is initially listening to it, and honestly a good ways later, I believed it to be a soft warm headphone but certainly not even close to being dark. The key word I found in that, was soft. The ATH-W1000Z possesses a hard to explain relaxing and calm sound to it that at first gives the impression of being a warm headphone with a soft bass and mid presence (please watch a few videos from this playlist to see what I mean). But upon really spending time listening to them I have discovered that they actually lean more towards the bright side. My last link was to show off its overall sound but now if you listen to two polar opposite songs such as Maxence Cyrin “Where is My Mind” for the treble and “When The Beat Drops” by (I’m honestly not sure who the artist is) you’ll find that the mids and treble is more emphasised than the bass is as a whole. This doesn’t really affect anything but that it took me so long to hone in on its tonality really impressed me personally.

The imaging is also very nice. If you’ll let the W1000’s perform for you then they’ll gladly present you whatever performance of medium you desire. They won't make it seem like you’re in a concert hall for the soundstage is a bit small, or rather very intimate I feel is a better way to describe it, so whatever you’re listening to will become, again IMO, very personal. A downside though that it I guess a side effect of the sound characteristics is that there’s not a lot of separation. Normally this is a negative for me but truthfully it does fit into the overall flow so you will have to take it for what you will. When listening to your average sized performance many of the instruments are difficult to individualize and all blend together, so I found that traditional large classical concerts are really primed for this headphone.

But enough about my generalization of the sound quality. Allow me to discuss the individual characteristics as best I can so that hopefully I can portray what I was talking about above.


Treble

The highs on the ATH-W1000Z is sparkly and very clean. The extension can be a bit harsh at times for its roll off is well into the piercing levels. With that in mind, when you’re listening to music not of that level of treble built in, the highs are honestly very enjoyable. Please bear with me for describing the highs is honestly a bit difficult for though they can great extension, as previously mentioned, it’s still soft and non fatiguing in the least. Detail is retrieved to where I don’t feel like I’m missing anything but at the same time I don’t feel like it fishes for what should be there. It’s forgiving on less than perfect audio formats in other words.

I often describe treble as having an energy transfer. Like when I’m listening to Lindsey Stirling and her violin; she’s exquisite to listen to for she’s so energetic and her music is (usually) very happy and upbeat. The ideal headphone will translate this energy with equal vigor but with the ATH-W1000Z it’s presented in a way that doesn’t reflect that but at the same time doesn’t really leave me feeling disappointed.

I’m not sure if I was able to give a good description as to what I was trying to say but that’s the best I could come up with. Like I said I, for the longest time, thought the W1000Z was a warm headphone until I really listened to their attributes. It’s just a really nice and soft experience.

Mids

My personal favorite area of sound. The mids is where the vocals lie and with that, to me, the soul of the music is. No other range truly portrays emotion like the mids to so if they are not presented cleanly and accurately then you can’t honestly really feel the emotion trying to be portrayed. As with the Audio-Technica ATH-W1000Z I really feel like they did a great job on the mid section. Regardless if I’m listening to male or female vocals, both are represented so realistically and intimately that, when I close my eyes, see a private concert that solely for me.

Something that the W1000Z’s really excel in is accoustic music. Oh my goodness, there’s a reason I linked that playlist above because daggon did it sound incredible through these headphones. The reverb of a guitars or cellos strings sounded so very good and did wonders when I got home after shift and just wanted to relax for a little bit. The mids are just slightly off neutral so they’re not so pushed forward as to take away from the full experience you receive but they are enough so that you can really hear the words being spoken clearly and separately from the treble and bass (even with rock music). This song (Linked as an AMV not original music video) “A New Day Has Come" by Céline Dion I think shows this very well.

Bass

Finally we’ll discuss the bass. Again I’ll state that originally I felt these headphones were more warm because of how well the bass translates into the mids. Now it was NEVER even remotely to be considered dark (or bass heavy) but the touch was certainly nice. The upper bass is forward but then quickly decreases into a recessed bass-sub bass (there’s no subbass I’ll just say that). It’s soft and relaxed but possesses just enough punch to enjoy drums and not crave much more. The teak wood also adds a nice reverb that, though is very minor, is a nice touch (I’ve always personally loved this about wooden backs). Check out this video by Mitchell “FINGERS” Cullen, it really sums up what I’m talking about and also has a nice acoustic guitar as well.

Conclusion



To sum up my thoughts on the Audio-Technica ATH-W1000Z, they’re headphones that possess so much potential but the shortcomings in other areas really hold it back from being a solid headphone of choice over other similar priced products. I greatly enjoy listening to these and it really pains me that they could be so much better if only they were to be shown a little more TLC. They sound so soft and relaxing and aren’t like other bright headphones I’ve listened to. They are certainly a headphone I will miss listening to.

If ever I can get lucky enough to have someone from Audio-Technica either read this review or watch my YouTube review of it (linked below) allow me to offer just a couple changes that I think would go leaps and bounds for not just the W1000Z but for a great deal many of your products you offer as well.

• Take a little bit more pride in the unboxing experience the customer has. I know that 99% of the mainstream crowd really doesn’t give too big a thought on getting to their new product but I’m sure a many people don’t think about how important offering someone a firm handshake is when they greet people either. But it’s just that small thing you can do (and I’m not saying go crazy to have to raise the cost much) to set yourself apart from those who show a little more pride in their products.
• Make the spring on the split headband A LOT more firmer. As in let the two of them together have the ability to support the weight of the headphone. Right now the only thing they’re good for is messing up hair.
• Make the darned cables detachable. I mean come on. From first hand experience, very little makes me hold resentment towards a brand than when the cable of the product goes out and I have to spend an absurd amount of money to have it replaced by the manufacturer (or a company they lease this right to). I’ll even excuse the minimal headphone movement if you’d just make this small but super important change.

So what are my final thoughts on the Audio-Technica ATH-W1000Z? They call this particular the "Maestoso" which is Latin for "a movement or passage marked to be performed in a majestic manner" and in terms of sound quality and even initial appearance, I think they hit it pretty spot on. This headphone will suite those who want a great headphone to just sit back and relax and enjoy the overall presentation of their music too rather than worry about every, single, minute detail. Is there some shortcomings? Most certainly. But as a unit as a whole I think it's a solid choice and most certainly one that I personally will be missing.

Also, make sure to check out my unboxing and review videos. They’re pretty awesome AND you getta put a face to the Army-Firedawg name. If this review helped you out at all please hit that thumbs up button for it really helps me out a lot. Till next time my friends, stay safe.

  
 
 
 Lately, it seems that I’ve found myself more and more frequently using high power requirement cans on the go. The downside with that is that my phone & likely not even my DAP has enough juice to properly power them. This is where portable headphones amplifiers come into play. They provide the needed power so i can fully enjoy the high end product I’m wanting to play with.
    Audio-Technica and their respective representative was kind enough to invite me to take part in reviewing a few of their product line. And one product in this line up was their portable amplifier, AT-PHA100. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed and took full advantage of my time with this little booger and would now like to share my thoughts on it.
But before I do, I would like to extend my full gratitude  to both Audio-Technica and their amazing rep. who I’ve not only had the pleasure of working with, but also the honor of personally meeting and shaking hands with as well. But without further adieu, let’s get into this shall we?

 

 
The Opening Experience 
 
 
      
 
 
 

 
    The “handshake” I for the AT-PHA100 was so much better than its headphone counterparts. However, it was still not what I would expect from a $550 (MSRP) product. The box itself it quite professional looking but is still too busy for my personal tastes. A lot of the information displayed could be redirected to the booklet on the inside but I understand the need to appeal to box readers.
    Upon opening the package (which is for some reason a box inside of a box inside of a box [yes 3]) you’ve a folded cardboard holder that folds into 2 halves. The side on the left, holds your instructions manual, start up guide, 2 Audio-Technica branded rubber bands, the 3.5mm to 3.5mm interconnect, and finally, the micro USB charging cable (no cube). Then on the right side, as you’ve likely guessed, is the AT-PHA100 portable headphone amplifier.
    Overall the “handshake” given by Audio-Technica regarding their AT-PHA100 was acceptable. Nothing about it wowed me or did anything to make me remember this experience (to neither be taken positively or negatively) but neither was I disappointed, it was just an general opening of a product.
 
Construction
 
      
 
 
 
 
    When thinking of the makeup of a portable headphone amp. I like to think of one that’s relatively small, as to fit reasonably easy in one hand or a small pouch, lightweight, long battery life, and be durable enough to survive travel. When examining the AT-PHA100 I find that it meets, and in some areas even exceeds, those standards handsomely.
The AT-PHA100 is roughly the same size as a larger portable charging brick and only weighs roughly 240g which isn’t hardly anything. The durability is something I can see potentially being a problem for some. Not that it’ll break & fall apart, oh no, quite the opposite. The AT-PHA100 is made pretty much entirely out of aluminum (and I’m talking like 99%) which is great for the longevity of this product but not so much for its aesthetics.  The only problem I can potentially see is that scratches and scuffs will easily be shown and difficult to remove (if able to). For those who want “pretty” looking products I highly recommend buying a nice custom or universal case to prevent this from happening.
The front of the amp. holds a truly beautiful gold faceplate that simply says “Portable Headphones Amplifier AT-PHA100” centered at the top of the amp. with the power option slider (to choose rather you want to use internal battery power or external wall power) and power/digital input port centered directly underneath. The back of the amp. has the Audio-Technica logo, 3.5mm headphone output, 3.5mm analog input, source selection (between analogue input and digital), and lastly the gain switch (high and low). Lastly, on the right hand side of the amplifier you’ve the beautifully smooth and well crafted volume knob that has the power indicating led on the right and a 5 color led indicator when using a digital input (the light will not turn on with analogue input, will discuss the colors in the next section).
I honestly don’t have a single complaint as to the construction or build quality that Audio-Technica put forth in their AT-PHA100. It’s built basically completely out of aluminum but maintains a smooth appearance and light weight frame that is perfect for traveling.
 
Features
 
    Though Audio-Technica advertises this as portable headphone amplifier, it’s actually a combi unit that has a built in ESS ES9018K2M DAC that can read up to 32bit/384kHz PCM and 2.8/5.6MHz DSD. That is very impressive stats to hardly show off but was a nice surprise when I found out it could do that (will discuss how it sounds in the Sound section).
    The AT-PHA100 has an incredible battery life that they claim has up to a 6 hour life using a digital source (thus utilizing the internal DAC) or 14 hour while using an analogue source. Though I can’t say the exact time frame I personally got I can say that I rarely had to charge the unit so I happily agree that the PHA100 gets every bit of life that Audio-Technica claims.
    Earlier I mentioned that on the right side there’s a led indicator light that changes to one of 5 colors based on which digital sample rate was coming through. The colors and corresponding rates are,

1. Red for 32-96kHZ
2. Green for 176.4 OR 192kHZ
3. Blue for 352.8 OR 384kHZ
4. Purple for DSD64 (Native or DoP)
5. Orange for DSD128 (DoP only)

Though I personally never paid much attention to the led light, for those who wish to ensure their music is the correct rate then this may benefit you some. Regardless I still think it’s a cool feature that was included in the unit.
 
Specs. (Copied straight from Audio-Technica’s website)
 
 
 
Sound
 
 
    Alas, the section most of you care the most about. How the AT-PHA100 transmits the signal to your portable audio product of choice. From the quite extensive time I’ve had with the unit I can certainly say it’s powered every full size headphone and hypersensitive c/iem I’ve thrown at it. Now tight quick, none of the headphones I’ve used require a small sun to power (the highest impedance can being the Sennheiser HD650 and the least sensitive product being the ATH-W5000) but the PHA-100 did a very good job with each of them.
It can play well with c/iems so long as they’re not super sensitive. My Empire Ears Hermes VI, though sounded great, did present a lot of hiss when played through the AT-PHA100 and in particularly made a higher pitched hum. That was honestly a little disappointing with respect to the cost of the unit (at full MSRP) but in the $350-400  I’ve only been able to find a very small handful of products that have a black background.
The overall sound is very transparent and, to my ears, doesn’t add any bias towards the sound thus keeping the signature of your headphones true (assuming your source is transparent as well). It may very well be the source I was playing through but I never felt that there was any more detail being revealed to me other than what the source was doing by itself. Now, I’m well aware that detail retrieval isn’t necessarily the job of the amp. but, often times a headphone will reveal more or less detail depending on the quality of power it’s receiving. Rather that’s a positive or negative attribute of the PHA100 is to each their own.
The DAC inside is a very nice feature to have and it does a respectable job at presenting detail but not so good that I’d use it in substitute of a designated dac. When I A/B between this and my Luxury & Precision L3 or my Schiit Bifrost 4490 I could instantly tell that the soundstage sounded much narrower and also had much less instrument separation. With how well the amp. performed it’s clear to see where Audio-Technica's focus was and even makes sense of their advertising this as an amp. Now don’t get me wrong, the DAC isn’t bad for it’s detail retrieval is spot on, just in direct comparison to the DAP’s I have at my arsenal and their internal DAC’s, I’d much rather run the AT-PHA100 in analogue mode.

 
    

 
Conclusion

 
 
    Overall my take on the Audio-Technica AT-PHA100 is that of respect. It does a very good job at what its primary role is and even given a few quality and convenience features to assist its users enjoy their music more. I will say that at full MSRP of $550 I would personally encourage you to shop around a little bit because at the often seen price of between $350-400 this unit makes for an absolute staple for those traveling and want to optimize their sound with transparent solid state sound.
 
My rating for this unit is at the price that you can find it for by shopping around a little bit. At full MSRP of $550 my rating would be between 2.5-3 stars.



 
Also, make sure to check out my unboxing and review videos. They’re pretty awesome AND you getta put a face to the Army-Firedawg name. If this review helped you out at all please hit that thumbs up button for it really helps me out a lot. Till next time my friends, stay safe.

    It’s not too often that someone other than a company reaches out to me asking if I would be interested in reviewing a product. The majority of my reviews come from my own legwork and throwing my name out there and hoping for the best. But that’s not the case in this instance, this time I actually had the pleasure of having a fellow head-fier @grizzlybeast ask if I would be interested in taking part in a tour he was putting together. So to you my friend I give my heartfelt thanks for it means a lot to me for someone who hasn’t even met me to give me such trust with a rather expensive product. But pleasantries aside
 
 
                                                                       
 

 
The Opening Experience  

       
 
 
 
 
    When a product of this price tag enters into my review quo I can’t help but get giddy and also nervous. I always put really high expectations on a company to provide me a memorable experience throughout the lifetime of the product and this includes me initially opening it. SPL did about what I would come to expect. It arrived in a standard cardboard box with the SPL logo and a picture of the Phonitor e on the front with the SPL logo on the sides along with a checkmark by the type of Phonitor e I recieved (110V, American plug).
    So was I blown away by this? Nah. Will I forget about the unboxing in a couple weeks? Most likely. But I also didn’t find myself disappointed either, it was an average unboxing of an amplifier.

 
Construction
 
   
 
 
   
 
 

 
    The build quality of the SPL Phonitor e is top notch. Aluminum throughout its construction, sleek and smooth corners and frame and inputs for days. But to get a little more in depth than that I’ll start with the front. The volume knob is rock solid with no side/side play at all but retains its butter smooth rotation. Beside that you’ve your Matrix knob which goes C1, Off, C2 (to be discussed further in the features section) in which each selection is firm and presents a notable click so you know when it’s in its spot. Moving on you’ve your analogue input on top and your digital inputs on bottom (this unit can be equipped with a integrated dac) that both present the same confident selections as the Matrix switch. On the right side of the Phonitor e you have your 4 pin XLR balanced and ¼” output jack respectively. Then beside them, to finish things up, you’ve the power switch (well, standbye switch).
    The sides and top are quite straightforward; they’re smooth black aluminum that doesn’t have anything on them.
    The bottom is the same as the sides and back minus each corner has a beautiful aluminum vibration absorbing foot that is bottomed with a soft yet very durable rubber to mitigate any vibration from the table the unit would be sitting on.
    The back on the unit is quite the opposite of the above, there’s quite a bit going on back here. Starting from the left and moving right, we have the 110V power input (also available in 230V if desired), the actual power switch, analogue inputs (RCA & 3 pin XLR balanced) and then lastly the digital inputs (coaxial, optical, USB) for when you’ve opted in to the available integrated D/A converter.

 
Features

 
    Honestly, the SPL Phonitor e is a pretty straight forward solid state amplifier that, if wanted, can be equipped with a D/A converter (to be discussed later). But as mentioned earlier, this device has a Matrix switch that according to SPL adjusts the cross feed setting from the standard 30 degree speaker placement. C1 has less crossfeed than C2 which I would assume to have more. From my personal testing and going back and forth I hear no discernible difference between the Off setting and the C1. However the C2 setting seems to “move” the “speaker placement” to a more narrower setting for I can hear less detail from the side and rearward. The difference is very small but still noticeable
The last feature that’s present within the SPL Phonitor e is the ability for it to sync up with “any” universal remote. Unfortunately I had a rather difficult time getting this set up. Now, to disclaim, I was using the Universal Remote app that came with my phone (LG V20) so that may have played into the problem because I got the learn mode to activate once (the volume knob rotated all the way down as it’s supposed to when it begins the learn mode) but was unable to get it to work since then. Now with that aside, the feature is a really cool setting and it very plausible to work due to the volume knob being motorized.
 
Specification (Copied straight from the SPL website)

 

 


 
Sound

 
    The sound of the Phonitor e is one of smooth elegance. I’ve put as many hours as I was able to within the week I had it and not once did I get fatigued. The detail retrieval is exactly what I would expect from a product of this price point. Well, let me go into that slightly. The Phonitor e retails for $1,499.99usd but I am not sure what this product costs with the available built in dac. so my deciding that it’s expected of a $1500 solid state amp is on the assumption that it’s WITH the included dac. due to I’ve been unable to find a listing of how much this unit costs with the dac built in OR what it would cost to upgrade the unit that doesn’t have the dac. When using the dac I find its detail retrieval to be on about the same level of my Bifrost 4490. The main thing I was able to decide that separated the two is that the 4490 had better separation with larger background inclusion (I can hear voices reverb off the background better with the Schiit).
    Getting back on track from that likely confusing first paragraph. Just talking about the Phonitor e while using its own dac, I find the sound to be very smooth and detailed. There hasn’t been any instance of my music that I feel I was missing a detail that otherwise should’ve been there. The volume selection is beautifully linear with power for days. The headphone I used was the Audio-Technica ATH-W5000 which has shown to be a stickler for certain amplifiers and likes to be given a nice amount of juice otherwise it doesn’t shine like I’ve found it able to. And the W5000’s paired seamlessly with the Phonitor e, unlike that of my Schiit Lyr 2 (perhaps it’s a tube amp/solid state thing).

 
    

 
Conclusion

 
    I really enjoyed my time with the SPL Phonitor e during my week with it. It was a super smooth solid state amp. that is built with the level of care and craftsmanship I’d expect no less from a product of this price tag. It’s optional built in dac has very nice detail retrieval and is only minimally separated from that of my Schiit Bifrost 4490 (honestly unsure if that’s a good or bad thing because as I said earlier I’ve been unable to find a price of having the dac added). As for my final thoughts, I wasn’t offput by this amp. To me it was a normal amp. of this price and neither disappointed me nor impressed me too much. I do really like the remote setting though, only wish I was able to get my phone to sync with it.



 
Also, make sure to check out my unboxing and review videos. They’re pretty awesome AND you getta put a face to the Army-Firedawg name. If this review helped you out at all please hit that thumbs up button for it really helps me out a lot. Till next time my friends, stay safe.

 
 
 
    Every now and then I get a pleasant surprise in the form of an email inquiring about my interest in reviewing a product. And this was most certainly the case with Unique Innovation Technology (henceforth UIT) and their Perfect Music Purifier (henceforth PMP) 353 (desktop application [3 TRS connectors]) & 354 (mobile application [4 TRS connectors {allows use of microphone while having this product connected}]) P products. Seeing as I was so impressed with the iFi nano iUSB3.0 who shares a similar concept as these which are in a portable platform I eagerly accepted the invitation.
    So to my new friends at UITaudio, thank you for allowing me to take part in reviewing two of your products. You’ve given great assistance throughout the entirety of the review and were just as friendly. But pleasantries aside, allow me to jump into my review of the PMP-353/4P
 
DISCLAIMER: I will be posting this review TWICE, firstly under the product UIT 353P and then again under the product UIT 354P. Both products are exactly the same minus the difference in TRS connectors.
 

 
The Opening Experience  
 
   
 
 
 

 
    To be upfront and honest, I wasn’t expecting too much of an unboxing experience to come from a cable. But I will say that the initial presentation UIT presented was quite respectable. Both products come in a very well made and premium feeling case that feels like a faux leather (never been a fashion guru). Each cable was also inside a plastic sealed bag inside the case which snapped closed by the use of a single button centered in front.
    A very short section yes but really, I was impressed that UIT went the extra mile to provide their customers with the carrying case and even make it a premium one, so well done.

 
Construction
 

 
 
    The build quality to the UIT 353 & 354P are absolutely superb. Very tough and rugged and they each give me complete confidence that they’ll be around for a long while to come. Though the units are rather large and heavy they are still made pliable to you can at least fit it in your pocket (or smaller space) with relative ease.
    The cables that extend from the purifier unit in the middle (to connect to the headphones and source) are not only build very well with intertwined plastic cased cables, they also have a net casing on top which prevents nicks and sharp objects from causing accidental damage to the unit.
Lastly, the unit has the UIT’s signature logo printed centered on the main purifier block. Overall I find the build quality reasonable. Strictly in terms of ruggedness and strength it’s top notch, but what makes it average is its quite heavy weight and size.
 
Sound

 
    Now to the most important matter, how are the results that the UIT PMP 353/4P produce? Very interesting is my answer to that. What I mean by that is the PMP’s perform differently depending on what source is feeding the information into it. For example, when I’m using either of my portable setups (Luxury & Precision L3 or LG V20) the results are very and I do mean very minutely noticeable (mostly in the LG V20) but still exist. I got similar results regardless of what headphone I was using or song I played. These findings corresponded onto the desktop setup as well. This seriously worried me because this product goes full retail for just south of $300 (currently on sale for $188 during the time of this review) and though I can hear some gains when using the PMP and I’m well aware of the aspects of diminishing returns but this was extremely disappointing.
That was until I was at work and I asked my colleague to listen to my headphones with the PMP354P through his phone (which was just a basic phone he said he bought at walmart). He went back and forth with and without the unit and said that there’s an immediate and notable improvement in the sound quality. Surprised at his finding I asked to hear myself and sure enough it was night and day better. This greatly intrigues me and led me to try it on my Astro MixAmp I use for gaming (you should understand by just that sentence my thoughts on this device) and lo and behold it was a night and day improvement.
    UIT’s claim of how the device works in their video on their website explains these findings spot on. Which is it filters out all the noise and jitter in the signal (which is more present in lower tiered audio products) which is why things will sound better and may fulfill their claim to increase soundstage and depth.
    Now, keeping that the PMP’s perform better the worse source material is used I find that their claims do in fact hold true and I had to use my colleagues phone as much as I could on breaks to hear the difference. There is a significant increase in quality but not due to being better per say but rather by cleaning up the noise that overrides the details in the music. That also gave me the illusion of it having a bigger soundstage and retrieving more detail than the built in DAC does by ridding the white noise I’m hearing.
    That also brings on an unfortunate realization. I consider the equipment I have (see my profile for list) to be adequate for the vast majority of audio enthusiasts. Not end game by any means but certainly not introductory into the field. And I can only minutely hear and benefit to the PMP regardless of mobile or desktop use (with the exception of going straight out of my laptop, this thing sucks so I do hear a pretty notable improvement). So if you’re of even better equipment then I can’t in good conscious recommend this unless you truly want to ensure you’ve removed any and all possible noise and jitter from your audio. Now if you’ve a lower tiered source and really like it but want to clean up the source then you’ll likely really enjoy the PMP series.
For me personally, the best results that I was able to get the most enjoyment out of the devices was for gaming. Making the laughably noisy Astro pitch black is a HUGE benefit that I consistently take advantage of the PMP’s ability to filter out all the jitter.
 
Conclusion
 

 
    Overall the UIT PMP 353/4P purifiers is that for certain setup they’re a huge benefit. The built quality is very nice and strong as well as great looking but is really large and rather heavy. When used with equipment that isn’t the quietest of backgrounds then the claims of audio quality, soundstage, and detail retrieval do turn to be true. This is one of the few products that the results really and truly depend on the user and their own personal setup. YMMV and I encourage you to try some of the UIT PMP products out and see if they’ll work for your setup.


 
Also, make sure to check out my unboxing and review videos. They’re pretty awesome AND you getta put a face to the Army-Firedawg name. If this review helped you out at all please hit that thumbs up button for it really helps me out a lot. Till next time my friends, stay safe.

 
 
 
    Every now and then I get a pleasant surprise in the form of an email inquiring about my interest in reviewing a product. And this was most certainly the case with Unique Innovation Technology (henceforth UIT) and their Perfect Music Purifier (henceforth PMP) 353 (desktop application [3 TRS connectors]) & 354 (mobile application [4 TRS connectors {allows use of microphone while having this product connected}]) P products. Seeing as I was so impressed with the iFi nano iUSB3.0 who shares a similar concept as these which are in a portable platform I eagerly accepted the invitation.
    So to my new friends at UITaudio, thank you for allowing me to take part in reviewing two of your products. You’ve given great assistance throughout the entirety of the review and were just as friendly. But pleasantries aside, allow me to jump into my review of the PMP-353/4P
 
DISCLAIMER: I will be posting this review TWICE, firstly under the product UIT 353P and then again under the product UIT 354P. Both products are exactly the same minus the difference in TRS connectors.
 

 
The Opening Experience  
 
   
 
 
 

 
    To be upfront and honest, I wasn’t expecting too much of an unboxing experience to come from a cable. But I will say that the initial presentation UIT presented was quite respectable. Both products come in a very well made and premium feeling case that feels like a faux leather (never been a fashion guru). Each cable was also inside a plastic sealed bag inside the case which snapped closed by the use of a single button centered in front.
    A very short section yes but really, I was impressed that UIT went the extra mile to provide their customers with the carrying case and even make it a premium one, so well done.

 
Construction
 

 
 
    The build quality to the UIT 353 & 354P are absolutely superb. Very tough and rugged and they each give me complete confidence that they’ll be around for a long while to come. Though the units are rather large and heavy they are still made pliable to you can at least fit it in your pocket (or smaller space) with relative ease.
    The cables that extend from the purifier unit in the middle (to connect to the headphones and source) are not only build very well with intertwined plastic cased cables, they also have a net casing on top which prevents nicks and sharp objects from causing accidental damage to the unit.
Lastly, the unit has the UIT’s signature logo printed centered on the main purifier block. Overall I find the build quality reasonable. Strictly in terms of ruggedness and strength it’s top notch, but what makes it average is its quite heavy weight and size.
 
Sound

 
    Now to the most important matter, how are the results that the UIT PMP 353/4P produce? Very interesting is my answer to that. What I mean by that is the PMP’s perform differently depending on what source is feeding the information into it. For example, when I’m using either of my portable setups (Luxury & Precision L3 or LG V20) the results are very and I do mean very minutely noticeable (mostly in the LG V20) but still exist. I got similar results regardless of what headphone I was using or song I played. These findings corresponded onto the desktop setup as well. This seriously worried me because this product goes full retail for just south of $300 (currently on sale for $188 during the time of this review) and though I can hear some gains when using the PMP and I’m well aware of the aspects of diminishing returns but this was extremely disappointing.
That was until I was at work and I asked my colleague to listen to my headphones with the PMP354P through his phone (which was just a basic phone he said he bought at walmart). He went back and forth with and without the unit and said that there’s an immediate and notable improvement in the sound quality. Surprised at his finding I asked to hear myself and sure enough it was night and day better. This greatly intrigues me and led me to try it on my Astro MixAmp I use for gaming (you should understand by just that sentence my thoughts on this device) and lo and behold it was a night and day improvement.
    UIT’s claim of how the device works in their video on their website explains these findings spot on. Which is it filters out all the noise and jitter in the signal (which is more present in lower tiered audio products) which is why things will sound better and may fulfill their claim to increase soundstage and depth.
    Now, keeping that the PMP’s perform better the worse source material is used I find that their claims do in fact hold true and I had to use my colleagues phone as much as I could on breaks to hear the difference. There is a significant increase in quality but not due to being better per say but rather by cleaning up the noise that overrides the details in the music. That also gave me the illusion of it having a bigger soundstage and retrieving more detail than the built in DAC does by ridding the white noise I’m hearing.
    That also brings on an unfortunate realization. I consider the equipment I have (see my profile for list) to be adequate for the vast majority of audio enthusiasts. Not end game by any means but certainly not introductory into the field. And I can only minutely hear and benefit to the PMP regardless of mobile or desktop use (with the exception of going straight out of my laptop, this thing sucks so I do hear a pretty notable improvement). So if you’re of even better equipment then I can’t in good conscious recommend this unless you truly want to ensure you’ve removed any and all possible noise and jitter from your audio. Now if you’ve a lower tiered source and really like it but want to clean up the source then you’ll likely really enjoy the PMP series.
For me personally, the best results that I was able to get the most enjoyment out of the devices was for gaming. Making the laughably noisy Astro pitch black is a HUGE benefit that I consistently take advantage of the PMP’s ability to filter out all the jitter.
 
Conclusion
 

 
    Overall the UIT PMP 353/4P purifiers is that for certain setup they’re a huge benefit. The built quality is very nice and strong as well as great looking but is really large and rather heavy. When used with equipment that isn’t the quietest of backgrounds then the claims of audio quality, soundstage, and detail retrieval do turn to be true. This is one of the few products that the results really and truly depend on the user and their own personal setup. YMMV and I encourage you to try some of the UIT PMP products out and see if they’ll work for your setup.


 
Also, make sure to check out my unboxing and review videos. They’re pretty awesome AND you getta put a face to the Army-Firedawg name. If this review helped you out at all please hit that thumbs up button for it really helps me out a lot. Till next time my friends, stay safe.

                                                                                  
 
 
 
    Yet again (with several more to soon follow), I find myself owing a great deal of thanks (and at this point a steak dinner) to a good friend of mine (you know who you are) & also the company Audio-Technica. Not only has he been, by far, the most knowledgeable and personable representative I’ve ever personally met and shaken hands with, but also the most professional. Prior to his invitation I was only vaguely familiar with the Audio-Technica brand. Now, thanks to the plethora of products sent to me to review, I’ve a pretty sound knowledge base. So again, my friend I sincerely thank you for the kindness and trust shown towards me by sending me such a review sample. You’ve not just allowed my channel to grow, you’ve allowed me to grow as a reviewer and a larger source of help for others looking to find insight on a product they may be interested in.
    Alright, now that all the pleasantries are out of the way, how about we delve into the substance of this review shall we?
 

 
The Opening Experience  
 
 
      
 
 
 
 
 
    Unfortunately, these are quite disappointing from the start. At full MSRP of $599.99 from the Audio-Technica website I can give no excuses for the level of disinterest paid to the initial handshake presented towards me from the AD-1000X. The only excuse I can give this is that if you do any kind of shopping around at all you can find these between $250-300, and within that price range I’m not quite as irritated but I still feel like I was slighted. However, with what I’ve present before me being packaged in the exact same manor as their $120 ATH-A550Z I’m even more interested in what others opinions of this packaging is.
 
Construction
      
 
 
 
    So now that we've opened it out of its box, how is the build quality? Well, it’s definitely nowhere near being called a tank but it’s also not poorly crafted either.
    The wing system feels quite sturdy but still has enough play present that I feel that if it were to be dropped or something similar, I’ve little worry about it breaking /cracking.
    The “headbands,” which consists of 2 separate pieces, are made entirely out of plastic & supported by a spring located at their base (to be discussed later in the comfort section). The padding is a respectably soft material that doesn’t shout cheap.
    The driver housing is encased in a very solid plastic that I will say feels quite nice. I honestly thought it was aluminum from first touch. The only movement that’s present on these headphones is a very VERY slight side to side movement. There’s no up or down adjustment nor front to back (to be discussed further in the comfort section). The grills covering the open air dynamic drivers also offer pretty competent protection being made if hard aluminum. As a nice touch of class, Audio-Technica places an aluminum stamp of their logo.
    The cable, which connects to each driver individually, in my opinion, is quite long for it to be non detachable measuring in at 10’. It’s also rather normal, nothing feels really special about it. Now on the inside of the cable, Audio-Technica does say it has 4 cores with each channel having its own independent ground. So just because it doesn’t feel special doesn’t mean it’s not. Lastly, it’s terminated into a standard ⅛” jack but does come with a screw on ¼” jack option for home amplification.
    Overall I find the construction to be acceptable, regardless at full MSRP or at the prices found online. If taken care of I’ve full confidence that these will last their owners for a very long time. I just REALLY wish they had detachable cables.
 
Comfort

 
 
    Lately I’ve found myself personally finding this section to be second only to the sound quality. And this product definitely has some thanks for this realisation. The initial “handshake” is a great way for a company to introduce itself but the majority of us never puts the product back into its case so we’ll get over shortcomings. Also, the vast majority of us in this fine field take care of our products because they’re are quite often very expensive and we personally take great pride in what we’ve attainted, at least I do, so we’re apt to take care of our things which can counteract some shortcuts a company may take in the construction of their product. But the two things you likely can’t get over is how the product sounds and how comfortable they are to wear.
    Remember when I said that the AD-1000X was a product that brought a good bit of this realisation to me? No?! Come on I just said it really? Well *hmph* how rude. Anywho for those paying attention, the ATH-AD1000X brought this realisation to me because these, to me, are annoyingly uncomfortable to wear. These place so darned much pressure on the ears that, again at least for me, your ears get sore. The “headbands” springs offer laughable resistance for holding the headphones up which causes the entire weight of them to be burdened by your ears and surrounding skull.
    The wing system that’s synonymous with Audio-Technica products do provide beautiful clamping force that defines the goldilocks effect so zero complaints whatsoever there. In fact I most certainly commend Audio-Technica for maintaining their consistency in this aspect. They then immediately lose this gain when those of use with anything but smaller ears put them on and our ears are constantly scratching the mesh that’s directly in front of the drivers. This causes my ears to become very uncomfortable within a very short timeframe which sucks because the suede, angled, pads these are equipped with are super comfortable. My solution that’s actually a really easy fix to this is simply to put beefier pads on the ear cups. This, in my mind, will keep the drivers enough distance away from the ears that they won't scratch them.
    Lastly, as I said early in the construction section, there’s close to zilch adjustments to these products. There’s a very and I mean VERY slight side to side movement and that’s it. No bigger/smaller head bar, no up/down swivel to accommodate those of us who don’t have massive square heads or average size triangle heads.

 
Sound


 
    Alas, we’re finally to the most important part of an audio products merit. And honestly, this is what took me the longest to dissect with the AD-1000X. Many times while listening to these I listened to songs that sounded absolutely amazing while others sounded completely horrible let alone for a full retail price of these; and for the life of me I couldn’t figure out why, until I had an epiphany and figured it out.
    So starting with the positives that the AD-1000X’s really have going for it is they possess a really nice and vast soundstage that sound very lifelike and realistic in its space. I say this in reference to a headphone such as the HD700 which has a great and very vast soundstage but it’s as if it artificially extends that soundstage too far which loses some of its realism. It’s as if the headphone is trying way too hard to sound musical when it just isn’t.
    This leads me onto an issue that I have with the AD1000X and that is it has very disappointing separation. And it’s not something that you’ll miss if you’re not paying attention either. When listening to pretty much any normal sized (or obviously larger) orchestra it sounds as if everything is trying to force its way into a single microphone. I actually laughed when it finally came to me the issue I had with these because they accell in so many other aspects but there was always just that something that made me rarely gravitate to it. But let me talk about the individual ranges because by themselves uncluttered they are all respectably impressive.

 
Treble

 
    The highs in the AD-1000X overall are very pleasing and have wonderful extension. Horns and cymbals sound clean and can express themselves to their fullest degree. Now, with that being said, they may also even become piercing to your ears as well if you’re listening to a particularly spiky instrument. What I mean by this is take the cymbals. They get to their peak frequency basically instantly and the 1000X will drive that straight to your ears and, depending on your given hearing, will likely not be to pleasant if you have your volume turned up. But overall I think the treble in these headphones are very well done and beautifully revealing.

 
Mids

 
    My goodness, the ATH-AD1000X hit a grand slam with the vocals. The voices sound so incredible and pleasant to listen to, especially the females. There’s air, there’s body, there’s a naturalness to the mids that even my personal reference headphones (Bowers & Wilkins P7) can’t produce. Then there’s acoustic string instruments. And dear gosh, do string instruments sound sublime through these. I heard every single reverb that sent chills to my spine they were so pleasing to listen to. I can very easily keep going but Audio-Technica, at least to me and my ears, did a splendid complaint free mid section.

 
Bass

 
    The bass in the 1000X’s are controlled and have a presence to their impact but aren’t heavy. I wouldn’t recommend these in any regards to bass lovers or people who really enjoy the heavy rock genre but I think those who enjoy techno will feel rather at home in them for they do keep up with the beat rather effortlessly. I usually try to elaborate on my explanations a little bit but that actually summed up my thoughts pretty spot on in reference to the bass on these.

 
Conclusion

 
 
    In summary, the Audio-Technica ATH-AD1000X is a very well done and made headphone (at the prices you can find if you shop around for, not the full retail price). They truly excel in audio that doesn’t have a lot of moving pieces and when played to their strengths will deliver a beautifully intimate listening experience.



 
Also, make sure to check out my unboxing and review videos. They’re pretty awesome AND you getta put a face to the Army-Firedawg name. If this review helped you out at all please hit that thumbs up button for it really helps me out a lot. Till next time my friends, stay safe.

  
 
 
 
  I was introduced to the iFi brand  during the Carolina CanFest 5 head-fi meet back around March of 2016 and was seriously impressed with how powerful and clean their products performed. It didn’t matter if I used my personal hyper sensitive ciems (Empire Ears Hermes VI), mildly power hungry Sennheiser HD650, high demanding headphones such as the Hifiman HE1000v1 or any of the Audeze line. iFi met every challenge with a smile and delivered one just as big to the listener. The product I’m most specifically referencing was their iFi Pro iCAN. The ability to cover the vast array of products and functionality blew me away then, so when I was finally able to review it almost a year later my fingers couldn’t begin to type my application fast enough.
    It goes without saying but I will make it a point to regardless; thank you iFi for allowing me to be a part of trying out your flagship product. My time spent with it was thorough and very well enjoyed. Now, with all that said and the pleasantries aside, allow to me explain my thoughts on what is the flagship of the iFi brand.

 

 
The Opening Experience
 
   
   
 

 
 
 
    Like the previous iFi iUSB3.0 the Pro iCAN is packaged in a wonderfully simplistic and straightforward way. The front has only a picture of the product, the brand name, and what the product is. The back has a few show points about the product but doesn’t bog down the entire thing (my personal preference is for it to be in the intro guide because people who are shopping for products in this price point have likely done a fair bit of research into what the product can do).     
The product itself is inside the box that is inside the wrapping (where all the pictures and words are, the only thing written on the box box is iFi. Upon opening the box you’re immediately greeted with the iFi Pro iCAN right up front and centered, though it’s a little bit smaller than what the size of the box made me think to believe. Under the main showpiece you’ve a the traditional instructions and warranty information as well as the power cable and iFi branded dual coaxial cable.
Quite a short section but really there wasn’t much to the unboxing of the iFi, it was rather straightforward. I don’t feel like I was shafted a great experience nor was I given a breathtaking memorable experience either. I do believe it was a good one however and the pride of the iFi brand still made itself known; and with that I am happy with how the unboxing is.

 
Construction
   
   
   
 
 
    The total build quality to the iFi Pro iCAN it freaking top notch in every single aspect I can even start to critique it on. This beautiful piece (both metaphorically and literally) is completely aluminum build and competently put together at that. I personally really enjoy the functional aspect to the artistic design of the wavy pattern to the  top plate. In addition to looking really nice it also disperses heat more effectively than a flat panel, and I like that nudge to look and functionality so very well done iFi. While I’m talking about the top plate it also has a single glass bulb that allows you to somewhat look through and view the 2 General Electric 5670 tubes. Oh yeah, in case you already didn’t know, the iFi Pro iCAN is a hybrid solid state (which may also be listed as SS as well from this point forward) & tube amplifier, but I digress. Circling the bulb is a circular vent pattern that allows the pretty high heat this can make to vent easier. The sides, just to knock these out right quick, follow the wavy/circular pattern with its vent ports to further allow the iCAN to breath. The bottom of this device has a nice rubber padding that now only helps prevent scratches but also reduces noise from whatever it may be resting on, another functionally applicable piece iFi added.
    The back of this monster has an absolute smorgasbord of input and output options for the user. From left to right (from looking at the back of the iCAN) you’ve a balanced L&R input and not 1 or even 2 but 3 unbalanced coaxial inputs. This is an awesome feature for I can use this one endgame amp. for so many of my setups (PS4, DAC, etc…) without having to unplug anything. Continuing onwards, you’ve a L&R balanced output as well as an unbalanced coaxial output; oh, wait, in addition to being a hybrid solid state and tube amp. this beast is also a preamp; I did mention the endgame potential of this right? And finally you’ve the power, DC loop-out and DSL Link ports (I was unable to try either of the later two).
    Now onto the business end of the Pro iCAN, the front. And my goodness, you thought the back had option. From left to right (again facing the device), you’ve the power button,  input selection knob which allows you to choose which of the 4 input option you want to use instantaneously, a bass booster knob (which I will discuss in the features section), SS/Tube/Tube + selector switch (also to be discussed in the features section), your first 6.5mm(¼”)/3 pin XLR input port, unbalanced 3.5mm (⅛”) port, the 4 pin XLR port, your second 6.5mm(¼”)/3 pin XLR port, and finally your balanced 3.5mm (⅛”) port. My goodness that’s 5 individual ports that allows for up to 5 different headphones to be played and the exact same time, and with 14amps of power the Pro iCAN can most certainly handle it. But continuing on because we’re not quite finished yet. You’ve the 3D holographic headphone selector knob (to be discussed further in the features section), the gain switch (to choose between a 0, 9, or 18db gain), the silky smooth volume knob, and finally, bringing in the very rear is something I’ve personally never even thought about to have on a headphone amp., and that’s a IR (infrared)  sensor for the supplied remote control.
    I didn’t mention while listing the grand menu this product offers its users but all the knobs and switches are made of premium aluminum while the ports are made of a premium plastic that looks and feels super durable. I really don’t have a single thing to complain about in the construction of the Pro iCAN. I really tried thinking of one but iFi really did a splendid job in how they crafted this device. Everything they did had a function to it and everything was built super well. I feel that all I can do is babble about how good this thing looks and is built so I’ll just end this section here.
 
Features
 
    The Pro iCAN is practically bursting at the seams with all the things it can do. Starting with, in my opinion, the coolest feature, and that’s the 3D dual holographic processor for headphones and speakers. This knob, located directly left of the volume knob, has 4 selections to choose from; off, 30 degrees (+ for speakers [which essentially just activated the processor]), 60 degrees (30 for speakers), and 90 degrees (60 for speakers). I REALLY loved this, for everything from music to media and even gaming (dear goodness what it does for gaming). The aspect of imaging and spacial awareness is often used to place the listener inside the performance and make you really feel apart of whatever you’re listening to, but with the iFi 3D dual holographic you might as well be in the game you’re playing, performance you’re listening to, or movie you’re watching. I personally prefer the 90 degree setting when I’m playing games or watching movies because, to me, it adds the most sense of realism and a many of times has made me take my headphones off to see if Christina (my wife) is talking to me across the room it’s that spot on. When I’m listening to music I prefer either the 90 degree or 60 degree if I want a more intimate experience with my performance. I will say that going from this back to my Schiit Lyr 2 was immediately noticeable on just this aspect alone (for now anyways). So be warned those who wish to try the Pro iCAN, once you’ve experienced the clarity of surround sound from headphones, it’s never the same going back.
A feature that I believe a lot of people will really enjoy, that I even used a few times myself, is the Xbass (bass booster) setting. This allows the user to add 10, 20, or 40hz to the bass (more specifically the mid bass) to give it a harder punch to whatever you’re listening to and through. I say I myself earlier because I’m not a big bass nut and have purchased headphones that have the response that I enjoy the most. But, with that said, when I’m in a fun kind of mood and wanna get my club/dance/dub/EDM on I’ll certainly crank that up to 40hz and ravel in the extra hit given. Also, I like using these for action movies; they make for some really fun booms.
Finally, the last feature of the Pro iCAN that is worth showing extra spotlight is the SS/Tube/Tube + selector switch. Without discussing the overall sound of the iCAN (for it’ll of course be discussed in the Sound section) this allows the user to choose between the accuracy and quickness of a solid state amplifier or the relaxing and musical aspect of a tube amp.There’s also a feature that’s called the Tube amp + that
 
Specifications (copied straight from the iFi website)

 
Sound
 
                                                                                             
 
 
    My goodness, I’ve yet to come up with a single complaint to the iFi. How about the sound? They’ve put all their resources into its functionality and features that surely they’ve sacrificed the sound right? Nope, not in the very least. The Pro iCAN delivers audio swiftly, accurately, and transparently. It didn’t matter if I was powering the respectably hungry ATH-W5000 (like planars they’re lower impedance but they need some juice to really sound their full potential) or my hyper sensitive ciems. Everything was incredibly detailed and revealing with a pitch black background that, especially when paired with the 3D feature, does a job of putting you at the performance or inside the movie or video game that I’ve never experienced before.
    For the gamers out there, I’ve also an Astro MixAmp Pro 2011 edition that I use for gaming (my thoughts on that shall be reserved) and the positional abilities that are present within the Pro iCAN just destroy every single thing about the Astro. In fact if I had a viable method to use an external mix with this device I would have likely left it unplugged throughout my entire time with this unit. So just in terms of its gaming capabilities, consumers should really take note of this unit (if of course their wallet can handle it, this booger isn’t cheap). I’ll use this one example so that this paragraph doesn’t go too long, when playing Final Fantasy XV there was a mission where I had to find some frogs. Well these stupid things are pretty well hidden and took me long enough to where I had an idea to try out the iCAN to try and find them that way (was using the Astro before). And when I switched over it was like switching from 360i to 1080p difference. I was able to EASILY and accurately find where each frog was just by listening to their croaks (which I heard with the Astro but wasn’t able to identify where).
    Getting back on track with the musical abilities. As of this very second while writing this I’m listening to one of my favorite tracks of all time (that unfortunately is ONLY on YouTube because they’ve never [to my knowledge] released a track so I can only imagine how it COULD sound) Pirates of the Caribbean by the Rhapsody Philharmonic, and the separation present is just incredible. I can easily identify where exactly what instrument is playing where, in addition to that I can actually hear the reverberation of certain instrument strings (in this case the double bass and occasionally a violin) when they’re closer to the recording microphones. This type of detail retrieval was consistent throughout my time with the Pro iCAN and made me close my eyes in enjoyment each and every time.
    To finish, this may be a good or a bad thing depending on how you look at it but the Pro iCAN didn’t really favor any headphone sound signature. It remained unbiased and played anything the same as everything else. For example, my Sennheiser HD650 pairs very well with my Schiit Lyr 2 (with NOS tubes I purchased) but not as sublimely with the Audio-Technicas. They don’t sound bad by any means but it just doesn’t mate as well as with headphones that are more relaxed and laid back (such as the HD650, 99 Classics, P7’s etc…).
 
Conclusion
 
                                                     
 
 
    To sum up my thoughts on the iFi Pro iCAN, is that this is truly an outstanding unit in every single aspect I could think to test it out on. It had enough power to easily and effortlessly power anything I had at my disposal to try with it all while being finess enough to silently power my hyper sensitive ciems. The build quality is not just artistic but functional and extremely durable. The iCAN is finally a device that ends my thoughts of wanting to have both a tube amp. for personal enjoyment and relaxation as well as a solid state for accurate interpretation of the equipment I’m to be reviewing. The sound, to me, was ghostly transparent while giving me full confidence that it was revealing all the detail the DAC was giving to it. I greatly enjoyed my very quick two weeks with it and absolutely recommend this amp for honestly anyone who’s in the market for an endgame amp. I’m also confident enough to say it’ll satisfy basically any needs you’d think of. Very, very well done iFi; you’ve yet again created a product that others should certainly make note of and respect.



 
Also, make sure to check out my unboxing and review videos. They’re pretty awesome AND you getta put a face to the Army-Firedawg name. If this review helped you out at all please hit that thumbs up button for it really helps me out a lot. Till next time my friends, stay safe.

  
 
 
 This has been a product that I’ve been wanting to try out ever since fellow Head-fier @nmatheis spoke so highly of it; so a couple months ago when I was offered an opportunity at a review, I quickly accepted. So thank you to Cayin for allowing me to spend some time with one of your prestigious products.

 
 

 
The Opening Experience
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
    Overall I really liked the “handshake” that Cayin provided. The box holding the i5 is presented in a way that doesn’t wow m but also doesn’t disappoint me either. The front portrays the Cayin i5 in an “action” kind of way that’s off centered with wavy lines in the back drop. I will say that this method does a great job of making the product “pop”. The back is, in my opinion, rather cluttered with quite a bit of showy ‘look what i can do ‘ jargon that largely could’ve been in a welcome pamphlet on the inside.
    Speaking of the inside, once you open the container you’re greeted by a large owner's manual & starting guide, standard stuff, that gives you a pretty good guide of all the features that are present within the Cayin i5. Directly behind that you’re presented with the i5 cleaned, polished and evenly centered. A very beautiful presentation that succeeded in giving me some serious excitement to give it a whirl.
    Finally, bringing up the rear, is inside the i5 holder and is a USB C charging cable (that hopefully becomes the new standard) & a splendidly premium coaxial cable that’s encased in a very strong fiber then to top it off with the Cayin logo printed on each termination.

 
Construction
      
   
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
    This is an area that no matter what price point it’s in I’m always on edge. More & more & more do companies cut corners & use the absolute bare minimum they can get by with just so they can maximize their bottom line profits.Thankfully I can report that the Cayin i5 doesn’t follow this path; or if they do they sure can cover it up well.
Just lifting the i5 out of its holder I was off put by the weight it has. It isn’t much, if any, larger than any of the other digital audio players (or DAP henceforth)  I’ve reviewed in the past but it does certainly have a weight to it. A fair bit of it is likely due to it being built from high strand aluminum with not easily seeable access points (it’s quite solid in other words).
The top is where you’ll find the 3.5mm line out (to plug into a stereo etc…) & the 3.5mm headphone port as well as the super finessing volume knob.. The front has a 3.5” x 2” touch screen glass along with a home “button” (doesn’t actually press down so is it still technically a button?). The bottom holds the USB C charging port. The right side (while looking at the device) holds the volume & play/pause buttons as well as the claimed up to 200gb microSD card slot (while I can confirm the claimed size I have no larger cards so it may be able to take larger I however was unable to test). The left side side (while facing the device) has the power button. I certainly saved the best for last for this beauty and that’s the back. The back of the Cayin i5 is very trippy (in a good way). It has a wavy block pattern that’s covered with a glass that has the cayin logo and other information on it on top. This combination together makes for a really cool looking illusion that makes it as if the letters on the glass are floating or even drifting on waves, a really cool touch.

 
Specifications (copied straight from the official Cayin site)
 
    


 
Functionality
 
    A DAP’s functionality (or ease of use) plays a big factor in how well an individual favors it. Most DAP’s are quite straight forward in their approach and can be learned all but instantly. But most other DAP’s don’t have an Android OS either. The i5 does have a little bit of a learning curve to it and at times, even after becoming familiar with it, it’ll still get to you sometimes.
    For those who familiarize themselves with modern Android flagship devices, the i5 will seem to be a bit sluggish in its response time. This also carries over to the app stores browsing & downloading speeds (to be discussed more in the features section). This isn’t a big deal at all just a small giggle I gave to myself about how spoiled I had become to have to wait an extra whopping .03 seconds (just a thrown out number I didn’t actually measure or count anything). The touchscreen removes the need for directional or control buttons so this does make circumventing the menu screens a bit easier.
The difficult part comes when you want to select a track you want, granted there is a search bar at the top of the page that I’ve become best friends with that allows you to search for a song you’re wanting to hear but say you want to just navigate your available songs (which are even labeled as LQ, SQ, and HQ for low, standard, and high quality sound as well as DSD [direct stream digital]). To the right of the screen gives you letters and, at least for me, makes one think that you can just hit the letter and it’ll teleport you to that section of music. Unfortunately it doesn’t so you’ve got to either use the search button or scroll for however long it takes to find the song you want.
Very few complaints aside, and honestly I believe I was just nit picking for something , I do really like how Cayin has formatted their i5. Does it have a few hiccups? Sure, as does every single DAP I’ve ever reviewed and likely ever will review. But without just nit picking it into the ground I feel they did a very good job incorporating an Android OS into a DAP format.
 
Features
 
    Unlike most DAP’s the Cayin i5 has a whole lot more to it than just a fancy way of selecting which song in what folder to play. Oh no, for as said already, the Carin i5 is an Android OS (working on a 4.4 Kitkat update) & with that comes a plethora of extra features that the user, or at least myself, can really utilize.
    The first and coolest of which I took advantage of was the wifi connectivity. Though yes, I have a couple thousand songs at my disposal, I still very much like to stream music and hear what I don’t yet have and even better yet, listen to new music I’ve yet to discover. The google play store works just like it would if it was from your phone so you in all likely could play flappy birds on here (I didn’t actually try anything other than Pandora and Spotify I was just saying). But wifi is an area that’s been very neglected throughout the DAP world and very recently has been shown that a many of users would prefer to have it as an available option (surprise, surprise).
    Next on the list is Bluetooth. I believe this is just a byproduct of having an Android OS with wireless capabilities because, at least for me, I don’t see too many people purchasing a DAP of this caliber only to stream the music to a wireless headphone and lose what makes the Cayin great.
    The last feature that I would like to discuss is how well you can create playlists with the i5. Yes, a great deal of DAP’s have the ability to create playlists, and a many of them very well. But the ease of which I could not only create a playlist but access them really impressed me. I was able to make a playlist for working out, relaxing, and even a review playlist for when it was time to actually get down to business.
 
Sound
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
    Finally we’re to the musical presentation. I will be the first to admit that before I began listening to so many DAP’s I thought that these were only a medium for which one holds their music and the only difference between the models was the looks and internal dacs and amp. chip sets. And though in the technical aspect of things this is true, but how they mix and match and even tune their devices adds a very impressive color to the music that is different with each device regardless of how similar the internal components.
    As for the Cayin i5, this device really presents a calm and relaxing presentation that still focuses on detail retrieval. The i5 also definitely possesses a pairing bias that really favors certain flavors of headphones. What I mean by this is that the i5 sounded just, sublime, when paired with the Meze headphones 99 classics. I have never hear a pairing that sounded as good as these two together (well maybe the SR-009 through the Blue Hawaii but that’s a whole new price bracket), my 99 Classics completely disappeared when playing through the i5 and retrieved detail I’ve never heard before nor again on any other system. It also paired quite well with my Bowers & Wilkins P7 but not quite as well as with the Audio-Technica lineup. Nothing I played through it sounded bad (my Empire Ears Hermes VI ciem’s did have a notable and prominent amount of hiss and even a hum however), but in direct comparison there just wasn’t as much symmetry between products that aren’t really mids to mid bass focused.
    Going back to its sound characteristics, comparing them to my other two DAP’s (Hifiman Supermini & Luxury and Precision L3) these are really smooth in their presentation and attempt to expand the soundstage of the product you’re listening to but it doesn’t quite succeed. The audio sounds farther out from left to right but the artist sound much much closer (like an egg shaped stage). As where my Supermini is very slow and warm and perfect for sleeping or working out with its heightened bass range, the i5 stays fairly balanced. It most closely resembles that of my L&P L3. Now comparing those two, sonically the L3 sound is more realistic and natural and “breaths” (I’m not sure if that’s the word I’m trying to get out but it’s what jumped out at me). Now, the difference isn’t night and day but instead a tomato tahmahto (spelled intentionally to get my point) kind of thing. Both DAP’s are roughly the same price with the i5 having more features and convenience than that of the L3 having wifi capabilities but the L3 is definitely more sonically accurate and revealing and can silently handle my ciems.
    Lastly the power output is incredible on the i5. Not a single headphone I used had the slightest amount of problems being driven by the i5. Granted nothing I used is super power crazy but they still use some juice (especially the ATH’s) but even so the Cayin never stuttered or made me make any large increase in volume. Also, on that note, the volume on the Cayin i5 is what I’ve been asking for for years. It’s buttery smooth and wonderfully linear with ONE HUNDRED volume options that increment in ONE’S!!!!! What a concept I know right? But seriously, from my phone to other DAP’s no one seems to get the volume adjustments right for I can never seem to find that sweet spot ESPECIALLY when I’m trying to sleep. Please, if ANY other DAP manufacture reads this review please take after the Cayin because they have perfected this adjustment.
 
Conclusion
 
                                                              
 
    To conclude my review of the Cayin i5. The Cayin team did a truly amazing job designing their i5 digital audio player. It’s beautifully and competently made and will play any audio codec one would throw at it. The sound is very calm and a real enjoyment to listen to but definitely pairs better with headphones that are more between mids to mid bass focused. The battery life lives up to the claimed 10 hours of active listening but it does take awhile to charge so don’t expect to plug it in for a few minutes and expect to be on your way, it’s an overnight thing. It’s really a product that an owner can really make his or her own. I completely understand why @nmatheis speaks so highly of the Cayin i5, it’s certainly well earned.



 
Also, make sure to check out my unboxing and review videos as well as a rare comparison video I made between the Cayin i5, Luxury & Precision L3, and Hifiman Supermini. They’re pretty awesome AND you getta put a face to the Army-Firedawg name. If this review helped you out at all please hit that thumbs up button for it really helps me out a lot. Till next time my friends, stay safe.
 
 

    
 
 
Beyerdynamic has been a tried and true brand for me over the years. In fact, their T70p was my first ever headphone I purchased over $200 (how the times have changed). Their quality and craftsmanship has always impressed me and this continues to the T5p model that lays here before me. I’ve some prior experience with this headphone, but it’s thanks to a subscriber of mine who reached out to me and asked if I would review a few products for my take on them, that I’m now comfortable enough to write a full review of them. So without further adue, allow me to introduce, the Beyerdynamic T5p.
 
 
 
 
 
The Opening Experience
 
 
      
 
 
 
    Yet again I find myself overly impressed with how Beyerdynamic presents both themselves and their products. Starting with the box. The T5p’s are beautifully simplified. On the front you’ve only a picture of the product in Beyers traditional white and gray background with a introductory details. The side introductions of the their Tesla technology. Then the back gives the technical details and some pictures of what’s inside. Or in other words, the box is saying ‘I’ll let my abilities speak for themselves.’
    Now, opening the box, you’re presented with a super high grade aluminum box that is the true headphone case. Not only is this highly protective, but it’s also quite stylish as well. Other elite class products provide something like pelican cases which are super protective sure, but they’re hideous, imho. Lastly you’re also given the warranty and product information booklet that’s also in full color and or premium quality paper. A very small touch but one I personally appreciate, especially since this product costs more than $1k.
    Lastly, as you open the aluminum container the Beyerdynamic T5p’s are laid out inside a universal headphone cut out with a cloth pouch holding a 10ft. extended cable that’s terminated in a 3.5mm jack but it equipped with a 6.5mm adaptor.
    Beyerdynamic may be shooting themselves in the foot by continuously providing me with firm “handshakes,” but it’s also a reason I keep finding myself returning to their brand. They always go above and beyond to present themselves with the competence they have displayed over the years.
 
 
Construction
 
                                                                                       
 
 
    As stated earlier I’ve always been incredibly fond of the craftsmanship displayed by Beyer. However, craftsmanship is not the same as durability. The T5p’s, though are built using premium materials, don’t feel like they’re super sturdy. The frame holding the Tesla drive units don’t feel very firmly placed and to occasionally slip out of their indention when not on my head. This is a quick fix by simply sliding them back (usually) up, but not an issue I’d expect to have in a product breaking the thousand dollar USD threshold. Moving down we’ve the ear pads which don’t feel premium by any stretch of the word, in fact they feel like they came off a $30 throw away. The driver housings are very well built and sturdy aluminum they both feels and looks exquisite. I will still stress the importance of taking care of these because I believe that would be rather susceptible to scratches, dents, and so on.
    This last thing however has always been my biggest complaint with early generation Beyerdynamic products and THANKFULLY this has been corrected with the new generation 2 line. But firstly the cable that Beyer has chosen feels inexcusably cheap and flimsy. Now rather or not they are cheap is out of my knowledge but they do feel this way. Also, and by far my biggest complaint, they’re not detachable. This opens, no, this blows open the door of potential issues that may arise. From shorts appearing in the cable or even more common, a house animal uses it as a play toy or you snag it on something and it tears. Any of which have potential to impose very high repair charges to the individual that could be have been easily avoided if only the cables would’ve been detachable.
    So unfortunately, though the Beyerdynamic’s are beautifully hand crafted, to very pride filled employees, they’re just not built so a degree that I personally believe a product in this price point should be. A product being made out of premium materials doesn’t go far if their weakest links aren’t built to the same standard.
 
EDIT: And go figure. As I was completing the final edits on my YouTube video of these, Phoenix, my dog, somehow found his way into my office and munched end of the cable. Luckily everything else above 2 inches from the end was untouched but now I’m stuck with the fact of paying a very high premium so fix this. I couldn’t be living my own arguments for detachable cables anymore if I tried to right now.
 
Comfort
 
 
 
 
    This I will say is something I’ve very little complaints for, and even the one I do is more of a personal issue vs. a product one. And it’s simply that where I have above average ear size I have to wiggle my ears inside the housing to get an ideal fit. Anyone with regular or smaller ears will have no issues whatsoever.
    The clamping force, getting back into the positive aspects, is terrific. It hugs my head with just enough pressure to stay put; nothing more. Though the pads look and feel cheap, they’re honestly rather comfortable on the head; course then again, so are a lot of $30 headphones.
    All in all I believe Beyerdynamic did a great job on making these very comfortable to wear for long extended listening sessions, that even I will vouch for when I use these for gaming.
 
Sound
 
    Here we are. The section the vast majority of you scrolled right down to BUT FRET NOT. I’m not mad so long as you take away something from my review in some form or another. Anywho’s. The T5p’s sound, though not one I personally seek out, is super impressive and definitely deserves on the top tier shelf among portable products.
    As to not leave you on a cliff hanger. The soundstage of the T5p’s, though rather small for a semi open headphone, is still quite impressive and respectably distant. Combine this with the spatial awareness of the positional ques and imaging abilities and you’ve the recipe for an immersive experience that’ll probably make even the most veteran of audio enthusiasts grin. Keep those notes in mind for I’ll come back to them later. But as of right now I’d like to discuss the individual aspects so that you can hopefully get an idea for what these generally sound like.
 
Treble
 
    The highs are most certainly the area that I believe Beyer focuses most strongly on. The treble in the T5p’s are grimacingly high (if the given songs extend out that far because these most certainly can/will match it) but yet still complete with control. I really hate using the word control in the treble range for it describes bass much better but I really can’t think of a more befitting word.
    What more, is that the detail retrieval present in the T5p’s are also that of great competence. I can very easily make out ever scratch that goes across a symbol and even things going on in the background of videos I’ve watched dozens of times over.
    The only negative I have to say about the treble, and it because I believe they have such long extension, is that they do get sibilant on songs with very strong, bright treble presence.  A great video to hear  what I’m referencing is my AK T8ie mk2 review. Yes, this could potentially the mic in my phone picking up interference, but it’s something I’ve experienced nonetheless.
 
Mids
 
    My favorite subsection of the sound. So how are the mids produced by the T5p’s? Overall they’re incredibly clean, accurate and full bodied. While listening to a well recorded track the Beyer’s to a truly hat tipping presentation with the liveliness and realism presented to me in the mids. They do however bleed into the treble biased by slightly increasing the tone/pitch of whichever artist you were to be listening to. Other than the slight tone increase, when I close my eyes and fully delve myself into what I’m listening to I can very easily and vividly see the artists perform and my goodness the reverb of the strings of acoustic instruments, especially the higher pitched ones.
    Now, unfortunately I couldn’t fully enjoy any and all musicians I listened to. Particularly male performers with very low sounding voices such a Trace Adkins & Chris Jones. They still sounded great sure but they lost the accuracy of their voices. So I guess that these are a headphone that really show off female voices and are alright with male.
 
Bass
 
    This is definitely going to be a make or break area for a many of users. The bass on the Beyerdynamic T5p is beautiful. It’s tighter than most any other dynamic headphone I can think of and has stupid good control. The potential break it for people is that I foresee is that these don’t have much of an impact to them which makes them quite bass light. In fact, so much so I would actually call them a bright headphone. This is rather unfortunate because these overall are a great sounding piece of equipment. But a very strong reason why I cannot call these a reference class headphone is because even on songs that I KNOW were specifically designed to be a heavy bass song, the T5p did little more that portray a giant spotlight on all the minor details present in the song. This is fine and good to an extent but, at least for me personally, I like to enjoy music for it being music and not dissecting it for every nook and cranny.
 
Addendum:
 
    Remember earlier when I told you to keep my mention of the soundstage and it’s positional accuracy in mind? Well here’s why. For those of you like myself who love to play online, these headphones are unbelievable. Never (and I really dislike using that word), have I felt so inside a game before and I don’t even have an optimized setup just yet. For those who don’t know, I am a huge fan of the game Destiny (PS4, gamertag is same as on here). The creators did a wonderful job when they created not just the soundtrack for the game but environmental ques. While wearing the T5p’s, I have discovered so many new sounds and aspects to the game I’ve never realised before. To add even more to this, when I’m delving into PVP (player vs. player [multiplayer]) activities, the T5p gives me almost an unfair advantage. They are incredible in portraying not just quick accurate movement within the soundstage, but these headphones also portray height better than almost any headphone I’ve tried in a very long time. So for those looking for an absolutely top tier gaming headphone, I’d strongly encourage you to at least give these a try.
    A downside to using these with gaming is that they do require the use of an external microphone is you wish to communicate with other people. From my personal experience this isn’t difficult to do minus, again with my personal setup, the fact that horrible static came into the audio that made the people I play with often mute me which completely defeated the point.
 
Conclusion
 
    To conclude my review of the Beyerdynamic T5p, they are a beautifully designed product that shows it’s built with pride. Unfortunately the construction could be a bit better. The driver housings don’t stay secure with the fit setting I’ve placed and often have to readjust them when take them off my head. Also the cable is not only very cheaply made (from my assumption of its feel and appearance), but they’re also non detachable.
    The sound is strictly clinical and goes out of its way it seems to showcase every minute detail that can be presented out of the track you’re listening to. To some this is exactly the sound they enjoy but to others who enjoy a more musical presentation like myself, they likely won’t be able to listen to these for super long duration.
    Comfort is top notch, I don’t have any complaints about these being anything less than a light hug to my head.
    Finally, these are a tremendously dangerous gaming headphone. I wish I had these to play with a Final Fantasy game or some similar solo player game so that I may fully see what these can bring.
 
 
                                                                          

 
 
Also, make sure to check out my unboxing and review videos. They’re pretty awesome AND you getta put a face to the Army-Firedawg name. If this review helped you out at all please hit that thumbs up button for it really helps me out a lot. Till next time my friends, stay safe.
 

  
 
 
 
 My goodness, these last few months have been crazy busy. From life changing career opportunities, to marrying my better half, to a plethora of products on my doorstep to review. I’ve been humbled beyond words this year and to add icing to the humble pie a subscriber of my YouTube channel reached out to me a few weeks ago asking if I would be interested in reviewing some of his gear for he’d like my opinion on them. Amongst them was the Beyerdynamic AKT8ie mk2. This product in particular I’ve had my eyes on ever since I first seen them on an episode of Head-Fi TV. Keeping my personal excitement in check I ensured it’d be ok with him and asked what his requirements were, and he simply said he really wanted to know my opinion of them. Never have I had someone else send me, a complete stranger, their personal and prized belongings before, and to say I felt honored would be an insulting understatement. But for better or worse I told him that regardless of how appreciative I was my review would be an honest one, to where he replied he’d expect nothing less.
    Now, with the pleasantries and introduction aside, grab yourselves a snack, sit back in your favorite comfy chair and relax; for now it’s time to begin the review of the Beyerdynamic & Astell & Kern AK T8ie mk2.
 
 
 
The Opening Experience
      
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
    The AKT8ie mk2’s continue to live up to my expectations of the Beyerdynamic presentation. The box is a complete opposite color scheme of their traditional gray and white scale (which I personally much prefer) for a more matte black one, but the very simplified presentation remains. The front has just a picture of the product with the brand and model name. The sides contain a short introduction into what this product is and what’s inside as well as a diagram into the construction of the product (I personally never really cared for this. Not a negative by no means, but not a positive either.). The back shows an opening of the box as well as a written explanation as to what’s inside. So far, I’m really impressed with the Beyers really just saying ‘plug me in and allow me to show you what I can do, I need not boast.’  
    As you open the box my first reaction was wow even the physical box itself feels like an extremely premium resume paper in box form with the words Astell & Kern as its watermark. Upon opening the you’re presented with the AKT8ie mk2’s in a precision cut out, felt, platform. To the right of the beautiful and hand made iems is the instruction and warranty information, also presented in a luxurious, envelop like, fashion. Then beneath the iems lies the two provided cables, that too are presented in a premium fashion in their own cut out space. The first cable is the standard 3.5mm termination cable and the second is a 2.5mm terminated balanced cable.
    But wait, the unboxing isn’t yet finished for this box has a treat. The side contains a drawer that inside holds 3 pairs of Comply memory foam tips (S,M,L) and 4 pairs of proprietary tips made specifically for the AKT8ie mk2 (XS-XL [the medium is equipped on the iems by default]). You’re also given a nice metallic shirt clip to keep these in place during commute and finally, Beyerdynamic & Astell & Kern offer you a luxurious leather carrying case. I will that despite the case being really nice it’s too bulky and awkwardly shaped to carry it in your pocket (at least from my experience).
    To conclude the initial experience, or “handshake” I more applicably consider it; I am rarely this blown away and impressed with the degree of detail and thought that went into a product's container. Not only are the AKT8ie mk2’s hand made in Germany, which is a HUGE bonus for me as a consumer to know someone actually put hands on time into my product instead of being pushed through a machine by the hundreds, but there’s no way a machine placed this iem and additionals in this nice of a fashion. I wasn’t just given a firm and welcomed handshake, I was given a heartfelt hug and was made to feel like I was the star of the show.
 
Construction
      
 
 

 
    To this point in time, I’ve yet to be disappointed by a single product bestowing the Beyerdynamic name. Regardless of their price point they’ve always been crafted and put together with competence and with longevity in mind. And thankfully, the joint effort between Beyerdynamic and Astell & Kern continues this fine legacy.
    The driver housing is made from a very high grade aluminum that’s super smooth and form fitting in the ear (to be discussed further in the comfort section). I do wish they made it a little easier to differentiate between the left and right iem at a glance because I often grab the wrong one or have to look which one is L & R; not even a minor issue but a small gripe still. Now, a potential issue I can see people running into is the weird shape of the AT T8’s horn. It’s an oval like shape that is rather difficult to get any other than the stock or the Comply tips on. Also, for even the Comply tips that can fit on them; I fear you may not be getting a great seal on the horn. I’ll be the first to state I think the impact is negligible at best but still a “feature” I feel is unnecessary.  
    The iems, if you remember from the unboxing section, come with 2 cables. This means that the cables are detachable. This is always a positive feature to have because I honestly can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen people have to pay huge premiums to have their high end iems repaired or reterminated because they’ve a simple short in their cable. Or, they prefer to purchase aftermarket cables to better accent their already great product and perhaps tie it more towards their tastes. Whatever the reason, having this ability is a huge positive. Now, as for the stock cables that do come with the AK T8ie mk2’s, they’re honestly quite impressive. They’re built very firmly but yet aren’t rigid at all nor do they possess much microphonics. The wires are joined by a nice aluminum splitter and terminated with an aluminum either 3.5mm or 2.5mm balanced jack. My only real gripe with the stock cables is they they do tend to tangle fairly easily; but with proper storage this issue would be minimized.
 
Comfort
 
                                                                                      

 
 
    The ability for one to wear these for long durations is incredibly relevant in the AK T8’s. The frame of these is very slim and fit easily into one's ears, even those with slightly smaller than average size. The horn is the only limiting factor I would have to say may arise with some people. It’s an average size horn (not shape, size) but in no way is as inclusive as the horns found on the Shure and Westone models.
    These also stay cool inside the ear, which is more of a personal preference of course but for me personally I hate it when plastic iems get warm in my ears after I’ve been listening to them for a while. On the note of being in one's ears for long periods of time, these also don’t hardly weigh anything at all. Shoot, the cable is more troublesome than the iem is in terms of weight and even they don’t weigh nothing at all.
    Quite a short section, but there’s only so many ways I can say that there’s no issues with a products ability to be worn for extended duration without blabbering on. It’s awesome. No complaints. Great job.
 
Sound
 
    What I feel is the most important aspect of an audio piece. Some people desire a product that looks good, and though I will side some on that the ability a product possesses to produce audio is what should be the focal point of a conversation, everything else can be for bonus. So how do the Beyerdynamics collaboration with Astell & Kern sound? Amazing.
What? Oh, guess I should probably explain that a little more shouldn’t I? The AK T8ie mk2 has a really smooth and relaxing yet still articulate and reference sound. Honestly, these would make a great love child for those who wish to take the stunning detail reproduction from the Shure SE846 (reference filter) and the sensuality and calm nature of the Sennheiser IE800. Or actually these complement the sound signature of my personal ciems, Empire Ears Hermes VI, strikingly well. I’ll explain that further in the individual characteristics because it’s the subtle differences in those ranges that I believe makes the difference in this iem.
Getting back on track with discussing the general signature; the AK T8’s have really impressive imaging and musical separation. It’s very, very easy to drift away into whatever performance you have these create. So much so that this review took me a lot longer than it usually takes to write because I kept closing my eyes and just enjoying the music. Now admittedly, anything less in this price point would be an immediate disappointment. Talking about the musical separation before I continue, I have heard much better separation that what’s present in the AK T8ie mk2’s but I am still rather taken away by the clarity of how well the iems can handle larger performances. Though the instruments will bleed together slightly quicker than I’d expect in this price point what is made out is really detailed and crystal in its presentation of that piece. Lastly, to continue with the separation, and honestly imaging as well, is the ability the T8’s have to accurately depict where the performers are located and what more where it places me as the listener. Very rarely does an iem, regardless of price, have such accurate locational cues.
So that I may hopefully explain why I have compared these to the products I have, especially to my EE Hermes VI (I recommend you read my review of them as well so that you’ll understand better why there great complementary (c)iems).
 
Treble
 
    Call it tacky but to me the treble is like the eyes to the music. When you look into someone’s eyes you can see a lot about them. Are they piercing and uninviting, or are they calm and welcoming? Same can be said about a product's ability to control its high notes.
The highs in the the T8’s are definitely that belonging on the top shelf. The detail retrieval and control are quite impressive. The treble has great extension and can really reach up there in a respectable linear fashion then just before it gets harsh it takes a steep drop off. A prime and almost immediate example is in the song “Colour Of The Moon” by Allan Taylor. The song begins with a simple high pitch tone that escalates in amplitude. The AK T8’s produce the sounds as linearly as they’re presented but does fall off just before it peaks.
    The treble of these reminds me mostly of the Shure SE846. They’re very detailed yet are soft in their presentation. Regardless if you’re hit with a, how you say, overly aggressive drummer on the symbols or an energetic violinist, there’s not a trace of sibilance.
 
Mids
 
    Here is where the vocals lie, where the emotion of the artist is shared with their audience.
This is the area that I personally pay the most attention to because it’s, to me, where the soul of the music is portrayed. My hope is to be able to connect to the artist I’m listening to and unless the mids are portrayed cleanly and accurately I feel like the product sounds relatively hollow (why I don’t like strong v shape sound signatures).
    So how about the Beyers? Very neutral and clean overall I’d say. The AK T8’s produce the mid range with wonderful accuracy, that combined with the spatial awareness and imaging it possesses, seems as if the artist is singing directly to you. There isn’t really any song in particular that I can use as an example because honestly anything that had singing in it played really well with these iems.
    Here is where I feel they complement my Empire Ears Hermes VI. They possess a nicely forward midrange and upper bass that portray a super smooth and engaging and musical experience over a clinically accurate one that you get with the Beyers.
 
Bass
 
    Lastly we’ve the bass. Which I suppose a majority of people will agree with me when I say that it’s the heartbeat of the music. Like the heart, bass needs to be under control and have the ability to speed up swiftly when the beat begins to hit yet also slow itself down when the calm parts of a song shine through. If the bass in uncontrollable or all over the place, like the heart, the rest of the product will perform very subpar and can honestly make for a less than admirable experience.
So how is the heart in the Beyerdynamic & Astell & Kern AK T8ie mk2? Like a well tuned athlete. The bass in these are really tight and engaging and have a very impressive impact when the time is right, especially in the sub bass range. I’ve of late gotten into some trap and edm music during my commute to work to help me get in the mood to kick this days derriere. Often I find a product, earphones especially, unable to really keep up with the beat of faster hitting music but the T8’s do a wonderful job. Now, I’m not a frequency expert so I can’t say exactly where it is but somewhere in the upper mid bass the bass sounds slightly bloated. Not enough to ruin this by any imaginable stretch of the word but it does sound slightly out of place when you’re listening to a lower toned acoustic track like “Long After I’m Gone” by Chris Jones. But truthfully other than that small hiccup, the bass is exactly what I’ve come to love on the Beyerdynamic products.
This is where they complement the Sennheiser IE800’s. The Sennheisers have a really slow and calm bass presence that lends itself to pure musical enjoyment where as control is the is the gear of the T8. My Hermes VI sides more closely to the IE800’s but still has the control of the T8’s which yet again, why I find these 2 to be a wonderful complementary products.
 
Conclusion
 
                                                                    
 
                            
 
    When reviewing products I really try and find things that make them not stand out, negatives I guess I should say. Rather it be a product being overpriced, or it being poorly constructed or even uncomfortable. With the collaboration between world renowned brands Astell & Kern and Beyerdynamic, I honestly couldn’t find true negatives that “disqualify” it from it’s $999 asking price.
    These have a very rock solid build quality, that even gives uses the luxury of knowing it was made by physical hands and not a entirely a machine. They can, and in my case most certainly have, be worn for many hours on end. The sound is blissfully engaging yet clinical so those who love to detail whore most certainly won't feel left out.
    I’ve easily put 50 hours in these during my time with them and have enjoyed every single minute of it. I loved comparing them to my Empire Ears Hermes VI because they just compliment them so well it is THIS REASON that I can finally fully and wholeheartedly understand why people would want multiple end game headphones for reasons other than they are financially able to so why not.
 
 
 
 
Also, make sure to check out my unboxing and review videos AND also a rare VS video between these and my personal Empire Ears Hermes VI!. They’re pretty awesome AND you getta put a face to the Army-Firedawg name. If this review helped you out at all please hit that thumbs up button for it really helps me out a lot. Till next time my friends, stay safe.

  
                                                                            
 
 
    As I touched on in my 11 Neo review, it’s very humbling when a company sends you not just a product of theirs to review, but their entire lineup. At least to me, that means a lot that a company values my input to such a degree. Recently, I was sent the 11 Neo & 12 Classics to review and also compare the two and then to share my opinions with this amazing community we have.
    Short introduction but I pretty much gave my thoughts already. Anywho, pleasantries aside, how about we jump into this fine review shall we?
 
 
 
The Opening Experience
 
        
 
 

 
    The unboxing to the 12 Classics we the exact same as that of their younger brothers the 11 Neo’s. This isn’t to take away from the experience at all for even still at the $79 MSRP this is still a wonderfully appreciated unboxing.
    The box is made of a nice cardboard that isn’t too bogged down with boasting jargon, but there is still some on it. The front bestows a picture of the 12 Classics in a manner representing their Trident logo. The back shows the making of the iem (which never did anything for me personally), a frequency graph (always welcomed), the normal specification, and their name and company motto. Very simplistic, just how I like it.
    Upon opening the box I was presented the 12 Classics in a precision cut foam container that held the iems in Meze’s trident design (I’m really enjoying the attention to detail presented by Meze). Under the iems you’re given the same, rather nice,  semi-hard round case as the 11 Neo to carry and protect the 12 Classic’s in. Then finally, inside said case is a very nice assortment of tips as well as a pack of Comply memory foam.
To sum, if I haven’t shown my point, I was rather impressed with the “handshake” that felt both full of pride and company competence.
 
 
Construction
 
                                                                                                                         

 
    Always one of my bigger fears with a sub $100 product. But I honestly have minimal fears of this products construction; even less if they’re always treated with care. Though I don’t think they're as durable as the 11 Neo’s (made of wood vs aluminum) Meze did a wonderful job putting these together. The driver frame is encompassed with a nice, real wood, frame that also has some plastic around the edges of the wood, but still sporting their Meze trident logo on each earphone.
    The cable is respectably made even still in this price point. There is a fair bit of microphonics which did get irritating from time to time but so long as I wasn’t moving (as in relaxing in a chair/couch etc…) this posed no worries. On the right side is a single button. Universal, microphone that does do my voice rather well (no complaints from anyone I talk to with it).
    Then moving towards the bottom we’ve a cable splitter that’s unfortunately not wood wrapped but instead it’s either a really nice plastic or perhaps even aluminum, and then terminated with a standard 3.5mm aux jack.
    So overall in terms of durability, I’m quite confident in the 12 Classics, but I wish it had more of the wooden presence that I was expecting them to have being an in ear 99 classics (not a quote made from anyone by Meze but a comparison I’ve been seeing in the forums). However, I still feel great pride was paid to these when being crafted, and as a consumer I appreciate seeing that.
 
 
Comfort
 
                                                                                                       

 
    This section is quite subjective but as a general synopsis I’ll say absolutely. Now, I didn’t use the tips that were supplied with the unit for I used my personal Comply memory foam tips (which the 12 Classics do come with 1 pair). Like the 11 Neo’s, the 12 Classics aren’t heavy in the slightest and after a short period of time I forget they are even in my ear. Being housed in what is essentially the same frame as the 11 Neo, the 12 Classics possess that same unfortunate protrusion from my ears as the 11 Neo do. This sucks because I would really like to sleep with these in my ears but they just push painfully in my ears if I’m lying on my sides.  
Short section but they’re rather straightforward. As to the 12 Classics, they’re wonderful with everything except for sleeping in. Oh, about forgot, but the isolation factor (with the Comply tips) is alright; nothing really exceptional but I do find it difficult to hear my wife calling for me with these in and music playing .
 
 
Sound
 
 
    Upon first looking at the frequency graph I really thought that these were just a reskin of the 11 Neo’s but though they’re somewhat similar the 12 Classics I feel are more “tame” than that their younger brother. I’ll describe that of course here very soon in the individual aspects but for better or worse the intimate soundstage and respectable imaging hasn’t changed. I can still depict individual instruments from the orchestra or group playing so the separation is quite nice, especially to only be 80 bucks, but they all sound rather up close and personal to me. Also same with the imaging. If I close my eyes and really focus on what I’m listening to I can visualize the performance but by no means will these wisp me away (though granted I never expected a $79 product to).
    But as I mentioned earlier, allow me to do discuss my findings on the individual characteristics so that I may better explain why I find these to be more tame than the 11 Neo counterpart.
 
Treble
 
 
    I honestly don’t know what they changed in their tuning between the 11 Neo and the 12 Classics but man they hit it on the head. They extended the treble really nicely without it getting harsh at all. To add, one of my favorite treble test songs (and in general) is “Where Is My Mind” by Maxence Cyrin. This song on the 11 Neo just sounded ok but on the 12 Classics the beauty is ever present and the piano is just mesmerizing to listen to.
    Also, the mild distortion that was in the 11 Neo’s in the range that symbols are,  aren’t present in the 12 Classics. Perhaps that’s due to the sound being “free’er (is that even a word?)” with its better extension, I don’t know, but I sure like it.
    I really have zero complaints about the treble range in the 12 Classics. Meze did an amazing job with their tuning.
 
 
Mids
 
 
    This section is one I’m hit and miss with on the 12 Classics. As I’m sure those of you who follow my reviews know, I’m a huge stickler for the mid section in audio equipment. To me, it’s where the heart, soul, and feelings of the artist is portrayed. So I want the mids to be as clean and forward as possible while maintaining realistic sound.
    The mids in the 12 Classics are not as forward as they are in the 11 Neos, in fact I would say they’re very slightly recessed. Which would make since with the increases in the treble and bass ranges (to be discussed in the next section). A good song, or actually 2 I’ll add, is Sanctuary from the Kingdom Hearts Soundtrack, and “Muddy Water” by Trace Adkins. Both songs (especially by Trace Adkins) really portray a strong emotional connection to the audience but with the 12 Classics they sounded somewhat distant without body to their words (again even more present in male vocals such as with Mr. Adkins).
Earlier I said I was hit and miss with these and thus far I’ve only been a miss. Well I’m a hit in the mids on artists with more neutral voices (pardon me for not being able to think of any off hand [and sure as snot as I’m typing this I find an artist on my “mix” on YouTube that sounds awesome, the video is “Boruto AMV- Ready Or Not”]). Those particular cases sound quite nice on the 12 Classics.
 
 
Bass
 
 
    My terminology by calling the bass the “heartbeat” of the music couldn’t be more present in the 12 Classics. Though overall they maintain the slower recovery and exaggerated decay, the 12 Classics have a much more prominent impact than I expected. A fun song to listen to a hear what I’m referencing is “Feel Invincible” by Skillet, or “When The Beat Drops” by (I’m honestly not sure for there’s so many variants but the Naruto AMV is the specific one I’m referencing).
The upper bass to the upper mid bass maintains the same wonderful characteristics of being smooth and enjoyable that I enjoyed in the 11 Neo, but the bass doesn’t straight drop off. They do still recede don’t get me wrong in that but they have very interesting spikes in the drop off that gives it the “illusion” (best word I could come up with) as being heavier on the bass than it really is. Listen to pretty much any song with an actual bass drum and you’ll hear what I mean. The rest of the range is somewhat receded but on when the bass drum hits it sounds rather heavy (and perhaps out of place is a degree).
 
Conclusion
 
                                                                                                                

 
    To sum up my thoughts on the Meze Headphones 12 Classics, they are an amazing buy for sub $100. They’re not as warm and relaxed sounding as their 11 Neo counterparts, but instead have become a much better all round iem. that really paired well with any genre (but not necessarily deep voiced male vocals). The build quality is above average of other products in this price range but the attention paid to the minor details really sets the 12 Classics aside. s
 
 
 
 
Also, make sure to check out my unboxing and review videos. They’re pretty awesome AND you getta put a face to the Army-Firedawg name. If this review helped you out at all please hit that thumbs up button for it really helps me out a lot. Till next time my friends, stay safe.
 

    This year I feel that I’ve been truly blessed with an abundance of opportunities and humbling experiences. From marrying the woman of my dreams, to finally achieving my dreams of earning a position with the Concord Fire Department. God has truly blessed my family. I say all that to say this. I was honored earlier this year by being allowed to take part in a review of their 99 Classic model headphones and truly fell in love with them, and now I find myself being allowed to not only review one of their famed iems, the 11 Neo, but also their 12 Classic’s as well (to be reviewed at a later date). When a company allows me to take part in sampling not just one product they offer but multiple I truly feel humbled and truly honored. I’ve been reviewing products for a little over a year and have sampled a many of items; some making it to review, while others wanted just an opinion for their prototype. And each time I feel humbled by the level of trust given to me. My personal goal as a reviewer is to first and foremost convey, to the best of my ability, my true and honest opinion of a product (which has unfortunately led to a couple of lost acquaintances but my word is all I have in life) so that my readers (or viewers) can hopefully get an idea into the product they will be purchasing. Secondly, I wish to create a partnership and friendship amongst the companies I review products with and build trust so that not only can I continue to review other products, but I wish gain their trust and confidence that I will take care of the products sent to me. And lastly, I wish to someday hopefully in what small influence I can have, be able to say I contributed to the furthering of this absolutely amazing hobby we have hear in the audio world.
And thus far, from what I’ve gathered, Meze and their crew has listened to their audience about potential shortcomings in their products and has made appropriate corrections within months (i.e. larger ear pads), which says a great deal.Alright, now with all the pleasantries and my blabbering aside, please allow me to discuss my findings I’ve had with this very price approachable, Meze Headphones 11 Neo’s.
 
                                               
 
 
 
 


The Opening Experience
 
      
 
 
 

    Or what I like to call the “handshake.” From my view point, this is the closest a company can get to introducing themselves to their customers. I refer to it as a “handshake” because that’s the most applicable way of greeting someone and gauging their character (blame it on my southern roots or whatever have you). It also says a lot about how a person views the interaction. Will my outstretched hand be met with a firm handshake that bestows pride and competence? Or will I receive just a hand that’s been extended only as a courtesy that has no merit at all to it because the individual is too distracted by a phone (or other distractant) or because of no interest at all?
Thankfully, the Meze 11 Neo’s are most closely related to the reflection of pride and competence. To be honest and upfront, at a MSRP of only $60 I wasn’t expecting the moon or even much more than basic plastic cut outs. But Meze delivers their product in a manner I rarely find outside of $100-150 products.
The box itself is a nice cardboard that isn’t too bogged down with boasting jargon. The front bestows a picture of the 11 Neo’s in a manner representing the Trident (at least I believe that’s what it is) trademark. The back shows the making of the iem (which never did anything for me personally), a frequency graph (which is always a welcomed addon), the normal specification, and their name and company motto. Very simplistic, just how I like it.
Upon opening the package (again, I wasn’t expecting much more than plastic) I was presented the 11 neo in a precision cut foam container that held the iems in Meze’s trident design. This simple thing rather impressed me. That small and likely quick thing to do spoke wonders, to me, about the pride they show in their company which reflects in the products presentation.
Now, under the iems you’re given a respectable semi-hard round case to carry and protect the 11 Neo’s in. Then finally, inside said case is a very nice assortment of tips as well as a pack of Comply memory foam.
To sum, if I haven’t shown my point, I was rather impressed with the “handshake” that felt both full of pride and company competence.

Construction
 
                                                                     
 

    Cool, I was given a very nice “handshake” great. But was I given a product that I will only be able to use for a short time? Or, do I have a well made gem that feels I would have it for years to come? With proper care, I’m going to sway my vote towards the later.
The driver housing is encompassed in aluminum, which in and of itself is extremely durable, and of course each is sporting the trident logo.
The cable is made respectable. Nothing about it shouts out one way or another to me in terms of durability, it does look good though. Moving down, on the right side you’ve your single button universal mic that’s also encased in aluminum. Lastly, towards the bottom of the cable you’ve an aluminum splitter (not the share headphones kind), again with the Meze logo, and aluminum aux jack.
So overall the cable does some very nice aesthetics and with respect to the $60 price not a bad construct either. One drawback I will say is that there does possess some microphonics. It’s not terrible by any stretch of the word, but it present nonetheless.

Comfort

    Hmm, ok, so I’ve been given a great introduction to the product and it’s even built well. But can I wear it for long periods??!?!?! Of course this section is going to be quite subjective but as a general idea I’ll say absolutely. Now, I didn’t use the tips that were supplied with the unit for I used my personal Comply memory foam tips (which the 11 Neo does come with 1 pair). The 11 Neo’s aren’t heavy in the slightest and even after a short period of time they kinda just drift away and I forget they are even in my ear. This is rather unfortunate because the warm and soft tonality of them (which will be discussed further in the next section) makes them perfect to sleep with. What makes it unfortunate is that they protrude out too far and put too much pressure on the ear which is not comfortable in the very least.
Short section but iems are kinda hard to discuss. As to the 11 Neo, they’re wonderful with everything except for sleeping in. Oh, about forgot, but the isolation factor (with the Comply tips) is alright; nothing really exceptional.

Sound

    Alright, we’re finally putting Meze’s 11 Neo in our ears, how do they sound? For those who’re familiar with Meze’s house sound, will find themselves right at home. The 11 Neo’s present a very nice and warm sound that’s great for relaxing and just enjoying the music. The soundstage is rather close but not suffocating and the imaging is there but don’t expect to be drifted away in the a visual performance. These are very musical earphones that are the perfect summer day on a beach kinda slow. But allow me to delve more into the individual aspects of the sound so that I may explain my findings of the sound better shall I?

Treble

    The treble on the 11 Neo’s are smooth, soft and clean. They don’t have nor show too high of extension and in fact they peak quite early but this, though initially sounding unappealing, blends very well into the overall sound signature the 11 Neo possesses. There’s no harshness at all when listening to these, even after an entire cd of fast paced violin of high keyed pianos, my ears never got fatigues. Now, when listening to symbols (I’m unsure at what frequency that is) I do hear some distortion that seems like the drivers are overworking themselves in that particular range and they just get tired.

Mids

    I swear, I think those of you who follow my reviews (rather on here or YouTube) are sick of hearing why I like mids so much but my goodness do I. What other range can you hear the artist's soul and feelings they’re trying to portray in their music? And wow does Meze and their team know how to make some beautiful mids (for what I like).
Now, being respectful to the very VERY low price point these are being asked for ($60), the mids are very lifelike and appealing to listen to. You can (and I have) very easily listen to either music or talk shows or even youtube videos for hours and be amused by the level of realism (with respect to price) that the 11 Neo bestows.
Stepping into the price no question for a moment, though these are really smooth to listen to there is a few things that could be improved on. For example when the artists is snapping their fingers or entertainer is talking there is a “flesh to bone” aspect that isn’t that present in the 11 Neo that I wish was. It’s something that really ties in real life and audio product.

Bass

    The heartbeat of the product. The bass is what controls the pace of the product (for the most part). As relating to the 11 Neo’s, the bass is slow, smooth, and exaggerated with longer decay. Like in the treble section, this is something that looks horrible on paper because the standard everyone looks for and THINKS they must have is a flat response with lightning quick responses. Now there’s nothing wrong with those looking for products like that but I’d recommend you look elsewhere. Because the way the Meze has tuned the signature of the 11 Neo is beautiful and I honestly wouldn’t (or rather couldn’t without raising the price) change anything about it.
Right quick before I end this section I do want to disclose an advisory against those who like listening to metal or bass heavy music. Though the 11 Neo is a great all rounder it really doesn’t have that great of a bass hit. It has a pretty steep drop off from the upper-mid bass range down.

Conclusion

    To conclude the Meze Headphones 11 Neo, they live up to, no they’ve greatly exceeded my expectations of what I expect from a very inexpensive and consumer friendly priced product. These are a great all rounder for those who enjoy a far more musical product vs a sonically accurate one. The presentation is very smooth and relaxing and is built soundly enough so that as long as one takes care of it, should last for many years to come.

                                                          

Also, make sure to check out my unboxing and review videos. They’re pretty awesome AND you getta put a face to the Army-Firedawg name. If this review helped you out at all please hit that thumbs up button for it really helps me out a lot. Till next time my friends, stay safe.

    There’s no way I can start this review without giving a shout out and massive thank you to my friends over at Hifiman. This is the second time they’ve sent me some of their products to review and I’m just as thankful and appreciative, probably more actually, than the first time. Like myself, there’s a lot of people who’re interested in purchasing a DAP and Hifiman allowing me the opportunity to share my opinions with others is both very humbling and something I appreciate so again, Hifiman thank you for time with your product.
 
Like the disclaimer I posted in my SuperMini Review, there’s a lot of similarities between the Mega & Super mini’s respectably. So throughout this review I’ll likely reference back to the other.
 
                                                                            

 
 
 
 
 
 
The Opening Experience
 
          

   
 
   
 

 
    The initial handshake, the greeting if you will amongst consumer and company. Truthfully I’m often satisfied with a company's effort in this section; very rarely am I disappointed. So, does Hifiman continue their trend with presenting a very respectful “handshake” to their customer? Yes, The Hifiman Supermini is presented in a sublimely simplistic boc that’s matte black with the only words (other than a sticker) seen is that of the Hifiman logo.
    ‘Firedawg, why do you always praise packages that are simplistic?’ Great questions my imaginary friend. The reason for this is I’m a person of action, for better or for worse, I like to see what a product can actually do; not what’s said (or not said) on paper.
    Getting back on track, upon opening the MegaMini you’re greeted with it being very nicely centered in black sponge like material. Which unlike the SuperMini’s all black on black approach. I rather like the white box, silver product, and black backdrop; adds a very nice touch of character (but again. It’s more of a personal preference thing). Underneath you’re given the charging cable and instruction manual. If you’re one of the lucky ones who jumped at the super early bird special then you should also have a pair of RE-400a’s to complement your new DAP as well.
Honestly, this is a pretty rock solid unboxing. No jargon, only product. Let’s just hope the MegaMini can speak for itself.
 
Construction
 
                                           
                                          
 
 

 
    So it looks nice out of the package, but that’s all for not if it breaks easily. But I’ve no worries with the Megamini. It’s built from very lightweight and slick aluminum that feels deceptively sturdy. The screen is of adequate size in respect to the rest of the unit so no complaints there. The front of the device is where you’ve the majority of the controls. From left to right you’ve the go back button, previous/rewind, next/forward, play/pause/select. On the right of the unit is the power button and on the left you’ve the volume controls. The bottom you have the standard 3.5mm aux port, micro SD card slot (that like the SuperMini, is up to 256gb), and micro usb charging port.
    Like the SuperMini, the MegaMini is a fairly straight forward dap. I have complete confidence that unless you handle it inappropriately, will have no foreseeable issues. It’s super small and very light weight. I see these being used for working out do to this very reason.
Specifications

Specifications​