Price: 110$

Specifications:

DAC AKM AK4452
Bluetooth version Bluetooth 5.0, support AAC, SBC, aptX
Output power 245mW @ 32 Ohm
Recommended output impedance 16 – 300 Ohm
Supported sampling rate 24bit 192kHz
THD+N 0.008% @ 1kHz
Adjustable gain +3dB / +9dB
Frequency response 10Hz – 100kHz (+/-0.5dB)
Battery capacity 3.7V 1800mAh
Battery life AUX IN: ≥15H Bluetooth input: ≥12H USB IN: ≥8H
USB receiver Support Android mobile phone with OTG function and 192kHz/24bit lossless transmission at most, computer USB input, support with XP, Win7, Win8, Win10 (it is necessary to install driver), MAC system.
Weight 115g




Unboxing
The XDUOO XP-2 comes in a white cardboard external box, which contains another black rigid one. There are a charging/data cable (USB type A to micro-USB), a micro-USB to micro-USB, a micro-USB to USB type C and a jack to jack. And then a manual and a warranty card, and you can also find a soft separator to stack the XP-2 with other devices. I believe you can connect it to an iPhone with a camera adapter which you can buy directly from Apple. I don’t own any Apple mobile devices, so my impressions will concern Android and Mac OS. With Windows, you’d need some drivers.



The product
The XP-2 is a DAC/Amp which works bot wired and wireless, with Bluetooth 5.0. The wired interface is a micro-USB, and there are two of them, one for charging the device and the other for your PC/Smartphone/DAP connection. There are a headphone output and an aux in/out jack, both 3.5mm, both gold-plated. The volume knob is analogic, and it also works as an on/off wheel on the first step. It is a great feature of this DAC, because it’s very well-built and reacts from any small movement you do on it. The build quality is great, with an all-metal body and just a plastic insert for the Bluetooth receiver. Spoiler: the antenna is not bad! On a side, there’s a Bluetooth link button (which however is not so essential because when you power up the XP-2, it automatically searches for the last device connected). There’s also a gain switch, with low and high. For my IEMs, even the low gain mode provides a lot of power. The last button is a “Select” one, to switch between modes. I find this device to be very intuitive, much more than the iFi xDSD. There’s a LED which helps you to understand which mode you are using:

• Green: Bluetooth (but while pairing it’s blue, I believe; I’m colorblind);
• Red: USB;
• Both: Aux.

If I had to change something, I’d say that they could put a USB type C interface instead of the micro-USB. In fact, the BT 5.0 is pretty future-proof, but the micro-USB is not. I accept it because I know that it helps keeping the price low.

Pairings
I’ve used the XDUOO XP-2 in every possible way. I’ll list the sources and the various earphones paired.

MacBook Pro 2012 via USB; Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 via USB and Bluetooth; Dodocool DA106 via Aux; FiiO M7 via AUX and Bluetooth (the M7 is not compatible with the XP-2 via USB, exactly like it wasn’t with the Audirect Beam; instead, with the iFi xDSD it perfectly works).

IEMs: BGVP DM6 and DMG, FiiO FA1, Tin HiFi T2 and T3, ADVANCED M4.

Headphones: Sennheiser Momentum On Ear, 1MORE MK801.

Earbuds: 1MORE Piston, **** BK2.



Sound, features, comparisons
Let’s start saying the sound is great. Not only this device can provide a lot of power, but its signal is also really clean and noiseless. Comparing it to the iFi xDSD (which costs more than 3 times more), I find the XDUOO to provide a much more neutral sound. You can easily understand the xDSD is a bass-oriented multi-functional DAC, but I was surprised to hear how much the XP-2 was cleaner and brighter in its reproduction. That being said, the bass provided by the XP-2 is still great and more forward than average. The soundstage is average, but it depends a lot on the earphones in use; the xDSD offers more 360° impressions, width and especially depth. But I don’t feel the need to have something better here: a wide sounding IEM (like the ADVANCED M4) is perfect paired with it. It’s difficult to talk about a DAC speaking about its sound characteristics, because the final result is filtered by the earphones’ signatures; however, I can say that vocals on the XP-2 are always airy and bodied, I love the midrange and I’m not bothered by the slight sharpness on the treble. The instrument separation is very good: it can improve my **** Topaz (very natural sounding earphones with great dynamic, a nice match with it) in difficult tracks with dense mixes (like some Bloody Beetroots’ stuff). The isolation from noises is exceptional: I honestly didn’t think a mobile DAP could outperform that way my dedicated audio interface or the xDSD itself, without any signal purifier. I believe this DAC is very well-engineered. This falls in the same price range as the Audirect Beam, which however has not the same features (no Bluetooth, no Aux, no analogical volume controls…) but I think it could be a fair comparison. I did like the Beam, even though it lacked power sometimes and it got hot very easily; the sound was neutral but with a touch of darkness. The XP-2, for me, is a product of another category. Its performance for price ratio is fenomenal: all my IEMs can be very easily driven in low gain, with the knob at a maximum level set at half. Generally, my earbuds require a little bit more power, and my headphones (they are meant to be easily driven anyway) even more; with the headphones (Sennheiser Momentum and 1MORE MK801) I can effectively benefit from switching to high gain.



Wired
USB: So far, speaking of sound quality, the best way to use the XP-2 is via USB. The isolation it provides is amazing (it is not disturbed by electrical noises when attached to my Mac, while the xDSD was pretty unusable, especially when the pc was powered with the charger plugged in). The easiness of switching modes makes it a perfect hybrid between a mobile and a desktop tool. My MacBook Pro doesn’t require any drivers, so it’s a completely plug-and-play DAC both on Android and Mac OS. It unfortunately doesn’t work that way with my FiiO M7, but I can still use the Bluetooth and its line-out to connect them together. The provided cables do their job perfectly well: I’ve tried with my Mac, with my Mi MIX 2 and with my first Moto G, as (not only) TIDAL sources, and every one of them was good. So, via USB I’d define the XP-2 as fairly versatile.

Aux: this obviously depends a lot on the power of your source. I generally found the volume being lower via Aux, especially with the Dodocool DA106: it’s better to use the high gain feature on this mode. The provided Aux cable has the right length, so you are not disturbed when you stack items. This is the mode I’ve used the least, but it’s functional and very good if you are a stack person.



Wireless
The most versatile mode of the XP-2 is Bluetooth. Thanks to an amazing battery life (with IEMs, on low gain, I easily can use it for 10 hours straight!) and a stable signal even on a long range, it connects via Qualcomm aptX to my FiiO M7 and Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 and it becomes a great tool to carry around without the need to have poor-battery Bluetooth earphones: every earphone can be turned into a wireless one, with the advantage of a long-lasting battery and a fantastic sound quality. I was skeptical about the wireless quality, but aptX is good enough and if you have good files in your source (FLACs, Master TIDAL quality, but even good MP3s) you may not feel the need to have a better instrument. I personally don’t: this is a fantastic multi-functional DAC/Amp. The wireless mode maintains the quality of the tuning of the wired modes, and it adds various comforts.

Best pairings and conclusions
I came to this conclusion: the best earphones to use with the XDUOO XP-2 are the bassier ones. Headphones like the Momentum, or in ear monitors like the DM6, which provide a lot of bass but need a brighter source, match perfectly with the XP-2. I’d rather it than the xDSD paired with those earphones. The xDSD is preferable when it comes to drive reference tuned earphones while wanting a touch of fun. (I’m comparing these two, even though they are from different categories, because at this moment I have the possibility of A-B test them)

What I can say about this device in the end: it’s one of the best products I have ever tried. Its versatility and nearly universal compatibility make it a game changer for its price range. It can be the DAP of your only-digital source, it can be your endless-lasting Bluetooth receiver, it can be your PC audio card! In every iteration, it is an amazing performer. This is a solid product (not only for its great build quality) and I can’t but recommend it, especially for its price range.

Pros

• Build quality
• Battery life
• Noise isolation
• It provides a lot of power
• Clean sound
• Intuitive
• Solid wireless connection
• Price

Cons

• No USB C

Wavaya is a young audiophile company based in Nicosia(Cyprus), they produce custom iems made of fine glazed porcelain. In this moment they have five models in catalogue: Tria, Quadra, Exa and two electrostatic models Penta and Octa.

“The WAVAYA™ brand has been developed with private capital with the only purpose to obtain a valuable product of wide acceptance. Our company was born from passion, not from greed: our purpose was, since the beginning, creating the "Ferrari" of in-ears.”

WHY PORCELAIN? (what they claim)

Porcelain is definitely worth a try: you will be amazed by the extreme comfort of its smoothness conferred by the glaze, its total naturalness, it’s thermal adaptability and the absence of any allergene.
If you would never wear a plastic tooth, then you deserve porcelain in-ears!

As reported in an article about the middle ear infections by the Mayo Clinic (Arizona, USA): “Persistent infection or persistent fluids in the middle ear may result in more significant hearing loss”. Therefore excessive sweating with consequent increase in the secretion of wax will help the proliferation of bacteria or viruses in the middle ear canal. As we can read in the same article: “If there is some permanent damage to the eardrum or other middle ear structures, permanent hearing loss may occur”. This is why it is extremely advised to use in-ears made of a material that adapts to your body temperature thus reducing sweating.
Referring to a publication issued by WebMDMedical Reference and reviewed by William Blahd, MD on September 24, 2017: “The skin inside your ears can itch because of an allergic reaction. […] Plastic, rubber, or metal you put inside your ears, like earbuds or a hearing aid, can also cause a rash called contact dermatitis.”. Allergies may cause swelling of the Eustachian tubes blocking proper drainage from the middle ear and cause dermatitis.
For the reasons above avoiding plastic and rubber materials while choosing in-ear monitors or in-ear earphones will also help preventing allergies.



MY EXPRERIENCE WITH PORCELAIN:

after one month of use, i can certainly claim that porcelain custom iems have some advantages over standard resin ones: first and most important thing is that this material adapts better to body temperature and gives on long period, a more natural and comfortable fit. The glazing process gives to the shell a smoother feel in contact with your ear skin. Plus, i noticed less sweating compared to standard resin iems. About allergies / dermathitis, i have never had any type of issues with standard acrylic iems assumed that they were using medical grade ones (like my Inearz Euphoria or LarkStudio LSX) except in a couple of cases with some “made in China” brands where I got itching and excess wax in my ears for a while.


Are they more fragile? During this time of use, i have not noticed any type of scratches or damages, they feel sturdy and premium in the hands. I would not say that they are fragile, maybe more delicate compared to plastic resin just in case of hard impact on a very hard surface like marble. I don’t feel they can just chip or break with normal use. On the other hand porcelain will never become yellowish and look permanently “dirty” after heavy use like transparent plastic models.

My Penta (5ba) is a bit heavier than other custom 6ba iems i have, but nothing that can compromise the overall use and experience.

Today i am going to review their electrostatic model Penta, this iem comes with Linum Bax cable as standard, with possible upgrade to Linum SuperBax( with 2pin or T2 connectors).
This unit was sent me as a sample, i am not affiliated with the company and all observations and opinions will be my own. Would like to thank Wavaya team for sending me this unit.

Price: 1190 USD/EU

Official Site: https://wavaya.com

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/wavaya.audio/

SPECS: 3 ba drivers engineered with custom crossovering, band passing and dampening and 2 electrostatic tweeters separately powered. They use a proprietary tubeless outlet system too, most probably to reduce resonance.

Frequency response: 5Hz to 22kHz

input sensitivity: 99 dB @1kHz, 1mW

impedance: 7.8 ohm at 1Khz




PACKAGING:

All Wavaya iems comes in a quite premium box. In the box you can find a warranty card, a case made of genuine calf leather that is naturally hygroscopic and will reduce the moisture that normally accumulates in ciems without the use of chemicals. My Penta has a premium and sturdy build quality, it uses a standard 2pin connectors, givng me the opportunity to switch to other aftermarket cables like Pwaudio or Rhapsodio ones.

SOUND: all my sound consideration has been made with different DAPS such as Opus 2/3/1s, ak Kann, fiio x3,x5, iFi XDSD and my iPhone 6s/ Tidal HIFI.

Penta shows a reference tuning, it sounds very neutral and controlled without adding any type of coloration or artifice. If you are looking for euphonic or fun sound, most probably this is not the iem for you. Penta was aimed to sound almost linear from bass to mids and treble, as Pasquale(CEO of Wavaya) told me, they worked hard and focused most on having a linear freq curve and a good dynamic.


BASS: even if not being the strongest point of this iem bass has good impact and decay with the usual weak points of balanced armatures. It has enough quantity to create a good balance with vocals and treble and without sacrificing musicality. Mid-bass has enough presence to give good body and presence to male vocals, without bleeding in mid area. This helps to have a natural reproduction of instruments in this frequency range.


MIDS: the quite neutral mid-bass presence and absence of strange and annoying peaks on upper vocal area, helps to have a linear vocal reproduction. It just feels neutral in both tonality and size notes ( not too much thin or weighty). Vocals have a perfect placement in the scene, never resulting too much recessed or upfront , this gives a great advantage for a correct instrument positioning in the scene. Penta never sounds fatiguing neither falls in the boring side (thanks to the right mid-bass presence).


TREBLE: treble reproduction is the strongest point for Penta, thanks to electrosatic drivers, it shows very good treble extension and detail retrieval. I don't have much experience with ET drivers, but for sure Wavaya implemented this new type of drivers very well, giving better treble extension and resolution compared to standard balanced armature and avoiding a splashy or fatiguing reproduction like my Noble KHAN. Penta works very well with string instruments, acoustic guitars, trumpets, this makes this iem ideal for blues,jazz or classical music, not the best choice for pop genre.


SOUNDSTAGE: the neutral bass presence and lack of strong peaks on treble area will not give an artificial or too much holographic stage. Penta has a good soundstage and instrument separation, but not necessarily an out-of-the-head experience. Everything is placed in the scene in a correct way, with the right space and air between vocals and instruments.

Penta is quite easy to drive, works good with my iPhone 6s too, but i would suggest to pair it with a good player( better if neutral or warm source) and with decent amping capabilities, to avoid harshness on treble area and gain better control and wider soundstage,



COMPARISONS:

PENTA VS NFAUDIO 6I: 6i has a reference tuning, but compared to Penta has a bit more fun approach with a bigger bass presence( like InearSD5), on the other side Penta shows a more neutral and controlled approach, with a more neutral sub-bass impact and a bit more mid-bass presence giving a better vocal tonality and presence. Both share similar vocal positioning and size note, but on 6i vocals feels a bit dry, where on Penta shows a bit more warmth and organicity. 6I has slightly more treble presence, giving more sparkles to the sound, on the other side Penta has better treble extension, with a better and more refined reproduction of string instruments. Soundstage is more holographic on 6i, providing a better out-of-the-head experience, on the other side Penta has a more intimate stage, but with better and more precise instrument positioning.


PENTA VS INEARZ EUPHORIA: Euphoria has slightly more mid-bass presence, more recessed vocals and treble roll-off. Euphoria will give you a less fatiguing experience, but at the cost of sacrificing treble details and resolution. On the other side Penta is much more neutral and controlled, with a more linear reproduction from bass to treble. Penta shows better treble extension and detail retrieval on top end, overall has a more professional and less fun approach to music. Soundstage on Euphoria is wider, but Penta has more depth.


PENTA VS LARK STUDIO LSX: LSX has a totally different approach, sounding engaging, fun and euphonic, sacrificing some details to have a fuller reproduction. LSX has much more mid-bass presence, resulting in a weighter reproduction, but a bit muffled and congested. Bass on LSX has bigger impact( more like a dynamic driver). On the other side, Penta has a more neutral and refined sound signature, with thinner size notes compared to LSX, but with better treble extension and detail retrieval. Vocals on LSX are weighter with more euphonic presence, but are placed too much upfront in the scene, on the other side Penta uses a more neutral and correct approach.


PENTA VS AMBIENT ACOUSTICS AM6: similar bass presence, but Penta has better impact. Here, Penta is a clear winner with better resolution, treble extension, and more natural and refined vocal presence. The only advantage of AM6 over Penta is a wider soundstage.

Oriolus is a Japanese audiophile company producing different portable amplifiers, players and iems ranging from 180USD(Finschi) to their flagship model 10ba Mellianus. They are quite famous in Asia and just recently they started to approach the overseas market.


On 16th. May 2015 Cyras Co., Ltd. Japan (CEO YOSHIAKI HIRAI) announced the Hi-End audio brand Oriolus.
Oriolus is supervised under renowned professional audio management company – Hibino Intersound Co., Ltd.
Products under Oriolus are co-engineered by Hibino Intersound Co., Ltd.’s engineering team and the hardware engineer – RAO YOU LIANG, the mastermind behind many well received solutions and products including HDP-R10.
Achieving utmost purity in sound is Oriolus's only mission.


For those who wonder, yes, the Oriolus is a bird.

Today i am going to review their new released model Finschi( this is the entry level model in their catalogue). This is a hybrid iem with a 10mm dynamic driver and one Knowles balanced armature driver. As for their MK2 and Forsteni they opted for the hybrid configuration to have the both advantages of two technologies: bass impact and quality of typical dynamic drivers and resolution and detail retrieval of balanced armatures.
This unit was sent me as a sample, i am not affiliated with the company and all observations and opinions will be only my own. Would like to thank Xtenik and Oriolus for sending me this unit.

You can buy here: https://www.xtenik.com/product/oriolus-finschi-hybrid-headphone/

Specs:

Driver: Knowles balanced armature + 10mm dynamic driver

• Sensitivity: 112db
  
  
• Impedance: 18Ω
  
  
• Frequency response: 10Hz-40KHz
  
  
• Pin: 2pin 0.78mm
  
  
• Line length: 120cm
  

PACKAGING: packaging is quite essential, but good enough for the price range. In the box, you can find a carry case, some eartips and a cable clip.
I suggest to use Spinfit cp145 with the Finschi to have a better sub-bass response and vocal presence.
The iem comes with a copper and silver-plated wire mixed woven cable that is quite good special for its sonic performance( for sure, is better than standard Plastics ones cables, having better resolution and dynamic compared to these ones). Pairing with other aftermarket cables like Pwaudio Saladin or Rhapsodio Dark Knight, i found some improvements in resolution and detail retrieval, but not much to justify their use against the standard one included in the box.

The Finschi is a well built product, with excellent resin quality. Due to its hybrid nature, you will hear a clip when inserting the iem in the ear canal, but overall you will not have driver flex issues thanks to the well built open vent on the faceplate. Overall, i suggest to not use a too much deep insertion to not compromise bass response.



What is driver flex: “Driver flex is when the driver bends due to the pressure of air against it. Usually it occurs when you're inserting the iem in your ear. When, upon insertion, the air that is inside has nowhere to go (no vents) or can't escape quickly enough, it builds pressure and the diaphragm bends, producing a click sound. It can also occur when removing the piece from the ear. Basically when there's a sudden flow of air.”




SOUND: the Finschi has a particular focus on sub-bass area and treble with a slightly recessed vocals. It shows a good resolution and articulation on treble area with excellent transparency level for the price range. Size note is quite good, not sounding too much thin. Overall, the Finschi is an engaging and fun all-rounder showing a juicy sound, with enough mature sonic performance.

BASS: bass quality is good thanks to the dynamic driver, showing good impact, body and decay. Even if, is a bit emphasized in quantity, the sub-bass extension could be better, but in line with the asking price. For the mid-bass i would prefer a bit more quantity, to help male vocals to have a fuller presence and overall a more mature reproduction, but i think the MK2 model was aimed for this purpose.

MIDS: vocals are a bit recessed in the scene compared to bass and treble and most probably are the weakest point of this iem, but they show exellent tonality and good details. Female vocals sound sweet and with a great sense of realism. Vocals sound a bit disjointed with the bass and treble, i would like a more cohesion and balance here.

TREBLE: treble reproduction is the star of the show, showing great details retrieval and articultion. More than quantity, treble has great extension, this helps to have a good transparency level and resolution, never sounding too much fatiguing. If you like string instruments, the Finschi could be a great choice for you.

SOUNDSTAGE: this is another strong point for this iem: both width and depth are above average, showing a good layering. Both width and depth have the same size creating a balanced and mature scene where instruments are placed in the correct way. Usually, specially at low price range, is hard to find this balance, just an example the Ibasso IT01, sounds very wide, giving a nice fun factor, but loosing the correct placement of instruments in the scene. Compared to some multi-balanced iem, the Finschi soundstage is not much holographic, but has a great separation between each instruments and vocals.

PAIRINGS: the Finschi doesn't need high amplification or expensive players to really shine, it just sounds great with my iPhone 6s and Tidal Hi-Fi. Paired with my Opus 2 and 3 or AK Kann it gains more separation and a more controlled reproduction, but is not night and day like other multi balanced armature iems.



COMPARISONS:

FINSCHI VS BGVP DM6: bass on Finschi has better impact and decay, here the dynamic driver makes a better job compared to balanced armatures. Finschi bass focuses on the sub-bass area, BGVP ,as most of BA iems, has a lift in mid-bass area to compensate poor bass reproduction on BA drivers. Vocals on BGVP have more presence and sound thicker, but feels a bit plastic, Finschi on the other side has better realism, but vocals are more recessed. Treble on BGVP has more quantity, but sounds a bit harsh with stock cable, on Finschi. treble response shows better refinement and articulation. BGVP soundstage is wider with better layering and detail retrieval.



FINSCHI VS CUSTOM ART FIBAE 2: FIBAE 2 has a strong focus on mid-bass area giving a fuller sound and better male vocal reproduction. Bass impact is stronger on Fibae 2, but Finschi has better decay. Finschi has more recessed vocals, but more articulation and details on treble area with a better transparency level. Soundstage is wider on Fibae 2, but Finschi shows better instrument separation and better separation between vocals and instruments.

FINSCHI VS PERIODIC AUDIO TI: Finschi has a more v-shaped sound sig, with a more fun factor, on the other side TI sounds more balanced and mature. Bass impact on Finschi has more impact and stronger response. Vocals on TI are more balanced with treble and bass area. Both have great treble response and refinement. Finschi has a wider soundstage with a better instrument separation.


FINSCHI VS IBASSO IT01: ITO1 has better sub-bass extension, but quantity is too much for my taste, sounding over control sometimes, here the Finschi has overall a more mature reproduction. Vocals are both recessed, but Finschi shows better realism and emotion, sounding less thin compared to ITO1. Soundstage is a bit wider on IT01, but feels a bit artificial, instruments have better placement on Finschi with a more mature soundstage and better realism.

Price: 99$

Where to buy them: https://www.fiio.com/

Specifications:

• Single BA Knowles ED-33357
• Impedance: 15 Ohm
• Sensitivity: 111 dB @ 1mW
• Frequency response: 20-20k Hz
• Maximum input power: 100 mW

Thanks to FiiO for this free sample. Everything I write reflects my own thoughts and impressions about the FA1.





Unboxing and first impressions
For a sub-100$ In Ear Monitor, I’d say I’m impressed with the accessories. Inside the with box, we find the IEMs, a 4-core black braided cable (MMCX), a hard case, a cleaning brush, some tips (3 pairs of white narrow-bore ones and 3 of red and gray medium-bore ones). And a warranty card too. For the price, the case is a good surprise, even if it’s not the best for the build quality. The IEMs themselves, instead, are built amazingly well and they have a unique design which reminds me of the other FiiO products of their balanced line-up. They are made of acrylic, with a smoke effect which gives an interesting overall look. The faceplate is kind of wavy, and it perfectly merges with the shell. I believe these IEMs are 3D-printed. The nozzle is made of the same resin as the shell, so there’s not a metal reinforcement. For being a universal IEM, the fit is also more than good; and they are very lightweight. They aren’t the smallest earphones out there, but they are not fatiguing to wear, even after a long time. The cable has solid gold-plated connectors, and it feels well-made overall. It’s a 4-core twisted cable (silver, copper-plated) with strain reliefs on the L-shaped connector and on the Y split (which are both made of metal). This cable comes in 3.5mm single ended, while other FiiO IEMs come with another cable which is a 2.5mm balanced. But I’m good with this, considering it’s an entry-level earphone. The only issue I have concerns the ear hooks: they are a little bit too hard, so they keep their shape more than adapt to my ears (it’s because they are just a bit too long, too).



Sound
This single balanced armature sounds like you expect a single balanced armature to sound: balanced. The FA1 provide a neutral signature, on a reference side, with a touch of color on the upper midrange.

Because they are pretty easy to drive, the bass is quick and punchy, while remaining very well controlled. It’s not an enhanced bass, so my impressions are far from a fun sound. It’s neither one of the best things of these earphones, actually: even though the sub-bass extension is pretty deep, the body of it is just average, but it feels smooth overall. But this is good for a single armature, considering that usually that work is assigned to specific armatures or dynamic drivers. If you are a basshead, for me it would be difficult to suggest the FA1, which are more on a flat – yet sparkly – side.

Mids are the best part of the package: they sound full, well-layered, giving the right space and harmonics to vocals. The clarity is stunning, thanks to the body given to the upper midrange. The only less convincing thing is the artificial/metallic feel which sometimes comes in the lower midrange, which may thin the body of it.

The treble is also really convincing: luckily, it’s not picky or bright, nor sibilant, which are the aspects I’m more sensitive on. Like the rest of the frequency range, the highs are well-tuned and controlled, but airy and energic.

I wouldn’t say the soundstage is very wide, but the emphasis on the upper midrange helps to widen it, for sure. You don’t feel a congested sound, neither like it’s in your head. It fairly expands in width and depth and it gives a holographic feel, which you may appreciate or not – I’m not sure on its precision. Imaging is average, even more than average if you think of the price of these IEMs. The isolation is top notch, which is a great thing.

I would suggest the FA1 to all customers looking for a neutral/lean presentation with



Conclusions
It seems that single balanced armatures are getting more mainstream (Campfire Comet, Brainwavz KOEL, these ones…). From what I’ve heard with the FA1, they are an easy recommendation and this way that they took is convincing. There are things I like more on single dynamic driver earphones, while others I’d rather on single armatures, like precision, speed, detail.



Pros

• Accessories
• Signature
• Comfort and design
• Cable
• Midrange and treble

Cons

• bass could have more impact and extension
• vocals could be more mature and organic

Price: €3300

Where to buy them: https://mysphere.at/product/buy-mysphere3/

Specs:

• Style: hovering next to the ears, fully open
• Sensitivity: 96 dB / 1 mW RMS = 115 dB SPL/V eff. (at Ear-Drum Reference Point)
• Maximum input power: 60 mW
• Rated Impedance: 15 Ohms or 110 Ohms
• Transducer type: dynamic
• Transducer size: 40 x 40 mm
• Diaphragm: squared, glass-foam enforced
• Membrane excursion: 4 mm
• Frequency response: 20 Hz – 40 kHz (-10 dB)
• Magnetic structure: radial, fully vented
• Magnet type: Neodymium N52
• Magnet density: 1.5 T
• Weight: 345 g (without cables)

I want to thank MySphere for this loan unit. Everything in this review reflects my own thoughts and experience with these headphones.





Design and comfort
These headphones are very unusual. Even if you are familiar with the Stax family, this unit looks very particular (this is not an electrostatic, though, but a dynamic). Starting from the shape, to the materials, to the build quality itself, everything looks and feels high-end. The designers behind these headphones are the same as the AKG K1000 (Mr Heinz Renner and Mr Ryback)! I don’t know if the head-band (with the MYSPHERE logo on it) is made of aluminum, but it feels really solid and it could even be steel. You can stretch it without any fear of breaking it. The padding is detachable and it’s not bad, even though it’s a little bit slim: you may find it uncomfortable for long periods of listening. The frames are detachable too, and they attach magnetically to the body: this modularity may help with any kind of problems or breakings. The materials used are also waterproof and very solid, so it’s probably difficult to have build quality issues anyway. Speaking of comfort, they feel a little bit heavy and the clamp is pretty hard, so you get a great stability, but you must have a particular shape not to feel too fatigued after some time. I don’t find them uncomfortable, though: for this kind of product, I think they actually feel solid more than fatiguing.





Sound
I’ve personally tested the 3.1 version (15 Ohm) and the 3.2, which has an impedance of 110 Ohm. The 3.1 version is meant to be driven by DAPs and tube Amps, while the 3.2 by solid state Amps (more or less).

I’ve personally used as sources: SMSL 32bit/384KHz DSD512 Tube headphone amplifier( that work quite good with the 3.1 pads that are very easy to drive even with my Opus2. Obviously a better amplification will give you more control and fuller soundstage.

The great thing about the modularity of these headphones is the possibility of opening the frames and get an open-back headphone. Even with the frames closed, you have a very airy sound, but the soundstage is not that wide. By opening them, it widens and deepens, and you get an incredible sense of space and a precise yet holographic imaging. I have to admit it’s more like listening to speakers than listening to headphones. Nothing I’ve tried before feels that wide and all-around-you. The isolation, even when the frames are closed, is poor, but these headphones are obviously meant to be used at home, so I don’t feel this as a problem. On the other hand, as always, when you open the air passage (more or less like using wide-bore tips on in ear monitors), you lose some bass. That being said, the bass presence is still enough powerful to make the sound signature pretty warm. It extends very well into the sub-bass area. The overall sound signature feels, in reality, quite neutral, but analyzing the frequency ranges keeps out some interesting characteristics. For example, the neutrality is an aspect of the midrange too, even though I hear some picks on the upper side. In the midrange area, everything is smoothly reproduced and the instrument separation is one of the best I’ve ever heard. Layering and vocals are incredible, with air and space, body and harmonics. Treble is smooth, not harsh at all, but somewhere sparkly: this gives energy to the sound but may be fatiguing for some after some listening. I personally didn’t get fatigued, though; instead, I felt like I could turn the volume up even too much without hearing distortions or any kind of issues. The mysphere follows the typical reference european tuning, focusing on technicalities and a micro-detailed reproduction, if you are looking for an engaging and bass-oriented headphones, most probably this one will not be for you, the mysphere were meant to sound more on the analytical side, still retaining some warmth to result natural, focusing on upper midrange, treble and airy reproduction.

Conclusions
I wanted to review this pair of headphones because I feel it’s something the community will remember for a long time. Like the K1000, they want to be a benchmark and, in my opinion, they actually got it right. The neutrality is stunning, but the warmness adds that listening comfort that’s typical of dynamic drivers. It’s hard to find something wrong in these headphones: excellent dynamics, wide soundstage, holographic imaging, perfect layering, extreme frequency coverage. I would say it’s hard to recommend something like this for the price, but I’m actually more than convinced about what you get for the money. It’s not your usual headphone, and this just adds value to this product.

The SH3 is the latest flagship model from the swiss company PEARS, it mounts 3drivers each side and was designed to have a flat and reference signature.

PEARS is not much famous in the audiphile community, so here you can find some info about their philosophy and history:

PEARS is born from the meeting of Samuel Harsch, acoustic engineer and founder of harschacoustic, and Stéphane Rochat, electronic engineer and musicians.In 2012, Samuel Harsch manufactured his first custom in-ear monitors made out of acrylic resin, for himself and for some of his friends and colleagues.In 2014, given the success encountered with his first prototypes, he devoted his partial working time to make in-ear monitors and launches the model SH-2, dual driver. In 2015, Samuel Harsch decided to create a more powerful and flat in-ear monitors; the SH-3, triple driver, is launched in spring 2015. In parallel of this year, Stéphane Rochat joined harschacoustic as freelancer by doing at beginning a study market for understanding more the Swiss market and the wishes of musicians about in-ear monitors. In October 2016 the brand PEARS is officially launched as 1st Swiss made custom in-ear monitors.

Samuel Harsch
Co-Founder / Acoustic Engineer
Samuel has always been passionate about sound. In primary school already, he designed and built various speakers. From 2005 he was hired as an acoustics engineer at Phonak. He was in charge of the acoustic part of many research projects and various products such as custom made hearing protection devices called Serenity (passive and active) or the in-ear earphones Audéo PFE series that have won numerous awards and mentions on various specialized blogs and forums, both in audio quality and comfort. He filed 7 patents for Phonak as inventor or co-inventor, including the patent of the interchangeable acoustic filters that was one of the key points of the success of the Audéo PFE series. In 2013, Samuel takes the decision to reduce his working time at Phonak in order to focus on in-ear monitors and other personal projects. He develops speakers and various acoustic elements for a Swiss company, Audio-Performance in Echallens: a waveguide and an adjustable directivity horn for line arrays as well as various filters, small speakers and subwoofers.

Stéphane Rochat
Co-Founder / Electronic Design Engineer
Stéphane wears different hats here at P·EAR·S. He handles all the business stuff like sales, marketing, artist relations and different technical aspects such as electronic & acoustic too. Stéphane’s been messing with music since his childhood. He started by studying classical guitar followed by jazz guitar in different music schools for many years. In 2006 he graduated from University of Applied Sciences of Fribourg with a degree in Electronic Engineering. In parallel of his former job, he worked as sound technician during 4 years at Fri-Son Fribourg in order to understand more technical aspects of live music. Since 2011, he is working at Phonak, using his skills in acoustic and electronic engineering. In 2014, he did postgraduate studies in project management for improving his knowledge in business. Stéphane brings to P·EAR·S a wealth of experience in the music and an experience of more than 10 years in different R&D departments. In addition to the business stuff, Stéphane is also involved in new developments for the next generation of P·EAR·S.

This unit was sent me for the purpose of this review, i am not affiliated with the company and all observations and opinions will be only my own. This company usually produces custom fit iem, they can sell universal fit too under request.
For more info about PEARS , you can easily contact them on their facebook channel: https://www.facebook.com/pearsaudio/

PRICE: 1083 USD

DRIVER CONFIG: Triple Driver dual mid-low/single high 1 passive crossover

SIGNATURE: NEUTRAL-NEUTRAL/BRIGHT
SUGGESTED EARTIPS: SPINFIT CP145




PACKAGING: my units arrived in a simple aluminium carrying case, from what i see on their site, they use a carrying case made of wood too. Inside the case, you can find a cleaning set, pouch and cloth in microfiber. Both SH2 and SH3 comes with a standard copper cable( standard plasticsone cable).

SOUND: the SH3 has a reference signature, but with enough body and sweet vocals to avoid a boring reproduction. It sounds accurate, with good tonality and resolution to satisfy audiophile needs too.

BASS: maybe the weakest point of the SH3( and usually the weakest point for BA drivers). It is quite flat, a boost from 20 to 100Hz helps to have a fuller sound and sweeter vocals. If you are looking for a big bass, or a fun signature, this is not the iem for you. The SH3 was aimed to combine good technicalities and a natural sound and for this purpose, is a great iem. Bass has enough impact and body to make the SH3 a good all-rounder with most musical genres, and i think the custom fit, can give you a better bass response. Overall, with Spinfit cp145 i can get a satisfying bass response.

MIDS: the strongest point for this iem: both male and female vocals sound enough rich and bodied, creating a great balance with the clear treble. Vocals never sound thin, but quite rich with exellent timbre and realism. There is no sibilance in female vocals like my inear SD5 and can compete in many ways with my Aroma YAO, that is one of the best vocal iem i have ever tried.

TREBLE: treble is clear, showing good resolution and details and giving great presence to instruments like violins, cymbals and strings. This helps to have a mature sound with good technical abilities. Sometimes, it can sound a bit harsh, due to its revealing nature, special if used with a clear sounding player and with bad recorded tracks. From my experience with custom iems, i think the SH3, could have better bass response and less hot treble with a custom fit iem.

SOUNDSTAGE: soundstage is very wide, with great layering, showing a good out-of-the-head experience. Depth is average, here i would have preferred a better balance of width and depth. If i can find one area to criticize is the soundstage, that like vision ear VE8 has great width and layering, but sometimes you can loose the focus of instruments around you. Maybe too much holographic, but don't know if this problem will be still there with a custom fit iem.



COMPARISONS:

PEARS SH-2: the SH2 shares almost the 80% of the SH3, with the same timbre, but it lacks the technicalities and sweet vocals of SH3. Soundstage is less wide, but more rounded, with better depth, thanks to the vocals placed more behind the scene. SH2 is slightly more organic, darker, fuller, a bit more fun with more mid-bass presence. SH2 is a good all-rounder iem, sounding good with most tracks, SH3 has a more flat,detailed and a more mature reproduction.

SH3 VS INEAR SD5: SD5 has a w shaped sound singature, compared to sh3, it sounds more fun and engaging, with more boosted sub-bass and upper treble and overall a better bass quality. Where the SH3 clearly wins is on vocal reproduction, giving much more body and realism to both male and female ones. On SD5 female vocals can sound a bit sibilant. Upper treble on SD5 is more forward, giving more sparckles, on the other side SH3 has less boosted upper treble, but gives more finesse on violin or string instruments. SD5 sounds engaging and fun, working better with more modern tracks, on the other side SH3 has a more mature reproduction, combying in a better way technicalities and natural sound. Soundstage on SD5 has more depth and more or less same width of sh3.

SH3 VS INEARZ EUPHORIA: EUPHORIA has a more u shaped sound signature, with more mid-bass presence and slightly fuller reproduction. Vocals on euphoria are rendered in a more “liquid” way, on the opposite, the SH3 has a more organic and realistic vocal reproduction. Treble on Euphoria was tuned to result innofensive, but is less detailed compared to SH3. Both are exellent iems, Euphoria has a more modern approach, sounding good with many players and tracks, on the other side SH3 sounds a bit more sterile, but with better technical abilities.

SH3 VS nfaudio NF6I: the nf6i is another great iem, if you are looking for a good reference sound. 6i has a bass response similar to SD5 with a more sub-bass boost compared to sh3, vocals on 6i sound drier, on the other side on sh3 they sound more organic and fuller with a better sense of realism. They both have similar treble extension and detail retrieval. Soundstage on 6i has more depth with a more precise instrument positioning.



PAIRINGS:

OPUS 2: great sinergy: reference and natural sound with wide soundstage, female sweet vocals. Can easily drive the SH3 on mid gain, with high gain bass gains more impact, but soundstage is too much holographic.

Opus 1s: more organic reproduction, more rumble on sub-bass area, vocals are more organic and gains more emotions compared to the leaner vocals on the Opus2. Great left/right channel separation, but less width compared to Opus2.

Opus3: more fun reproduction, with more boosted bass and less forward midrange, a bit clearer on top end, sounds more harsh and less natural compared to Opus 2, but portrays more details on top end. Better to use on high gain and push the volume to 85-95 to have a satisfying volume level.



SPECS:

FREQUENCY RESPONSE

• 10Hz – 18kHz

INPUT SENSITIVITY

• 117dB @ 1kHz, 1mW

IMPEDANCE

• 25 Ohms

Rhapsodio Eden is the latest flagship model from this company, mounting a single aluminium dynamic driver and silver shell( same shape of their Galaxy V1). The Eden has a premium build quality and feels much more sturdy than most common acrylic BA iems.

This unit was sent me for the purpose of this review, i am not affiliated with the company and all observations and opinions will be only my own. Would like to thank Sammy and Rhapsodio team for sending me this unit giving me the opportunity to test such a great product.
For more info about Eden and other products, you can easily contact them on their facebook channel. Sammy is always online!

PRICE: 2000 USD

DRIVER CONFIG: single dynamic driver

SIGNATURE: NEUTRAL
SUGGESTED EARTIPS: EPRO HORN SHAPED TIPS/ SPINFIT CP145

OFFICIAL SITE: https://www.rhapsodiostore.com/products?page=1

FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/rhapsodiohk/

PACKAGING: the overall packaging experience is great: the Eden comes in a premium wood package( not the typical black box from Rhapsodio), with EPro horn shaped tips and standard rhapsodio sylicon eartips. The Eden comes with the standard copper Pandora Dwarf cable.

All my sound consideration has been made after 150 hours of burn in as suggested from the Rhapsodio company.

FIRST IMPRESSION: listening to Eden for the first time required me some time to get used to its sound signature, special if you are used to balanced armature sound, you will need a bit of time to really understand the philosophy at the base of this product.

Out of the box, the Eden sounded to me a bit boring, with thin size notes, but with great treble accent, so i decided to follow Sammy suggestion and make a 150 hours of burn-in.

The great improvement i heard, i think, was not due to the driver burn-in, but to my brain, getting used to that sound( special if you usually use balanced armature iems, company tend to raise a bit the mid-bass to have a fuller bass response).





SOUND: the Eden was tuned to be a reference sounding iem: from bass to treble, everything tend to sound linear, like water, so at first listening, you can think to a boring sound, but with the time, you will start to focus on the micro-details, the quality bass response and the great treble extension.

BASS: the Eden is just at the opposite of the Galaxy V2: showing a neutral bass response, not huge in quantity, but with great quality and extension. Here, the dynamic driver makes a great job, providing good impact,decay and moving enough air to be defined a good dynamic iem, focusing always on the sub-bass area and remaining always linear. There is not lift in the mid-bass region, so the overall sound signature doesn’t gain any warmth. Even if, the Eden doesn’t sound full bodied, warm or rich, the mid-bass has enough presence to create a good balance between male vocals and female ones.

MIDS: male vocals sound good, but sometimes, can lack a bit of emotion( here a bit more mid-bass presence could help to give a fuller experience). The star of the show are female vocals, that sound very clear, defined with great timbre and control. Compared to the Galaxy v2( that is more v-shaped), vocals on Eden have more space and details.

TREBLE: treble response is just amazing, and is the strongest point of this IEM. Eden shows great extension, that helps to have an airy reproduction and exellent resolution, never sounding harsh or annoying. All this, helps to have a better instrument separation and a better sense of space.

SOUNDSTAGE: soundstage is above average, but cannot compete with most of multi balanced armature iems, is very precise and all instruments are placed in a coherent way in the scene. If you are looking for holographic stage or out-of-the-head experience, this is not the iem for you. Eden main focus is in tonality, balance and to keep your attention on micro-details and instrument accuracy.



COMPARISONS:



GALAXY V2 VS EDEN: they have totally different approach and philosophy: Galaxy V2 was aimed to sound fun, with great bass quantity and treble presence, on the other side, the Eden offers a much more refined and mature sound, providing more balance, resolution and treble extension. The Eden is more a monitoring product, but still enough good for audiophile needs, thanks to its timbre accuracy and extension on both bass and treble area. Soundstage on both is above average, but Galaxy v2 has a bit better depth thanks to its more v-shaped sound signature.

EDEN VS PEARS SH-3: both were tuned to have a reference approach, but the SH3 is a balanced driver iem, so is not easy to compare dynamic drivers iems and balanced armature ones. Bass is similar in quantity, but Eden bass response is much better in quality, thanks to the dynamic driver. Eden bass has better impact and decay. Male vocals on the SH3 have more body and presence, female vocals on both have great realism and timbre, but Eden has a bit thinner note size. They both show great treble reproduction, but the SH3 can sound a bit harsh and splashy with old tracks or bad recorded ones.

Soundstage on SH3 is a bit more holographic, but instruments are placed in a more artificial way in the space, on the other side, Eden has a more intimate reproduction, with a more precise instruments placement.

EDEN VS AROMA AUDIO YAO: Eden has better bass quality and treble extension, with better technicality abilities. Aroma Yao has better vocals, with a fuller reproduction, but with more treble roll-off, providing less listening fatigue , but lacking the treble resolution and airness of Eden. Soundstage is more holographic on Aroma Yao.



PAIRINGS:



OPUS 2: great sinergy: in my opinion, this is one of the best pairing with the Eden. Natural sound with wide soundstage, female vocals and treble extension. The Opus 2 can easily drive the Eden on mid-gain pushing the volume knob on 80-90.

Opus 1s: Opus 1s will add more body to the music , with a great sub-bass impact. Bass is fuller with Opus 1s compared to Opus2, but lacks the wide soundstage and treble extensionsion of his big brother. Vocals gain more body and emotional feeling.

Opus3: similar to Opus2, but i need to set the gain to high and push the volume knob around 100-110. This pairing sound less natural compared to Opus 2, with treble a bit less refined and sounding more harsh. Soudstage size is between Opus 2 and 1s.

Astell and kern Kann: less detail retraival and less treble extension compared to Opus2, but the overall reproduction is less fatiguing and a bit more full-bodied, gaining more vocal presence.

Intro

NF Audio (Ning Fan) is a young Chinese CIEM manufacturer, with great aspirations for the global market. In fact, they provide some amazing features which make them compete with the best brands in the global scene.

I have to specify, these NF6i aren’t actually easy to buy internationally, you still have to import them in the most countries. They are actually sold on TaoBao NF store (here: https://shop110749998.world.taobao.com/), and I have to say that’s difficult to understand for western people how to move and how to buy on that site. But it may be worth for someone, because they are great in many ways. Being custom monitors adds a little more hitch, because of all the info you have to send, but it may not be a big deal for you. It would be fantastic to find an international version, even a universal fit, because there’s so much convincing stuff in them.

This sample was provided by NF Audio in exchange for an honest review, we are not affiliated, and I’ll try to be as objective as possible.



Specifications

The NF6i are a 6 balanced armature Custom In-Ear Monitor with a stunning frequency response of 8-30 kHz. The impedance is pretty low (18 Ohm), which is great to assure enough simplicity of driving. Other quick specifications:

• Sensitivity of 106dB @ 1kHz
  
  
• Distortion below 0.5%
  
  
• Isolation: 26 dB
  

Packaging

The classy black box which carries the CIEMs themselves is pretty cured for this kind of product (it reminds me the one used by Unique Melody): inside it, you can find a hard case, a cleaning tool, a warranty card and the buds with the cable already attached. It’s a 2-pin one, actually pretty good, even though I didn’t like very much the silicon/rubber right after the pins. A standard unboxing experience, but surely pleasant. You can already feel the cure provided in the overall experience with these earphones.



Sound

It’s not difficult to recognize that we’re listening to a reference Monitor: bass isn’t emphasized even though the sub-bass is well covered, it goes enough deep and shows good speed. Usually, for balanced armature iems, the mid-bass is always the key point where most of the companies try to work, to give a more natural and rich performance, trying to avoid most of the common issues of this technology. This is not the case here, the nf6i doesn't try to give a full-bodied and rich experience, on the other side try to focus on the refined sub-bass experience. The overall sound signature is flat and balanced, and you can easily drive them with DAPs, given the low impedance. Well, “easily” speaking in a compatibility way, because they need a good synergy to please you in a musical way – which however I did find, but I’ll tell later. I found these CIEMs to be tight and airy, very clear on the higher side.

Vocals are quite good( but if not paired with the right player, can sound a bit dry). Female ones are well portrayed, one of the strong point for this iem. Male vocals have enough body to be enough pleasent.

Now, the treble, where this iem really shine. Maybe one of the best treble i have ever heard with Stereopravda sb7. It is very linear and extendend, not that is emphasized in quantity, but just feels natural, refined, never resulting harsh or fatiguing. I am just testing vision ears ve8, another great example of treble execution, but these two products have totally different approach: ve8 tries to create a certain balance with the overall analog sound signature, avoiding too much details on the upper treble, where the nf6i really shine, providing more sparkles and airy sound, but always avoiding any type of harshness( this is not not a common thing and not easy to reach).

Soundstage is quite good for a 6ba iem, showing good depth and width. You may like a V/W-shaped sound, then these aren’t made for you. These are flat, balanced, reference sounding IEMs, but enough pleasent to satisfy audiophile needs too.

The nf6i is quite easy to drive, but here, more than current, this iem needs a good sinergy with the player. For example, with Opus 2 i found the sound too much reference-type showing dry vocals.

Better sinergy with ak se100 and opus 1s. With ak se100 vocals feels more liquid and less dry, with quite good bass impact. With Opus 1s vocals are more rich and organic, gaining a bit of more mid-bass presence too.




COMPARISONS:




NF6i vs INEARZ EUPHORIA(6ba): euphoria has more mid-bass presence and is a more all-rounder iem, working good with all the types of players, even with my iphone too, but lacks the treble extension and details of the nf6i. Soundstage is quite similar, maybe Euphoria a touch wider., but nf6i shows a more airy sound.




NF6i vs Ambient Acoustics AM6: both shares a reference sound, but nf6i is better in almost every aspect: more refined sound, with better clarity and details on upper treble, bass is faster and more refined. NF6i shows better female vocals. AM6 has wider soundstage.

Once I said that you don’t generally love In-Ear Headphones until you heard a really good one. I meant that you can generally dislike this kind of products, but a really good sound could make you forget the eventual issues regarding, for example, the ear fit. Well, these IEMs by Unique Melody are that good, under some points of view. And, luckily for me, they also don’t have any enormous fit issue.

I want to start with some useful information. First, these are 2700$ monitors; that means two things: they aren’t, obviously, a popular product, and they are meant for professional users. It’s a role – the pro – that I don’t exactly embody, because even though I’ve been a musician and I’m constantly “around” music, I don’t actually perform live nor professionally record. But I do something concerning records on my own, and I’ve tried the V3s – as far as possible – with some more stressful works than merely reproducing music.



Unboxing

Usually, when you climb the price range hill, there’s a point where the quality stops going up with the price. That is a difficult step to predict nowadays, but I push a button: I’m not sure that over 1000/1500$ what you get is what you really pay for. But here comes the real deal: what makes the Mason premium isn’t just the product, but the overall experience you get. Starting from the elegant black box, in which they put a lot of useful accessories.

First, I got impressed by the carrying metal box (actually made of titanium) that’s inside: it’s way heavier than expected. That prevents any possible damage to the earphones, but it’s not very handy.

There are a lot of ear tips, which comes from one of the best manufacturers out there (COMPLY); a pair of them is a foam one, really comfortable and sealing by my ears.

They actually include three cables to adapt the M3s to a SE (3.5mm) or balanced (2.5mm/4.4mm) output on your source. I believe these are very expensive cables, and they make a great piece of the price. Besides the price, they are amazing hand-made braided cables (actually, they braid other cables together, cable-ception! – editor’s note). They use a 4-pin proprietary standard, secured by a screw, sort of, to help it not to detach. Replacing it is pretty easy.

Inside the box there’s also minor UM branded stuff: the cure is impressive, and as we’ll see this is something concerning every area of these IEMs. You also find a funny USB stick with some pictures and info about the V3 inside.



Design and Fit

As I said before, I didn’t have fit issues with the Mason. But there’s a matter regarding my ears that’s worth a mention: I can’t wear them for a long time. Like most of the monitors out there, they are just too big for me not to hurt, and this might be an issue if I were a live performer. I’m not, and I have to say they really stay in place like they’re meant to. Obviously, a custom version would fit better and avoid the pain – which I have, but you may not.

The design is classic for an IEM, but gets some interesting and unique features. First, their translucent blue finish let you see through the shell, revealing the insane number of balanced armatures crammed inside (13 or 16 depending on the version). The shell itself is made of acrylic and gives a solid and good-looking impression.

Another thing that’s worth mentioning is how easily you can change the ear tips: it may sound stupid, but some IEMs that I’ve tried in the past were so hardly attached to the monitor’s body to make it difficult to exchange one another.



Sound

I don’t want to result too critical in this review, but this is the most important part of it and I want to be honest: I didn’t love these IEMs, even though I liked them very much in many ways.

Here are my reasons.

There are a lot of positive things about them. Their precision is insane, and the sound resolution really amazed me. But here’s the problem for me: the sound changes too much depending on the source. I listened to the same track in FLAC on my DAP (FiiO M7) and in MP3 on my iPhone and again in FLAC with my Scarlett 2i2 attached to my 2012 MacBook Pro and with the Audirect Beam attached to my Xiaomi Mi Mix 2. I’ll list the experience I’ve had with all of them:

• FiiO M7: at first approach, I got caught by the incredible imaging created by the Mason. The very first impression was of a great monitor for the voices and the drums, while not for the bass, that I felt undertone. Also, the treble was clear and pleasant. By listening carefully, I noticed that while the voices tend to emerge, some harmonics get cut. At first, I believed this was a sort of tuning to make the voice standing out, but then I tried to listen to that track on my iPhone;
• iPhone SE: believe me or not, the MP3 of that track sounded better here than the FLAC there. You may think it’s a question of DAC – obviously – but don’t you think that a dedicated instrument like a Hi-Res certified DAP should sound better than an average phone with lossy files? Well, here I started to search for the problem. The iPhone sourced (can I say that?) MP3 had many more harmonics in the treble area of the voice than the FLAC on my DAP, and this is strange because it’s not hard to know that the situation should be the opposite. I obviously didn’t use MP3s to test the Mason, I just knew that song very well so I did sort of a blind trial.
• Scarlett 2i2: this entry level audio interface is well-known and, given his nature, you can imagine that the sound is pretty accurate. It is: I understood the frequency response of the V3 better by listening to them through this source. They appear to have a little V-shaped graph, with a little cut-out in the lower mids. They actually provide a sound that I’d describe as funny, certainly not a reference one but they are not meant to. There is a great detail, impressive every time I listen to them. The soundstage is wide: mainly expanded on the lower side, also very good on the treble area. I hear a little bit of a hiss with higher female voices, but it may be a source’s fault.
• Audirect Beam x Mi MIX 2: good combo, because of the pretty neutral sound provided by the Beam. You hear well the V-shaped signature with albums like “My iron lung” by Radiohead: good bass, good highs, decent male voice on the higher mids but some harmonic cuts. It appears to me to be the sound signature of the Mason V3, and thinking of how they are meant to be used I understand it. You sacrifice a little bit of resonance to hear better the main frequencies you need to hear.

There’s sort of a valve on each monitor I believe to tune the bass level. I found the sound to be airier by spinning clockwise the right one – and, mirrored, the left one. Not so much a matter of bass, but the difference is audible mainly with male voices.

I must underline that the bass, while punchy, hasn’t a great pressure; the sub-bass is certainly more effective – these are surely features of the tuning which can be changed a bit by switching the cable.



If you want to know what they sound with higher level DAPs, the general experience with OPUS 2 and AK SE100 was similar: enjoyable sound, pretty bass and treble, I’d say a classic multi-balance high-end experience. You may buy these IEMs with those kinds of players, but who knows; I reported my 360° experience, made of lower level hardware too.

Recording test (monitoring)

As I previously mentioned, I tried to “stress” the Mason with some recording: nothing heavy and with absolutely less stress than they can really carry, but something more suitable for their purpose than music listening.

I summarize the entire experience with one word: detail. It’s stunning how these work in a recording way: while with music they could leave perplexed the ones with reference expectations, the recording experience is amazing. Whether if you search for bass speed, voice response, or even clean separation of instruments, there you find the real quality of the V3. You hear the real power of these IEMs by exploiting them in all the possible ways.

Conclusions

I extend my positive thoughts about the detail in the overall experience with the Mason V3: if that’s the most important thing in your list (and if you’re a live performer I believe it’s a concrete possibility), then these could be for you.

The second amazing feature for me was the imaging: (fun fact) I got scared when, listening to a live concert with them, applause began; I wasn’t expecting that, and I really heard the people behind me.

The soundstage too appeared true: it’s not that simple with IEMs to obtain such an exact reproduction, because of the driver dimensions. These are convincing. It’s like sitting a few rows in front of the stage.



If you are instead a music enthusiast, there are two possibilities: you want a fun IEM or you want a reference one. These are more fun than reference: with a little V-shaped signature and all the features that I previously described, I recommend them to those who like this tuning. Not a basshead monitor, nor the higher-fidelity one, but a really capable and fun IEM. They are transparent and airy, not difficult to listen to nor to drive, given their low impedance.

The listening experience could be for everyone… the price obviously not. But if you are a professional, then it’s not the priciest alternative, but may be the best for you.

Intro

Last June, Astell & Kern released the A&Futura SE100, their new mid/high-end DAP with great capabilities, which is also the first of this premium line. What makes it really interesting is the new powerful Octa-core CPU – we don’t know much about it, but it’s fast, reliable, and thanks to the good 5’’ HD screen with a responsive touch, the user experience is smooth and enjoyable.

Its body is completely made of aluminum and glass, with a “Titan Silver” color and an original back texture that gives a premium feel to the product. Its shape is mostly squared but offers a particular design that reflects other A&K DAPs, in a positive way: it’s kind of a signature of the brand, in a few words “futuristic design”.




The unit was sent me for the purpose of this review in loan unit, I am not affiliated with the company and all observations and opinions will be only my own. Would like to thanks AK team for sending me this unit giving me the opportunity to test this device for almost two months.

PRICE: 1699 USD
LINK TO THE OFFICIAL SHOP: https://www.astellnkern.com/eng/content/main/
LINK TO THE OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/astellnkern/



PACKAGING: packaging is quite simple and elegant, as all the other AK products, the package hasn’t a lot of accessories. For this price range a leather case in the box wouldn’t have been a bad thing. In the box you can find the player, warranty card and a type-c cable charging. Usually don’t like to talk much about packaging and other staff cause my main focus is on the sound quality, but overall the unboxing experience of this DAP surely will not disappoint you, but really don't understand why AK didn't include a leather case( strange marketing choices).






General use and specifications

The dimensions of 75.8mm x 15.3mm x 132.7mm provide a relatively compact device: the squared lines combined with the quite big size, makes this player a bit uncomfortable for the use on the go(price to be paid for a good portable amplifier).

The SE100 offers ES9038PRO DAC by ESS SABRE, which is capable of decoding up to 32 bit/384 kHz and covers up to DSD256 sample rate files (and obviously every other less sophisticated lossy and lossless format). I think this DAC could also read DSD512, as seen in other different products that adopt it, which isn’t however something I feel lacking here. And having the WiFi module (mono-band, b/g/n) with OTA support can cover this and other needs with a software update – for example, by releasing new drivers etc..

I really liked the USB C, which is here a 3.0 one: something really appreciated given the faster data transferring capability; it supports MTP for Windows and Mac OS without any particular issue. The SE100 can also be used as a USB DAC, by installing the drivers and putting it in DAC mode; the drivers can be found in the internal memory of the DAP or on the A&K website.

Another good aspect is the memory area: we find 128 GB of built-in storage expandable with one MicroSD Card; thanks to the large amount of internal storage we don’t feel the need of a second external slot( just to know, most of my tracks are in flac 16,24 bit, I usually don't use DSD).





Speaking of outputs, it has both 3.5mm unbalanced and 2.55 balanced (4-pole only) ports. One of the strong points of this player is the balanced ouptut(i used it most of the time in this configuration), that not only offers more power and better instrument separation compared to the SE output, but with absolutely no distortions or background noises, Astell and Kern engineers really know how to make a good amplifier. Nothing unusual concerning the 3.5mm one, it works as expected for a product in this price range.

While not being a fan of wireless audio, this DAP carries a Bluetooth 4.1 connection aptX HD enabled which is a great feature for the enthusiasts.

I’m satisfied about the battery area( another strong pint of this player), considering the powerful System on Chip and the 3700 mAh LiPo: this combo provides at mid volume a good 10 hours or more of music reproduction – screen off connections off help in increasing the result.




Software

The UI is familiar and easy to use. Even though is some Android fork, we can’t install third parts’ apps, but it’s not a big deal. The UX for me was smooth and pleasant, thanks to the powerful chip providing snappy performances.



Sound and Clock Jitter

Astell & Kern claims an 800fs clock jitter, an impressive value that provides an optimal synchronization of the instruments. The jitter is a matter of conversion between the analogic-digital signals; that means the DAC used is a very effective one. I actually found that interesting in a matter of sound: it’s impressive the instrument separation and the dynamic provided by both the outputs. It’s clearly a deserved claim.

More info: ”An enhanced voltage-controlled crystal oscillator (VCXO) high-precision clock has been utilized in the A&futura SE100.
The reference jitter of Astell&Kern's implementation has improved performance to 800fs (femto seconds), meaning that the SE100 faithfully reproduces your music by precisely measuring and accurately timing the synchronization of all instruments, vocal and even ambience sound recorded in your digital music file together”.




Speaking of sound, I found it tending to neutral, but clear enough. My experience was positive because the versatility of this player and its ability to drive also high-impedance headphones without issues.

For sure, this player doesn't show a reference sound type, offering the typical AK smooth and liquid vocals.

Bass goes very deep, focusing more on the sub-bass region, so helping with the dynamic. Compared to AK KANN, this SE100 goes deeper in bass, showing a more audiophile bass response, with less mid-bass presence. Overall, the bass will give you all the attack, decay and layering you would expect from such expensive device.

Vocals are pushed a bit forward in the scene, creating a more intimate sound compared to my Opus2.

I would say, vocals are the strongest point of this player: very clean, detailed and emotional(makes a great job with female ones).

Treble, compared to AK KANN shows more sparkles and definition, helping to give airier sound and details on top end.

AK SE100 offers great instrument separation, portraying every single micro-detail, but soundstage is not the widest, it extends more in depth and combined with the more forward vocals creates a more intimate scene.

In balanced connection, it gains better instrument separation and layering.


Comparisons

AK SE100 VS AK KANN:

SE100 has better screen and faster UI.
On sound quality se100 is slightly more resolving with better clarity, deeper sound and better dynamic and transient response. What you will notice soon going from Kann to se100, is the overall deeper and more dynamic sound.
Kann sounds warmer with less sparkles.
Se100 is still musical, but better transparency and trebles, maybe a bit more fatiguing paired with some IEMs.



Soundstage is more or less on par extention, but se100 has more precise soundstage, you can easily pinpoint instruments in the scene and feel more air between each instrument.
Balanced output on se100 is very powerful with very layered and airy sound.
I have the impression that Kann can sound a bit dull with some dynamic headphones, on the other side se100, thanks to its more dynamic sound can have better sinergy with a lot of headphones.
Bass on se100 focuses more on sub-bass frequencies, on the other side, on Kann, the bass warms a bit the sound.
This is not night and day, but really i found many improvements over Kann.


AK SE100 VS OPUS2: Opus2 is still a great player under sound quality terms. SE100 has a more engaging sound, with deeper bass impact, more forward and emotional vocals. Opus2 is a bit more on reference side, with wider soundstage and better left/right channel separation( maybe it's due to the dual DAC).

Bass on the Opus 2 has less impact, but focuses more on mid-bass, giving slightly a fuller sound.

SE100 will give you more more upper-mid presence, so more clarity and better female vocals reproduction, but can sound a bit harsh with some cold IEMs.

I would not say, there is a clear winner here, both players performs great with slightly different approach, so the final result will only depend by your musical tastes and pairings. If you love vocals, deep bass and a more intimate scene with great instrument separation, SE100 could be a great choice for you. If you are looking for a more reference sound, less engaging, but with wider soundstage at a cheaper price Opus2 could be the player for you.

AK SE100 offers better screen/UI and batttery life, Opus offers offline Tidal and Spotify with sideloaded apk.








SINERGY:




SE100 WITH UNIQUE MELODY MASON V3: great clarity and definition. Bass gains more impact and decay, with really sweet vocals. Mason V3 sounds very dynamic and engaging with this player.

Great instrument separation, but not the widest soundstage. I found a wider stage paired with Opus2.




SE100 WITH AROMA AUDIO YAO: Yao gains more clarity and better female vocal reproduction.

Bass improves a lot, with deeper bass and better layering. Vocals are just great: liquid, emotional and intimate.




SE100 WITH HEIR 10.0: great sinergy: SE100 helps to have a more forward vocals(heir 10.0 is a bit v-shaped sound signature), more clarity and dynamic.




SE100 WITH AMBIENT ACOUSTICS AM6: AM6 sounds a bit harsh on top end, paired with this SE100, but gains a more engaging sound, with better bass response. Soundstage is very wide, with great instrument separation.




SE100 WITH LARK STUDIO LSX: in balanced output, SE100 can drive easily this 10BA iem. Providing a really engaging sound, with great bass response and sweeter vocals.

Dynamic improves a lot. Soundstage is very deep, with better and more precise instruments positioning.




PROS:

DYNAMIC

BASS IMPACT

SWEET VOCALS

NO HISS PROBLEMS OR BACKGROUND NOISE

GREAT BATTERY LIFE/UI/ SCREEN QUALITY




CONS:

NO OFFLINE TIDAL

NO LEATHER CASE

SOUND COULD BE MORE ON REFERENCE SIDE( IT'S A MATTER OF PREFERENCE)




Some more technic specifications (from the official site):

- Frequency Response - ±0.038dB (Condition: 20Hz~20kHz) Unbalance / ±0.028dB (Condition: 20Hz~20kHz)

- Balance - ±0.074dB (Condition: 10Hz~70kHz) Unbalance / ±0.030dB (Condition: 10Hz~70kHz) Balance

- Signal to Noise Ratio - 122dB @ 1kHz, Unbalance / 123dB @ 1kHz, Balance

- Crosstalk - 138dB @ 1kHz, Unbalance / 144dB @ 1kHz, Balance

- THD+N - 0.0007% @ 1kHz, Unbalance / 0.0006% @ 1kHz, Balance

- IMD SMPTE - 0.0006% 800Hz 10kHz(4:1) Unbalance / 0.0005% 800Hz 10kHz(4:1) Balance

- Output Impedance - Balanced out 2.5mm (1ohm) / PHONES 3.5mm (1.5ohm)

Some months ago, i had the opportunity to review the Ambient Acoustic LAM7( flagship model), a really interesting product, with eight sound signatures in one iem thanks to manual switching on the shell and their LAM technology.

For more info about my LAM7 review, you can check here: https://simplyaudiophile.wordpress.com/2018/02/23/review-ambient-acoustics-am7lam-u/



Today we are going to have a look to their AM6 custom model.

Just to know, Ambient Acoustics is working on new models with 16 and 24 drivers, quite interesting stuff!.

On their official site, is possible to find many and detailed info, even a frequency graph for each of

their models in catalogue.





AM6 unit was sent me for the purpose of this review, I am not affiliated with the company and all observations and opinions will be only my own. Would like to thanks Ambient Acoustics team for sending me this unit giving me the opportunity to test it.



DRIVER CONFIGURATION: Six BA drivers per ear
PRICE: 644 EURO
LINK TO THE OFFICIAL SHOP: https://ambient-acoustics.ua/16/eng/index.html
LINK TO THE OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/AmbientAcoustics/





About LAM6: “ These custom in-ear monitors are implemented all our many years experience of individual stage monitoring tools designing! AM6-HiRez individual monitors have six balanced armature drivers that reproduce the entire audible range of human hearing, from infralow to ultra high frequency components. This model will be appreciated by audiophiles and experienced sound engineers, because the AM6-HiRez audio feed can be described as a musical, with the most marked "personal" sense of presence, but with clarity and "sound transparency" which is necessary for stage work!”.







PACKAGING: AM6 comes in a standard hard case, that is quite useful on the go. The order process is quite simple: their site offers a real-time visualiser, that is not nice looking like Visionear tool,for example, but makes its job.

The iem is very comfortable( obviously will depend by the quality of the earimpression) and smaller than other 6ba ciem i already reviewed.

The cable is very solid and just to be honest really nice. As for LAM7 The Silver detachable Ambient Cord uses not a two normal pin plugs, but screw ones, so will not be compatible with aftermarket cables( talking with Ambient Acoustics Lab, they told me customers can ask them for hybrid connectors in order to use both their cable, both two-pin MMCX aftermarket cables.



SOUND: All my sound consideration has been made after 100 hours of burn in, with different DAPs such as Opus1s, Opus2, Astell and kern se100, iFi Nano Idsd black label and my iphone 6 too.

This AM6 is on the bright side, making a great job with female voices. I would say that this model fits both audiophile and monitoring needs. Can result good for monitoring, cause it is able to bring out lots of detail without coloring too much the scene, but its revealing nature can create some problems with bad recorded tracks. Even if the sound is quite neutral, there are slightly emphasis on sub-bass region and upper mids that helps to satisfy music lovers and audiophiles too.

Bass, even if a bit emphasized in tuning, has the typical BA impact, i would say is not the strong point of this IEM. Overall, the bass is correct, never covering vocals, but i would prefer here a more mid-bass presence, helping to give more body to instruments in this frequency range.

The AM6 can sound a bit thin, due to the emphasis on the upper-mid region, but never result too harsh or annoying with good recorded tracks.

Soundstage is great on this IEM, offering a good out of the head experience. Soundstage is a bit wider than deeper, always showing a good instrument separation.

The AM6, is quite easy to drive, but more than power needs, i found the player sinergy can help this iem to sound less forgiving and more natural. Just an example, my Opus2, helped to have a more mid-bass presence and a more controlled upper midrange. Overall, i would use a neutral/warm sounding DAP with this IEM.



SINERGY:



AM6 with ak se100: se100 can drive easily the AM6, it helps to have a better and more layered bass impact. Vocals are more forward, but with some tracks the upper mids can result a bit too pronounced. Instrument separation is great with this player, but SE100 portrays a more intimate sound compared to my Opus2. The overall result is a clean sounding combo, with better bass impact and better vocal presence.



AM6 with Opus2: great sinergy: very wide and holographic stage. Opus 2 helps to add more mid-bass presence, but lacks the sub-bass impact of the Akse100. Vocals are a bit less forward and clean, but here i found a more controlled upper midrange. The overall result is a more controlled and natural sound, with very wide stage and a more organic feeling.



AM6 with Fiio M7: m7 can't compete with Opus 2 and akse100, in both layering, tonality and instrument separation, but can drive very good this IEM, adding a more bass presence and clean vocals. Soundstage is very wide here, but instrument separation are a bit more confused.





COMPARISONS:



AM6 VS INEARZ EUPHORIA: Inearz has more full-bodied sound, with more mid-bass bass quantity. Euphoria is less forgiving with bad recorded tracks, with more forward vocals. On the other side, AM6 has a cleaner sound with a touch wider stage, but less depth.



AM6 vs LARKSTUDIO LSX(10BA): this is not a fair comparison, since LSX has 10 drivers per side and costs 2x. LSX sounds warmer and with a more natural tonality. Bass on LSX has more impact and a better layering. Vocals on both these IEMs, are a bit recessed, but AM6 shows a more picky sound on the upper midrage, adding more clarity to the scene, but sounding less forgiving with bad recorded tracks. Soundstage is a touch wider on AM6, but results more mature and natural on LSX, showing equal stage in width and depth.



PROS: good price for a 6BA iem, clarity and instrument separation, wide soundstage, easy to drive



CONS: i think this IEM fits better musician and sound engineers needs than audiophile ones.


for more reviews: https://simplyaudiophile.wordpress.com/author/simplyaudiophile/

PWaudio is a boutique/company well known for its premium copper cables. Just recently, Peter Wang( chief of PWaudio), showed his new products at Canjam Singapore. In the catalogue you can find new Vanquish models: Saladin, Loki and Xerxes and new “century series” 1950s and 1980s.

Today we are going to have a better look about Saladin(+), 1950s and 1980s.



OFFICIAL SITE:OFFICIAL SITE:https://www.pwaudio.com.hk/

FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/pg/pwaudio2014/about/?ref=page_internal



SPECS:



1950S:

Jacket Material: Soft PE
Conductor Material: Supreme Level OCC Copper
Conductor Gauge: 26awg as conductors and close to 24awg as shielding
Number of Conductors: 4 conductors and 4 shielding





1980S:

Jacket Material : PVC black with Pattern
Conductor Material : extruded copper with special LITZ
Conductor Gauge: 28AWG as core conductor and 24awg as shielding
Number of Conductors : 4 wires 8 conductors





SALADIN:

Jacket Material : Crystal Clear PVC

Conductor Material : 4 Groups of Extreded and deoxygenated Copper, 3 Groups of Silver plated extruded and deoxygenated Copper

Conductor Gauge: 34AWG X 7 Groups

Number of Conductors : 4 (8)



Just to know, i am a cable believer and i am always looking for the best sinergy between cables and IEMs. Even if, the sound nature of these three models was almost clear after the first try, i preferred to test with different IEMs and wait a bit longer for a deeper sound analysis.

In this article, i will not focus on technical aspects, but will just share my sound impressions.



Talking abut build quality and premium feeling, all these three models show great attention to details, and during this month of use, i never found any build issue.

Saladin 4wires is one of the most softer and most comfortable cable i have ever had the opportunity to use. The (8 wires) model, even if a bit heavier than the little brother, is soft and easy to use for both custom and universal IEMs. The 1980s, is the heaviest of the three, showing harder structer( a bit hard to use with universal earphones on the go).

The 1950s is quite light for a flagship model, even if not soft like Saladin, is very comfortable and easy to use on the go.





SOUND:



SALADIN(+): to my surprise, Saladin(+) represents a great upgrade over his little 4wires brother.

The (+) model is really interesting with rock music thanks to its great treble and fast/deep sub-bass. The 4 wires model, tries to improve tonality, adding more body with a mid-bass raise and adding more clarity to the upper midrange. The overall tonality of 4 wires is natural/warm, showing a more intimate sound. On the other side, the (+) versions has a better treble and sparkles on the upper treble region( this works great with natural/warm sounding IEMs like Aroma Audio Yao and Custom art Fibae2). Vocals and instruments acquires more body, with more air between every single instruments and vocals. Where the 4 wires models tries to give a more intimate experience, on the other side, 8 wires opens up the scene, showing a wider soundstage and better left/right channel separation. I noticed a better and faster transient response, with a touch better dynamic.

Usually, i found a great sinergy with natural/warm sounding IEM.






1980s: to my ears, the 1980s, is the most transparent of the three. Talking about tonality, this model, is quite neutral( a bit clear with female vocal songs), less warm than both Saladin 4 and 8 wires. The main focus of this cable is the midrange, helping to have a more forward and detailed vocals. Bass is quite good( adding more impact on the sub-bass region), but can't compete with the bass quality of 1950s.

The 1980s, has the most holographic stage of the three, showing a great out of the head experience. If you are a lover of vocals or wide soundstage, the 1980s, could be a great choice for you.





1950s: the most natural of the three: its strong points are bass, natural tone and dynamic.

The 1950s is a very particular cable: it is not so engaging or fun like Saladin or 1980s, it never adds color to the music, trying to stay always controlled, natural and full-bodied. The bass on this model is great, it has great and strong impact, but always feel uncolored and natural. This model fits great with classic music, showing great instrument separation and layering. 1980S has a more holographic stage, but instruments positioning is more confused. With 1950s, you can easily pinpoint instruments in the scene. The natural bass impact helps with a very dynamic presentation.





PAIRINGS:



INEARZ EUPHORIA: great sinergy with 1950s and Saladin: 1950s natural sound, improves sub-bass impact, with great depth layering. Saladin helps to have a better treble( Euphoria lacks a bit on this spectrum).



Aroma Audio YAO: great sinergy with 1980s and 1950s: with 1980s vocals are really sweet and more forward, soundstage improves a lot, portaying a more holographic stage around you. 1950S helps to have a more bass impact(YAO lacks a bit of sub-bass), adding a more neutral tonality( YAO is a bit warm/organic due to the mid-bass elevation).



Aroma Audio Twins: great sinergy with 1950s helping to have a less fun signature and better depth soundstage. Saladin can sound a bit harsh paired with Twins model, but gives a very wide stage.


LARK STUDIO LSX: great sinergy with Saladin: helping with a more dynamic sound and better transient response. Saladin helps to have a less warm sound and better clarity on top end.



FOR MORE REVIEWS: https://simplyaudiophile.wordpress.com/author/simplyaudiophile/

Introduction

Since FiiO has announced this new DAP, I was really curious to try this nearly-entry-level solution. While being a little bit skeptical because of the RAM (it provides actually less than 1 GB of memory), the fact that it runs Android as OS surely was a plus in my mind. Furthermore, this is the firstFiio product with a USB Type C: for me, this is definitely another pro, but the line-up of Fiio provides a lot of Micro USB connectors with proprietary technologies (like the 16-pin connector that also carries the audio). In fact, if you want to use with the M7 – for example – the dock station, you have to use an adaptor; it’s clearly not a definitive solution: USB Type C carries the audio on its own, so I expect to see, in the near future, an updated dock and relative dongles.

The first important thing about this product is the absence of a WiFi module: even though it runs Android, you unfortunately can’t use online streaming services like Spotify – but, given the nature of this Audio Player, it would be a pity to use it with such poor-quality sounds; maybe Tidal users could be more disappointed at this point, but I’m actually no one of them. And I usually “feed” my DAPs with discrete quality FLAC files because I’m an offline kind of person. I also consider myself a “wired” person (not weird, author’s note), but for people who prefer wireless, this DAP carries a nice Bluetooth module (4.2, that’s low energy and long-range).

Consider what I wrote until now as an introduction, a conversational prologue. Henceforward I’ll be technical and pragmatic.



Package

The M7 is packaged in an elegant white box, that reminds me of the Apple ones, or even better because it seems recycled paper (special consideration for the environment can’t be something bad). Inside we can find the player itself, a useful silicon case, the charging cable and the instruction manuals: basic equipment but nothing missing; otherwise I’ve really appreciated the case and the general elegance: remind this product is 200$-priced, which is a fierce price range because of the competitors. Really a point in favor ofFiiO.


This unit was sent me for the purpose of this review , I am not affiliated with the company and all observations and opinions will be only my own. Would like to thanks Lily and Fiio team for sending me this unit giving me the opportunity to test such a well sounding product.


LINK TO THE OFFICIAL SHOP: http://www.fiio.net/fiio


LINK TO FACEBOOK PAGE:


Hardware, Design and Ports

I can clearly say this is a very 2018 product: a solid construction with really good materials (metal and glass), a good System on Chip provided by Samsung (actually an Exynos 7270), a USB Type C port (that I’m a great fan of), everything sweetly combined in this great-looking Audio Player. I’m not fully convinced about the memory area: both the RAM and the ROM feel significantly underestimated to run Android smoothly (we talk about 768 MB of RAM and 2 GB of Internal Storage). Obviously, to store the music files we have the possibility – I must say the obligation – to mount a Micro SD card: luckily it supports up to 512 GB cards! And I’m sure that nobody could be disappointed with that – does anyone really need more than that?

The musical heart of this player is the DAC ESS Sabre ES9018Q2C.

Speaking of placement, while I find more comfortable having both the charging port and the audio jack on the same side – the lowest -, for technical reasons they are placed on the opposite sides one another: in that way they avoid electrical interferences disturbing the audio signal. And it works great on the audio neatness way, as we’ll see on the dedicated section later; in fact, they grant a harmonic distortion that’s lower than 0,004%.

The audio jack also integrates a line-out output, which recognize the hardware and eventually bypass the internal circuitry while we use it as an external source.



On the left side they’ve located the volume slider – which has a funny clicking wheel –and three solid buttons (previous song or Radio station, play/pause, next song). Given the small dimensions of the DAP, they result comfortable to reach and satisfyingly clicky. On the upper side we find, with the audio jack, the power button, that’s smart because it has an embedded notification led, which changes color when in charge/charged/simply on.

Something I didn’t like is the brightness level: even though the screen is good, the maximum brightness doesn’t feel enough bright. It could be an issue for those who need to see well under the sunlight.

A 1880 mAh battery is there to provide – as declared – up to 20 hours of listening on a single charge, but it’s not a real-life indication: that result has reached with a really low volume level, low quality files, screen off… but it’s no big deal, because I found that the endurance of this little player was very good: with good-quality FLACs and a little equalization, I’ve obtained a maximum quantity of 15 hours of music reproduction, that’s better than every other out there, I think. Even with a little Bluetooth use.


I was glad to find the FM Radio, a feature usually prerogative of super-cheap DAPs (I really don’t know why, because the multimedia area would always get advantage of it). FiiO has clearly listened to his users and payed attention to the market, both because of the updated USB and the modem area – even though we miss WiFi, but I’m sure we’ll find it in future models; it’s a question of time until they’ll release their updated “X” models, following the great way taken with this M7. However, the signal wasn’t bad at all, and the first time I opened the FM Radio I accidentally happened on a channel transmitting Jackson’s Billy Jean; I don’t really listen to the Radio when in search of audio quality, and that’s why I was surprised the most: that song sounded so detailed and pleasant that I thought I was listening, at least, to a good MP3 file. I’m glad this is not something placed to add a specification, but a cured sector (the chip, provided by Silicon Labs, is the SI4705).


Software

As an Android fan, I washappy to find this OS mounted on the M7. Here in a custom who-knows-what version (which I don’t know anything about, because it’s not even reported in the info), it’s a good-looking User Interface, that runs surprisingly well on that minimum amount of RAM. As I’ve already reported, this player lacks the WiFi module, which also means that streaming Apps won’t find any space. And this product doesn’t even carry the Google Play Store, which is obviously not necessary. However, I thought there was the possibility to sideload apps, if we were not satisfied with, for example, the stock Music Player; but we can’t: the pre-loaded File Manager perfectly reads every song and even hidden folders, but doesn’t show apk files in the micro SD card inserted. Anyway, I can assure that this Player App is so good that I’ve also installed the Beta version of it –provided by FiiO itself - on my Xiaomi Mi Mix 2. Not just the UI/UX side, but also the great optimization carried with it – and, in general, with this not-so-deeply-customized version of the green robot. For those who already are Android users, I must say, on balance, that there’s not much Android left here: even the navigation bar was removed in favor of gestures. Well, at least this is also a very 2018 thing.

However, after using the player, I can assure there aren’t any issues concerning software: I’ve found no big lags, but it’d be hard to, because the software is so limited! If it is a pro or a con, it’s a personal choice. I’ve found just some stray translation mistakes, and, in general, what I didn’t like about this area was not something that compromises the use of the device. For example, the only software way to stop the Radio FM receiving and playing is by opening the Music Player; I’d rather find an on/off switch, just like in the Music Player app. But you can obviously just press the dedicated hardware button for Play/Pause.

During my test period, I’ve received a software update – from 1.0.2 to 1.0.3. I clarify that obviously no notifications appeared on the DAP itself, but FiiO has released the OTA zip here: http://fiio.net/en/supports/56

To install it, I’ve just opened the support app on the M7, selected the zip that I previously inserted in my Micro SD and let it flash. It’s a matter of minutes.

As a Mac user, I’ll give this advice: this player connects via MTP, that’s a Microsoft standard. Given the fact that everyone knows Android File Transfer for Mac OS is a terrible app, I recommend using Commander One, which is so much better, or simply extract the SD from the player and put it into your PC, that will avoid crashes and other amenities. I would have recommended Hand Shaker by Smartisan, but it needs the companion app on the player and we can’t install it.



Sound and Pairing

I’ve already wrote something about Bluetooth, but I must spend some other words for it. It’s not that I didn’t like it much here, it’s that I never enjoy this type of connection. Not just under an audiophile point of view, but mostly because of the discomfort of having to charge both the DAP and the headphones too many times. In fact, when the Bluetooth connection is on, the battery life decreases faster. I don’t actually have really good sounding Bluetooth headphones (I mean, AptX and various other HD wireless tech), but trying the M7 with the Bluedio T4S gave me a discrete impression: it’s a pretty long-range signal, that carries a crisp sound (with a little lack of bass, but I’m pretty sure it’s a headphone’s fault). I’ve also tried the M7 wirelessly with my Inateck BH1001 – obviously not an audiophile pair of headphones, but neither is the Bluetooth listening in general -: I’ve appreciated their sound in other (more sport-related) situations, and even with this DAP I’ve found an honest reproduction of frequencies; actually, they carry pleasant basses and good highs, while not perfect mids – and I don’t really love V-shaped sounding means, honestly. But I’m writing about wireless signals, which aren’t my favourite (or even some audiophile’s) kind of stuff.

The wired connection here, to my personal preference, was more enjoyable.

First thing to say about sound: this player carries a lot of pression. I didn’t raise the volume over 35 over 60, which is the sign that M7 can drive very high-impedance headphones. I’m wondering why the volume wasn’t divided in 100 steps; who knows.

However, I found the sound to be satisfyingly punchy and detailed in most of the genres I’ve listened to. Buckley’s Grace (the album) was the less enjoyable one because of the electric guitars’ quantity; the kneaded sound felt not-so-well managed in that situation. But in every other situation the M7 has driven my headphones very well, carrying a believable sound in the fidelity way and not coloring it too much. Just like I’ve said before, something surprising here is the noise level, that’s incredibly low. That makes the listening very clean and pleasant.

Some reference songs I’ve used:

- No son of mine, Firth to Fifth, Genesis

- I can’t make you love me/Nick of time, Bon Iver

- Love is a losing game, Amy Winehouse

- Brave new world, Kings of Convenience

- I don’t know what I can save you from, Kings of Convenience


And the headphones I’ve used:


(Good 100$) 1MORE MK801: I loved how they sound together. The soundstage is wide and thanks to the minimum noise carried by the M7, the room feels cozy and warm. I don’t think this DAP is a warm one in general, but they evidently balance themselves. The punchiness was there, but well managed, carrying a good amount of basses (but low sub-basses), decent mids and good highs. The voice was a little too sharp, mostly with female ones, while the instrument separation was very accurate. My quandary remains with Grace, like I’ve said before, because it feels too confusing for the instruments playing mid frequencies. But the equalization is there to help: try simply the custom presets – that I unfortunately didn’t find so different one from another, they are 9 – to adjust the sound; that obviously didn’t do any miracles, but it helps.


Sennheiser Momentum On-Ear (MK1, my loved ones): the best sounding of these first three, a little obvious given the price and the brand. The M7 underlines its pros but also its cons. For example, it’s well known that these earphonesare a little unbalanced on the lower frequencies and it’s clear, by listening to this combo, that this DAP make its work by… just sounding unbalanced on the lower frequencies. So, under the fidelity way I’ve no regrets on pairing these two instruments together. But you have to manually adjust the equalization (10 bands) by taking down a bit the bass, and then you’ll hear exactly what you expect to hear. Soundstage is wide enough, there’s no sound coloring – and I kind of like this flat experience, because you hear everything right. Very good mids in my ear’s taste, including instruments separation, voice clarity, nothing bad to say. Highs are just a little less intense, but still enjoyable. In general, treble with this DAP is well balanced.



Fiio F5: great synergy, with wide soundstage and natural sound. This M7 helps to avoid any treble harshness and gives a nice bass impact. Vocals on f5 are a bit recessed, this player helps to give a more forward mid presentation.


Fiio ex1 2nd gen: very wide and holographic soundstage, with nice transient response. M7 helps to give a fuller bass response and less v-shaped sound signature.


Ibasso IT01: not a great synergy with this player. IT01 has a great and fun bass impact, for this M7 will give a nice soundstage and vocals, but too much bass quantity. Usually, this M7 has a great synergy with neutral/clean sounding IEM.


Dunu C-falcon: as for fiio iems, M7 has a great synergy with C-Falcon giving a fuller sound and better control. Vocals are sweet with a nice airy sound. I don’t feel too much harshness like with my iPhone.




I’d say this DAP is easy to listen to. Once, there was an agreement between song producers for the tuning. Nowadays, this is no more a thing, and mainstream music receive a mastering process that fills every sound gap and the sound results no more airy. Consequently, this DAP is tuned to fulfill this kind of sound, that’s a mass need, not really an audiophile one. But I liked this little M7, I’d say more than I expected, because it carries an unpretentious sound, which is yet a good-quality one: it’s musical, and this is what we are searching for. This price range carries a lot of good products (Cayin N3, Shanling M2S,…), in which I’d insert this FiiO’s M7, even with all its little faults.

An advice to FiiO: in the “support” section, I’d like to find something about screenshot functionality, and a quick link to the equalizer in Settings. Like, I’d make the equalizer an app itself, it would be simpler to put our hands on.


Notice that this DAP won’t work via USB (as a DAC), that’s only used to charge and exchange data. Explaining it better, FiiO provides support just for its Q1 MK2, Q5 or Chord Mojo, that I don’t own.



Pros

Design

Battery life

FM Radio

Sound

USB C

It reads everything you charge it with

Easy-to-use software


Cons

Poor Memory area

No WiFi and third-part app compatibility

No balanced connection

Lark Studio is a new audiophile company, but quite experienced in producing universal and custom products, they just released their first 10 balanced armatures model: LSX.


"The lark is a well-known bird to the music industry.

As it flies high, you may only catch a glimpse of it as its cry reaches you.

The crisp and sweet sound of the lark is a symbol of Lark Studio's constant pursuit of sound quality.

The lark's rich colors inspire us to build ever more diverse and beautiful products, with an aesthetically-focused design.

Lark Studio was created out of a passion to bring the market top-notch custom and universal in-ear monitors embodying the beauty of the lark, in both body and sound.


After a long two years of preparation, three audiologists, with a combined experience of 18 years, set out to create excellently-performing monitors that provide an excellent visual and sonic value. Each employee of Lark Studio is a veteran of the audiophile market, with the youngest of ours having more than five years of experience.


We are a group of people chasing dreams.

Our team features an industry-leading tuner, hardware engineer, and product engineer, and together we've refined the traditional engineering/production cycle to provide a higher quality product, at a lower cost.

Each pair of in-ears goes through three separate polishing passes at the factory and is inspected for quality control rigorously with each pass. We do not tolerate any defects.

During the production process, our IEMs pass through four separate groups of tests, designed specifically by our quality-assurance team. And just to make sure that nothing gets through, a manual review is done by a trained professional right before we box up your new pair of in-ears.


As a testament to our commitment to our customers, we offer a comprehensive insurance package that covers all forms of damage, be it user error, product defect, or environmental damage. A payment of $180 gets your IEM two years of no-questions-asked insurance. Just send us your IEMs and we will get to work. Please note that shipping must be covered by the customer.



Each of Lark Studio's products is a labor of love. Every in-ear is made from high-quality materials, including some of the finest exotic woods you can find. Each piece is painstakingly screened for visual appeal and then treated to get the highest level of aesthetic value. We aim to build for you IEMs that transcend utility and become a true work of art, an heirloom quality product.


It is exactly for this reason that when each new employee joins the company, he or she knows they must embody the values of Lark Studios.

The staff strongly believes in the value of their work, as their job lets them bring life to an inert piece of plastic or chunk of exotic wood.


This is the story, and these are the values, of Lark Studios. We aim to provide you with a service that leaves you glad you did business with us. Happy reading!"


Today, i am going to review their custom model, but i have had the opportunity to test their final universal prototype too.


CLSX unit was sent me as a sample unit, I am not affiliated with the company and all observations and opinions will be only my own. Would like to thanks Lark Studio team for sending me this unit giving me the opportunity to test this engaging and nice-tuned IEM.



LSX will come in two versions: standard one, with a copper cable and a special version too, with PWaudio Saladin cable.

They will offer their custom version at the same price of their universal one.

From what i know, you can customize the artwork of both your universal and custom models without any additional cost, this is amazing and quite revolutionary.

( at the end of this review, you can find all the specs for standard cable and PWaudio Saladin one).


For more info about lsx or many custom available artworks, you can easily ask to Michael or Arthur on their facebook channel.


PRICE STANDARD EDITION : 1699 USD

PRICE SPECIAL EDITION: 1899 USD

OFFICIAL SITE : http://www.lark-studios.com

FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/larkstudiohifi/




PACKAGING: usually, don’t like to write much about packaging and other feautures, cause my main focus is sound quality, but the package here, is quite premium and rich: in the large box you can find many adaptors, a warranty card, a soft pouch and other more accessories, that you can see in the picture above.

Where, other companies uses only an hard case for their custom models, Lark Studio uses for both their universal and custom IEM the same premium box( in the universal model, you will find many SpinfFit and Comply eartips, i found a good isolation and great sound with the blue core SpinFit eartip).

For the custom artwork, i choosed a wood faceplates, trasparent shell and their silver/gold logo. Build quality seems premium and sturdy, though the pin socket are a bit tight specially at the beginning( so pay attention when switching cables).

Will update this review, if will find any build quality issue in the near future.



SOUND: All my sound consideration has been made after 150 hours of burn in as suggested by Lark Studio company, with different DAPs such as AK KANN, AK se100 Futura, Opus 1s, Opus2, iFi Nano Idsd black label.

I really found a great improvement after 100 hours of burn-in( usually, i am not a great burn-in believer for multi balanced IEM, but for custom models it needs time to adjust to your ear-canal and consequently when the seal will be good, perceived sound will improve. At this point, i don’t know if the great improvement i found, was due to only the better seal or the burn-in driver, but just to be sure, i suggest to make always a 50/100 hours of burn-in, before judging the overall sound quality.


LSX is quite a neutral, but still engaging iem, and was quite impressed by the refined tuning. Lark Studio created a nice combination of engaging and neutral sound with sweet female vocals.

Bass is for sure, a strong point of this IEM: last time i heard such a quality bass response was with the Rhapsodio Galaxy V2(dynamic driver). Usually multi-balanced IEMs cannot compete in bass quality with dynamic drivers models, but here bass goes very deep, with great sub-bass extension, mid-bass has adequate presence, but never warms up too much the scene. The overall result will depend on the source too, for example this LSX with ak se100 Futura really shines, giving a great punchy and layered bass response.


Vocals are a bit behind, but have nice tonality and realism, here again this iem has a great sinergy with astell and kern player, cause se100, usually, tends to push vocals more forward. There is a peak on the high-midrange area that creates a great balance with the strong bass response. Both male and female vocals are well portrayed, but feamale ones are really sweet and refined. Listening to Yael Naim or Cèlin Dion on this LSX was a pleasure for my ears.

Treble is clean and well extended and sometimes, will give you some sparkles, but never resulting too harsh or hot.


Soundstage is quite wide and holographic with the right tracks, but i found the universal model to have a wider soundstage(my custom model fits very deep in my ear-canal, so it can changes the overall perceived soundstage).

This LSX is quite easy to drive, but is not the most sensitive IEM out there, so needs a bit of current to really shine. Overall with good players such Opus 2/1s and ak se100 you will have a great result.



STANDARD EDITION VS SPECIAL EDITION( STANDARD COPPER CABLE VS PWAUDIO SALADIN CABLE):

the standard copper cable will give you a warmer sound, with more focus on bass and vocals(nice with modern and pop music), on the other side Saladin has always a smooth approach with more organic vocals, but will give you a better balance of mid-bass and upper treble( i would say a more audiophile approach). Overall Saladin has a more refined and sweet sound, with better transparency and resolution. I would suggest you to go with the standard edition, if you love a warmer sound with a more focus on bass response.



PAIRINGS:


LSX and Astell and kern SE100: great sinergy, with deep and airy bass response, vocals results more sweet and more forward. Soundstage results a bit more intimate and less wide compared to Opus2, but there is better depth layering.


LSX and OPUS2: bass doesn’t go deep as ak se100, but acquires more rumble and mid-bass presence. Vocals are not forward like SE100, but are still sweet with good tonality. Soundstage is wider and more holographic, but is less deep.

I can easily drive this IEM on mid-gain without any issues.


LSX with Opus1s: Opus 1s is a bit more full-bodied than Opus 2, less neutral, with a warmer and punchier bass response. Vocals are not so weet and detailed like for SE100 and Opus 2. Soundstage is less wide and layered, but there is great left/right channel separation.


COMPARISON:


INEARZ EUPHORIA CUSTOM VS LSX: lsx has better treble response and upper-mid presence, for this lsx, is capable to show a better female vocals. Euphoria has good bass response, but doesn’t go deep as Lsx can do. Soundstage is more or less on par.

Overall INEARZ EUPHORIA, sounds a bit smoother and less fatiguing, but LSX has better bass response and is capable to combine an engaging and natural sound in a better way.



CONCLUSION: this LSX was quite a surprise for me, wasn’t expecting such a refined tuning abilities from Lark Studio engineers and giving the opportunity to their customers to choose artwork customization for both their universal and custom product without any additional cost, will be for sure a winning choice for this new/big company.


SPECS:

10 precision tuned balanced armature drivers:

3 bass

4 midrange

2 treble

1 super-treble


4-way passive crossover design.


AVX Oxicap Capacitors

Vishay Resistors

Impedance: 19-20ohm

Sensitivity: 109-110 dB

Frequency Response: 20Hz-20 kHZ


SPECS STANDARD CABLE EDITION:

6N OCC 24awg *4 6N 24awg *4

280*0.06mm conductors /

TPU Shielding (Japan)


SPECS PWaudio Saladin cable:


tapping on his vast experience with copper based and silver based cables, Peter Wong has set out to create a new range of products, known as the "Vanquish" series, to mark a new era of PWaudio products.


Featuring a unique geometry and wire design based on his "Sevenfold Pipe" series, together with his knowledge of different types and grades of cable materials, PWaudio has created the Saladin.


Saladin features an all new 7 bundle Litz geometry of copper and silver-plated copper. Drawing from the characteristics of the copper, Saladin presents a vast, yet warm sound that draws the listener in with its intimacy and smoothness, and which also takes advantage of the SPC to present a detailed treble that provides added resolution and energy.

After the review of their IEMatch 2.5, i am quite happy to test both Ifi EARBUDDY and the standard IEMATCH.

My review of IEMatch 2.5: https://simplyaudiophile.wordpress.com/2018/04/26/review-ifi-iematch-2-5-hiss-no-problem/

So, what does these small dongles can do?
In the first part of this review I will show what iFi claims about their products, in the second part you can find my personal experience with many sensitive IEMs and different players/amp.
The iEMatch® solves the bane of headphone listening by removing hiss and improving dynamics. As most IEMs and headphones are too loud at even half the volume level, listening enjoyment is always curtailed. No more with the iEMatch® in the signal path.
Use the iEMatch® when the headphones/in-ear monitor (IEM) is either too loud and/or there is excessive hiss from the music source. From Smartphones to airplane in-flight entertainment systems, powerful headphone amplifiers, the iEMatch® improves musical enjoyment by:

1. Background noise – significantly reduced
2. Dynamic range – more open, transparent
3. Volume control – increased usable range

Technical example:
If a source has (say) 114dB dynamic range and the Headphone is 30dB too loud, once the volume has been turned down 30dB the dynamic range is reduced to 84dB, or below CD quality, from what is an excellent result for a high-solution source.

With Headphones, especially those that significantly reduce background noise (IEM, noise-reducing etc) excessive levels of electronic background noise quickly become annoying, so noise should always be kept as low as possible.
It literally defeats the object of building a system around an expensive high-resolution headphone amplifier when the volume must be backed off so much that the resulting background noise is so high, quality is reduced to below CD or MP3 audio quality.
By using iEMatch® one can reclaim 12 or 24dB lost dynamic range; as needed to get the most enjoyment from the source; from modern high-resolution recordings down to MP3, the difference is there to be heard.

This unit was sent me as a sample , I am not affiliated with the company and all observations and opinions will be only my own. Would like to thanks iFi team for sending me these units giving me the opportunity to test these simple and effective dongles.
The Earbuddy and IEmatch aims to do the same thing, but the IEMatch not only shows a more premium build quality, but will give you the opportunity to choose between Ultra (-24dB) & High-Gain (-12dB) sensitivity adjustment.

OFFICIAL SITE : https://ifi-audio.com/portfolio-view/accessory-iematch2-5/

FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/iFiAudio/



PACKAGING: more or less both earbuddy and IEMatch has the same packaging and same accessories, so will refer to only the IEMatch one.
The IEMatch comes in a simple, but quite elegant box. With the dongle you will find a velvet pouch and memory-foam contoured ear plugs (-37dB)(that you can use when travelling or in noisy environments).

Build quality is very good, obviously is not one of the most elegant products, but for this price range makes its job. iFi used a Al-Mg alloy casing for the body and a 6N silver/copper matrix wiring for the cable; with a Gold plated 2.5mm Balanced Connection. Like the standard IEMatch, you can switch between high and ultra sensitivity( I always used only high sensitivity with all my custom and universal IEMs, but ultra mode can be quite helpful with sensitive monster like Campfire Andromeda).
Switching between high and ultra mode depends by your iems and sources too, cause ultra mode will oblige to push the volume up and this thing can cause clipping issues.
<img src="https://simplyaudiophile.files.wordpress.com/2018/06/ifiuzzo-3.jpg" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1482" height="640" alt="ifiuzzo 3" width="960">

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:

I have tested the iEMatch with my custom INEARZ EUPHORIA both in standard and ADEL configuration, Aroma Audio Yao,Twins, HEIR AUDIO 10.0, Stereo Pravda SB7, Inear SD5, Fiio ex1, Dunu C-Falcon, . For the sources, I have plugged the iEMatch into Opus1s, Astell and kern kann, fiio m7, aune x1 Desktop DAC/AMP.

Stereo Pravda SB7+ Ifi IEMatch/EARbuddy + Aune x1s: this pairing shows how a 2500usd IEM can improve its performance with this small dongle. Aune X1 is a Desktop DAC/AMP with high output impedance, using the IEMatch improves not only some hiss issues, but recover the full dynamic range and the impedance dismatch between the high impedance output of the Aune(10 ohm) and the high sensitivity of this IEM.

INEARZ EUPHORIA custom+ Ifi IEMatch/EARbuddy+ Opus 1s: EUPHORIA doesn’t suffer too much of hiss problems, but I found Opus 1s in high gain can produce some hiss issues. Thanks to the IEMatch I can listen to high volume without loosing the full dynamic range.



Fiio F5 + IEMatch + astellkern KANN: kann doesn’t have too much noise in high gain, but the F5 has good amount of hiss. I found F5, IEMatch and akKANN one of the best pairing for this iem giving me the chance to experience great dynamic and never fatiguing experience.

Dunu C-Falcon + Ifi IEMatch/EARbuddy: C-Falcon is a great IEM for its price range, but like Fiio F5 can suffer of hiss problems. With these dongles, you can easaly raise the volume without increase hisses.


CONCLUSION: as for the IEMatch 2.5 there is no cons( maybe a bit the price), it just works great and keeps promises, so If you have any hiss problems with your high sensitive custom or premium IEMs, just give a try to this dongle and will surely not regret.

Aroma Audio is quite a young company, founded in 2015 has an independent R & D and design department dedicated to the design and development of portable and desktop audio product.

Talking with Antony, marketing manager of Aroma Audio, I understood their philosophy and the origin of their brand name: “Our philosophy is to make the sound as like as the variations of aroma.

Our team members are experienced in audio products. From the perspective of market demand, we create unique products to meet consumer expectations by our philosophy”.

This company received quite a good response in the audiophile community both for their desktop amp both for their Witch Girl IEM models. Now they released their new Musical Box headphones with these three models:


EARLY, TWINS AND YAO. Today I am going to review TWINS model with 7 armature units.

Time ago, I reviewed their Yao model, this is the link to the article: https://simplyaudiophile.wordpress.com/2017/12/25/review-aroma-audio-musical-box-yao/


Main differences between their Witch Girl IEMs and Musical Box Series: “Witch series has a more pop music style, on the other side, this new Musical Box series is more like England style and so, has a more mature reproduction”.


TWINS unit was sent me for the purpose of this review, I am not affiliated with the company and all observations and opinions will be only my own. Would like to thanks Aroma team for sending me this unit giving me the opportunity to test such a great product.

Aroma Audio is still a small company, but I am really impressed on how their products have such a premium build quality and audiophile sound. They spent a lot of resources in producing this Musical Box series, so will not give a lot of space for reviewers and marketing. From my experience, both their Twins and Yao can easily compete with other premium and more famous companies out there, so really hope they will obtain more visibility worldwide.


LINK TO THE OFFICIAL SHOP: http://www.aromaaudio.shop/

LINK TO THE OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/aromaaudio.hongkong/



PACKAGING: Since both their Yao and Twins have the same package and build quality, I will share the same I wrote for my Yao article.

the musical box packaging is really nice and particular: a wooden case that is really cool.

In the wooden case you can find warranty card, instruction manual ( instruction explaining how attach the cable to the earphones in the correct way), Acoustune original silicon tips, hard aluminium case, soft pouch and obviously TWINS IEM with a black standard cable.



Build quality seems very solid: the shell is made up of transparent acrylic and the faceplate of metal material. I have to admit that TWINS model, as you can see in the images I attached to this review, is a really nice looking IEM.

Comfort wise TWINS IEM is very comfortable thanks to its rounded shape and nozzle angle; it’s lightweight considering that mounts 7 drivers and I was able to find a perfect fit with Acoustune silicon eartips out of the box.

Speaking of isolation, it is very good in this department and if you can find the right eartips you will enjoy your playlist without any annoying external noise.



SOUND: Aroma Audio Twins shares the same philosophy at the base of Yao model: sound with great dynamic ,tempo and musicality, but has a totally different sound signature. Twins has overall a good balance of neutral and clean sound, never sounding too thin or harsh. Bass, like for Yao, is not too much strong, but is capable to give good musicality to the scene. Sub bass is very quick and fast with natural decay. Mid bass gives the right amount of body, but is always natural never warming up too much the music. Overall Twins is capable to show a natural and audiophile bass response never resulting exaggerated.

Voices have good body and realism, thanks to the clean nature of this IEM, female voices are rendered with great accuracy and definition. Treble response is excellent: with great extension, gives a natural and airy sound. Twins is capable to give you good amount of sparkles, but never resulting too much harsh and fatiguing. Overall this IEM has a great fun and enjoyable sound, but still refined and detailed.

Soundstage is very wide and you can enjoy an out of the head sound with the right tracks.

On the external faceplates this IEM has a switch that can be used to change the overall sound signature: with the switch up, the IEM has a more reference and correct sound, but if you love musicality can result a bit boring( it is not my case). With the switch down, Twins will give you a more fun signature, with more bass quantity and a wider soundstage and so with increased loudness. I usually want that my IEM should sound more neutral possible, so I really loved the sound with the switch up.

Dynamic is very good and so is instrument separation.

Thanks to its low impedance, Twins is quite easy to drive( I usually set the volume bat at 60 with my ak Kann in low gain).


PAIRINGS:

TWINS WITH OPUS 1S: Opus will give you a more organic sound with a full bodied and punchy bass response. Voices are rendered with more body and warmth. Soundstage is quite good and left/right channel separation is great. Opus 1s can drive quite easy this IEM in low gain.

TWINS WITH AK KANN: Astell and Kern KANN will give you a great musicality and enjoyable sound. Bass is not strong and punchy like Opus 1s, but adds a good mid bass emphasis. Voices are rendered very good with great realism and timbre. AK kann has more liquid voice reproduction, on the other side Opus 1s a more organic. Treble is a bit smooth with this DAP, but still defined and extended. Soundstage is great with a nice holographic space around you, in particular if connected in balanced mode( I truly suggest you to upgrade to a nice aftermarket cable like PW audio Saladin to improve tonality and soundstage).


COMPARISONS:

AROMA AUDIO TWINS VS AROMA AUDIO YAO: Twins has a more clean sound signature, capable to give a more airy reproduction. On the other side Yao, has a touch more warmth, with a more mid-bass presence. Vocals on Yao, have incredible realism, so if you are a vocal lower I truly suggest Yao. Twins has a more fun signature, with better clarity and sparkles( in particular if used with switch down).

For me, Twins is a great IEM for its price, but Yao is capable to give you better emotions and realism, so I consider Yao a special IEM.


TWINS VS INEAR SD5: SD5 has a more thin sound, with great female vocals, but can result a bit fatiguing. On the other side, Twins will give you more musicality and better dynamic. Bass on SD5 has more impact, but can sound a bit artificial, on the other side Twins has a more audiophile tuning with a faster and more articulate bass response. Soundstage on Twins is wider, but SD5 is capable to provide a more holographic space around you.


TWINS VS UNIQUE MELODY MIRACLE V2: UM has a more full bodied sound. Bass is stronger and punchier. On the other side twins shows a more natural and audiophile approach to the music. Vocal are well rendered on both of these IEMs, but Twins is capable to give you a more refined female vocals. Soundstage is wider on Aroma Audio Twins, with a better instrument separation. Overall, Miracle will give you a more full bodied sound, on the other side Twins will give you more treble resolution and airy sound.


TWINS VS HEIR AUDIO 10.0: Twins has more clean sound signature, with better definition. Bass on HEIR 10.0 has more body with more impact and rumble. Voices on heir 10.0 can result a bit nasal, on the other side Twins will give you great clarity and transparency. Soundstage is great on both of these IEM, but Twins has a bit wider stage.



（Twins）Specification

3 ways 4 frequency division

Driver Type：7 * Armatured Units

Switch Up: Sensitiviy：114dB/mW Impedance：24Ω

Switch Down: Sensitiviy：111dB/mW Impedance：32Ω

Frequency Response：20-20000Hz

2) Corss-section

Super High frequency: 2 Driver unit (Knowles composite driver)

High frequency: 2 Driver units (Knowles driver)

Mid frequency: 2 Driver units (Sonion composite driver)

Low frequency: 1 Driver units (Knowles driver)

This will not be a review about InEarz Euphoria model, but just a comparison between the Euphoria with ADEL technology and standard one.

For full review of standard EUPHORIA: https://simplyaudiophile.wordpress.com/2018/04/17/review-inearz-euphoria-custom-sublime/

For more photos of EUPHORIA with ADEL: https://www.facebook.com/simplyaudiophile/photos/pcb.371123743398691/371123280065404/?type=3&theater

For the first part of this article, I will share some info about this technology, in the second part you can find my personal experience with ADEL and a sound comparison between EUPHORIA ADEL and standard model.


WHAT ASIUS TECNOLOGIES CLAIMS:

ADEL™ is the world's first and only patented technology that safely delivers a louder, more spacious and richer sound in professional In-Ear Monitors & Earbuds- all while avoiding the risk of hearing damage caused by earbuds.

Stephen Ambrose, speaking above at Autodesk's Accelerate 2016 Conference, invented in-ear monitors, an advanced earbud used by professional musicians on stages around the world. This invention became today's earbuds. When he saw the resulting damage he returned to the lab and with National Institute of Health and National Science Foundation funds solved the problem by creating a second eardrum.

He's toured with artists like Stevie Wonder, Rush, Simon and Garfunkel, Kiss, and Diana Ross to develop his professional audio products. And today, he’s ready to help bring another innovation to market.

Why? Because too many teens, young adults and professional musicians suffer from hearing loss today and will experience even more in the future. In fact, the proportion of teens with mild or worse hearing loss has increased 77% since the 1990s. And their studies prove the loss is due to earbud use. According the the LA Times, once hearing is damaged it will never recover.

Fact: Earbuds cause hearing loss...

Stephen discovered that when the ear canal is sealed by an earbud, the speaker vibrations create acoustic pressure. In the confined space of the closed ear canal, these become harmful amplified pneumatic pressures and cause the eardrum to move with an amplitude thousands of times greater than normal. Tiny muscles around the eardrum then tighten to protect the ear by dampening the sound. To overcome this dampening you must turn up the volume. The more the volume increases, the more the eardrum tightens. And so on. And so on.

40 million Americans suffer from hearing loss. For 10 million Americans, the hearing loss is noise induced, not reversible and permanent.


The Solution...


Stephen found a way to break the cycle. It’s called ADEL™ and it’ll change the way you hear music. This technology adds a second eardrum into all of our earbuds. This second eardrum takes the punishment of the pneumatic pressure caused by sound in the ear canal, and delivers clear, crisp sound that’s unlike anything you’ve ever heard. And it’s not louder noise coming from your earbuds.

Vanderbilt University study of Asius Technologies' earbud performanceActually, with ADEL™, it’s quieter – often operating at 1/10th the amplified in-ear power levels of traditional listening devices (per studies conducted at Vanderbilt University Medical Center). And by not prematurely tightening in-ear muscles, which can dramatically compress the volume, loud sounds actually sound louder and require less overall volume levels. The results from the Vanderbilt University Medical Center study show that using ADEL™ allows listeners to enjoy Enhanced Loudness Perception (lower volumes sound significantly louder and better over conventional devices). This provides them a louder yet safer, high fidelity listening experience at greatly reduced power levels (1/4 to 1/16th typical levels) with no perceived loss in volume.



Before sharing my personal experience, keep in mind these few points:

I tested only the ADEL s1 auto model, on INEARZ site you can buy your custom model with different options: s1, B1, G1, manual and 01 auto model.

I used the same black standard InEarz cable for my audio sessions

My audio experience can be not only influenced by ADEL module, but just keep in mind, that a few mms longer ear canal for custom model, can change sound perception.

More info about s1 auto model: Engineered to automatically tune itself to absorb the pneumatic pressures in your ear canal through a dual membrane design.

-Noise isolation up to -18dB



PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: I spent many time switching between IENARZ EUPHORIA standard model and with ADEL, so these are my sound impressions:

Euphoria with ADEL, for sure, sounds more natural with a bit airier and wider soundstage. Bass has a touch less strong impact, but gains a more natural and correct reproduction. I don’t think, as stated by Asius technologies, that ADEL gives you a richer sound, but to my experience, it is capable to give you a more natural and less fatiguing experience, that most probably is due to the lack of sealed pressure in your ear canal.

With Euphoria Adel, I can reach more satisfying pressure levels with significantly lower volumes. I usually set the volume bar of my astell and kern KANN( low gain) to 80 with EUPHORIA ADEL, on the other side I have to push the volume to 90 with standard model. Talking with Matthew of INEARZ, he explained me that ADEL doesn’t add any electrical impedance and there are no changes in tuning, so it truly allows listeners to enjoy enhanced loudness perception.

Thanks to both EUPHORIA natural tuning and ADEL module, I found less tinnitus issues during my night audio sessions. I am not telling you that ADEL will cure your tinnitus, but can help to enjoy your audio sessions for more time and with less listening fatigue.

Overall, both EUPHORIA ADEL and standard model are great IEMs and for sure, are among the best IEMs I have ever tested not only in this price range. There are slight sound differences, but EUPHORIA with ADEL model is able to give you a more natural reproduction, with better soundstage in all directions and with ,most important thing, a less fatiguing experience.

INEARZ has just released their new universal models with ADEL technology: ZEN with 2 AND 4 drivers. For more info about, just follow their official site.

ADEL PROS:

Good isolation( considering it adds an open vent in the faceplate)

More natural sound

Airier soundstage

enhanced loudness perception

doesn’t influence the IEM weight and thickness too much

ADEL CONS:

Price is not cheap

Minimal issues with wind noise

PWaudio is a boutique/company well known for its premium copper cables. Just recently, Peter Wang( chief of PWaudio), showed his new products at Canjam Singapore. In the catalogue you can find new Vanquish models: Saladin, Loki and Xerxes and a new “aeon” 1950s model that is the flagship in charge.

Today we are going to have a better look to their Saladin model. This is our first PWaudio product, so would like to write some words about this company: All PWaudio cables are crafted with care. All cables are hand-braided, soldered with precision and tested by ears for the best audible experience before dispatched. A wide range of selected materials are featured in PWaudio's line up, including copper, silver plated copper, pure silver cores with different treatment and gauge.


Something about Saladin model: “Tapping on his vast experience with copper based and silver based cables, Peter Wong has set out to create a new range of products, known as the "Vanquish" series, to mark a new era of PWaudio products.

Featuring a unique geometry and wire design based on his "sevenfold pipe" series, together with his knowledge of different types and grades of copper based materials, PWaudio has created the Saladin.

The Saladin features a 7 multi-bundle wire design that is a combination of single crystal copper and silver plated single crystal silver.

The combination of the wire geometry and materials, together with the final tuning using different types of audio-grade and non-audio industry solders, results in a sound that is musical, warm, smooth and inviting for users of the Saladin.


Saladin unit was sent me for the purpose of this review, i am not affiliated with the company and all observations and opinions will be only my own. Would like to thank Peter and PWaudio team for sending me this unit giving me the opportunity to test this premium cable.

For more info about Saladin and other products, you can easily contact them on their facebook channel.


OFFICIAL SITE: https://www.pw-audio.com/

FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/pwaudio2014/?



PACKAGING:

packaging is simple and minimalistic: the cable will arrive in a small black box with a PWaudio logo on it and a nice cotton storage bag. If the package is simple, Saladin cable looks very nice with surely a premium feel.

DESIGN: Saladin has a premium build and a great ergonomics: everything is nicely crafted and i found no sign of microphonic issues. Plus, with its gold/silver plot looks nice and elegant. I was quite impressed by the premium feeling that this cable is capable to show.



SOUND: Saladin is not aimed to bring you incredible resolution, incredible soundstage or amazing fun factor. The beauty of this cable is that wants to portray simply a natural sound with a great timbre and tonal accuracy. For this, has a great sinergy with most of the iem i have tried with. Saladin is capable to show an incredible realism and mature sound, never sounding too flat or sterile. This cable will give you a natural sound with a touch of warmth, never sounding too warm and congested.

Bass is well portrayed, but it is not the strongest focus of this product. Sub-Bass has good impact and fastness, always sounding natural and controlled. Mid-bass has a nice emphasis, giving you a nice rumble and body to the music.

Voices are one of the strongest point for this product: both male and female voices are rendered with great accuracy and near-to-life emotions. Everything sounds so natural with a perfect timbre and tonality. This is the strenght of Saladin: natural sound with great focus to timbre and tonality.

Trebles are well portrayed, sounding always detailed and well extended, but never emphasized too much. Saladin will not give you an exaggerated treble response, avoiding arshness and sibilances. For this could be a great pairing with most of the IEMs out there.

Soundstage has a natural extension both in width and depth, never sounding congested. Saladin is capable to portray a natural space around you, with great instrumental separation.



PAIRING:

Saladin with Aroma Audio Yao: Saladin has a great sinergy with this IEM: Yao is a great performer with great vocals reproduction. Saladin, helps to give a better tonality with a more detailed sound and a more natural bass response. Soundstage improves a bit, with a wider space and better instrument separation.


Saladin with Aroma Audio Twins: Twins has a more fun sound signature than Yao with more sparkles and hot trebles. Saladin helps to have a more mature and natural sound, with a more organic voices. Trebles result less harsh and less fatiguing.


Saladin with Rhapsodio Infinity(20 BA): Infinity has a bit dry sound, lacking emotions sometimes. Saladin helps to give better tonal accuracy, with a touch of warmth. Everithing sounds more natural and near to life with better male and female vocals.


Saladin with Heir Audio 10.0: Heir Audio has too much bass response, with a bit recessed voices. Saladin helps to give more body to voices, with a more natural bass response. Soundstage improves a bit, with better separation and layering.


Saladin with Inear SD5: SD5 has a clean presentation, resulting sometimes, a bit harsh and fatiguing. Saladin helps to have less hot trebles, with a more mature and controlled bass response. Male voices gains more body and better tonality. Overall, this is a great pairing offering a more natural and mature sound reproduction.


Saladin with Inearz Euphoria: this is not a great pairing, cause Euphoria has a strong bass response and is a mid-forward IEM. I usually prefer to use a silver cable with this IEM, cause Euphoria needs more trebles and sparkles.

CONCLUSION: Saladin is a great cable both for its build and sound quality, with a great premium feel. It’s aim is to portray a mature and natural sound with a great focus for timbre and tonal accuracy. For this has a great sinergy with most of the IEM out there.

FOR MORE REVIEWS FOLLOW MY SITE: https://simplyaudiophile.wordpress.com/author/simplyaudiophile/

This is our first product from the german company Inear, so would like to write something about their philosophy and origin: “Under the management of Andreas Schmitt, who has more than 25 years of experience in the production of individual hearing products, we offer an all-round service under one roof.

Our team takes care of the development and production of our products, services and sales throughout Germany.

Our skilled specialists produce an entire range of individual communication systems with precision work and sophisticated technology. Our individual products are produced by using the best modern manufacturing processes, which include the digital capture of the ear mold data, product design with special CAD software and 3D Manufacture systems for the manufacture and assembly of all products by hand. In the field of ear monitoring we work according to the principle »By musicians for musicians«. When it comes to developing new InEar monitoring systems or product enhancement we can immediately test all new products live, in addition to performing all the usual laboratory tests”.

This company is becoming more and more famous in the audiophile community not only for its great sounding IEM, but for their singular and ergonomic shape used on their products too.

“Looks like custom made, sits stable and secure. The base for the housing was developed by overlapping hundreds of different scans from ear impressions. Several prototypes were manufactured in-house and tested on customers to find the perfect fit so the monitor will not move. At the end of the development cycle InEar had created an almost perfect to the anatomy of the ear universal monitor”.

Just recently, they won the IF DESIGN AWARD and i can tell you for sure, that this SD5 is one of the most comfortable universal IEM i have ever tested. So, for this, very compliment Inear!.

I saw many chinese brands just copyed and used their shape, i think without permission, for making their own IEMs, so this thing would mean something!

In their catalogue you can find two audiophile products: stagediver models( with a fun, but still a natural and well controlled sound), that to my opinion are aimed to the vast majority of audiophile and people out there and ProPhile 8 models with a more studio reference signature. I usually love a more natural approach to the music, but i really loved how this SD5, is capable to portray a fun signature, but still with great technicalities and a refined sound.

At the moment, you can only find a standard model for this SD5, but soon, will be released a wood version too ( i think this material should effect the sound giving a warmer response).

SD5 unit was sent me for the purpose of this review, i am not affiliated with the company and all observations and opinions will be only my own. Would like to thank Oli and Inear team for sending me this unit giving me the opportunity to test this fun and engaging IEM.

For more info about SD5 and other products, you can easily contact them on their facebook channel. Oli or Andreas will answer you quickly.


PRICE: 949 EUR

OFFICIAL SITE: http://www.inear-monitoring.eu/en/produkte/inear-universelles-monitoring/monitoring-stagediver.htm

FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/InEar-Monitoring-287218207940/



PACKAGING: the overall packaging experience is simple, but quite premium: you will receive a classical pelican hard case with the Inear sticker attached on top.

In the box you will find the SD5 with different size silicon eartips, a gold plated adapter and three cleaning wipes. Eartips have good quality and surely will find the right ones for you , but they are all made of the same material, so you can’t “tune” the sound signature according to your needs. Inear has a lot of experience in custom products, but for universal models, eartips are very important not only for the right fit, but they can drastically change the sound signature of the IEM, so as always, i suggest you to try different ones, with different materials and only at the end enjoy your new product. I tried many: double, triple flange, Comply and Spinfit ones and found that black silicon one with green bore that comes with my old fiio ex1, gives me the best sound( obviously this thing could not be true for you). Hope Inear team will listen to my suggestion, providing more accessories for new releases. Build quality is excellent, with a black lucid shell, will give you a premium feeling from the very beginning. The product seems sturdy and well built, and i am well trusty can last for many Years.

The SD5 comes with recessed sockets, thanks to this, you can move the cable-end further into the shell and provide a more sturdy mounting point for the cable and the pins of the cable, thus protecting it more.

SD5 comes with removable filters too, keeping cerumen away from the drivers, this thing is a smart and innovative feature in the audiophile community.

The original stock cable that comes with SD5, is a typical OFC wire in a rubbery jacket that makes a great job both for sound quality both for microphonics issues. I switched to many aftermarket cables, but found that the original one makes a great job under a sound quality point of view. If needed, i truly suggest you to pair this SD5 with a more natural or warm sounding cable, cause adding more treble can ruin the overall balance and so sound experience.

Speaking of isolation, it is very good in this department and if you can find the right eartips you will enjoy your playlist without any annoying external noise( they claim to eliminate surrounding noise up to 26 dB).

The overall experience with this product is excellent: SD5 is capable to give you a comfortable and premium experience with great isolation and a fun and engaging signature, but still able to offer a refined sound.


FIRST IMPRESSION: listening to SD5 for the first time required me some time to get used to its sound signature. My previous review was Inearz Euphoria model that has quite a natural and never fatiguing sound , on the opposite, this SD5 has a cleaner approach with stronger bass response . So just waited for burn-in period and with the time, I started to really appreciate this IEM: SD5 has his own philosophy and approach to music, its aim is to provide a fun and engaging experience, but still balanced and refined.



SOUND: All my sound consideration has been made after 100 hours of burn in, with different DAPs such as AK KANN, Opus 1s, fiio x3, x5, iFi Nano Idsd black label. I tried this IEM for many hours on the go and does very good with Tidal and my iPhone too. Obviously with better sources sound has better dynamic, a more refined bass response and most important thing, a more natural and controlled sound, but overall this SD5 makes a great job out of whatever source it’s connected to.

After 100 hours of burn-in I didn’t notice any improvements, so this SD5 sounds just great out of the box.

After many hours with this product I can surely say that has a clean and detailed response with a W sound signature, it is great in portray both vocals and instruments. Treble pick will give you an airy and detailed sound with great female vocal reproduction, all these things are well balanced with a strong bass response that helps dynamic and to avoid a too much fatiguing sound. Philosophy of this IEM is to give you an engaging and fun signature, never resulting boring , but still perfoming quite natural and detailed. For this can be a good choice for most of the customers out there.


LOWS: SD5 has above average bass quantity and for sure, can be considered a strong point of this IEM.

Bass response is quite strong, punchy, airy, with excellent impact and decay. The overall bass performace is above typical multi balanced IEMs, but still can’t compete with dynamic driver in this price range( bass quantity is above average, but still sounds natural and controlled, for this i will not suggest it to bass-heads). SD5 has a great sub-bass response, with adeguate rumble and a more controlled mid-bass response that never warm-up too much the scene. Here, Inear engineers made a smart choice in tuning this IEM: sub bass elevation will give you not only a more fun signature, but create a nice balance with the overall bright signature of this IEM.


MIDS: if you are a female vocal lover, most probably this IEM will be a great choice for you.

Lower mids can result a bit thin, so the aim of SD5 is not to provide a full-bodied sound, but just on the opposite, will give you a more thin, defined and quite revealing presentation. Upper mids are very detailed and clean, this thing will help with female voices and to give you an airy performance. If you love a warmer, more relaxed sound, most probably this IEM will not be a great choice for you.


HIGHS: treble response is nicely extended with great amount of sparkles and detailes( keep in mind, i usually prefer a neutral/clean sounding IEMs, never smooth or warm).

Highs can result a bit hot and fatiguing, nothing you can’t solve pairing it with a warmer/natural source( for example i found a great sinergy with my Opus1s and ak KANN).

Using bad recorded tracks with this IEM, can give you many problems, due to its quite revealing approach to the music, for this, i truly suggest you to use lossless tracks.


SOUNDSTAGE: soundstage is another strong point of this SD5: very wide and holographic, obviously the final result will depend on the source used. Soundstage is well extended both in width and depth providing a great layering experience. Overall, this SD5 will give you a nice “out of the head” experience, thing that is not common in this price range.

Dynamic and transient response are great and very accurate.

Thanks to its low impedance(13 ohms), SD5 is very easy to drive and will sound great just connected to your smartphone. Obviously, better will be the source, better will be the final result .



PAIRINGS:

SD5 with astell&kern kann: this is a great pairing: ak Kann, helps to give a great musicality to the scene, with great bass response will surely amaze you for its fun factor, still sounding very coherent and airy. Treble on ak kann is a bit smooth, this thing helps a lot with this SD5, thas sometimes can result a bit harsh. Voices are very detailed and clean, with that “liquid” presentation typical of this DAP. Soundstage is very good: width is just exellent, this combo can give you a nice holographic stage around you. On low gain at volume pushed to 80, I was able to drive quite well this IEM.


SD5 with Opus 1s: in my opinion, this is one of the best pairing with this SD5. Opus 1s will add more body to the music , with a great sub-bass impact. Bass is very full and punchy, Rumble and impact are outstanding with that slam that always bring me to move at the rhythm of music. Voices are more organic, with more body and emotions. Treble is clean and defined, Opus 1S helps this SD5 to sound a bit less harsh and fatiguing. Soundstage is quite big and holographic, but on AK kann soundstage was a bit wider.


SD5 with AUNE X1S DESKTOP DAC/AMP: sinergy here, is not so great. Aune has a neutral/clean sound that doesn’t match so good with this SD5. I would suggest to pair this IEM with a more neutral or warmer sounding source. The overall performance is ok, but a bit fatiguing and harsh on treble. Due to the high output impedance of this Desktop DAC/AMP, all my tests were made with the use of iFi IEMatch between the x1s and SD5. This dongle helped with impedance dismatch and with sibilance issues.


SD5 with AUDIRECT WHISTLE portable DAC/AMP: this is a very great portable combo. With this small DAC/AMP sound is very musical and engaging. Bass is very strong and deep, but not so articulated and refined like on the ak kann and Opus1s. Voices are exellent, with the right amount of body and most important thing, with accurate tonality for both male and female voices. Soundstage is narrower than Opus1s and AKkann, but is quite wide, with good instrument separation.


COMPARISONS:

SD5 VS HEIR AUDIO 10.0: SD5 has better bass impact, with a more refined and articuated sub-bass response. HEIR 10.0 has a typical multi balanced bass impact, on the other side SD5 is nearer to a dynamic driver one. HEIR has a warmer and more relaxed sound signature, on the other side SD5 is cleaner. Female voices are better on the SD5. Soundstage is quite similar, with great width and depth on both these IEMs.


SD5 vs UNIQUE MELODY MIRACLE V2: these two IEMs have great bass response: SD5 has more sub-bass quantity with a faster response, on the other side Miracle v2 shows a bit warmer, fuller bass, but still on the neutral side. Voices are more vivid and “liquid” on miracle v2, on the other side SD5 has a more clean,peaky and airy approach, this thing helps SD5 to sound very good with female voices. Treble on SD5 has more sparkles and definition. Miracle V2 has above average soundstage, but SD5 is capable to reproduce a wider and more holographic stage around you, with better layering.


CONCLUSION: this SD5 has his own philosophy and approach to music: always sounding fun and engaging, but still capable to bring refinement and technicalities to your songs. Inear team, with this SD5, was able to create a perfect combination of fun and neutral sound with great and premium build quality. If you are looking for a purer and more reference sound, you can always choose their Prophile 8 model.



PROS:

BUILD QUALITY AND PREMIUM FEEL

FUN SIGNATURE, BUT STILL A REFINED SOUND

BASS IMPACT

FEMALE VOCALS

SOUNDSTAGE


CONS:

STOCK EARTIPS

SIBILANCE

MALE VOCALS ARE ON THE THIN SIDE




SPECS:

· System: 3-way system(5 drivers)

· Transmission range: approx. 20 Hz–20000 Hz

· Output sound pressure: 120dB

· Impedance: 13 Ohms

· Cable length:140 cm / (4'7.5")