DISCLAIMER: The BGVP DMA was sent to me as part of the Audio Geek "Brother_Hood of Audiophiles" US Tour. Many thanks to Audio Geek and BGVP for the opportunity to give these a listen and share my thoughts!

A BIT ABOUT ME: I’ve been in the hobby for many years, starting out with old-school DAPs like the iRiver IHP120 and Rio Karma and IEM like the Shure E2c and E3c. Over the years, I’ve maintained a focus on portable audio, and my setup has evolved to mainly dongle DACs and mid-tier IEM. I mainly listen to classic rock, electronic, and metal. While I can appreciate many different flavors of sound, I avoid setups which provide too much upper mids and lower treble.

WHAT’S INCLUDED: IEM, 2 types of silicon tips + foam tips, modular cable, case.

SPECIFICATIONS:


MY THOUGHTS:
Accessories: The accessory package is basically the same as the BGVP Phantom I recently tried, with a solid white pleather case, plenty of tips, and a modular (3.5 + 4.4) SPC cable. My only nitpicks are personal preference. For instance, I’d prefer 2-pin connectors and a darker colored case to help prevent stains as the white case is tossed into bags.







Looks: DMA shells are 3D printed by HeyGears. I received the Dianthus Silver colorway which is more of a light metallic pink, but there’s also a Dark Blue colorway which looks nice. A nice touch are the blue and red insets on the faceplates indicating which are the left and right earpieces. They’re not flashy in any way but do look nice.

Comfort/Ergonomics: The shells are medium sized, so fit wasn’t an issue for me. However, the shells have some angular edges that rest in the concha which required adjustment over time to prevent hot spots. Making the shell rounded off where it contacts your ears would’ve prevented this. It wasn’t a major issue for me, as I don’t tend to listen for extended periods but it could be for someone with smaller ears who likes to listen for hours.



Sound: I’d characterize the sound as dynamic and spacious with fairly linear sub and mid bass, neutral mids, fairly prominent upper mids, and crisp treble. Depending on the source, the soundstage can become quite holographic with good separation. There is a clear resemblance to the BGVP Phantom I had in at the same time, with DMA having thicker, meatier bass that doesn’t warm up the mids, a bit more upper mid presence to counteract the more prominent bass, less detailed treble, and a step down in soundstage and separation. Preference-wise, I preferred the tuning of DMA and the technicalities of Phantom.

One issue for me was sibilance. It had the same characteristics as the sibilance I experienced with Phantom (sharp, metallic sibilance with hard consonants which is unlike sibilance I’ve experienced with other IEM) but to a lesser degree. With Phantom I wasn’t able to entirely overcome it, but with DMA I was able to eliminate it with a warmer source and the included vocal eartips. I haven’t heard about this being an issue with others. So while most people won’t experience this, I’m mentioning it just in case. I suspect it’s an interaction of my anatomy with their bone conductor implementation, but that’s an unproven theory at this point.

Tips: I had good luck with included vocal tips, so I stuck with these instead of tip rolling.

• BGVP vocal tips provided more bass slam and control over sibilance, so I used these for the review.
• BGVP bass tips seemed to decrease bass slam while increasing sibilance, so I didn’t use these after the initial try.

Cables: I wasn’t able to test this since I don’t have MMCX cables in my collection.

Sources: Similar to BGVP Phantom, I preferred a warmer source with these DMA. I skipped my dongles and listened mainly with Chord Mojo with or without KAEI TAP-2 (a hybrid transportable tube amp). Mojo provided good dynamics and increased resolution but had a deeper, hall-like soundstage. With Mojo + TAP-2, I got increased dynamics and a more holographic soundstage which made this my preferred combination for listening to these IEM as it was for BGVP Phantom.

CONCLUSION: What was BGVP’s goal with this IEM, did they achieve it, and who is this for? Looking over their page for this IEM, as with Phantom BGVP combined several technologies to showcase their house sound but with more emphasis on a fun sound signature while maintaining very good separation and soundstage for the price from the bone conductors. Basically, it seems like they were out to make Phantom’s fun baby brother, and I’d say they nailed it. I’d recommend DMA for people who want to experience a taste of what Phantom can provide but at a lower price point, keeping in mind that moving up to Phantom will provide a more spacious and technical listen without sacrificing musicality. Personally, DMA would be an easy buy if I had a collection of MMCX cables for cable rolling and didn’t experience the relatively minor sibilance and hot spot issues. For many, these wouldn’t be deal breakers, and I have to compliment BGVP on the excellent job they did on DMA. The separation and soundstage on these is simply amazing for the price point! Excellent job BGVP!

DISCLAIMER: The BGVP Phantom was sent to me as part of the Audio Geek "Brother_Hood of Audiophiles" US Tour. Many thanks to Audio Geek and BGVP for the opportunity to give these a listen and share my thoughts!

A BIT ABOUT ME: I’ve been in the hobby for many years, starting out with old-school DAPs like the iRiver IHP120 and Rio Karma and IEM like the Shure E2c and E3c. Over the years, I’ve maintained a focus on portable audio, and my setup has evolved to mainly dongle DACs and mid-tier IEM. I mainly listen to classic rock, electronic, and metal. While I can appreciate many different flavors of sound, I avoid setups which provide too much upper mids and lower treble.

WHAT’S INCLUDED: IEM, 3 types of silicon tips + foam tips, modular cable, case.

SPECIFICATIONS:


MY THOUGHTS:
Accessories: The accessory package is fine, with a solid white pleather case, plenty of tips, and a modular (3.5 + 4.4) SPC cable. My only nitpicks are personal preference. For instance, I’d prefer a darker colored case to help prevent stains as the white case is tossed into bags. And for some reason, the font on the 3.5 and 4.4 plugs wasn’t the same. Perhaps it’s because this is a tour unit. If not, I’d expect consistency in the font across box, case, IEM, and cable for any IEM but especially those at this price point.











Looks: Phantom shells have thermochromic pigmentation which allow them to change color depending on temperature. At room temperature, they’re blue-black. At increasingly higher temperatures, they take on lighter shades of blue.

Comfort/Ergonomics: The shells are on the small side and well-rounded, so comfort wasn’t an issue. The only real issue I had was that the nozzles don’t have a lip for tips to grab onto. This meant that tips can come off the nozzle, remaining in your ear. The newer BGVP Phantom SE has overcome this issue by including a metal sheath with a lip around the nozzles, ensuring that tips stay on. A quick look at the FR graphs leads me to believe that the sound isn’t altered much with that change.



Sound: I’d characterize the sound as dynamic and spacious with sub over mid bass (more or less depending on tips), neutral mids (drier or sweeter depending on tips), fairly prominent upper mids (brightness depends on tips), and crisp treble (control depends on tips). Depending on the source, the soundstage can become holographic. There is clear separation of sonic elements that I found was an inherent characteristic of the IEM and less source dependent that soundstage. Preference-wise, I’d prefer equal amounts of sub and mid bass, warmer mids, and less bright upper mids. However, sonic characteristics were malleable, allowing it to be fine-tuned with tips and source. I expect cable rolling would also help fine-tune the sound, but I don’t have MMCX cables in my collection and wasn’t able to confirm this.

The one major con for me is sibilance. I experienced a sharp, metallic sibilance with hard consonants which is unlike sibilance I’ve experienced with other IEM. I was able to lessen this with tips and source, but it remained an issue for me. I spoke with others who’ve auditioned the same IEM, and they didn’t experience this issue. So while most people won’t experience this, I feel compelled to mention it just in case. I also heard the same type of sibilance with BGVP DMA, so I suspect it’s an interaction of my anatomy with their bone conductor implementation.

Tips: I tried many tips to fine-tune the sound and try to eliminate sibilance.

• BGVP vocal tips maintain sub over mid bass and leaner lower mids but help control brightness and sibilance.
• BGVP bass tips increase mid bass and warm up lower mids a bit but sibilance is more prominent and treble gets a bit splashy. These slip off the nozzles quite easily.
• BGVP balanced tips combine bass of vocal tips but with upper end of bass tips.
• Divinus Velvet tips are similar to BGVP vocal tips but with a bit more restrained upper mids and treble for an overall more mature sound but not enough mid bass for my tastes. These slip off the nozzles quite easily.
• Dunu S&S tips worked very well for me with the lower end of the BGVP bass tips and upper end of the BGVP vocal tips. These stayed on the nozzles.
• Tangzu Sancai were similar to Dunu S&S but had drier mids and brighter upper mids. These slip off the nozzles quite easily.
• Tangzu Sancai Wide have generous sub bass, lighter mid bass, sweeter mids, bright but not overly bright upper mids, and crisp but nicely controlled treble. These slip off the nozzles quite easily.

Cables: I wasn’t able to test this since I don’t have MMCX cables in my collection.

Sources: I preferred a warmer source with these IEM. I skipped my dongles and listened mainly with Chord Mojo with or without KAEI TAP-2 (a hybrid transportable tube amp). With Mojo, the sound was nicely resolving with good dynamics, but the soundstage was like a deep yet narrow hall which isn’t my preference. With Mojo + TAP-2, dynamics and increased with harder hitting bass and a much more holographic soundstage which made this my preferred combination for listening to these IEM.

CONCLUSION: Looking over BGVP’s page for this IEM, they combined several technologies to showcase their house sound with deep controlled bass, smooth mids, mature airy treble, and increased details, separation, and soundstage from the bone conductors. I’d say they nailed their goals very well with Phantom and would recommend it for people who prioritize separation and soundstage along with a less colored sound that still maintains good bass presence with a high degree of control due to the sub over mid bass approach. The degree to which this can be fine-tuned with tips and source allows it to be very flexible with respect to musical genres, although I would prefer more balanced sub and mid bass for electronic music and warmer lower mids for male vocals. If it weren’t for the seemingly rare sibilance issue I have with these, they’d definitely be on my purchase list for the wonderful separation and soundstage which is quite impressive. Great job BGVP!

DISCAIMER: The Dita Project M was sent to me as part of the Audio Geek "Brother_Hood of Audiophiles" US Tour. Many thanks to Audio Geek and Dita for the opportunity to give these a listen and share my thoughts!

A BIT ABOUT ME: I’ve been in the hobby for many years, starting out with old-school DAPs like the iRiver IHP120 and Rio Karma and IEM like the Shure E2c and E3c. Over the years, I’ve maintained a focus on portable audio, and my setup has evolved to mainly dongle DACs and mid-tier IEM. I mainly listen to classic rock, electronic, and metal. While I can appreciate many different flavors of sound, I avoid setups which provide too much upper mids and lower treble.

WHAT’S INCLUDED: Project M IEM, Final E Tips, MOCCA cable, mini systainer case.

DRIVER CONFIGURATION: 9.8mm custom PM1 dynamic driver + 1 x Knowles BA.

MY THOUGHTS:
Accessories: The Final E tips are a good match with Project M, and it’s nice that they come in half sizes to get the best fit possible. The cable is very nice with Cardas copper inside, a modular 90° plug that screws down for added security, and QDC connectors. I personally prefer straight plugs and have mostly 2-pin cables, so it’s a good thing the cable is a good match otherwise I’d need to invest in new cables. The case didn’t click with me. It’s neat looking I guess, but it’s not a very practical case IMHO. If I owned these, I’d use a 3rd-party case.





Comfort: I have medium sized ears and found the shells comfortable for longer listening sessions, although ymmv. The cable isn’t overly thick or heavy, so it was fine for both on the go and sedentary listening. The shells are vented, so I had no issue with pressure buildup and moving my head and jaw didn't affect sound.





Sound: I’d characterize the tuning as mature, with punchy bass, neutral lower mids, restrained upper mids and lower treble, and very nice extension up top. Soundstage had good width, depth, and height. Imaging and separation were also good. I know many others found the upper treble too much, but I wasn’t bothered by that at all. This type of tuning fits my preferences very well, especially for classic rock and metal. It was fine with electronic music, but for that I’d prefer to have a bit more mid bass. The one caveat I found was that when listening at lower levels, they come off as bass shy. Turn up to medium or louder listening volumes, and the bass is well-controlled and nicely punchy.

Tips: The Final E tips were great, so I stuck with those for my time with these IEM.

Cables: I tried the stock copper cable from my Tigerism Octave and found it warmed up the sound a bit, filling out the mid bass to lower mids quite nicely. This gave me a choice between the tighter, more neutral sound with the stock cable and a warmer, lusher sound with the Tigerism Octave cable. The only issue was that the 2-pin Octave cable was an awkward fit on the Project M’s QDC connectors.



Sources: I tried several dongle DACs including the Dita Navigator as well as several from my collection (Cayin RU6, L&P W2, Onix Alpha 1, and Penon Tail), Chord Mojo, Dethonray Pegasus SG1, and Shanling M6. I found that Project M’s sound was nicely responsive to different sources, so I’d encourage people to play around and see which you think have better synergy. For my part, Dita Navigator was nice but ultimately I preferred Dethonray SG1, Onix Alpha 1, or Shanling M5 for a warmer listen, Cayin RU6, Chord Mojo, or Penon Tail for a more neutral listen, and Dita Navigator or L&P W2 to tighten up the sound. I found Dita Navigator had good soundstage and dynamics but sounded a bit grainy vs my L&P W2.



CONCLUSION: What was Dita’s goal with this IEM, did they achieve it, and who is this for? Dita describes Project M as giving people a taste of their higher end IEM at a lower price point. Project M and Navigator were my first taste of Dita’s products, so while I can’t confirm whether or not they are indeed a good lower priced representation of their higher end IEM I can say that they definitely made a positive impression on me. I’d recommend it for people who aren’t overly sensitive to upper treble and who tend to enjoy a more mature tuning which for me is characterized by a dip in the upper mids and lower treble. These are on my list to potentially purchase when the new gray colorway is released!

DISCLAIMER: The ISN H60 was sent to me as part of the Audio Geek "Brother_Hood of Audiophiles" US Tour. Many thanks to Audio Geek and ISN for the opportunity to give these a listen and share my thoughts!

A BIT ABOUT ME: I’ve been in the hobby for many years, starting out with old-school DAPs like the iRiver IHP120 and Rio Karma and IEM like the Shure E2c and E3c. Over the years, I’ve maintained a focus on portable audio, and my setup has evolved to mainly dongle DACs and mid-tier IEM. I mainly listen to classic rock, electronic, and metal. While I can appreciate many different flavors of sound, I avoid setups which provide too much upper mids and lower treble.

WHAT'S INCLUDED: H60, 3 types of silicon tips + foam tips, cable, case.

DRIVER CONFIGURATION: 2 x Knowles BAs for the highs, 2 x Sonion BAs for the mids, and 2 x 8mm liquid silicone gel dynamic drivers for the lows with a 3-way crossover.

MY THOUGHTS:
Accessories: I really like ISN/Penon eartips, so I was more than happy with those although I was surprised to see foam tips which aren’t typical with ISN/Penon IEM. I also really like ISN’s case which provides good protection and is pocketable. The cable was much thinner than I’m used to from ISN/Penon, so that was a surprise. Not necessarily good or bad, just a surprise.





Comfort: I have medium sized ears and found the shells comfortable for longer listening sessions, although ymmv. The lightweight cable almost disappeared which was good for on the go listening, although I prefer a thicker cable for sedentary listening sessions. The shells are vented, so I had no issue with pressure buildup and moving my head and jaw didn't affect sound.





Sound: I’d characterize the sound as full and dynamic with balanced lows, warm lower mids, bright upper mids and lower treble, and good extension in the upper end. Soundstage had good width and depth, but I wasn’t getting much height. Imaging was fine but lagged behind soundstage for me. I know many others found the upper mids and lower treble a refreshing departure for ISN/Penon, but unfortunately they were just too much for me resulting in a sibilant and overly bright sound. Ultimately, I knew these weren’t for me, but I played around with tips, cable, and source to try and overcome this.

Tips: I tried both Penon Liquer Black and Orange tips but preferred the stock gray/green tips over both of those.

Cables: I tried several Penon cables and found two that I preferred to the stock cable. The first was the Penon OCC849 which warmed up the sound, taming the upper mids and lower treble a bit. The second was Penon Flow which tightened up the low end and provided more air.

Sources: I tried several dongle DACs (RU6, L&P W2, Onix Alpha 1, and Penon Tail), Chord Mojo, Dethonray Pegasus SG1, and Shanling M6. Out of those, I preferred the synergy of L&P W2, Penon Tail (which I think is an extremely underrated and well-priced dongle DAC), and Dethonray SG1 with Serenade firmware. L&P W2 tightened up the sound similar to the Penon Flow cable whereas Penon Tail and Dethonray SG1 smoothed out the upper mids and lower treble similar to the Penon OCC849 cable.

CONCLUSION: What was ISN’s goal with this IEM, did they achieve it, and who is this for? I haven’t tried any of ISN’s other H-series IEM, but checking the graphs on squig.link it looks like they were continuing with the natural evolution of the H-series towards a more extended, reference type sound while still maintaining a certain amount of fun factor. Despite this not being for me due to the tuning of the upper mids and lower treble, I’d say they did a good job achieving their goal with this set. I’d recommend it for people who aren’t treble sensitive and who tend to enjoy a more dynamic, energetic listening experience. For me, I’ll stick with my ISN NEO 5 and their warmer, more relaxed tuning.

INTRODUCTION
 
I want to thank Meze for giving me a spot on the 12 Classics tour. It's been fun giving these a listen!
 
This is the second time I've had the opportunity to review Meze products, and I want to make sure I say a few things about them before moving on with the review. The first Meze product I reviewed was a very nice pair of closed headphones, the 99 Classics (LINK to review). I really liked those a lot, but there were a few things holding them back from being just good enough for me to shell out my hard-earned cash for. What were those? Well, one was aesthetics. At the time I reviewed them, they only came in Walnut/Gold/Black or Maple/Silver/White. Neither of those struck my fancy. I'm not a fan of white headphones, and I thought the gold was a bit too bling-bling for my tastes. I recommended that Meze make a version with Walnut/Silver/Black, and they responded quickly by releasing that version with a bit more restrained aesthetics. Nice! Next up was the choice of pads. They were a bit too shallow, so my ears touched the driver covers. I really don't like this, so I (and several others) suggested deeper pads. Last, the cable exits straight down out the cups and is wrapped in nylon fabric, resulting in scratchy microphonics when the cable rubs on your shoulders. I suggested that they keep the fabric below the y-splitter but change to a less microphonic covering above the y-splitter. Ok, that was quite a while ago. When I was at RMAF recently, I ran into Antonio and Mircea from Meze and topped at their booth to chat. They had a beautiful pair of Walnut/Silver/Black 99 Classics sitting there, so I hooked them up to my Lotoo PAW Gold and took a listen. Huh? What was this? My ears no longer touched the driver covers. Awesome! The cable was still completely sheathed in scratchy fabric, but with the aesthetic improvement and new pads I couldn't resist. I purchased a pair of 99 Classics of my own. Why did I take this detour? To let you know that the Meze team is small enough to be responsive to suggestions for improvement and nimble enough to implement them quickly. I think that's important when deciding how to spend your hard-earned cash, so I wanted to point out that the team at Meze are cool cats!
 
 
TL/DR REVIEW
 
Alright, for those of you who don't want to watch me ramble on about the 12 Classics (and 11 Neo) (well, and other stuff, to be honest ), here's the down-low...
 
 
SPECS 

1. Frequency response: 16Hz - 24KHz
2. Impedance: 16Ohm
3. Sensitivity: 101dB (+/- 3db)
4. Total harmonic distortion: < 0.5%
5. Noise attenuation: up to 26dB
6. Titanium coated 8mm mylar driver
7. Copper-clad aluminum voice coil
8. 3.5mm gold-plated jack plug
9. 7N OFC cable, lenght: 1.2m

 
 

 
FR Curve From Meze's 12 Classics Product Page
 
 
PACKAGING
 

 
I'll let the packaging speak for itself...
 
 
ACCESSORIES
 

 
You get the clamshell zipper case shown above in the packaging section plus a shirt clip and a few pairs of tips. Meze also includes a pair of Comply tips (not pictured). Single-flange wide bore tips would be a nice addition!
 
 
BUILD + ERGONOMICS
 

 
The shells are wood barrels with aluminum end caps complete with fancy-schmancy Meze trident logo and aluminum nozzles. Strain reliefs are just fine. It would be nice if the L/R markings were more visible.
 
 


Play/Pause + Receive/End Call Remote + Mic. I'm sure it's functional, but I used these with DAPs so I didn't test.
 
 


Y-splitter is aluminum and again bears the Meze logo. Strain reliefs are fine and are reminiscent of those on the earpieces. Notice that there isn't a cinch. The cable feels quite rugged, and I don't have any concerns about durability. It is a bit thick above the y-splitter which, combined with the lack of cinch, makes wearing these over ear a no-go.    
 
 

 
Gold-plated 3.5mm plug with aluminum construction. Strain relief is a bit short but fine.
 
 
FIT
 


As mentioned above, these are obviously intended to be worn down and any attempt to do otherwise will almost certainly result in frustration. 
 
 
SOUND
 
The single dynamic driver 12 Classics have a slightly warmed-up sound with tight punchy bass, neutral mids, crisp highs, and good soundstage. I listened to them out of several sources from budget to TOTL DAPs with Electronic, Classic Rock, and Metal and found that they scale well as you use better sources and sound good with all of the music I threw at them. My experience with the Lotoo PAW Gold pairing was particularly eye opening, producing very tight, punchy, visceral bass and crisp highs that were well-defined but not hot.
 
Tip rolling allows you to tweak the sound as usual. Stock single-flange tips were my point of reference, resulting in the sound  as described above. Comply provide an even warmer experience with smoother highs more akin to the 11 Neo. Stock double-flange tips reduced bass a slight bit, opening up the top end and increasing soundstage. Spiral Dots leaned them up quite a bit, giving a slightly warmed-up reference type sound.
 
By comparison, the 11 Neo are warmer, smoother, and more relaxed with stock single-flange. Bass increases a bit, as does lower mid presence. Highs are smoother without losing too much definition. Soundstage is more closed in comparison but is still good for the pricing. Tip rolling provides similar results as above, with Comply probably warming these up too much for most people, stock double-flange tips open them up a bit, and Spiral dots bringing these pretty close to the sound of the 12 Classics with the stock single-flange tips. 11 Neo do lack technicality compared to the 12 Classics and don't scale as well, but they're still a good buy at their price point.
 
 
SUMMARY
 
In my opinion their responsiveness to tip rolling and increasingly better sources indicates that these punch above their price point, making them an easy recommendation with just a few minor caveats which are that the cable should be more pliable/supple above the y-splitter to allow for over-ear use, the lower cable is a bit prone to microphonics, and the accessories package lacks single-flange wide-bore tips. Great job Meze!
 
 
With all that said, here's my video review. I hope it's useful. Enjoy!
 
 
 
 
Thanks again to @MezeTeam for sponsoring this tour. You're cool cats, and I'm glad I had the chance to meet you at RMAF. Keep up the good work!

Hi all! I'm back from a reviewing hiatus as I settled into a new job with more responsibility at a newer company. It feels good to be at the point where I can tell you about some of the cool, new audio gear I've found lately. The absolute most interesting audio gear I've had the pleasure of testing out recently has been from @tjstyle of Revamp Acoustics. If you haven't heard of them, I won't blame you. I stumbled across them completely by accident. My man @tjstyle is one cool cat. He's an Android developer who can also whip up a mean circuit board. He's working other cool stuff besides audio gear, too. Seriously cool dude!
 
Okay, so how did I hear about the TeriPlayer G1 and why was I interested? Well, I was just skimming through the Portable Source Gear forum one day and saw a thread about the TeriPlayer. Like many of us, that immediately brought to mind the Altman TeraPlayer so I clicked on the thread to see what was up. It turned out that @tjstyle was hand-crafting DAPs for an audio club in Indonesia with the ultimate goal of creating a more cost-effective alternative to the TeraPlayer. Hmm... I thought this was pretty interesting, so I found a way to contact the guys responsible for the project (Deni & TJ). After some back and forth, I purchased a G1 of my own - the only one they sold to someone outside of Indonesia. Not that I'm the only G1 owner outside of Indonesia. Given the rarity and (spoiler alert!) bang for your buck you get with G1, it's been on eBay at much higher prices than they were originally sold for.
 
For this review, I'm trying a new format and am going to direct you to the video below for the bulk of the review which not only covers the TeriPlayer G1 but also TJ's newest creation - the Nuansa A1 portable amp. They create the cutest stack I've ever seen, and their sound signatures complement each other very nicely. Up here on top, Im just going to give you the TL/DR version so please check out the video review and help me out by providing feedback in my YouTube channel.
 
Ok, here we go. But first a couple of useful links... 
 

1. TeriPlayer G1 Thread
2. http://www.head-fi.org/t/795394/ind...type-discussion-split-from-tera-player-threadRevamp Acoustics

 
 
TL/DR
 
I've used TJ's TeriPlayer G1 for several weeks with everything from sensitive IEM to full-size headphones tat I wouldn't take out of my house. I also brought it to RMAF CanJam to get feedback from other headfi'ers I trust. In that time, G1 has become a serious contender for most ear time out of my ever-growing stable of DAPs despite the rudimentary user interface, lack of gapless, and short battery life of only 5-6 hours. Now, that's saying something because I have a lot of DAPs to choose from. One thing that's helped that is the ability to change opamps. I've switched from the stock AD8397 to MUSES02 for a smoother sound signature and am really happy with the balance of dynamics and smoothness I'm getting. Everything I throw at this little guy from my beloved FLC8S to my new love the AudioQuest Nighthawks sounds amazing. At first, I wondered if I was a bit cray-cray, which is why I took it to RMAF for others to hear. I let some of my seasoned headfi buddies and also some well-respected members of the trade give it a listen. At first, they thought it was a joke because it's just a simple DIY DAP. After listening, they were G1 believers and thought it was easily worth twice the original price of around $180. Most of them thought the sound quality was more along the lines of a $400 DAP but were a bit put off by the overly simplistic user experience. That's understandable. It's pretty rudimentary, lacking many of the creature comforts of mass produced DAPs. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, though. Just think of it as getting back to basics, and you'll probably be fine!
 
Positives are the very good sound quality, which strikes a good balance between a more energetic, dynamic sound and a smooth, organic sound, driving power, solid build quality, simplicity, and the ability to roll opamps to fine tune the sound.
 
Negatives are lack of gapless and breakpoint resume, short battery life, wav-only for now (although I've been testing FW with MP3 and FLAC decoding), and complete and utter lack of availability.
 
Four stars because I think the audio quality is damn good and overcomes what some will perceive as negatives given the G1's simplicity...
 
Ok, I think that's enough back story to set you up for the video review, so here we go. I hope you enjoy, and if you have any questions please feel free to ask away!
 

 
 
A big thanks and shout-out to @tjstyle for creating such wonderful audio gear. There's quite a mystique building up around your products, and I hope others will be able to enjoy them soon!
 
Cheers,
Nikolaus

INTRODUCTION

My first exposure to T-PEOS was back when the Altone 200 IEM was released. I pre-ordered it based on @H20Fidelity's impressions. It was my first hybrid IEM, and I really liked it for its killer combination of punchy bass, clarity, ergonomics, and price. Although I don't listen to them much anymore, Altone 200 are one IEM I'll keep in my collection if nothing more than for sentimental reasons. When T-PEOS released the follow-up to the Altone 200, the Altone 150, 250 and 350 lineup, I was able to extensively audition the lineup and provided impressions. The newer Altone lineup saw a break from the punchy, clear sound of the Altone 200. Instead, we got a more consumer-oriented sound with copious bass. With a bit of EQ to tone down the bass the Altone 250 sounded pretty damn good, but for me EQ was a necessity. Even with EQ, I wasn't a big fan of the Altone 150 and 350. Beyond the overly rambunctious sound, the new Altone lineup wasn't very ergonomic with overly large connectors and super springy cables. For my tastes, T-PEOS was clearly headed down the wrong path, and I tried to make that clear in my Altone 250 review and impressions of the entire lineup. With my love for the Altone 200, I wanted to see T-PEOS succeed in recreating the magic. 
 
That's all fine and good Nikolaus, but we aren't talking about the Altone lineup here, are we? No, we're not. I just wanted to make my history with T-PEOS clear. And when I (as with a few others in the Head-Fi community) was recently approached by James Park to evaluate their new Rasiel IEM, I wanted to see where T-PEOS was at right here, right now. Would Rasiel really be "vacuum tube sound" as the ad copy suggested? Would it be balanced and smooth, or would it fall into the the trap of consumer-friendly bass-heavy sound? The Pros and Cons provide a high-level answer. Read on if you're interested in diving a bit further down into the details...
 
Rasiel Website: LINK.
 
 

DISCLAIMER

T-PEOS sent me a pair of T-PEOS Rasiel in exchange for my unbiased review. I hope my feedback is useful for my fellow Head-Fi members as well as for T-PEOS. 
 
 


ABOUT ME
I'm a 44 year old father who listens to a lot of electronic and metal, although I do listen to a wide variety of music. I'm primarily a portable audio enthusiast and have been in the game since the venerable Shure E2C was first released. Bought one, plugged it into one of my many MD players, and have been hooked ever since. I do enjoy listening at home and am becoming increasingly interested in building up a nice desktop setup. As with a lot of people my age, my hearing isn't perfect but I've be listening for a long time and feel confident in assessing audio gear.


 
 

SPECIFICATIONS 

1. Driver : Dynamic driver 10mm​

2. Sensitivity : 110 ±2dB​

3. Power : 3mW / 20mW​

4. Impedance : 8Ω ± 15%​

5. Frequency Range : 20Hz ~ 15kHz​

6. Weight: 8g​

 

 

PACKAGING & ACCESSORIES

As usual, I'm not going to spend much time on describing the packaging and accessories. It's about what you'd expect at this price point. 
 
Inside the box, you get the IEM plus S, M, L silicon tips and a pair of M Comply tips. 
 
Despite the accessories list claims to the contrary, there was no fabric pouch or shirt clip in the box. Odd...
 
 

BUILD & ERGONOMICS

In the photo collage above, you can see Raisel's teardrop-shaped metal earpieces, mic / remote unit, y-splitter, 3.5mm L-plug, and bits and pieces of the cable.
 
Some thoughts on the design and build quality:

1. The metal earpieces are quite solid but aren't the most ergonomic. I struggle to acheive a secure fit with silicon tips. Using Comply solves this. This holds true when wearing down or up.
2. The vent holes are directly adjacent to the strain reliefs. Isolation is okay but not great. If worn down, wind noise isn't an issue. Worn up, the vent holes are quite exposed and Rasiel are more susceptible to wind noise.
3. The mic / remote module is a simple and functional one button unit. I rarely listen out of my phone, so this isn't something I'd use anyway.
4. The y-splitter separates the upper non-braided cables from the braided cable below. Unfortunately, there's no cinch.
5. The 3.5mm jack is a smartphone-friendly L-Plug.
6. The cable feels solid and isn't prone to microphonic or tangling.
7. All branding is TGD and not T-PEOS.

 
 
Here's how they'll look, assuming your ears are similar to mine...
 

 
 

SOUND

The basic sound signature of Rasiel is v-shaped, with strong, ponderous bass and elevated upper mids / lower treble. Beyond the sheer abundance, bass speed is ponderous and bass texture is flat. Lower mids suffer from bass bleed. The slow, elevated bass and lower mids lead to a wooly sound. The midrange proper is sucked out. Vocals aren't going to pop here. Upper mids / lower treble are emphasized, so you'll still be able to hear those high notes and cymbals over the copious bass. Not exactly what I go for in an IEM. Definitely more of a consumer-friendly sound.
 
So what to do? EQ...
 
Shelf down the bass, drop the lower mids a bit, and bring up the mids proper a bit. That sounds better, but now the upper mids / lower treble are a bit out of balance. Drop those down a touch, and we've got a relatively balanced sound signature. While its definitely better, I'm not blown away. The bass is still slower than I'd like and lacks texture. Oh well, at least the mids aren't sucked out anymore.
 
I'm not going to go into a deep dive comparing with other IEM I have in this price range. Suffice it to say that I recently received a few other budget-friendly IEM from Alpha & Delta, Rhapsodio, and Vsonic and find myself reaching for the others over Rasiel.
 
 
 

SUMMARY

I went into this review process hoping that T-PEOS would surprise me with a more balanced budget-friendly IEM. Unfortunately that wasn't the case. Instead, I found a well-built IEM that didn't fit me well sonically or ergonomically. Looking over other reviews, I'd say I wasn't alone in my thoughts on the overall sound but do seem to be an edge case when it comes to fit since others were able to achieve a good fit with less work than I did. I'd love to be able to recommend Rasiel for a sports IEM because the sound signature seems made for that, however the heavy metal shells and so-so isolation make that a hard recommendation for me to make. In the end, I'd recommend these for those looking for a consumer-friendly sound, durability, and a bit of flash. Unfortunately, that leaves out a lot of the Head-Fi crowd. Oh well, here's hoping T-PEOS takes the critical commentary and suggestions seriously and gives us more IEM like the instant classic Altone 200. C'mon T-PEOS, we know you can do it! 
 
Thanks again to T-PEOS for providing me with a review sample.

INTRODUCTION

NuForce made its name under Jason Lim's leadership developing high-performance audio products that didn't break the bank. Jason Lim has moved on, but the NuForce brand is still going strong under the new Optoma NuForce brand name. Optoma is a well-known projector company that decided to diversify into the home and portable audio markets with its acquisition of NuForce. Recently, @jyri at Optoma NuForce reached out to me and asked if I'd be interested in reviewing their new HEM IEM lineup. This is an expansion of the work NuForce did with the Primo8 quad-BA IEM, with HEM2 single-BA, HEM4 double-BA, HEM6 triple-BA, and HEM8 quad-BA. I'd already heard their single-driver titanium-coated dynamic IEM, the NE800M. While that was an enjoyable IEM, it had more bass than I typically look for in an IEM. While well-received, I got the impression that I'd probably have similar thoughts about NuForce's Primo8. Would the new HEM lineup be more of the same? I'm here to tell you that in my opinion, the answer is a resounding no. Beyond just expanding the lineup, each of these IEM have their own character to satisfy the varying needs of music lovers. If the HEM lineup is any indication of things to come, I'd say the future is bright for NuForce. In this review, I'll let you know what I think of the HEM8 and also touch on the other IEM in the HEM lineup. And a big shout-out to @jyri from NuForce for letting me test these out!
 
Optoma NuForce Website: LINK.
 
Dedicated NuForce HEM thread: LINK.
 
 

DISCLAIMER

There is no financial incentive for writing this review, and this is my honest opinion of NuForce's new HEM IEM lineup. I hope my feedback is useful for my fellow Head-Fi members as well as for NuForce. 
 
 
 
 



[size=17.03px]ABOUT ME[/size]
I'm a 44 year old father who listens to a lot of electronic and metal, although I do listen to a wide variety of music. I'm primarily a portable audio enthusiast and have been in the game since the venerable Shure E2C was first released. Bought one, plugged it into one of my many MD players, and have been hooked ever since. I do enjoy listening at home and am becoming increasingly interested in building up a nice desktop setup. As with a lot of people my age, my hearing isn't perfect but I've be listening for a long time and feel confident in assessing audio gear.


 
 

SPECIFICATIONS

*Please click for a larger, easier to read table.
 
 

PACKAGING & ACCESSORIES

 

 
This is the basic package you're going to get with each of the IEM in the HEM lineup. You'll get a larger pelican-style case that you can stash everything in plus a smaller semi-hard fabric case that you can use when you only need the IEM. Of course, you get the actual IEM which come nestled in protective foam. You get two cables to choose from. Both use standard two-pin connectors. There is a more "boutique" SPC quad-braid cable with shrink wrap y-splitter and cinch. There's also a more conventional OFC non-braided mic cable. I'm glad NuForce gives you the choice because, being mainly a DAP user, I always choose to use a non-mic if given the choice. I'm sure there are plenty of you who'll want to use them with a smartphone, so you'll probably put on the mic cable and never look back. Both cables come with a relatively low-profile 3.5mm L-plug that's smartphone case friendly. NuForce includes two sets of S, M, and L narrow-bore silicone tips. One set is softer, and the other is firmer. They also throw in M and L Comply tips. Rounding out the package, you get a 1/4" adapter, cleaning tool, and shirt clip. Again, you get all of this regardless of which HEM IEM you purchase. What's missing? Wide bore tips. As @Dsnuts pointed out, you can coax a different presentation out of the HEM IEM by using a wide bore tip. Something along the lines of SpinFit tips would be a welcome addition to allow user to fine-tune the sound to their preference.
 
 

BUILD & ERGONOMICS

 

 
Here's a close-up of the HEM8. The same shells are used across the HEM lineup just varying in color as shown at the top of the specs chart a couple sections up. HEM2 is a nice red color, not overly bright which is appreciated. HEM4 is a nice shade of blue that shifts in color to a dark purplish blue as you move it around, which reminds me of the pics I've seen of the Primo8. HEM6 and HEM8 are both a classy matte black. The lightweight polycarbonate shells feel tough and are very ergonomic, making it easy to listen to them for extended periods of time. The connectors are color-coded. White lettering and line for the left side and dark yellow for the right side. It's subtle yet helpful. Another subtle yet helpful addition is the knurled texture on the connectors, making them very easy to grip while inserting and removing the cables. Finally, you can see that the cable is shaped to fit over your ear. That's not memory wire. Instead, there's a shrink wrap coating that helps the cable maintain that form. While it's not as form-fitting as memory wire can achieve, it is much slimmer, comfortable, and glasses-friendly than most memory implementations. I like it. And as a bonus, this makes it easier to wear the HEM IEM either up or down. I tried out both successfully. The only caveat with wearing down is that the knurling on the connectors has the potential to rub a bit. I didn't find that to be a problem, but it might bother those of you with more sensitive ears. I bet most of you will just end up wearing them over ear anyways.
 
 
HEM + MIC CABLE

 
Here's a close-up of the HEM8 with the mic cable. The cable is supple and the strain reliefs are very soft and bendable. As you can see, the mic module contains a single-button remote to take/end calls and play/pause, ffwd, and rew music. Again, I have no use for those, as I listen with DAPs.
 
 

SOUND

As mentioned in the intro, I've had these for a long time and as such have given them plenty of listening time with DAPs from various manufacturers. I've also listened to all the typical music I enjoy, mainly electronic and metal with a smattering of jazz and modern composition thrown in for good measure. As I'm writing this review, I've been jamming them with the brand spanking new Shanling M5 DAP and my trusty Cayin N5. Neither combination doesn't disappoints. And if it wasn't obvious from up above, all listening was done with foamies which might make my impressions differ a bit from others who I've noticed tended to use the silicone tips that just wouldn't stay in my ears. For this review, I thought I'd give you an overview of the lineup from HEM2 to HEM8. I'll start with HEM2 and work my way up to HEM8. As I've been writing this review, I've also seen some reviews come in and think it'll be interesting to see how my thoughts on these align or differ from others. Okay, so here we go...
 
HEM2
HEM2 are the entry-level, single-BA IEM. I'll be honest with you and tell you upfront that these clicked with me right from the start, whereas the others grew on me. HEM2 has a nicely-balanced sound signature on the warm side of neutral. There is a bit of roll-off on either side of the frequency range. This is more apparent on the upper end, where they lack sparkle. This helps cover up any sibilance in recordings but also makes HEM2 feel restrained / polite. Soundstage is fine but feels held back by the warm sound signature, coupled with a lack of sparkle. I'm left wondering how much a bit of sparkle up top would help out here. It would add a bit of excitement and spaciousness to an otherwise relaxed / polite listen. All that said, I quite enjoy these. They remind me a bit of one of my favorite configurations of the FLC8S IEM (red, gray, gunmetal). And by remind me, I don't mean they sound the same. I mean they're reminiscent of the sound. The FLC8S is a triple-hybrid known for fantastic separation, imaging, and soundstage. FLC8S in my preferred configuration also has very linear, visceral bass, perhaps even skewed a bit towards sub-bass. Being a single-driver with a bit of roll-off on either end, HEM2 can't quite match up as far as spacial cues or bass extension and impact are concerned. I can't hold that against the HEM2, though. The mere fact that I really liked them on first listen and was reminded of one of my all-time favorite IEM is pretty damn impressive in my book. This isn't your dad's single-BA IEM!
 
HEM4
Stepping up from the HEM2, we come to the HEM4 double-BA IEM. These stick out as the more "reference" sound signature in the lineup. In comparison to the rest, HEM4 has the leanest bass and is more upper-mid focused to my ears. Again I'll be completely honest with you and tell you that I didn't like this one much at first listen. Compared to the others, it lacked the full, rich, organic sound. They made HEM4 sound a bit too lean and a bit bright. As I've spent more time with it, my thoughts have changed. In fact, I've come to really like HEM4. Like I said, coming from the others it sounds lean, but when I take some time away from the others and just listen to HEM4 in isolation it sounds really good. In fact, the more I spend time with it, the more I realize it's giving me what I was looking for in the HEM2. While the bass quantity is less, the bass quality is improved and isn't quite as soft. There's a noticeable increase in upper mid presence and sparkle up top. As such, it can be a bit more revealing of sibilance than HEM2, which is a sibilance killer. It's not accentuating sibilance like some IEM I've tried recently, just revealing what's there. Spacial cues are kicked up a notch, a noticeable improvement. Yes, I'm liking this one more and more with each listen. Funny how that happens sometimes. In fact, if you look over my initial impressions of HEM4 in the HEM thread, you'll see I was ready to write this one off as a loss in my initial impressions. Not that it was bad, I just didn't think it suited my taste on first listen. Given some time, they're growing on me. And that's why I like to listen for awhile before judging anything...
 
HEM6
Stepping up once again, we come to the HEM6 triple-BA IEM. These strike me as a marriage of the HEM2 and HEM4 sound signatures. You get the fuller, warmer bass + mids of HEM2 coupled with the upper end sparkle of HEM4. Despite the similar sound signature, the overall sound quality is beyond a mere marriage of those two sound signatures. While reminding me of the HEM2 bass, HEM6 bass is higher quality. It reaches deeper and conveys more detail. Mids on HEM2 were nicely balanced, and HEM6 follows that lead instead of getting more energetic in the upper mids like HEM4. The upper end retains the crispness and sparkle of HEM4 that was lacking in HEM2. Again, this means HEM6 will reveal (but not accentuate) sibilance rather than cover it up like HEM2. Spacial cues and soundstage are better than HEM2 but fall behind HEM4, which has the most open, airy sound of the three discussed so far. In fact, moving from HEM4 to HEM6 is a bit shocking. At first HEM6 sounds closed in, but after acclimating for a bit HEM6 starts to open up. This is another in the lineup that I wasn't immediately taken with but has grown on me the more I listen to it.
 
HEM8
And we finally arrive at HEM8, NuForce's new quad-BA flagship IEM. These take all the good points I've talked about so far and marry them all together into one fine-sounding IEM. Bass is extended and conveys good detail. To my ears, it sounds like it combines the reach and detail of HEM6 bass but backs off a bit in quantity and sounds nicely tighter as a result. Mids are the most balanced of the bunch. Not as full and warm as HEM2 and HEM6, but not skewed towards upper mids like HEM4. The upper end sounds crisp and has good detail retrieval but isn't as sparkly as HEM4. Sibilance isn't as prominent with HEM8 despite the upper end sounding nicely detailed. Spacial cues are very good. That's probably the first thing I noticed about these when moving up from HEM6. And despite being a fuller sound than HEM4, HEM8 blows them out of the water when it comes to imaging. Doing a lot right with no obvious deficiencies, HEM8 are easily my favorite IEM in the lineup.
 
FINAL THOUGHTS ON SOUND
I hope that walk through the lineup gives you a good idea of what I think of them. Each of them is unique and earns its place in the lineup, however this is definitely a case where the flagship is the clear winner. That's not always the case. I've listened to lineups where I end up preferring the mid-tier IEM over the flagship. Not here. HEM8 is the clear winner as the most balanced, musical IEM of the bunch. If you prefer a bit more bass quantity, I could see you preferring HEM6 over HEM8. If you like things a bit leaner, HEM4's your IEM. Not quite ready to spend that much, HEM2's got you covered as one of the better tuned single-BA IEM I've heard to date. One thing I've always liked is having a couple different sounds signatures, energetic + relaxed. Along those lines, I could see buying HEM2 (relaxed) + HEM4 (energetic) to fulfill those roles quite nicely without breaking the bank.
 
As an aside, @Dsnuts pinged me and suggested I try the tip mod he covered in his Primo8 and HEM8 reviews. I did try that mod and was impressed with how much it opened up the soundstage. It really helped me see the potential the HEM lineup had while I was waiting for them to burn in. Now that they're burned in, I don't feel the need for the tip mod any longer. It's still nice to have the option for sonic variety, though, which is why I have a pair of modified tips sitting in the case of whichever HEM IEM I'm listening to at the time. You know, just in case the mood strikes me. Please head over to his excellent HEM8 review for more details (LINK).
 

SUMMARY

NuForce has done a great job with their new HEM lineup. The lightweight, ergonomic shells ensure comfortable listening sessions. The accessories package with two cables, two cases, and three kinds of tips is generous, although including some wide bore tips to further open up the sound would be appreciated. Speaking of sound, as I hopefully very clearly conveyed up above, it's easy for me to pick a clear winner here and it's HEM8. The other IEM all have their strengths, but HEM8 is the most nicely balanced sound. Couple that with the impressive imaging, and we've got a winner on our hands. But don't let that dissuade you from looking at the others in the lineup. Depending on your sonic preferences and budget, one of the others might just end up being the winner for you.
 
Oh yeah, as of the time I wrote this review, there's a NuForce HEM "Blue Box" ovdr on Massdrop. Go take a look (LINK).
 
To wrap, I'd again like to give a big thanks to @jyri for providing me with review loaners of the HEM lineup. It was fun taking them for a test drive! 

INTRODUCTION

Unique Melody. It's a CIEM brand that's been around for awhile. In fact, the UM Miracle was one of the very first CIEM I'd ever heard of and is still regarded as a classic. Despite being familiar with the brand, I knew very little about them, much less heard them. So imagine my surprise when MusicTeck reached out to me and asked if I'd be interested in taking the UM Miracle V2 and UM Maestro for a test drive. Of course, I said yes. Since receiving them, I've gone from playing Mr. Mom to helping rapidly commission a brand spanking new production lab in a very short amount of time. This caused a delay in letting you all know what I think of these. My life isn't slowing down any, but I've decided that enough is enough. I'm going to make time for this review no matter what, and so here we are. Since these two IEM share a lot in common including excellent sound, shape/size, packaging, and accessories, I'm going to combine the reviews.
 
Links of interest:
MusicTeck's UM Page: LINK
Unique Melody's new FaceBook page: LINK
 
 

DISCLAIMER

There is no financial incentive for writing this review, and this is my honest opinion of the Unique Melody Miracle V2 and Maestro IEM. I hope my feedback is useful for my fellow Head-Fi members as well as for Unique Melody.
 
 

ABOUT ME

I'm a 44 year old father who listens to a lot of electronic and metal, although I do listen to a wide variety of music. I'm primarily a portable audio enthusiast and have been in the game since the venerable Shure E2C was first released. Bought one, plugged it into one of my many MD players, and have been hooked ever since. I do enjoy listening at home and am becoming increasingly interested in building up a nice desktop setup. As with a lot of people my age, my hearing isn't perfect but I've be listening for a long time and feel confident in assessing audio gear.


 
 

SPECIFICATIONS

MIRACLE V2
6 Balanced Armatures
2 Low, 2 Mid, 2 High
3 Way Crossover
18 Hz to 19 kHz
114 dB SPL Sensitivity
15.9 ohm Impedance
$1050
 
MAESTRO
12 Balanced Armatures
4 Low, 4 Mid, 2 High, 2 Super High
4 Way Crossover
20 Hz to 20 kHz
109 dB SPL Sensitivity
20 ohm Impedance
$1450

 
 

PACKAGING & ACCESSORIES

As usual, I'll go over packaging and reviews in pictorial format. Packaging and accessories are virtually identical.
 
PACKAGING

 
Both IEM come in minimal black square boxes with shiny black text. The whimsical nature of the text is a breath of fresh air in an industry that seems to be taking itself more and more seriously.
 
ACCESSORIES

 
In all, you get the UM IEM, a black metal carry case with the UM logo, four pairs of wide bore single flange tips, three pairs of foamies, 1/4" and airplane adapters (does anyone use those?), and a cleaning tool.
 
 

BUILD & ERGONOMICS

I'll attack this section in pictorial format, commenting on what I like and what I think could be improved as I go.
 
UM IEM WITHOUT TIPS (MIRACLE V2 ON TOP, MAESTRO ON BOTTOM)

 
 
UM IEM WITHOUT TIPS (MIRACLE V2 ON TOP, MAESTRO ON BOTTOM)

 
It should be pretty obvious from these pictures that both the UM Miracle V2 and Maestro are universal fit IEM. Of course, they also come in custom versions. If I were picking up a pair for myself, I'd most certainly go the custom route. Why? At this price point, why not just go ahead and take the plunge. And from what I've seen in the Maestro thread, the customs can be made with a smaller shell. The universal shell's large size was really pushing the limit for what my ears can take. I've been lucky enough to try the CustomArt and Empire Ears lineups recently, and both of those had significantly smaller shells at the same or higher driver count. They also had longer nozzles. CA & EE's smaller size and longer nozzles made for a more comfortable fit than I get with the UM IEM. The UM's short, wide nozzle prohibited me from using silicone tips. I tried the stock tips plus some from my collection, but they just kept slipping out of my ears. In the end, the only tip I could get to work for me to achieve a secure fit with good seal were the foamies. This did have some benefits, though. The combination of foamies plus the large shell provided some of the best isolation I've ever experienced. On the other hand, I started to feel "hot spots" due to the large shells. During longer listening sessions, I had to reposition the IEM to maintain comfort. My biggest suggestion to UM is to make the shells smaller. This would allow more people to comfortably enjoy them. I know it's possible. EE's 14-driver Zeus is smaller than the 6-driver Miracle V2. Please UM, make these smaller!
 
Connectors are recessed 2-pin. This makes them very stable and less prone to bending but also a total PITA to remove. I got them out once but decided not to go through the pain again for a pic. Should've snapped a pic while I had it out. Oh well...
 
Shells are glossy piano black. Miracle V2's faceplate has Unique Melody in a jumbled silver font. Maestro's faceplate has a carbon fiber pattern with Unique Melody in a very small silver font. Which look you prefer is obviously up to personal taste. I kind of like the design they went with on Miracle V2. The jumbled up writing captures more of that whimsical spirit we saw on their packaging.
 
 
Y-SPLITTER, CINCH, 3.5MM PLUG

 
 
The 3.5mm jack and y-spliter are clear shrink tubing. Before the y-splitter, you've got a 4-stranded braid. Above the y-splitter, you've got a 2-stranded braid. The 3.5mm plug is one of those ginormous ones that absolutely will not play nicely with a smartphone case, so if you use a smartphone with these you're probably going to have to shed that case first. All in all, it screams "boutique cable". I'd love to see UM offer a more modern, smartphone-friendly cable. Luckily, the cable is replaceable, so if you really want something different you can always buy a different one.
 
 

SOUND

As mentioned in the intro, I've had these for a long time and as such have given them plenty of listening time with DAPs from various manufacturers. I've also listened to all the typical music I enjoy, mainly electronic and metal with a smattering of jazz and modern composition thrown in for good measure. As I'm writing this review, I've been jamming them with the brand spanking new Shanling M5 DAP and my trusty Cayin N5. Neither combination doesn't disappoints. And if it wasn't obvious from up above, all listening was done with foamies which might make my impressions differ a bit from others who I've noticed tended to use the silicone tips that just wouldn't stay in my ears.
 
As I've listened to the Miracle V2 and Maestro, I've gone back and forth over which I prefer and come to the conclusion that I really like both. It's hard to pick one as the clear winner. The Miracle V2 have  a touch less bass and a bit more energy in the upper mids and lower treble. This makes them a slightly more energetic listen. When I'm up for a more involved listen, I turn to the Miracle V2. That's not to say that they're lean, reference, or overly energetic up top. They're still a well-balanced listen, with punchy bass and and treble that thankfully doesn't hit any of my hot spots. I'm becoming more sensitive to sharp / piercing treble peaks, so this is particularly important to me these days. Overall, the Miracle V2 are a very satisfying listen and were the IEM I was more immediately drawn to. Conversely, the Maestro are a more "refined" listening experience. Notes are a bit fuller / thicker, upper mids are more restrained, and lower treble is reined in a bit. All that said, these are not dark IEM, just a bit darker than the Miracle V2. Detail retrieval is still excellent and soundstage and spacial cues take a step up from the Miracle V2. Over time, I've come to appreciate the Maestro sound more and more and think I'd end up preferring these in the long run. 
 
When I first got these, I had the Empire Ears collection in house, so I was lucky enough to be able to listen to all of them. In my opinion, the Empire Ears collection can be split up into two categories. Cerberus and Spartan are distinctly different, being a more forward / energetic listen than the rest of the lineup. Hermes, Athena, Apollo, and Zeus were what I'd classify as a more "refined" sound, more along the lines of the UM Maestro. However, there are distinct differences in the approach EE and UM took with their higher-tier lineups. The EE IEM have a slight bit less bass and noticeably less upper mid and treble energy than the UM IEM. This made the EE IEM sound somewhat restrained in comparison to the more fun sounding UM IEM. I ended up preferring the EE IEM with more upper mid and treble energy, so the UM IEM were a good fit for me. 
 
I took these to work and let one of my buddies listen to them. He's not an audiophile per se, but his dad has built up a very nice audiophile grade listening setup in his basement. The kind where you just fall back onto your leather couch and let the music immerse you. The setup we all wish we had but can't afford yet. You know what I'm talking about. Well, I let him listen to both of these with via MacBook Pro -> iFi iDSD Micro. He thought the UM Miracle V2 were great IEM. Better than anything he'd heard to date. Then I let him test drive the UM Maestro. The look on his face was priceless. He said it was like being in his dad's listening room but miniaturized. Sure, Maestro are pricey, but compared to his dad's setup? No comparison. 
 
 

SUMMARY

It's been a fun journey with the UM Miracle V2 and Maestro, and I'm glad my life's settling down enough now that I can share my thoughts with you all. Are these for everyone? Certainly not. They're both TOTL competitive IEM and priced accordingly. If that's what you're looking for, then you should be looking at these. If they're out of your price range, no worries. Buy some nice triple hybrids (I highly recommend the FLC8S) and be satisfied for now. Sooner or later, the TOTL siren song will be calling your name, and when that time comes, please give these some serious consideration. The sound certainly warrants it. And if / when you do decide to pull the trigger, I'd urge you to go for full customs to get the most comfortable fit and best sound out of these that you can. I have the sneaking suspicion that these would sound even better if they were full customs. 
 
Just as an aside, I'd also urge you to look into the UM Merlin. They're UM's quad hybrid, and I'm betting those are a damn fine listen. I hope to hear them someday!
 
To wrap, I'd like to give a big thanks to MusicTeck for providing me with review samples of the Miracle V2 and Maestro. 

Photo courtesy of JDS Labs.
 

INTRODUCTION
I've been looking around for a pair of full-size cans, and one of my Head-Fi buddies was raving about his new pair of ZMF OMNI. In fact, he's so in love with them that he wanted to share the love and ended up loaning them to me for a couple weeks. In addition to the pair of ZMF OMNI, he also threw in the JDS Element for me to try. He said that was a good pairing, so I thought I'd relate my experience with that combination to you in a "quick review". In addition to the Element, I also paired the OMNI with the Apogee Groove, Aune X1S, and iFI Micro and will provide some brief listening notes on those pairings. 
 
 

ABOUT ME

While I'm primarily a portable audio enthusiast, I've been getting more interested in desktop gear recently. I mainly listen to classic rock, electronic, and metal these days, but I do throw in some alternative rock, jazz, and modern/minimalist composition from time to time. And as with a lot of people my age, I've got some hearing issues. I've got mild tinnitus and suffer from allergies, which can affect hearing in my right ear. I'll admit it, I'm not blessed with a pair of golden ears. That said, I've been listening to audio gear for a long time and feel confident in assessing gear. I just wanted to be transparent up front.
 
 
SPECS
 
 
Price: $349 for the standard configuration or $369 with RCA output (LINK)
 
 
PACKAGING & ACCESSORIES
The JDS Element comes in a simple box just big enough to hold the Element and USB cable. The power adapter is included in an extra box. You can download the user manual here: LINK.
 
 
BUILD & ERGONOMICS
Simple is the word that comes to mind when thinking about the Element's design. It looks like a black Mac Mini with a giant knob on top. Doesn't get much more simple than that. I'll go over it in a little more detail in pics below.
 

Photo courtesy of JDS Labs.
 
Looking at the front of the Element, two elements caught my eye. The first is the big, black volume knob. The second is the 1/4" headphone jack. If you look hard, you can even see that the bottom of the Element has a different finish. The top of the Element is aluminum, while the bottom is grippy soft-finish rubber to keep it from sliding around and scratching your desktop. Nice!
 
Of course the 1/4" jack means you'll need an adapter if you want to use headphones with a 3.5mm plug. No worries, just add one to your cart for an extra 99¢ making your purchase an even $350 (or $370 if your want RCA input). Or if you're like most of us, just grab an adapter from your audio junk drawer. That's what I did while testing the OMNI, which are terminated with a 3.5mm plug.
 
 

Photo courtesy of JDS Labs.
 
Looking at the back of the Element, from right to left we see the USB input, RCA input, vents, gain button, power button, and adapter jack. Simple, simple, simple...
 
Connect up via USB for DAC/Amp, turn the volume knob down, push the power button, and a white LED lights up inside the Element, giving the volume knob a soft white outline. Okay, we're all ready to go. Start playing some music, turn up the volume, and start jamming. If the Element doesn't get loud enough, you can always engage high gain.
 
The only nitpicks I have from a design / functionality standpoint are that there is no visible gain indicator. Personally, I'd be happier with gain and power switches instead of buttons, although this would disrupt the Automatic DAC Line-Output functionality (where you press the power button to toggle between Headphone vs. RCA output). And I'd love to see coaxial input, so I could use one of my DAPs as a transport instead of being tied to my computer. JDS Labs has the option to add RCA output for a measly $20, but there's no option to add coaxial input which is something I really like about my Aune X1S and the iDSD Micro I've been testing out.
 
 
COMPUTER
I’m a Mac user, so for me the Element (as with pretty much every DAC/Amp I try) was plug n play. Easy peasy!
 
 
SOUND
I’m the first to admit that describing sound isn’t an easy thing to do, so I’ll try to describe this as clearly and concisely as possible. As mentioned in the introduction, I was lucky to be able to listen to the Element + ZMF OMNI pairing for a couple weeks. At the end of that time, I broke out some other gear I had around to see what I thought of those vs. the Element. The other gear was the Apogee Groove, the Aune X1S, and the iDSD Micro.
 
BASIC SOUND SIGNATURE
I found the Element to have a warm sound signature meaty bass, warm lower mids, forward upper mids, crisp treble, and good soundstage and spacial cues. It's an analog-ish, easy to get along with sound that I really enjoyed with the OMNI, but don't go in expecting a linear sound signature.
 
Element vs. X1S: Element is warmer, with more bass emphasis and impact. Element's bass feels meatier. Element's lower mids are a bit warmer. Element's upper mids are more upfront and can get a bit more forward than I'd prefer. Element's upper end a bit crisper. X1S has tighter, more neutral bass. X1S mids are are more linear. X1S upper end sounds more present and extended but smoother. Element has slightly larger soundstage and better separation.
 
Element vs. Groove: Again, Element has meatier bass and that makes the Element feel more ponderous. Mids are comparable. Groove has more forward treble that gets a bit hot for me. Groove has larger soundstage and with more air and better separation. Out of this gear, Groove sounds the most digital to my ears.
 
Element vs. iDSD micro: iDSD micro is falls between X1S and Groove. It has tighter bass vs. Element. Mids are a bit more forward vs. Element. Highs are a bit more forward than X1S but not as much as Groove. Good soundstage and separation but not as expansive as Groove. Bass boost doesn’t do too much with OMNI. 3D makes the sound more holographic but can make upper mids a bit bright for me.
 
 
SUMMARY
I enjoyed my time with the JDS Element and encourage you to check it out if you're looking for a warm yet engaging all-in-one DAC/Amp solution. I could easily see this being a good piece of gear for my office at work. I can't find much to fault with the Element. Sure, it only decodes up to 96/24 PCM files, but I don't typically listen to files with higher resolution and bitrate than that. JDS has a great blog article that explains the choices they made while designing the Element. It's an interesting read, and if you're interested in picking up the Element I suggest you head on over and take a few minutes to read the article (LINK). The major nitpick for me is that I'd really like to see a coaxial input, so I could use one of my DAPs as a transport for those times I don't have my laptop around. I'd also like to see a switch instead of a button for the gain setting to give me a tactile and visual indicator of what state the device is in. Other than that, the Element is a well-designed piece of kit that has a nice, engaging sound. Thanks again to my Head-Fi buddy for letting me take a listen to these. I appreciate it!
 

Photo courtesy of JDS Labs.

November 2016 Update

​I wanted to come back to these and let you all know that I bought my very own pair of Walnut and Silver 99 Classics at RMAF. I also had Maze send me the new, deeper pads. I'm so impressed with how Maze has responded to the community here on headfi. I'd suggested a less bling-bling design with silver instead of gold in my review, and they quickly responded. I also suggested deeper pads, and they responded to that, too. With that, the only complaint I have is with microphonics and would suggest that Maze look into putting a plasticized sheath above the y-splitter to cut down on the rubbing microphonics I get with the fabric cover. Other than that, Meze's got it nailed with these!
 
And I want to give a big shout out to Antonio and Mircea from Maze. I met them, and we chatted a bit at RMAF. Seriously cool cats!
 

 

INTRODUCTION

Okay guys, this strange introduction. When I saw the Meze 99 Classics pop up in the sponsors forum, I didn't give it that much thought. Blinged-put woodies didn't look like my thing. Then one of my Head-Fi buddies PM'ed me and asked if I was going to review them. I've reviewed a fair amount of IEM and portable source gear but am a bit of a noob with headphones, but I thought I'd at least poke around and find out what these were. Searching the forums for Meze brought up some controversial posts regarding Meze's previous headphones. Go ahead, do a search sometime and see what you find. With that information in mind, I was intrigued and figured these deserved a listen. Would they stir up more controversy? Would they be the headphone that puts Meze firmly on the map? I wanted to find out of myself, so I threw in for the review tour. For those of you too impatient to wait for the end, I'll let you know right now that while not perfect the 99 Classics are a great-sounding headphone that suits my tastes very nicely but comes with a few caveats that I'll deal with in the review.
 
 
 
LINKS OF INTEREST
Meze 99 Classics Page: LINK
Meze 99 Classics Tour Thread: LINK
Meze 99 Classics Thread: LINK
 
 

DISCLAIMER

There is no financial incentive from Meze for writing this review. I am in no way affiliated with Meze, and this is my honest opinion of the 99 Classics. I hope my feedback proves useful for my fellow Head-Fi members as well as for Meze.
 
 

ABOUT ME

I'm a 43 year old father who loves music. While I listen mostly to electronic and metal these days, I do listen to a wide variety of music - from electronic (Autechre, Boards of Canada) to modern/minimalist composition (John Cage, Philip Glass) to alternative rock (Flaming Lips, Radiohead) to jazz (John Coltrane and Miles Davis) to metal (Behemoth, King Diamond) to classic rock (Eagles, Rush).  
 
I'm primarily a portable audio enthusiast. My portable music journey started with the venerable Sony Cassette Walkman and then progressed to portable CD players, minidisc recorders (still have my Sharp DR7), and finally on to DAPs like the Rio Karma, iRiver IHP-1xx, iPod 5.5, iPhones, and the newer crop of DAPs from Fiio and iBasso.
 
Being a portable audio enthusiast, I typically listen with IEMs but am enjoying listening with full-size headphones more and more and tend to like u-shaped sound signatures, although I break out v-shaped IEM & HP from time to time for fun.
 
As with a lot of people my age, I've got some hearing issues. I've got mild tinnitus and suffer from allergies, which can affect hearing in my right ear. I'll admit it, I'm not blessed with a pair of golden ears. That said, I've been listening to portable gear for a long time and feel confident in assessing audio gear - just wanted to be transparent up front.


 
 

SPECIFICATIONS

1. Transducer Type: Dynamic Neodymium / Mylar
2. Transducer Size: 40mm
3. Frequency Response: 15Hz - 25KHz
4. Sensitivity: 103dB at 1KHz, 1mW
5. Impedance: 32Ohm
6. Rated Input Power: 30mW
7. Maximum Input Power: 50mW
8. Detachable Kevlar OFC cable
9. Plug: 3.5mm gold plated
10. Ear-cups: walnut or maple
11. Weight: 290g
12. MSRP: $309
13. Warranty: 2 years

 
 

PACKAGING & ACCESSORIES

As usual, I'll go over the packaging and accessories in pictorial format with a wrap at the end. 
 
UNBOXING

 
WHAT YOU GET

1. 99 Classics
2. 1.2m OFC cable with microphone and Play/Pause button
3. 3m OFC cable
4. Airplane adapter
5. 1/4 inch adapter
6. Cable pouch
7. Headphone travel case
8. Manual

 
 

BUILD & ERGONOMICS

Again, I'll attack this section in pictorial format, commenting on what I like and what I think could be improved as I go.
 
CHOICES...

 
When I first saw a picture of the 99 Classics on the tour accouncement, I honestly thought they looked a bit too bling-bling. My recommendation was to replace all the gold trim with silver to tone things down a bit. Well, you know what? Meze listened, and they've now added a black/silver/walnut model to the lineup in addition to the original black/gold/walnut and white/silver/maple models.
 
 
 
MEET the Meze 99 Classics

 
 
CABLE

 
When handling the 99 Classics, it was immediately apparent that a lot of thought went into their design. Simple and elegant are words that came to mind. A bit bling-bling, yes, but that can be overcome by choosing the black/silver/walnut model. 
 
What did I like? I like the very comfortable self-adjusting suspension headband, comfortable ear pads, just right clamping force, pivoting cups, and the fact that the 99 Classics are primarily a metal + wood design held together with screws instead of glue. 
 
What did I think could be improved? I'm not a fan of the cups, which aren't wide enough and end up feeling a bit cramped and kind of like a hybrid on/over ear design. My biggest recommendation to Meze is to strongly consider using a wider cup to give our ears a bit more breathing room. My second biggest recommendation is to make the pads a bit thicker, so my ears don't touch the drivers. My third recommendation is to lose the fabric sheath above the y-splitter cable to reduce microphonics. My final recommendation is to have the cable exit at a slight angle to the front. The straight-down exit combined with the fabric sheath caused a lot of scratchy microphonics whenever the cable brushed against my shoulders. Change these while keeping the same sound, and I'm all in Meze!
 
Just a note that these don't fold flat. Didn't bother me, as I'd probably use these in the office but it might bother some of you so just be aware.
 
 
 
SOUND
Those of you who know me know that I've been listening to a lot of classic rock, electronic and metal lately. I might throw in some hard bop jazz or modern minimalist composition every now and then, too. Just wanted to make sure you know what kind of music I listen to for context. Unlike some other reviewers, I don't keep to a strict playlist (although I do have some songs I do always end up listening to). Instead, I choose songs I know well and feel like listening to. I feel it's more organic that way. I try to get at least 16/44 FLAC but don't shy away from using AAC or MP3 if that's what I've got on-hand. Anyways, on with the show, eh...
 
I listened to the 99 Classics out of various sources from my iPhone 5S, various DAPs, and the Apogee Groove. I also did some casual comparisons with my AKG K553 Pro and Philips Fidelio L1.
 
Here's the FR curve Meze threw up on their website, along with the following quote: "

INTRODUCTION

I first heard of LZ-A2 from @RedJohn456 and @Hisoundfi. They were both talking about this Chinese DIY triple hybrid that had amazing bang for your buck. At that time, I was deep into the FLC8S (still am, by the way - LINK), so I didn't think too much about LZ-A2 and went about my business jamming the FLC8S. Then @peter123 joined in the LZ-A2 love-fest, and I thought to myself, "Nikolaus, you need to get yourself a listen to these LZ-A2." So I reached out to the now defunct Faith Audio and secured a pair for review. Little did I know that they would end up collectors' items, as the LZ-A2 was discontinued right after I received them. After spending some time with them, I can tell you I'm eagerly awaiting their successor, the LZ-A3 and will be updating you on them when I receive them. So just what is it that makes the LZ-A2 special? Usually triple hybrids use a dynamic for bass, a BA for mids, and another BA for the highs. However, the LZ-A2 follows the lead of some higher end IEM manufacturers in dedicating a dynamic and and BA to bass. This is the first time I've heard of a lower-end hybrid IEM using this configuration. I'll go over how that impacts the sound in the actual review.
 
I usually include a bit of information about the manufacturer but can't dig up any information on LZ, so I'm skipping that this time around. However, I am including a link to the LZ-A2 discussion thread should you find yourself interested in joining in the conversation (LINK).
 
 
 

DISCLAIMER

There is no financial incentive for writing this review, and this is my honest opinion of the LZ-A2. I hope my feedback is useful for my fellow Head-Fi members as well as for LZ.
 
 

ABOUT ME

I'm a 44 year old father who listens to a lot of electronic and metal, although I do listen to a wide variety of music. I'm primarily a portable audio enthusiast and have been in he game since the venerable Shure E2C was first released. Bought one, plugged it into one of my many MD players, and have been hooked ever since. I do enjoy listening at home and am becoming increasingly interested in building up a nice desktop setup. As with a lot of people my age, my hearing isn't perfect but I've be listening for a long time and feel confident in assessing audio gear.


 
 

SPECIFICATIONS

Drivers: 1 Dynamic + 2 BA
Impedance: 16Ω
Sensitivity: 120dB/mW
Frequency Range: 2Hz - 24kHz
Plug: 3.5mm straight plug
Cable Length: 1.2m
Weight: 25g
Price: ~$100

 
 

PACKAGING & ACCESSORIES

Since the LZ-A2 are a DIY IEM, there's no packaging. You simply get the LZ-A2 and accessories in a clamshell case.
 
LZ-A2 + ACCESSORIES

 

 
In all, you get LZ-A2, narrow bore single flange tips (S, M, L), medium bore double flange tips, cheap foamies, stabilizer fins, ear guides, shirt clip, and clamshell case. It'd be nice if they provided some wide bore tips because that where the magic happens with these. More later...
 
 

BUILD & ERGONOMICS

I'll attack this section in pictorial format, commenting on what I like and what I think could be improved as I go.
 
LZ-A2 WITHOUT TIPS

 
The earpieces are aluminum with plastic nozzles that are wider than your typical IEM, making it a bit hard to tip roll. Finish isn't the best, with some rough edges here and there. Lucky they weren't in places that touched my ears. Strain reliefs are pretty short. Despite the vent hole being very exposed on the rear of the LZ-A2, it didn't make them especially prone to wind noise. That was a nice surprise. And if you look carefully, you'll see "LZ-a2" and L/R markings on the earpieces in very low-contrast text. It'd be nice if it were easier to see the L/R markings since these are a symmetrical design.
 
 
Y-SPLITTER, CINCH, 3.5MM PLUG

 
The 3.5mm jack and y-spliter are metal with a knurled finish to make gripping them easy. The cinch is plastic and does a fine job of staying in place. The cable feels like the one used on some Vsonic IEM I've purchased in the past. It's got what feels like a silicone coating and isn't overly prone to tangling or microphonics. Again, the strain relief isn't the longest,  but I'm assuming it'll do its job just fine.
 
 
LZ-A2 SUITED UP AND READY TO ROCK!!!

 
Here are the LZ-A2 with one of the two pairs of tips I settled on, the stock medium-bore double-flange tips. These tips were pretty comfortable, and the LZ-A2 sounded pretty good with them. That said, I ended up using a pair of wide-bore single-flange tips I had sitting around most of the time. I'll go over that later.
 
 
FIT
LZ-A2 can be worn down or over ear. I like both options and split my time 50/50. If I'm headed out, I wear them over ear. If I'm hanging out in the house, I'm more likely to wear them down. Both are comfortable for long periods for me. I can see the wide nozzles potentially causing some long-term comfort issues for those of you with small canals, though. The ear guides LZ threw in are some of the softest I've ever used. That said, as a glasses wearer, I hate ear guides with a passion and once I tested them out I put them away never to be used again.
 
 
SOUND
Those of you who know me know I listen to a lot of electronic and metal. You might even know that I've been jamming a lot of classic rock lately, as well. I typically listen to music from Autechre, Behemoth, Bjork, Candlemass, Depeche Mode, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Iron Maiden, King Diamond, New Order, Rush, and Sigur Ros during my time with new gear. I might throw in some hard bop jazz or modern minimalist composition every now and then. Just wanted to make sure you know what kind of music I listen to for context. Unlike some other reviewers, I don't keep to a strict playlist. Instead, I choose songs I know well and feel like listening to. I feel it's more organic that way. Anyways, on with the show, eh...
 
When I first got the LZ-A2, I placed them on my burn-in rig with pink noise at a moderate volume for a couple days. After that, I tried them with my iPhone and the Lotoo PAW 5000 DAP I recently got in for testing. I also tried them with different tips. I'll go over that stuff in a minute. For now, I'd like to tell you what you'll be getting with LZ-A2. These are what I like to call an "audiophile fun" sound signature. You're going to get (very) extended, elevated bass, neutral-ish mids that might be just a tad recessed, and relatively smooth treble. Over in the LZ-A2 thread, these have been called anything from an L-shaped signature with flat response other than the elevated bass to a v-shape. I definitely wouldn't call them a v-shape at all. Personally, I'm hearing them as more of an L-shape. Something that always seems to come up is the need to find a pair of headphones with a similar sound signature, and these have been compared to Audeze LCD2. I haven't heard LCD2, so I can't confirm that. Looking over FR graphs for both, I can see how the comparison would be drawn, though.
 
After burning these in, I left on the stock Medium narrow-bore single-flange tips and plugged them into my iPhone and was a bit disappointed. The bass sounded boomy and sloppy. I've had this experience with my iPhone before, so I wasn't too surprised or judgmental. I didn't feel like this was a good match, so I moved on to the PAW 5000. The bass sounded a wee bit less bloated now. Better, but not perfect. So I decided to try out some other tips. First, I tried the stock Small narrow-bore single-flange tips with deeper insertion. Nope, pretty much the same for me. How about the stock medium-bore double flange tips? Yes, these are better. Bass is tamed a wee bit more but still not where I'd like it. Over on the LZ-A2 thread, people are all about the very wide-bore JVC Spiral Dot tips with LZ-A2. I don't have any of those, but I do have a lot of tips roaming around the house (kids...), so I grabbed a pair of Medium wide-bore single-flange tips and slapped those on. Yup, this is where the action is! Bass was knocked down a bit more and sounded tighter. Now I'm feeling like the bass is in better balance with the mids and treble. Nice!
 
Now even though I tamed these a bit, please don't get the idea that they're neutral nor is neutral what I was after. The goal for me was to achieve better balance while retaining the fun sound signature. I think I got there with a better source plus the wide bore tips. I've been listening to the FLC8S a lot recently. They're tunable, and I've got them set up with the maximum sub-bass filter, medium bass filter, and maximum mids + medium treble filter. In comparison with the FLC8S in that configuration, LZ-A2 definitely has increased, harder hitting bass however FLC8S has sweeter mids and is more resolving. Again, LZ-A2 proves its bombastic nature against the more refined FLC8S. FLC8S also has better spacial cues (soundstage and placement of sounds). Then again, FLC8S is one of my current favorites and costs three times as much as LZ-A2, so the fact that I'm comparing these two in such favorable terms lets you know how much bang for your buck I think you're getting with LZ-A2. 
 
I also used LZ-A2 for audiobooks and movies, and I have to tell you I really like this type of sound signature for those. The audiobooks I listen to typically have male narrators, and the LZ-A2 gives their voices a nice, rich tone that makes listening to books a real pleasure. With movies, I was genuinely shocked at the rumble coming from these bad boys. I haven't heard IEM with such deep bass extension before. I'm sure they exist in more basshead-centric IEM, but to hear that depth in such a balanced IEM was amazing.
 
Shifting back to music for a bit, I listen to metal with rapid-fire kick drums which can be hard for dynamic drivers to deal with. Sometimes they just can't keep up, and the drum hits start to blend together. Not good. The interesting thing about the LZ-A is that they've got a dynamic and a BA driver covering the bass, so bass notes have good, fast attack but don't decay super fast. It's a best of both worlds situation. So in those songs with rapid-fire kick drums, the drum hits have distinct drum hits but don't end up sounding staccato like they can with BA-only IEM. I like i!
 
Back to the mids and treble, they're pretty smooth without being overly polite. It's a nice balance that keeps the LZ-A2 fun but not exaggerated. Again, I like it!
 
 

SUMMARY

Can you tell I like these? Ignoring the price, I don't see myself choosing these over my current faves, the FLC8S. However, for the asking price and to get a more "fun" sound signature with great, quality bass without veering off into Beats territory or into v-shape land, these guys are a steal! Are they perfect? Nope, they're not. The build is okay but not fantastic. The nozzles are wider than typical IEM, making tip rolling a bit challenging while also making insertion hard for those with narrow ear canals. And you'll need to seek out some better tips to tame the bass and balance out the sound signature. In my opinion, none of these are showstoppers and be overcome pretty easily.
 
Unfortunately, the LZ-A2 are discontinued. So why am I reviewing a pair of discontinued IEM? Good question! Well, the first reason is that these push a lot of the right buttons for me. The second is that LZ is coming out with a new IEM right after the Chinese New Year holiday that looks like it'll be the LZ-A2's successor. It's called the LZ-A3, and I'm really excited to hear it. I hope after reading this and the other great reviews out there that you're excited, too. Be on the lookout for impressions and reviews of the upcoming LZ-A3 from myself and others in the next couple months. Man is it a good time to be in this hobby! 
 
To wrap, I'd like to give a big thanks to Faith Audio for providing me with a pair of LZ-A2 for review and to LZ for making such a great IEM. Keep 'em coming, LZ!

INTRODUCTION

I'm a HiFiMan HE400 owner. They were my introduction to both planar and higher-end headphones. Yes, I know HE400 isn't really a high-end headphone, but at the time I bought them it was the most headphone or IEM I'd purchased to date. I've given the old HE400 a lot of love over the years and have recently started down the path of modding them with velpads, a Lohb suspension strap, and (soon) some Sorbothane. I'm hoping they'll take me farther into the future with a little love. So as you might be able to tell, I've got a bit of a soft spot for HiFiMan headphones. I've also taken a two-week test drive of the HE400S. While those were nice, they weren't quite what I was looking for. I wanted more than my HE400 could give me, and that wasn't the HE400S. So when I saw the Edition X tour open up, I immediately signed up. I wanted a taste of what high-end HiFiMan headphones could give me. Perhaps it would've been better if I hadn't. This experience has opened up a can of worms for me. I'll explain as we head into the review.
 
LINKS OF INTEREST
HFM HEX Page: LINK
HEX Tour Thread: LINK
HEX Thread: LINK
 
 

DISCLAIMER

There is no financial incentive from HiFiMan for writing this review. I am in no way affiliated with HiFiMan, and this is my honest opinion of the Edition X. I hope my feedback proves useful for my fellow Head-Fi members as well as for HiFiMan.
 
 

ABOUT ME

I'm a 43 year old father who loves music. While I listen mostly to electronic and metal these days, I do listen to a wide variety of music - from electronic (Autechre, Boards of Canada) to modern/minimalist composition (John Cage, Philip Glass) to alternative rock (Flaming Lips, Radiohead) to jazz (John Coltrane and Miles Davis) to metal (Behemoth, King Diamond) to classic rock (Eagles, Rush).  
 
I'm primarily a portable audio enthusiast. My portable music journey started with the venerable Sony Cassette Walkman and then progressed to portable CD players, minidisc recorders (still have my Sharp DR7), and finally on to DAPs like the Rio Karma, iRiver IHP-1xx, iPod 5.5, iPhones, and the newer crop of DAPs from Fiio and iBasso.
 
Being a portable audio enthusiast, I typically listen with IEMs but am enjoying listening with full-size headphones more and more and tend to like u-shaped sound signatures, although I break out v-shaped IEM & HP from time to time for fun.
 
As with a lot of people my age, I've got some hearing issues. I've got mild tinnitus and suffer from allergies, which can affect hearing in my right ear. I'll admit it, I'm not blessed with a pair of golden ears. That said, I've been listening to portable gear for a long time and feel confident in assessing audio gear - just wanted to be transparent up front.


 
 

SPECIFICATIONS

1. Rated Impedance: 25Ohm (±3 Ohm)
   
2. Sensitivity: 103 dB @ 1kHz 
   
3. Frequency response: 8Hz - 50KHz
   
4. Price: $1800
   

 
 

PACKAGING & ACCESSORIES

As usual, I'll go over the packaging and accessories in pictorial format with a wrap at the end. 
 
UNBOXING

 
 
WHAT YOU GET


In all, you get HEX, one thinner/shorter cable for portable use, one thicker/longer cable for desktop use, a 1/4" adapter, and paperwork. I'd prefer they packed HEX in a more practical case instead of the giant box.
 
 

BUILD & ERGONOMICS

Again, I'll attack this section in pictorial format, commenting on what I like and what I think could be improved as I go.
 
MEET HEX

 
HEX look a lot like HEK. It's a rather large headphone with unusually shaped earcups. Despite being absolutely ginormous, these extremely comfortable headphones. The suspension strap, roomy cups, and soft pads make it easy to wear HEX for long periods without discomfort. However, I'm a pretty average sized guy at 5'9", yet I had to wear HEX on the smallest setting. I can't imagine these fitting smaller people very well. And finally, I'm wishing the gimbals were metal. Maybe I'm just used to the Cold War build quality of my HE400, but these guys feel a bit fragile for $1800. I guess that's the price you pay for light weight...
 
 
HEX + CABLES

 
Nothing too special here, I just wanted to show a picture of HEX with the cable plugged in. I'm not a fan of long, thick cables, so I used the thinner, shorter cable during my audition period. I like that the cables exit the cups at an angle instead of straight down, so the cables don't constantly rub on my shoulders. This helps minimize microphonics. I also like that the connectors are much more user-friendly than the coax-type connectors on my HE400. Those are just a PITA. The thinner, shorter cable has a 3.5mm L-plug that works with smartphone cases, which is good because you can get some damn good sound out of just an iPhone with HEX.
 
HEX vs. HE400S

 
Just a comparative shot of a more typical HFM headphone next to HEX to give you an idea of just how roomy HEX is.
 
 
SOUND
Those of you who know me know I listen to a lot of electronic and metal. You might even know that I've been jamming a lot of classic rock lately, as well. I typically listen to music from Autechre, Behemoth, Bjork, Candlemass, Depeche Mode, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Iron Maiden, King Diamond, New Order, Rush, and Sigur Ros during my time with new gear. I might throw in some hard bop jazz or modern minimalist composition every now and then. Just wanted to make sure you know what kind of music I listen to for context. Unlike some other reviewers, I don't keep to a strict playlist. Instead, I choose songs I know well and feel like listening to. I feel it's more organic that way. Anyways, on with the show, eh...
 
I listened to HEX out of various sources from my iPhone 5S to various DAPs to my Aune B1 portable amp and Aune X1S desktop DAC/Amp. I'd also like to point out that my reference for a good sounding headphone is my HE400. I'm hoping to broaden my experience with high-end headphones in the future, but for now my experience is somewhat limited. Just wanted to be transparent about that.
 
The first thing I plugged HEX into was my iPhone. I was immediately impressed. Making a high-end planar that sounds so damn good right out of my phone is some powerful voodoo. I jammed for awhile and then started plugging into different sources I had laying around. While HEX sounded a bit different with each source and better with some than others, it wasn't like I heard any night and day transformations in sound quality. In general, HEX has a smooth, balanced sound that extends well on either side but leans a bit towards the dark side. That said, I didn't feel like I was missing out on detail, HEX just wasn't using brightness to boost detail. Never did I get any accentuation of sibilance or piercing highs. While I liked this, I noticed that some others on the tour would've preferred a bit more energy up top. Male and female vocals sounded natural, never sounding out of place or getting shouty. Bass was deep and responded well when listening to electronic music. It wasn't the tightest bass I've heard, but it was very organic and enjoyable. In short, I clicked immediately with the sound and that feeling never wavered during my time with HEX.
 
I really enjoyed HEX with the Soundaware Esther Analog DAP. It has a full, warm sound that bonded immediately with HEX. It was a beautifully lush listening experience.
 
I also really enjoyed HEX with my Aune B1 and X1S. These gave HEX a more neutral, detailed cast. 
 
So depending on which way I wanted to go (lush vs. detailed), I had options. I'm sure if I had higher-end gear, HEX would respond even better.
 
Compared with my HE400, HEX had more linear bass, more present mids, and much smoother treble. HEX also had a more expansive soundstage. I'd always known HE400 didn't have an even frequency response, but I'd always felt the soundstage was quite good. HEX changed my thoughts on that pretty quickly, with wider, deeper, taller soundstage and better imaging. I can still enjoy my HE400 but am definitely left longing for what I'm missing in HEX. All that said, I recognize that I have little experience with TOTL headphones, so I might be more easily won over than some more experienced tour members.
 
 

SUMMARY

As you can probably tell, I loved a lot of things about HEX. The sound and comfort were top notch. However, I'd like to see them built to accommodate smaller heads. I had to use them on the smallest size, and my 21 year old daughter had a sizable gap between the suspension strap and the top of her head. I also have concerns about the build quality for the price HiFiMan is asking for these. Perhaps I'm just being paranoid, but I'd like to see a little more metal involved to make them at least appear more bulletproof like my good old HE400. And while I didn't experience the issues personally, I know a few of my tour mates have experienced various QC issues ranging from cups not centered between the gimbals and sound cutting out from the female connector. I'm hoping these issues are few and far between and are quickly resolved.
 
To wrap, I'd like to give a big thanks to HiFiMan for choosing me to participate in this tour. It was an enlightening experience and I must say that I miss that great HEX sound.

Image courtesy of JAYS
 
 

INTRODUCTION

Hi guys. I recently got a chance to listen to the new q-JAYS courtesy of @shotgunshane and thought I'd let you know what I thought of them. Prior to this, I'd heard of JAYS but had no experience with their IEM, so I started looking into them a bit and found out I've got a bit of a tangential connection. Not really a connection to JAYS but to where JAYS come from. You see, my wife's father moved to the US from Sweden after university. My wife still has family in Sweden, and I've been to Stockholm (where JAYS are headquartered) twice since we were married. We walked all over Stockholm. I probably walked past JAYS HQ and never even knew it. I can tell you with certainty that the next time I'm over there, I'm going to make it a point to visit JAYS and see what they're cooking up for us.
 
TL/DR: For those of you too impatient to read over the whole review, I think my pros and cons mention most of the salient points. The new q-JAYS are probably the smallest, most ergonomic IEM I've ever used. They literally disappear in your ears. On top of that, they are engineered to last with all-metal construction, removable parts for easy cleaning, and detachable cables. JAYS was targeting a reference sound, and to my ears they've mostly achieved that with a balanced sound that should appeal to a lot of Head-Fi'ers. I could personally use more bass impact and decay and a bit less prominence in the upper end. I'll expand on this more in the review, but there you have the gist of it.
 
Before we move on with the review, here's a bit about JAYS:
 
Our story begins back in 2006. We had a simple idea and a big vision — to create great music experiences that everyone could enjoy and love. 

Today, we’re based in an old brewery in central Stockholm, and the heartbeat that continues to drive us forward is a relentless focus on engineering and design innovation. We believe that by humanizing innovating technology with good design, we can create memorable music experiences with an emotional impact. 

Our promise to you is a steadfast commitment to design and engineering excellence and a rigorous attention to details. To deliver on that promise means we have to stay true to our core value of simplicity in everything we do, in order to make products that are beautiful, easy to use and are built to last. 

Of course, producing quality products requires more than just quality materials — it requires highly-skilled and passionate team members with the ability and experience to ensure that every detail on every finished product comes out precisely as intended. 

Our team here at JAYS is a dedicated group engineers and designers who believe that there’s only one way to properly build a great product — to do it one detail at a time. From the unboxing experience to your everyday comfort using our products, we assure you that every detail has been carefully considered and improved by us over the years.

It’s always gratifying to be recognized for your hard work in the form of awards. But what we love and enjoy the most is creating experiences and products you will enjoy for long. We owe a huge thank you to our community for joining us on this amazing journey, and we hope that you will continue to be a part of our story.

LINKS OF INTEREST
JAYS q-JAYS page: LINK
q-JAYS threads: LINK, LINK
 
 

DISCLAIMER

There is no financial incentive from JAYS for writing this review. I am in no way affiliated with JAYS, and this is my honest opinion of the q-JAYS. I hope my feedback proves useful for my fellow Head-Fi members as well as for JAYS.
 
 

ABOUT ME

I'm a 43 year old father who loves music. While I listen mostly to electronic and metal these days, I do listen to a wide variety of music - from electronic (Autechre, Boards of Canada) to modern/minimalist composition (John Cage, Philip Glass) to alternative rock (Flaming Lips, Radiohead) to jazz (John Coltrane and Miles Davis) to metal (Behemoth, King Diamond) to classic rock (Eagles, Rush).  
 
I'm primarily a portable audio enthusiast. My portable music journey started with the venerable Sony Cassette Walkman and then progressed to portable CD players, minidisc recorders (still have my Sharp DR7), and finally on to DAPs like the Rio Karma, iRiver IHP-1xx, iPod 5.5, iPhones, and the newer crop of DAPs from Fiio and iBasso.
 
Being a portable audio enthusiast, I typically listen with IEMs but am enjoying listening with full-size headphones more and more and tend to like u-shaped sound signatures, although I break out v-shaped IEM & HP from time to time for fun.
 
As with a lot of people my age, I've got some hearing issues. I've got mild tinnitus and suffer from allergies, which can affect hearing in my right ear. I'll admit it, I'm not blessed with a pair of golden ears. That said, I've been listening to portable gear for a long time and feel confident in assessing audio gear - just wanted to be transparent up front.


 
 

SPECIFICATIONS

1. Driver unit: Custom Dual Balanced Armature
   
2. Rated Impedance: 50 Ohm @ 1kHz 
   
3. Sensitivity: 103 dB @ 1kHz 
   
4. Frequency response: 5Hz - 20KHz (8Hz - 16kHz ± 5dB)
   
5. Plug: 3.5mm gold-plated L-plug 
   
6. Cable: Detachable 1.2 m Kevlar cable with custom threaded SSMCX
   
7. Price: $400
   

 
 

PACKAGING & ACCESSORIES

As usual, I'll go over the packaging and accessories in pictorial format with a wrap at the end. 
 
Front of outer sleeve

 
 
Back of outer sleeve

 
 
Inner sleeve

 
 
The actual box with a thick, heavy, beautiful user manual

 
 
Lift up the user manual to reveal yet more unboxing opportunities

 
 
Looks like someone at JAYS took some LEAN coursework

 
 
Here are all the goodies

 
In the "About Us" information up above, JAYS mentioned paying attention to details. I think the unboxing experience proves that point quite nicely. As I was unboxing the q-JAYS, it struck me that JAYS out-Appled Apple. Very classy!
 
I like that JAYS included four sizes of silicone tips to ensure their customers could find just the right size, although I ended up not using the included silicone tips for reasons I'll cover later. It's nice that they include a pair of comply tips because I found these a better match for me. The included screw-top carry case is made of tough matte black plastic. What else? Hmm, not that you'll use them often but q-JAYS even includes connector covers to place over the threaded SSMCX connectors when they're detached. Again, JAYS has those small details covered.
 
 

BUILD & ERGONOMICS

Again, I'll attack this section in pictorial format, commenting on what I like and what I think could be improved as I go.
 
q-JAYS Schematic

Image courtesy of JAYS
 
Just for fun before we get rolling, here's a picture of the disassembled JAYS. One thing I'd like to call out in this picture is the small grey line on the right male MMSXC connector. That's the only marking JAYS provides to distinguish Left from Right with the q-JAYS. Very minimalist! I don't think that's an issue, because it's pretty apparent how they're supposed to fit in your ears.
 
 
q-JAYS with Medium Comply tip as a size reference

 
Wow, they're really small. I hope putting them right next to a medium Comply tip helps put just how small the q-JAYS are into perspective. This view also gives you a pretty good look at the female connector and right above that we see a vent hole. This isn't typical on BA IEM, and I'm left wondering if it's more for equalizing pressure. In any case, the vent hole is well positioned to avoid wind noise, which is highly appreciated. I also like the powder coat finish, which provides a nice textured surface to grip when inserting and removing the q-JAYS.
 
 
Removable debris / wax guard

 
Rather than simply use adhesive or a clip to attach a mesh debris / wax guard, JAYS includes a removable perforated end cap so you can clean it thoroughly. Just unscrew it, wash, dry, and replace. Easy-peasy. It is very small though, so make sure you don't lose them down the drain!
 
 
Close-up of connectors

 
Here you get a nice close-up of the connectors and strain relief. I like this implementation. It's a quick, easy, and secure. No worries about friction fit connectors degrading over time, either. And because they're detachable, you can connect the cable to either earpiece to ensure you have the correct channels when worn down or over ear. I really like that because it's pretty disconcerting when you go from wearing an IEM down to wearing them up and critical elements in your music are all of a sudden coming from the wrong ear.
 
 
Cinch, Y-Splitter, L-Plug

 
As with the earpieces, JAYS decided to go small with the cable. Not by making it short, but by making it thin and supple with Kevlar reinforcement to increase toughness. It isn't very susceptible to microphonics, either. The only concern I have is finding aftermarket cables with the threaded SSMCX connectors, which doesn't seem to be very common. Maybe I'm just not looking in the right places. So if you like to swap cables, take that into account. As with the earpiece strain reliefs, the remaining stain reliefs on the cable are well done. Not much to fault with the cable, but I will say that the thinness will shock you at first. You'll probably think that you'll shred the cable in no time. Just remember that it's Kevlar reinforced You'll be fine.
 
 
q-JAYS all suited up and ready for battle!!!

 
Again, note just how small the q-JAYS are in comparison to the Comply tips. Simply amazing!
 
I usually put in some pics of how IEM look worn down vs. up, but I totally forgot to do that this time. Sorry about that. But I can tell you that since these are easily one of the smallest IEM you'll run across, they simply disappear in your ears when worn either way. So if you're contemplating purchasing the q-JAYS, rest assured you'll get a good, comfortable fit either way. Just to drive the point home, I let my 21yo daughter try these out. She's got small ears and has comfort issues with most of the IEM I let her try out. Not with q-JAYS. She said these were the most comfortable IEM I'd ever forced her to try out.
 
To sum up, with q-JAYS you'll be getting a small, highly-ergonomic IEM that's built to last. And even though the cable may seem like a weak point at first glance, you just need to move past that because it's built to be tough with Kevlar reinforcement and good strain reliefs. But tough doesn't mean stiff and microphonic. Quite the contrary, the cable is supple and microphonics are controlled very well. If ergonomics, build quality, and looks were all that needed to be considered, then q-JAYS win. Game over. No questions asked in my mind. Going back to q-JAYS "About Us" information, they just killed it with the attention to detail put into these. BRAVO!!!
 
But that's not all there is, is it. Of course, you need excellent sound to match, so let's see what I think of the sound...
 
 
SOUND
Those of you who know me know I listen to a lot of electronic and metal. You might even know that I've been jamming a lot of classic rock lately, as well. I typically listen to music from Autechre, Behemoth, Bjork, Candlemass, Depeche Mode, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Iron Maiden, King Diamond, New Order, Rush, and Sigur Ros during my time with new gear. I might throw in some hard bop jazz or modern minimalist composition every now and then. Just wanted to make sure you know what kind of music I listen to for context. Unlike some other reviewers, I don't keep to a strict playlist. Instead, I choose songs I know well and feel like listening to. I feel it's more organic that way. Anyways, on with the show, eh...
 
JAYS was targeting a balanced, reference sound for the new q-JAYS. Balanced and reference mean different things to different people. To me, a balanced sound signature is a u-shaped sound. Give me a bit of low and high end emphasis. A bit more low end emphasis than upper end emphasis because I don't want the sound to get harsh. To me, a reference sound signature is flat. This is the WYSIWYG sound signature, and I honestly I'm not too fond of it. A lot of my music lives in the low end, and reference tuning just doesn't provide me with enough bass quantity to be satisfying. So with this in mind, where do the q-JAYS come out? I'd say they come out somewhere in the middle ground between how I see balanced and reference.
 
Before describing the sound signature, I want to mention that q-JAYS provide very good spatial cues. Soundstage is expansive, and it's easy to pinpoint sounds as they appear in headspace. I was impressed with this aspect of the q-JAYS. 
 
On with describing the sound signature. q-JAYS do have a slight bass lift. They also have some added emphasis up top. To my ears, the emphasis up top outweighs the low end emphasis. Depending on your point of view, this could either be a good or bad thing. For me, I found myself wanting more bass quantity. What was there was good and well-extended, no doubt about that. I just wanted more of it. The mids are nicely present and balanced very well from top to bottom. q-JAYS won't ever give you shouty mids. The upper end. Yes, that upper end. Some will love it and feel it's well-balanced with the rest of the sound signature. Unfortunately, it hit my sensitive spot in the upper region. The q-JAYS are also a quick-sounding IEM with fast attack and decay. This attribute combined with hitting my sensitive spot in the upper region made drum hits sound overly sharp, cymbals crashes turned harsh, and I got pronounced sibilance / hiss after S and T sounds. While some would argue that these are all present in the recording and that the q-JAYS are just doing their job as a reference IEM, I have other IEM that provide plenty of detail retrieval without this issue. So this led me to seek out remedies. The obvious route was tip rolling, and I'll go over that in a bit, but before that there was one suggestion I thought I'd try first.
 
The first suggestion for decreasing sibilance was to use an impedance adapter. I actually happen to have a couple of those laying around and gave that a shot. I tried both my 75 Ohm and 100 Ohm impedance adapters and didn't hear a difference between those two. I did hear a definite difference between the stock sound and the sound using the impedance adapters, and it wasn't for me. Using the impedance adapters did drop down the sound in the upper end, making that more comfortable for me. However, it also decreased bass quantity. Since that was one of my nitpicks with the sound, using the impedance adapters was a double-edged sword in that it solved one nitpick at the expense of accentuating the other. It was a good suggestion that made an audible difference. It just wasn't for me, so I moved on to testing out different tips.
 
Speaking of tips, I didn't get on with the included silicone tips. While they were comfortable and provided a good fit, they had the lowest bass emphasis and were the worst offenders for highlighting sibilance out of all the tips I tried. Switching to the Comply tips started to balance out the sound a bit more toward my preferences. Bass was a bit more emphasized and sibilance wasn't as highlighted. I still wasn't quite there, though. Since I had a good idea of where these needed to be to fit my tastes, I broke out the Ostry tuning tips. If you haven't seen these before, there are three Ostry tuning tips which affect bass and the sibilance area to varying degrees. Ostry 100 tips simply reduce sibilance a bit. Not bad, but not quite there yet. Ostry 200 tips reduce sibilance and add a slight bass boost. Better. Ostry 300 reduce sibilance and boost the bass a bit more. Again, better. Out of all the tips I tried, I liked the Ostry 200 and 300 tips the best. But, and this is a big but, the q-JAYS nozzle has a very small diameter so the Ostry (and most other tips) simply won't fit securely on the q-JAYS nozzle. Sure, you can put them on, but they'll end up coming off in your ear. Not ideal.
 
My final experiment was to try out an EQ correction curve. Using a 30-band EQ, I added a bit of a low end boost (+2dB @ 20Hz -> 0dB @ 160dB). This added a bit more warmth and punch down low. I also added a bit of upper end cut (-2dB @ 6.3kHz, -4dB @ 8kHz). This reduced sibilance, and gave percussion a less sharp and more natural tone. If your tastes are similar to mine and you're not afraid of using EQ, this is a good alternative (or supplement) to tip rolling.
 
If you're interested in taking a look, I'm including some rough listening notes I took with the q-JAYS and a few other IEM. The main IEM I used for comparison were the 3-BA Empire Ears Cerberus and the triple-hybrid FLC8S configured with one of my favorite tunings (Red-Grey-Gunmetal). Cerberus costs a fair amount more than the q-Jays, while the FLC8S cost a little less. I also threw in the double-hybrid Trinity Delta with the Gunmetal filter and the triple-hybrid LZ-A2 for the first song, which is one of my faves. These both cost significantly less than the IEM I used for the rest of the retesting. The listening was all out of my iBasso DX90, which has very fine volume control. I set the q-JAYS to a comfortable listening level and then volume matched the other IEM as closely as possible using my Dayton IMM-06 calibrated mic with results in the table directly below. 
 
 
I've skimmed some of the other reviews and impressions. Some have said the q-JAYS sound warm and full. Some have said it sounds neutral. Some have said it lacks bass and sounds bright. I think it's all context. I've been listening to some IEM that sound fuller and warmer recently, so for me the q-JAYS sounded a bit thin. Add the issues I experienced with sibilance, and q-JAYS came across sounding a bit bright to me. For those of you who prefer warm, full, bassy IEM, you're going to find these lacking. For those of you who crave a reference sound, q-JAYS will sound just a bit on the warm side. And for those of you who like a bright analytical sound, these will sound a bit warmer still and might not be your cup of tea. 
 
 

SUMMARY

As you can probably tell, I've got mixed feelings about the q-JAYS. On the one hand, they're incredibly ergonomic and amazingly well-built. They're just about the perfect size and shape for a pair of IEM, in my opinion. The attention to details is amazing, from the unboxing experience to little (yet important) things like a removable debris / wax filter. On the other hand, the sound just wasn't for me. Was it bad? No, it just wasn't quite what I was looking for. If there was a bit more bass impact and presence and the upper end didn't really tickle my sibilance sensitivity zone, I'd be giving these a higher rating. However, I have no doubt that many a Head-Fi member will really enjoy these. I'm eagerly awaiting the next iteration of the q-JAYS with great anticipation. And the next time I'm in Stockholm, I'm going to make a point to drop by JAYS and say hi.
 
To wrap, I'd like to @shotgunshane for loaning these to me for a listen!

*** SEPTEMBER 2016 UPDATE: SOUNDAWARE M1PRO ***

Thanks to Mary at Soundaware, I recently had the opportunity to audition the Soundaware Esther M1Pro. I thought it would make sense to update my original review of the Esther Analog since there are so many similarities. The user interface is identical to the original, so please refer to the main review below and watch the UI video I uploaded to get a good feel for how the M1Pro works. It's still a very basic user interface that lacks amenities found in DAPs from AK, Cayin, FiiO, iBasso, Shanling, etc. Despite that, it is ultimately quite useable. Maintaining a highly-organized music library is a must, as Esther relies on folder browsing. If you're a tag browser kind of person, please consider yourself forewarned!

 

When it comes to playing music, I'm still missing gapless. I have a lot of albums that flow seamlessly from one song to the next, and the M1Pro (as with Esther Analog) leaves a noticeable gap. This can be overcome by conjoining songs into one track, but that's not a solution I'm interested in pursuing no matter the sound quality. I'm also still hearing the slight fade out as songs end that I don't get with other DAPs.

 

Basic sound with my dynamic driver IEM and HE400 planar headphones is great. It's reminiscent of Esther Analog (again, please refer to the original review below) but with wider soundstage, tighter and more impactful bass, more prominent upper mids, and more shimmery highs. Very nice. This is a sound I could just sit an immerse myself in. However, the 10 Ohm output impedance is definitely altering frequency response for the multi-BA IEM I tested. My Campfire Audio Nova had noticeable decrease in bass and corresponding increase in upper mids. This made them sound leaner and more aggressive than with other DAPs I've used. Some might enjoy this, as it can make warmer multi-BA IEM sound more resolving. However, doing this by altering the overall frequency response doesn't allow one to enjoy the tuning the manufacturer intended. For this reason, this is something I hope can be resolved with future soundaware DAPs. In particular, I'm hoping the beautiful new MR2 DAP that's soon to be released will have a lower output impedance. Less than 1 Ohm would be ideal. 

 

For comparison, I listened to the same tracks with various DAPs and ended up liking PAW Gold > M1 Pro > M1 Analog / Shanling M5 > Cayin N5. M1Pro is indeed one of the better DAPs I've had the pleasure to listen to, and at $6-700 puts the Lotoo PAW Gold to shame in the "bang for your buck" department. However I'd end up choosing Shanling M5 over either M1 for two main reasons. First, I don't want frequency response to be altered for my multi-BA IEM due to high output impedance. Second, I really need gapless to just work. In addition, the user interface on the Shanling M5 is one of the more bulletproof I've used in a Chinese DAP. 

 

Regarding gain settings, low gain is sufficient for the various IEM I used. I was able to keep volume at high settings in low gain to try and make best use of the DAC as per Soundaware's recommendations. Only with my HE400 did I raise the gain setting up to high gain.

 

One final point that needs mentioning is battery drain during sleep mode, which is much higher than I've seen with other DAPs. It's always shocking to listen in the evening and then come back the next morning and see 10% or more knocked off the battery percentage.

 

From my experience with other DAPs, I'd think that a lot of what I find lacking in M1Pro could be resolved with FW updates. However, I'm not sure Soundaware has the bandwidth to fix everything, and there could be hardware limitations I'm not aware of. Ultimately, I'd say that potential buyers (as always) should read over the review, strongly consider whether the M1Pro meets all of your needs, and make an informed decision. If it were based solely on sound, I'd give the M1Pro a very strong recommendation. However, I'm primarily an IEM user and have several pairs of multi-BA IEM I like to use with DAPs, so the 10 Ohm output impedance would be a major factor in my personal decision making process as would the lack of gapless support.  


 

 

 

INTRODUCTION

I've said it before, and I'll say it again here. I've been very lucky to hear many great-sounding DAPs this year. This product category continues to explode at an increasing rate. Everyone's coming out of the woodwork to carve out their own space in the DAP market, and they want to get their product out quickly. Sometimes I fear they push out their product a bit too quickly. Today, I'm here to tell you about such a product, the Soundaware M2 Esther Analog. Amongst all the reviews I've written, I think this is the one I'm the most conflicted about. On the one hand, I'm in love with the sound. It's absolutely gorgeous. Warm, full, gentle and yet full of detail. I also like the build. It's a nice, small, lightweight all-metal design. On the other hand, there are some engineering choices from both hardware and software standpoints that let the Esther down. High output impedance, lack of gapless support, and very quirky battery management are some of the issues you'll contend with should you choose to use Esther Analog with the current firmware (V1.0.046). So I'll just say right now before I proceed with this review that Esther Analog, like the Aune M2 (LINK to review), is a reserved recommendation at this point in time. If the firmware issues I take issue with are resolved, I'll revisit this review and update my rating accordingly. And I'm very happy to tell you that Soundaware's representative on Head-Fi has been very receptive to my constructive criticism. Okay, enough of the introduction type stuff, let's get on with the show, shall we?
 
Before we start, here's a bit of information about Soundaware from their website:
 
SOUNDAWARE Audio Co. Ltd. is a high-tech company founded in 2011, located in the national high- tech development district of Nanjing, which is a famous historical and cultural city in China. 
 
SOUNDAWARE is specialized in the design of chip, digital audio processing, audio power technology and operating system etc. Based on our strong background and rich experience in the field of high-fidelity audio playback, we have independently developed the FPGA logic, hardware architecture, schema etc. The whole architecture of high-fidelity digital audio playback has achieved the national patent. We are the only company who has the patent in China. Based on our patented high-fidelity digital audio playback technology, we apply the developed playback chips, modules, architecture to our products, which have excellent playback effects and have gained amazed reputation from the market.
 
SOUNDAWARE is aimed at promoting high-fidelity streaming audio playback, providing advanced high-fidelity digital audio & video playback solutions and high fidelity home & portable products. Besides, customized leading chips, modules, and overall solutions are supplied to cooperated partners. We have built R&D cooperation relationship with internet company and chips manufactures.
 
LINK to Soundaware's English website.
LINK to Esther User Manual.
LINK to "best practices" for squeezing the best sound out of Esther.
LINK to the Soundaware Esther thread.
 
 
DISCLAIMER

I was provided the Esther Analog as a review loaner. There is no financial incentive from Soundaware for writing this review. I am in no way affiliated with Soundaware, and this is my honest opinion of the Esther Analog. I would like to thank Mary at Soundaware for providing a review loaner and also for her patience, as I've taken far longer with this review than I originally intended. Thanks for your understanding, Mary!
 
 
ABOUT ME

I'm a 43 year old father who loves music.  From electronic (Autechre, Boards of Canada) to modern/minimalist composition (John Cage, Philip Glass) to alternative rock (Flaming Lips, Radiohead) to jazz (John Coltrane and Miles Davis) to metal (Behemoth, King Diamond) to classic rock (Eagles, Rush), I listen to a wide variety of genres and artists. 
 
My portable music journey started with the venerable Sony Cassette Walkman and then progressed to portable CD players, minidisc recorders (still have my Sharp DR7), and finally on to DAPs like the Rio Karma, iRiver IHP-1xx, iPod 5.5, iPhones, and the newer crop of DAPs from Fiio and iBasso. 
 
I typically listen with IEMs from my ever-growing collection from budget to mid-fi. Less often, I grab a pair of full-size cans. While I've had the Soundaware Esther Analog, I've been lucky to also have some other great gear to test out. In addition to my HiFiMan HE400, I also got to try out the HiFiMan Edition X. For IEM, I've been testing out FLC8S (LINK to review) and the Empire Ears lineup. And of course, I've used my trusty VE Zen 2.0 earbuds (LINK to review). I do have a lot of other gear, though. You can always check my profile for a reasonably up to date gear list. 
 
As with a lot of people my age, I've got some hearing issues. I've got mild tinnitus and suffer from allergies, which often affect hearing in my right ear. I'll admit it, I'm not blessed with a pair of golden ears. That said, I've been listening to portable gear for a long time and feel confident in assessing audio gear. I just wanted to be transparent up front. 
 
 
SPECIFICATIONS 



PRICE: $557.49 shipped on Amazon (LINK)
 
 
PACKAGING & ACCESSORIES

As usual, I'll go over the packaging and accessories in pictorial fashion below
 
Classy box

 
Model Information


As can be seen here, Esther comes in two versions: Analog and Vitality. Analog has a warm, full, smooth sound. Vitality is the more modern / conventional sound. Color choices are grey or white (Glacier).
 
Opening the box


The first thing you see when you open the box is the Warranty Card and an actual physical User Manual.
 
Esther revealed


 
Esther plus accessories


In all, you get Esther, a USB cable + wall charger, and card reader. I also got a 16Gb Samsung mSD card loaded with some sample music, although I'm not sure if the retail version comes with a card. No big deal though, since we DAP fanatics have plenty of mSD cards around. Conspicuously missing is a case of any sort. As you'll see later, Esther is vented for cooling and I think this might be part of the reason there's no case. At least including a carry pouch would've nice. I've been using the FiiO HS7 semi-hard case to store Esther in during my evaluation period. I'd recommend something similar should you choose to purchase an Esther for yourself. Also conspicuously missing is a coaxial cable, which would be nice because Esther uses a different tip configuration than my other DAPs.
 
 
BUILD & ERGONOMICS

As usual, I'll go over the build and ergonomics in pictorial fashion below, pointing out what I like and what I think could be improved. 
 
FRONT


This is where most of the action is. Over on the left are the Return button at the top and the Menu button on the bottom. On the right are transport and menu navigation controls. At the top is the color screen. Like the FiiO X5 and X7, the screen isn't flush with the surface. I'd like to see this changed in future iterations, making it sleeker and less prone to accidental damage. Unless there's some practical reason I'm not aware of, I'd also recommend the front of the player be smooth instead of having a "terraced" finish on the left side by the Return and Menu buttons.
 
The case is metal with good fit and finish. Buttons are placed perfectly, leaving absolutely no gaps. This adds to the feeling of quality. I like the button-driven operation but would recommend the transport control buttons were a bit more spread out. During blind operation, I did find myself pressing the wrong buttons occasionally as my fingers easily slid over the whole array.
 
REAR


The usual info is on the back. The "sinogram" near the bottom indicates that this is the Analog version. I like the chamfered edges, which make Esther very comfortable in your hand. 
 
BOTTOM & TOP EDGES


Top: From left to right, we see the Headphone Out, Line Out, and Coaxial Out. I'm no Coaxial Out expert, but I sure wish Soundaware included a coaxial cable with the appropriate configuration because this doesn't work with any of the coaxial cables that come with my other DAPs. Inconvenient!
 
Bottom: Micro USB data + charging port on the left and 2 x mSD slots on the right with cover. While I really like this stacked mSD implementation because it saves space, it could use a better guidance system. The mSD cards can go in at an off-angle instead of just going in straight on. It's not that big of a deal, as all you do is have to reposition the mSD card. I just haven't run into this issue with other DAPs. The mSD slot cover is a bit floppy and comes out of place easier than I'd like. I prefer a bit more rigid cover like those on the FiiO X5 and Cayin N5. That said, the cover does its job. Not a major complaint. Just a couple minor nitpicks.
 
RIGHT & LEFT EDGES


Left: From top to bottom, there's the lock switch and some vent holes. Speaking of Lock Mode, it locks out all of the front buttons, leaving just the power / screen button and volume rocker active. So you can adjust he volume and get a quick peek at what's currently playing when in Lock Mode.
 
Right: From top to bottom, there's the power / screen button, volume rocker, vent holes, and hard reset pinhole.
 
Okay, your tour of Esther is compete. You've seen it all...
 
What did I like? Well, the button layout is pretty good. The side buttons are where your thumb and index or middle finger will naturally rest. A quick shift over, and the buttons on the front face are easily accessible by your thumb. The volume rocker and power / screen button have a good solid click to them, meaning you're not likely to make accidental button presses. The fit and finish are nice as is the size, which reminds me of my iPhone 4s with an Otterbox case. Two mSD are much appreciated, as are dedicated HO, LO, and CO jacks.
 
What could be improved? The front buttons are oddly shaped, a bit close together, and a bit mushy. You'll want to make good use out of the hold switch to ensure you're not skipping tracks accidentally when Esther is in your pocket or a bag. When you do have it locked, there's no way to skip tracks. You can only adjust the volume, activate / deactivate the screen, and power down Esther. It would be much appreciated if a long press on volume up / down allowed you to skip tracks like on some of the other DAPs I've tested. The printed text is very low contrast, so you'll have a hard time reading it in poor lighting or at off angles. I'm a big fan of high-contrast text and would suggest a change here. Luckily, you'll memorize the button layout pretty quickly, so you don't really need to look at the text very often anyway. And finally, some internal guides to ensure you don't insert mSD cards at an off angle would be appreciated.
 
 
UNBOXING VIDEO

That's probably the first unboxing video I shot, so please excuse the very rough production values.

 
 
GUI / FIRMWARE

Esther is Soundaware's first DAP. Instead of going the Ingenic route as Cayin, FiiO, and Shanling went, Soundaware decided to create their firmware from scratch. While this means they could tailor the firmware completely to suit their needs, it also means they had quite a challenge ahead of them. As pointed out in the introduction, this is the area where Soundaware needs to spend the most time improving Esther. I'll go over the various menus and point out some inconsistencies and odd choices as I go. Before moving forward, I will point out that Soundaware has been receptive to suggestions for improvement and has already started to incorporate some of these suggestions into their firmware. They've still got a ways to go, but at least they're started the journey!
 
MAIN MENU: SETTINGS


Esther's Main Menu is laid out horizontally, so you simply click the Back / Forward buttons to navigate through the various sub-menus. When you get to the one you want to dive into, you press the Play / Pause button to dive in. When you want to jump back up a level, you use the Return button. If you want to go back to the Main Menu, push the Menu button. Once you're in a list, you use the Up / Down buttons to move up / down one menu item at a time. The Back / Forward buttons act like Page Up / Down buttons in a list. This allows you to move up or down through lists with fewer button presses but does feel like a band-aid solution. Accelerated scrolling through lists by holding down the Up / Down buttons would be much appreciated. Once you're back to the Main Menu, one more press of the Menu button will take you to the Now Playing screen. Okay, I think we've covered navigation basics. It's all pretty easy to learn but could be further optimized to make the navigation process simpler.
 
Getting back to the Settings Menu, you'll see a lot of familiar choices there. You'll also see some unfamiliar choices. For instance, PowerOff Options seems to be an area of confusion. I'll go over the PowerOff Options you'll want to use in the Battery section below. But for now, let's just say this isn't very straightforward and definitely needs to be optimized. Then there's Turntable Mode, which is actually a dedicated Digital Out mode that shuts down the analog circuitry to ensure the highest quality signal out of Coaxial Out. This is one of the areas I've been trying to help Soundaware, and we should see changes to more straightforward terminology in future firmware releases. 
 
You'll notice in the two images on the right that the screen gets split between a sub-menu sidebar on the left and either icons or text on the right. This trend continues across all of Esther's menus and is a contentious choice in my opinion. I don't find that the icons add value, and the space would have been better utilized by making the list take over the entire width of the screen. This is especially true once we visit the Music Library menus, where the limited characters can get pretty annoying.
 
At the top of the screen is the Topbar, which could be better utilized. Right now, you can't see any information about Play Mode, Volume, or Gain Setting in the Topbar. These should all fit, and I've made this suggestion to Soundaware. I'm hoping they strongly consider retooling the Topbar to provide more useful information at a glance for Esther owners.
 
MAIN MENU: UPGRADE + ABOUT


These are pretty self-explanatory.
 
MAIN MENU: PLAYING


Again, pretty self-explanatory. This takes you to the Now Playing screen.
 
MAIN MENU: RECENT LIST + FAVORITES


The Recent List keeps a running record of albums / folders played so you can jump back to them quickly if you want to. I thought this was going to be a running record of songs, so seeing it populated with albums / folders surprised me. It's honestly not a feature I've used, so I'm agnostic about this. 
 
Favorites is like an on-the-go playlist similar to what other DAPs give you. To add a song to the Favorites list, you simply press and hold the Menu button when that song is selected in a list or while in the Now Playing screen. A confirmation will pop-up that the song has been added to Favorites, which needs to be dismissed by pressing the Play / Pause button. I figured you'd be able to remove a song from the list by repeating the process, but it's not that easy. To remove a song, you have to navigate to it in the actual Favorites list and press and hold the Menu button. Again, a confirmation will pop-up that the song is now removed from the list. 
 
IMPORTANT: There's no .m3u support, so this is all you get. If anything beyond this very basic playlist support is critical for you, Esther isn't your DAP.
 
MAIN MENU: STORAGE


This is where I spend most of my time because Esther has very rudimentary Tag-based browsing options.
 
Storage Sub-Menus


At the top level, Esther offers you a choice between SD0 and SD1. You can tell some pretty nerdy engineers programmed the GUI, because normal humans would've called these something site SD1 and SD2 or TF1 and TF2. Anyways, after you get done geeking out over that, you can see I've got the Artist as the next level. After that, I've got Albums arranged in order of the Year of release. Then I've got songs with a leading zero. This is a testing card, so it's not as hierarchical as my main cards, which would have another level of organization at the top-level (A-C, D-F, etc. folders). As mentioned earlier, navigating these is pretty straightforward. You navigate up / down using the Up / Down buttons, Page Up / Down using the Back / Forward buttons, and select using the Play / Pause buttons. Adding in a layer with A-C, D-F, etc. reduces the amount of Page Up / Down button presses you need to perform. In fact, individual letters (A, B, C, etc.) at the top level might be even better. That's up to you. Of course, accelerated scrolling would make the need for such meticulous organization less critical. Not sure if this ca be implemented, though.
 
MAIN MENU: MUSIC LIBRARY


I mentioned above that support for tag-based browsing is rudimentary. I'll go over that below. These options are mainly for those times you want to shuffle everything by one artist or all the music on the card.
 
Music Library Sub-Menus 


Album: This gives you an alphabetical list of all the albums you've got scanned into Esther's database. I can't ever envision using this.
 
Genre: This has never worked for me with any of the three firmware releases I've tried. (And yes, my files do have Genre tags.)
 
Artist: This is on the bottom row in the picture above. It gives you an alphabetical listing of all the Artists scanned into Esther's database. Then for each artist, you get a list of all the songs ordered by album. I tried to show that in the picture last two pictures on the bottom row, where you can see the first seven songs listed belong to the Insen album and then songs from the UTP album are listed next. Since Esther's database recognizes these tags, I suggested that they look into adding an Album layer here for more advanced tag-based browsing. You could always keep a "Play All" option at the top-level of each Artist listing to play an Artist-specific playlist.
 
All Music: Pretty self-explanatory. And again, this is organized by album.
 
So as I mentioned a couple times above, this is tag-based browsing is rudimentary right now. I want to make that clear. It doesn't bother me in the slightest because I rely primarily on folder-based browsing. I only use tag-based browsing to shuffle all songs when burning in new gear, so Esther's level of sophistication is just fine with me.
 
MAIN MENU: NOW PLAYING SCREEN


Whew, we've finally made it to the Now Playing screen! Esther provides you with two options. On the left, you can see the more detailed Now Playing screen with and without album art. On the right, you can see the Simplified Now Playing screen, which fills the display with album art if you've got it. You toggle between these two screens by pressing the Up button. Pressing the Down button toggles between Play Modes - but only on the Detailed Now Playing screen.
 
Detailed: I like it that there's a lot of information here, but the way that information is laid out makes poor use of screen real estate. For example, you can see the Transport Control icon (Play, Pause, Stop, FFWD, REW) at upper left in both the Topbar and in the screen itself. There's no good reason I can see for this redundancy. You can also see the Play Mode icon in the upper right of the screen but not in the Topbar. This is an odd choice that has implications in the Simplified Now Playing screen. In between these two icons on the screen, the Artist and Song information alternates. Right underneath that in the "vinyl" circle, you can see the Folder name. Then along the bottom, you can see a the bit-depth, resolution, file type, queue, time elapsed, and total time for the current song. If this were my GUI, I'd immediately get rid of the "vinyl" circle, remove the Transport Control icon, move the Play Mode icon to the Topbar, and split out the Artist, Album, and Song information int other separate lines that use the full width of the screen to maximize the amount of information you can see at a glance. I'd also add in Gain and Volume information to the Topbar. There's plenty of room and it's useful information, so why not.
 
Simplified: Here you get a nice big view of any Album Art you've associated with your music files. Otherwise, you get a pretty empty screen. The really weird thing is that you can't change Play Modes while in this screen. Why, oh why would this be disabled? Sure, the icon isn't there, but the option shouldn't be disabled. This solidifies my thought that the Play Mode icon should be moved to the Topbar, and the ability to toggle between Play Mode options should be available in both display modes. This just makes sense. I'd also move the alternating song info text along the bottom to a semi-opaque strip near the top of the screen just under the Topbar. This would provide more width for the Artist, Album, and Song information. Finally, I'd drop in the bottom progress bar and file info from the Detailed Now Playing screen. 
 
If all of those suggestions were in place, you'd now have a nice detailed look at all of the song information with or without Album Art. Without Album Art, you could use the screen real estate to spread out al the information and make the text a bit larger. This would make Esther a great choice for people with compromised vision. With Album Art, you'd get all the same information but the Artist, Album, and Song info would alternate scrolling just under the Topbar. It could also be just above the bottom progress bar area, but I like near the top better. Just my two cents. You'd also be able to toggle Play Modes with either display. Personally, I think that these changes would make Esther's GUI much better, and I've proposed them in the Esther thread. Seems like others like these suggestions, and I'm hoping that Soundaware will start to implement some of these changes soon. If they do, I would revisit this review and increase the rating.
 
GUI VIDEO

That's a video I shot awhile back. There has been a firmware update or two since then, but the basic functionality is the same.
 
TO SUM UP
Esther's GUI is pretty rudimentary, so be prepared for that going in. You're going to wind up using Folder Browsing, so make sure your music library is well-organized. Luckily, Soundaware knows this aspect of Esther needs improvement and is actively working to make it better. I'm hoping to revisit this review and increase the rating in the near future as the firmware matures.
 
 
BATTERY LIFE & RELATED

Battery life is okay. If you charge it and listen straight through with minimal fiddling around, you're going get about 8 hours of playback time. Here's the rub, Esther's battery management is unique and not in the good sense of the word. I know it's been a long time, but way up above I mentioned the PowerOff options. Okay, it's time to revisit that topic. So, can either set Esther to Power Off or Sleep. If it's Power Off, then no battery is consumed during your time away from listening to music but (and this is a big but) if it completely powers down you have to connect via USB to turn it back on. For you iPhone hackers out there, this is kind of like a tethered jailbreak. And booting back up from a completely powered down state is slow compared to the other DAPs I've used. Now if you set Esther to use the Sleep option, it shuts down and resumes quickly but uses power while it's sleeping. So you sleep Esther, come back awhile later, and see the battery indicator drop say from 75% to 65% as Esther takes stock of how much of a battery hit sleep was this time. Obviously none of this is optimal, and Soundaware knows that because users have given them feedback. Recent posts in the Esther thread indicate that Soundaware is currently working on improved battery management, and I hope they tackle this sooner rather than later.
 
Optimal PowerOff Options

1. Auto PowerOff = Never
2. Smart PowerOff = 10, 20, or 30 minutes
3. Power Key Setting = Long Press Sleep

 
Even after setting these options, you'll need to make sure the battery doesn't get fully depleted. If it does, you'll need to plug into USB in order to reboot. My advice is to make sure you charge daily when you're actively using Esther. If you're not going to be using Esther for several days, do a complete shut down and remember that you'll need to plug into USB the next time you power on.
 
 
USB DAC

USB DAC? What USB DAC? Move right along, good sir!
 
 
SOUND

During my time with Esther, I've had the chance to play around with a lot of gear including the Empire Ears IEM lineup, FLC 8S tunable triple hybrid IEM, HiFiMan Edition X planar headphones, and VE Zen 2.0 earbuds. As usual, I listened mainly to classic rock, electronic, metal, and modern composition in AAC and FLAC formats. I also had the Chord Mojo and Soundaware M1 Esther Analog in for testing at the same time, so I put in some time switching off between these three sources and have some thoughts on what the strengths of each are. 
 
Esther Analog has a very warm, full, lush sound with an enveloping but not overly large soundstage. Along with the Chord Mojo, Esther Analog turned out to be one of my favorite sounding portable sources in 2015. They both have a very natural sound that can make other sources sound exaggerated by comparison. But they do differ in the degree of warmth and fullness, with Mojo just tilting to the warm, full side and Esther Analog fully entrenched in the warm, full zone. I honestly haven't heard a DAP that sounds like this before and am entranced with most of the pairings I've used. 
 
It hasn't been all roses, however. Esther Analog does have 10 Ohm Output Impedance, so pairing it with sensitive, low impedance multi-BA IEM can be a bit of a crap shoot. For instance, when pairing it with the Empire Ears lineup, Esther sounded very good with most of the IEM. However, when I reached the 8, 10, and 14 BA IEM, I started losing a lot of upper end detail. Cymbal crashes were buried, percussion lost crispness, etc. Luckily, these were the only cases I found where I had poor synergy, and I can't say for certain it's due to the 10 Ohm output impedance but that suspicion will always be there. Lowering the output impedance would help alleviate these concerns and is a recommendation for future DAPs from Soundaware. 
 
With the lower BA count IEM, my hybrid IEM, my dynamic drivers, and my planars, I found Esther paired up very nicely. Probably my favorite pairing was with HiFiMan HE400. I don't own a tube amp, but after listening to this lush, warm DAP paired with HE400 I can certainly see why pairing them up with a warm tube amp is highly recommended. Esther brought out the mids and took the edge off the upper end peakiness, making my HE400 sing. So if you're looking for a good sound signature to pair with brighter cans, Esther might have just the sound you're  looking for. If you're using dark, warm cans to begin with, I'd look for a brighter DAP. 
 
Here's a brief comparison with Aune M2 and Chord Mojo, two newer entries in the market I've listened to recently:

1. Warmth: Esther Analog >> Mojo > M2
2. Fullness: Esther Analog >> Mojo > M2
3. Dynamics: M2 > Mojo ≃ Esther Analog
4. Soundstage: M2 > Mojo ≃ Esther Analog
5. 3D: Mojo ≃ Esther Analog > M2
6. Bass: M2 > Mojo ≃ Esther Analog
7. Mids: Esther Analog > Mojo > M2
8. Treble: M2 > Mojo ≃ Esther Analog

 
 
MISCELLANEOUS PLAYBACK-RELATED STUFF
GAIN SETTINGS: Like my iBasso DX90, Esther has L, M, & H Gain settings. I really like this in a DAP, as it allow you to crank up the volume with whatever gear you're using and make best use of the DAC. For IEM, I'm able to push the volume up past 50% on Low Gain. with Zen 2.0 and HE400, I use Medium Gain at 70-100%.
 
GAPLESS: Nope, no gapless. I tried different file types and all had a very noticeable gap between songs that should be seamless. I then tried CUE + FLAC. That didn't work, either. I listen to a fair amount of albums which have seamless transitions between songs, so this is pretty important to me. If Esther had positional breakpoint memory, I could overcome this by just ripping seamless albums as a single file. However, Esther resumes to the beginning of the last song you were playing, so I'd find myself being thrown back to the beginning of an album if I ripped to one file. Frustrating!
 
FFWD/REW: Both of these operations are slow as molasses and lack any appreciable acceleration as you continue to hold dow the FFWD/REW button. Please fix!
 
FADE (0.5 SECOND MUTE): Esther has an option called Fade, which is the absolute most confusing feature on Esther. From what I've gathered from chatting with Soundaware, the intent is to introduce a 0.5 second mute at the beginning of songs to help avoid crackles, pops, etc. when switching between songs with different resolution. The Chord Mojo has a similar feature. However, what I find is that with Fade ON, I don't get the 0.5 second mute - most of the time. Sometimes the 0.5 second mute does happen even though the songs have the same resolution. This was frustrating, so I switched to Fade OFF figuring this would solve the problem, Nope, now I get a 0.5 second mute at the beginning of each and every song. To give you an idea of what this does, try playing Rush's classic song Tom Sawyer. It's got an awesome drum hit that starts off the song. With Fade OFF, that drum hit is completely gone. I understand the rationale behind this feature, but I think it needs some attention to function properly. For now, just leave Esther set to Fade ON and hope for the best.
 
 
Glamour Shot: Esther Analog + FLC8S


 
 
SUMMARY
I started off this review stating that this is the most conflicted review I've written. I'm absolutely in love with Esther Analog's sound and praise it highly for that. Without a doubt, it's warm, full sound pushes all the right buttons for me. I also really like the overall form factor. The size is just right. Button placement is good. Two mSD sots are highly appreciated. There's a lot to like. However, the immature firmware needs improvement. Poorly thought out GUI, lack of gapless playback, limited tag support, poor battery management, and the oddly-implemented Fade feature make Esther a reserved recommendation. So, here I am wanting so very much to give Esther a 4.5 rating but can't bring myself to do it because of the firmware. I know that Soundaware is actively working to implement some of the improvements I've suggested throughout this review, and I'll revisit this review and revise my rating if / when improvements are made.
 
One other thing to note is that I recognize that there are different types of DAP users. There are those who seek out the best possible sound, and damn the UI. They're able to forgive a hell of a lot of quirks. For those people, feel free to tack on an extra star because as long as you're looking for a beautiful full, warm sound I think you're going to love Esther Analog. Conversely, there are those DAP users who are looking for A&K or iPod level UI. For you guys, you might want to subtract a star because this is a boutique DAP and will never meet your expectations. I tried to write this review with more of a middle ground mindset and hope my rating reflects this.
 
Keep an eye out for future Soundaware products. I've got the feeling their sophomore DAP is really going to be one to watch for!
 
Thanks for taking the time to read this. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you've got any questions. 
 
And finally, a big thanks to @soundaware for loaning me the Esther Analog to review, for patience as I've taken the time to really evaluate this DAP, and for openness as I've provided suggestions for improvement. I greatly appreciate this attitude and have enjoyed the experience immensely!

 
*** I originally posted this review under the VE Zen listing, but since a VE Zen 2.0 listing was created after my initial review I'm reposting here. ***
 

INTRODUCTION

Upstart Venture Electronics has been making quite the name for themselves around Head-Fi in 2015. It seems like everybody who listens to their gear is nothing short of impressed with what this new company has been able produce in a short amount of time. From their super bang for your buck $5 Monk earbuds to their high-resolution Duke IEM to the Runabout amp, their products never cease to impress. The same can be said for their Zen earbuds. In fact, I received a review sample of the Zen earbuds quite some time ago. You remember those, right? The 320 Ohm white earbuds people were raving about. Well, right before I was going to write my review for them, I got word from VE that an improved Zen would soon be released called Zen 2.0. I was quite enamored with the original Zen, so I was skeptical that the new model could really be that much better. But on the other hand, VE really seemed to know how to produce master craft earbuds so I shelved my review of the original and waited patiently for the new model to arrive. Arrive they did, and boy was VE right about these being an improvement. They took an masterpiece of an earbud that I was looking at giving a solid 4.5 star review and kicked things up a notch. Yes folks, I'm awarding the VE Zen 2.0 my first ever 5 star review. I honestly never thought the day would come, but I think VE has simply done an outstanding job with these. 
 
Before we get to the review proper, let's take a moment to learn about VE (Venture Electronics):
 

 
Before we head off to the review, I'm going to give you a few links I found useful:

1. VE's Website: LINK.
2. VE's AliExpress Store: LINK
3. VE Thread: LINK.
4. @DJScope's review: LINK
5. @Brooko's Zen 1.0 and 2.0 Veritas measurements: LINK​

 
 
 

DISCLAIMER

There is no financial incentive from VE for writing this review.  I am in no way affiliated with VE, and this is my honest opinion of the Zen 2.0 earbuds. I would like to thank VE for giving me a chance to review the Zen 2.0 earbuds, and I hope my feedback proves useful for my fellow Head-Fi members as well as for VE.
 
 

ABOUT ME

I'm a 43 year old father who loves music.  While I listen mostly to electronic and metal these days, I do listen to a wide variety of music - from electronic (Autechre, Boards of Canada) to modern/minimalist composition (John Cage, Philip Glass) to alternative rock (Flaming Lips, Radiohead) to jazz (John Coltrane and Miles Davis) to metal (Behemoth, King Diamond) to classic rock (Eagles, Rush).  
 
I'm primarily a portable audio enthusiast. My portable music journey started with the venerable Sony Cassette Walkman and then progressed to portable CD players, minidisc recorders (still have my Sharp DR7), and finally on to DAPs like the Rio Karma, iRiver IHP-1xx, iPod 5.5, iPhones, and the newer crop of DAPs from Fiio and iBasso.
 
Being a portable audio enthusiast, I typically listen with IEMs but am enjoying listening with full-size headphones more and more and tend to like u-shaped sound signatures, although I break out v-shaped IEM & HP from time to time for fun.
 
As with a lot of people my age, I've got some hearing issues.  I've got mild tinnitus and suffer from allergies, which can affect hearing in my right ear.  I'll admit it, I'm not blessed with a pair of golden ears.  That said, I've been listening to portable gear for a long time and feel confident in assessing audio gear - just wanted to be transparent up front.


 
 
SPECS

1. Driver: 15.4mm Single Dynamic 
2. Rated Impedance: 320 Ω @ 1kHz
3. Frequency Range: 15 ~ 23500 Hz (-10dB)
4. Sensitivity: 106 dB @ 1mW
5. Cable: 1.2m TPE-sheathed OFC
6. Plug: 3.5mm gold-plated L-plug 
7. MSRP: $148

 

 

PACKAGING & ACCESSORIES

Since this was an early review unit, I didn't receive final packaging. So what did I get? It's all in the picture below.
 


Zen 2.0, regular and donut foam covers, ear stabilizers, shirt clip, and clamshell case. Just a note that the foam covers included are the Heigi-style foams, which are thicker than the foam covers included with the original Zen earbuds. This has some ramifications on sound I'll mention later.
 
 

BUILD & ERGONOMICS

As usual, I'll walk you through the VEZen 2.0's build in pictorial format.
 
VE Zen 2.0 without covers

 
Hey, those look pretty sexy, don't they! Gone are the opaque white earpieces and cable of the original Zen earbuds. The earpieces are still the same shape and size, but they now come in a transparent smoked gray color. Each earpiece has the VE logo, which is their web address. So if you forget how to find out more about VE, just yank the buds out of your ears, take a peek, type 52VE.CN into your browser, and BAM! you're on the VE website. Of course there are also L/R markings on each earpiece, as well. To complete the transformation, the cable sheath is now transparent exposing the colorful red wiring underneath. I really like the new look, and I think you will, too!
 
 
Y-Splitter, Shirt Clip, 3.5mm L-Plug

 
With the Zen 2.0, VE did away with the chin cinch, which is honestly no big loss. In it's place, they now include a shirt clip. I prefer using shirt clips anyway, so for me this was a positive move. I'm sure some of you will pine for a chin cinch, though. Sorry. Pretty standard 3.5mm L-plug. No complaints there.
 
 
VE Zen 2.0 with Ear Stabilizers


While they look odd, the ear stabilizers actually do a really good job of maintaining a secure fit without resorting to using foam covers.
 
 
Here's a pic of the ear stabilizers in action!

 
I know it looks weird, but it works. It really does. For me anyway. Some really dislike them, though. It all depends on ear anatomy and personal preference. All you can do is give them a try and see if they work for you. I've also used them naked, with the included foam covers, with the original Zen's foam covers, and with some rubber covers from my Yuin OK-series earbuds. They all change the Zen 2.0 different sound, some more dramatically than others.
 
So just to wrap up, you're getting pretty much everything you need to get up and running with the Zen 2.0. You get a couple foam covers to choose from and ear stabilizers to ensure you get a good fit and can fine-tune the sound to your liking. You get a solidly-built pair of earbuds. And you get a case to stash them in when they're not jammed in your ears. What more could you ask for? A remote? Mic? Nope, not for this guy. I'm not about compromising the cable's integrity with such accoutrements. I'm not very likely to use 320 Ohm earbuds with my smartphone anyway. Are you? 
 
 
SOUND
I listen to a lot of experimental electronic and metal and mainly used those genres to evaluate the VE Zen 2.0 earbuds. During my time with them, I've listened through many sources including my FiiO X5 DAP and Aune X1S Desktop DAC/Amp. I've also listened through a couple DAPs I've had in for testing. Just for kicks, I also gave them a listen out of my iPhone 5s (yes it can be done!). I'll go over what I thought of the sound and some brief thoughts on cover-rolling.
 
But first, a beauty shot with the Aune M2
 
You can change an earbud's sound signature quite a bit by using them with or without different covers. For those of you who're new to earbuds, this is a bit like tip rolling kicked up a notch. I'll try my best to covey what like about them with different covers and wrap-up with a brief comparison with Zen 1.0. So, here we go...
 
In conversations with VE, I learned that Zen 2.0 are intended to be used naked. Yes, naked my friends. Take those covers off, and revel in the glorious balanced sound! In my experience, this is as good as it gets from an earbud. While it's not like a sub-woofer pounding away at your eardrums, you actually get good bass response. If you want more bass, you can experiment with covers. Using rubber rims will give you a bit more bass presence. Using foam covers will provide even more bass response, the level varying depending on foam thickness. Mids vary from very slightly forward naked or with rubber rims to slightly recessed with foam covers. Similarly, the upper end is nicely present, lively and engaging naked or with rubber rims. Throw on some foam covers, and the upper end is damped. So depending on the covers you use, you can get anything from a nicely balanced, detailed listening experience with a nice soundstage and good imaging to a warmer, darker, more intimate listening experience with thick foam covers. It really is a lot of fun to play around with different covers depending on your mood, the type of music you're listening to, and your source. As mentioned above, I listened to Zen 2.0 out of various sources. They're revealing enough to scale well with better sources, so please don't dismiss them just because they're earbuds. Play around with better sources and see how Zen 2.0 respond. I think you'll be as impressed as I was at how well they respond as you throw them at increasingly better sources.
 
It was interesting listening to these after falling in love with the original Zen earbuds. While I loved the originals, they were a bit more of a one trick pony. Throw on some foam covers, and they were great. Nicely balanced with great detail. Take the covers off, and they sounded very thin, cold, and overly bright. The new Zen are much more versatile. Since they were tuned to be nicely balanced without covers, you can really play around with the sound signature. It gives you more reasons to fall in love with Zen 2.0. Nice!
 

 
SUMMARY
I know they're derided, but I've always had a fondness for earbuds and just love what VE is doing. Along with other boutique earbud manufacturers like Blox and Yuin, VE is dead set on showcasing just how great earbuds can be. From their $5 Monk (Go! Buy!! Now!!!) to their mid-level Asura and on to their flagship Zen 2.0, each hand every one of VE earbuds are top-notch performers. The upgrade from Zen 1.0 to Zen 2.0 showcases just how fast VE is learning, iterating, and improving. I honestly can't wait to see what they'll bring us next!
 
If you're at all interested in Zen 2.0 but aren't ready to drop more than $100 for a pair of earbuds yet, please do yourself a favor and pick up a pair of VE Monk. Seriously. I mean it. It'll cost you less that $10. Try those and get a small taste of what you'll be getting with Zen 2.0. I think you'll be convinced to take the next step and try out Zen 2.0, in which case you'll have Monk as your beater buds and Zen 2.0 as the buds you keep for a more immersive listen.
 
I hope you found this useful and would like to give a hearty thanks to VE for giving me the opportunity to review the Zen 2.0. Keep cracking out awesome buds VE!

Image courtesy of FLC
 

 

INTRODUCTION

Hi guys. I discovered a real gem of an IEM in 2015, the excellent FLC8S. Out of all the IEM I tried in 2015, this is the one that most caught my attention and has gotten a disproportionate amor of ear time. How did this all come about? Well, I was chilling out, jamming to some music one day when I noticed an email in my inbox from Teo over at LMUE (Lend Me Ur Ears). In the email, Teo asked if I'd like to check out the FLC8S because he though they were a great IEM that deserved more attention. I didn't really know anything about them, so I started looking around to see what these were about. One of the first things that popped up was a stellar review of the original FLC8 by Joker over at The Headphone List (LINK). He gave them a solid recommendation, and I learned that they were the most customizeable IEM I've ever heard of. If you've followed my reviews, you might remember that I've reviewed a few customizable IEM recently. Those were the RHA T20 (LINK) and the Torque Audio t096z (LINK). I also own the Trinity Delta. While the RHA T20 and Trinity Delta offer a few different "flavors" of the same basic sound signature, the Torque Audio t096z offers six unique sound signatures. They are all very nice IEM, and I enjoy listening to them all. Anyways, back to FLC8S. They have 36, count 'em, 36 different tuning options. That sounded really cool, so I shot an email back to Teo and told him that I'd love to check them out. Well, long story short, I fell in love with them. I've shared them around a bit, and everyone I've let listen to them has also been very impressed with them. I gave them to a self-pronounced treble-head and bass-head at a local mini-meet, and both said they were amazing. I didn't even change the tuning to accommodate their preferences. I turned a couple of my fellow Head-Fi buddies onto them, and they both agree that these are right at the top of all the IEM they've listened to in 2015. Most recently, I let @Paulus XII in on them and wasn't surprised when they stole his heart, too. Yes folks, these are the real deal!
 
Here's what FLC would like you to know about the FLC8S:
 
FLC Technology is one of the earliest companies in China to explore the hybrid balance armature and dynamic driver technology. In 2011, it is the first company to launch a hybrids customs. The FLC 8S is the first universial hybrid balance armature and dynamic earphones by FLC technology. Due to FLC Technology's extensive experience in the hybrid technology, the FLC 8S features excellent cross over technology which creates a coherent sound between the dual balanced armature drivers and the dynamic drivers. 
 
FLC 8S recongises that there is no one size fit all sound signature for all users. Hence, it is designed to be highly tuneable so that users can tune it according to their sound preference. While tuneable earphones are not new in the market, the FLC 8S represents the pinnacle of this technology as it allows for 36 variations of sound unlike most tuneable earphones which allows only 3 different sound signature at most. 
 
The FLC 8S comes with improved built quality and comes with braided cables as compared to the FLC 8.
 
 
I've also had a bit of back and forth with FLC's founder Forrest Wei (@Flcforrestwei) and learned a bit about him. Like most audio engineers, you've probably never heard of Forrest. Neither had I, but let me assure you that just like the FLC8S, he's is the real deal. Before starting FLC, he worked at Ultimate Ears at the time the venerable Triple-Fi 10 were being developed. He's also worked at Jabra and Harman. As you can see, he's been around the block. He started up FLC because he not only believes in hybrid IEM technology, he believes the sound should be customizeable to give every listener the right sound signature at the right time without buying several pairs of IEM. Besides FLC8S, Forrest also sells a CIEM version with the same 36 levels of custmization. Now that's unique! FLC also has a new line of single-crystal pure silver cables with all the connector choices you need. There's also a new flagship product under development. I've heard a bit about it and can't wait to give it a listen. Let me assure you it's going to be another amazing product from FLC. So there you go. Now you know a bit about Forrest Wei. We're lucky that he recently joined us on Head-Fi, hanging out with us FLC lovers over in the FLC8S thread. Thanks, Forrest!
 
FLC8 & 8S Thread: LINK
 

DISCLAIMER

There is no financial incentive from FLC for writing this review.  I am in no way affiliated with FLC, and this is my honest opinion of the FLC8S.  I would like to thank FLC for giving me a chance to test drive the FLC8S, and I hope my feedback proves useful for my fellow Head-Fi members as well as for FLC.
 
 

ABOUT ME

I'm a 43 year old father who loves music.  While I listen mostly to electronic and metal these days, I do listen to a wide variety of music - from electronic (Autechre, Boards of Canada) to modern/minimalist composition (John Cage, Philip Glass) to alternative rock (Flaming Lips, Radiohead) to jazz (John Coltrane and Miles Davis) to metal (Behemoth, King Diamond) to classic rock (Eagles, Rush).  
 
I'm primarily a portable audio enthusiast. My portable music journey started with the venerable Sony Cassette Walkman and then progressed to portable CD players, minidisc recorders (still have my Sharp DR7), and finally on to DAPs like the Rio Karma, iRiver IHP-1xx, iPod 5.5, iPhones, and the newer crop of DAPs from Fiio and iBasso.
 
Being a portable audio enthusiast, I typically listen with IEMs but am enjoying listening with full-size headphones more and more and tend to like u-shaped sound signatures, although I break out v-shaped IEM & HP from time to time for fun.
 
As with a lot of people my age, I've got some hearing issues.  I've got mild tinnitus and suffer from allergies, which can affect hearing in my right ear.  I'll admit it, I'm not blessed with a pair of golden ears.  That said, I've been listening to portable gear for a long time and feel confident in assessing audio gear - just wanted to be transparent up front.


 
 

SPECIFICATIONS

1. Driver unit: 8.6 mm dynamic drivers+ dual balanced armature 
   
2. Rated Impedance: 11 Ohm 
   
3. Sensitivity: 93 dB/mW 
   
4. Frequency response: 20Hz - 20KHz 
   
5. Plug: 3.5mm gold-plated L-plug 
   
6. Cable: 1.30m TPU cable
   
7. Price: $350 (LMUE)
   

 

PACKAGING & ACCESSORIES

As usual, I'll go over the packaging and accessories in pictorial format with a wrap at the end. 
 
Looks like a plain box, right?

 
 
Nope! The top cover folds back to reveal the FLC8S nestled in protective foam.

 
 
Then that top layer slides out to the right to reveal the carry case and accessories keychain case. Cool!

 
 
Here are all the goodies you get.

Sorry about the stray tip in the pic...
 
The unboxing experience is really fun. It felt like I just kept discovering more and more goodies stashed away inside. I recently got the Lotoo PAW Gold in for testing and noticed that the boxes are very similar. Turns out Forrest is a big fan of Lotoo DAPs!
 
I like the nearly indestructible metal accessories holder and IEM case. These will most definitely keep your FLC and accessories safe and sound for a long, long time. I'm not sure I'll ever use the 1/4" and airplane adapters. Some might, though. Honestly, these would just end up in my stash of unused accessories. I'm sure you noticed the pair of tweezers were, right? That's weird. Tweezers packed in with a pair of IEM? What's that about? Well, they're supposed to help change the tiny tuning filters. I didn't find them very helpful, though. I ended up just using my fingernails to change the filters. Maybe some will need it, but not this guy. 
 
The tips are basically the same shape, but the gray ones are softer and are the ones I preferred. And surprise, surprise, tip rolling has been a topic of discussion on the FLC thread. While I enjoy the sound with the stock gray tips, some don't like them and end up using third-party tips. Wide-bore double-flange seem popular. During my conversation with Forrest, I learned that the stock tips were chosen because they conveyed more detail. Even so, it'd be nice to see some different tip styles included to accommodate differences in ear anatomy and to allow users to further refine the sound to their taste.
 
NOTE: The tuning filters are really small, so make sure to change them over something that can catch them if they fall.
 
 

BUILD & ERGONOMICS

Again, I'll attack this section in pictorial format, commenting on what I like and what I think could be improved as I go.
 
FLC8S

 
You can see a lot of the elements of the FLC8S in the picture up above. Lets start off with the earpieces. You can see all three types of modular tuning components for each earpiece that make the FLC8S so unique. On the left earpiece's inner face you can see the RED ULF (Ultra Low Frequency) tuning filter, while on the right earpiece's outer face you can see the GRAY LF (Low Frequency) tuning filter. You can also see the GUNMETAL MF (Mid Frequency) + HF (High Frequency) tuning nozzle. All of these are easy to remove. The tuning nozzles simply screw in. ULF and LF tuning filters are friction fit and fit in snugly. The ULF tuning filter is hard plastic and is the smallest of the tuning components. The LF tuning filter is made of silicone and is a bit bigger. It's easy to distinguish between these two, so you're not going to be putting the wrong tuning filter in the wrong port. Since they are quite small, please change these over the carry case or something similar so you don't lose them. FLC includes an extra of each ULF and F filter just in case you do lose one, though. And if you're really worried about losing them, you can purchase the tuning accessories keychain kit separately.
 
You can also see the braided detachable cables with memory wire. All is color coordinated in a tasteful BLUE. Perhaps you can also tell from the picture that the FLC8S is pretty small. If not, I'll include an in-ear picture below to show you that they are indeed pretty darn small.
 
 
FLC8S Schematic

Here you can see all the tuning components, as well as the internals. I'll go over specifics for the different tuning choices available in the next section, but this gives you an idea of how flexible the FLC8S are in finding just the right sound for you.
 
 
Cinch, Y-Splitter, L-Plug

 
Good news, bad news time, people.
 
Stock Cable
Bad News: The stock cable is fairly springy and is microphonic, and the heat shrink tubing looks a bit shabby. Moreover, the cinch shrink tubing is so tight I had a very hard time moving it up the cable.  I let Forrest know this. He relayed this to the team, and they've made the cinch made a bit looser.
 
Good news: The FLC8S comes with a high-quality OFC braided copper cable. With its coordinating blue color and heat shrink tubing, it has quite the boutique appearance. And I really like that it has an L-Plug that works with smartphone cases. 
 
Original Cable
Besides the stock cable, there's also the original FLC8 cable which is a standard black copper cable that is more supple and comes with a more typical, functional cinch and lacks memory wire. The copper is a bit lower quality, but it is a highly-ergonomic cable and allows the user to choose between wearing the FLC8S up or down and is lees prone to microphonics.
 
Silver Cable
The newest addition to the FLC lineup is the brand spanking new single-crystal pure-silver cable, which is very similar in construction so expect the same springiness and microphonics. I just got this, and the cinch on it is just right. Nice!
 
 
FLC Cables: Original (top), Stock (bottom left), Silver (bottom right)

 
NOTE: FLC8S use the same 2-Pin connector as the venerable UE TF10, so you'll have lots of aftermarket options should you choose to go that route.
 
 
FLC8S in BLUE vs. RED

 
In addition to the regular blue color, FLC8S are also available in a Limited Edition Red model. I think a mix n match model would be awesome!
 
 
 
Worn Up

 
Here they are worn up with the original FLC8 cable that doesn't have memory wire. Very comfortable for my ears.
 
 
Worn Down

 
With the original FLC8 cable, you can wear them down since it lacks memory wire. This isn't as comfortable for my ears, but my ears are a bit on the small side. I suspect those with anger ears will find it more comfortable. in any case, it's nice to have options, and I do find myself 
 
 
SOUND + TUNING ACCESSORIES
Those of you who know me know I listen to a lot of electronic and metal. You might even know that I've been jamming a lot of classic rock lately, as well. I typically listen to music from Autechre, Behemoth, Bjork, Candlemass, Depeche Mode, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Iron Maiden, King Diamond, New Order, Rush, and Sigur Ros during my time with new gear. I might throw in some hard bop jazz or modern minimalist composition every now and then. Just wanted to make sure you know what kind of music I listen to for context. Unlike some other reviewers, I don't keep to a strict playlist. Instead, I choose songs I know well and feel like listening to. I feel it's more organic that way. Anyways, on with the show, eh...
 
As mentioned above, FLC8S has a lot of tuning options. So as opposed to trying to impress you more with vivd descriptions of their amazing sound, I'm going to discuss the various tuning options and which I prefer. Let's start with a run-down of the various tuning filters.
 
Ultra Low Frequency

1. Clear = Minimum
   
2. Gray = Medium
   
3. Red = Maximum
   

 
Low Frequency

1. Clear = Minimum
   
2. Gray = Medium
   
3. Black = Maximum
   

 
Mid + High Frequency

1. Blue = Medium Mid Frequency + Low High Frequency
   
2. Gunmetal = Medium Mid Frequency + Medium High Frequency
   
3. Gold = Maximum Mid Frequency + Medium High Frequency
   
4. Green = Medium Mid Frequency + Maximum High Frequency
   

 
Ok, now you've seen all the tuning choices that await you. Perhaps you can guess what some of the trends are. Did you guess that most people prefer the GRAY and RED ULF tuning plugs? Yup! Perhaps they also prefer the GRAY and BLACK LF tuning plugs? Right again! You also think most people like the GUNMETAL and GOLD MF + HF tuning nozzles? Man, you're good! You got them all right!!!
 
I played around with the various tuning plugs and nozzles and rapidly came to the conclusion that I'm not a fan of using the clear tuning plugs at all. They gut the bass. Not a fan of the blue tuning nozzle. Guts the upper end. Green's not my favorite, either. It's ok, but it's got a bit too much upper end energy for me for general listening purposes. After nailing down which tuning plugs and filters I'd rather avoid, I started working with my preferred tuning accessories to hone in on my favorite combinations. 
 
My hands-down favorite is RED-GRAY-GOLD.  Well-extended bass with good bass impact. Mid-bass is very well balanced with sub-bass. upper bass is reigned in. Very nice. Not boomy. Mids are tilted a bit towards the upper mids. The upper end conveys a good amount of detail without veering into harsh territory. I'd highly recommend using that as a starting point and then try substuting one of the tuning plugs at a time to hone in on your favorite. 
 
Some of my other favorite tunings are:

1. RED-GRAY-GUNMETAL. This is very similar to the RED-GRAY-GOLD combo up above but the upper mids are a bit more relaxed. A nice warm, relaxed listen.
2. GRAY-GRAY-GUNMETAL. This is the default combination and works very well as a reference tuning.
3. RED-BLACK-GOLD. Choose this when it's party time and let the bass kick!

 
Beyond the basic tuning, FLC8S is able to convey a good sense of space and spacial cues. It's not the best I've heard, but it is above average for it's price and competitive with higher priced IEM. Of course some of this is source dependent, and I've found FLC8S scales well with increasingly better sources. I've tested it out with my iPhone 5s, Aune M2, Cayin N5, iBasso, Shanling M2 & M3, Soundaware Esther Analog, and most recently the Lotoo PAW Gold. While the FLC8S sound just fine out of my iPhone, add a decent amp to your audio chain or plug them into an entry level DAP and you notice the dynamics are a bit better and the soundstage increases. Move up to a mid-level DAP, and again the FLC8S doesnt at all feel like it's holding your audio chain back. Hell, I'm listening to them out of the PAW Gold I just got in for testing, and it sounds amazing! It's with PAW Gold that I can really hear FLC8S performing at its highest level, and the benefits of the new silver cable are most evident. So if you get the FLC8S, just know that it'll keep up with you as you upgrade your audio chain.
 

 
I've skimmed some of the other reviews. While I consider the ability to alter the tuning a major strength of the FLC8S, I noticed that a couple people seemed to feel it was a gimmick. Obviously, I disagree. Let me be completely realistic about this. I don't expect anyone is going to be out on the bus and think to themselves, "Hey, I want to change filters on my FLC8S right now." That's pretty unrealistic. However, every once in awhile I do like to change the filters. Like I pointed out above, FLC8S can be a reference-tuned IEM if you configure it properly. So if you need that, it's there for you. Want to throw on some bass-laden hip-hop or electronic music and just give in and have some party time fun? Yup, you can do that, too. Feel like a v-shaped sound sig? FLC8S has you covered. you can even get a dark, warm sound signature if you throw on the BLUE tuning nozzle. Of course, you'll probably go right back to your favorite tuning afterwards. So what? At least you didn't have to go out and buy another IEM to get a taste of those other sound signatures. FLC8S has you covered, baby!
 
 

SUMMARY

By now, I certainly hope you're intrigued by these. I truly feel that FLC8S are an undiscovered gem in the IEM universe and hope they finally start to get the attention they deserve. Make no doubt, these are a phenomenal IEM with great sound in a nice, comfortable, small package. Add the ability to tune them to your liking, and they're a force to be reckoned with. And in my opinion, Forrest did a great job creating a highly-tunable IEM. Are they perfect? No. Are any IEM perfect? Of course not, and don't let anyone try to convince you otherwise!
 
So what could be better? Well, I mentioned a few minor nitpicks along the way like microphonics, the overly tight cable cinch, and limited tip selection. Luckily the FLC8S have detachable cables, so if you end up falling in love with them you can always look around for a cable that fits your individual needs. There, that problem's solved. Tips? Well, who amongst us doesn't have way too many tips floating around? I mean honestly, I've got more tips than I know what to do with! So that's not really a big deal, either. The one thing that can't be changed is the very small tuning accessories. I know a lot of prospective FLC owners will be nervous about using them. Luckily you can purchase replacements, so just order a set of replacements when you order the FLC8S and you'll be set!
 
To wrap, I'd like to congratulate Forrest at FLC for crafting a superb IEM that is competitive with IEM that cost significantly more. I look forward to your future creations with great anticipation!

 


iPhone 5S → Mojo → VE Zen 2.0
 
 
INTRODUCTION
I've been very lucky to hear a lot of great sounding gear this year. Pictured above are a couple of my favorites, the Chord Mojo and the VE Zen 2.0 earbuds. Yes, I'm leading off with the punch line this time. Mojo is one of my 2015 top picks. Why? Quite simply, it has the right combination of small size, durable build, easy connectivity to my iPhone or DAPs, good battery life, and very natural sound. To put this in context, I've heard many portable sources recently ranging from DAC/Amps like the Calyx PaT, Cayin C5DAC, Cozoy Astrapi & Aegis, Creative Sound Blaster E5, and Shanling H3 to DAPs like the Aune M2, Cayin N5 & N6, FiiO X3, X3ii, X5, X5ii & X7, iBasso DX90, Shanling M3 & M2, and Soundaware Esther. I haven't heard all of them together, but I hope this listing gives you some appreciation for the wide variety of portable sources I've put through their paces this year. I was also very lucky to have the Aune M2 and Soundaware Esther Analog DAPs in house along with the new Empire Ears IEM lineup and HiFiMan Edition X headphones, so I got to test out Mojo with some very nice gear.
 
So, Chord. Of course I'd previously heard of them. Who around here hasn't? Their Hugo is famous around Head-Fi for having top notch sound and a unique aesthetic design. However, it's price prevented a lot of people (myself included) from giving it a listen. And given it's largish size, it's more of a transportable solution than a truly portable one. And that design. I wasn't so sure of it, to be honest. But the Hugo mystique was certainly intriguing. I often found myself wishing I could give one a test drive but unfortunately didn't have access to one. So when the Mojo was announced and one of my Head-Fi buddies @x RELIC x came out as a beta tester with many glowing words, it caught my attention and I was lucky enough to get a chance to test one out as part of a small US mini tour. Mojo obviously caught a lot of other people's attention, as well. The Mojo thread started by @Mython is one of, if not the, fastest growing threads on Head-Fi. No doubt about it, Mojo has certainly made waves in this community!
 
 
Before we start, here's a bit of information about Chord from their website:
 
Chord Electronics Ltd is a world-leading manufacturer of high-end audio products. Since 1989, under the leadership of proprietor John Franks, Chord Electronics has been pushing the boundaries of innovation, creating some of the planet's finest hi-fi, home cinema and professional audio equipment. A technology-driven leader, Chord Electronics' philosophy of ongoing evolution and refinement continues to deliver landmark audio products with extraordinary performance and unrivalled design features. 

Born from the highly demanding world of aircraft avionics, Chord Electronics maintains a commitment to exemplary engineering, cutting-edge technology and exceptional build quality. Ingeniously designed for high performance over the long term, Chord products are renowned internationally for their advanced technology which is amongst the best in the world. Since 1996, Chord's collaboration with Robert Watts, a digital design genius with 30 years' DAC technology development experience, has produced a number of advanced digital products that are, quite simply, without equal. 

Chord's achievements have been recognised in the media, too, with magazines and websites from around the world awarding Chord products the highest accolades. Chord's passion for sound quality and exemplary engineering continue to produce audio equipment with exceptional insight into recorded music. Sparkling clarity, unrivalled transparency and huge reserves of high-quality power are trademarks that have become synonymous with the brand. Chord is trusted and admired internationally, and its global customer base includes: the BBC; EMI's Abbey Road Studios (London); Sony Music Studios (New York) and Skywalker Sound to name but a few. 

Why not discover for yourself what Chord Electronics can do for your favourite music? Our web pages can help you learn more about our product ranges and find retailers of exceptional ability, who will take time to help you find the product that's right for the way you listen. Welcome to Chord.
 
USEFUL LINKS

1. LINK to Chord's Mojo page.
2. LINK to the Mojo mega-thread.
3. LINK to the Mojo solutions thread.
4. LINK to the Head-Fi Mojo FAQ.
5. LINK to @x RELIC x's encyclopedic review complete with an interview with Chord's Rob Watts. If you haven't already, do yourself a favor and go read it!

 
 
DISCLAIMER
I was provided with the Mojo as a review loaner. There is no financial incentive from Chord for writing this review. I am in no way affiliated with Chord, and this is my honest opinion of the Mojo. I would like to thank Aune for sponsoring the tour and specifically @AuneAudio for allowing me to participate!
 
 
ABOUT ME
I'm a 43 year old father who loves music.  From electronic (Autechre, Boards of Canada) to modern/minimalist composition (John Cage, Philip Glass) to alternative rock (Flaming Lips, Radiohead) to jazz (John Coltrane and Miles Davis) to metal (Behemoth, King Diamond) to classic rock (Eagles, Rush), I listen to a wide variety of genres and artists. 
 
My portable music journey started with the venerable Sony Cassette Walkman and then progressed to portable CD players, minidisc recorders (still have my Sharp DR7), and finally on to DAPs like the Rio Karma, iRiver IHP-1xx, iPod 5.5, iPhones, and the newer crop of DAPs from Fiio and iBasso. 
 
As mentioned in the introduction, I was lucky to have some very nice earbuds, headphones, and IEM to test out Mojo with. For earbuds, I used the VE Zen 2.0. For Headphones, I used my HiFiMan HE400 and the HiFiMan Edition X I had in for testing. For IEM, I used the Empire Ears lineup. Yes, Zeus got his Mojo on!  
 
As with a lot of people my age, I've got some hearing issues.  I've got mild tinnitus and suffer from allergies, which often affect hearing in my right ear.  I'll admit it, I'm not blessed with a pair of golden ears.  That said, I've been listening to portable gear for a long time and feel confident in assessing audio gear. I just wanted to be transparent up front. 
 
 
SPECIFICATIONS 
Output Power @ 1kHz: 720mW @ 8Ω, 35mW @ 600Ω
Output Impedance: 0.075Ω
Dynamic Range: 125dB
THD @ 3v - 0.00017%
Battery Life: 10 hours
Price: $599
 
 
PACKAGING & ACCESSORIES
As usual, I'll go over this in pictorial fashion with a few brief comments.
 
Front & Back of Box

 
It's super hard to see in the picture, but the Mojo logo is printed in a reflective white on white on the box's lid. Operating instructions are on the bottom of the box.
 
Sides


Sample rate guide (ROYGBIV, yo!), more instructions, and technical specs.
 
Mojo + Accessory

 
You get the Mojo plus a charging cable. That's it, folks. I've seen this listed as a con for some of the reviews, and I just don't agree. Mojo has so many ways to connect that it would seriously be going above and beyond to provide all the different cables one might need. Luckily, cables aren't really that hard to find. A storage pouch of some sort would be nice to slip Mojo inside when not in use to prevent scratches, though. Really Chord, no storage pouch?
 
 
BUILD & ERGONOMICS
As usual, I'll go over the build and ergonomics in pictorial fashion below, pointing out what I like and what I think could be improved. 
 
Top + Bottom

 
Top: Here we can see the main features of Mojo's physical user interface, the three balls. When I first saw pictures of the Mojo with these three balls all lit up, I just didn't get it. I thought it looked just plain goofy, to be honest. However, people I trust said it looked better in person, so I did my best to reserve judgement. Luckily, once I pulled Mojo from the box I was very pleased with what I felt and saw. The aluminum case has a nice powdery soft finish. It's got some heft to it. This doesn't feel like a device that's going to get hurt if it bounces around a bit. Scratched? Sure. Dented? Maybe if you threw it. Seems pretty bulletproof to me. The balls are a very hard translucent plastic, which seems pretty durable although I've read reports of them getting scratched. I didn't notice any scratches on the Mojo I had in for testing even though I was the third reviewer. I'd say that pretty good, since Mojo doesn't come with a case of any sort and I mainly kept it in my man bag bouncing around with my other gear when not in use.
 
Bottom: Built-in silicon bumpers, manufacturing information and serial number, lots of tiny screws.
 
 
Left & Right Sides

 
Just a better view of the volume and power balls. When I saw pictures of Mojo, I didn't realize they would spin. Yup, they spin freely in their settings. It's a bit odd coming from traditional buttons, but you get used to it pretty quickly. Once powered up, the balls all light up. They're pretty bright at first, but you can dim them to a more reasonable level for low light environments. And since we're talking about the balls, this is probably as good a place as any to discuss volume adjustment. 
 
Volume Adjustment: I like Mojo's ability to fine-tune the volume for anything you throw at it from sensitive IEM to hard to drive headphones to full-on line out. Just hold down the buttons and you cycle through the color spectrum from double red for the lowest volume setting to double white for the highest setting. And yes, for you fellow science nerds out there, the volume and resolution indicators really are ROYGBIV. As a scientist, I can appreciate that. I've seen that some reviewers feel the volume change is somewhat slow, and it is if you're going from lower settings to higher settings when rapidly switching between IEM and headphones. However, I don't really see this being an issue in real world usage. If you're switching between different gear, you'll change the volume once, start jamming, and then fine tune a bit for individual songs. Easy peasy!   
 
 
Inputs & Outputs


Left: Mojo has two 3.5mm headphone jacks. I'm not sure how likely it is that two people listening at the same time with different cans are going to need the same volume setting, but it is handy for stacking to have both left and right jacks to choose from.
 
Right: From left to right, you've got COAX IN, USB IN, Charging Port + Battery Indicator LED, and OPTICAL IN.
 
NOTE: Unlike some devices, you can charge Mojo while jamming to your favorite tunes!
 
So now you've had your tour of Mojo. You've seen it all. It's really all pretty straight forward. It really is just as easy as turning it on, plugging it in, pressing play, and finding the right volume level. Easy peasy!
 
 
BATTERY LIFE

Depending on usage, you're going to get 8-10 hours of battery life out of the Mojo. Not too shabby. Given that you can charge while listening, I can see using this during a commute, plugging in at work, using on your commute home, at the gym, etc. and never really have to worry about running out of juice during normal usage. On long flights, you might need an external battery brick, though. 
 
EDIT: I totally forgot to mention the battery indicator LED the first time around, but I was just reminded of it in the main Mojo thread so I thought I'd come back and comment on it. It's also based on the color spectrum, with full charge being blue and then the color changing from green to yellow to red to flashing red when you really, really need to find a charger quick. Nice consistency in using the same basic ROYGBIV color coding across the various functions and so deliciously nerdy!
 
 
SOUND

During my time with Mojo, I basically used it in two main set ups. The first was paired with my iPhone 5S via CCK, and the second was with my FiiO X5 via COAX with FiiO L17 IC. I also plugged in to my MacBook Pro briefly to make sure it worked properly. Being a Mac, it just worked. No drivers needed. No fuss. Same with the other connections, really. Mojo sounded like Mojo to me across all sources. As mentioned in the introduction, I was also playing with the Aune M2 and Soundaware Esther Analog DAPs when I had Mojo and these will be my main sources of reference. They're all very good sources, so it was a pleasure to be able to switch back and forth between them. So what did I find?
 
Mojo has a very natural sound that fit between the more neutral sound of the Aune M2 and the quite full, warm sound of the Esther Analog. In a lot of respects, Mojo and Esther Analog were on par with each other. Both have what I would describe as natural, unexaggerated sound signatures that allow for a high level of detail retrieval without resorting to brightness or an ultra-wide, unrealistic sound field. Where they differed was in the level of fullness and warmth, with Mojo being just a bit on the full, warm side and Esther Analog being quite full, warm. Both have a very realistic placement of sounds in 3D space. I listen to a lot of extreme music, and one thing I really appreciated about both was the ability to handle all of that extreme music without breaking a sweat and making it all very listenable. That doesn't always happen. The Aune M2 on the other hand was more energetic, with more exaggerated lows and highs and a wider sound field than either Mojo or Esther Analog. To my ears, this gave the impression of the M2 having a more dynamic sound but at the expense of sounding less natural.  
 
Here's a quick summary I put together as I was listening to the three, with greater quantity (not quality) on the left:
Warmth: Esther Analog >> Mojo > M2
Fullness: Esther Analog >> Mojo > M2
Dynamics: M2 > Mojo ≃ Esther Analog
Soundstage: M2 > Mojo ≃ Esther Analog
3D: Mojo ≃ Esther Analog > M2
Bass: M2 > Mojo ≃ Esther Analog
Mids: Esther Analog > Mojo > M2
Treble: M2 > Mojo ≃ Esther Analog
 
I found myself being repeatedly drawn to Mojo for its natural, realistic sound. It's a full, mature sound that still left space between sounds. While it didn't have the largest sound field, it sounded very convincing. It is very balanced across the spectrum. Nothing really stands out. What you feed it is what you get. Compared with the Aune M2, you get a more refined sound. Compared with Esther Analog, you get a more neutral (though still very natural) sound. Because of this high level of refinement and lack of exaggeration across the spectrum, I found Mojo to pair very well with all the gear I tested it with. None of my gear was exceptionally hard to drive, though. My earbuds and IEM were kept in the lower range, while I needed to push up to the higher range for my HE400. From what I've read, one reviewer found Mojo lacking with very demanding cans. I can't confirm or deny this. Just be forewarned. 
 
Happy Cans! (VE Zen 2.0, HiFiMan HE400, Empire Ears Hermes)

 
 
SUMMARY

When I first hooked Mojo up to my iPhone and took a listen, I knew it was something special. As I listened to it in comparison with other gear I had on hand, I confirmed this. When I went out for a walk with the Empire Ears Hermes pictured above and Mojo's battery ran out leaving me to plug directly into my iPhone, I can assure you I was not a happy camper. I couldn't wait to get back home and get the Mojo charged up. Midway through my time with Mojo, I started wondering if I should just abandon DAPs altogether and go for iPhone + Mojo. As mentioned in the introduction, I've heard a lot of DAPs this year. I've got a bit of an obsession with them, so for that thought to cross my mind was a bit surprising to me. So, why wouldn't I do this? Well, for starters I have an obsession with DAPs. I also have a large, eclectic music collection and like to have it at hand in FLAC format if possible. I just can't fit it all on my iPhone. So why not just use Tidal, you say? Smartphone + Tidal + Mojo has got to be a killer combination, right? Well, that would be a great solution if a lot of the music I listen to wasn't too obscure for Tidal to carry. So I find myself in the position where I probably need a DAP with two mSD slots as a transport for when I want all of my music with me. I guess that's not so bad, right? Either strapped to my iPhone or a DAP, I think I see a Mojo in my future...
 
If you're looking for one of the best sounding devices your can carry around in the palm of your hand, put Mojo on your shortlist. The hype is very real!
 
 
Thanks for taking the time to read this. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you've got any questions. 
 
And finally, a big thanks to Chord for making a mini-tour happen and to the tour organizer. I'm glad I could participate and experience this fantastic little device for myself!

Photo courtesy of Aune
 
***Even though the M2 I reviewed is BLUE, it is not the M2s. It's a pre-production model of the standard M2.***
 
[size=medium]Jan. 2016 EDIT: An issue I thought had been resolved with AAC & ALAC playback has not been resolved, so I'm removing a half-star from my review until this is fixed. The issue is that any AAC or ALAC songs over 8.5 minutes are skipped over and not played. Hopefully, this is resolved soon.[/size]
 
INTRODUCTION
I've been very lucky to hear many great-sounding DAPs this year. This product category is exploding at a rate I'm sure many of us wouldn't have guessed at a couple years ago. Today, I'm here to tell you about the newest contender, the Aune M2. I've become a fan of Aune this year, participating in review tours for the both the Original B1 Amp (LINK) and the updated B1 2016 Version Amp (LINK), the Aune X1S desktop DAC/Amp (LINK), and now the Aune M2 DAP. When my buddy @hakushondaimao asked if I'd like to review the new M2 DAP he'd been playing with and help kick off Aune's US Tour of the M2 DAP and B1 2016 Version Amp, of course I said yes. Who doesn't love playing with new DAPs? Hmm? I sure do! Maybe you do, too. If so, please check out the tour thread Aune put up (LINK)!!!
 
Now, I'm not going to lie to you, my time with the M2 has had its ups and downs. Since this was a pre-production, pre-release model, it was running beta firmware. Bugs... Yup, there were plenty of bugs. Take a look at @hakushondaimao's review (LINK). He loved the sound but held back on his rating due to firmware bugs and limitations. I experienced a lot of the same bugs and limitations. Most of the bugs have been fixed, but a lot of the limitations remain. I'll go over those in the review below, but you get a taste of them from my pros and cons above. Okay, enough preamble, let's get on with the review, shall we!
 
Before we start, here's a bit of information about Aune from the About Us section on their website:
 
About Aune
 
As Ao Lai Er Technology’s high quality HiFi brand, Aune has been devoted to developing and producing desktop, portable and car audio products. Founded in the year of 2004, Ao Lai Er owns the largest Chinese audio technology website - HIFIDIY.NET and high end audio brand TITANS. HIFIDIY.NET has 700 thousand members. It’s always been a platform for the most advanced HiFi technology communications and practice. We gained lots of experience from the long-term accumulation, and have released hundreds of kits and parts from independent R&D, which are well received around the world! Aune team is a group of audiophiles who only pursue the best. We use our products in daily life and we love each and every one of them! Superb sound is Aune’s goal; great user experience and satisfaction is what Aune pursues. We are striving to make Aune one of the world’s famous audio brands in the future!
 
In order to design a world-class audio products, aune include the formation of an excellent R & D team of professional designers at home and abroad, has a number of strong, serious and responsible work of professional and technical personnel in our team, as well as a love for music professional audio career employees, 100 percent have a college, doctoral, master's degree or above. The most important thing is that they have strong technical strength, for the sound development of a range of products, from the cd drive, speakers, amplifiers, decoders, and even the future of the player home audio and video so you can design the perfect product, and can get the industry the affirmation and recognition of consumers!
 
LINK to Aune's English website.
LINK to the Aune M2 thread.
LINK to the Aune M2 US & Canada Tour thread.
 
 
DISCLAIMER
I was provided the M2 as a review sample and to kick off Aune's US tour for the M2 DAP + B1 2016 Version Amp. There is no financial incentive from Aune in writing this review. I am in no way affiliated with Aune, and this is my honest opinion of the M2.  I would like to thank Aune for sponsoring the tour and specifically @AuneAudio for allowing me to participate!
 
 
ABOUT ME
I'm a 43 year old father who loves music.  From electronic (Autechre, Boards of Canada) to modern/minimalist composition (John Cage, Philip Glass) to alternative rock (Flaming Lips, Radiohead) to jazz (John Coltrane and Miles Davis) to metal (Behemoth, King Diamond) to classic rock (Eagles, Rush), I listen to a wide variety of genres and artists. 
 
My portable music journey started with the venerable Sony Cassette Walkman and then progressed to portable CD players, minidisc recorders (still have my Sharp DR7), and finally on to DAPs like the Rio Karma, iRiver IHP-1xx, iPod 5.5, iPhones, and the newer crop of DAPs from Fiio and iBasso. 
 
I typically listen with IEMs from my ever-growing collection from budget to mid-fi. Less often, I grab a pair of full-size cans.  Recently, I've been listening a lot with my AKG K553 and HiFiMan HE400, as well as the Alpha & Delta AD01 and RHA T20 IEM I had in for testing.  I do have a lot of other gear, though.  You can always check my profile for a reasonably up to date gear list. 
 
As with a lot of people my age, I've got some hearing issues.  I've got mild tinnitus and suffer from allergies, which often affect hearing in my right ear.  I'll admit it, I'm not blessed with a pair of golden ears.  That said, I've been listening to portable gear for a long time and feel confident in assessing audio gear. I just wanted to be transparent up front. 
 
 
SPECIFICATIONS 
 

Headphone Out:	Output Impedance: 1Ω THN+N: 0.0009% @ 300Ω Peak power: 32Ω/230MW
Line Out:	THN+N: 0.00038% (24bit/44.1k 1KHZ 0DB) NOISE: 3UV DNR: 117DB CCIF: -118DB
Outputs:	3.5 mm Headphone, 3.5mm Line
Amplifier:	ARM + CPLD + AK4490 + High Bias amplification
Volume Control:	0-100, jog-dial controlled
Gain Selection:	Gain adjust adapts to headphones/earphones used
Equalization:	None
Storage:	1x micro-SD card (up to 128GB, FAT32), no internal storage
Supported Audio Formats:	DSD: DSF/DSD64, DFF/DSD64, ISO Whole Track WAV: 16/24/32 Bit, 44.1K/48K/88.2K/96K/176.4K/192K WAV+CUE FLAC: 16/24 Bit, 44.1K/48K/88.2K/96K/176.4K/192K APE, ALAC, AAC, MP3
Battery Capacity:	3500 MA
Battery Life:	7.5+ hours* (Class A, continuous play)
Charging Time:	4.5 hours at 800 MA (charger not provided)
Power Saving:	Auto Power Off, Backlight time off, Breakpoint Resume
Dimensions:	120mm x 65mm x 17.5mm
Weight:	195g

 
* Up from the 5-6 hours for pre-production M2.
 
Those are the base specifications for the M2, but there are three M2 variants with differences pointed out below.

1. M2 (US$349): 2x Japanese NDK 2520 ultra-low-jitter crystals. Black & Silver.
2. M2 Pro (US$499): 2x USA Crystek CCHD575 crystals, specially tuned OP-amp combination. Black & Silver.
3. M2s (US$649): Same as M2 Pro but with different colors, and Satellite-level, Teflon PCB substrate. Blue.

 
 
PACKAGING & ACCESSORIES
As this was a pre-production model, I didn't receive any packaging or accessories. @hakushondaimao has indicated that the final production models will come with packaging similar to Aune's B1 Amp. The only accessory you get is a USB cable to charge the M2. Basically, you're getting the a box with the M2 and a USB cable. No silicon cover. No storage pouch. Nada. At the price point we're looking at, I would've appreciated a silicon case. The M2 I've got is getting a few small dings, which a silicon case would prevent.
 
 
BUILD & ERGONOMICS
As usual, I'll go over the build and ergonomics in pictorial fashion below, pointing out what I like and what I think could be improved. 
 
FRONT + LEFT

 
Here we can see several features of the M2's physical user interface. The M2 has a nice all-aluminum case, which makes it quite durable but susceptible to dings, dents, and scratches. On the front face are three transport control buttons. I like these. They're in a pretty good spot for one-handed operation. When holding the M2 in my left hand, they're in just the right spot for my thumb to reach over and interact with them. Above those, you see the 2.4" IPS screen. Along the bottom you see the Headphone Out, Line Out, and micro USB charging port. No file transfer here, folks, so get out your card reader! All of the markings on the front face are laser engraved, so there won't be any worry about them fading over time. Markings on the other faces are painted on, and I haven't seen any degradation over the month or so I've been using the M2 despite the lack of case.
 
In addition to acting as transport controls, the Back/Forward buttons move up/down through menus. The Play/Pause button holds double-duty, both selecting menu items with a press and backing out of menus with a press + hold. A quick press + hold backs you out one level, while a longer press + hold takes you back to either the Main Menu or Now Playing Screen. It's a bit unusual, but you'll get the hang of it quickly. I've also got a video below that shows the UI in action. Press Back + Play/Pause to switch between Play Modes. Press Forward + Play/Pause to Add/Remove a song from Favorites.
 
And the color is very tricky to capture. It's more of a teal blue. I was going to include a pic from Aune's website, but even their press images of the blue M2 don't capture the color properly. Oh well, you'll just have to use your imagination...
 
 
REAR + RIGHT

 
The usual info is on the back. Being a pre-production model, this one got the SN001 serial number. Along the left side, you see the reset hole (gotta look carefully for this one!), the sole micro SD card slot, the rotary dial, and the micro HDMI port. Similar to the transport control buttons, the dial does double-duty as both volume controls and menu navigation. If you're on the Now Playing screen, a press takes you to the Main Menu, which a press + hold backs you out to the song list. In menus, a press selects items, which a press + hold backs you out a level. A long press + hold backs out to the Main Menu and then back to the Now Playing screen. Again, it's not quite like other UI I've used before, but you'll get the hang of it quickly enough. And it's fast, which is nice!
 
​Edges along the rear side are just slightly rounded. I wish they were more rounded like the front edges, as the edges tend to dig into your palm. If you get a chance to audition the M2, turn it over in your palm and feel how much better the nice rounded front edges feel in your hand. Hopefully next time...
 
 
BOTTOM & TOP EDGES

 
Bottom: HO, LO, micro-USB
Top: Power / Screen Lock Button
 
 
RIGHT & LEFT EDGES

 
Right: Reset hole, micro-SD slot, Rotary Dial, Micro-HDMI
Left: Nada, nothing, zilch...
 
Okay, so we've been all around the M2 now. You've seen it all. What did I like? I really like the button layout. It's very well thought out for one-handed operation in the left hand, so you lefties should be happy with this DAP. Your thumb controls the three buttons on the front, your index finger gets the lock key, and your middle finger gets the rotary dial. Very easy to use with minimal shifting in your hand. Nice! What was missing? The most obvious to me was the lack of COAX / SPDIF Out. You've got micro-HDMI, which you could use to connect up to a home system but not the more typical Coax Out. This means you're not going to be connecting the M2 to any portable DAC/Amps any time soon. I'm not up on whether micro-HDMI is being implemented in desktop DAC/Amps yet, but I haven't seen it. You can always get an HDMI → COAX converter, but then you're adding more circuitry to your audio chain. Main point, the Digital Out choice is unusual and somewhat limiting at this point in time. I think Aune is very confident you'll be happy with the M2's performance and won't be looking to use an external DAC/Amp.
 
 
I didn't include a comparison pic, but the M2 is basically the same dimensions as the FiiO X5. M2 is just a hair narrower and about a cm shorter. This puts it right between the FiiO X5 and Shanling M3. In other words, it's getting up there in size and is more on the transportable size. It's the sort of DAP I like to throw in my "man bag" instead of my jeans. Shirt pocket? No way. Skinny jeans fan? Nope. Go get yourself a nice "man purse"! 
 
And again, Aune decided to make this nifty BLUE color exclusive to the top-level M2s DAP, so you'll be looking at Black or Silver for the M2 and M2Pro.
 
 
GUI / FIRMWARE
As I mentioned in the introduction, I've been through several beta versions of the firmware and am now on the final version. What a wild ride it's been, my friends. Fun, though. I've been a beta tester before, so I enjoy the experience of working with engineers and developers to fine-tune the user experience. Of course, the manufacturer has their own vision and definitely has the final word, so some of my suggestions weren't included in the M2's feature set. That's okay. Aune definitely had a vision for the M2, and they stuck with it. What I'll do now is give you some pics of the GUI and also include a video where I go over the physical and software UI to help make things clearer.
 
Before we begin, though, I want to make one point clear. The M2's GUI was built for speed. This isn't a luxury car approach. The M2 is like a sports car tat's been intentionally stripped down for maximum speed. It boots so fast, it's almost like the hibernation mode on other DAPs. Push a button, and the M2 gives you what you want and it gives it to you right now. I think it's the most responsive DAP I've used, and I have little doubt it's because it's so stripped down. It's also rock solid. Sure, I've encountered some bugs. I haven't had it freeze, though. The reset hole has not been touched by me. Not once. Nice!
 
MAIN MENU: SONGS + FOLDERS
→
 
On the top row, you see the Songs menu item. This is basically a list of all songs on your M2. Select this, switch to shuffle mode, and you've got your own Shuffle All radio station.
On the bottom row, you see the Folders menu item. This is probably where you'll spend more of your time, so please organize your mSD card. I like Artist → Year  Album → Songs. Adding Year ensures all of my albums are ordered by release date. This type of organization can be easily automated via MP3Tag + Google-Fu and is well worth it for any DAP, IMHO!
 
 
MAIN MENU: PLAYLISTS

 
Here you get two choices. Most played just gives you a running list of your most played songs. Favorites gives you a chronological list of all the songs you've favorited.
 
 
MAIN MENU: SETTINGS

 
I'm not going to go over all the settings here, but I'll point out a few interesting points. First, I really like the Lock Key Setting. You can customize which buttons are active while the screen is locked. Same goes for the rotary dial. Some of the buttons and rotary dial functions even have more than one choice. This really allows you to make the Aune M2 work the way you want it to when the screen is locked. Nice!
 
Nitpick time... See that Gapless Playback choice? Well, it only works if you've got a CUE sheet. That's probably my biggest complaint about the M2, and one I've made very clear to Aune more than once. Play Mode toggles between Folder Repeat, Folder Shuffle, and Song Repeat. I've requested a Play Mode that just plays the current folder once and stops. I don't know about you, but I dot need to hear the same album ad infinitum. A "play through folders" feature would also be appreciated. Totally missing is a choice for Resume Play. The M2 always starts up at the beginning of the last song you played. I'd like the choice between beginning vs. position. Hopefully some of this missing functionality will be added in over time.
 
 
NOW PLAYING

 
Whew, we've finally made it to the Now Playing screen! On the top bar, you get a volume indicator which maxes out at 100, a lot of blank space, DAC filter indicator, an empty spot for the ♡ Favorites symbol, Play/Pause + Back/Forward indicator, Play Mode indicator, and finally the battery indicator. In the main screen, you get Song, Artist, and Album from top to bottom. Song name is derived from the file name, while Artist and Album are derived from tags. At the bottom, you have the elapsed time, song # / # songs queued up, and song length above the progress bar. Under the progress bar, you have resolution, bit depth, and file type. No album art, though. Hope you didn't want any. Doesn't bother me one bit. I'm here for the music, not to waste battery life looking at pretty pictures. Of course, YMMV.
 
Aune's Quick Start Pic should help:
 

 
 
HW + FW UI VIDEO

 
TO SUM UP
The M2's GUI is pretty bare bones, so be prepared for that going in. Don't expect a lot of frills, keep your files / folders well-organized, and you'll be fine. in fact, you'll be treated to a very fast GUI! Of course, it is missing some common features other DAPs have. So if you're looking for non-CUE sheet gapless playback, EQ, album art, tag-based browsing, etc., you're going to be sorely disappointed. If that's you, move along, my friend!
 
 
BATTERY LIFE

Battery life is on the short side for a DAP these days. You're looking at DX90 level battery, so in the 5-6 hour range. I'd heard rumblings of better battery life in the 8-9 hour range for the final production model, but this doesn't seem to have played itself out yet. Hopefully battery life can be optimized with future firmware updates. Be prepared to top the battery off every day or two, depending on how much you plan on using the M2.
 
 
USB DAC

USB DAC? What USB DAC? Move right along, good sir!
 
 
SOUND

During my time with the M2, I've had the chance to play around with the Empire Ears IEM lineup, FLC 8S tunable triple hybrid IEM, HiFiMan Edition X planar headphones, and VE Zen 2.0 earbuds. As usual, I listened mainly to classic rock, electronic, metal, and modern composition in AAC and FLAC formats. I also had the Chord Mojo and Soundaware M1 Esther Analog in for testing at the same time, so I put in some time switching off between these three sources and have some thoughts on what the strengths of each are. 
 
In general, I found the M2 has a very dynamic sound just on the warm side of neutral with a wide soundstage. It easily competes with other DAPs in its price class and beyond. To illustrate that, I chose to focus on M2 vs. Mojo and Esther Analog, which are both around twice the price of the M2.
 
Warmth: Esther Analog >> Mojo > M2
Fullness: Esther Analog >> Mojo > M2
Dynamics: M2 > Mojo ≃ Esther Analog
Soundstage: M2 > Mojo ≃ Esther Analog
3D: Mojo ≃ Esther Analog > M2
Bass: M2 > Mojo ≃ Esther Analog
 
Mids: Esther Analog > Mojo > M2
Treble: M2 > Mojo ≃ Esther Analog
 
Mojo and Esther Analog are very impressive sources. Very impressive! I was quite surprised at how competitive the M2's sound was. Listening to M2 on it's own, it's easy to get swept away by the sound. Listening in comparison to Mojo and Esther Analog, M2's bass sounds a bit enhanced, the soundstage is wider but not as 3D, mids aren't as full and sweet especially when compared to Esther Analog. I'd say which you prefer comes down to preference, as I didn't feel I was missing out with any of them. I was just getting different flavors.
 
VOLUME @ COMFORTABLE LISTENING LEVEL
FLC 8S: 40/100
Empire Ears Zeus: 25/100
VE Zen 2.0: 50/100
HiFiMan HE400: 50/100
HiFiMan Edition X: 45/100
 
M2 drives everything from extremely sensitive IEM to power-hungry planars well. Even though I got plenty of volume out of the M2 with HE400 and Edition X, I did find stacking them with the Aune B1 Amp in Class A mode made them a bit punchier. it certainly wasn't necessary, but I had the B1 at hand so why not.
 
Not my HE400, but you get the picture. The M2 + B1 stack was obviously meant to be!

 
 
SUMMARY

What an interesting experience this has been. The M2 is probably the most unique DAP I've tried. Unlike the other DAPs I've tried, the M2 eschews most creature comforts for the sake of speed and simplicity. So-so battery life, no album art, no tag-based browsing, no gapless unless you generate CUE sheets. It's certainly not a DAP for the everyman. It's a DAP for the hardcore audiophile who gladly makes those trade offs for the sake of a very dynamic, engaging sound, Class A power, and nicely engineered ergonomics. If you feel you need a little extra oomph, hook it up to the Aune B1 and you've got a very synergistic combination. Are the trade-offs worth it? For me, they're not really trade-offs. I intentionally strip album art out of albums on some of my DAPs to speed up the UI, so obviously the M2's lack of album art support doesn't impact me much. I also have a very organized folder structure on my mSD cards and rely solely on Folder Browsing, so again no compromise for me. I'm rarely without access to power, as I typically keep an external battery pack and cables in my man bag when I'm away for the day. Gapless, though. That one gives me some grief. I'm really hoping Aune is able to enable gapless without the need for CUE sheets. I also hope they enable positional resume so I'm not forced to start at the beginning of my last song every time the M2 starts up. And finally, I'm hoping they add in play through folders and single folder Play Modes. If Aune implements these last three (gapless, positional resume, and additional play modes), I'd be thoroughly satisfied with the M2 and bump up it's rating to 4.5 stars. I know some of you love your creature comforts, though. For you, I'd give the M2 a 3-35. star rating depending on how strongly you feel you need all those first-world comforts the M2 is missing. In fact, a lot of you will probably see the lack of album art and tag-based browsing and move on. That's too bad. The M2 is a finely engineered music machine that deserves more attention than I think it'll get. Hopefully this review helps.
 
Thanks for taking the time to read this. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you've got any questions. 
 
And finally, a big thanks to Aune and @AuneAudio for providing me with the M2 for review and for setting up the M2 + B1 review tour. They're both great products, and I look forward to seeing more great products from Aune in the future. If you've read this far and are interested in the tour, please check out the following LINK!

 
 

INTRODUCTION

Okay. Who out there's heard of AUSDOM? Many hands raised? I thought not. I hadn't heard of them until they reached out to the Head-Fi community with a review opportunity for their M05 Apt-X Bluetooth headphones. The Bluetooth products I've tried have been pretty hit or miss with respect to connection and quality. Would the AUSDOM's M05 fare better? I was curious, so I signed up and was lucky enough to be chosen as a reviewer. Thanks AUSDOM!
 
So who exactly are AUSDOM? Well, they're a general tech company, making headphones, IEM, speakers, home security cameras, webcams, car DVRs, chargers, and cables. Their website has been in existence since 2005. Who knew?
 
Here's a bit more about them from their About Us page:
 
Focusing on product development and innovation, AUSDOM designs products with best customer experience so that each user can enjoy life with simple and smart technology. For each product, our designers and engineers will carefully study the user's habits, and use their creativity and experience to provide the consumers with convenient, efficient and valuable products. Every AUSDOM product is made with care, every detail counts to impress our customers. Giving our customers the perfect experience has always been AUSDOM’s goal. The recognition of our customers and their suggestions are our driving force.
AUSDOM is a team dedicated to design. They are not afraid to follow their dream. We advocate for innovation and Internet culture, we adhere to international perspective. We share the convenience of the Internet. We facilitate our customers’ life by bringing intelligent and convenient products in their life.

We are consumer-centric. We establish a system with ecosystem values: focus, equality, freedom, openness, sharing and win-win. We hope that we can all grow, progress and have fun in work and in life.



Here are some useful links for you to check out before or after the review. I especially recommend checking out the link to @Brooko's measurements. I found this very helpful when setting up an EQ correction for the M05. Thanks @Brooko!

1. AUSDOM's Website: LINK.
2. AUSDOM's M05 Page: LINK.
3. AUSDOM M05 Thread: LINK.
4. @Brooko's Comparative Measurements: LINK.

 
 

DISCLAIMER

There is no financial incentive from AUSDOM for writing this review. I am in no way affiliated with AUSDOM, and this is my honest opinion of the M05  I would like to thank AUSDOM for giving me a chance to test drive the M05, and I hope my feedback proves useful for my fellow Head-Fi members as well as for AUSDOM.
 
 

ABOUT ME

I'm a 43 year old father who loves music. While I listen mostly to electronic and metal these days, I do listen to a wide variety of music - from electronic (Autechre, Boards of Canada) to modern/minimalist composition (John Cage, Philip Glass) to alternative rock (Flaming Lips, Radiohead) to jazz (John Coltrane and Miles Davis) to metal (Behemoth, King Diamond) to classic rock (Eagles, Rush).  
 
I'm primarily a portable audio enthusiast. My portable music journey started with the venerable Sony Cassette Walkman and then progressed to portable CD players, minidisc recorders (still have my Sharp DR7), and finally on to DAPs like the Rio Karma, iRiver IHP-1xx, iPod 5.5, iPhones, and the newer crop of DAPs from Fiio and iBasso. Being a portable audio enthusiast, I typically listen with IEMs but am enjoying listening with full-size headphones and desktop gear more and more.
 
As with a lot of people my age, I've got some hearing issues.  I've got mild tinnitus and suffer from allergies, which can affect hearing in my right ear. I'll admit it, I'm not blessed with a pair of golden ears.  That said, I've been listening to portable gear for a long time and feel confident in assessing audio gear - just wanted to be transparent up front.


 
 

SPECIFICATIONS

1. Drivers: Dynamic, 40mm
2. Rated Impedance: 32Ω
3. Sensitivity: 91dB ±3dB @ 1mW
4. Frequency Range: 20Hz ~ 20kHz
5. Rated Power: 20mW
6. Mic: Omni-Directional
7. Bluetooth: 4.0 with APT-X Support
8. Wireless Range: 10m
9. Battery Life: 20 Hours
10. Standby: >250 Hours
11. Charge Time: 2-3 Hours
12. MSRP: $160 (On Sale For ~$46 on Amazon)

 

 

PACKAGING & ACCESSORIES

As usual, I'll go over the packaging and accessories in pictorial format.
 
FRONT

 
REAR

 
ACCESSORIES

 
 
In all, you get

1. M05 Headphones
2. Storage Pouch
3. 1.2m Cable
4. USB Cable (not pictured)
5. User Manual

The external packaging is attractive enough. I do wish AUSDOM included the specs on the outside of the box instead of buried in very small print in the User Manual inside the box. Inside the box, the M05 are packed in a plastic insert. I'd prefer a more eco-friendly insert. It'd give the M05 unboxing experience a more upscale feel.
 
Accessories are pretty sparse, but honestly what more do you need? The cable is pretty thin and doesn't inspire confidence. Given the M05's excellent Bluetooth performance, it's not something I think I'd ever touch unless the M05's battery ran out - and that's not very likely. The mesh storage pouch provides a thin layer of protection. It's enough to keep the M05 scratch-free, but it's not going to prevent them from getting crushed so be careful where you pack them if traveling.
 
 

BUILD & ERGONOMICS

As usual, I'll walk through the various design and ergonomic features of the M05 in pictorial format below, pointing out what I like and where I see room for improvement.
 
OUTSIDE

 
You can see the design and features here. Moving around the Left cup from front to back, you find the mic module, power, volume -, volume +, and 3.5mm jack. Moving around the Right cup from front to back, you have FFWD, Play/Pause, REW, and USB charging port. There are a lot of buttons packed into a small space, but I've found it to be pretty manageable. Note the tactile raised dots on the volume +/- and FFWD/REW buttons. I really like that and wish the Power and Play/Pause buttons had those, as well. The headphone jack is in an odd place, but as noted above you're not buying these to use them wired, are you? If so, you should just look at wired headphones.
 
Design-wise, I like the matte black rubberized finish on the cups, arms, and lower headband. I didn't snap a picture, but the inner band is metal, so you can bend the headband a bit to adjust the fit. I needed to do this, making the headband a bit narrower to accommodate the shape of my head. I don't personally like the carbon fiber design on the cups and top of the headband. Real carbon fiber is okay, but fake carbon fiber? Nope, not for me. I'd much rather AUSDOM has used the same matte black rubberized finish for the whole cups and the top of the headband. That's just me and my aesthetic taste. Of course, your tastes may be different. Maybe you'll really like the carbon fiber look. 
 
INSIDE

 
Headband and ear cup padding is adequate for comfortable wearing for extended periods. My small-ish ears fit inside nicely, but they do just touch the drivers. It's not enough to bother me, but I do feel thicker pads would help. If you're sensitive to this, these might not be the headphones for you.
 
FRONT / BACK


Not much to say here, just showing you what they'll look like from the front and back.
 
To sum up, while I mostly like the design, I do think a few changes would make this an even better headphone. Thicker pads would help keep ears from touching the drivers. 
 
SOUND
FYI: I mainly listen to experimental electronic and metal and mainly used those genres to evaluate the M05, along with a bit of classic rock thrown in for good measure. I used the M05 primarily via Bluetooth out of my iPhone and MacBook Pro. 
 
So what does AUSDOM say about the M05? Descriptors used on the AUSDOM's M05 page are Deep Bass, Rich Bass, Powerful Sound, Crystal-Clear Vocals, High Fidelity, and 3D Surround Sound. How does the M05 live up to those descriptors? It certainly lives up to the descriptors about strong, powerful bass. High-fidelity and crystal-clear vocals? Not so much.
 
At first, I used the M05 a lot for listening to my current audiobook, The Brother Initiate by Sean Russell. The M05 sounded great, enhancing my experience by giving the narrator's voice a deep rich tone. Good so far.
 
Then I watched the first two episodes of Badlands. Hey, it was recommended to me because I watch The Walking Dead. While it sounded good, don't bother watching the show. Not so good...
 
Finally, I listened to some music while I was watching dishes with my two wee boys wreaking havoc in the house. Not too shabby. I was impressed so far with these. 
 
So when I went on the M05 thread to report in and saw @Brooko mention heavy mid-bass and muffled vocals, I was a bit taken aback. So I waited until the boys were in bed and listened in a quiet environment. And as usual, @Brooko was spot on. The vocals were masked and sounded a bit hollow. I applied an EQ curve he suggested and found it really cleared up the vocals a lot, but I felt it also took away some of the character that AUSDOM was going for with the M05. Gone was the fun bass, replaced by a more balanced sound signature. So I played around with the EQ settings until I found an EQ curve that I felt retained the M05's basic character, while bringing the vocals forward and making them sound less hollow. This took the M05 from a very bass-forward sound signature to a more tastefully done, fun, bass-enhanced signature with clear vocals and a smooth top end. I'd use this in noisier environments and experiment with cutting he bass even further in quiet environments.
 
Soundstage and placement is okay but can't keep up with my AKG K553 Pro. That's not surprising given the bass-forward sound signature with a smooth top end. It can be helped along by cutting the bass and increasing upper mids and treble.
 
Here are the basic EQ settings I found worked well with the M05, keeping the fun, bassy sound while making them sound more clear. Feel free to experiment here. And again, I must mention that @Brooko deserves credit for laying a very solid foundation for the following EQ curve.
 
15-Band EQ Settings
-1dB @ 63H
-2dB @ 100H
-3dB @ 160H
-2dB @ 250H
-1dB @ 400H
+1dB @ 1k
+2dB @ 1.6k
+2dB @ 2.5k
+1dB @ 4k
 
Further decreasing the bass valley to -6dB leans these up quite a bit for listening in quieter environments or for those of you are bass-shy.
 

ISOLATION: It's a bit below my AKG K553 Pro. It's okay, but I do find myself needing to raise the volume a bit when my boys are knocking bao
 
POWER REQUIREMENTS: With the stock Music app on my iPhone, 3-5 clicks is a normal listening volume. 6-7 is getting loud. 8-9 is pretty loud. Beyond that, and your ears might be ringing a bit. 
 
 
BATTERY LIFE
AUSDOM claims 20 hours of music or talk time. I've got to say, I think it must be much longer than that. I charged these once when I first received them a couple weeks ago, have listened to a lot of my audiobook, watched a few hour-long tv shows, and quite a bit of music, and they're still going strong. In fact, I've been listening to them while editing the pics for this review and while writing it, and the Bluetooth battery indicator on my iPhone looks like it's still at 90%. It's barely moved at all since I first charged them, and these have had lots of use. It's absolutely insane. Either the battery indicator on my iPhone is way off, or AUSDOM uses the most conservative battery life estimates I've ever encountered. Simply amazing!
 
 
BLUETOOTH
Bluetooth performance is equally stellar. Pairing was simple, and once paired the M05 stay locked on like a bloodhound. @iancraig10 mentioned placing his Bluetooth receiver in his house and using the M05 while wandering around his garden. I tried a similar test. I paired the M05 up with my iPhone, placed my iPhone in the middle of my house on street level, walked outside, shut the door, and started walking down the street. From past experience with Bluetooth devices, I didn't expect it to work once I left the house. Nope, I walked past my next door neighbor's house. Still going strong. I walked past the next house. Still going strong. Halfway through the next house, the signal finally cut out. I started walking back, and the M05 picked up again once I got to my next door neighbor's house. I was simply stunned with the range on these. Great job AUSDOM!
 
 
 
SUMMARY
So what do I think of the M05? I like the basic design and rock-solid Bluetooth performance but am not enamored with the aesthetic choices. Sound is a mixed-bag. If you use these primarily in noisy environments and/or like a bass-forward sound signature, you might find the stock sound satisfactory. If you're listening in quieter environments and/or like a more balanced sound, you're going to want to take some time to play with EQ settings until you hone in on the right EQ curve for you. Is it a deal-breaker? Depends on your attitude towards EQ. After playing around with EQ settings on @Brooko's recommendation, these aren't a pair of headphones I'd be likely to use without EQ. Luckily, I've got a few apps on my iPhone with really good EQ modules. My streaming app, Deezer, also has an EQ module. It's admittedly very simple, but I quickly honed in on an EQ setting there that cleared up the M05 nicely. So if you're not afraid to EQ, you might want to give these a shot. If you're an EQ hater, pass these on by unless you love bass. 
 
I feel my rating of these deserves a little explanation. Stock sound is not stellar, but with EQ it's quite passable. Combine that with the extremely impressive battery life and Bluetooth performance, and I feel these are deserving of four stars. If I was rating them solely on sound and/or the battery life and Bluetooth performance weren't so good, I'd be rating these a 3-3.5. But man, the battery life and Bluetooth performance it's hard not to find thee a useful addition to your headphone arsenal!
 
I just want to point out that as of this review, these headphones are on sale for the unbelievably good price of ~$46 on Amazon. At that price, I can only recommend you grab up a pair and see if they're for you. Such a low price of entry for headphones with this high level of utility. Do yourself a favor and give them a shot.
 
I hope you found this useful and would like to give a hearty thanks to @Ausdom Audio for giving several members of the Head-Fi community a chance to review the M05. AUSDOM has proven they've got  a lot of potential. With a little more attention to tuning, they're going to have real winners on their hands!