Effect Audio Code 23​

A flagship copper cable and a second entry in the CODE series, CODE 23 aims to change the cable game forever. Effect Audio, known for excellent cables fights for the spot of THE manufacturer to go. See how their newest model does at $799.

Introduction to the review of Effect Audio Code 23​

Effect Audio, a company started and run by electronics and electric engineer Suyang is a Singaporean-based cable manufacturer. They are making quality cables since 2009, earning their place on the market as one of the best manufacturers around. What sets them apart from their competition, is not only the quality of their products but also their excellent approach to customer service.
They are one of the most active manufacturers on Head-Fi. They are always quick to interact with their customers to provide help, advice, or just joke around. As you know by now being engaged with the community is a major green flag for me. I met them in London at CanJam and they are as nice live as they are online. Kind, informed, and experienced as you would expect from a company like Effect Audio.
Back to the topic at hand, Effect Audio CODE 23 is the ultimate copper cable for headphones and earphones. So this is a surprise, as it’s the first model like this from Effect Audio. Usually, a cable is designed for one of those. Well, CODE 23 is no ordinary cable. I’ve seen speaker wires thinner than that. We’ll get the juicy details about that later, but note that a headphone variant is $200 more expensive than the IEM one.
The CODE series’ goal is to push the materials to their limits, creating CODE 51 – the ultimate silver cable and now the 23, the ultimate copper cable. It’s the pinnacle of Effect Audio’s 14 years of experience. Everything is best, from the materials, to assembly, and packaging, everything is meant to set new rules in the game. The biggest step is the change of thickness. This cable is 16,5AWG, which is absolutely crazy for a headphone/IEM cable. THICCC with three C. It’s not only a resistance thing though. It also allowed Effect Audio to go for a new type of conductor in their offer. Let’s see if it is actually a game-changer.

Packaging​

The box in which this cable is shipped screams quality. Textured finish, pressed foil lettering, velour finish inside. There is an included pouch for the cable made with artificial leather and Cordura-like material. It’s a nice touch, and I see myself using it for this cable, or else.
The whole thing does feel luxurious indeed. I mean take a look at the pictures, and imagine you get something like that from the mail. I know the product is more important than the packaging. Sure, it is. I have to admit though, packaging of the reviewed Effect Audio CODE 23 does IT for me and I’m not ashamed to admit that. In the end, a $799 headphone cable is a luxurious item and should be treated appropriately.

Build Quality and Tech​

This is absolutely outstanding! The cable is finished in a black, smoky colour. The splitter is a nice, machined piece in gunmetal. The connectors are custom, Effect Audio jack 3,5mm and the 4 pin XLR is made by Neutrik. While I like Neutrik, at this price point I was expecting something higher quality here, like AECO, or Furutech. It is the only thing that I don’t love about this cable though. I assume they have chosen the Neutrik because of how well it complements the rest of the parts sound-wise.
There is an option selector on the Effect Audio’s website allowing you to choose the connectors you want, whether it’s headphone or IEM cable. There is a great selection available including the most popular standards, including swappable plugs like ConX and TermX. The CODE 23, as a pinnacle of copper design uses the top conductor: UPOCC copper. The cables are a mix of solid core and litz wires, and it’s the first time for Effect Audio to use solid core. It was made possible thanks to the aforementioned thickness of the wire.
Solid core wires have a big following in the audiophile community, so I was curious how it’s going to work in Effect Audio CODE 23. There is a ratio of 12 litz bundles to one single core wire, which was researched to be optimal for the construction of this cable.
Not only the conductors are special though. To make a cable this thick, that is not extremely stiff and mechanically sturdy is no small task. They came up with an isolator material called Effect Audio UltraFlexi™ which keeps everything together. While it is a stiff cable, for this gauge of wire used it’s really not bad. Doesn’t really bother me when daily driving to be honest.

Sound of the reviewed Effect Audio Code 23​

If somebody is sceptical about the influence of headphone cables, let them listen to CODE23. It’s a killer. I’m more of a copper type of guy, so it’s right up my alley.
With my primary listening setup consisting of HiFiMan EF400, Musician Pegasus, WHAMMY and HE6SE the Effect Audio CODE 23 fits right in. I needed an adapter with the WHAMMY, but it was still a noticeable upgrade. So, first things first, how does it sound with the subject of the review added to the signal chain. It’s like unshackling the music. When I tried it for the first time I had the feeling that other cables that I used previously were limiting the sound in some manner.
It was truly like the limitations went away, and what was left was just a beautiful, boundless sound. The main signature is a little dark, and warm, which is caused by the bass being elevated. More on that below. Overall it is an instant upgrade over any stock cable and many aftermarket ones. It’s built differently. Both in reality and metaphorically.
Bass
Effect Audio CODE 23 is a game changer and a must-have for all you bass heads. One of my references for bass performance is the track Earth Drums by Xiuntan He. You might recall it from numerous audio shows, being used as a showcase of how well the bass is reproduced. Well, try it with CODE 23 and hold on to your socks. Not only is it incredibly demanding to show the textures and the dynamics. Additionally, all of the instruments are heavily working in terms of positioning and travelling around the listener. CODE 23 nails this test effortlessly. At this point, it’s my reference.
Midrange
Copper tends to have a slightly warmer tint compared to silver. It is also true in this case. It’s not life or headphone, changing though. There is one common adjective to use for the Effect Audio CODE 23. Effortless. Music just flows from the cans. Subconsciously I have selected Lenard Cohen’s You want it darker. His unique, hoarse voice is always like a box of chocolate. There are so many things going on, that it’s hard to decide what to focus on. Upgrading to this cable, it clears up the midrange making it much easier to follow a few of the aspects of his voice much easier. Just a clean, precise scope to enjoy, or analyse, whichever you please.

Treble
I know it is a reference that is beaten to death, but it is a good one. So I’m rolling with it, whether you like it or not. Time, by Pink Floyd. The opening part with clocks ringing. There is so much going on, that even this fragment allows us to understand the Effect of the Effect Audio cable. What I really appreciate about it is the fact that even in very intense moments, it retains separation between sources very close to each other in terms of tone. All of those clocks, going absolutely nuts, yet we can still clearly separate them from each other. It’s not easy to achieve even with a kick-ass setup like mine. Effect Audio CODE 23 pushes everything to an even higher level of performance.
Soundstage
While it can’t compete with silver cable in terms of openness, it holds its own very well. Wide, deep sound staging, with very natural sizing. It is basically limited by the headphone. One of the reasons I prefer copper cables is the fact that they always have a very natural and realistic experience. I find the sound staging of the reviewed Effect Audio CODE 23 exactly this way. It allows the headphones to shine and doesn’t change anything. It’s like a wide, open road for the sound and musicians to amuse you.

Comparisons​

HiFiMAN Stock Cable
The famous dry condom. I would rather eat pizza with pineapple than use this cable.
Lavricables Grand

Top tier silver vs top tier copper. Big boy league. The differences are exactly as you would expect them to be. No surprises here, besides one. The CODE 23’s sound staging is much closer to the Lavricables than I expected. It has this common quality of open, effortless sound that really enhances the perception of depth and width.
As for the rest… Of course, the silver cable offers bigger sound staging, with more pronounced details, while CODE 23 shines with dynamics, bass and the organic sound it provides. You knew that already, didn’t you? So whatever floats your boat.

Pairings​

HiFiMAN HE6se

My daily driver and the old flagship still amaze me with its resolution and control. If, when asked how much detail you want to hear, you answer “yes” this might be a headphone for you.
The Effect Audio CODE 23 works excellently here, feeding those famously power-hungry cans. The effortlessness introduced by this cable goes perfectly with the HE6SE’s extreme separation and capability. It’s like being with that one friend, that you really get each other going positively. I’m not looking for any other cable, in my opinion, CODE 23 fits like a glove.
Denon AH-D9200

I wanted to get a glimpse of how it will perform with closed headphones. I was interested if the incredible bass of the CODE 23 might overwhelm the experience. It wasn’t the case. I feel that this cable doesn’t necessarily add any bass, but it just allows it to sound full. As mentioned before and after, if you are here for bass, it’s a no-brainer. What I liked about this combination was that extra separation, compared to the stock cable, really did a favour for the Denons. I would rather use the Lavricables Grand with them, as it will fit them better. Unless you want to double down on their warm sound signature, then stay with the CODE 23.

Summary​

The Effect Audio CODE 23 is the cable to show to your “cables don’t matter” friend. Its effect is so noticeable, nobody can just ignore it. It is one of the best cables on the market regardless of price.
Excellent build quality, supported by years of experience and research. One of the cables to try when you wish to bring your flagship headphones closer to perfection. A great selection of connectors, including swappable ones allows you to choose your own adventure.
Effect Audio is one of the audio companies that are the most in touch with their customers. It’s a great product, from a reputable vendor, that improves your experience of listening to music. A must-have for bass heads, a strong recommendation for others.
Recommended.

Big thanks to Effect Audio for providing the Code 23 for this review. I wasn’t paid or asked to say anything good or bad about this product, all of the above is just my personal, unbiased opinion.

EarMen CH-Amp is a flagship desktop amplifier manufactured by EarMen. It is a fully balanced device, with a power output of up to 3.8W. It's priced at $1480.​

Introduction​

If you’re a regular, then you probably are aware that we’ve reviewed most of EarMen products here at Ear Fidelity. It’s one of those companies that never disappointed us with their products, and there are no signs for it to change in the future.
Today, we’re taking a look at their flagship amplifier CH-Amp, which is a part of the EISA award-winning stack which contains the Tradutto, the Staccato (review soon), and the CH-Amp itself.
Having great experience with low to mid-Fi products, EarMen continued to improve and now they went into the higher-end category with this little amp. Their products always score well when it comes to sound here at Ear Fidelity, so having an actual higher-end device by EarMen got us really interested and excited.
Having such a great experience with EarMen products, however, makes me quite demanding when it comes to the CH-Amp. At such a price, EarMen has to step up their game and give us something extra when compared to their lower-end offerings. So, let’s just get right into it.

Packaging​

The unboxing experience of the reviewed CH-Amp is really good. As with most of EarMens products, it does come in a good-looking, quality box with an outer sleeve. Once again, you don’t really have to worry about the device arriving safely at your doorstep.
The unboxing experience unveils something that I simply have to glorify – the EarMen CH-Amp comes with a very high-quality linear power supply included. It’s called PSU-3, and it is actually designed to power the entire EarMen stack, so you can plug the CH-Amp, Tradutto, and Staccato into it and power everything out of a single PSU. The unit is well-built, just like the CH-Amp itself, and it just screams quality. Oh, and it comes supplied with all the cables to plug the rest of the devices into it, so you don’t have to go and get those. This is just fantastic, but also weird, because…
Not everything is rainbow and sunshine. The biggest con on the packaging of the reviewed EarMen CH-Amp is the lack of a 4.4mm interconnect cable included in the box. Both the Tradutto (DAC), and the CH-Amp are too small to utilize full-sized XLR sockets, so EarMen went with a 4.4mm pentaconn connection to ensure a fully balanced connection. This is a very good idea, don’t get me wrong, but there’s a catch. EarMen didn’t include a 4.4mm interconnect cable with neither the CH-Amp or the Tradutto. I, as a reviewer, didn’t have that sort of cable and I needed to buy one. It wouldn’t have been that problematic if 4.4mm interconnects were somewhat popular, but they surely aren’t. Actually, the only one I could find in my country to buy immediately is the iFi Audio one, and the Polish distributor actually had only 1 left in stock.

I don’t want to make too big fuzz about it, but if EarMen decided to go with such an unpopular connection, they should have included the cable in the box. Yes, this generates further costs, but they could have easily raised the price just a bit to counter it. At this point, it’s not about the money, but rather just an inconvenience, as many people who ordered the EarMen stack wouldn’t be able to use it balanced for a fair amount of time, before their 4.4mm interconnect arrives. If you’re reading this review and you are going to order the EarMen stack, just order the 4.4mm Pentaconn interconnect now, it’ll save you some time and inconvenience.
Okay, enough criticizing. Apart from the EarMen CH-Amp, which is the main hero of this review, and the PSU-3, you’ll find a metal remote control, and just like with the Tradutto, this little guy is SOLID. Quite heavy, robust and it could come in handy when a zombie apocalypse begins, and stinky monsters will catch you off-guard while listening to music. Hopefully, you won’t have to do it.

Design and build quality of EarMen CH-Amp​

EarMen really got us used to their brilliant build quality, and of course, the reviewed CH-Amp continues to do it. The unit is quite heavy, very dense feeling and it looks great. The size is just perfect for any desk, or to sit on your hi-fi rack next to a turntable and such. The entire stack looks great and consistent, as it is really meant to be used in this way.
Of course, you can just get the CH-Amp and use it with devices from other manufacturers, there’s nothing wrong about it. However, if you want a full set that is both functional and just great looking, the EarMen stack is the way to go.
Back to the topic though. The front of the EarMen CH-Amp is occupied by a screen, 4.4mm output, 3.5mm output, a volume knob, and two buttons for gain and input control. While being quite busy on the front, it all looks well-organized and tidy.

Tech and I/O​

Let’s take a look at EarMen CH-Amps functionality and tech. First of all, the remote included with the reviewed EarMen CH-Amp is able to operate both the CH-Amp and the Tradutto DAC, so if you’re rocking these as a stack, one remote is all you need. Those are the little things that just make your life easier. Well done EarMen.
Next up, the reviewed EarMen CH-Amp is not only a headphone amplifier but also a preamplifier, which can be used as both balanced and single-ended. This is good news for all the people that use active monitors and are looking for a device that can handle both the monitors and headphones. Take note though, that you can only use it as one at a time.
As for the power ratings, the EarMen CH-Amp outputs up to 3.8W via balanced output, and up to 1.5W via single-ended one. While this might not look very impressive nowadays, the power rating is not the full story (just look at the Feliks Envy which has a lower power rating than Topping A90, yet it sounds much more powerful).
EarMen’s engineers also use WIMA capacitors as well as audio electrolytes in combination with MELF low noise resistors and SoundPlus OPA1642 operational amplifiers which – according to EarMen – proved to be great for getting neutral sound. The EarMen CH-Amp has excellent signal-to-noise ratio and THD characteristics, excellent frequency response, and a lot of power where the characteristics of the device are changed very little even at high loads.
Let’s get back to the PSU-3 for a moment. It is a linear power supply meant for powering the entire EarMen stack, but of course, you can use it with just the CH-Amp. It has all the necessary protection including current overload, thermal overload, and short circuit. This is a really quality power supply that further improves the sound quality of your system, as well as offering additional protection – what not to like?

How does the EarMen CH-Amp sound?​

EarMen never disappoints, but the sound quality has always been the most important aspect of their devices. The reviewed CH-Amp is their flagship amplifier, so my expectations were really, really high. And yes, what I’ve heard met the expectations, to say the least.
First of all, I’ve tried the EarMen stack for the first time at the Munich High-End 2022. After having a blast of a conversation with Miroslav (hi!), he invited me to have a listen to the stack with genuine pride on his face. The headphones plugged-in were the Meze Elite, which I also have on my hand. The sound completely blew me away back then, offering a very fresh, fast, and highly enjoyable sound.
After being so impressed by these products, I immediately turned to Miroslav to talk about reviewing them. I’ve reviewed the EarMen Tradutto a while ago, and was so happy with it that it won our “Best DAC 2021”. Ever since this is one of the most used DACs that we have here at Ear Fidelity. Luckily, both the Staccato and the CH-Amp arrived at my doorstep a few months ago, and now I’m more than ready to give it a proper review.
So, after spending a lot of time with the EarMen CH-Amp, I must admit that it sounds just like it did when I first tried it in Munich. EarMen definitely has its house sound, and the CH-Amp offers everything that EarMen is known for, and some more.
The overall timbre of the amplifier is natural yet technical, but never analytical. This is a neutral tuning with a hint of natural warmth, excellent technical performance, and a highly enjoyable character. The EarMen CH-Amp is not overly warm, bright, or lean sounding. Everything sounds “just right”, but with that added space with its excellent speed and resolution. Funnily, seeing that the EarMen crew chose the Meze Elite to highlight the sound of the stack is literally the perfect choice. This setup offers an extraordinarily natural, snappy, and dynamic sound that will please everyone.
Back to the amplifier though. Even though 3.8W might not seem impressive at first, I tried the EarMen CH-Amp with a handful of power-hungry headphones and never had any problems. Yes, it doesn’t drive the legendary HiFiMAN Susvara perfectly, but it was never meant to. This amplifier is not advertised as “the most powerful” on the market, but rather a Jack Of All Trades that can be used with a vast majority of headphones and IEMs.

As far as you’re using “normal” headphones, that do not require nuclear power to sound best, you’ll be more than fine. The CH-Amp has absolutely no problems running headphones such as the Meze Elite, HEDDphone, Audeze MM-500, FInal D8000 Pro, and such. It drives all of those with authority and spectacular quality that suits basically every timbre I’ve tried.

The bass of the reviewed EarMen CH-Amp is full of energy, it’s springy, fast and physical, but not overpowered. It has a great rumble in the sub-bass region that gives you a thick and natural presentation. This is by no means a bass-light amplifier in any degree, as this bass frequency focuses on sounding natural and enjoyable at the same time. The texture, resolution, and dynamics are all fantastic, which further helps your headphones to sound fun and engaging.
The midrange is clean, fresh, and detailed, but never too bright or thin sounding. It doesn’t overpower the weight of the instruments as well. It is just well-detailed and natural, further focusing on that neutral/natural type of presentation. This is the perfect type of midrange an amplifier can have in this price range, as your high-end headphones really don’t need to be altered. The sense of openness and the clarity are both spot-on resulting in a very accurate, yet ethereal type of sound.
The treble is once again clean, fast, and snappy, but it has a slight smoothness to it, so the reviewed EarMen Ch-Amp will never sound too bright or tiring. It doesn’t hide anything, nor does it sound artificially detailed. It sits in the middle, just where it should. Your headphones of choice will dictate the final type of treble presentation of the system, with the EarMen CH-Amp ensuring the detail, resolution, and speed are both on the highest level possible.
The soundstage is absolutely phenomenal in the reviewed EarMen CH-Amp. This little amp gives you a vast, airy, and spectacular-sounding soundstage without pushing it to the limit. It sounds easy, effortless, and highly impressive with every headphone and IEM that I’ve tried. It doesn’t try too hard to impress, it creates a natural sense of space that will perfectly blend with your headphones or IEMs.
Speaking about IEMs, the EarMen CH-Amp has a gain switch that works perfectly if you plan to use IEMs instead of headphones. I haven’t noticed any problems with hiss or background noise, once again proving that the reviewed EarMen CH-Amp might be the perfect amplifier for those of you who run multiple headphones and IEMs.

Pairings​

EarMen CH-Amp with Meze Elite​

Let’s start the pairings section with probably the best one. The Meze Elite has been used by EarMen themselves during the shows with this amplifier, and this choice must have been intentional.
This setup sounds fresh, powerful, natural, fast, and spacious, with absolutely no problems whatsoever. It’s not too muddy, not too bright, there’s nothing that is overdone. The Elite might not be a demanding headphone when it comes to power, but it surely needs a good quality of your audio chain to sound its best. The Tradutto + CH-Amp combo works wonders with the Elite, being probably the best setup I’ve tried the Romanian flagship with.
The Elite rose to be my favorite pair of headphones personally, and I’m incredibly happy that it pairs so well with the EarMen stack. This has been my favorite setup for weeks now, it just sounds right in every way. You can go for a more detailed or specialized setup, but when it comes to an effortless, clean, powerful, and natural sound, this pairing is hard to beat.

EarMen CH-Amp with Final D8000 Pro​

This is another great pairing. The D8000 Pro is a neutral, reference-tuned headphone that can lack emotions and musicality. The reviewed EarMen CH-Amp provides all the necessary power, cleanliness, and pace to keep up with the Japanese flagship, while not overemphasizing its rather raw and transparent tuning.
This combo sounds rather neutral though, so keep that in mind. If you’d like to add a little body and warmth to your D8k Pro, this is not the right amplifier to do that. However, if you’re into that transparent, neutral and dynamic, lively sound of the D8000 Pro, the EarMen CH-Amp compliments that beautifully.

EarMen CH-Amp with Rosson RAD-0​

This is really interesting. The RAD-0 is the complete opposite of what the D8000 Pro is. It’s musical, engaging, and never lacks body or emotions. However, this pair is not your usual “musical” sounding headphones, as the number of dynamics, richness, and punchiness are all playing a major role in the RAD-0.
The CH-Amp gives you all the essential qualities to make the RAD-0 absolutely sing, but at the same time, it keeps up with it perfectly. The technical capabilities of this amplifier match the resolving and insightful character of the RAD-0, but it never makes it bland sounding. This gives a highly textured, colorful, and thick, yet smooth and crispy type of sound that goes exceptional with every music genre and mastering quality.

EarMen CH-Amp with Fir Audio KR5​

My favorite IEM of all time, the Fir Audio Krypton 5 is just ridiculously good and fun to listen to. As I said previously in this review, the CH-Amp is a great amplifier to run your IEMs with. It’s clean, powerful, fast, and snappy.
With the KR5, this amplifier sounds very dynamic, insanely open, and rich, but never too harsh. Yes, the amount of information is absurd, but not tiring or simply “too much” sounding. There’s absolutely no problem with hiss or background noise, but keep in mind that I’m using low-gain with IEMs.
The Krypton 5 has revolutionary kinetic bass technology, which gives you the physicality and rumble of low frequencies like never seen before. Therefore, having that extra power that is so clean with the CH-Amp further improves the overall feeling of it. This is a bassheads dream come true.

Comparisons​

Feliks Envy​

We’re starting the comparisons with something as big as it gets. The Feliks Envy is a 300B tube amplifier that starts at 7000 EURO. The price, size, and weight differences here are absolutely huge, but I was still curious how does the CH-Amp compete with such a behemoth.
Truth is – It doesn’t, but who’d be surprised here? The Envy is much more powerful, mature sounding and it’s just a piece of art when it comes to headphone amplifiers.
However, the EarMen CH-Amp still sounds very impressive, especially when we’ll consider the price difference. The clean, dynamic, and airy character of this amplifier goes well against the almighty Envy. It’s great to see this amplifier performing so well even when compared to the absolute Summit-Fi. While it didn’t stand a chance from the beginning, it still performed better than I anticipated, and that’s very imposing.

XIAudio Broadway S​

These two have some things in common, but they do differ in certain categories. First of all, the CH-Amp is fully balanced, but the Broadway S is battery-operated, so yeah, you know…choose your fighter.
When it comes to the sound, however, the differences start to fade away and these two start trading blows. The Broadway S has a more romantic, rich flavor to it, while the hero of this review, the EarMen CH-Amp sounds more powerful and dynamic. These differences aren’t huge though, but significant enough for you to make up your mind.
If you don’t really care about the battery-operated function, the CH-Amp might be a more universal, more powerful, and more universal-sounding choice. Also, it is balanced, so if you have a balanced DAC…then the choice is rather simple.
If you DO care about your amp being battery-operated, and you don’t need a lot of power, the Broadway S offers a unique blend of functionality and sound quality, especially on the go. It also goes well with more reference-tuned headphones that lack excitement.

EarMen Angel​

This comparison is interesting, and pretty simple at the same time. Everything that Angel does, the EarMen CH-Amp does it better and stronger. The tuning is pretty similar, but the CH-Amp just sounds better than the Angel.
Yes, you’re missing the entire portable functionality of the Angel, so choosing between the two should come down to your preferences when it comes to function. If you’re only running headphones in your home, and the price difference doesn’t scare you away, the CH-Amp is definitely a better choice.
However, you won’t be able to listen to the EarMen CH-Amp everywhere, and here’s when the Angel wins.
It’s as basic as it gets – The Angel is not as good sounding, but it’s cheaper and portable. The CH-Amp is a stationary amplifier, and it sounds significantly better than the Angel. Both have similar timbre though.

EarMen CH-Amp review — summary​

EarMen did it again. Even though this is the most expensive piece of gear they ever made (not including Auris), they took a similar approach as usual – Great build quality, neutral-natural sound signature, great technical capabilities, and the ability to go well with most gear on the market.
Because of that, the EarMen CH-Amp is one of the best amplifiers in this price range currently. It is an element of a Streamer/Dac/Amp stack, and it does sound wonderful when used as that. However, as a solo amplifier, this is still a phenomenal product that will surely sell a lot, and it’s really hard to criticize anything about it.

Highly recommended.


Big thanks to EarMen for providing the CH-Amp for this review. I wasn’t paid or asked to say anything good or bad about this product, all of the above is just my personal, unbiased opinion.

EarMen ST-Amp is a DAC/Amp made by an American Company in Serbia. It costs $599 and provides a lot of power through its balanced output. It is mainly an amplifier, yet don't forget about the built-in DAC.​

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Introduction to the EarMen ST-Amp review​

Reviewed EarMen ST-Amp is a fully balanced DAC/Amp made in Serbia by an American company. EarMen is a young and dynamic audio equipment company that specializes in producing high-quality and portable audio devices. Founded in 2017, the company has quickly gained a reputation for its commitment to delivering superior audio performance and user experience. Even here, at Ear Fidelity, where we had written a few reviews about their devices.
With a commitment to innovation and quality, EarMen should receive more attention from the whole industry. Their products are sure to impress even the most discerning audiophiles.

Packaging​

Inside the black box of reviewed EarMen ST-Amp, we won’t find much. To be honest, we won’t find anything but the DAC/Amp and manual. There’s no power cord, there’s no USB cable, and there are no RCA cables. It’s a shame because, with the price set at $599, we could expect something to be there. Anyway, the sound quality might make it worth paying this price, even if we had to pay extra for a set of aftermarket cables. Don’t forget that many of us have those cables somewhere at home, so other ones wouldn’t be needed.

Design and build quality of EarMen ST-Amp​

EarMen ST-Amp which we review is an exceptionally made DAC/Amp. It is not looking the same as other products made by EarMen, like Tradutto. It’s not looking the same as their mobile, battery-powered products either. ST-Amp is a brand-new product, from a new series. It looks and feels amazing, with just one, little problem. Reviewed EarMen ST-Amp sits on three feet, so it isn’t that stable. It’s also a little too light, even if it’s really well-built. 2.42 pounds (1.1 kg) is problematic with its stiff switches on the front. Each time I’m turning EarMen ST-Amp on, it gets off the desk at some point. To be honest, I just stopped turning it off, so it doesn’t happen.
Besides that one small issue, the reviewed EarMen ST-Amp is really great. It looks a bit rough, but I like this style — matches perfectly my headphone stand and Audeze LCD-X that I am using as my daily cans. On the silver front, we’ll find two switches, a black volume knob with markers around, and two headphone outputs in a small indentation. It looks great, especially with black screws in the corners. The rest of the EarMen ST-Amp is in satin black, which also looks great, but a little boring.

Tech and I/O​

Let’s talk a little about boring tech. I know there are some fans of this paragraph, but I am definitely not one of them. So, reviewed EarMen ST-Amp is mainly an amplifier, yet it provides a built-in DAC. It is not one of the top models, because it is Sabre ES9280, the same one we could find in $129 EarMen Eagle. It does not really bother me, because the main thing that decides about the sound is the implementation, not the chip itself.
In terms of amplification, EarMen ST-Amp which we are reviewing today provides up to 1.85 Watts through the balanced output. Using single-ended output provides up to 0.5 watts. It is enough for most headphones, especially using balanced output. The amplifier is based on two TPA6120, which are quite popular through audio devices and amplifiers. The volume knob is a high-quality, balanced potentiometer from ALPS. It provides great quality and remains the sound unchanged. At least, this is what EarMen says.
In terms of inputs and outputs, I expected a little more. EarMen ST-Amp which we’re reviewing is equipped with only one digital input, and it is the USB type B. Not gonna lie, I’d really use this as a DAC with a preamplifier for my stereo set, as the sound matched perfectly. Yet, the USB is the only option. Besides, there are two analog inputs and two preamplifier outputs. EarMen ST-Amp provides single-ended RCA and 4.4 millimeters jacks.

How does the EarMen ST-Amp sound?​

EarMen says it is mainly an amplifier, yet I was using it mainly as a DAC/Amp at my PC. Not gonna lie, I am a little tired of using a bunch of devices, and I am trying to reduce it, especially on my desk. So, I will start talking about EarMen ST-Amp as an integrated device, and at the end, I will focus on it as an amplifier.
In a few words, ST-Amp is really lovely and quite universal. It does imply a little of its own sound signature, but it is doing this really politely. It is not like some DAC/Amps that try to be as neutral as it is possible, which can cause sibilants in some situations. Reviewed EarMen ST-Amp is neutral, yet it is not cold and unpleasant to listen to. It provides a lot of details together in a natural manner, the addition of musicianship and something that many people would call emotions.
So, beginning with the bass, which is fairly strong, and nicely extended. It is hard to explain how does the subbass sound, because it connects two things that do not often come together. Smoothness and texture. It provides really nice amount of details, with a small amount of being silk smooth. It may not make sense when I am talking about that, but ii am pretty sure you would get the point once you would listen to the reviewed Earmen ST-Amp. Subbass goes way down with a lot of energy. That’s just wonderful whenever I’m watching some movies, playing games, or just listening to music that contains such low frequencies.
Midbass on the other hand is a little different. The smoothness is decreased, it focuses on the punch and speed. To be fair, that is one of the fastest possible options I have ever heard at this price point without sounding dry. Because you will find a lot of amplifiers that can be fast, but there is no chance they will be that pleasant at the same time. You can hear that, especially when listening to songs like “bad guy” by “Billie Eilish”. This song is really bass-heavy, and some lower-end setups will not provide anything but bass. And it is not the point. No matter what headphones I have tried together with ST-Amp, the result was the same. There was a lot of bass, but the control is awesome.
Kickbass is similar to the midbass, it is fast with a dose of softening which provides that natural feeling. It does not matter whether it is a dry snare drum, some electronic punch or anything else. EarMen ST-Amp just provides a great rhythm that will make you shake your head. Again, without dryness or being cold and too technical. All this combined about bass, I would not fear to combine anything with ST-Amp, as all the options are great. Especially if you would use balanced output, which provides more power, together with an upgrade of everything that I have written above.

The midrange is a little calmer than the low frequencies. It is still natural, but in some cases pushed back a bit. Mainly female voices, like Dua Lipa. They are a little sweetened and muffled. What is interesting, it does not occur with lower or higher voices, like “Tone And I” or Billie Eilish. It is just this specific frequency that does not shine as it could. It might be problematic for some of you, but I would not overthink that part.
Male vocalists are standing at the front all the time. It does not matter if their voice is more like Kendrick Lamar or Masked Wolf. Two different tonalities, same result. They are sounding bold, and full of confidence, yet smooth and pleasant. That is just wonderful about the EarMen ST-Amp. It is the one DAC/Amp that made me listen to the music on the over-ear headphones again.
The details are softly marked. You can hear that they are there but in not so obvious style. It is not because of the lack of technical possibilities, just a natural style. It works really great whenever I am listening to some metal or hard rock, where the amount of sharpness and poor recording might be shocking for some. Reviewed EarMen ST-Amp appreciates music in higher quality, which is well recorded. Details are still a bit soft, yet they sound just remarkable. I can hear all of them without being tired because of its amount. It can happen once in a while when it comes to my taste and preferences.
The treble is once again smoothed and natural. What’s fascinating, with some in-ear monitors, like Campfire Audio Honeydew, which are rather calm and with less high frequencies, the EarMen ST-Amp can provide a small boost in that area. Whenever I am listening to something that provides more high-pitched sounds, they are smoothed and delicate. There is almost no chance of sibilant. It might happen with some headphones like Audio Technica ATH-M50x, which tends to do so. In any other case, I would not be afraid of that problem.
Treble also contains a lot of air and space in it. It is delicate, yet well-balanced. It sounds wonderful, especially with the piano and violins. Drum cymbals are clean and even with the smoothness that comes with ST-Amp, they are able to be harsh in a positive way. With some DAC/Amps or headphones, I can hear that unpleasant abrasiveness, which causes me to change the setup or the song. On the other hand, sometimes I can feel that total smoothness, which is an exaggeration in the other direction. EarMen ST-Amp provides a nice balance, and I’m loving this in this small, Serbian-made device.

Soundstage is one of the most important things in the sound for me. I like when there’s a lot of air, a lot of apparent sources, when it is really deep, but can also play right into my ear. In this case, I have almost all of them, but in a way that isn’t really for me. It is still lovely. The main difference is caused because the width of apparent sources is rather big. There is not much space between them in terms of breadth. It is better with depth.
The layering that is provided with reviewed EarMen ST-Amp is fantastic. When I plugged in Audeze LCD-X using the balanced output, I was just blown out of my mind. This combo provides a lot of apparent sound sources that are set just behind them without mixing them into one sound. In online games, it might be even too accurate because a lot of sounds confuse me more than just one from each direction. When there is too much happening at the same time, I am screwed.
The soundstage is also very precise and broad. It does not have problems with sound sources behind the listener and inside the head. They can go all over. I won’t tell you the title because I do not remember, but when I was watching one movie, there was one shot where the camera was set under the train, right between the rails. That feeling when the railroad train went all over my head was something almost unnatural.

EarMen ST-Amp as an amplifier​

That paragraph will be much shorter than the one above. It is because the sound signature of ST-Amp as a DAC/Amp and as a pure amplifier is really similar. It is still singable, smooth, and natural. Furthermore, it is quite dependent on the used DAC. We can hear a big amendment when we are using different digital to analog converters. If it is colder like Topping D50s and more natural like EarMen TR-Amp or truly analog sounding like my old CD Player, Acoustic Research CD-07 we get three different results. From my experience, it does not happen when we are using THX-based amplifiers, they are not that dependent on the source.

Pairings​

EarMen ST-Amp with Audeze LCD-X​

Audeze LCD-X is my daily driver, so I was using them with the reviewed EarMen ST-Amp the most. It is a combo where everything fulfills everything. I can not imagine a better setup for me, even if I had to choose some really high-end gear. Okay, maybe some R2R DAC with a neutral tube amplifier would do better. It is the setup that makes me enjoy the music and listen to it for long hours without being tired. Even when I am working, there is some podcast playing in the background, some random TV series, and it is all wonderful. That combo is just pleasing, not tiring, and it allows me to cut off from anything else. It is also on the edge of being focused on the music and letting it by my ears. Everything is in place.
The bass is powerful and goes way down to rumble whenever it is needed. Midbass is smooth, yet textured. It does not cover anything in the midrange, as it can happen when LCD-X is way underpowered. Kickbass using single-ended output might be a little too slow, as it lacks the punch. It gets way better using a 4.4 mm connector. The midrange is also smooth, pleasing, and colorful. With some singers, like mentioned before Dua Lipa, it might get a bit dull. Again, that disappears when we are using the balanced output. Details are on spot. They might be a little soft, which is good when we want them to be. If you prefer them to be sharper, you should look at different headphones on THX amplifiers.
Treble is once again delightful. Smooth, accurate, and natural with a drop of analog style. Details are delicate and charming at the same time, but they are not hidden in any way. The soundstage is broad, placed rather near the head with broad sound sources. This setup works out best with hiphop, fresh pop, and jazz. I do not like it in classical music, but that’s my thing. In my dads’ opinion, it is the best in symphonic.

EarMen ST-Amp with Hifiman HE-5XX​

This setup is quite different, especially because the 5XX tends to sound in a more technical, neutral style than the LCD-X. I really like it for gaming or fast music where much more happens in the background. The bass is really fast, it does not lack anything. There is much texture, and great extension in the lowest parts, and the kick is pretty powerful, but sometimes it feels tentative. The midrange is greatly textured, without hissing, and with a lot of details. Vocals are placed a little further compared to the LCD-X, but there is no problem with being dull. The treble and soundstage are fantastic, as the treble is still sparkling without being smoothed or sharpened, as it should sound in HE-5XX. The soundstage once again is different compared to the LCD-X as it provides narrow sound sources. They are similar in the other thing — its precision. Great combo, but I think that reviewed EarMen ST-Amp can do more than the HE-5XX would provide.

EarMen ST-Amp with Dunu EST 112​

Dunu provides us with a really great cable with interchangeable plugs. It allows me to analyze the sound on both outputs. And even if the difference is not that big, it is for sure distinguishable. Some would call them sounding near the Harman signature, and even if I do not like many products with that sound, the EST 112 are still one of the most used IEMs for me. Together with the EarMen ST-Amp, they make a decent couple, as this time I really this how this DAC/Amp thickens the sound. Sometimes in the EST 112 there was too much space and air between the sound sources. ST-Amp fulfills that space by making the instruments wider. It does not take anything from the spacious feeling, but it does not feel like we are levitating in the void anymore. That is for sure a nice addition for me.
The bass in this setup is powerful, yet not leading. Subbass is playing in the background, behind the scene. Midbass together with higher bass is leading the show in this department. And they are doing this really well. The bass is thick, and juicy and provides a lot of fun and emotions to the music. The lower midrange is delicately recessed. It might get hidden behind the upper midrange, especially in some songs with two singers. It does still contain a lot of details, and this time they are greatly marked, but again, without being sharp and unpleasant. The treble depends on the type of connection. Using single-ended output ends with delicate, analog treble. With 4.4 mm connector, it gains a lot of air and shines without sibilants.

Comparisons​

Vs. other EarMen devices​

Well, this one is going to be delicately general, but I do not really think that there is a point in comparing those devices one to one. For me, reviewed EarMen ST-Amp is a comeback to the older models, like TR-Amp, that I reviewed years ago. It has a similar, yet not the same style. It is natural sounding, but this time we get a more neutral version that is closer to new devices, like Tradutto and CH-Amp. Also, the method of presenting apparent sources is closer to the older ones than to the new ones. It is still broad and deep, but each source is wider and more direct. I think the ST-Amp is a wonderful choice for everyone who wants more feelings in the sound compared to the other EarMen product from their current offer.

Vs. SMSL DO300 + HO200​

We all know how SMSL products sound. They are precise, direct, and dead silent in the background. I know that there are people who enjoy that style, yet ST-Amp is not that good in technicalities. It does improve with a better DAC, but DO300 improves with better amplifiers. We could go count like this every time. I would not personally suggest SMSL combo to anything that tends to sibilant, to be cruel, and harsh. Unless that’s what they want. EarMen ST-Amp does sound different, it forgives way more mistakes. There’s no way to say which option is better without knowing someone’s taste. If you prefer a technical, fast, and neutral style, you should listen to the SMSL. If you like the emotions and want to connect with the music, I would give ST-Amp a shot. It is worth it. Trust me.

EarMen ST-Amp review — summary​

Reviewed EarMen ST-Amp is a wonderful option for a very broad spectrum of headphones. It has a really nice amount of power using the balanced output, a great DAC even if it is mainly an amplifier, and is built really solid. It has a delightful, natural yet neutral sound signature that hits me right on the spot. I am trying to be as objective as possible but trust me, it is hard when something feels like it is made just for my taste. EarMen ST-Amp provides a lot of emotions and joy during the listening sessions. At the same time, it is a remarkable companion for work. We can just enjoy the music and be focused on anything we should do at the time.


Absolutely recommended.


Big thanks to EarMen for providing the ST-Amp for this review. I wasn’t paid or asked to say anything good or bad about this product, all of the above is just my personal, unbiased opinion.

The whole audio industry hates them because of this amplifier. The Schiit Coaster is the TOTL headamp for years to come. I'm risking my life telling you about this, but the current audio dominion must be destroyed. At around $100 it is the endest of games, the highest of ends and a slayer of all.​

Introduction​

Schiit Audio is a company formed by industry veterans who had to go into hiding after discovering solutions that would push the audio industry 100 years forward. Just as engineers who work on alternate power sources hide from those who own and run the oil industry, Jason Stoddard and Mike Moffat had to do everything to survive.

All people of science have one thing in common. They have to talk about their job. Even with ninja-assassins tracking them, they have to share their groundbreaking discoveries. Just now, they have released an analog surround processor, which by nature isn’t getting obsolete. Unlike digital solutions that require updating almost yearly. Even in a post on Head-Fi, Jason has joked that the home theatre industry is after them now. Or did he? We know it was a cry for help. At least they released Syn, the surround processor, officially.

The Coaster is released in utmost secrecy as a pub utensil. Unchecked, it has the potential to end the audio industry. A perfect solution that has no flaws. All reviewers drop many poop jokes because of the company’s name. Their name comes from a long line of German Engineers who slaved in Teutonic fortresses to create the best audio amplifiers. SHOW SOME DAMN RESPECT.

Tech​

The Coaster nicknamed Vali Mini (for the deception, of course), is a hybrid amplifier. It uses a tube input stage (6418 tube) with a solid-state VAS and output buffer. It is brilliant to match those technologies, to extract their pros while minimizing their cons. Others have tried that before, but nobody was able to achieve perfection.

You might not know that, but the amount of quantum entanglements released by the tube heater is exactly the same as are formed in the VAS stage. They have set them with precision to a single pair. To measure that, you need a tin foil hat to isolate your brain activity from the measurement. It’s not even quantum physics anymore. Humans don’t have that knowledge. Not even the lizardmen who own Meta. It goes deeper.

The output buffer uses a special LED for bias. It is disguised as a normal one, but you know that there is something about it. If you look too long at its light, you can feel something invading your mind. The power supply changes one input AC voltage into three different DC ones. Like, that is straight-up magic. The PCB is created using alchemy. Otherwise, how would it be gold-plated, huh? Hundreds of years of alchemy, and nobody ever succeeded? They want you to believe that.

Assembly​

The assembly is relatively straightforward if you already understand the science of solder-bending. All of the parts are listed in a BOM (Bill Of Materials), which looks like any other BOM. It has to be secretive. I got my supplies from Digikey, they are on the team. They will pack all of the necessary components, not those from the shelf. Remember, always order +1 of every SMD part, you will lose some of them, and you will wait like an idiot for one 0805 capacitor.

Ask me how I know.

The hardest part of assembly are the 317 regulators. Their footprint is very small. It can be a pain in the back to do that if you are not skilled enough. If you are skilled, it still is not the easiest thing. The parts with PCB and power supply brick come at around $100.

Finished Amplifier​

It is a pretty bad coaster.

But that is not its real purpose! The amplifier has one input and one output. Also, one power input (still has three voltages inside, that’s nuts). You don’t need more. You always use your best source with The Coaster. Also, your best headphones. Best cables. It should stand in the middle of your house. It requires at least 40 sq. meters of room to contain its might.

Sound​

It is a perfect amplifier. It has the best tonal balance I have ever heard. It’s almost like it knows what you want to hear. But it’s impossible… It works best with each music genre. It makes the worst recordings sound like angels singing.

One time I hadn’t played any music, and it still sounded incredible! Its character is perfect. There is no discussion that nothing comes close. If you can think about the top 5 systems that you have heard it has all of their pros, but better, with no cons. I heard that some people couldn’t stop listening, an they just… Expired listening. No sleep, no food, nothing.

You have been warned.

Bass

Absolute. Tectonic, agile, incredible slam, but delicate. It sounds more real than from any speaker. It sounds more natural than the same sound heard live.

Midrange

It doesn’t make you feel like the artist is here. They are here. They just show up in the air. They stand there and perform just for you. Women, men, dead, or alive. The midrange is thick but soft and dynamic. It’s close, yet far. It doesn’t play in your head. It plays in your heart.

Treble

Those are the treblest treble I have ever heard. I didn’t know that they can sound like that. Listening to this is like being born again. It’s like touching boobs for the first time, but with your ears. And not boobs, but music.

Soundstage

Maybe it doesn’t bring artists to you, maybe it brings you to them? At this point I don’t even know. The reality gets blurred so much. It sounds like the room the recording was made in is here. The physical constraint of the real space around you doesn’t matter at all. It’s more real than life itself. This is what superhuman senses feel like.

Pairing​

There is no headphone or IEM that can fully utilize the Coaster. Today’s science is not even close to this level of performance. Schiit plays some 4D chess in an alternate reality. That realm is so unnatural and weird that in there, even I am funny and get girls. Crazy.

Susvara, HE-1, top Stax headphones barely scratch the potential of this amplifier. Similarly, contemporary DACs are not even close to satisfying the Coaster. dCS Bartok is the absolute minimum. Using anything less is just disrespect, and I will find you.

Comparisons​

Nothing compares to you. I love you, my reader. I can do dumb stuff like this, all thanks to you.

Also, nothing compares to the Coaster.

Mods​

Do you really want to play God? One mistake and the whole thing changes to a black hole. Swallowing your ass. And your home. And, like I don’t know. The whole planet.

You can’t improve perfection.

Summary​

If we use the Coaster wisely it will push our civilization thousands of years into the future. This will change your life. It will change how you listen to music. It can destroy weak minds. You will become a part of a worldwide conspiracy. The Coster is what every headphone amplifier wants to be. It drives everything, even electrostatics and most of the loudspeakers. It draws no current and will supply your home with free energy. It bends the space and time that you can grab something from the fridge, when still in your living room.

Funnily enough, even my review of a godlike amplifier isn’t as positive as WHAT-HIFI reviews of any British-made audio device. Happy April Fools Day!



The easiest recommendation ever given in audio.

Introduction to the review of Lavricables Grand​

Lavricables is a Latvian company specializing in silver cables that has been already present at Ear Fidelity. Michał reviewed their master line and found it quite compelling.
The guys at Lavricables reached out to us asking if we’d like to review their products, and after a quick and very pleasant chat, I decided to give it a go. We’ve chosen the Lavricables Grand series to go with my HiFiMAN Susvara, as there are no better headphones in the world to test cables with.
The Susvara is known for its incredible technical performance, which further helps in evaluating every single change to the sound of your setup. With that, let’s get right into it.

Packaging, Build Quality and Comfort​

The Lavricables Grand series comes in rather a standard packaging which contains a soft carrying pouch and the cable itself. No fancy accessories, wooden boxes, etc, which is something that I like to see in a product in this price range. Lavricables focuses on very high-quality cables without asking crazy prices, and this leaves no room for fancy packaging.

Nonetheless, it’s a cable, you don’t actually need anything more. I know that there are companies that do offer luxurious unboxing experiences with their cables, but the difference in price also plays a role there. With Lavricables, you’re just getting what you’re paying for – Nothing more, nothing less.
As for the build quality, I’m happy to report that the reviewed Lavricables Grand is a very high-quality cable that is exceptionally built and very good-looking at the same time. While it won’t steal anyone’s heart with its sublime and unique design (or lack of it actually), there’s absolutely nothing to complain about. The 3.5mm jack plugs that go into your headphones are of good quality, and they surely look quite pleasing. The splitter in my review unit is a carbon-infused one, which pairs well with the jack connectors, and it’s not too heavy and bulky. Thanks to that, the splitter area will not be problematic when it comes to comfort, but more on that later.



Lastly, the 4-pin XLR connector is from a company called Aeco. This is actually my first time handling products from Aeco, and I’m actually blown away. The XLR plug is heavy, very robust, and well-finished, which gives you confidence when handling it. It’s also quite a great-looking plug, and I don’t see any valid point to go for a very expensive Furutech over this one.

Apart from the metal hardware, the cable is made of 6n purity awg20 Cryo treated multistrand litz pure silver conductor. Yes, it’s quite a mouthful. What’s important though is that it’s a very, very high-quality material for an audio cable, the best from the best if you’ll ask some people on the web.

Overall, the actual build quality of the reviewed Lavricables Grand is quite exceptional, and having in mind the quality of the conductor together with great metal hardware, I’m actually very pleased by the asking price. Without even starting the sound paragraph of the review I can tell you that so far, this is priced more than fairly.
Let’s talk about comfort now. The Lavricables Grand is a very comfortable cable that gives me absolutely no issues when using it. While it’s definitely not the lightest and thinnest cable that I’ve ever used, it’s very soft and doesn’t hold the shape too much, so even after some time spent in your drawer it won’t get weirdly bent. There’s nothing really left to be said, it’s a comfortable cable that is just a joy to use.

Sound of the Lavricables Grand​

Let’s get into the most important thing now, which is the sound. As I already said in the introduction, I’ve chosen a cable to go with my HiFiMAN Susvara, as this headphone will let me pinpoint even the slightest change in tonality or in the audio quality itself.
When compared to the stock HiFiMAN cable, the Lavricables Grand definitely feels infinitely more premium, both to the eyes and to the touch. I don’t think there’s a single person on the earth that is a fan of HiFiMAN’s stock cables, so it doesn’t really come as a surprise, but still – had to be mentioned.
When it comes to the sound though, the difference is even more prominent. The Grand just pushes the Susvara into a completely different league when compared to the stock cable, let me explain…

Of course, after receiving the cable, I gave it around 100h of burn-in time. Whether you believe in this or not, as a reviewer, it is my duty to run this process to ensure proper performance. Lavricables actually offers a burn-in service on their cables when you’re ordering one, so this is something I couldn’t have skipped.
After that 100h period, I plugged the reviewed Lavricables Grand into my main testing setup, with is: XIAudio K-DAC-> Feliks Envy -> HiFiMAN Susvara. This is a very high-end setup that doesn’t have any major weaknesses on its own, but still, it gained a lot when I swapped the stock cable for the Grand.



The biggest difference I’ve noticed is in the speed and firmness of the sound. The Lavricables Grand pushes the sound to be more technically impressive, fast, snappy, and tactile. Long gone is the feeling of slight smoothness to the bass or lack of the ultimate control of the treble. The overall sound gets more nuanced, but more prominent and firm at the same time. For me, this is what a good-quality, the pure silver cable should sound like – uncolored, yet technically great.
Both detail retrieval and resolution experienced a boost that is easy to hear, yet it doesn’t have any side effects. It’s not like you get better detail in exchange for making the sound brighter or leaner. This is what cheap, low-quality silver sounds like, and we surely ain’t talking about one in this review.
Also, the soundstage gets more precise and spacious because of those changes, as the overall texture and airiness are both elevated. No, it definitely won’t make your headphones into soundstage beasts, but it might just get you a boost that is easily to spot, while not overdoing anything.

Luckily, the reviewed Lavricable Grand cable doesn’t really alter the overall tonality of your setup, which is something that the Envy + Susvara combination definitely doesn’t need. I’m still getting that insane richness and smoothness to the vocals, but now with a slight touch of refinement and technicalities.
Another important aspect of this cable is its treble performance. Pure silver cables have that common misconception about treble. A lot of people see silver cables as cables that boost treble response, resulting in a bright and analytical sound, which is very far from the truth. Yes, cheap silver do often sound like this, but we’re not talking about cheap silver here. The reviewed Lavricables Grand doesn’t add any unneccessary brightness or sharpness to the sound, which helps with pairing it with a lot of different headphones on the market. You don’t have to worry that it’ll get too hot.
To summarize — the Lavricables Grand is something that I would definitely call a high-end cable. It is meant to slightly upgrade the sound of your setup, rather than changing it, and this is exactly what this cable does. No side effects, no weird tonality changes, and no problems in the treble area. I can easily recommend this cable to anyone that is looking for an “upgrade” cable, as the performance of the Lavricables Grand cable is a definition of that meaning.

Comparisons​

Cross Lambda Apollo GB


Let’s compare the Lavricables Grand to the (probably) most expensive headphones cable in the world, the Cross Lambda Apollo GB.
First things first, the build quality is actually a thing where the Grand comes victorious, and while it could sound absolutely ridiculous having the price difference in mind, it’s just a truth. It’s softer, it doesn’t hold the shape as much, and it’s just a more comfortable, more premium-feeling cable of the two.
When it comes to the sound though, there’s just something about the Apollo GB which makes it the best cable that I’ve ever tried. Yes, I know that it’s easy to say as it’s the most expensive, but I definitely know that price often doesn’t mean a thing. However, the Apollo is even more detailed, and offers even better resolution, while sounding incredibly romantic and rich at the same time. The Grand is a pure silver cable, while the Apollo GB is a combination of 7N-HPPPOCC Palladium Plated Pure Copper, 7N-HPSPOCC Silver Plated Pure Copper, and 7N-HPOCC Pure Copper. This ensures that the Apollo GB actually has a “sound”, but it’s just something that really works wonders.

And yes, these cables are vastly different. The price difference is actually huge, and they perform in a different ways. The Grand is definitely altering the sound less, which might be highly desirable by many. The Lavricables Grand is DEFINITELY a better deal here, you can’t even argue with that. While not AS good as the Apollo GB, you can buy a lifetime supply of the Grand for the price of one Apollo, let that sink in.

Summary​

The reviewed Lavricables Grand is a fantastic choice if you’re in the market for a high-end cable to pair your high-end headphones with. Its build quality is exceptional, it’s comfortable and pleasant to use and to look at, and most importantly – it sounds like a good silver cable should sound like.

Fast, snappy, and detailed but definitely not thin or bright sounding. This is an “upgrade” cable, and it definitely delivers on that promise. I’m happy to recommend the Grand to anyone who is looking for a cable that will upgrade their setup, rather than change the overall sound signature. The Grand will be constantly plugged into my Susvara and it ain’t moving anywhere anytime soon.

Recommended.


Big thanks to Lavricables for providing the Grand for this review. I wasn’t paid or asked to say anything good or bad about this product, all of the above is just my personal, unbiased opinion.

​

The acronym DIY stands for Do It Yourself, and that’s what she said… The forum diyaudio.com is for this community what Head-Fi is for headphone enthusiasts. It’s an international institution of which I’ve been a proud member since 2011. Boy, it’s been some time, huh?
The forum touches on everything related to DIY: amplifiers, DACs, ADCs, speakers, headphones, tubes, solid-state, and class D. Whatever you like, it’s there. But a community is nothing without people. Besides enthusiasts from all over the world, you can spot the best audio engineers just chilling and giving tips around. Incredibly, you can approach one of the big names, and they will gladly help within their respective fields of interest.
The biggest celebrities of the forum are Nelson Pass, tenderly nicknamed Papa and the “Wizards Assistant” himself, Wayne Colburn. Those names can and should ring a bell. They are the masterminds behind the Pass Labs – California, USA-based manufacturer of Hi-End amplifiers. More importantly, they are both incredibly nice and down-to-earth.
They openly share some of their discontinued products to the community, supporting the builders. There is a community around those projects, and I cannot skip user 6L6, Jim, who creates the most amazing, thorough, step-by-step build guides for Papa’s projects. Since we have all the main characters on the stage, we can proceed to the subject.
Reviewed WHAMMY is a headphone amplifier project presented by Wayne Colburn at the forum’s official festival, The Burning Amp. I remember reading about it on the forum. I got really excited, especially since I had just got Audeze LCD-2F. There was an international group buy, and I managed the whole order for Poland, including shipping from the US and domestically. Mr. Colburn was so nice that for handling almost 20 orders, he dropped me a set of Toshiba MOSFETs for this project. Once again, super nice man.
Yes, I have built this amplifier once. Sadly, I had to sell it with the headphones for financial reasons. Meaning I was broke. The memories of that set are still with me, though. Great sound, is simple to assemble and is fun to use. Recently I have started grumbling about having some DIY on Ear-Fidelity.
Finally, Paweł commented with this line: “just don’t f*ck it up”. I won’t. I sent an email to the DIYAudio Store and contacted Jason Donald, the owner of the forum and the respective store. It was an incredibly pleasant conversation, especially since he is our reader already! Cheers, Jason! Few emails later and some mingling with customs, the package was in my hands.

Build and Tech of Whammy​

I’m not going into a piece-by-piece detail here. If you are interested in that, visit the official thread on the forum. WHAMMY is an opamp-based circuit. The opamp gives the voltage gain and controls the feedback loop. It is followed by a push-pull, complimentary MOSFET source follower. It is biased in class A/AB between 27 mA to 60 mA (or any other value, if you are smart enough to not blow it up). Greedy boyz always want more current.
The bias spreader is an unusual arrangement of an optocoupler controlling the voltage on the source (bias) resistors. The stock opamp is a low noise JRC4580DD, and MOSFETs are Vishay’s IRF610/9610. The original WHAMMY used the unobtanium Toshiba 2SK2013/2SJ313. The power supply consists of a 25VA Talema impregnated transformer, a CRC filtering, and the staple of electronics: 78XX/79XX voltage regulators with LED lifted references.
The power supply is very stable and has negligible noise. I need to point out one thing, there is no output protection. Depending on your opamp and the exact output voltages of the power supply, there will be a thump when powering on, and there is no protection to your precious cans if something goes horribly wrong (DC on output). If you wish to be safe, either a DC blocking capacitor (10kuF/35V) or a speaker protection system can be installed between the amp’s output and the output jack.

The choice of parts surprised me. While $300 is not super affordable for a headamp, the parts included in the set are all premium! Dale military grade RN55 resistors, Panasonic, Elna, Nichicon caps, and Alps potentiometer. Audio connectors are made by Neutrik, and the AC inlet is a big unit with fusing and filtering. Also, some Mogami 2552 shielded twisted pair cables. It’s all excellent choices, and honestly, better quality than I was expecting at this price. $300 is a price including the enclosure. You only need some tools and time.
Oh, it will not drive the F4. It doesn’t have enough output voltage (although you might be able to modify it so…).
TLR
Buffered opamp, class A, MOSFET output stage, linear power supply. Premium parts include big brands like ALPS, Elna, Dale. For $299 you get (almost) all parts that you might need.

Assembly​

You need some tools for this. Luckily for you, they are all specified in the guide. The project comes with a comprehensive, step-by-step build guide by the 6L6. I’m an experienced builder, as I worked in electronics assembly and built some projects on my own, including the massive First Watt F5Tv2.
Assembly took me one evening. A less experienced builder will need 2 or 3 evenings. It all worked with no issues from the first try. If you wish to attempt this project, you should be at least proficient in soldering and have a basic understanding of electronics. The guide should have included one point: the power LED. It is not specified on the PCB. Also, the current limiting resistor was not included in the set. I have easily found a suitable one (20k, I think) and attached the LED circuit to the C9’s pins.
One hack I recommend to all builders is installing the C3/4 on the bottom side of the PCB. It will make your life easier if you want to run discrete opamps because their size interferes with the big caps next to the sockets. Recently I met a person on a Facebook group who bought this set but couldn’t make it work. He pointed out that the input ground pad on the PCB is not described, which led him to a mistake in wiring. Hopefully, we will get his piece to run soon.
Update: he did and is super happy with it. Way to go, Jay! Assembly is pretty straightforward, but I recommend having some experience before attempting it yourself. It is an intermediate project.

Finished Amplifier​

The included chassis is made out of steel and aluminium plates. It’s all cut on a CNC machine and fits perfectly. The sides of the top and bottom plates could use better machining, which is my only complaint.
The front panel is a thick cut of aluminium with printed descriptions all over it. The back plate has descriptions too. After assembly, it looks like a commercially available product. It looks very respectable on the table and doesn’t get too hot.
I like its aesthetics, especially small accents like silver knob and red nut for a 6,3mm jack. They give it some visual character. The only real downside to the reviewed WHAMMY that I can see is a very high gain. It can be impractical in most cases. See the mods section for solutions.

Sound of WHAMMY​

I have built the amplifier with all stock options, as I want this review to focus on what you get from the box. There is an insane amount of mods and changes to be done, so it is essential to get some reference for what a new owner can expect from a vanilla WHAMMY.
My exact config is LED references in power supplies, JRC4580DD, and stock parts. Let’s start with first impressions. This amp is absolutely amazing. It sounds like a good class A amplifier like Accuphase (who also use JRC opamps…), or obviously, Pass Labs. Sound is tuned for pleasure, smooth, dynamic, colorful, and realistic. It has a slight tone to it, a touch of warmth and a bit of meat on the bone. Call it as you want. It sounds inviting, but after a long day at work, when you just want to listen to music, you will want to use WHAMMY. On your day off, you also probably want to use it. It is a great blend of just right in every category. You will find amplifiers better at something, but it is rare to find one that is a true jack of all trades.
Bass
The bass feels slightly elevated like there is this muscular quality to it. As a bass head, I’m more than happy with that. It doesn’t influence the midrange, so no worries. Or maybe other amps I have tried can’t produce that punch and volume? While this range might not be as precise and tight as other amps can reproduce, WHAMMY has this wonderful ability to make it seem more real.
That works with both natural drums and synthetic bass. Take a listen to already beaten-to-death Earth Drums by He Xiun-Tan. I swear every audio show has to play this. But it is a great reference for bass. WHAMMY made me almost feel the air moving. If you like big, bold bass with nice slam, that still gives you more resolution than you might need, this might be it.
Midrange
You know what’s coming. Class A amplifiers are famous for their reproduction of voices. While the whole amp is not biased in class A (the opamp isn’t), we still get the flavor of this kind of amplification. Once again, WHAMMY has this intense, emotion-packed, realistic sound. Midrange is a bit on the closer side, but the volume and detail make it feel very natural. I don’t like this adjective, but it is really organic.
It could be the slight imperfections that make it feel more real. I know amps that can retrieve more info, yet it doesn’t have the same impact. If you want to understand my point, a trip to Pulp Fiction’s OST, especially the Son of a preacher man, by Dusty Springfield. Her voice feels colorful, beautiful, and simply stunning. Just.. normal. The natural dynamics and the tonality are top-notch. All of the vocals separated perfectly and were easy to pick up on their own, with no effort. Top performance, here.

Treble
As WHAMMY is a coherently sounding amp, treble features similar characteristics to the rest of the ranges mentioned earlier. Highs are enthusiastic and full of energy. They have a hint of warmth, perhaps the biggest of all. It is really up my alley. Cymbals, bells and whistles sound very realistic, natural and straight-up fun. What I really appreciate in WHAMMY is that it never ventures into “too much” region.
For example, the Main Title from Star Wars IV: A New Hope played by a whole orchestra, can easily get overwhelming, especially when amplifiers lack speed or headroom. None of that happens here. Brass instruments sound like brass, bells like bells, etc. Even in the most intense moments, you can easily pick up a melody played on each of them. It is like listening to the orchestra live in a sense. Is it the most transparent sound? No. Is it engaging and makes your foot tap? Hell yeah.
Soundstage
Reviewed WHAMMY doesn’t have the widest or deepest soundstage on the market, but the coherency sets it apart from the competition. Sometimes the soundstage feels uneven as sounds in the middle sound less precisely positioned than those more to the sides. Here it is all smooth, which makes a world of difference in transitions. An example is Aesthetics of hate by Machine Head where the drums are set up wide in stereo, and you can hear that with WHAMMY. Everything sounds similar and in the same plane. The width and depth are in the middle of the scale, as mentioned earlier, you can get bigger presentation from other amps. For me, what we get is perfectly satisfying.

Pairing​

HiFiMAN HE-6SE

Oh my God yes. WHAMMY is absolutely spot on here. It is powerful, it gives the famously hard-to-drive cans a run for their money. Half of the scale, and we are good. The extreme resolution and control of those headphones work fantastic with the warmth and organic sound of WHAMMY.
This might be the cheapest way into TOTL sound if you ask me. This sound has everything you might want: good sound staging, insane resolution, beautiful tonality and a nice slam in the bass. This was my most used headphone in this review.
Sennheiser HD800
Another great combo, the high impedance of the German cans was not a problem for the WHAMMY. This amp added nice mass to the sound, and while it is not a champion of sound staging, it certainly didn’t kill the strongest point of the HD800.
With their relaxed sound, light, open construction, and WHAMMY’s unproblematic sound, it was a great combo for games or long hours in front of a computer.
HiFiMAN Sundara Closed

This combo is for those looking for something on the other side of the scale. This can have a darker sound when compared to those mentioned earlier. Also, as a closed construction, it delivers strong, punchy bass. The midrange and treble are still great, but the soundstage is pretty closed of in this combo.
On the other hand, relative to the price nothing to complain. Detail, famous HiFiMan’s resolution, and bouncy lows might be up your alley. Recommended.

Comparisons​

iFi Audio iDSD PRO Signature
The integrated amp in this combo is nothing to laugh at. Class A output stage, switchable tube circuit, balanced and single-ended outputs. The biggest advantage the iFi has is the size and precision of the soundstage. WHAMMY, on the other hand, sounds much more natural, with nicer tonality and a smoother sound. iDSD PRO Signature was the main source in my comparisons.
Topping A30 Pro
This might be one of the most popular headamps from Topping. Great output power, XLR and 6,3mm outputs, and selectable gain. This company is a powerhouse in the features department. Soundwise, A30 PRO offered more detail, really pushing the nuances to the front. While not as detailed, Whammy was much more coherent, realistic, and pleasurable to listen to.

Opamp rolling​

This would only be a DIY review with mods. I mean, if you built an amp, why not push it further? An obvious and easiest mod is opamp rolling. Take the stock JRC out and pop a Burr-Brown, Muses, Linear, or whatever your heart pleases. I bet you have a whole drawer full of them. Please ensure that the opamp you want to use is a dual part that handles up to +/-18V power supplies. If you want to push it further, get some discrete opamps. They really allow us to get the most out of WHAMMY. I have tried 2 of them, and here is a short summary for you:
MuzgAudio
This JFET input opamp is manufactured by a polish company that started as a DIY startup. It is extremely small, and the size was located in height. A trim pot is available if you wish to trim the output offset to an absolute minimum. Stock it gives me offset in the range of 1mV, so a great result (JRC4580DD has 6-7mV). The sound signature of this opamp is neutral. It is the most universal out of the bunch. It gives a reasonable improvement to all of the qualities mentioned earlier. If you want WHAMMY, but better, this might be it.
Stacatto Audio
This one got me by surprise. It is an opamp with a JFET input and output. The output stage is also single-ended. It is finely tuned to an offset in the range of 1mV, similar to the MuzgAudio. There is a trim pot available. Sound-wise, it has a strong old-school, tube-like sound. It is warm and thick and has this effortless openness. This might be it if you want a tube-like sound without dealing with expensive and noisy parts. Oh, while doing that, it still delivers great dynamics and resolution.

Mods​

Let’s get into more advanced mods. One recommendation is to add 100nF decoupling capacitors close to the opamp socket, in parallel with the C3/4. They will help when rolling high-speed opamps, as they might go into oscillation without extra decoupling. The rest is pretty simple.
Most people should start with different coupling capacitors at the input. You might want to change the gain, by changing the feedback resistors. There is an option for a capacitor in the feedback circuit, marked Cx. It will also improve the stability margins.
Calculate it for a corner frequency of around 200kHz, and you will be good. Please use good quality parts like a styroflex or foil caps here. The feedback network is susceptible to parts quality.

As a Preamp​

I recently borrowed a Schiit Audio Gjallarhorn from a friend (thanks, Grzesiek). They worked together so well. It is a desktop power amplifier, making it a perfect candidate to test the pre-out of the WHAMMY. WHAMMY can drive it super easy, and thanks to the swappable opamps, I could mix and match the sound signatures to get the best pairing. Thanks to a big headroom, WHAMMY will easily drive the most power amps on the market.

Whammy review – Summary​

It might be my passion speaking, but WHAMMY is an outstanding amplifier. One that you can make yourself, on top of that.
While it lacks balanced outputs and other fancy features, it focuses its value on the sound. And it is great. Natural, powerful, organic, and easy to listen to, with nice detail and sound staging. It was able to handle flagship headphones like they were nothing. This is no ordinary amplifier. Let me tell you that.
On top of that, you can improve it further by rolling opamps, and modding. Wayne Colburn, the amp designer, has put all of his experience into this deceptively banal design. It truly is an example of more than just a sum of its parts. The only sensible thing is wholeheartedly recommending WHAMMY to everybody who can handle a soldering iron. In the end, it is Wayne’s Headphone Amplifier Must Make Yourself!
Highly Recommended.


Big thanks to DIYAudio for providing the Whammy for this review. I wasn’t paid or asked to say anything good or bad about this product, all of the above is just my personal, unbiased opinion.

​

SMSL DO300​

SMSL DO300 is a high-performance DAC built around the new flagship ES9039MSPRO chip. It offers a great functionality, and it's priced at $549.

Introduction​

We’ve reviewed quite a few SMSL products in the past here at Ear Fidelity, and now it’s time for their newest DAC, the DO300. Even though you must have lived under a rock for the past 5 years not to have heard about SMSL, I’ll give you a quick introduction regardless.

SMSL is a Chinese company that specializes in manufacturing audio equipment. The company was founded in 2009 and its headquarter is located in Shenzhen, China. They are widely regarded as one of the two leading DAC and amplifier manufacturers in the audio world currently, next to Topping. They are known for producing a wide range of audio equipment, including DACs (digital-to-analog converters), headphone amplifiers, preamplifiers, power amplifiers, and speakers. The company’s products are highly regarded for their exceptional sound quality, reliability, and affordability. They also constantly push the limits when it comes to measurements of audio equipment, being arguably the best measuring audio gear manufacturer in the world.

Today we’re taking a look at their newest DO300 DAC, which is built on the newest ES9039MSPRO chip.

Packaging​

When it comes to the unboxing experience of a SMSL product, everything has been written already a lot of times. This is an innovative and very competitive company, but when it comes to the presentation, it is definitely function before form. The DO300 is no different, since it comes in a standard white box, that only included things that are essential and functional.

So, inside the packaging, you’ll find a power chord, a USB cable, remote control, and a Bluetooth antenna. Nothing fancy, we’re all used to what SMSL brings to the table, and it’s definitely not exquisite attention to the unboxing experience or providing luxurious accessories. At the end of the day, this is a very high-performing DAC, there’s nothing that you should be expecting to be included at this price having the level of performance in mind.

Design and Build Quality​

Speaking about the build quality and design, I could say exactly the same as in the unboxing paragraph. Most of SMSL’s products look similar and the DO300 is the same story here. It’s built well, the finishing is alright, and there’s nothing really to write a book about. On the front, you’ll see a volume knob and a screen, and at the back is where all the inputs and outputs are located…logically.

Regarding the overall design and build quality…you can relate to our DO200 review, as these two devices are just identical apart from the model number on the front. The dimensions, the weight, and the design are all perfectly the same between the two devices. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing at all, it’s cheaper for SMSL to utilize the same chassis to cut costs, resulting in you being able to buy the new DO300 cheaper. Being green is cool.

Tech and I/O​

Now onto way more interesting stuff. First of all, the DO300 is the first device I know to use the brand-new, flagship ES9039MSPRO chip. It has built-in MQA support with MQA-CD, but to use the latter, your cd has to support MQA output. It also has the newest XMOS XU-316, which is its 3rd generation, supporting PCM up to 32bit/768kHz, DSD, and DSD512.

The DO300 also uses the new self-developed CK-03 clock processing circuit which greatly reduces clock jitter, and a Qualcomm QCC5125 Bluetooth chip with LDAC support.
All that makes for a DAC that is more than suitable for current needs and market standards. SMSL has been offering technically impressive stuff for many years now, and they’re not stopping that anytime soon.

As far as I/O goes, you’ve also got everything you could need. RCA and XLR outputs, AES/EBU, I2s, coaxial, optical, and USB inputs. Sadly, no USB-C this time, and it’s about time for it to be a golden standard in our hobby. Apart from that slight inconvenience, the DO300 is a highly functional device that will make you connect basically everything you’d want. Oh, and a Bluetooth antenna if you want to use it wirelessly.

Sound​

We’ve done many SMSL reviews, so we know what you’re really here for – the sound. Reviewing SMSL gear is getting harder and harder every single time we’re doing it, since all of their products sound very alike, with the difference being mostly in the actual quality (detail, resolution, etc).

So, the DO300 is yet again another SMSL device with a very slight twist – it’s a bit warmer than most of their stuff in my opinion. No, the DO300 is NOT a warm-sounding DAC, but compared to their other models, it’s warm-ish.

The DO300 has everything you could expect from a SMSL DAC – incredible detail retrieval, fantastic resolution, speed, control, and spot-on tonality. Actually, because it’s slightly warmer than their other DACs, I like the DO300 the most out of everything else I tried.

Because of that slight tilt in tonality, the midrange gets buffed a little, especially in the note weight and timbre of male vocalists. While every single SMSL I’ve tried offers a very neutral and realistic color, the DO300 just gives you a little bit of that oomph in the midrange frequencies, which helps bring the vocalist a bit closer to you. This aspect is highly subjective though, as most SMSL fans are all about that ultimate neutrality and transparency.

Don’t worry though, as the DO300 is still incredibly neutral and transparent. As I said, that touch of warmth is really subtle and it won’t break your experience if you’re a “neutral” guy. However, if you strive for absolute linearity, the DO200 might actually be a better choice for you.



When it comes to detail and resolution, however, this is performing incredibly well at its price range. I said it in the past already, but you really would have been paying 20x more for this kind of technical performance 10 years ago. It never gets old, this is so impressive yet so positive that it makes me sympathize with SMSL so much more.
As I’m used to with SMSL DACs, the bass is fast, perfectly controlled, and firm, it never bleeds into the midrange and it never gets boomy, even by the slightest margin. If you have some great performing headphones in the bass department, you’ll be blown away by what this little champ is capable of. The texture, rumble, attack, slam, and control are both on a very high level and I don’t think you will be able to find this kind of bass performance on a similar budget elsewhere.

The treble is also fantastic. Shimmering, sparkly, fast, and detailed, with a lot of air. It goes perfectly with well-mastered music, but as usual with SMSL – badly mastered music can sometimes be a pain to listen to. It is because the DO300 doesn’t hide anything from the listener, it just decodes all the information from the recording and sends it further, with absolutely no hesitation. There’s not even the slightest blanket, darkness, or dullness to the sound, this is highly saturated and just accurate.
Because of all of this, the DO300 is another fantastic DAC from SMSL. While being slightly different than the rest of the DO series (DO100, DO200) because of its slight warmth, it still performs beautifully and is insane when it comes to value.

Comparisons​

SMSL DO200 mkII



As I said in the previous paragraphs, the main difference here is the slight warmth found in the DO300, while the DO200 is just ultimately neutral. This will define whether you’d like one or another.

However, the DO300 has an upper hand when it comes to technical performance, but it’s again, very slight. I feel the DO300 has a bit better detail retrieval, even though the DO200 is basically surpassing most of the headphones in the market when it comes to what you’re able to actually hear.

As for the rest of the frequency response, these two DACs are very similar when it comes to both subjective and objective sound, which makes it easy for me – I can definitely recommend both, and the two things that you should consider while making the decision are price and slight tonality differences.

SMSL DO100


And now onto the comparison with the smallest brother, the DO100. Yet again, the DO300 is slightly warmer than the DO100, but in terms of technical performance, the latter is just not able to keep up.

The detail retrieval and resolution of the DO300 are audibly better, making for a more impressive listen. If you’re on a budget and you don’t have really high-end headphones, the DO100 will probably give you everything that you need. But if you’re looking for an upgrade, and your headphones can handle the actual difference, it really might be worth investing and getting the DO300 instead.

But, this comparison is not really fair is it? The DO300 is 2.5 times more expensive than the DO100, and it’s certainly not 2.5 times better. Audio is not about that though, so if you have the DO100 and you’re looking for something better but in a similar fashion, the DO100 might be the perfect upgrade for you.

Summary​

The SMSL DO300 is everything that we’re used to from the Chinese manufacturer – incredibly clean, detailed, airy, and neutral. While slightly warmer than the rest of the DO series, it’s still very transparent and linear sounding.

Apart from the impressive technical performance, this is a DAC that offers everything a modern DAC should offer – a vast selection of digital inputs, a balanced output, Bluetooth, and MQA (if you actually want to use it). This leads me to a very easy recommendation to everyone that is looking for a DAC on a $500 budget, as this might just be the best one you can choose.

Highly Recommended.

Big thanks to Aoshida-Audio for providing the SMSL DO300 for this review. I wasn’t paid or asked to say anything good or bad about this product, all of the above is just my personal, unbiased opinion. Aoshida-Audio hasn’t seen this review before publishing it. You can get the DO300 here.

Meze 109 Pro​

Meze 109 pro is the latest open-back dynamic driver model by the Romanian manufacturer, Meze. It features their first fully in-house driver design and a lot of wood and metal. Let’s check if it’s worth $799.

Introduction to the Meze 109 Pro review​

A couple of weeks ago, after a Meze Liric review, I thought “Ok, how many times will I write about Meze in such a short period of time? That’s enough reviews of their gear for this year”, but it was November 2022 and DHL had some problems with delivery and now it’s 2023 and another review of Meze headphones – Meze 109 Pro.
Let’s start with the formalities because I think if you’re considering spending almost $800 for a headphone then you will probably know some popular brands like Sony, Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, HiFiman, or finally the manufacturer of the reviewed headphone – Meze, but for those of you who are just beginners in the hobby, let me write something about the company.

Meze Audio is a Romanian audio equipment manufacturer that has made a name for itself with its premium audio products. The company has been consistently delivering high-quality audio devices since it was founded in 2010, and its headphones and earphones are highly regarded by audiophiles all over the world. Meze’s first headphone, the Meze 99 Classic, was released in 2015 and quickly gained popularity among audiophiles who appreciated its powerful bass. The company later joined the summit-fi club with the Empyrean, an innovative and highly sought-after headphone.

The Elite – the natural successor of the Empyrean’s legacy, followed becoming one of the best High-End headphones available. Now, Meze has introduced the Meze 109 Pro, its latest offering. The over-ear headphones feature a sleek and modern design that is sure to appeal to audiophiles who value both form and function.

Tech​

Meze 109 Pro is another milestone in the company’s history, that’s because of the 50mm dynamic driver. It’s the first driver fully designed and manufactured by Meze in-house. This achievement is significant for Meze Audio, as it highlights the company’s dedication to innovation and quality.
To achieve their acoustic goals for the 109 PRO, Meze Audio engineers focused on materials research for each component of the driver. They developed a Dual-Composite Diaphragm, which combines Beryllium-coated polymer and cellulose-carbon fiber composite to find the perfect balance between mass and stiffness. This diaphragm is encased in a CNC-machined, high-precision aluminum frame for exceptional reliability.

The Meze 109 PRO headphones with an impedance of 40 ohms and high sensitivity of 112 dB per 1 milliwatt are really easy to drive with almost any amplifier. This means that they can be used with almost any device that has a headphone output without the need for a dedicated headphone amplifier. However, with a better source, the 109 PRO headphones can achieve even greater resolution and soundstage, allowing the listener to fully appreciate the headphones’ capabilities.

Packaging​

The unboxing experience of Meze products is always a pleasure and fun and in the case of Meze 109 Pro nothing changed. The headphone arrives in sleek-looking black cardboard, padded with foam, so you don’t have to worry if your headphone will survive the journey with a delivery service and arrive at your house in one piece.
Inside the cardboard, you will find an accessory set that is pretty similar to the one you will find in the Meze Liric package – a hard EVA pouch, a 6.3mm jack adapter, and two 3.5 mm terminated cables – one shorter which is about 1.5 meters long and the other, longer one that is about 3 meters long. When compared to Liric there is missing an airplane adapter.

The hard EVA pouch is a great addition to the package, as it provides a safe place to store the headphone when not in use, ensuring that it remains protected from any accidental damage. The two cables that come with the package are of high quality and offer flexibility in terms of usage, depending on the length you need. The absence of an airplane adapter may not be a big deal for most users, as the Meze 109 Pro is an open-back headphone designed primarily for use in quiet environments. Overall, the accessory set that comes with the package is well thought out and practical, adding value to an already exceptional product.

Design, Build Quality and Comfort​

This part of my reviews, when I’m writing about Meze products, is getting really boring, that’s because the design and build quality of them are just superb. All parts are fully replaceable, so if something breaks you don’t have to throw the headphone into the rubbish, you just can call Meze and they will send you the necessary parts, take a screwdriver and fix them in a moment. The biggest drawback of the headphone is probably the cable sockets, Meze repeated the issue known from their Meze 99. On one hand, it’s a very popular 3.5-millimeter jack socket but unfortunately, it’s nested very deep inside the earcup, so none of my aftermarket cables can fit in, and probably this will apply to most 3.5mm jack plugs available in the market.

When writing about build quality I need to mention that one of the most striking features of the Meze 109 PRO headphones is their premium materials. The ear cups are made of black walnut wood, while the headband is crafted from leather and metal. The leather band provides a comfortable and secure fit, even during extended listening sessions.

So as I already mentioned the comfort while listening with Meze 109 Pro is good. The clamping force is perfect – not too tight so you won’t feel like your head is being crushed, but also not too loose so the headphones won’t fall from your head. Another great thing is the material that the ear pads are made of. The velour is soft and breathable, providing a comfortable listening experience during long use even in a warm environment.

Regarding comfort, I need to mention one of the key features of the Romanian headphone, which is their low weight, coming in at just 375 grams. This makes them an excellent choice for extended listening sessions, as they do not exert undue pressure on the head and ears. This is particularly important for users who enjoy lengthy listening sessions, as it allows them to fully immerse themselves in their music without any discomfort.

Sound of Meze 109 Pro​

One of the most significant advantages of open-back headphones is that they provide a more natural and spacious sound. The Meze 109 Pro is no exception, with its open-back design offering a wide and immersive soundstage. The headphone features good, old-school dynamic drivers that deliver a detailed and accurate sound with fine clarity and resolution.

Let’s start with the bass since it’s the major part of the Meze 109 Pro’s sound characteristics. It has a powerful, fast, and very well-controlled punch in the mid-bass. The bass guitar line in Les mots d’amour sounds juicy and very engaging. The only issue I hear is that I wish the headphone reproduced some more sub-bass. When listening to Vertigo Valley by French 79 I feel a lack of well-defined contour, but don’t get me wrong, it’s not that bad I could hardly listen to the music. I just compared them head-to-head with other headphones that performed better, but at the same time, they cost much more. When regarding price to performance ratio, then the 109 Pro’s bass response is pretty impressive.
When listening to the Invincible movie score, I got some goosebumps on my back. Maybe the bass doesn’t have as much wow factor as the one reproduced by e.g. Denon AH-D7200, but it’s tremendous and airy – I felt like I was listening to the song in a big concert hall, not with mid-range headphones. About the texture of the sound, you will probably read also in the following paragraphs, but damn, Meze engineers did a great job with it and the bass line in Killing In the Name Rage Against the Machine has an awesome beefy, thick texture.



The midrange of the Meze 109 Pro headphones is warm and full-bodied, providing excellent instrument tonality and a natural sound. The result is a rich and detailed midrange that brings out a lot in vocal performances and acoustic instruments. While listening to Mettavolution by Rodrigo Y Gabriela I felt warmth like I was sitting under a blanket by the fireplace. Nonetheless, it’s the least attention-grabbing part of the reproduced frequency range, but it still has a Meze legacy, thanks to its tuning the 109 Pro provides an engaging and immersive listening experience.
Yet again I’ve used many headphones that knocked me down on my knees, but the reviewed headphones have that something, which motivates me to keep listening to them. I constantly discover some nuances I haven’t noticed even while listening to the songs with way more expensive headphones. As I have already pointed out, the reproduction of vocals is another big strength of Meze 109 Pro. Mat Berninger’s baritone in Demons by The National has hypnotizing, warm timbre with a great texture, so I can hear in his voice each dose of alcohol he has drunk in his life.

To be honest, when I heard about the Meze 109 Pro for the first time, I thought that there will be another open-back Meze headphone that has pretty relaxed top octaves, but after some burning-in, I need to admit, I was wrong. The treble is pretty interesting, lower parts of this frequency range are natural with a slight boost at the top end. This causes the treble to sound very sparkly and energetic but it’s still not too tiring even after extended listening sessions.
While listening to Magalehna by Sergio Mendes I was focusing on the sound of the triangle for most of the song because it was powerful enough to get through vocals and drums, but at the same time, it didn’t drill my ears in an unpleasant way, just perfectly balanced between sparkle and smoothness, without any harshness or sibilance that can often be present in other headphones.
Another great example of top-end demanding songs is Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield, it’s over 26 minutes of… Tubular bells sound, to hear all the sounds you need headphones with a great resolution and very well control of the treble, but at the same time, the highest frequencies can’t be too sharp, because after that long exposition, the ears can start bleeding. After listening to it with Meze 109 pro I want to listen to it more and more because it’s so fresh, and I don’t feel any fatigue caused by the treble.

And here we are coming to the last part of the sound description in this review – the soundstage. It’s quite spacious, with a really good separation of sound sources. Sometimes the separation was so good that when playing Hogwarts Legacy I was wondering if my headphone wasn’t broken, but then I was moving the camera, and the “broken” side was magically fixed and the working one “broke”.
I didn’t test them in any competitive FPS games, but I think they will perform amazingly. Nonetheless, if you’re a gamer or not, you will definitely appreciate the soundstage. Its depth and width are pretty impressive, and thanks to it you don’t feel that the sound comes from inside your head but it surrounds you. It’s almost like listening to stereo speakers.

As I previously mentioned, the separation of sound sources is on a great level, but if you haven’t played Hogwarts Legacy yet, let me base my description on a song. At the beginning of the song Pools by Glass Animals, there are some animal sounds surrounding the listener, and damn, I felt like I was in the jungle. The animals were quite far from me but I could easily localize each one.

Comparisons​

HiFiMAN Ananda



HiFiMan Ananda is a planar-magnetic, open-back headphone made in China with a recommended price of $999. Since its release in 2018, they have been available with many discounts, and I think it’s possible to get them even cheaper than the Meze 109 Pro. I would say that we should start with the build quality comparison, but ugh… HiFiMan is a company that I can write many great words about, but the build quality of their products isn’t their strength. I would say the build quality of 109 Pro is superb as other Meze products, while the build quality of Ananda is (just is) as other HiFiMan products. Here the Romanian product easily wins.

But the build quality isn’t the reason people buy HiFiMan, it’s their sound quality and in this term, both headphones are on a pretty similar level. The soundstage of Ananda is slightly smaller and I feel like I’m slightly below everything that happens, while the vertical extension of the soundstage in 109 Pro is slightly flatter. The treble is slightly more detailed when reproduced by the Meze headphone, HiFiMan sounds like it from behind a blanket, it’s not a serious issue, but it’s definitely worth mentioning.
The midrange is on the other hand the biggest strength of Ananda, the vocals have a better texture, and it’s a bit more powerful. If you’re looking for a headphone for acoustic music, then probably Hifiman will be a better option, because of how engaging their midrange is. Last, but not least in this comparison – the bass, here I would say Meze 109 pro are yet again taking the lead. The Bass of HiFiMan is typical for most planar-magnetic headphones, very well controlled, and fast, but it lacks power, especially in the lowest audible frequencies. While the bass of the Romanian headphone is strong, but yet very well controlled.

Shortly speaking if you’re looking for a W-shaped, dynamic sound in great packaging you should go for Meze 109 Pro, but when you want a powerful midrange with better texture and you don’t really care about the build quality then HiFiMan may be a better option.

Audeze LCD-X 2021



Audeze LCD-X is an open-back headphone priced at $1199. Its heart is a planar-magnetic driver. It was designed as a reference headphone perfect for studio applications but audiophiles can find it a great device as well. The build quality is very good in both headphones, you barely can find any plastic parts, hinge housings are the only ones in LCD-X, while at 109 Pro I couldn’t find anything, only metal, wood, and leather.
I would say you can easily feel the build quality of the Audeze headphones, so unless you have an F1 driver’s neck or listen only while lying, the weight of the LCD-X affects the comfort and to be honest I couldn’t handle long listening sessions with it. On the other hand, the comfort while listening with Meze 109 pro is as great as any other Meze product – simply amazing.

The power requirement of the power is similar as well, they aren’t very demanding, but of course, these aren’t headphones that will sound good powered with an apple dongle lightning jack.
Now let’s move to the sound comparison – directly to the soundstage. The imaging and separation provided by Audeze headphones are amazing, while Meze 109 Pro does it almost as well, but at the same time, it provides way more space. The treble and details are slightly better reproduced by the American headphone – Audeze provides a bit better resolution, and I would say here you can hear the price difference, $400 is pretty much and I wouldn’t expect Meze will win in all categories.
The midrange is also slightly better, it sounds more natural but Meze 109 Pro is still reproducing it very well. Finally the bass – well, in this term LCD-X is easily beating most headphones in its price range, but the cheaper Meze is also a great performer. Maybe the slam and texture aren’t as great as provided by a planar-magnetic opponent, but it’s still good, and especially when powered with tube amplifiers, Meze 109 pro can show a lot.

To sum up this comparison, If I had extra 400 US Dollars and the resolution that I want to gain muscles in my neck, I would consider Audeze LCD-X but when considering value for money and you’re fine to train your neck at the gym, not while listening to music, then I would say Meze 109 Pro wins.

Meze 109 Pro review – summary​

The Meze 109 Pro is an excellent open-back headphone with a natural and spacious sound that is worth its price. Its slightly warmer sound signature makes it ideal for people who prefer such headphones.

Low impedance and high sensitivity make it easy to drive with almost any amplifier, but it scales very well with a better source. The headphone is also highly comfortable, thanks to its optimal clamping force and the design of ear pads. The Meze 109 Pro is expected to be a strong contender for the Ear Fidelity best headphone of the year award in 2023.

Overall, the Meze 109 Pro is a great option for people looking for high-quality open-back headphones that offer natural, spacious sound and deliver an exceptional listening experience without breaking the bank.

Highly Recommended.

Big thanks to Meze Audio for providing us with the 109 Pro for this review. I wasn’t paid or asked to say anything good or bad about this product, all of the above is just my personal, unbiased opinion. Meze Audio hasn’t seen this review before publishing it.

Hifiman Svanar​

Hifiman Svanar is the new flagship IEM by Hifiman. It uses a single dynamic driver and it's a successor to their RE2000. The price is set at $1999.

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Introduction to Hifiman Svanar review​

Hifiman is one of the most known headphone audio manufacturers in the world, so introducing the company isn’t really needed this time. However, while Hifiman specializes in full-sized headphones, they also have experience with IEMs. Their flagship RE2000 never gained as much attention as Hifiman would have liked though.
Now, they came up with the Hifiman Svanar, which this review is all about, a successor that is highly influenced by the RE2000. Is a 1DD IEM priced at around 2000 USD something that’s going to be a valuable choice in today’s market?
I said it many times, and I’m going to say it again – it’s not the number of drivers that matters. However, the asking price is quite steep, so you’re more than welcome to expect quite a lot from a product like this. Let’s dive right into it.

Packaging​

The Hifiman Svanar comes in an elegant box which is quite similar to what they’re offering with their high-end over-ear models. The box itself is wrapped in a graphic sleeve that looks pretty good. Underneath that sleeve is the box itself, wrapped in a leather-like material. This box looks great, definitely what you could expect from an IEM in this price range. Also, it could serve as a storage box for when you’re not using the reviewed Svanar. Very good job here Hifiman.

Inside the box is where things start to get worse. First of all, you’re getting a round carrying case, which feels like plastic (I don’t know if it IS actually plastic, but it definitely feels like one). The carrying case is actually pretty useful and protective, it doesn’t open on its own and it should offer a good level of protection for your shiny Hifiman Svanar. The only problem I have with it is that it feels rather cheap for a $2000 IEM. It’s not bad, but it should have been better.



Next up, probably the most controversial thing about this product – the cable. So, Hifiman went with a single, black, 3.5mm cable. I’m sorry, but this cable should have never been included with a $200 IEM, and the Hifiman Svanar is not 200 but 2000 USD. It feels cheap, it’s unbalanced. At least it’s comfortable.
And here comes the thing that I just cannot understand. Well, when reading about the cable you surely thought to yourself – hey, it’s 2-pin, I’m going to use a different cable and call it a day. Yeah, I had that idea as well….and none of my 10+ 2pin cables don’t work with the Svanar. By don’t work I mean that I cannot even plug the cable into the Svanar, as the IEM uses rather non-standard 2-pin connectors.

So, you’ve got 2 choices – to use the original cable included, or use the additional 2-pin connectors (which Hifiman luckily has included in the box) and custom order a new cable. Here’s the thing – If you have followed us for a while now, you know that I’m a huge Hifiman fan, as this is definitely my favorite manufacturer in the market. But I have to stay as objective as I can, and the route that Hifiman took this time is just incorrect by a huge margin.
We’re all used to Hifiman not giving us exceptional cables in the box, but at least they always used standard connectors for you to use your fancy aftermarket cable. Not this time big boy, unless you’ll order a new one that would go specifically with the Hifiman Svanar. I’m sorry Hifiman, I’m sorry Mr. Fang Bian, but I think you should make a new revision that’s going to have standard connectors ASAP. Especially since the Hifiman Svanar sounds absolutely fantastic…but we’ll get into it.

Design, Build and Comfort​

Okay, let’s turn our heads and get into more positive stuff. The actual design and build quality are both very good. The Hifiman Svanar looks clean and very attractive, and the golden inner part is just brilliant in real life. The shape is very ergonomic which leads to great ergonomics. I have absolutely no problems using the reviewed Hifiman Svanar for a couple of hours, so this is a huge pro in my book.

As for the build quality, I have no complaints. It’s definitely not as great as the stuff from Fir Audio, Dita, or Campfire Audio, but there’s also nothing bad about it. The fit and finish are both flawless, and my unit came with no imperfections whatsoever. The cable ruins the whole look, but hey, we’ve already covered it.
Overall, the Hifiman Svanar itself looks like a premium IEM. The competition is insanely tough nowadays and it’s definitely not the most luxurious-looking or feeling IEM on the market, but it’s definitely good enough. This isn’t really surprising, as Hifiman was never known for incredible craftsmanship or luxurious materials. The Svanar looks and feels like Hifiman – functional, premium enough, and should be pretty durable.

Tech​

As far as tech goes, the first thing that draws attention is the acoustic aspect of the reviewed Hifiman Svanar. The shells are made of aluminum and brass, with both influencing the acoustic properties of the shells. The rear chamber is aluminum, while the front is made of brass. Because Hifiman focused a big portion of its marketing on that aspect, the driver inside is probably an open design, which means that there’s no sound-canal inside, to allow the driver to resonate into the shells. This should improve the soundstage capabilities of the Hifiman Svanar, and what you’ll read in a minute proves that it definitely works wonders.
The driver used is a single Dynamic Driver with Hifiman’s Topology Diaphragm. It refers to a diaphragm with a special nano particle coating applied to its surface.
“The distribution of the coating has distinct geometric patterns. By varying the surface pattern, a compound used, the thickness or geometric pattern should wave formation can be manipulated to achieve the desired audio effect and control”.

“The idea behind the new Topology Diaphragm was inspired by Dr. Fang Bian’s Ph.D. The thesis is that “different Nano materials have different structures and each of those materials has its own properties”. Therefore, by carefully controlling the diaphragm surface structure you can yield different results in acoustic performance to a degree previously unobtainable”.

This shows how complicated the technology behind the Svanar really is. Many people tend to see a single DD IEM and think that it’s just nothing special. But as I said, it’s not the number of drivers that matters, but the thought behind the whole project. All of this would have been for nothing if the Svanar wouldn’t offer a great sound, so let’s get right into it.

What does the Hifiman Svanar sound like?​

A lot can be said about HifiMan, but what no one can argue with is definitely their sound quality. Hifiman Svanar uses some very interesting technologies which promise an improved sound, and now it’s time to see if it all works.
So, long story short, the Hifiman Svanar sounds absolutely marvelous. It’s probably the best-sounding 1DD IEMI’ve heard, and it has some aspects that I personally value a lot in audio. We’ll go step by step.

Starting with the bass, this is a very impressive aspect of the Hifiman Svanar. The amount of rumble, the extension, and the texture are all fantastic. While many 1DD IEMs struggle with subbass extension, this is not a problem with the Hifiman Svanar. It offers a very natural bass reproduction with excellent technicalities and great fun delivery. The bass frequency is never overdone, nor it’s never lacking in weight and presence.
The Hifiman Svanar is by no means a bass-head IEM, but to say that it’s bass light would have been a major misunderstanding. The low frequencies have a great balance between hitting hard, reaching low and never getting to the front row. Having in mind the entire frequency response and the overall characteristics of the Svanar, providing that kind of bass response is an absolute blast. We’ve all seen all those balanced, neutral-tuned 1DD IEMs that lacked in energy, punch, and weight in the bass department, and the Svanar is definitely NOT one of these IEMs. This is what a balanced IEM should sound like.

The midrange is once again, very technically impressive. It has a lot of air to it, vocals are highly texturized and natural sounding, but they are definitely not overly thick sounding. The bass doesn’t bleed into the midrange, which allows this frequency range to sound very clean and snappy. Where the reviewed Hifiman Svanar shines the brightest is the female vocal range, as the Svanar offers charming, forward, and very melodic-sounding female vocals. Once again, the detail retrieval is fantastic and there’s a lot of texture to the sound. The acoustic chamber of the Svanar also gives that airy, spacious presentation that further improves the technical capabilities of the IEM itself.
While some may want a slightly thicker or warmer-sounding midrange, this is entirely subjective, as the Svanar does not lack in weight or warmth department. However, if you’ve tried Hifiman over-ear headphones, then you can get an idea of how the Svanar produces the midrange. It’s all about the natural, technical, and very insightful type of presentation that the company specializes in for many years now. I personally think that the Svanar is the IEM version of the HE1000se, and having in mind how great the latter is, this is nothing short of spectacular.



The treble is once again technically impressive and neutral sounding. The amount of air and detail retrieval are both improving the treble response to create a highly addictive and attractive type of sound delivery. Once again, the Svanar doesn’t really sound like a 1-driver IEM due to its fantastic extension in the upper frequency, being reminiscent more of a multi-driver IEM. However, this is still a Hifiman’s product, so don’t expect the Svanar to be dark or dull sounding, as this is clearly not the case with this IEM. The treble is exceptionally extended and highly detailed and it offers great shimmer that goes great with well-mastered music.
Nonetheless, the reviewed Hifiman Svanar also does fantastic with poorly recorded albums, as it doesn’t overpower any significant frequency, and given how insane the resolution of the sound is, it never gets sharp or unpleasant sounding. I’ve tested the Svanar with a wide variety of different music genres and different levels of mastering and the Hifiman Svanar does it all with exceptional confidence and a level of refinement.

The soundstage is where things are starting to get really, really serious. When I first read about the Svanar on Hifiman’s site, the whole Moscow State Theater story didn’t really convince me to be honest. I somewhat felt like it’s forced for story-telling and wouldn’t actually mean a thing. Oh, how wrong I was. The Svanar has the biggest soundstage that I’ve heard in IEMs to this day, and you know that I’ve heard a lot. The Svanar reproduces the sound so wide and deep that it actually sounds exactly like a pair of great over-ear, open-back planars, and I’m not exaggerating.
Even when my better half tried it for the first time, she immediately got excited by the staging capabilities. She said: Wow, the vocal on the left was soooo far away from me, that’s insane! The song she played is Lovely by Billie Eilish and Khalid, and if you’ve ever heard this song on a pair of great headphones then you know how spacious it can sound. I honestly feel no difference in the staging between the Svanar and the Susvara when it comes to this song, and to say that it’s actually incredible. Apart from the actual size of the soundstage, the imaging and separation are also both class-leading, offering an ultra-precise insight into the recording, even when listening to symphonic music.

Comparisons​

Final A8000



This is probably the most important comparison that can be done in this review. The Final A8000 has been a statement when it comes to 1DD IEMs for years now, and it still has a lot of happy users today. We’ve reviewed the A8000 a while ago here.
However, as time passes by and new technologies emerge, the position as the leader of the market is never going to withstand forever. And now, as the Svanar comes at the same price as the A8000, I can say that the latter has been officially dethroned.

First of all, the Final A8000 is still better made and it looks better than the Svanar, there’s no doubt about it. Hifiman has never been known for its luxurious materials and incredible build quality, and it’s no different this time. The A8000 just looks like an absolute gem, and its craftsmanship is among the best in the world when it comes to IEMS. Also, the cable included with the A8000 is miles ahead of the one supplied with the Svanar, it’s not even a competition here.
However, everything changes when it comes to ergonomics, and most importantly, sound. First things first, the Svanar is (for me) way more comfortable, as it lacks the sharp edges that are present all over the A8000. I never found the Final flagship really comfortable for me, as it starts to give me some serious discomfort after about an hour into listening sessions, because of those sharp edges. The Svanar on the other hand has a very ergonomic shape that ensures all-day comfort, and after trying long listening sessions with the Svanar, I can definitely say that it is very comfortable.

Comfort is not everything though, and when it comes to the sound, the Svanar is victorious again. While the A8000 offers similar technical capabilities and that insane speed to the sound, it lacks in sub bass rumble and attack, as it was never known for its great bass response.

The Final A8000 won its status because of its highly detailed, fast, and snappy sound characteristics, which are all present in the Svanar as well, but together with the bass that is simply better in every aspect. On top of that, while I have nothing to complain about in terms of soundstaging capabilities of the A8000, the Svanar once again goes an extra step in this regard. It sounds wider, deeper, and even more accurate, resulting in a type of experience that is way closer to a pair of speakers or high-end open-back headphones.

The Final A8000 is still a great IEM even today, but the Svanar is just a refined version of it coming at the same price. While compromising on the build quality and accessories, it just offers a better sound paired with better ergonomics. This is quite simple for me personally.

Dita Perpetua



Another 1DD flagship IEM that I have here is the Dita Perpetua. First of all, the Perpetua is significantly more expensive coming at $2999, whereas the Svanar costs $1999. The Perpetua has been reviewed here.

And to defend the Perpetua, the unboxing experience, accessories, and overall presentation alone are way better than the Svanar. You’re getting two great cases (even though both are rather useless), a better cable, stickers, etc. Also, the box itself is just more reminiscent of fine jewelry than audio equipment.

However, no one buys IEMs for the box and accessories, and here comes the real deal. The Svanar is once again, more comfortable and better sounding than the Perpetua, but the story is slightly different here.

You see, the comparison between the Svanar and the A8000 was rather easy because both have a somewhat similar tonality, while the Perpetua is just completely different. Its biggest strength is its easy, smooth, and lush type of presentation, which does not focus on the technical capability, but rather creates a type of sound that is going to make you forget that you’re listening to a pair of IEMs, to begin with. It sounds romantic, very consistent, and “normal”, where nothing really stands out. Yes, there are people that really want this type of presentation.

However, the Svanar just offers a more technically impressive sound that is going to make you go “ooooh, that was nice”, instead of just listening to the music and not focusing on the sound too much. These are two very different approaches to recreating the sound, and I’m in no position to tell you which is “proper”. Nonetheless, if you want a High-End sense of dynamics, detail, resolution, and a Summit-Fi soundstage presentation, the Svanar should definitely be your choice here, and it’s not a close call.

Campfire Supermoon



Another single-driver IEM, but this time it’s planar-magnetic. The Campfire Supermoon is the first planar IEM by an American company and it took the market by storm in some areas.

The Supermoon is a custom IEM though, so I’m not going to compare the build quality and comfort of the two, as it would have been pretty pointless in this specific case.

What I can compare though is the sound, and these two have similar strengths, but there are also differences. Both the Supermoon and the Svanar have incredible technical capabilities with fantastic detail retrieval and resolution. Yes, they do it in a slightly different fashion as the Supermoon has a more textured presentation because of its planar-magnetic driver. The Svanar on the other hand hits harder and offers a more full-bodied sound.

Where they differ the most is the fact that the Supermoon gets pretty hot and I’m having problems with poorly mastered music with it. It simply gets too harsh and too forward sounding for me, but keep in mind that this is subjective. On the other hand, the Svanar is more natural and refined sounding, while offering a similar level of detail retrieval and resolution. If you’ve tried the Supermoon and found it a bit too much for you, the Svanar might be a great choice for you and it’s definitely worth auditioning.

Hifiman HE1000se



The last comparison might be the most surprising for you. As I said in the sound paragraph, I see the Svanar as an IEM version of the 1000se, as these two are really similar to me.

Both are great when it comes to the technical portion of the sound, with fantastic detail, resolution, and soundstage. Both the 1000se and Svanar offer great punch and overall brilliant bass response, while not being overpowered and too prominent. The soundstage size is quite similar, and it’s shocking considering that we’re comparing IEMs to open-back planars.

And here the choice between the two is as simple as it gets: If you’re looking for something for your desk scenario listening, the 1000se is your guy. However, if you want something portable that you can grab and listen to on the go, the Svanar is your portable 1000se, and it’s as close as it gets.

This comparison shows how confident Hifiman got with their house sound, as they are able to reproduce one of the best sounds they ever made into such a small product with no compromises. Now, I can’t wait for the IEM version of the Susvara, and if they actually end up releasing it, I’ll be incredibly excited.

Hifiman Svanar Review – Summary​

The Hifiman Svanar is a very pleasant surprise for me. Hifiman is my favorite audio company, but it’s because of their over-ear models. I’ve never seen their IEM department as anything too exciting, and the Svanar completely changed my mind about it.


While the overall presentation, and especially the cable isn’t anything special, the sound quality of the Svanar is just fantastic. It pairs a fantastic technical performance with a sophisticated tuning that does everything well, and the soundstage is just insane.

Recommended.

Big thanks to Hifiman for providing the Svanar for this review. I wasn’t paid or asked to say anything good or bad about this product, all of the above is just my personal, unbiased opinion.

Feliks Audio Envy​

The Feliks Audio Envy is a flagship, Summit-Fi 300B Tube Amplifier. It starts at 6999 Euro, and we'll find out if it's worth it in this review.

Introduction​

Today it’s time for something really, really special. The entire Ear Fidelity crew is Polish and we’re located in Poland, but we haven’t had any significant Polish products reviewed here. I know that many of you see Polish audio as something exotic and interesting, but we’ve been waiting for our domestic manufacturers to come up with something that might be able to shock the audio world. It’s called Feliks Audio Envy, and this review contains everything that you could get.
The Polish manufacturer that I’ve known for the longest is Feliks Audio, as I used to listen to their Espressivo all the way back in the early 2010s. Back then, Feliks Audio was a small company that only offered the Espressivo, and it gained some attention on our Polish scene. A few years later the guys at Feliks Audio started to launch new, higher-end devices onto the market, and how surprised I was when I saw their table at the 2017 CanJam London. Surprised to the point where I approached them and asked (in Polish of course) – are you guys THIS Feliks Audio? What a dumb question, I agree.

We’ve been in touch for some time now, but everything changed at the 2022 Munich High-End exhibition. I’ve tried their newest flagship amplifier, the Feliks Audio Envy with some high-end headphones and immediately rushed to the Hifiman booth to try it with the Susvara. About 10 minutes into the listening session I knew that I’m experiencing something truly incredible, and discussed this review with Łukasz Feliks right away.



Then, it took a few months for my Feliks Audio Envy to be manufactured, and a few more to be reviewed, because even though this device is insanely expensive, Feliks Audio wasn’t able to keep up with the orders, which was incredibly great for me to hear. This was the moment when I said to myself: Yes, this is it, a Polish product that’s going to be something epic. My Feliks Audio Envy finally arrived in September, so this review has been in the making for quite some time, but you don’t simply sit and review a €7000 headphone amplifier right away. It takes time to truly understand what it is and what it’s capable of.
So, after intensively testing the Feliks Audio Envy with countless headphones, DACs, music genres, etc, I’m finally able to review it in a proper fashion. Bear with me, as this is probably the most challenging review in my entire career.

A couple of words about tube amplifiers in general. The last couple of years has been all about solid-state amps, as they simply pair with planar magnetic headphones better. We’ve all experienced the shift towards measurements in audio, lack of distortion, low output impedance, etc. Many tube amplifiers on the market go excellent with dynamic drivers, but these kinds of headphones have been turning niche more and more.

Feliks Audio saw that as well, and they challenged themselves to make an amp that goes well with planars. They have their hugely successful Elise and Euforia amps, but those aren’t ideal for planars either (The new Euforia EVO will be reviewed at Ear Fidelity as well!). That’s how the Envy was born, which is described by the manufacturer himself as “Class A Single-ended transformer coupled, balanced amplifier, powered by the legendary 300B tubes”.
Sounds yummy, doesn’t it? Oh, and it’s a mouthful for sure, so let’s dive right into it as I’ll try to answer the big question – is it really THAT good?

Packaging and Versions of Feliks Audio Envy​

Let’s start with the unboxing experience. If you’ll order your Feliks Audio Envy anytime in the future, bear in mind that the box it comes in is absolutely huge. The box is made of good quality cardboard, nothing fancy or really special, but there’s a lot of foam insert to make sure your 7000 Euro amp arrives safely, don’t worry.
The amplifier itself is wrapped in a cloth that further helps keep it free from scratches or small blemishes during the shipping process. Apart from the Feliks Audio Envy, there’s a manual, tube guards, and of course…the tubes themselves.
Speaking tubes, you’ll have to make a choice when ordering the reviewed Feliks Audio Envy. Should you go for the standard version, or do you want to go all-in and get the “Performance” version (+€800). To be completely honest, if you’re paying €7000 for the amplifier to begin with, the performance version is just slightly above 10% price difference, so the choice should be pretty easy in my opinion.

What’s the performance version then? First of all, instead of using premium copper inside, Feliks installs UPOCC (single crystal copper) signal wiring inside the amplifier for improved sound quality. More importantly though, you’re getting Full Music 300B tubes, instead of Electro Harmonix Gold ones, and it’s a really, really significant upgrade.
As I said, I strongly recommend going for the performance version, the price difference isn’t that big when you’ll take the base price into consideration, and if you’re going for the best of the best, there are no shortcuts. My unit is the Performance version, so the review will reflect my impressions of the fully upgraded Feliks Audio Envy.
Lastly, you can choose different wood finishes. I personally like the base version the most, but you can choose American Walnut for $200 extra, or go full custom for €400 – whatever tickles you fancy. The “stock” wood choice is oak and it just pairs so well with the entire visual concept that the choice was really easy for me.

Tech and Design of Feliks Envy​

Now let’s address the tech and design. Reviewed Feliks Audio Envy looks simply striking, it’s definitely one of the most epic and most beautiful headphone amplifiers ever made, and yeah…it’s absolutely huge.
The amplifier weighs 15kg which translates to around 33 lbs, so yeah, it’s a big boy. Make sure you’ve got plenty of space at your listening corner or on your desk, as it’ll take up a lot of space and its weight will require some good quality furniture. This aspect has its pros but it also has cons. First of all, you really see what you’re paying for, as the amount of materials alone is incredible and this just couldn’t have been done for less. Secondly, this is a statement piece, so if you’re looking for an amplifier that will be a conversation starter, I can’t think of anything better than this.

However, in the world where small solid-state amplifiers are more and more popular, this is just an absolute behemoth that will probably occupy half of your desk, so this is definitely NOT a subtle audio device for your everyday usage. Additionally, it gets plenty warm, you won’t burn your fingers (as far as you don’t decide to touch the tubes after a few hours of listening to music), but it will make its surrounding a bit warm. If you’re living in a very hot area and you have no A/C, the Feliks Audio Envy might make your life even slightly more challenging than it is right now. Yeah, this was an exaggeration.
The design aspect that I absolutely love about the Feliks Audio Envy is the power “button”. You simply touch the surface that you can see in the picture above to start the magic, and this is so satisfying to do. In the world of power buttons and switches, now we’ve also got a touch button, and it’s just a joy to use. A very simple detail, but it’s these small things that elevate the experience from good to fantastic.

The volume knob is absolutely huge and again, incredibly satisfying to use. It’s buttery smooth, has a great range, and has just enough resistance for you not to accidentally turn up the volume significantly and blow up your eardrums. This is just literal perfection, the best volume knob I’ve used in a headphone amplifier.
Envy is a SET – Single Ended Triode amplifier. That means that all tubes used in the amplification are triodes. This is the most purist approach to tube amplifiers. It is not that unpopular in headamps, we do have a lot of SET amps with 6080 output tubes.



There are other things that set Envy apart. Lets start with the tubes used. 300B and 6SN7 (CV181) are the most linear tubes in current production. Linear tube means lower distortion, and simpler construction of the amplifier. 6SN7 is a double triode of medium gain which is very popular in first stages of amplifiers, in preamps and other tube audio that requires best performance. The 300B is a special tube. It is one of the oldest models around. It uses different technology, than the tubes you usually see. It’s a DHT – Directly Heated Triode, meaning the heater circuit is a part of the cathode. It’s the oldest construction of tubes and it is praised as the best sounding.
There is no free meal, and the 300B is very demanding to sound good. The engineers have a tough challenge to make it sing as it is harder to use than regular tubes. Only the best can make the heating circuit that is dead quiet and good sounding as it is directly in the signal path (acts as cathode). The another thing that sets apart Envy is the transformer coupled output. Most tube headamps are OTL – Output TransformerLess. That’s why most of them sound the best with high impedance headphones, or use solid state buffering. Tubes are just not good at pushing the current into low impedances (and even 300 Ohm is low for a tubes, not mentioning 50 Ohm loads).
The oldest, and best answer is the output transformer, which takes high impedance, high voltage output from the tube amplifier, and scales it down to lower voltage and lower impedance. This allows to match the headphone impedance allowing for the best power transfer, and lightens the load on the tubes, bringing lower distortion of the amplifier.



What are the cons? Weight, there is a reason Envy clocks in at a healthy 15 kg. The even bigger one is cost. A high quality, low distortion, high bandwidth transformer can be worth it’s weight in gold. And it is not a too big extrapolation. Especially nowadays, tube output transformers are considered exotic, and not many manufacturers can provide the quality product the Feliks wants to use. The Envy is much more similar to speaker amplifiers, than it is to headamps. The nice comparison would be the legendary SunAudio SV-300B.
Envy produces up to 8W (around 5% THD) of power, but the useful power is around 5W (below 1% THD), which is still more than you might need. This power can be delivered with 3 output gain settings: low, medium and high.The bandwidth is also solid at 18 Hz – 40 kHz +-1dB. This means that the audio spectrum will be reproduced perfectly, with no audible drops.

Build Quality and I/O of Feliks Audio Envy​

Okay, let’s get to the actual build QUALITY. So, the Feliks Audio Envy is built and finished marvelously, it’s in a league of its own. The wood finish and overall attention to detail are mind-boggling in every single inch, this is definitely what a high-end device should look and feel like. Just look at these little details and the quality of the print, there are simply no corners that have been cut. I really appreciate it.
Also, the last couple of years was all about going simple in terms of the design, which caused one small problem – many amplifiers look very similar now, even when they were released by two different companies. You know what I’m talking about – black or silver CNC machined aluminum, boxy design, small footprint. In terms of functionality, this kind of approach is definitely correct, but where’s the fun in it? Envy simply went bonkers on that thing and they definitely weren’t scared of creating something that looks big, muscular, and “classic”.

As far as the I/O goes, this is just an amplifier, so you won’t find any digital inputs and outputs, but as far as analog goes, you’re pretty much covered. At the back panel, you have 3 sets of inputs (two RCA and XLR), which allow you to plug the Feliks Audio Envy into three different DACs, CD players, or Phono Preamps. Additionally, there’s a preamp section that allows you to use the Envy as a preamp in your stereo setup, and you can plug it into an external power amplifier and get that 300B magic onto your speakers as well. This is a great addition, as I’m planning to use the Feliks Audio Envy in my stereo setup in the near future myself. Of course, the preamp section has both RCA and XLR outputs, to make use of the balanced topology. I will definitely update this review once my stereo setup is ready and I’ll get my opinion about the Envy as a preamp.



Let’s now turn the Feliks Audio Envy and look at the front. First of all, you have two headphones outputs, a 6.3mm Jack and a 4-pin XLR. There’s no 4.4mm output, it would have been a great addition, but this plug is still rather exclusive to IEMs, and why on earth would you buy this monster of an amp to drive your IEMs? I mean…you can, but seriously?

Next up, there’s an “Impedance” selector which allows you to switch between low, medium, and high. To be honest, this selector should be called gain, as impedance selectors are not relevant anymore. The Susvara has an impedance of 60Ω, yet it’s harder to drive than any dynamic driver headphone ever built.
So treat this selector more like a gain control, and if you plan to use the Feliks Audio Envy with the Susvara, just go straight to the high setting and never look back. UPDATE : Nowadays the Envy comes with a gain selector instead of the impedance one.

Next to the Impedance selector, there’s an input selector as well, which lets you choose between three different inputs that I’ve mentioned earlier. The selectors work great, they have a nice click to them and yet again, they are not too firm, nor not too smooth. What’s there more to say about switches?

Sound of Feliks Audio Envy​

This was a rather long intro, but I had to go in-depth with this one. Special products like this require special treatment and special attention to detail.

However, this is an amplifier, and the most important thing it can offer is a high-quality sound. You won’t be spending that much of your money on furniture (or if you want to, just get the Herman Miller Eames). So, the Feliks Audio Envy was made to run every single headphone on the market with authority, while offering that legendary, sophisticated timbre of the 300B tube. Does it deliver on that promise?
Before I’ll answer that question, I want to address a very important aspect. You see, tube amps were hugely popular back in the day, and even as far as 10 years ago, tube amplifiers were very popular thanks to their great synergy with headphones like the Sennheiser HD650, HD800, AKG stuff, and many, many more. Then came planars that have changed things significantly, as most tube amps weren’t suitable anymore.

However, I always liked tubes, even though I surely appreciate a good solid-state sound as well. Tubes just have that magic about them, a timbre and sense of realism that is just hard to explain. Additionally, it’s old-school, it’s hot, big, chunky, non-practical, and very, very climactic. Nothing beats the slight, orange light coming from tubes at 3 AM in a pitch-black room, and you cannot convince me otherwise. I’m a big fan of functionality, to the point where the most used pair of IEMs in my arsenal for the past couple of months are the AirPods Pro 2. Are they the best that I have? Definitely not, but are they the most convenient to use? YES.
But, this hobby is not just about functionality and convenience. Actually, that lack of convenience makes you focus on the entire aspect more, which improves your listening sessions in my opinion. It’s the same with vinyl. I love it because it’s so impractical and inconvenient, that it MAKES me sit and enjoy the entire album at once, with no skipping or switching the song every 5 minutes. That kind of inconvenience serves a purpose, and in today’s world, where all of us are constantly distracted and oversaturated with content, something that makes you wait and contemplate can be worth a lot.

Well, yes, you’ll have to wait about 40 minutes for the Feliks Audio Envy to reach its optimal temperature to sound its best. Yes, using it for an hour at a time is totally pointless. Yes, it is huge and heavy. Yes, it gets hot and the tubes have a lifespan. This is definitely NOT a “one-and-only” headphone amplifier for your desk, to use while watching YouTube or playing games. Because of all of this, when you decide to power it on and listen to it, you’ll appreciate it more, treat it as something impractical so much, to the point where it serves a very practical purpose – to make you focus more.



Okay, this could have been a little too poetic, but I hope you got my point. Another aspect that I’d like to focus on is the entire solid-state vs tube situation. This amplifier will never measure as well as something like the Topping A90, which is like 1/10 of its price. So what? I’ve had both, and I would literally NEVER choose to listen to the A90 over the Envy, and it’s not a close call. These two are miles away from each other when it comes to the sound performance, and no measurements and audio objectivist is going to convince me that I’m wrong here, so don’t even try.

The energy, timbre, dynamics, sweetness, and punch of the reviewed Feliks Audio Envy are all the best I’ve ever heard from a headphone amplifier, beating some great amps on its way. To truly understand the level of audio goodness that this huge guy outputs, you’ll have to try it with your favorite headphones. Hopefully, this review will help you make a decision of trying the Envy, or you’ll simply blind-buy it, but trust me: No words I’m going to use here are going to be enough to express the number of emotions that the Envy delivers. But I’ll try my best!

So, let’s start with the BASS. Yes, that capslock was intentional, as the Feliks Audio Envy delivers an absolutely crazy bass response with every headphone that I’ve tried it with (and I’ve tried a lot). The first myth is busted right away: Tube amps don’t have enough juice and punch for an excellent bass response. Busted. The low frequencies here are incredibly powerful, rich, dense, and perfectly controlled, to the point where you won’t believe that it’s a tube amp. This is probably the biggest surprise that the Feliks Audio Envy has for you, as it’s definitely not a soft, warm-sounding amplifier.
Even with the Hifiman Susvara, the reviewed DAC/Amp is able to deliver a very powerful, impactful, and firm bass response that these headphones lack very often. I’ve always seen the Susvara to be a little too anemic and calm in the bass department for my liking, but ever since I’ve got the Feliks Audio Envy for sake of this review, this feeling is gone. And when you’ll try it with something like the Meze Elite or the Rosson RAD-0 is when you’ll experience a bass that is just absolutely insane.
Of course, the resolution, speed, control, and texture are all top-tier (as you should expect that this price), but to have all that aspects married with such energy and power is a rarity that is definitely worth paying for. It’s immediately prominent that the Envy has ultimate control over every driver, resulting in a lightning-fast response time, which further improves the resolution and dynamics.
Because of all of this, the Feliks Audio Envy is a Jack Of All Trades, as there are simply no headphones or music genres that it doesn’t perform incredibly with. The bass response is just highly universal, to the point where it doesn’t overdo anything, but you’ll never have a feeling that it’s lacking in power or slam. Another great aspect is the spatial capabilities of the bass itself, which is quite hard to achieve in headphones.
If you’ll play a track with multiple bass instruments, they all will resonate in different places around your head, which is a very unusual yet highly natural feeling. Let’s take a song called “Abraham” by Miles Mosley, which has that big double bass. It sounds so rich, yet incredibly natural and well-controlled, to the point when it’s never going to interfere with the rest of the instruments. The amount of air pushed just feels right, it doesn’t resonate infinitely, yet it’s not too fast and lean at the same time. Just perfection.



The midrange is where the 300B shows its legendary status. You see, I don’t know how experienced you are in the stereo market, but 300B amplifiers have been incredibly popular in high-end for many, many years now. That’s because of its truly unique timbre, which shows mainly in the midrange. These tubes just make the music come to life, but at the same time, they don’t sound overly “tube-y”. You see, I always imagined the perfect amplifier to sound like a good tube amp, but with the technicalities of a top solid-state one, and the Feliks Audio Envy finally showed me that it’s possible and that it exists. Having that in mind, don’t expect the Envy to sound like any other tube amplifier you’ve ever tried, because it definitely won’t.
Most people that have tried it, including my friends and myself, have found it less “tube-like” than they expected. And this is actually the best thing that could have happened in my opinion, as you don’t need a lot of that 300B magic to make the music sound the way it should. The high-end audio is all about proportions, not overdoing anything, yet giving us something unique and pleasant.
This type of sound gives you a truly different experience. The albums that you know perfectly suddenly sound a little bit different, and not in a bad way, but not in a “this is what high fidelity sounds like!”. No, it just has a different flavor, that is incredibly fun to experience and gives you a feeling of dealing with something unique. I always thought that high-end audio isn’t really about sounding ultimately better, but rather creating a sensation of experiencing a sound that is highly colored, but in a specifically designed way. High-End often isn’t really about chasing the best measurements and purest audio signal. It is designed to sound in a “specific way”, which I can compare to fine dining.
Why am I expressing this so much? Because the 300B tube is in a lot of ways just what I explained. If you want ultimate transparency and a sound that is perfectly uncolored, just get a solid-state amplifier. If you’d like something that has a spice to it, but it’s not just a spice but rather a meticulously seasoned dish that sounds “as intended”, then I believe that there’s nothing better than 300B in the world. This tube has so many enthusiasts to the point where I know a handful of people that will never buy a non-300B amp ever again in their lives. Well, who can blame them?
Well, that was a lot of words, but what does all of that really mean? I’ll give you an example. “Lovely” by Billie Eilish and Khalid is a great example of a song that is insanely emotional and simply melodic, but the mastering (while pretty good actually) kind of kills those emotions in the vocal range. These vocal parts often lack a bit of softness, natural thickness, and harmonics, resulting in a sound that is very energetic, but a little bit emotionless in my opinion. The same song played via the Feliks Audio Envy gets that beautiful timbre in the midrange, and suddenly the music flows effortlessly with a lot of richness to it.
It’s not that it starts to lack anything because it overpowers certain portions of the sound, hell no. It just adds that final touch to simply improve the richness and desirability. That’s what’s worth an extra penny in my book. I’ve heard a neutral and transparent sound hundreds of times in my life, just give me something flavorful and unique, especially if I’m spending many, many thousands of euros/dollars. While enough has been said about it, I must highlight the fact that the Feliks Audio Envy DOES sound very natural and accurate, as all of those 300B perks are subtle to the point where it’s literally the perfect amount. When you’ll listen to it you’ll immediately hear that this amplifier has been tuned very, very lovingly.



The treble is yet again incredible. I know this might be starting to get boring, but that’s just a fact. The amount of shimmer, the transient response, the decay, saturation, and proper weight of instruments. Everything sounds just fantastic to the point where there’s literally nothing even remotely wrong with this treble response. It never gets too hot, it’s never veiled, dark, or muffled, it is just ideal. Something that basically no solid-state amp can do for me is to reproduce the natural weight of cymbals. While many get to sound very fast, snappy, and detailed, it is the thickness and weight of the sound itself that does that for me. If you’ve never heard a percussion live, just go to the nearest music shop that has one on display and start bashing those hi-hats. It’s not harsh or sharp, it’s rich, ringing, and very intimidating sounding, and that’s exactly what the Envy can reproduce.
Once again, a tuning designed for what the real instrument sounds like, not what’s the most accurate on the frequency response. I know that I’m going to piss many audio objectivists with this sentence, but hey, here it goes anyway. I said it a million times and I’m going to say it again: I’m in this hobby long enough to appreciate Harman and perfectly neutrally tuned gear, but I’d rather quit this hobby than listen to the perfectly flat system for the rest of my life. No, thank you, I’ll leave that one for measuring devices, I’m a human being and I want my emotions in my music, this is THE ingredient that is the most important, and nothing is going to convince me that it’s not. Actually, audio objectivists will never ever even start to consider buying an amp like the Envy, so they probably aren’t even reading this review.
Well, jokes aside. You know “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac, it has some intensive treble action, and this track sounds absolutely ridiculous on Envy. The amount of energy, the sublime texture of it, crisp yet naturally rich and smooth, you’ve got everything that you could have asked for. And more. Another great example is the “Chocolate Chip Trip” from the latest Tool album, Fear Inoculum. I’ve used this song many times now in my reviews, but it just never gets old. Just go and play it, it’s such an incredible show of Danny’s godlike skills, and it’s well-mastered as well. So, this track just gets so intense on Envy that it gets shockingly close to a true live concert.
You immediately start banging your head, and you can’t help it. This once again proves that the Envy is NOT just another 300B amplifier that sounds unique and tube-y. This is peak solid state level of performance, seasoned with some high-end tube magic powder to create a type of experience that you simply cannot fake. This is big brain stuff, no other amplifier that I’ve heard could have done this even remotely close. Woah.
The amount of treble you’ll get will also hugely depend on your headphones of choice. The Meze Elite focused more on weight and richness, without going to outer space when it comes to scale and extension. But, when I switched the Elite for the Hifiman Susvara, the treble immediately opened up, went further up, and scaled better. This is a brighter-sounding combination, no doubts about it, so you can easily control the amount of treble with your headphones. At the end of the day, you don’t want an amplifier that is going to highly alter your headphone’s tone, to the point where they’ll suddenly start being a bit harsh or overly bright, right? The Envy is just so sophisticated and well-tuned, that it never gets in the way, but you always know it’s there.

The soundstage, will it surprise you at this point if I’ll rate it as exceptional? Doubt it. Yet again, absolutely brilliant performance with infinite depth and width, ultra-precise imaging, layering, and separation. If you’ll try the Envy with great staging headphones like the Susvara, HD800, or the HEDDphone, you’ll be amazed of how a pair of headphones can project the sound outside of your head. Say goodbye to the music playing in your head, these days are long gone for Envy users.
Because the Envy has so much power and it delivers it with such authority, the complete control over any driver gives you an endlessly low response time, which allows the soundstage to sound as precise as it gets. Again, the harmonic characteristics and that unique type of presentation further extend on that feeling, as many great solid-state amplifiers tend to somewhat struggle with proper staging. While the Topping D90SE is a DAC, not an AMP, I will never forget how non-existent the depth is on that DAC.
Everything is very close in front of you, everything in the same distance, and there’s nothing you can do to improve that, this device just has no soundstage depth and you have to accept it or choose a different one. The Envy on the other hand shows again why it’s worthy of being a TOTL, end-game piece of audio, as it just delivers a performance that is just as perfect as it gets nowadays. I truly don’t know if you can get any better right now, regardless of the cost. The amount of air, scale, ultimate accuracy, and resolution is insane, you can simply pinpoint every single violin in the recording, even if there are 12 of them.
Nothing is blooming, nothing gets in the way of anything, every single piece of audio source has its place and it does respect its boundaries, squeezing every single drop of air it has to play. I really don’t want to write any witchcraft saying that this amplifier creates a soundstage that is like standing in the middle of a huge field with instruments as far as 100 meters from you, I’m not that crazy…yet. But when the credit is due, I have to give it, and for me, the soundstage capability of the Envy is just as good as it gets in 2023. Absolutely stunning.

Pairing​

Hifiman Susvara


Let’s start the pairing paragraph with an obvious choice. The Hifiman Susvara is well-known for both its incredible sound quality, as well as for being ridiculously hard to drive. Up to this day, you had basically next to zero choices for tube amplifiers to run your Susvara with. Some people used stereo tube amps via speaker outputs, and while this is a way to do it, it’s definitely not ideal.
Here comes the Envy, which pairs absolutely beautifully with the Susvara. As I said in the introduction, when trying the Envy at the Munich High-End show, I immediately ran to the Hifiman Booth and borrowed a pair of Susvara to try that combination. I was blown away to the point where I basically had to get my hands on the Envy for a longer time, and yeah…here we are.

So, this pairing is really special. Susvara is known for its natural, fatigue-free, and organic presentation, and the Envy just empowers these trademarks while giving you all the dynamics and slam you’d ever need. The Susvara finally came to life when it comes to bass performance, where its rather soft and delicate low end turned into a monster. No, it’s still not a bassy-sounding headphone by any means, but there’s slam, impact and rumble now to be found, and quite a fantastic one actually. Apart from that, the rest of the frequency response sounds absolutely spectacular, with a rich and organic, yet technical and crisp midrange and that thick, insanely detailed treble.
The soundstage is definitely one of the best I’ve ever heard in a headphone, and all of that creates a sound quality that is just mesmerizing. The Susvara is such an epic product on its own, but when paired with the Envy you’ll really get a sense of experiencing something special, and ultra-high-end. I still imagine myself around 10 years ago, and how insanely shocked I would have been if I got to try that setup back then. This hobby has improved so much over the last decade that it’s the main reason I’m still in love with audio.

I’ve seen a lot of people chatting about the Susvara + Envy pairing on Head-Fi and on Facebook, and I must admit that this is one hell of a setup that will definitely satisfy literally every high-end audio fan. I’ve heard stereo setups that were more than 10x more expensive that didn’t offer this level of immersion, richness, and detail reproduction. I honestly think that this pair could rival behemoths like the original Orpheus, which might give you an idea of how great it is. Susvara fans are no longer limited to solid-state amplifiers, as it has been for many years now. There’s a new kid in town, and it’s making quite a fuzz – and the fuzz is justified. If you own the Susvara and you have been struggling to find the perfect amp, you HAVE to try the Envy.

Rosson RAD-0


When I received the RAD-0 and the burn-in process ended, I immediately plugged them into the Envy, and yeah…I finished at 5 AM. The RAD-0 is a highly musical pair of headphones that are designed to provide fun while also being great at monitoring.
What’s great about this pairing is that both devices shine in quite similar areas. While being very good from the technical point of view, they do have their unique type of presentation that is incredibly fun to listen to, but it’s not to the extreme in any way. The RAD-0 has a wonderful bass response, and when paired with the Envy, it gets even better. Rich, strong, well-controlled, and marvelously tactile, this is the bass response that I absolutely love. I actually prefer the bass response of this pairing to the flagship Susvara + Envy pairing, mainly because it’s even more energetic and punchier and it hits harder. Yet again the Feliks Audio Envy has absolute control over the driver, which gives you that highly dynamic and firm bass notes.

When it comes to the midrange, you’re yet again getting that rich, full-bodied, and flowing tonality with exceptional resolution and detail. The RAD-0 doesn’t offer a soundstage that is on the same level as the Susvara, but it also sounds quite a bit closer to you and more intimate, which performs great with 300B tubes. You’re getting that sense of a private concert in a small room that feels very welcoming and calming.

This pairing does great with every music genre, but it shines in electronic music, rock, and everything that needs a lot of energy and punch. What’s interesting is that new mainstream music sounds absolutely ridiculous here, so this setup is perfect if you like todays music. Energetic, fun, quite forgiving but highly insightful at the same time. Definitely a great pairing, and while the price difference between the two products is quite big, I can definitely recommend the Envy if you own the RAD-0. They just go wonderfully together.

Meze Elite


The current flagship of Meze Audio, the Elite is my second favorite pair of headphones right now. It’s a pinnacle of what a Daily Driver should be – beautifully tuned, forgiving, and welcoming, paired with the best build quality on the market. The Elite is my go-to pair when I simply want to listen to music and enjoy it, without overthinking about what to listen to or what to pair it with. Just plug them into anything that is near me, click play, and enjoy your time. There’s no other headphone that does this for me in a similar fashion, and because of that, I can say that I’m a huge fan of the Elite.

So, one of the biggest pros of the Elite is its ability to basically sound great with everything. How does it go when we plug it into a 300B beast? Well, it does exceptionally well. The Elite definitely scales up with better equipment, just not as much as the Susvara for example. Luckily, the Envy is not just about its raw technical performance, but also its magical, rich tuning which the Elite definitely pairs well with. Yes, the Elite does not need a smooth and magical-sounding midrange from the amp, as they do have that kind of midrange performance on their own. But when paired with the Envy, this feeling is not overpowered suddenly.

Because of that, this pairing is perfect for late-night, chill listening sessions or to watch movies and have some fun. There’s literally nothing that you’ll pinpoint and call “wrong” in the sound, everything flows and it just sounds…effortless. You definitely don’t need to buy the Envy immediately if you own the Elite, as this headphone works beautifully on its own, but if you have a spare 7000 Euro, you definitely should try this combination. This is the type of sound that would have been chosen by many hardcore 300B stereo fans out there actually, and I mean it. If you don’t want to chase the absolutely best detail retrieval, the most neutral type of sound, and absolute transparency, this might be the setup to go for. Rich, soft, romantic, incredibly addicting, and just musical. This pair sounds like music, something that should be really, really important for you.

Final D8000 Pro


Now let’s turn the table and go in the opposite direction. The D8000 Pro is everything that the Elite isn’t, and vice versa. Very technical, neutral, and reference-sounding, this feels like the perfect candidate for the Envy, right? Yes, these two yet again pair fantastically. In my opinion, the D8000 Pro definitely needs a bit of richness, softness, and magic to counter its highly neutral, and to be honest, boring tuning. The Envy does that beautifully, as the Final flagship suddenly turns into a much more musical and enjoyable headphone. Another thing is that the bass response of the D8000 Pro is very unusual for a planar headphone, being more reminiscent of a dynamic driver. It slams hard and has great attack and decay, and the Envy further improves on that.

Here you’re getting an intense low frequencies action, with some of the best dynamics you’ll be able to find in the planar world. While not as texturized as the Susvara, it slams harder and roars more, which might be highly desirable for many. The rest of the frequency response is countered by the Envy in the perfect fashion – it just improves the overall smoothness and realism, while not worsening the overall technical capabilities. Because of that, you’re still getting that fantastic detail retrieval and resolution, but it’s paired with a tone that is slightly more natural and enjoyable now.

This pairing is a perfect example of how two elements can help each other. The D8000 Pro is definitely not the perfect pair of headphones (hell, there are no perfect headphones, to begin with), but when paired with the Envy it definitely goes in the right direction. If you own the D8000 Pro and find them to be a bit too technical, too neutral, and fatiguing, the Envy is the perfect amp for you.

Audeze MM-500


This is the same as the D8000 Pro. The MM-500 is a technical, neutral-sounding headphone that even though it offers excellent detail and resolution, might be a bit too much for you. The Envy once again tames this headphone to become more enjoyable and more forgiving, while not sacrificing its excellent transparency and coherency. Yes, if you own the MM-500 then you probably want that ultimate, neutral tonality, but maybe you’d like a second amplifier that will turn your setup into a more “enjoyable” experience.

Here comes the LCD5 as well, as its frequency response is quite similar to the MM-500, and given their price, they are a more “logical” choice for the Envy than the MM-500. Yet again, the LCD-5 focuses hugely on the midrange, it is a mid-forward headphone, and the Envy should love that kind of performance. At the end of the day, we’re talking 300B amplifier, and its biggest strength is in the midrange, so a mid-forward, flagship pair of headphones should be a fantastic pairing. Unfortunately, I don’t have the LCD5 at my hand, so I cannot test this pairing, but it seems logical that it would have been a great combo. Let me know if you tried it.

Hifiman HE1000se


Now onto the little brother of the Susvara, the 1000se. This pair is very efficient, and you can run the 1000se out of basically everything, even a potato large enough should be enough (please don’t try it).

So, do you need an amp like the Envy if you own the 1000se? Definitely not. But will the 1000se sound great with it? Absolutely yes. It’s not only about what the headphone “needs” but rather what it “could use”. And the 1000se can be a touch too bright and lean for many, especially when paired with very neutral amplifiers like Topping or SMSL. Here comes the Envy with its insane bass response, and that beautiful, rich midrange to save the day. This amplifier made the 1000se so much more enjoyable for me, less fatiguing, and more mature sounding actually. While this model doesn’t really benefit from the sheer power of the Envy, it surely appreciates the tuning that changes the response here and there to achieve a more high-fidelity experience.

But, there’s a big risk. If you own the 1000se and you’ll end up buying the Envy, then I already know how it’s going to end. You’ll be amazed of your setup and you’ll swear that you ain’t changing a thing in the future…but sooner or later you’ll get your hands on the Susvara and try it with the Envy, and boom, you sold the 1000se, and bought the Susvara. Well, mission accomplished, you finally made it to the end credits, right? Right.

Comparisons​

I’ll be doing the comparisons differently this time. I don’t have anything remotely close to the Envy at my desk right now, but I’ve heard the Susvara on many, many amplifiers, which I had here at my disposal at a time, so I can give you something at least.
First of all, I haven’t tried the Bakoon (now Enleum) amplifiers in a long time, and when speaking about Woo Audio, I only have had the WA22 for long enough to be able to give you a no-bs comparison.

So, long story short, the WA22 doesn’t even come close to the Envy. There you are. Comparing these two is really pointless because the Envy sounds so much better in every aspect. Man…I really have to put my hands on the WA33 to really have a good rival for the Envy. Hopefully, I can update this review in the future when I’ll have the WA33 side-by-side with the Envy.

What I can for sure do, is compare the Envy to the Octave V 16 Single-Ended. This is also a big-boy amplifier, but instead of using the godlike 300b tubes, the Germans went with a KT120. Well, no surprises here – the Envy completely demolishes the V 16 when it comes to energy, control, timbre, and resolution, and it’s not a close call. Don’t think that it’s because it’s more expensive though, because actually, the Octave is significantly more expensive than the Envy, coming at around 10000 GBP. Ouch.

So, the Envy sounds a lot more natural, sophisticated, powerful, and rich than the V 16. I’m not saying that the Octave is a bad amplifier because it definitely is not. The Envy just sounds better, especially with very high-to-drive headphones like the Susvara. And this difference is obvious, you don’t have to really focus on it. The detail retrieval is superior, the resolution and slam are both in a completely different class, and the timbre is miles ahead of the V 16. I’m sorry Octave, but it looks like your V 16 isn’t relevant anymore. Well, to summarize that comparison as simply as I can: 300B > KT120. Period.



Next up, the Ferrum OOR. I actually had the OOR for about 3 months in 2021 and had a really good time with it. The OOR is a fantastic amplifier when it comes to value, as there’s probably nothing that runs the Susvara so well in its price range. However, yet again, it doesn’t stand a chance with the mighty Feliks Audio Envy, which is just more powerful sounding, while also being more detailed with better tonality. The OOR is a natural-sounding amplifier that is actually quite smooth for a solid state, but the Envy is a real deal. If you’re on a “budget”, definitely buy the OOR as it is a fantastic piece of gear, but if you want the best of the best, your eyes should be set on the Envy.
However, these two offer different approaches to sound. The Envy is definitely more colored of the two, with a more “magical” and tube-y sound (well, that’s logical isn’t it?). The OOR on the other hand is sounding more like an ordinary amplifier, so it will never be able to reach that incredible timbre of the Envy. The price difference is huge though, so my easy recommendation goes to both. Different levels, that’s all. Both are excellent.

Another comparison worth mentioning is with the Cayin HA-300 (mk1). Both amplifiers use 300B, but as far as functionality goes, the Cayin is victorious here. You can plug loudspeakers into its speakers outputs, that’s an incredible addition if you ask me, and I wish Envy had speakers outs as well. However, when we’ll get into the sound, the Envy is a clear winner here. The HA-300 is definitely warmer of the two, thicker sounding with more tube influence into the sound. The Envy however hits much harder, is faster, more detailed, and has a better soundstage. The difference is quite significant actually, with Envy being a much better-sounding device. On top of that, it while looks are highly subjective, its build quality is more impressive as well. Cayin is well-made, don’t get me wrong here, but there’s just more about the Envy that makes you feel you’ve got something truly special on your desk.

Feliks Audio Envy – Summary​

Kudos if you made it this far. This review was incredibly fun to do for me, and the results exceeded my expectations.

The Feliks Envy is a pinnacle of the High-End headphones market today. It’s an amplifier that checks all the boxes and then it does even more. Fantastic technical performance paired with timbre to die for, this is a true statement piece that should place Feliks Audio on top of the game, and it probably will in time. The Envy is an incredible amplifier to pair with every high-end headphones on the market, as it will surely run everything that you plug into it. On top of that, it looks marvelous and is built with such perfect craftsmanship, that even looking at it and touching it gives a smile on your face. A true State Of The Art device, in every single aspect. Congratulations to the entire Feliks Audio crew for creating this monster. It must have been quite a long journey for you guys, but you made it. Wow.



Highly Recommended!


Big thanks to Feliks Audio for providing the Envy for this review. I wasn’t paid or asked to say anything good or bad about this product, all of the above is just my personal, unbiased opinion.

About Author​

Paweł Szachno​

Founder of Ear Fidelity. I’ve been into audio for many years, working in production, distribution, retail, and marketing throughout my career. Now trying to revolutionize the art of reviewing audio gear, but one thing will never change: Music is the most important.

Lavricables Master​

Lavricables – their Master line offers great materials, lots of customization, and promises superb performance. How do they stack to other cables on the market at $279?


Introduction to the review of Lavricables Master​

Lavricables has something major in common with Ear Fidelity. It is a passion project established by hobbyists who said: “We can bring something into the community”. I love working with people like us. There is a great vibe in the air from the start. You, my dear reader, are one of us too. I can’t imagine anybody not being passionate about the audio quality going through my reviews. So, we are stuck in this passionate triangle. No homo, homie.

Jokes aside, as Lavricables is a no-BS company. You won’t find any magical tales on their website. Everything is straight to the point. Lavricables Master wants us to get great-quality silver wires to use in audio. It’s their favorite conductor, and they have dedicated their time to providing the best possible configurations. There are many options for you to choose from. Pure silver wires of different types, a selection of connectors, and some extra customization options. Super easy to get a hold of, and very versatile. You can have it your way, trust me.

There are 4 levels of quality. Reference, Ultimate, Master, and Grand. They differ from the wire used. We will focus on the Master line this time. One of the others will be covered by Paweł soon, so stay tuned. The Master line contains earphone, headphone, interconnect, speaker, and power cables. The IEM cable is made of 4 PVC isolated 22AWG 5N litz silver wires.

My version came with 2 pin recessed connectors, a 4,4mm jack, gold plated, blue jacket, no sleeve, and the optional carbon, and aluminum splitter. What I really appreciate, is the fact that they also offer DIY supplies including conductors and connectors. I’m a DIY guy, and I appreciate the option to buy high-quality parts from a reputable vendor.

Packaging and Build Quality​

It comes in really basic. A very well-secured package contains a soft, branded bag protecting the cable itself. Of, the sticker is cool, it comes with the set. I told you it’s no BS company. No budget went to fancy boxes.

The cable is built very well. The construction is flawless, everything is super sturdy, yet lightweight for a relatively thick conductor. For IEMs 22AWG is thiccc. With three “c”. The conductor was described before, but I just want to add that 5N silver litz wire is one of the best options on the market. No corners cut here. No Sir.

As far as comfort is concerned, the Master is a comfortable cable. While being bulkier and a bit stiffer than usual, it still doesn’t pick up any microphonic noise, it’s plenty soft and not too prone to tangling. While I wouldn’t call it ultra-comfortable, it’s definitely not problematic at all.

Sound of the Lavricables Master​

Why would we want to use silver wires at all? The theory says that it’s the best conductor of electricity. In practice, silver wires offer brighter tonality, more resolution, and better sound staging than their copper counterparts. It’s exactly what Lavricables Master does. No surprises there.
In the beginning, I want to make it clear that this cable sounds like silver should sound like. It is on the brighter side, but doesn’t lose the timbre and meat on the bone. That can be an issue with lesser quality silver cables that are plenty on the market. Similarly to poor quality copper, it can cause unsatisfactory results. A shiny, glassy, hollow sound is the usual description of the changes.

So we have that out of the way. My Lavricables Master 2 Pin was made with gold-plated connectors, which gives it a little more warmth compared to rhodium-plated connectors. Have that in mind, you can tilt the sound of it a bit more into detail and openness. We all need to find our balance. I went with the safer option, as I’m going through a lot of different IEMs when reviewing.

Bass
Silver is often accused of cutting out bass. I would use that sentence about the reviewed Lavricables Master. In the end, 22AWG wires offer super low impedance, so nothing will hamper the bass on the technical side. On the subjective take, Master tightens the bass and gives it exceptional clarity and resolution. You lose a bit of the oompf, but you gain so much more in sheer quality.
I usually try to find the best usage of equipment characteristics, but besides people who prefer boomy bass (ain’t no shame in that), most of the rest will gladly take this deal. Take a look at the monster of pop music, Bruno Mars, and his banger That’s what I like. The bass has a very nice punch, and excellent control, and is fun as should be.



Midrange
The midrange is super clean and extremely smooth. Right now I’m listening to Kendrick Lamar’s HUMBLE. and I love how liquid his voice sounds. Combined with his flawless delivery it really is something to consider.
It’s hard to go back after hearing this liquid and organic sound. An additional pro is that it really allows the tiniest detail to shine. It gives the extra depth and decay that usually gets lost. There is just a bit more sound in the music. Those of you who pay extra attention to those frequencies should take notes. Lavricables master might be a cable for you if you wish to get the most out of your IEMs.

Treble
Silver and treble are like a cold beer at the BBQ. It just does wonders for the treble. Especially litz wires, like the reviewed Lavricables Master, which are specialized to work with high frequencies (much higher than 20kHz), so audio is like DC for them. They are completely transparent for that range. Once again we get the ultimate smooth, liquid, and organic sound. Trebles are rich, crystal clear, snappy, and super realistic. It’s not done by influencing the tonal balance, but by refining the signal delivered. Or maybe it’s the copper that adds coloration. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
To put it blandly, Lavricable Master has one of the top treble responses I have heard, including some really high-end cables. To give you a quick example, the cymbals in Tear Don’t Fall by every 00s teenager metal entry band Bullet for my Valentine, they don’t fall, they crash around me. Some of you will get it, the rest, well listen to the song goddammit. That’s why I write about them here!

Soundstaging
Reviewed cable really brings separation and effortlessness to the sound. With IEMs sometimes the soundstage gets shallow in between the channels, while with Lavricable Master this negative effect seems to be reduced. It won’t transform your earphones, but it allows them to give you better, more realistic sound staging. The imaging and separation are what you’d expect from a great-quality silver cable – accurate, clean, and snappy. Very good results here.

Comparisons​

Eletech Prudence


Recently reviewed cable from Singapore is a mix of materials: silver and copper. It really comes down to stereotypes. Pure silver Lavricables Master offers better detail, resolution, textures, and sound staging. The Prudence has a more tactile bass, warmer, more moist midrange, and calmer treble. It really does come down to the preference, and IEMs that you own. Both are excellent cables.

If you’d like to make your IEM faster, snappier, and more intense sounding, the Lavricables Master should be your choice. However, if you’re into a more intimate, richer, and smoother overall presentation, the Prudence will be better for you. Take note that the Prudence won our “Cable Of The Year 2022” award, so the fact that I’m rating the Lavricables Master as comparable to the Prudence is a rather high praise.

Pairings​

LETSHUOER EJ07M
The ultimate combo for transparent midrange, and supernatural midrange. The Lavricables Master really brings out the resolution of this great IEM. This cable is a relatively big part of the IEMs price, but I can see people doing that investment. Many could live with that sound.

Unique Melody MEXT

One of the most fun IEMs on the market goes really nicely with this silver cable. It gives a nice kick to the energetic, sparky outgoing tuning of the MEXT. I would be careful with the pairing, more bright sounding electronic won’t pair nicely with them. Something warmer, and darker is very welcomed. Neutral is fine too if a strong V-shaped characteristic is your thing.

Final Audio B1

A pairing I couldn’t do, since my Master has 2 pin and the B1 has MMCX sockets. It is a pairing that I can give my head for though. They will go fantastic together. Imagine a warm, honey-like midrange from the B1 with the openness and detail of the Lavricables Master. This one would be a blast, definitely.

Summary​

Lavricables Master delivers exactly what it promises. Superior quality of the conductor, high build quality, and excellent performance. It’s hard to argue with the results. While the price might seem high compared to Aliexpress brands, have no doubts.

The difference in the price is reflected in the quality of the sound. Also if you look at the price of bare components like 5N silver wires, and good connectors, the price that Lavricables puts on their products is more than fair. This cable gives you all the pros of silver wires, with no usual drawbacks.

It delivers clarity, resolution, control, and smoothness. It really can make a difference and elevate the sound of your favorite IEMs. Add to that rugged build quality and tons of customization options. This really is one of the best silver wires on the market, and I have no doubt saying that.


Big thanks to Lavricables for providing the Master for this review. I wasn’t paid or asked to say anything good or bad about this product, all of the above is just my personal, unbiased opinion.

About Author​

Michał Sommerfeld​

I can really say “been there, done that” in regard to audio. Designing, building, fixing, reviewing, selling. All of that for big boy stereo. Headphones are something new and fresh for me. We all need something exciting now and then, so join me in my quest of discovering this cool world. We will listen to, drink and WE WILL bring the balance to the force. Oh, I like beer.

XI Audio K-DAC is an R2R DAC that is their second attempt into the DAC market, after their flagship Sagra DAC. It's priced at $2584.​

​

Introduction​

XI Audio is a Taiwanese company specializing in the production of high-quality audio electronics. Their offerings include the extremely popular and excellent Broadway series amplifiers and their flagship Formula S. They also have the R2R Sagra DAC in their lineup, which has gained recognition from many around the world.
XI Audio may be known for its close collaboration with American headphone manufacturer Abyss Headphones, but they have certainly earned recognition for producing phenomenal audio devices in recent years. Of course, XI Audio offers more boutique devices, mainly due to their price, but if you are looking for high-end electronics for headphones, this is a company that should definitely be considered

Now, XI Audio has released another, this time cheaper R2R DAC model called the K-DAC. With a circuit designed on custom order specially tailored for XI Audio at the legendary Soekris company, we can be sure of the sound quality. Its footprint, which perfectly fits amplifiers in the Broadway series, makes it the ideal, high-end DAC for the desk.

Also, you know me, I’m an absolute fan of R2R DACs, so this one is insanely interesting for me personally. Let’s dig right into it.

Packaging​

There isn’t much to say in terms of the unboxing experience of the K-DAC, because I only received the device with a remote control, without the original packaging.
Nonetheless, this is a desktop DAC, so you shouldn’t really expect a luxurious unboxing experience. At the end of the day, the box will probably end up at your attic or in your closet, so that would have been pointless for the company to charge you extra for fancy packaging that you won’t be using anyway.

Tech, Build Quality and I/O​

The XI Audio K-DAC is a high-end digital-to-analog converter that utilizes R2R ladder technology from the renowned Soekris company. The K-DAC was designed with this technology on special order from Soekris, ensuring that it delivers top-quality sound.

R2R DAC technology, also known as resistor ladder DAC technology, is a method of digital-to-analog conversion that utilizes a resistors set to create a precise and accurate conversion process. This technology has been around for quite some time and has been utilized in various forms of audio equipment, but it has seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years due to its high-quality sound and ability to deliver a very unique timbre.
Another advantage of R2R DAC technology is its ability to deliver a more analog-like listening experience. Digital audio can sometimes lack the warmth and richness of analog sound, but R2R DAC technology helps to bridge the gap by creating a more organic, natural sound. This can be especially appealing to those who prefer the sound of vinyl records or other analog audio sources.

In terms of how the technology works, a R2R DAC utilises a set of resistors for the conversion. There are two values: R and 2R (two times R) hence the name. They are arranged in a string of series and parallel connections, which on schematics looks like a ladder, which is a second name for those circuits. This is the oldest type of DACs used in audio. The first converters like this were integrated circuits named TDA1540 and TDA1541. They were used in the first CD players. Nowadays, discrete (made out of single resitors) R2R circuits are used as that allows for much greater flexibility in design. The circuit used here is a combination of FPGA (digital filters and modulators), a set of switches, and obviously a R2R resistor network. This solution was created by Soekris Engineering and is very well known in DIY coimmunity.



Overall, R2R DAC technology is a highly effective method of digital-to-analog conversion that is worth considering for those who value precise and accurate sound with a more analog-like listening experience. Its ability to deliver high-quality sound and a natural, organic sound make it a popular choice for audiophiles nowadays.
Overall, the XI Audio K-DAC is a great choice for those looking for high-quality sound and a range of connectivity options. Its R2R ladder technology from Soekris ensures precise and accurate sound, while the variety of I/O options makes it compatible with a wide range of digital sources and audio components. Its minimalistic design and compact size make it a great addition to any home audio setup.

As far as the I/O goes, the K-DAC is equipped with USB, Coaxial, Optical, I2s, BNC, and AES-EBU digital inputs, so pretty much everything you would ever need. On the other hand, it offers a pair of RCA outputs, as well as balanced XLR ones, to give you full flexibility when it comes to connecting the DAC to any audio device you’d like.
The build quality is solid, but nothing incredibly sublime or unique. Its finish is matte, the fit and finish are both excellent, but the entire device looks modest and understated, which can be a good thing for many. One thing that I don’t really like is again, the power switch on the back panel. I had the same issue with the exceptional Broadway S, as it makes it a lot less convenient when powering on/off the device. Other than that, the entire physical aspect of the K-DAC is solid, and you simply cannot nitpick anything else in my opinion.

Sound​

In the world of more and more affordable Sigma Delta DACs, a $2500 R2R DAC is certainly a rarity, hence this sound description was really interesting for me to do. I’ve always been a fan of R2R DACs, as I’m a vinyl fan and I’m used to a rich, smooth, and analog sound. Of course, as a reviewer, I always have to put my personal taste aside, but let’s be honest – it’s not entirely possible.

You see, you can go and buy a $200 DAC that will measure exceptionally well and call it a day. However, this kind of device isn’t meant for all of you that went into the high-end audio market and you’re looking for specific sound characteristics. R2R DACs have that rare ability to deliver a beautifully rich and analog-like sound that is incredibly addicting and just fantastic to listen to. It’s a perfect marriage of technical capabilities and timbre that feels like you’re not listening to digital audio.
Overall, the biggest strength of the K-DAC when it comes to its sound is the fact that it doesn’t overdo anything, nor is it bland. High-End devices have to offer unique yet refined sound characteristics to be valuable to the audio market nowadays. The Chinese competition became so strong, that putting a hefty price tag and pretending that nothing happened would have been devastating for any manufacturer these days.

Luckily, XI Audio is definitely not interested in manufacturing audio devices that are just expensive. There’s a lot of thought behind their products, and while not really affordable, they do offer exceptional quality and technology to justify the price. Let’s dive right into it, and let’s start with the bass.

The XI Audio K-DAC offers the fantastic sound quality, and its bass performance is particularly noteworthy. The K-DAC’s bass has an incredible level of detail, control, and richness, making it a standout performer in this regard. One of the key features of its bass is its incredible detail. The bass is extremely well-defined and articulate, with a level of clarity that is rarely heard in other DACs. This makes it ideal for music that has complex bass lines, as the K-DAC is able to accurately reproduce all of the nuances and subtleties of the music. In addition to its detail, the K-DAC’s bass also has excellent control. The bass is tight and well-controlled, with a strong sense of precision and definition. This makes it ideal for music that requires a strong and punchy bass, as the K-DAC is able to deliver the impact and power needed to make the music come to life. The bass is also rich and full-bodied, with a warm and musical character. This makes it ideal for music that requires a more laid-back and relaxed bass sound, as the K-DAC is able to deliver a smooth and enjoyable listening experience. One song that really showcases the K-DAC’s bass performance is “Lateralus” by Tool. This track has a complex and technical bass line, and the K-DAC is able to reproduce it with incredible detail and control. At the same time, the K-DAC’s rich and full-bodied bass adds a sense of musicality to the track, making it an enjoyable listen. It’s not easy to keep up with the Octopus (Danny Carey) himself, but the K-DAC is worthy of this god-tier musician. Overall, the XI Audio K-DAC’s bass performance is truly impressive, with incredible detail, control, and richness. It is able to sound both technical and musical at the same time, making it a standout performer in this regard.



In addition to the bass, the K-DAC also excels in the midrange. The tonal balance of this DAC is spot-on, with a natural and realistic representation of the various instruments and sounds in your favorite music. This makes for a truly immersive listening experience, as the K-DAC brings the music to life in a way that feels authentic and true to what’s been recorded. Another area where the K-DAC shines is its beautiful vocal reproduction. Whether you’re listening to a soft, intimate ballad or a high-energy rock song, the K-DAC captures the full range of vocal expression and emotion. This is particularly evident in the song “Wanderings” by Lunatic Soul, where Mariusz Duda’s warm and romantic vocals are reproduced with stunning accuracy. The K-DAC captures the depth and richness of Mariusz’s voice, making it sound like he’s singing right in front of you. This is a combination of accuracy and emotions that you’ll never find in an affordable Delta Sigma DAC. This is the main reason why R2R DACs are so popular among high-end audio geeks, as it just gives you the best of both worlds.

Now let’s move on to the treble. The XI Audio K-DAC offers a treble that is direct and clear, certainly not dark or softened. The treble is very accurate, sparkling, and well extended, but never sharp or artificially sounding. This is especially important in poorly produced music, as the K-DAC will not make poorly mastered albums sound aggressive or unpleasant. It may not add much of itself, but it is also a safe and enjoyable choice. Again, the fantastic detail retrieval makes it sound incredibly open, fast, and entertaining, with the natural timbre of the instruments and every small detail preserved. Hi-Hats have excellent thickness and reverberations are clearly marked but not exaggerated. Keep in mind that this is definitely not a dark sounding piece of gear, and it is definitely not meant for those who would like their treble to be on the softer, calmer side. This is all about transparency, accuracy and lightning fast decays, and if you’ll play a well-mastered album on this DAC, you’ll be amazed.

Lastly, the soundstage. The K-DAC has an ability to create a vast and accurate stage with exceptional level of accuracy and a very natural size of the soundstage itself. It doesn’t sound intimate nor overly roomy, but rather it sits in the middle of what you’d call a “natural” soundstage reproduction. This is highly important in a high-end piece of gear that is meant to offer an amazing quality without sounding like it’s trying too hard. This is the biggest difference between a good DAC, and a great one. Where the Topping D90se struggles hugely with its soundstage depth (or should I say that it basically doesn’t exist), the K-DAC has a sophisticated depth reproduction that will never try to fool you with its overly deep presentation. Everything just sounds like it’s supposed to, and this is what this level of audio gear is all about.

Pairing​

Feliks Envy

This is peak headphone audio that is at my disposal at this moment. These two pairs exceptionally well, and neither of these devices tries too hard to make the music sound “different”. The Envy is just a top-tier, 300B amplifier that offers a crazy bass impact and incredibly rich tone, and together with K-DAC’s excellent tonality and fantastic technicalities, it makes for one hell of a combo. Listening to the Hifiman Susvara or Meze Elite via this setup is an experience that you should try at least once in your lifetime. The music feels incredibly real, but there’s a sense of fun to it as well, as the sound reproduced by this setup is dynamic, rich, and accurate at the same time. Brilliant.

XI Audio Broadway S

Now let’s look into the dedicated amplifier for the K-DAC, the Broadway S. This is a battery-operated amplifier that has been reviewed here.
And yes, this is a dedicated amplifier for this DAC, and after trying it, you immediately know why. These two pair beautifully, creating a very engaging, almost spectacular type of sound. The soundstage, the treble presentation, bass impact, note weight, decays…everything sounds insanely good, especially when paired with TOTL IEMs like the Fir Audio Kr5, Xe6, or the Campfire Supermoon. While this combo doesn’t have enough power to run headphones like the Susvara, it is just perfect for efficient planars or IEMs.
The only con that I have to mention is that even though these two are meant to work together, the finish of both of the devices is quite different, resulting in a look that could have been more uniform. As you can see in the picture above, the finish is quite different, so keep that in mind if you are really sensitive to “identical” looking stacks.

Hifiman Susvara

The XI Audio K-DAC might be just the perfect DAC for the Susvara in its price range. Its highly sophisticated and technically impressive sound that has that hint of r2r goodness makes the Susvara sing. The K-DAC also offers a great bass impact that the Hifiman flagship really needs to sound its best, as it’s definitely not the hardest-hitting flagship on the market by any means. Still, the level of detail and resolution of the K-DAC paired with the Feliks Envy gives the Susvara all the necessary qualities to show its best-in-class technicalities, and it’s paired with great tonality and dynamics with this combo.

Meze Elite

Now onto the Meze Audio flagship Elite, which offers a more relaxing, softer type of sound when compared to the Susvara. This is a fantastic combination as well, as the Meze further improves on that R2R tone with its sublime, natural, and romantic tuning. This combo might not offer the BEST detail retrieval, but it is just so pleasant to listen to. Actually, the K-DAC paired with Envy and the Elite is my nr.1 setup for late-night listening after a long day, when I value a relaxing, smooth listening experience the most. This shows how incredibly flexible and valuable the K-DAC is, as it basically does it all.

Comparisons​

EarMen Tradutto

Let’s compare the K-DAC with our “Best DAC 2021” – the EarMen Tradutto. While the Tradutto offers a tone that might be quite similar to a classic r2r timbre, it just cannot beat the real deal. The K-DAC sounds more detailed for sure, but it also offers a richer, more analog-like tone that is just reminiscent of the R2R legend.
There’s also a big price difference to have in mind, sure. The Tradutto is still incredibly good, and its biggest competitor (Topping D90se) still stands no chance when compared with the Tradutto in my opinion. Yet, while paying extra for the K-DAC, you’re simply getting a more mature and better-sounding DAC that will pair much better with TOTL gear.

Hifiman EF400

Both the EF400 and the K-DAC are R2R DACs, so this comparison simply had to be done. The EF400 is a fantastic, affordable piece of gear that we recommend over and over again, but when compared to the K-DAC, it’s easy to hear that it’s just an entry into an R2R world. The K-DAC just offers much more detail retrieval, better resolution, better soundstage, and a more pleasing tonality that sounds more natural.
This shows what you should have expected – the EF400 is still a fantastic option in its budget, but it cannot compare to standalone R2R DACs that cost a couple times more. Thankfully, there’s a big difference in sound when you’re paying extra.

Summary​

The XI AUDIO K-DAC is the second XI AUDIO device that we’ve reviewed at Ear Fidelity, and I certainly hope that it isn’t last. XI Audio once again proves that they offer an exceptional audio gear that while expensive, is definitely worth its asking price when you take the sound quality into consideration.

The K-DAC is everything a $2000 R2R DAC should be – incredibly accurate, fast, detailed, but also highly musical, smooth, natural and rich sounding. While the build quality is nothing to write a book about, the sound alone leaves me no choice but to recommend trying the K-DAC. From now on, this is the best DAC that we’ve got access to and it’s going to be our reference for high-end DACs in the future to come.

Highly Recommended.

Big thanks to XI Audio for providing the K-DAC for this review. I wasn’t paid or asked to say anything good or bad about this product, all of the above is just my personal, unbiased opinion. XI Audio hasn’t seen this review before publishing it.

Introduction​

HE6 was one of the big boi planars. They debuted in 2010 as one of the first models in HiFiMan’s offer and one of the first headphones of the revolution. Gandalf, I was there… 3000 years ago… At least, it feels like that.
A broke-ass kid, just touching the world of headphones. When I was buying my first good pair of cans, I tried the HE400, the OG one. It was something else. Shopkeepers wouldn’t even let me touch the HE6 at that time. It was uncomprehensive for headphones to cost that much. Stax and the Orpheus were basically unknown to people. The HE6 was listed in Forbes as one of the most expensive headphones at the time. It was dark times before planars were so easily accessible. And before $1000+, headphones were considered normal.

The HE6 was a big success for HiFiMan. So big that it became a product that was ordered and serviced for years to come. Even after the newer series came to life, some people still swear by the venerable HE6. A true classic, a young timer, actually. We can safely say that this is a mark of incredible quality in a world of change. HiFiMan often asked about repairs, and spare drivers were still continuing to manufacture them, so an idea popped up to refresh the HE6 into more modern, more comfortable headphones. This is how the HE6SE came to life. It uses the same drivers as the OG HE6, but a lighter and more comfortable frame. So, if you want a piece of the legend, you can have it. But isn’t it just some reheated dinner? After all, HiFiMan moved on with technology for a reason. Is there anything special about the HE6SE that the HE1000se can’t do?

Packaging and Comfort​

The HE6SE comes in an exquisite box covered in artificial leather. It looks like an oversized jewelry box. Inside, you will find the cans, a stock XLR cable with a 6,3mm adapter, and a few leaflets. It is basic, but frankly, what else do you need?

The cans share the suspension and headband system from the Sundara. This is a practical solution from HiFiMan, as it is much nicer than the original system that was implemented in HE6. It is also proven, and spare parts are available. The only thing missing is pivoting the cups, but during my testing, it was not an issue. Nothing worse than overcomplicated headphone that is hard to repair. No, thank you.

But when unboxing, it felt a little weird that the $400 cans have the same system as the $1800 ones. But, since it works… The comfort is there. It’s not as comfy as Meze Liric, but it is absolutely fine to use them for hours. At 470 grams, the weight is on the heavier side but still acceptable. It’s around 40 grams heavier than my Sundara Closed back.

Build Quality and Tech​

The headphone is well made. HiFiMan used metal and high-quality plastic. The headband’s support is made out of artificial leather. The perforated cups hold approx. 60mm planar magnetic driver. The diaphragm is gold-plated. It looks absolutely sick. You can be ballin’ on everybody on your nearest audio meet. The gold plating on the foil creates an inductor, which moves it in a strong magnetic field, creating sound. The HE6SE, just like the original HE6 has a very low sensitivity. You will need POWAH to make them sing. I’m talking 2W+, and I mean the real Watts. 83,5dB is no joke.


A balanced drive is recommended, as always with planars. You know me. The impedance is 50 Ohms, but many measurements show 64 Ohm impedance. While not crazy high, together with low sensitivity it can be a problem for amplifiers that don’t offer large output voltages. The low sensitivity is not all bad, though. The noise will be below the hearing threshold, even with tube gear. Most of the times.

The connections to the cups are made with a 3,5mm jack, unlike in the OG HE6, and I see it as a great quality of life improvement. Some people mod their HE6SE by removing the grille covering the drivers, but I have not tried it, and it is not a part of the review. I’m just letting you know there is an option if you are interested.

Sound​

So, what does the HE6SE sound like? Absolutely fantastic. It is my favorite planar headphone now. If I had to use one word to describe it, it would be the resolution. It gives you 10/10 insight into the music. While it is slightly less detailed than HE1000se, it has better control. If you drive them properly, the HE6SE will never skip a beat.
Metalheads, EDM-lovers, this one is for you. For others too. It’s a very universal headphone, and its slightly darker, slightly musical tuning will appease many. The tonal balance is neutral, with a solid bass (especially for open-back headphones). It is a darker presentation than the newer series of headphones. It has its own style of sound. And it is not worse. It’s different. Dark neutrality. Perfect speed and control, with a fantastic insight into the textures. Luckily it wasn’t done by diminishing musicality. I’m using the HE6SE with HiFiMan’s EF400, and I believe it’s one of the best possible combinations, especially without spending unreasonable amounts of money. It does everything at least very well and many things exceptionally.

Bass

For an open back, the subject of this review checks all of the boxes. The speed, volume, textures, foot driving, impact it’s all in there. Let me tell you that listening to Halo by Machine Head was a ride. One of the most technically advanced songs by Californians, this song will keep you on your toes. The wall of sound, the crazy bass lines by Adam Duce, and the absolutely insane drums played by Dave McClain. It’s an all-out assault, a release of emotions musicians hold inside. Yet the HE6SE can reproduce that with no own input. In all that insanity, there is a calm professional who works to deliver you the best possible experience. I can’t describe the bass as anything less than perfection in open-back headphones.



Midrange

I absolutely adore the Tenacious D. Below the funny lyrics and showmanship of JB and KG you will find great craftsmanship that might get overshadowed by these. It is also music focused on guitar and vocals. Which is perfect for this paragraph, isn’t it? Add to it, that the mastering of the Pick Of The Destiny is really good. The funniest benchmark ever is here. For my tests, I have selected The Classico. It really shows off Jack’s singing skills. The scale, the vibratos, the explosive dynamics. The HE6SE delivers his performance with absolute resolution. There is an endless amount of tone in his voice, and it shows. Another big pro of the cans is the fact that the sound is extremely smooth. It’s not smoothened. It’s smooth. It means that the distortion is really low. Somebody smart once said sometimes it’s not about what is in the sound. Sometimes it’s about what isn’t there. HE6SE gives you all you need and nothing besides that.

Treble

Treble is very good too. Listening to The Nearness Of You by Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio is a pure pleasure. The song is rich with cymbals from start to end. What I really like, and I imagine many of you will appreciate too, is that the highs are soft, yet they retain their detail. It’s not as detailed as on many other headphones in this class, but it provides more than enough information. What is lovely is that it never lets the sound get out of its grip. Even in more intensive passages, the sounds stay coherent and separated. The high tones of a piano are silky smooth, while at the same time, the cymbals are brassy and metallic. I feel the top end might be slightly lower in volume compared to the Harman tuning, but it’s the way I like it.

Soundstage

The HE6SE delivers a solid performance in the sound staging, but it is not as amazing as the other characteristics of the sound. It is certainly good enough, but it’s pretty far from the HD800. The stage is pretty close to the listener but not inside the head. There is good reach to the sides, but they could use some more depth. I tried the Muddy Waters song My Home Is In The Delta, and the mentioned happened, but there was an interesting thing. The whole album is full of big volume jumps, it’s very dynamic. And that is something that HE6SE excels at. Those leaps in volume really enhance and enlarge the perceived soundstage. But, and it’s a big but – you need a powerful amp to do that with the HE6SE.

Comparisons​

HiFiMAN HE1000se



Brother against brother, the civil war. They are very different indeed. Their common point is the fact that both are very detailed and have great resolution. The HE1000se is brighter than the HE6SE, providing more detail, a nicer, and more interesting treble. The sound staging is also better on the newer model. There is much more space between the sound and the listener, which I appreciate very much.
On the other hand, the HE6SE is more pleasant sounding and excels at the control of the sound. The HE1000se is also more comfortable and easier to drive. Both are absolutely amazing headphones, and the final decision will come down to your preference. If you like hard and heavy music, the HE6SE will be a better choice, that’s for sure.

Audeze LCD-X 2021



The Audeze LCD-X 2021 was praised by us for its bass, but it has to take a knee before the HE6SE. While the American cans have more muscle, the quality is on HiFiMan’s side. It’s more agile, controlled, and refined without losing the fun aspect. The LCD-X has a thicker and richer midrange, which might be an advantage if that is something that you seek. It loses in insight and resolution, which was to be expected in this case. Treble is a close tie. HE6SE was smoother but sometimes more boring. The Audeze is more interesting but could go into too much in some cases. The soundstage of the two is on par also. This is probably the closest comparison in this review. A testimony of two amazing pairs of headphones.

HEDDphone



The HEDD is darker in tonality but doesn’t provide as much in terms of bass, both amount-, and quality-wise. It has a completely different style of providing sound. More lively, more colorful. The sound also is leaner and faster than the HE6SE. The midrange of the HE6SE is more neutral and cleaner, but in some cases feels more boring. The treble of the HEDDphone is legendary, and the HE6SE can’t compete with it. It’s smoother and more detailed at the same time. Sharper in the good meaning. And it creates no fatigue, unlike the headphones themselves. The HEDDphone is well known for not being the most comfortable cans on the market.

Summary​

A reasonable flagship for those unreasonable times. The HE6SE is one of the best planar headphones on the market. It shines in terms of resolution and control while delivering a slightly musical, intensive sound.

Its neutrality makes it easy to shape the sound with your chosen amplifier. Take your time choosing it. With its low sensitivity and 50/64Ohms impedance, the HE6SE is not easy to drive. The safe option is the EF400, and together they form the (probably) cheapest end-game setup on the market.

The comfort is not top-tier, and the materials used could have been nicer, but all of those objections vanish when you listen to it and compare the sound to the asked price. If you are shopping for cans in this price range, it’s an absolute must for an audition. The king lives on.

Highly Recommended.

Big thanks to HiFiMan for providing us with the HE6se for this review. I wasn’t paid or asked to say anything good or bad about this product, all of the above is just my personal, unbiased opinion. HiFiMan hasn’t seen this review before publishing it.

About Author​

Michał Sommerfeld​

I can really say “been there, done that” in regard to audio. Designing, building, fixing, reviewing, selling. All of that for big boy stereo. Headphones are something new and fresh for me. We all need something exciting now and then, so join me in my quest of discovering this cool world. We will listen to, drink and WE WILL bring the balance to the force. Oh, I like beer.

Rosson RAD-0 is an artisan, planar magnetic, open-back headphone with custom designs and exceptional build quality. It starts at $2600, but the final price depends on the design.

Introduction​

The headphone audio market has been rapidly growing and expanding over the last couple of years. Nonetheless, we are witnessing a big shift lately into a more objectivist side of audio, with most manufacturers aiming at a more “objectively better performance”, rather than experimenting with new and exciting ideas.
I’m not saying that the market is boring or going in the wrong direction, not at all. I just want to highlight the unique character of the product I’m reviewing today. There’s nothing like it on the market currently, and yes, it can give you the impression that it’s “looks above all”.
Honestly speaking, I’ve always seen the RAD-0 more like a bespoke-looking headphone that is going to be fine, but not extraordinary. The design choices and design of this model seem to be its selling points, and they never took off as much as some expected them to, even though this project is led by Legendary Alex Rosson (ex-Audeze).
Even though, I’ve always been largely interested in trying these but never had an opportunity. I’m pretty unyielding, and it paid off. Finally, after a few years, I’ve had the RAD-0 here at my desk for a couple of weeks now, and I’m finally ready to give you my impressions.
As I said previously, I never had my expectations set too high for the sound quality of these, not because I had any doubts about Alex Rosson though. And how wrong I was…

An Interview with Alex Rosson​

The folks at Rosson Audio Design are super friendly and humble, and I was lucky to be able to send a couple of questions directly to the man himself – Alex Rosson, the founder of the company. Thank you Alex for your honest and intriguing answers, it was a pleasure!


Paweł: What exactly is the RAD-0? The physical aspect of the headphones is the first thing that draws attention, but what’s more to it?

Alex: I’ve always thought of it this way: There’s nothing more satisfying than a home cooked meal that’s made with quality ingredients and love. I believe the intention is just as important as the ingredients used. Music involves instruments like ingredients, but I think we can all say there is an unspoken magic behind the intention of recordings to which no measurement can be applied to quantify how things make us feel. Given how much attention, love, and care we put into each RAD-0, I’d like to think our intention behind it is something our customers can feel and recognize when you put them on. Every RAD-0 is hand made in Reseda CA…We build our planar transducers here, pour the resin here, cut, sand, polish, drill, polish, assemble, test, qc, photograph (with the least amount of post), personalize upon request, sell, package, ship, and support. We are by no means high volume, we are as boutique as it gets. Few places get to remain in control over their product in the that way we do. You are fully taken care of with us. Our ability to customize RAD-0s is only limited to your own intention and imagination, and desires.


Paweł: What was your goal creating the RAD-0?

Alex: Create a unique headphone that makes you proud to own, looks good, a tool for engineers, or to relax and listen to. I am a big believer in the philosophy of doing one thing well and keeping it simple. There is so much noise out there with new product releases, few things excite me anymore. I gravitate towards making and using products that are quality, accurate, reliable, modular, but eccentric enough to have a soul.


Paweł: Seeing that the RAD-0 has been on the market for a while now, what is planned for the future of Rosson Audio?

Alex: Other than the continued refinements and production:

• Closed back convertor kit
• Ring swaps/updates to existing customers
• Weight reduction kit via single sided driver
• Suspension Strap Mod
• Megalodon / MAPE-0

Paweł: Is Rosson Audio more of a side quest or are you planning on becoming one of the biggest players in the market?

Alex: Rosson Audio is certainly not a side quest… I aim keep to keep it simple, stay small, do one thing extremely well. However, my desire to continue to surprise the audio world is only beginning. I have done a few amazing consulting jobs on the side, such as the Mont Blanc MB01 Wireless Headphone. I also have a record label, Play Me Records. My spare time is spent playing, making, and listening to music.



Paweł: What’s your favorite aspect of the sound of the RAD-0, and which music genre do you think sounds the best with it?

Alex: I listen to many genres especially when testing and conducting comparisons, I can’t recall a specific genre that performs better with the Zero…as we know this is subjective territory. However, the RAD-0 does a few things I personally enjoy, and have observed among our customers:

• The Rad-0 has such an effect on our customers that we frequently receive thank you messages speaking our praise.
• Mix translations using the Zero are sure to make you feel confident in your choices.
• The low-end accuracy and tightness is surprising.
• No exaggeration of tonal balance.

Packaging​

Let’s start this review with the unboxing experience as always. The presentation of the RAD-0 is absolutely marvelous. They come in a huge peli-style case, that feels extremely durable and it just looks like a piece of equipment that belongs to a recording studio.

Yes, it’s quite common for manufacturers to use this kind of case lately, but boy oh boy, this thing is just in a different league. We’ve had a hard case with the Audeze LCD-X 2021, a beautiful and elegant case with the Meze Elite, and classic, “luxury” style boxes with Hifiman flagships.

The case that comes with the RAD-0 is simply better than everything I’ve seen previously. It is a tank, literally, this feels insanely solid and protective, it’s quite big and bulky, but I don’t mind it at all. In the past, when I had to take one of my headphones anywhere outside, I used the carrying case that was included with the Final D8000 Pro. Well, not anymore, now I’m using this huge thing, and I’ll never have a second thought about whether my headphones survive the trip. I feel like I can take the RAD-0 in that case to Mount Everest and back, and the only “thing” that won’t survive that trip is me.



Now that we have the actual packaging out of the way, let’s have a look at what we’re getting apart from the headphones themselves. It’s not much, but there’s everything that you need. First of all, the cable is pretty okay, but definitely not amazing. It’s a little bit stiff and it’s not the softest to the touch. Not a big deal though, I still use it a lot and it doesn’t bother me too much. There’s definitely room for an upgrade, but I would never call it simply “bad” to the point where I would recommend getting a replacement right away.

Apart from the cable, you’re also getting a metal card that is a proof of authenticity and some Rosson Audio stickers. Not too much, but we have already gotten used to the fact that the audio manufacturers aren’t very generous when it comes to extras in the box.

Even though the unboxing experience is quite modest, I’m still going to call it fantastic, mainly because of that incredible carrying case. It is just so functional and secure, that I can easily see myself using it for years, and I’d rather have one great accessory in the box, than five mediocre ones that would go into the closet and be forgotten.

Design, Build and Comfort​

Now onto something very interesting. You’ve all seen these, different-looking every single time. What’s the deal with them?
Well, these are the only custom-design high-end headphones in the market, and trust me…they look absolutely stunning.
So, when you’ll make the decision about getting the RAD-0, you don’t simply order these online and receive them the next day. The decision of buying them is just the beginning, as there’s an even bigger decision ahead of you…what design to go with?!

Well, you can actually order one of many in-stock versions that have been already built by Rosson and they are literally ready to go. There are many spectacular design versions every single time that the guys release a new batch onto their website. But, if you are really picky, or you just want a very specific color combination and looks, then the Custom fun begins.

So, the Rosson team is able to build a pair of RAD-0 to match your vision, and they are actually very good at it. You can go wild and give them the craziest ideas about your future audio babies, and they will deliver. There’s literally no other manufacturer that offers this kind of service, and this is a HUGE selling point for the Rosson team.

Just look at the picture below, it’s a pair that belongs to a dear friend of mine, and a great reviewer – Ryan Soo (www.everydaylistening.net). Let this incredible photo (yeah, Ryan is THE king when it comes to audio photos) show you that every single unit looks really different.



Shoutout to my boy Ryan Soo for this exceptional photo.

Now onto the actual build and design. First of all, the custom earcups are made of a hard resin that lets the folks at Rosson Audio create a unique, one-of-a-kind design every single time. The material used is actually a very good choice for audio equipment, especially headphones, as resin is much more repeatable than wood when it comes to acoustics. Hence, not only does it serve a function in the overall look of the headphone, but it also ensures that every single unit is going to sound its best with limited variations from unit to unit.

We have the earcups all explained now, let’s dive into the rest of the RAD-0 now. The overall build quality is absolutely fantastic. The headphone feels incredibly sturdy in hand and on your head, and it is definitely built to last. Solid construction comes at a price of high mass of the entire construction, which may lead you to think that the RAD-0 is not going to be comfortable, but you’ll be highly mistaken.

And yes, while the comfort is highly subjective and will depend on the shape of your head, for me, the RAD-0 is a very comfortable pair of headphones, even though it’s one of the heaviest I’ve tried. The earpads used here are definitely the biggest aspect of why I like the ergonomics of the RAD-0, as these are one of the plushiest, comfiest earpads I’ve ever tried. They are like 2 soft pillows gently hugging your head from both sides, resulting in a welcoming, intimate type of wear.
The headband, when compared to the earcups looks rather simple, but I actually think that this was intentional. The custom earcups are the star of the show here, so the Rosson Audio team didn’t want to steal your attention from what’s most important. Nonetheless, the design of the headband is pretty clever. The slider mechanism doesn’t have any clicks to ensure the headband stays in one place, but once you put them on your head, the thing ain’t moving nowhere. This is a highly well-engineered type of mechanism that’s going to work flawlessly for many, many years.

Apart from the sliding mechanism, the overall headband construction is good, but I’d love to see Rosson Audio using a suspension strap design in the future. The latter proved to distribute the weight of the headphone in a better way, resulting in an even more comfortable experience. I don’t have any problems with the current headband cushioning on the RAD-0, but I’ve seen some people that did, and I can imagine why. One, narrow point of contact on top of your head is less ideal than a suspension strap, which allows distributing the weight onto a much larger surface, which helps with proper weight distribution on your head. Luckily, the RAD-0 is a very comfortable pair of heavy headphones in my subjective opinion, but it definitely can be improved.

The overall fit and finish of the RAD-0 are spot on. This is an artisan level of finishing, definitely up there with the best on the market. The combination of different textures, matte-black finish on the yokes and grills paired with a shiny and smooth surface of the earcups themselves, finished with insanely plushy and soft earpads. This is where function meets design and quality, and Rosson Audio executed it perfectly. Definitely one of the best-built headphones on the market, without even the slightest doubts.
Let’s finish this paragraph with my subjective take on the design and aesthetics of the RAD-0. This headphone looks absolutely stunning, it is quite a conversation starter actually, and you really think like you’re handling something truly unique, one of a kind. I’ve had my authors and friends coming over quite frequently over the last few weeks, and everyone was highly impressed with these. What’s most important – It is not just about the looks, but about carefully forging something beautiful into a tool that’s going to be used for years without any problems. Perfection.

Tech​

I already covered the physical aspects of the technology used in the RAD-0, so I’ll limit this paragraph to what’s inside.

So, the Rosson RAD-0 is a Planar Magnetic, open-back headphone using a 66mm driver. The impedance is rated at a reasonable 29 Ohms, and the sensitivity is rated at 98dB, which together make for a fairly easy-to-drive planar. Again, I think this was more than intentional, as it lets professionals use the RAD-0 in a studio environment, without worrying that their headphone output might not be powerful enough to drive these – it will be.

Other than that, there’s nothing more to talk about. The strength in the RAD-0 performance is said to be up to Alex Rosson’s vast experience in the studio and audio environment, so let’s just get right into it.

Sound​

Here comes the most important part of the review, at least for me. You see, I’ve seen the RAD-0 quite frequently for years now, and I always had a feeling that these are mainly about the design and looks, with the sound not being the biggest attraction. This might be quite harmful for the company, as releasing a product that unique and different can lead up to a specific approach from customers.

So, the first time I ever tried the RAD-0 was when I received them a couple of weeks back. I was extremely curious about them, but I didn’t let my emotions win, so I proceeded with my standard burn-in procedure, before having a listen.

But, the time has eventually come and I was ready to try these on. And oh my, this was quite a shocker.
For those of you less patient, I’m going to say it right here, right now – the Rosson RAD-0 is now one of my absolute favorite headphones of all time when it comes to sound, which should give you an idea about my impressions. Let’s dive in.

The overall type of sound that you’re getting with the RAD-0 is tight, punchy, dynamic, and vivid, with a wonderful, natural warmth to the midrange and excellent extension to the treble. This is by far one of the best (if not THE BEST) planar magnetic headphones for genres like metal, electronics, and hard-rock, because of its highly saturated, dynamic, and powerful sound. Planar headphones often lack punch, a sense of physicality to the low-end, and vividness of the bass response to sound truly great with these genres, as they require both technical excellence as well as a joyful, high-contrast tuning. This is totally not the case with the RAD-0, as it simply delivers a perfect blend of both technicality and musicality.

This is the most important aspect of the RAD-0. In the world where more and more headphones are tuned to Harman, aiming at the most neutral tonality, the hero of today’s review is just different, in a good way definitely. This headphone brings me back the memories of the headphone market around 10 years ago, when it was all about different flavors and subjectivity to the sound. Nowadays, while we still get different house sounds from different manufacturers, they’ve been all brought closer to each other, resulting in a somewhat similar sound between many different high-end, planar magnetic models.
Because of that, the RAD-0 has been getting the most head time ever since I got them, even though I have the absolute bangers within my hands reach, such as the Hifiman Susvara, Meze Elite, D8000 Pro by Final, etc. The RAD-0 just offers a different type of experience, which is just grabbing you by your clothes and making you headbang like crazy. Truth is – the more audiophile I become, the less metal I listen to, and it’s an absolute joy to rediscover all of that music that I used to kill on repeat in my youth.

If you’re reading my reviews regularly, you know that I do reviews in a highly emotional, subjective fashion, and this review is yet again going to be that way. I just cannot turn my emotions off and talk about the RAD-0, as it just brings those emotions to me every single time I listen to them. This is peak entertainment and an aspect that I value in this hobby the most – bringing memories, emotions, and making you forget about the whole audiophile stuff, and just enjoy your favorite music. If a headphone can do that, we’re experiencing something extremely good in my book.
Another thing worth mentioning is that the RAD-0 doesn’t take anything to the extreme. While it is undoubtedly fun oriented and entertaining, it still has a lot of qualities that are known from the best studio equipment when it comes to audio. We have a lot of fun-sounding headphones in the world that are not too good when it comes to being natural and accurate, and the RAD-0 is definitely not one of those. Alex put a lot of experience into tuning these to appeal to a wide variety of tastes while being suitable for professionals as well.

So, the bass is hard-hitting, dynamic, and saturated. It’s by no means bloated, uncontrolled, or overly thick sounding. The main aspect of the bass delivery is the raw power that this driver can output, making for a very punchy, vivid, and accurate note delivery. Planar Magnetic headphones often tend to lack the dynamics and punch in the low end, and the RAD-0 eliminates those aspects of your standard, planar headphones. The low-end performance is actually more reminiscent of good dynamic headphones, because of the energy and the power of the bass response.
At the same time, planars are known for their incredible texture and crunch in the low-end area, and the RAD-0 is no different. It has the ability to let you pick up all the individual notes with ease, because of its highly controlled, clean bass response. Because of all those perks, I’m quite confident about calling the bass response of the RAD-0 one of the best on the market, without a doubt.

The midrange actually reminds me of the classic Audeze house sound to some extent. It is slightly laid-back, thick, very natural, and engaging. Voices have a very natural warmth and weight to them, resulting in a highly enjoyable, yet an accurate type of presentation. The resolution is up there with the rest of the high-end planars, and so is the detail retrieval, which while not the best of the best, still provides a fantastic insight into the mix. This headphone has been tuned very cleverly, as it doesn’t sacrifice even a tiny bit of resolving capabilities for that beautiful, smooth tonality in the midrange. The overall vibe of the midrange is somewhat similar to Meze’s flagship Elite, which has that beautiful, rich tonality while still providing very good detail retrieval and resolution. In the world of more and more neutral headphones, that thick and lush presentation to vocals is something I absolutely strive for, as this is my absolute favorite aspect about audio – vocals that sound almost intimidating, intoxicating, and just simply beautiful.

The treble is not as laid-back as the midrange, but it still has many similarities. It is fantastically detailed and clean, but it never gets harsh or overly forward, and trust me, I tried to push them onto that. This is, once again, a very clever tuning that focuses on the best aspects of a good Planar driver, while dressing it up in a pleasant, natural tone that is just pleasant to listen to. Studio engineers should be happy as well, as the RAD-0 offers a brilliant extension in the treble region, and the overall treble output is quite linear and it doesn’t lean towards sounding too forward, nor too far away. Metal fans will be satisfied as well, as the RAD-0 will give you that aggressive, saturated hi-hat splash that is necessary for metal to sound good. The guitar overdrive sounds great as well, because of that highly textured, yet rich sound that works well with every genre.

Lastly, the soundstage. The RAD-0 is not an overly huge staging pair of headphones, but it rather focuses on realism when it comes to the size and accuracy of the soundstage. The imaging is brilliant, as you will be easily able to pinpoint the location of every instrument in the mix, while not feeling that it sounds too far away or too close to you. The vocals however have that ability to stand out in the mix, being rendered a step closer than in many competitors, which further extends that entertaining, fun character of the RAD-0. This is, once again, a very clever tactic, as a pair of high-end headphones that are made for both audiophiles and sound engineers should have the ability to please both, and with this kind of spatial presentation, they definitely will.

To summarise, the RAD-0 might look like an artisan pair of headphones where you’re just paying extra for the looks, but it is very far from the truth. This is an insanely good-sounding pair that is tuned so well, that it will appeal to most people. The RAD-0 is a perfect blend of technicalities, musicality, and a piece of art that will satisfy you while both listening to them and just looking at them and praising that striking build quality and design. This is literally a much better product than I expected it to be, and for that, I’m very grateful that I was finally able to try it, and now it became my go-to headphone for rock, metal, and electronic music, which I listen to a lot lately.

Comparisons​

Audeze LCD-X 2021



The first comparison is going to be between the RAD-0 and the LCD-X 2021, by Audeze. Knowing that Alex Rosson, the founder of Rosson Audio has been a CEO for Audeze in the past, this comparison is even more interesting.

So, the LCD-X 2021 is our “Headphone of the year 2021”, because of its fantastic ability to be a true chameleon – it’s great for audio professionals, as well as audiophiles.
And yes, reading this might give you a little Deja Vu, as the RAD-0 has the exact same ability. Honestly speaking, I somewhat feel that the RAD-0 is everything that the LCD-X 2021 is, but slightly better. The resolution and detail retrieval are both better, the built quality feels a bit more premium, and the design is just vastly different. With the LCD-X, you’re getting that beautiful, minimalist and industrial, raw design that is just beautiful to look at. On the other hand, the RAD-0 is much more “crazy” looking, and you can actually customize its design to suit your aesthetic needs just perfectly.

The carrying case of the RAD-0 is much, much better quality than the one found with the LCD-X, but as far as the cable is regarded, I’m going to give Audeze a point, as it is just a nicer quality and more comfortable.

To be completely honest, both are excellent and the choice between them should come down to your budget and needs. If you don’t care about a custom design and you’re not ready to pay as much as the RAD-0 costs, the LCD-X 2021 is a brilliant choice for a “does it all” pair of headphones. However, if you want that sweet design, and you want that extra sound quality, the RAD-0 is a significant upgrade over the LCD-X 2021.

Hifiman Susvara



I’m praising the RAD-0 so hard, that it would have been illogical not to compare it to the best headphones I’ve ever listened to – the legendary Susvara.

So, let me start by saying this: The Susvara is definitely a more audiophile-oriented pair of headphones. Not only its detail and resolution are basically unmatched by anything else on the market, but its tuning is just incredible for classical music, jazz, acoustics, and basically everything that is well-mastered (try Dire Straits on these, you’ll be blown away). Nonetheless, I always had a feeling that the Susvara sounds too polite with genres like metal, rock, and electronic music, resulting in a somewhat “extremely coherent, but kind of boring” sound. Its bass response is not the most dynamic and vivid by any means, and these are very important for these genres to sound entertaining.

And then comes the RAD-0, which just shows the Susvara its place when it comes to raw power, macro dynamics, and vividness of the sound. When listening to In Flames (a Swedish metal band), the RAD-0 just makes me headbang, something that the Susvara never gave me. These are just two, completely different approaches to making you emotional while listening to music – the Susvara is the king when it comes to chill, “you are there” type of experience with many music genres, but when you just want to have fun and be entertained, the RAD-0 is actually superior to the legendary Hifiman flagship.

Meze Elite



Another comparison, another different approach. The Elite is a Jack Of All Trades for me – it just simply sounds great, no matter the situation. It does well with all the music genres, and they are very forgiving when it comes to the rest of the system.
On the other hand, the RAD-0 is more oriented into those high-energy genres, when it just outshines the Elite with its fast, impactful and vivid sound. It doesn’t do as good of a job with calmer music genres, in which the Elite is just romantic, intensively personal, and welcoming sounding, but if we turn the table around, the RAD-0 is more entertaining with fast and dynamic music.

Once again, it comes down to your preferences. I would actually recommend having both and using them both, depending on what you’re listening to or simply to match your current mood. These are two spectacular headphones that have different strengths, but it’s simply impossible to rate one higher than the other (or we’ll see about it in our Battle Of The Flagships RAD-0 update…).

The last thing worth mentioning is the build. The Elite is the best-built headphone in the world, and the RAD-0 is just not AS good. There’s nothing wrong with it by any means, but the Elite is just a marvel when it comes to modern design and finishing. However, the RAD-0 is customizable, which gives it a huge point for people wanting something different, crazy looking. I would actually like Meze to give you a choice with the design of the Elite, because honestly speaking, the silver color is just not really my thing. Oh, what’s also very important, is that the Elite is vastly more comfortable than the RAD-0. Once again, nothing wrong with the latter in my experience, but the Elite is just like a soft cloud gently sitting on your head, and there are not a lot of headphones in the world that are even more comfortable than the Romanian flagship.

Audeze MM-500



Another Audeze vs Rosson comparison, but now we’ll be looking at the latest MM-500, made in collaboration with legendary Manny Marroquin.

So, these two are very, very different. The MM500 is a studio tool, very neutral, technical, and accurate sounding. This is actually our top recommendation for those looking for linear, neutral, and uncolored-sounding headphones to work with audio. On the other hand, the RAD-0 can also do that (not as well though), but when it comes to actually listening to music, there are no doubts about which one gives you more entertainment.

The RAD-0 is just more colorful, powerful, and fun sounding of the two, giving you a tool for having fun and entertainment, rather than the ultimate neutrality and accuracy.

When it comes to the build though, the MM-500 is just an insanely well-made pair of headphones, and its overall design is more sublime than the RAD-0. Once again, you can customize the latter, so this debate is open, and the right choice will depend on what kind of person you are and what you value the most. Also, the comfort is better with the RAD-0 in my opinion, as the clamping force of the MM-500 is quite brutal, and its earpads are not as plush and soft as the ones found in the RAD-0.

Once again, this choice should be rather easy. If you’re working with sound and spend a lot of time in the studio environment, just get the MM-500, as its neutral tuning will definitely give you the best results. On the other hand, if you do spend some time in the studio, but you also listen to a lot of music (especially rock, and metal) with your headphones, it might be worth saving more and going for the RAD-0 instead.

Pairings​

XIAudio K-DAC + Feliks Envy

Yes, this setup is wildly expensive, but not everything that’s expensive is good, don’t you agree?
Well, this setup is just something different. The K-DAC and the Envy (reviews coming soon!) make the RAD-0 fly and sound absolutely stunning. The sound of this combination is incredibly rich, flavorful, powerful and refined. The detail retrieval and resolution are both exceptional, but the entire sound has that magic and realism to it.
This has been my favorite combo for the past couple of weeks, as the almighty Envy pairs beautifully with the RAD-0. This is peak headphone audio experience, providing an experience that’s hard to beat even for the best headphones in the world. What a setup.

EarMen Tradutto + Staccato + CH-AMP

Even though I’ve had the Tradutto for quite some time now, the CH-Amp amplifier is new for me. Still, I managed to spend some time with this combination and was wildly entertained.
This combo sounds very dynamic, fun and forward, this is the ultimate metalhead wet dream when it comes to headphone audio setups. Fast, snappy, dynamic and powerful to the limits, the CH-Amp proves that it’s a force to be reckon with within its price category. It drives the RAD-0 with absolute authority, and gives it that clean, powerful output that the RAD-0 uses to sound incredibly clean yet musical.

Burson Audio Playmate 2 (V6 Vivid OPamps)

The Burson Playmate 2 might not be a powerhouse that is worthy of ultra high-end headphones, but it once again proves that its performance is insanely good for its price.
While the overall sound character gets a bit warmer and softer, the Playmate 2 yet again has literally zero problems with driving the RAD-0. This results in a sound that is natural, engaging and rich, with beautiful vocals reproduction and that romantic approach to the midrange.

SMSL DO100 + HO100

The RAD-0 sounds fantastic even from a budget equipment as the DO100 + HO100 combo by SMSL. This SMSL stack offers a wildly neutral and clean sound that works well with the RAD-0, as it lets its beautiful tone shine.
Because of that, this setup is stellar when it comes to technical performance, and is the most neutral tuned from all the pairings I’m mentioning in this review. This lets you enjoy the RAD-0 the “OG WAY”, with its phenomenal tuning taking the best seat in the crowd. This is great news that you don’t have to spend thousands for your DAC and Amp for the RAD-0 to sound great.

Summary​

The Rosson RAD-0 would have gotten a “Surprise Of the Year” award if I was to do one. While this product might be overlooked by some audiophiles, because of its high price tag and the custom design aspect (which may lead some to think that it is more about the looks than the sound itself), it proved to be an incredibly good performer, taking the position in my “3 most used pairs” by storm.

Very good technical performance meets incredibly fun tuning, wrapped up in a unique, beautiful, and one-of-a-kind design gives me no choice but to recommend the RAD-0 from the bottom of my heart. It has won my heart over in no time, maybe it’ll win yours as well. A truly spectacular pair of headphones.

Wildly Recommended.

Gear used during this review for the sake of comparison and as an accompanying equipment:

• Headphones – Hifiman Susvara, Final D8000 Pro, Audeze LCD-X 2021, Drop + Sennheiser HD8XX, HEDDphone, Hifiman Edition, Meze Elite, Audeze MM-500
• Sources– XI Audio K-DAC, Feliks Envy, SMSL SH-9, EarMen Tradutto + Staccato + CH-AMP, SMSL DO100 + HO100, Burson Playmate 2, Yulong Aurora, iBasso DX170

Big thanks to Rosson Audio Design and Alex Rosson for providing the RAD-0 for this review. I wasn’t paid or asked to say anything good or bad about this product, all of the above is just my personal, unbiased opinion.

You can get your RAD-0 here.

Eletech Prudence looks like a solid mid-tier silver-plated copper wire from a reputable manufacturer. But is it really worth its $249 asking price? I'm intent on finding it out, so strap in and lets get my first cable review started.



Soooooo, I lied. It’s not my first cable review. I’ve done that for local audiophile magazines before. But it is my first headphone (IEM in this case) related test. To add some spiciness to it, I used to run a small-time audio cable/mods business. I made a ton of different cables for stereo, and recently I have made an IEM cable for myself. Well, Eletech. Hope you are ready because I am.
I met Eric, the Sales Director for Eletech in London, at CanJam 2022. We were introduced by a mutual friend, Mark, from HiFiMan. Yes, audio is a tight-knit community. Eric is a great guy and probably the chilliest person in the industry. No wonder why we got along so well. Naturally, we came up with a review idea, and I wanted to try introducing some silver into my EDC rig. Of course, I modestly asked for the cheapest silver-plated cable in their offer. I just met the man, and I don’t want to drain his account. Yet. Eletech is a premium cable manufacturer from Singapore. They are widely known not only for their products’ quality but also for being active in the community. You can find them on the Head-Fi forum, and they even created a product, a top IEM cable called Ode To Laura, in cooperation with the community on that forum. I think that really speaks volumes about the kind of business they are running.

Let us start with the basic information. The Prudence is in the starter series of Eletech. Together with a cable named Fortitude, it creates a series called Virtues. The series takes its name from Raphael’s painting “Cardinal Virtues”. Their product series refer to classic arts: IEM cables to Raphael’s paintings, Ode To Laura relates to poetry, and headphone cable Inferno to Dante’s written masterpiece. So this is an introduction to their offer.
Head/earphone cable has a much more challenging task than other cables. It not only has to sound better than others, but it also needs to be as comfortable to use as possible. I’ll also be evaluating this cable in terms of durability. It’s a premium cable, and I expect a premium experience that will justify its price point.
A note on cables because it is a hot topic, and I want to get it out of the way immediately. My experience says cables make a noticeable difference. I’m talking about the last 10% of performance. Please take this scale into account. Even the best cable won’t transform your IEMs into something they are not. If you are not interested in a review of this sort, that’s cool. Let’s pretend you weren’t even here and never talk about it. Check out my other reviews. Go out with your friends, play with your dog, or learn a new skill. Do something positive instead of giving me crap about reviewing cables. It won’t change my experience. It will only take your precious time away.

Packaging​

The cable comes in a small but tasteful box. It has a drawer that slides out. Inside there is a felt pocket for the cable with the manufacturer’s logo. Together with the cable, we get a leather cable strap, again with a logo.
Prudence is a premium product, and it certainly is packaged as such. There is also a card with metallic letters describing the product series, Virtues, and the cable’s specifications. The box also has a sticker informing what’s inside, and mine also has my name, which is a nice personal touch. Appreciate it, Eric, thanks.

Build Quality and Tech​

Back to the subject at hand, Prudence is a silver-plated cable, composed of 4 Litz wires, each fortified with a Kevlar core. This geometry is called by Eletech: Hybrid Type-4 Litz Geometry.

The copper used is OCC flawless copper, as per their website. The isolation is called FlexiMax and is patent pending. The cable is cryo-treated. In my case, it is finished with a 4.4 mm plug and 2-pin plugs. Together with the Y-splitter, they are machined in CNC to fit the wires perfectly. They also have this unique pattern that helps to get a better grip (at least on the plug).

The 2-pin plugs have channel markings on the inside, which makes it convenient to quickly check when plugging in. The cable is made flawlessly. It feels like a premium product, and I wish even more expensive products would provide this level of quality. The wire is super soft and pliable. It has zero microphonics.
Overall, it is my favorite IEM cable in terms of build, and as shameful as it is, it beats the one I made too. You can say that much thought and work went into making this product. It’s like a piece of jewelry.

Sound​

Let’s get it out of the way. The cable does not transform the sound of your audio gear. It’s more like fine-tuning to get the last gram of performance. They tailor the already good system to your exact liking. Silver conductors and silver-plated copper are very often regarded as better than your regular Cuprum. That’s not the case, as red cars are not usually faster than blue ones. The quality of the materials used, starting with the conductor’s purity, dielectric, shielding (if applied), and connectors, influence the sound the cable introduces. As with all other audio devices, the most important thing is the synergy between all pieces of your system. No more disclaimers, I promise.

What does the Eletech Prudence sound like? Very good, that’s one, and as you would imagine, that’s two. Silver-plated copper promises both resolution and proper punch. That is what you get. Prudence, huh? Not really. This cable brings liveliness, fun, and openness. If you compare it to most stock cables, the difference is big. The sound opens up incredibly well, and that is the main difference. It shows in spaciousness, textures, and layering. It’s cleaner and richer. I’m sorry, most stock cables are just poorly made. This is changing, but we are still not yet there. The tonality of Prudence is a little brighter, but not in the meaning of more treble, but rather giving the sound a spark and pulling out more detail. If you are afraid that Prudence will push your kit too far into brightness, it’s possible but unlikely. It will work great with easily 80% IEMs on the market. Out of three IEMs, I have tried, only with one I wasn’t perfectly happy. Alright, let’s call it 66,6% of IEMs on the market. The small test sample, I know. Now, let’s start with the overall changes, and then I’ll go over the IEMs used in the review.

Bass
What I really love about Prudence is that it doesn’t harm the bass, as many SPC (silver-plated copper) cables can. It takes off a layer of fat, like a gym rat, before going on a summer vacation. You lose a bit of the bulk, but it’s cleaner and richer in textures. Pulls out all those fine details in the bass range. And trust me, if you need to, it will be punchy and muscular. I think that better resolution and precision actually add to the impact of the bass. I want to highlight one song in particular: Billie Eilish – My Strange Addiction. The bass on this album is controversial. Many people describe it as bloated to the point of not listenable. That’s the loudspeaker people with their bass-reflex speakers. There is a lot of bass in this song, true, but it’s very impactful. Prudence helps to make it snappy and satisfying.

Midrange
Prudence gives more dynamics to the voices. Helps to hear the fine detail and textures without compromising the tone. It feels like you are getting more of the song you are listening to. It’s not like the cable sounds like this, more like it helps the IEMs to sound better. That’s how I feel about it. Both with male and female vocals, the voices sound more realistic, more forward, and display more layers. The same thing with instruments, Prudence helps them to “fill the room” in a good, natural way with timbre and realistic decay. I’ll bring up The Chain by Fleetwood Mac and appreciate how this midrange-heavy song beautifully opens up after Prudence is plugged in. The music gains richness but doesn’t lose control. It’s like turning the “niceness” regulator to 11/10.

Treble
Of course, SPC cable will benefit treble. That’s one of the reasons why we use them in the first place. What is interesting is that Prudence doesn’t give you more treble, rather it gives it an extension. It makes the fading sounds fade away longer not by boosting the amount but by bringing you more detail and insight. It also really shows how poor stock cables can sound in this range. I’ll put my money where my mouth and.. of wait. I’ll put Time where my mouth is in this case. The beloved Dark Side of the Moon by you know who is a great test for any silver or silver-plated cable. If you can’t stand the clocks, divorce your cables. Prudence passed the test with the exception of one IEM. It was getting a little too hot. With the other two, it sounded detailed, controlled, and lush.

Soundstage
The Prudence gives some air in between the instruments and allows them to be set wider and deeper. It’s great if your headphones play a little too close for your liking. If it’s not the case, it’s still awesome. Extra breathing room is always appreciated. It helps IEMs to build realistic spaciousness for you. A great example is the Random Access Memories by Daft Punk, the whole album. It’s super rich and complicated and has multiple layers of sound coming from all directions. And Prudence really shows off its worth by not limiting that in any manner.

Comparisons​

Erua Audio TAWA

Paweł has described the Tawa as the best thing since sliced bread, and I agree. It’s a spectacular cable. How does Prudence compare to it? The better the IEMs the bigger the difference, but I would say for 95% people, Prudence is as good as you need. It’s like a baby Tawa. It has the same ability to bring out more music from the recordings. While it is not a final word in any aspect, for most IEMs, it’s more than enough. While Tawa sounds better and is more flashy, the Prudence is much more comfortable for daily use.

Stock cables (multiple of them, actually)

The Prudence beats them in sound quality, and it’s not even a contest. It beats them in build quality (duh). What is more important, it also beats them in comfort. Its super soft, pliable wire is super convenient and totally non-microphonic. It’s worth its asking price even for that.

Pairings​

Fir Audio KR5


Wow. And it’s not a song by Post Malone. This is one of the best combos I have ever heard in my life. The Prudence brings juiciness and even more fun to this excellent IEM. That’s a match made in heaven. They go together like garlic and butter. they should be sold together.
It just adds one point to the score of every aspect of the KR5.

UM MEXT

I love MEXT. It’s one of the best fun-sounding IEMs on the market. Punchy and expressive, it’s like an extrovert at a basement D&D session when compared to other IEMs. It breaks my heart that Prudence doesn’t fit it perfectly. This combo can sometimes get too hot in the treble for my liking, like overpouring a beer in a glass. In this case, the copper brother of Prudence, Fortitude, would be a better match.

Shuoer S12

I’m not an idiot, give me a chance to defend myself. How did this happen? Well, I have multiple IEMs, as many of you do too. I also have Prudence, as many of you don’t. So if both parts are already here… It’s a great match. A cable is more expensive than an IEM. Lol. But it’s true, they work great together. The Prudence helps to elevate the sound of the S12 even further. They really open up and gain some nice timbre with this cable. Okay, you dumb shill, so why it’s not stupid? Because a cable like this can make sense when you already have numerous IEMs in your collection. When you have over $1500 of earphones, a good quality, durable and comfortable cable for $249 doesn’t sound that ridiculous anymore. You just use it with all of them. You won’t be using two pairs of IEMs simultaneously anyway.

Summary​

Let’s be honest, $249 is not cheap. And it’s really not cheap for a cable. If you need a good quality cable for your collection or your favorite pair of earphones and you are comfortable with spending this amount of money, I say it’s worth it. It will serve you for years. It’s like an MSG for headphones, it just makes them sound better, FUIYOH!

It gives earphones a nice spark, helps build an excellent soundstage, and makes a detailed sound. Or doesn’t take that away from you, it depends on how you want to look at this. Eletech shows they are at the top of cable manufacturers on the market. Prudence’s build quality is outstanding. It sounds amazing while not having any cons, and it is the most comfortable IEM cable I own. I can’t recommend it enough. Try it if you are in the market for a premium IEM cable. If you are not, try it. You can always return it if this review is full of crap, right? You can only gain experience. Or a fantastic piece of gear.

Big thanks to Eric from Eletech for providing the Prudence for this review. I wasn’t paid or asked to say anything good or bad about this product, all of the above is just my personal, unbiased opinion.

Introduction​

The aftermarket IEM/headphones cable market has been growing rapidly in recent years, with more and more companies offering their unique approach and new interesting technologies surfacing regularly. Because of that, the prices of this kind of product have also been raising significantly, reaching multi-thousand dollars quite recently. We’ve got some big players like Effect Audio, Eletech, Erua Audio, and Cross Lambda, the hero of today’s review.
Let’s address the elephant in the room, the new flagship cable by Cross Lambda, the Apollo GB is priced at $6000. Yes, six thousand dollars, you’ve read it correctly. I’ve seen some prices going as far as $3000-$4000 lately, but I’ve never seen an IEM/Headphone cable costing that huge amount of money. Hear me out though. I’ve worked in the big boy stereo market for a while, and I’ve been using many super-expensive audio cables in my life. I’ve been selling flagship cables from the Dutch company called Siltech, which are going for as high as $50000, and there are people that buy these cables. I myself sold so many cables that were more expensive than $6000, that I can’t even count them.
To evaluate this kind of product we must put the word “value” into the drawer and don’t look at it ever again. I’m not gonna tell you that this $6000 cable changed my headphones completely, that I’ve experienced nirvana and my morning coffee never tasted better. Let’s put aside all the different opinions whether this kind of price is even remotely close to being “fair” or “worth it”. You’re not paying for the materials, you’re paying for the technology, for the experience, and most importantly, to push the limits of your multi-thousand-dollars audio system even further.
The Apollo GB is an IEM cable, to begin with, but it made me wonder. I don’t even have a single pair of IEM that is priced remotely close to it, but I’ve got the Hifiman Susvara, coming at $6000, just like the Apollo GB. I then thought to myself – this is the perfect headphone to test that kind of cable with. It’s one of the most (if not the most) detailed headphones in the world, it’s a Summit-Fi gem that offers the highest possible sound quality. Fast forward a couple of weeks and the Apollo GB made specifically for my Susvara, with a 4pin XLR on the other side came into my apartment.
It’s an IEM cable at the end of the day though, so I also got an IEM version of the Apollo GB. Let’s dive into this experience.

Packaging​

Let’s begin with the unboxing experience. This is definitely a bag of mixed-feelings for me. The Apollo GB comes in a wooden box, which might sound really, really good at first. However, for $6000, you’d expect a really high-quality wood and perfect craftsmanship in every single thing, naturally including the box we’re speaking about.
And here things start falling apart a bit. The wooden box feels rather cheap and the craftsmanship is definitely nothing to write a book about. Yes, the intentions were good, a great quality wooden box would have been nice to have, as a display box for example. The box that comes with the Apollo GB won’t be that though.
I’m sorry to see that missed opportunity. This is the most expensive IEM cable to ever hit the market, and the unboxing experience is definitely not on the same level as some of the competitors. Effect Audio and Eletech both provide a much better experience when it comes to the unboxing.

Of course, this is just a tiny aspect of a final product, but it is the price that sets the expectations incredibly high.

What’s great though, is that the Apollo GB uses a conX system by Effect Audio, allowing you to have both mmcx and 2-pin connectors with one cable. When you’re spending $6000 for an IEM cable, you definitely don’t want to get 2 to suit your 2 favorite IEMs, which happen to use different sockets. Actually, I’d go as far as calling the conX system mandatory in this budget.

Design, Build and Comfort​

Let’s now focus on the Build Quality and Design of the Apollo GB. There’s always that discussion about how a cable should look like to feel “premium” enough. So, having that in mind, the Apollo GB looks…well, alright.

The XLR plug is a well-known Neutrik, but I have to admit one thing here. I specifically asked for this kind of termination and having in mind that the Apollo GB is an IEM cable in its core means that it is not a “standard” type of termination (who uses IEMs with XLR plug instead of 4.4mm Pentaconn?). I’m aware of the fact that my request has been rather unconventional and they simply used a well-known, good-quality plug, and for all of you wanting 3.5mm or 4.4mm plugs, you’ll probably be getting some custom-made, super high-quality connectors, just like with other models from Cross Lambda. I’ll input my photo of my Future Jr here for you to get an idea.
The splitter is a black, metal splitter known from other Cross Lambda models. While you might be right wishing for something more premium for their flagship, this splitter is still great and very comfortable, and it sports the proud “Made In Thailand” phrase.
The cable itself is a type 4s Litz made of 4 wires. The part from the splitter to the headphones is made of two wires per channel in a dark-green braid. I’m not gonna lie, I absolutely love this color, like all earth tones. It is questionable if it’ll fit your headphones or IEMs, but you can probably customize the color to match your request perfectly. South of the splitter, the cable is braided altogether, so you don’t have to worry that the braid will undo by itself, which has happened to me a couple of times with some aftermarket cables.

Let’s talk about comfort for a while. It is quite simple this time – the Apollo GB is fairly comfortable. Nothing tiring, nothing extraordinary. It is a bit stiff, but nothing to write a book about. I don’t have any problems while using it, it’s not too thick nor too stiff, but it’s not Forza Audioworks level in terms of comfort.
The IEM version of the Apollo GB uses conX connectors, just like I stated above. On the other end, there’s a custom palladium 4.4mm connector. The connector looks very high-quality, and I’ve got absolutely no complaints about it.

Tech​

Cross Lambda has always been proud of its shielding technology, and the Apollo GB is a culmination of all these years looking for the best shielding possible.
Thanks to that, the Apollo GB uses an “Absolute Shielding Technology Pro”, which is a Quadruple Shielding Consist of Dupont Medical UF-PVC, Braided Brass
Shield Jacket, Nylon Kevlar Jacket, and a 6000 Series AL Shell.

Its job is to ensure a complete shielding of the cable from all the external interferences, to achieve an absolute silent background and unmatched purity of the signal. We all know that interferences are a big no-no in the cable perspective.

Here’s a word from Cross Lambda: “Apollo G is one of the most successful IEM Upgrade cables in eliminating noises without compromise and we are pushing this concept to a further step by using denser material in braided structure to improve the performance while remaining flexible and comfortable to use.”
Apart from the impressive shielding technology, the Apollo GB also uses some great materials inside, such as 7N-HPPPOCC Palladium Plated Pure Copper, 7N-HPSPOCC Silver Plated Pure Copper and 7N-HPOCC Pure Copper. This kind of tribrid technology has a job to ensure the highest quality signal going into your headphones. No gold plating or pure silver this time, and there’s most certainly a reason for that.

This is what the manufacturer has to say about the choice of materials: “The conductor structure of Apollo GB Consist of 4 Forms of combination between Copper, Silver, and Palladium. With the precise ratio calculation of each material, structure and distance between each strand resulted in each frequency representation of Apollo GB precision.”

Sound​

Just as I said previously, I actually got two Apollo GB’s – one for the Susvara, and one for IEMs, which I mainly use with my Fir Audio Kr5 and Xe6. I won’t separate this review into two different sound descriptions, as both cables give me the same results, so I’ll sum them up in one, in-depth description.
So, what should we expect from a $6000 cable? A very important note to begin with – don’t expect any magic. It won’t make your $1000 headphones the same level as the Susvara, it is definitely not that drastic.

The Apollo GB is definitely meant for high-end headphones and IEMs to begin with. To truly understand its potential and design, we have to have a system that will show us as many details as possible. Then, the Apollo GB will mark its presence immediately. To ensure understanding this product as best as I can, I mainly used my XIAudio K-DAC, Feliks Envy 300B amplifier, Hifiman Susvara, Fir Audio Xe6, and Kr5 together with many different sound sources and different DAPs.
The first aspect of the sound that comes to mind after trying the Apollo GB is definitely the black background. Here comes that quadruple shielding technology, and it works wonders. You’ve got a feeling that every single sound is incredibly isolated from the pitch-black background. This helps improve basically everything else about the sound of your headphones, as you don’t have anything “unwanted” in your signal anymore.

This is THE selling point of this cable, just an insane amount of isolation from the noise. I always wanted the best possible materials from my cables, wishing for a specific sound type of the materials like silver, gold, etc. However, after having the Apollo GB for a few months now, I came to the realization of how important proper shielding is. You may think “well, a bit of background noise, doesn’t bother me, especially when the music is playing”, and trust me, I’ve been there, done that. It’s not just that though, it is just separating your music from everything that doesn’t belong in your audio signal, something that gets to you when you hear it truly.
So, the Apollo GB sounds marvelously clean and airy because of that party trick. Just using great conductors and slapping a $6k price tag wouldn’t have been a really wise idea, but Cross Lambda luckily understood that from the beginning. They knew they have to offer something “State of The Art” level, and they delivered. Back to the sound – I gave the Apollo GB to a few of my audiophile friends to try with my Susvara, to see their reaction. Every single one of them was blown away by its sound, especially after seeing its rather underwhelming unboxing experience, and a just-okay build.



So, is the Apollo GB better than other cables that I compared it to, such as Forza Audioworks Noir HPC, Erua Tawa, Astral Acoustics Eclipse, etc? Yes, it definitely is. No other cable comes really close to it when it comes to sound. Is the difference so big that it’s worth paying $6000? That will hugely depend on your audio budget, but in most cases – not really. It would have been a very easy recommendation for me if it was priced around $2000, but $6000 Is just incredibly expensive.
But, if you have a lot of money and want the absolute best, the Apollo GB should get your attention to at least try it. I know that $6000 is spare change, and if you’re one of those people, I definitely recommend trying this cable and hearing the quality by yourself. If you’re not a millionaire, spending that $6000 on better IEMs, headphones, DAPs, amplifiers, or DACs will give you a better deal than spending that much on cable alone.

This could sound pretty harsh, but that is totally not my intention. I’ve tried and sold a lot more expensive audio cables (big boy stereo) in the past, and the $6000 price tag is not that shocking to me actually, but it is definitely new in the headphones market. Nonetheless, this is by far the best-sounding IEM/Headphone cable that I’ve tried in my life, and there’s no doubt about it. For this fact alone – the Apollo GB is worth recommending if you have loads of money.
Let’s dive a bit more into the sound. The timbre of the instruments is very, very natural and lifelike, as the Apollo GB doesn’t really try to alter the sound signature of the Headphones or IEMs you’ll be using it with. This is what a Summit-Fi cable should do to be honest, as there is plenty of choice of cables that do sound in a specific “way” on the market. Nonetheless, the Apollo GB is all about that black background, incredible detail retrieval and lifelike resolution.

The Apollo GB definitely has qualities of a high-end cable, there’s no doubt about it. Whether you like to listen to rock, jazz or classical music, its outstanding, natural tone paired with class technical capabilities will make every music genre sound as best as possible. You pay a lot of money for it, but you’re getting an outstanding sound quality as well.

Summary​

The Cross Lambda Apollo GB is the most expensive cable in the headphone audio market. While its unboxing experience and build quality leave some things to be desired, its sound quality is definitely on the highest possible level right now.
Of course, I’m not going to recommend spending $6000 on a cable, unless you are a very wealthy person. But if you are, and you’re all about the best possible audio quality, the Apollo GB should definitely be on your list.

Gear used during this review for the sake of comparison and as an accompanying equipment:

• Headphones – Hifiman Susvara, HE1000se, Fir Audio XE6, Fir Audio Kr5, Unique Melody MEST, Feliks Audio Envy, XiAudio K-DAC, iBasso DX170,

Big thanks to Cross Lambda for providing the Apollo GB for this review. I wasn’t paid or asked to say anything good or bad about this product, all of the above is just my personal, unbiased opinion.

Introduction​

Here I should write something about SMSL, but I would be afraid that I would plagiarize something because I feel that there is everything written about this Chi-Fi company already and even if you’re using Internet Explorer you would have to hear something about them.
SMSL and Topping are currently leading the affordable DACs and AMPs market. A couple of years ago my audio gear journey started with their entry-level DAC/AMP SMSL M3, I used to have a significant amount of their gear and now I’m reviewing their almost flagship DAC.
What can I say at first sight? Have you ever driven a car that was made by the Volkswagen group? If yes, then I can say that SMSL is the Volkswagen of audio gear, for you who have never done it (if it’s possible) it’s painfully correct and if you have ever driven one of them, you will probably know what to expect from the whole lineup. The same case is with SMSL – if you liked the sound of M3, but you need more power and improvement in terms of quality sound, but with similar turning, then go for the recently reviewed C200, or a combo of SU-9 and SH-9 there are plenty of possibilities to improve experience staying in your comfort zone.

Packaging​

The unboxing experience of SMSL DO200 MK2 is pretty similar to any other gear made by the company. Simple white box with minimalistic graphics, with a lot of stiff foam that secures everything inside. I wouldn’t be afraid that the device would be hurt during delivery.
The contents of the box are typical as well: the DAC, a power cord, a USB cable, a remote, and a Bluetooth antenna. Everything you need to use the device (maybe almost, there are no batteries included with the remote).

Design and Build Quality​

First of all, as I mentioned above SMSL is like Volkswagen – nothing fancy and painfully correct. Secondly, DO200 mk2 is a DAC – most DACs are simple bricks, sometimes with small displays, sometimes with a couple of buttons or a knob (apart from Chord or ifi). So if you expected fireworks, then you will be disappointed.
SMSL DO200 mk2 is a big (not as big as Ferrum ERCO, but bigger than Topping D90), black box with a display, which can dim after a few seconds (that’s a great feature for people that listen to music in darkness), and a multifunctional knob. The housing is made of aluminum, and it feels rock solid.
Shortly speaking, yet another SMSL device, that isn’t a piece of art, but I can’t find anything to complain about in terms of build quality, almost anything, because I wouldn’t be myself if I didn’t find anything and this thing is the knob, which is very functional and looks great, but it could fit tighter, because the one from the reviewed model gently bends to the sides, pretty similar to the one from SU-9. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t a big deal, but I had to find something.

Tech and I/O​

First things first, let’s start with the heart of the device – dual DAC chips ES9068AS, which are characterized by very low noise floor and very transparent sound. The chips also allow full MQA decoding of signals provided with both USB and SPDIF connectors.
I’ve written that DO200 mk2 is quite big and this paragraph will clarify why it’s so big because I think you won’t blame Victorinox SwissChamp (that’s a swiss army knife that has over 70 different tools and many more use cases) for being so big since it has all the tools you will ever need or even some tools you will never need. As I mentioned, DO200 mk2 has USB and SPDIF inputs, but it’s also fitted with optical, I2S, and AES/EBU inputs – that’s probably more than enough for most users. Outputs are pretty standard – single-ended RCA and balanced XLR. To be honest, the DAC has the most ports among all my audio devices. My only problem is that DO200 mk2 is featured only with USB type B. I know it’s the audio world, and real, I mean REAL audiophiles have their super expensive USB cables, but come on, it’s 2022 and even lower-end DO100 has USB-C, so if SMSL didn’t want to block “experienced” users from utilizing their cables, then they could solve it as it’s done in HiFiMan EF400, there are both sockets – Oldschool USB type B and modern USB type C.
Another great functionality is Bluetooth 5.0 which supports AAC, AptX, and LDAC codecs, you can listen to music directly from your phone without any cable. I think this will be especially appreciated by audiophiles listening to music with their stereo setup because you won’t need additional devices, only the phone, and the music can be played remotely.
I’m not the guy who measures the gear, so I can only ask you to google it, but I’m sure that the DO200 mk2 has perfect measurements because it’s an SMSL DAC – yeah, it’s a synonym for a great measuring DAC.

Sound​

Ok, now let’s jump to the most important part – the sound. To be honest, that’s the tricky one because this DAC is extremely transparent, but I think that audio objectivists will like this review.

I think it would be pointless to describe each frequency because the DO200 mk2 is… Neutral, I could write in each place that this frequency isn’t pushed forward, nor recessed, because it’s… Yeah! That’s right – neutral, I hope you’re getting my point and I promise, I will try not to overdose this word, but I feel I need to use it while describing a neutral DAC. Sorry I had to.

When paired with Topping A90 and HiFiMan Ananda I received an extremely neutral setup, I received everything I wanted to hear in the right amount. This setup doesn’t have any WOW effect, but it can reproduce any kind of music on a decent level and it won’t make you bored or exhausted. When I’m writing about pairing, or in a more poetic way – synergy, I need to mention that SMSL DO200 MK2 will work well with any AMP and headphones, because it’s transparent, so it won’t add anything to the sound. That is really expected if you just want to improve your audio setup, but if you want to tune it slightly, then you need to look for another device.
The technical performance is amazing. In this regard I can’t remember any better sounding DAC, yes, you’ve got me, objectively, there is no point to look for anything else, DAC under $500 is more than your ears would ever need (and hear), but does it mean, that I wouldn’t buy, anything more expensive? Definitely NO, I would. Neutral sound is great, but I like distortions because it makes the sound more natural and analog. The DO200 is amazing and super tasty grape juice, but I like rotten grape juice (some of you would rather call this drink wine). But, that’s amazing, that we are able to get such a perfectly sounding device at such a low price – a few years ago, you would have to pay a couple of times more money for similar or even lower sound quality.
The SMSL DO200 MK2 is a great device as a benchmark, and the manufacturers show how perfect DAC they can make, but sometimes I just wonder what’s the reason to buy it. There are cheaper devices, like DO100, or SU-9, which sound very similar and perform nearly as well as the reviewed DAC, but their price is lower, so in that paragraph, you won’t find the answer, but the one above should do the job, because it’s a very powerful tool in terms of connectivity and available I/O.
I think that the most important question you need to ask yourself before buying the SMSL DO200 is if you are looking for a neutral-sounding DAC. Yes, this is quite a hard question, if you’re new to that hobby, you’re probably looking for the purest sound you can get. In that case, that’s a great device for you, but over time and with the number of gear you have the opportunity to listen to, it may become boring. That’s why you will be looking for something that fulfills only your needs, not the common needs of the average listener, but then the DO200 may be the device to benchmark other audio pieces.

Comparisons​

SMSL SU-9


SMSL SU-9 is a DAC priced at $399. It’s based on the ES9038PRO – the flagship ESS DAC chip of its time. The device has USB-B, SPDIF, and optical inputs, and is featured with both single-ended and balanced outputs, that’s the usual set of I/O at this price range, but DO200 MK2 has additional I2S and AES/EBU input.
The build quality of both devices is pretty similar, the SU-9 is slightly smaller and lighter, but it’s not even close to a portable device, so for me, that wouldn’t be a problem.
In terms of performance, when released, it was one of the best measuring DAC and it’s still on top, noise signal ratio, and dynamic range are still very impressive, DO200 mk2 probably improved the performance, but it was already way beyond human hearing.
The sound of both devices is pretty similar, it’s very correct and the biggest difference is the midrange, which is slightly more natural when reproduced by SU-9. The soundstage reproduced by both devices is pretty impressive, especially when considering that both of them are priced below $500.
If I had to decide which device should I choose, then I would go for DO200 MK2 because of its I/O and improved power supply, but if I already had the SU-9 then these features wouldn’t convince me for the upgrade.

Summary​

Rock solid CNC machined alloy body, Bluetooth, remote control, and the sound – extremely neutral and ultimately clear. The SMSL DO200 MK2 is like a Tesla that leaves far behind much more expensive hyper-cars while racing for a ¼ mile. If you’re looking for a high-performance DAC with any I/O (unless USB-C) you can imagine, at a reasonable price, then I can recommend the reviewed device. For me, this will be the perfect tool for AMPs, and paired with Topping A90 for headphones reviews, because I know that these devices won’t add color to the sound, and it’s a great start for looking for setup synergy.
Highly Recommended.

Gear used during this review for the sake of comparison and as an accompanying equipment:

• Headphones – Campfire Audio Vega 2020, Craft Ears 4 CIEM,, Dan Clark Ether Flow 1.1, Focal Elegia, HiFiMan Ananda, Meze Advar, Meze Liric,
• Sources – Astell&Kern SP3000, Chord Mojo 2, Chord Hugo 2, Fiio M11 Pro, HiFiMan EF400, JDS El DAC II, SMSL SP200, SMSL SU9, Topping A90, MacBook Pro 14,

Big thanks to Aoshida-Audio for providing the DO200 mk2 for this review. I wasn’t paid or asked to say anything good or bad about this product, all of the above is just my personal, unbiased opinion. Aoshida-Audio hasn’t seen this review before publishing it.

​

Introduction​

JDS Labs was a guest at Ear-Fidelity a few times already. My last round with Atom+ stack left me with very fond memories. They offer an amazing starting point for newcomers with a great price-to-performance ratio.
I was inquisitive about the Element III, as it looks like a much more refined design, although based on similar parts. So, I thought it won’t be worse, and that’s a good start. But jokes aside. Even before, JDS Labs amazed us with its no-bs policy and down-to-earth approach. Once again I recommend you to visit their website and their blog. I think that’s a must-read for those technically inclined. The big takeaway is: it’s not the DAC chip, it’s the implementation. I want you guys to understand that.
Naysayers will complain about the old DAC chip used here. Well, maybe somebody finally made the ESS chips sound good? Because until now, I heard only a few devices that sounded good to me with those. One of them was Atom+ DAC, which is a good start for the E3 (Element III). Interestingly enough, according to the blog post at JDS Labs E3 is not a refresh of the E2, but a complete redesign. The analog stage was expanded and tuned, the ESS ES9018K2M was chosen as a DAC, and the knob stayed. Now, the volume control is done in the digital domain, and to be honest, it works flawlessly. Unlike in the E2, the analog input was dropped because of the digital volume control, but it’s not an issue in a DAC/AMP like that.

Packaging and Build Quality​

The E3 comes in a box with a JDS-branded, printed sleeve. The box itself is marked with a slogan: “Sound as science”. Inside you will find the E3 itself and a large transformer-based power supply. No extra bells and whistles.
The E3 looks very good straight out of the box. Sleek black finish, a copper ring, and flush connectors. The top part is metal, probably aluminum, and the bottom is very high-quality plastic. It comes together very nicely, like an audio-batmobile.
The small OLED display is perfect for tabletop use and provides you with all the necessary information. The knob has a smooth rotation but has a little wobble when turned. When you look at it, you see it. When you don’t, it’s not noticeable. It’s a big knob on an encoder’s shaft. Even with a custom, reinforced part, some wobble is to be expected.

Tech​

In terms of tech we can be satisfied too. It supports PCM up to 24bit/384kHz and DSD128. While it’s not top-tier compatibility, I can’t really imagine anybody complaining about it. That’s still more than enough. “But my DAC sounds the best with DSD512 oversampling in Roon!” if your DAC needs that to sound good, maybe it’s time for a new DAC Bro.

E3 has two inputs: USB type B and optical type as usual. We also get two outputs: a 6,3mm headphone jack and a pair of RCAs in the back. You can freely switch between all of them using the knob. The knob has programmable functions, allowing you to have a smoother user experience. I used the knob as an output selector because I was using both speakers and headphones with the E3. Those outputs have independent volume settings, which make them even easier to use. Besides the sound, E3 was built with user experience in mind. A nice addition can change output filters and influence the harmonics component in the DAC chip itself.
Most manufacturers just crank the compensation to 11/10 to make the measurements look better. JDS Labs gives it to us as a tool to play with the sound. I want to point out that I expect balanced outputs at this price, at least for headphones. Don’t get me wrong, 1,3W is a lot, but planar headphones always gain in terms of sound when connected to a balanced amp. More on that later. For dynamic drivers, it’s gonna be all you might need.

The automatic gain control is excellent and works great. E3 uses internal +/- 15V rails and rail-to-rail opamps (OPA1692), so expect great headroom for high-impedance headphones. It’s a refined, smart design that really puts an emphasis on useability and sound. Exceptional measurements? Apparently, they are a byproduct of sound-focused design. Well, I’m not complaining, for sure. One last thing I want to bring to your attention is the digital volume control. As mentioned before, it’s acoustically transparent and it gives you exceptional channel matching. That is super important with IEMs.

Sound​

Sometimes reviews are easy. Not this time. How to describe something so transparent that you hear everything else besides that? That’s the situation I’m in now. This is one of the best-engineered ESS-based DACs. Chapeau bas.

The sound signature of ESS chips is reduced to a minimum. We get all the pros: resolution, pitch-black background, and insane bass response. The harshness is non-existent. On the E3 side at least. You will hear everything. I mean EVERYTHING. This DAC/AMP can be easily used in a music studio for mastering, it shows every detail in a uniquely effortless way. You have a small hint of the ESS sound. Let’s call it “dark transparency”.
Those who know any modern ESS DAC understand that sentence. JDS Labs included a few options for us to influence the sound. So if you are not afraid to stray from a purist approach, you can play around a bit. Obviously, we can select digital filters. The minimal phase is my choice as the most natural and dynamic. Other filters are a little harsher, which is not a good solution with this amount of transparency.
Additionally, you can regulate the amount of 2nd and 3rd harmonics. I found a slight difference between those settings but liked the neutral setting the most. This is a function built into the ESS chips. It’s nice that we were given access to that. Every regulation is made in real-time, which makes it easier to choose.



Soundstage
It’s excellent. E3 creates layers upon layers of sound, all of them completely independent of each other. The soundstage is very wide and mostly depends on the headphones you use. Even much more expensive devices can’t pull that off. All of that is thanks to an excellent crosstalk separation, low noise level, and linear phase response of the whole device. The soundstage is placed in front of you. Not too close and not too far. It’s just right. That’s it. Reference level sound staging.

Bass
When it comes to most dynamic driver-based headphones, it is the end of the line. Well-implemented Sabre with a very good, powerful amplifier. With planars, especially more demanding, you can feel that you start to miss out on the punch department. More on compatibility later, so stay tuned. When the compatibility is there, it delivers big time. The bass is rich with information, perfectly controlled, and fast yet sublime. The bass lines in Heaven and Hell by Black Sabbath were a great example. Good bass doesn’t have to break walls with its power. It can also highlight the musician’s skill, allowing you to appreciate the art. Believe it or not, Dua Lipa’s Levitating has a fantastic bass line, and the E3 offered to show it exactly as it is. Even though powerful, the bass never influenced any other range.

Midrange
I think we all got into trouble even though we were innocent. The E3 gets in trouble here with me. Let’s start with the facts. It gives you exemplary resolution and detail in the midrange. There is spaciousness, breath, and truth in its presentation of midrange. Taking a listen to Muddy Waters My Captain, you can get one of the most convincing musical spectacles. The voice, the guitar, you think you can touch them. Perfectly complementing each other, the gentle guitar background complements the incredible voice of the artist. My version even has a moment in which the mic gets overdriven, and you can pick it up like you have been mastering audio for the last 10 years. So, what got E3 into trouble? Partially, it’s a problem with me and my setup. I like a little warmer and richer sound. With some extra oomph in the bass. Most of my headphones are relatively transparent. The other half of the problem is in the music itself. If you listen to something that wasn’t recorded that well, you are gonna have a bad time in my setup. The question is: do you want full transparency? Great power comes with great responsibility.

Treble
Was a big surprise, and a positive one at that. All the ESS-based DACs I have heard before had a harsh treble. If not harsh, then at least hard. Well, I don’t know how JDS Labs did it, but the treble here is open, relaxed, and very natural. Even now, I’m listening to Bruno Mars That’s what I like. The treble has lots of air, is very open, and fills the whole space easily. Also, even with a lot going on, the highs don’t get tiring as it happens with many other devices. A good example of an intensive track can be Call Me Manny by Justin Hurwitz. It has great big band vibes, very recommended (thanks to DJ TITO for the recommendation). Nicely done, JDS Labs. Color me impressed.

Pairing​

HiFiMan Sundara Closed

As mentioned in its review, this headphone goes very well with this amplifier. Sundara Closed has some warmth itself which pairs nicely with the E3. Also, it’s pretty reasonable to drive, so no problems here. Also, their pricing suggests pairing them together. This combo gives you great transparency with just a hint of warmth and an excellent, fun bass.

HiFiMan HE6SE

A fine addition to my collection (post a General Grievous meme plz), but not a good partner for the E3. It can get pretty loud but make no mistake, the HE6SE is a very demanding headphone. Especially when you don’t have a balanced connection. To be fair, HE6SE is not something you would typically match with the E3.

Westone Mach 60

This IEM’s natural, relaxed presentation pairs perfectly with E3. It will make you understand why so many people like the Mach 60 and its predecessor. This is an excellent, universal sound. The E3 has basically no noise, so you can pair it with many different IEMs with no possibility for noise-related issues.

Dynamic driver headphones

I have tried my theory only with the Sennheiser HD518, but I’m confident that dynamic driver headphones will pair with the E3 very well. Dynamic drivers usually have more of their character, which will only flourish with a transparent DAC/AMP like this. Sorry I couldn’t make the arrangements to try any of the obvious choices like Sennheisers HDs, Focals, or Beyerdynamics. I still trust my gut and recommend you try those combos. If you don’t like it, you can cash me outside, how bout dah?

Comparisons​

JDS Labs Atom+ Stack



I always try to be as unbiased as possible, but let’s be honest. When you look at the components, the E3 seems a little like a more fancy version of the Atom+ combo. Damn, you couldn’t be further from the truth. The difference in sound is gigantic.
First of all, the Atoms are warmer. Second of all, they have nothing on the E3. Additionally, Atoms don’t work well with IEMs due to the high gain and potentiometer tolerances. E3 has perfect channel symmetry and lower noise. This device destroys Atom+ in every category by a mile. So if you were split between the two, don’t be. E3 is superior in every aspect and has extra features.

iFi Audio Zen DAC Signature + Zen CAN Signature HFM

When having sex, iFi’s safe word is “pineapple”. E3’s is “Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger, Sonderkraftfahrzeug 181” and you have to say it backwards. Kinda like the famous scene from Euro Trip. The Zen Signature stack has less detail and a smaller soundstage. On the other hand, it has a warmer, more easygoing sound and balanced outputs, which go well with my beloved planars. To be fair, I think that E3 offers more in terms of sound, while iFi offers more practical features (multiple inputs, balanced output).

Summary​

Element III is one of the market’s best DAC/AMP combos. It’s super nice to use, offers an amazing sound, and looks good. If you aim for transparent sound and reference sound staging, you will be in heaven.

Its powerful 1,3W amplifier will be enough for many headphones. Low noise and exemplary channel matching will work great with IEMs of all kinds, including full BA ones. JDS Labs is a reputable manufacturer that offers great customer service and a very customer-centered approach to business. There is one caveat that I have to bring to your attention. No balanced outputs for headphones. I love my planars, and they love to get lots of current. Extra power would be welcomed at this price point. If you have planar headphones, I still encourage you to try it. Sundara Closed works great with the E3. Monolith headphones are another great option here. All the dynamic headphones will be absolutely happy with the E3. After considering that, I still give my recommendation to the Element III. It’s a great value for money, and if you are smart enough to work around its only limitation, it might be the last DAC/AMP you will buy.

Highly Recommended.

Big thanks to JDS Labs for providing the Element III for this review. I wasn’t paid or asked to say anything good or bad about this product, all of the above is just my personal, unbiased opinion. JDS Labs hasn’t seen this review before publishing it.

Introduction​

Like iPhone is the product you think of when someone tells smartphone, or Jeep Wrangler when someone tells about the off-road vehicle, like the Westone products are the ones when someone tells about on-stage in-ear monitors.

The company was established in 1959, almost 40 years ago they invented the first in-ear musicians’ monitors and the first balanced armature driver as well, that’s a serious heritage. Without them, we probably couldn’t enjoy thousands of different IEMs, which for us, the Ear Fidelity crew, would be a big loss, because we all are big fans of Hi-Fi on the go.

Today’s reviewed gear is the second lowest IEM from Westone’s latest universal series – MACH. What’s interesting, each piece from the series looks exactly the same, the only difference is the number on the left earpiece, from 10 to 80, the biggest difference is the internals, from a single balanced armature in MACH 10 to eight drivers in MACH 80. If you’re willing to spend more money, you can read Michał’s review of MACH 60 here, but if you’re interested in the “entry-level” model (at least in terms of the Westone MACH series), then keep reading this review.

Packaging, Tech and Comfort​

I’ve received the MACH 20 in a sample package – zip lock bag and bubble wrap to secure the earpieces. Unfortunately, I can’t say anything about the retail packaging from my perspective, the only thing is Michał’s report from CanJam, where he was talking with the Westone representative.

So when you will buy the headphone, inside the box you will find a big selection of tips (silicone and foam ones), a Pelican case (the original one), a cloth, a cable, and the IEM. The case is great, it’s fully waterproof and very durable, it would probably have survived a plane crash.

The cable is, and it’s the only positive thing I can write about it. It’s got proprietary connectors, so you can’t replace it with aftermarket options. It’s very thin, but the manufacturer claims it’s durable as well. It’s also not the softest cable I’ve ever used. But let’s stop bullying the cable, let’s move to better parts of the headphone.

So now the tech, MACH 20 has 2 balanced armatures in each earpiece. The sensitivity is rated at 110dB and the impedance is about 96 Ohms. That’s all you can read on the website, it ain’t much technical-marketing bs on their website, but it’s a gear for the professionals. They only need IEMs to be comfortable and don’t color the sound too much. In that use case, Westone IEM works very well, I could sit listening to them for hours (I think I also could jump, workout, or dance and the IEM would keep in my ears, but I’m lazy AF, so I didn’t test them properly in that scenario), about the sound I will write later, but it’s fine as well.

Design and Build Quality​

As I wrote above, Westone MACH 20 shares the shell design with other representatives of the MACH series. The build quality is pretty good, for $400 you’re receiving the build quality of the headphone that is worth $1600 – that’s a deal (as I mentioned above MACH 80 has exactly the same shell design as MACH 20). The earphone is made of good quality plastic, unfortunately, the description on the website is brief and there is no mention of the type of materials used. The finish of the earpieces is superb, you can see the lines where shells are separated, but it’s fitted so tight that I can’t nearly feel it with my fingertips.

On the inside part of the shell, there is a Westone logo, red on the right shell and blue on the left one. Thanks to it, the recognition of the channels is super easy. I wish more manufacturers would use similar methods to differentiate the earpieces – a simple solution for first-world problems.

What’s worth to mention, the nozzle is very narrow, so if you have an issue that most headphones are too big to fit your ear canal, then the MACH series can solve the problem. You may wonder why most manufacturers produce so large nozzles. That’s because maybe it’s not the most comfortable for users, but definitely easier to implement for sound engineers, but engineers from Westone have nearly half a century of experience in designing IEMs and they know a lot of tricks on how to make earphones sound and fit perfectly.

Sound​

I’ve written that the biggest difference between IEMs from the MACH series is the number of drivers, but this implies the sound difference is huge as well. There are plenty of sound signatures in the lineup, but today’s review star – MACH 20 is the bassy one.

Let’s start with the bass, which sounds like a typical bass reproduced by balanced armature drivers. What does it mean? It’s very fast and precise, but it roll-off quickly, so the sub-bass isn’t audible properly. Normally when I’m listening to warm-sounding headphones, it’s safe to choose some electronic music like French 79, or Crooked Colours, but due to the character of the sub-bass, I had a problem because this kind of music loses a lot, when it’s not powerful enough.

The midrange is recessed, but it still has an amazing texture and it’s very natural. While listening you need to focus on it, otherwise, it will be overwhelmed with the lower frequencies. The way it’s being reproduced with MACH 20 favors the instruments and vocals in the lower midrange. That is why Agnes Obel probably won’t show you what these headphones can do, but Nick Cave in “Where the Wild Roses Grow” makes me goose-flesh. His voice is full-bodied with an amazing timbre.



And the last, unfortunately, the least as well – the treble is very warm and recessed. The details are lacking as well. If you’re looking for a headphone to put your listening experience on the next level in terms of the resolution and details in the top end of the audible frequency range, then keep searching, because it sounds like it’s covered with a fluffy blanket, or from behind a heavy, beefy veil. If you would like to joy your ears with the sound of cymbals in “Dronning Fjelrose” by Hoff ensemble & Helene Bøksle then there are a couple of better IEMs available on the market, but if you are looking for an IEM that you can listen to to even terribly produced songs for hours, then go for it.

Okay, I hurried up, and nearly forgot about the soundstage, which is realized in a very correct way. Nothing fancy, but also nothing wrong, depth, width, and height are pretty similar so no direction is too far nor too close, the positioning is good as well. I don’t have anything to complain about here. My reference song for checking the soundstage is “Bubbles” by Yosi Horikawa, and what can I say? It sounds as I could expect, the dimensions aren’t as wide and deep as when played back with HiFiMan Susvara, but the layers of the sound are pretty impressive.

Comparisons​

Craft Ears Four


Craft Ears 4 is a Polish CIEM fitted with 4 balanced armature drivers, priced at €625 (price in US dollars should be similar). In terms of design, it’s hard to compare, because when ordering CE4 no matter if universal or custom fit, you can completely customize the design of the shells, but it’s made with 3D printed resin. When comparing with CE4 universal fit the biggest difference is the nozzle diameter, more popular among IEMs, so if you already have some aftermarket ear tips, you will be able to utilize them, but it won’t fit the very narrow ear canal, then the only solution will be custom in-ear monitor made from your immersions.
Now the sound, when I used Craft Ears 4 for the first time, I couldn’t believe there are only balanced armature drivers inside.
The bass is very powerful and fast and it can go very low, like it was produced with a dynamic driver, in that case, CE4 is out of the reach of Westone MACH 20, which also reproduces very fast and powerful bass, but the lowest end nearly doesn’t exist.
The midrange, in this regard both headphones are not the greatest. The midrange of both IEMs is recessed, but the way it’s reproduced is slightly different. The CE4 is very technical, and the midrange is very detailed and well-textured, while Westone MACH 20 has a warmer and smoother midrange, with more charming vocals.
The treble, huh, that’s tough. The comparison to this place was pretty even, but regarding the highest frequencies, I can write that the Craft Ears 4 is amazing – very detailed, but perfectly balanced so it’s very pleasant to listen to, while Westone MACH 20 is definitely not tiring, but if you’re looking for good resolution, then pick CE4.
When comparing the soundstage we can see two different approaches, MACH 20 reproduces the soundstage ultimately precisely, while Craft Ears 4 does it more spectacularly. The soundstage of the Polish IEM is way wider and slightly deeper, but the positioning isn’t as precise as while using MACH 20.

Westone MACH 60



Westone MACH 60 is a universal in-ear monitor priced at $1099. In terms of build quality it’s exactly the same gear, if someone blindfolded you, and asked to determine which IEM is which without listening to them, you would probably have a big problem.

In terms of sound they differ completely, MACH 60 has a balanced signature, while MACH 20 is warm and bassy.

The bass of the 60s is definitely not as pushed forward as one of the 20s, but both lack the lowest sub-bass, but the whole bass is pretty fast, I would say that this part is the typical bass reproduced by the balanced armature. I would say “it’s just physics” but the next comparison will show that it’s possible to make BA sound beefy.

The midrange is definitely the strongest part of the MACH 60, it reproduces voices in an amazing way. Unfortunately, the cheaper brother sounds cheaper in that term, the midrange is definitely recessed, and lacks much when compared head-to-head with the 60s but, let’s not be that harsh to MACH 20, it’s $700 cheaper than 60.

When comparing the treble, it’s another place where MACH 60 sparkles again, it’s much more detailed, while the treble reproduced with MACH 20 sounds like it’s hidden under the blanket, but I mean a very fluffy blanket.

Summary​

Westone MACH 20 is a very comfortable IEM. If you’re looking for universal in-ear monitors to use during performances, or earphones to use while doing some sports, it’s a definitely good choice for you.

In terms of sound, it’s a very specific gear and it may not fit everyone. If you’re looking for a warm-sounding IEM that can be used for hours without fatigue, then go for it, but don’t expect the edges of the audible frequency range to be very impactful.

Gear used during this review for sake of comparison and as accompanying equipment:

• Headphones: Bqeyz Summer, Campfire Audio Vega 2020, Craft Ears 4 CIEM, Dan Clark Audio Aeon 2 Noire, Dan Clark Audio Ether C Flow 1.1, Focal Elegia, HiFiMan Ananda,, Meze Advar,
• Sources: Fiio M11 Pro, JDS El DAC II + SMSl SP200, SMSL SU9 + Topping A90, MacBook Pro 14, iPhone 13 Pro with apple lightning DAC/Amp

Disclaimer: Big thanks to Westone and John from KSDISTRIBUTION for providing the MACH 20 for this review. This review wasn’t influenced by anyone, all of the above is my subjective, honest opinion.

Introduction​

It’s been a while since we reviewed an Audeze product. This company has a special place in my heart, as their LCD-3 has once been the most expensive audio product I ever bought, back in like…2013 or so.
Since then, I tried most Audeze products, and last year we reviewed their newest revision of the LCD-X model, called the LCD-X 2021. This headphone has won our “2021 headphones of the year” award, thanks to its sublime craftsmanship, great sound quality, and tuning that is just easy to fall in love with.
A year has passed, and since then, Audeze has launched a few new models, including their new flagship LCD-5. I know many of you have requested the LCD-5 to be reviewed here and actually to be included in our “Battle Of The Flagships” article…hang on, we’re trying our best to finally make it happen one day!

Back to the topic though. The LCD-5 is a groundbreaking product for Audeze, as it marked a milestone for the brand making the biggest change to their products ever. Basically, the LCD-5 was a complete redesign of their previous models, sharing basically no parts with the (now retired) previous flagship, the LCD-4.
Also, the most shocking aspect is the tuning, which has been changed completely. Audeze has been known for its thick, dark, and lush sound signature for more than 10 years now, and the LCD-5 took a completely different approach to the frequency response. This was the first, truly neutral and reference-like tuned Audeze headphone in history (I only tried it quite briefly though), and I started to wonder, if this is going to be the new standard for Audeze, or if the LCD-5 was just meant to be different.

Some time passed, and Audeze came up with a new, highly interesting model – the MM-500. It is made in a collaboration with a 10-times Grammy winner, Manny Marroquin himself. And you guessed it…the MM-500 continues the trend of a new tuning for Audeze, sealing the question of whether it’s temporary or not with the LCD-5 for good now.
There’s one thing I want to express my thoughts on – the entire collaboration thing. See, people in audio don’t really believe in those kinds of situations, where an audio brand cooperates with a Music/Engineering star to launch a new product, and for a good reason apparently – there have been a few tries in the past, but all of them failed in a way.
There’s nothing to worry about though. Take guitars for example – most legendary guitar models ever were indeed created in a collaboration with an artist. Les Paul’s Gibson would be the perfect example of that.

So, it’s not an aspect of whether it’s a good idea to do it or not, but how you execute the entire thing. Manny Marroquin is a legend, but he’s also highly connected to the entire “audio thing”, so this collaboration doesn’t feel out of place at all.
Okay, let’s put that aspect aside for now, and let’s dive into the new Audeze MM-500 and see if it’s good enough to justify its rather high ($1699) price.

Packaging​

Let’s start with the unboxing experience. The Audeze MM-500 comes in the same box as the LCD-X 2021, which we have reviewed some time ago here.

So, we’re dealing with a pelican-style, hard case that is extremely secure and it gives a lot of protection to our new valuable headphones. Actually, this case reminds me of some studio equipment hard cases, and knowing that the heritage of the MM-500 is sound mastering, this feels like the perfect choice.
I always appreciate this kind of presentation. Some display cases are really cool to unpack and they often give you that luxurious feeling at first, but at the end of the day, they all end up in a closet or in the attic. This one is different – you can easily use it for traveling with your headphones or just use it as storage, and you don’t have to worry about what’s inside.
I’ve always been more of a “function above looks” type of guy, and this case is just my cup of tea – functional, protective, and useful.

Inside the case, you’ll find the MM-500 and a cable. The latter is a 2m braided cable made of high-purity OCC copper. This cable is very comfortable, it’s not microphonic at all, and it’s just a joy to use. We have all seen stock cables that are stiff, heavy, microphonic, and just bad. This one is totally the opposite, and you won’t really have to think about getting an aftermarket one unless you simply want to upgrade your audio game. Some other manufacturers should watch and learn.

Design, Build and Comfort​

I’m going to start this paragraph with a bold statement – the Audeze MM-500 is the best-looking and feeling headphone in my collection.

First of all, the design. It’s very professional, industrial, and raw. These are not designed to be flashy or luxurious looking, these are tools, and they definitely look like one. I absolutely adore their design every time I look at them (which is well… every day). There’s just something about this color combination, the shape, the finish, and the materials used that scream “pick me up and touch me”, and I do so a lot. Actually, even when I’m not listening to them, I often just grab them and do a little touching, just to feel good. I might sound like a crazy person, but this is just my experience.
This leads us to the actual build quality, which is spectacular. I remember stating that the LCD-X 2021 feels like a tank in a hand, that it’s so solid and just big and bulky, but this is just another level. Nothing squeaks, there are no sharp edges, and everything feels extremely solid and just pleasant to the touch. Apart from the LCD-5, these are built totally differently than every single Audeze headphone ever created, which is essential to Audeze’s latest releases.

What makes me really happy is the headband construction, which uses a suspension strap. Some manufacturers are still using traditional headbands with no suspension straps, and I just cannot understand why. The strap makes every headphone so much more comfortable, it distributes the weight much better, and it is just superior to everything else on the market. I’m happy to see Audeze just going straight to suspension strap headbands in all of their headphones, this is without a doubt an excellent choice.

What’s not so excellent though, is the clamping force, which is quite brutal. These would have been one of the comfiest big planars on the market, but the clamping force is just a lot for many people, me included. Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t make the MM-500 unusable or even uncomfortable, but it’s definitely too strong for me, resulting in a slight discomfort after about an hour of listening to them. Not terrible, but would have been much better if the clamping force was reduced.

However, the clamping force was probably designed to ensure a proper fit, as (even though it’s an open-back design) the MM-500 actually requires a good seal to sound best. If this was intentional and it actually helps to ensure a proper fit, then I’d say that it was a fair decision. The headband is spring-loaded anyway, so you can actually stretch the headband a bit to loosen up the clamp, but if you’ll just grab them out of the box and put them on your head, you’ll be surprised by how hard they squeeze your head.



Now, let’s get to the earpads – these are more reminiscent of their older models than their new LCD-5 flagship. However, because the earcups are quite a bit smaller than their older LCD models, the earpads have been reduced in size as well. Don’t worry though, as these are plushy and still quite big, so they should easily fit your ears with some breathing room. The depth of the ear pads is actually great, and my ears never touch the drivers, which is very important for comfort in my book.

Overall, the MM-500 looks absolutely astonishing in real life, and it’s built just as well. This feels very solid in the hand, is a blast to look at and I don’t see them taking any damage even if dropped to the floor. This is what a studio-oriented pair of headphones should be – practical, functional, and most importantly, very durable.

Tech​

The Audeze MM-500 is a mix of new and old Audeze in the tech department. It uses a driver of the same size as their flagship LCD-5, with the same magnet array called single-sided Fluxor magnet array, consisting of 14 magnets.
The old is the older style of the diaphragm, hence only the LCD-5 uses the new Nano-Scale Parallel Uniforce diaphragm.
All of this contributes to an incredibly low impedance at 18Ω and an SPSL sensitivity rating of 100dB. This means that the MM-500 is very easy to drive, and it feels pretty logical knowing that these will be used in studios as well. The good news is that you don’t need a powerful amplifier for these to sound great, so you don’t really need to invest a lot into your chain.

Sound​

Now onto the most important – the sound. The Audeze MM-500 is a step in a new direction for Audeze, the way that was started with their new flagship, the LCD-5. For years, Audeze has been known for its laid-back, rich, and dark tonality, which was perfect for long listening sessions. This is the main reason why people really began to love Audeze – they just sounded different, incredibly pleasing, and highly enjoyable.

The “old” tuning had its cons too though. The competition, and most importantly, Hifiman has been pushing more and more detailed and neutral headphones to the market, being a more popular choice for people who want a more neutral and accurate sound. So, the decision was made, that with their new flagship model, Audeze will take a new, more neutral approach to their tuning.

The LCD-5 has been a great success, I only tried it once briefly and I really liked it immediately. That neutral and natural presentation, with a forward and intoxicating midrange presentation, stole my heart after 10 seconds. Well, the time might come when you’ll be reading the review of the LCD-5 on Ear Fidelity eventually.
Back to the MM-500 though. This announcement came out of nowhere and made quite a buzz. A new headphone, quite similar to the LCD-5, made with Manny Marroquin, studio-oriented priced at $1799. Wow, that sounded really exciting, and basically, no time has passed since I got the notification from Audeze that the MM-500 is on its way for a review.
So, after a brief experience with the LCD-5, I was about to try the new Audeze tuning for real now, with a lot of different gear, with no time limits.
The MM-500 was definitely a hit for me right from the get-go. It sounds fresh, very natural, and incredibly capable, but we’ll get there.

Let’s start with the bass. It’s very fast, firm, and well-controlled. There’s more emphasis on the midbass, with subbass being somewhat recessed. This does two things: give you that energy and kick, but the subsonic rumble is not the strongest. For a studio pair of headphones, this might actually be quite a good thing, as it gives you more control over the driver. At the end of the day, you can introduce a bass shelf under 100hz, as these drivers handle EQ incredibly well.
So, no matter the music you’re listening to, the bass is always snappy, and physical, and has a fantastic resolution. This proves to be a very universal type of bass delivery, with great handling of the majority of music genres. If you’re into hip-hop or electronic music, a bass shelf might be mandatory for you to get that rumbly and thick note presentation.
Where the MM-500 shines in terms of bass is jazz and acoustic recordings. Because of its highly technical and tight low frequencies, instruments sound very natural and accurate.
What’s important to note – even though the MM-500 is not really hard to drive, it does benefit a lot when plugged into a good quality amplifier, and actually, powerful ones proved to have a better overall bass presentation for me. Even though the MM-500 definitely doesn’t need the level of juice that the Feliks Envy outputs, it still sounds incredible out of it, definitely offering a better bass response than with other amplifiers I’ve tried.



The midrange is definitely the star of the show here. You’re probably aware of the fact that the LCD-5 is quite a mid-forward pair of headphones, and the MM-500 is no different. The vocals sound very forward here, and they have a beautiful tone to them, sounding rich and very accurate at the same time. Some people already called these a “planar HD650”, and I totally agree with that statement. The HD650 by Sennheiser had that lush and forward vocal presentation that just sounded incredibly natural, and the MM-500 sounds very alike. If you really like vocal in your music, these might be the perfect choice for you, no doubts about it.
And guess what – my absolute favorite part of music that I listen to is vocal, I have always been a fan of vocal-oriented music. This is why I immediately fell in love with the MM-500, as they do offer one of the best vocal reproductions in any headphones on the market, regardless of the price. I would say, my third favorite behind the Susvara and Meze Elite, and definitely in front of the HE1000se, D8000 Pro, or the Abyss Diana Phi. There’s just something intoxicating in that forward, smooth, yet incredibly technical and fast-sounding midrange that I find making me listen to more music, which is just the best recommendation I could give.
My classic test, the song called “A Thousand Shards Of Heaven” by Lunatic Soul proved the MM-500 to be incredibly natural and engaging sounding, with beautiful tonality and highly detailed presentation.
The upper midrange is even more elevated, which occasionally tends to sound a bit too forward. Once again, not a big deal, as you can simply EQ them to your liking if you find that frequency range too hot for you. Nonetheless, this slight emphasis helps female vocals come forward, even more, giving you that needed shine and presence with Diana Krall or Melody Gardot.
I must admit, while I’m personally not a fan of forward upper-mids, some Archive tracks with female vocals sound absolutely spectacular, thanks to that forward and highly technical presentation. It just all comes down to your preferences and the music you’re listening to.

Let’s get to the treble now. It is once again – highly technical sounding with excellent detail and resolution. Just like the bass and the midrange, it isn’t really thick sounding, but rather it focuses on providing a fantastic speed and bite. What’s most important though is how the MM-500 manages to stay incredibly technical, while not being harsh or forced sounding at all, which further improves the overall experience. Once again, this is a fantastic studio pair of headphones capable of showing every single little detail in music without pushing it too much, which makes for a perfect choice for both audiophiles and sound engineers. I also find the treble uncolored in any way, resulting in a sound that is amazingly neutral and lifelike. Pair it with its great dynamics and quite a forward presentation to get a very engaging pair of headphones for rock, metal, and electronic music. The only thing you’re going to care about is the quality of mastering. Poor-sounding records might come down as lifeless and unpleasant sounding with the MM-500, but it’s not the headphone’s fault, quite the opposite actually. The latest Audeze model is just incredibly technical and neutral sounding that will never hide anything from the mix, but rather present every single flaw in the master on a hot plate. If you’re into an ultimate critical listening experience, the MM-500 is really hard to beat, even by many more expensive headphones on the market.

The soundstage continues the entire technical and studio-oriented sound. It focuses mainly on layering, accuracy, and imaging, but it does it in an interesting manner. See, the overall size of the soundstage is rather small, when compared to some of its competitors, but I actually believe that it was intentional. Once again, the MM-500 is a really forward-sounding pair, meant to present the music in the most neutral and studio-like way. This means that you’re getting everything pretty close to you, including the staging capabilities. Even though the soundstage is rather small, it is amazingly accurate and “right” sounding, which makes for a very pleasant and lifelike experience. Also, the MM-500 performs excellently with games as well, giving you very accurate imaging, that will help you locate the “other guys” from the opposite team. If you want the ultimate size of the soundstage, the HD800s is your guy, but if you want a highly accurate and forward type of experience, the MM-500 performs fantastically.

Comparisons​

Audeze LCD-X 2021



This is the first comparison that came into my mind when I received the MM-500. The LCD-X is the best-selling model in the history of Audeze, and its 2021 version has proven to be the best iteration of this model.
However, these two models are actually very different. I always loved the build quality and design of the LCD-X, but Audeze improved it with the MM-500. First of all, it is lighter and it feels even more substantial in your hand. The LCD-X 2021 is an extremely well-made headphone, but the MM-500 is just even better. Also, the entire construction has been shrunken a bit to provide a more transportable design.
When it comes to comfort, the MM-500 is more comfortable, but it’s definitely not a night and day difference. The newer model is lighter, but the clamping force is much stronger, resulting in a fit that is more secure on your head, but it can lead to slight discomfort during long listening sessions.

Lastly, the sound that these two reproduce has some similarities, but the overall presentation is vastly different. The LCD-X 2021 is definitely thicker, warmer, and darker sounding of the two, resulting in a more relaxing and laid-back experience that might be more pleasant if you’re into chill listening. The MM-500 however is much more technical and mid-forward sounding, providing superior detail retrieval and insight into the material, which will be highly desired in the studio environment. What’s very impressive is that these two have a studio heritage, but the MM-500 feels more mature and better suited for the type of experience that Audeze has gone with.

Hifiman Arya SE



These two sound a lot more similar than the previous comparison. First first things though, the build and comfort.

The Arya SE is more comfortable than the MM-500, without a doubt. Hifiman has been the master of comfort when it comes to high-end headphones in recent years and it’s unlikely that they will give that position away anytime soon. However, when it comes to the build quality, the MM-500 feels a lot sturdier and just more refined, with its metal construction and great finishing.
Both headphones look incredibly good, and I actually believe that these are the two best-looking headphones on the market right now.

When it comes to sound, both headphones aim for that ultimate technical performance and neutral tonality. The detail retrieval and resolution are definitely on the same level, but there are some differences in the overall sound. First of all, the MM-500 is the more forward-sounding of the two, as well as more neutrally tuned. The Arya SE on the other hand offers a bigger soundstage and more bass impact.

What’s most important for me is that the Arya SE often sounds a bit too much for me, with its highly saturated treble and insane energy of the sound. The MM-500 is less tiring sounding of the two, hence I can listen to it for longer periods of time. Both are excellent for gaming, but the MM-500 is definitely a better choice for music production, because of its incredibly natural and detailed sound.

Drop + Sennheiser HD8XX



I don’t have the HD800s on my hand, but I do have the Drop + Sennheiser HD8xx. This is a slightly re-tuned version of the legendary HD800 series.

First of all, the build quality and comfort. The 8xx is the more comfortable of the two, but it’s not surprising for me, since I find the HD800 series headphones the most comfortable headphones I’ve ever used. Lightweight, literally no clamping force and Alcantara earpads all make for a headphone that I can wear for many, many hours without even the slightest problem.
It is with the actual build quality that the MM-500 wipes the floor with the 8xx. The latter feels just plasticky and not really durable when compared to the newest Audeze release. The MM-500 feels incredibly solid and it’s meant to survive a lot of abuse in the studio, which the 8xx would definitely not survive.

When it comes to sound, the MM-500 is again, definitely a better choice. The 8xx has its pros with its legendary, huge soundstage, and fun-oriented bass response, but the MM-500 is a lot more detailed, has better resolution and its tuning is a lot more natural. The 8xx feels wonky and shouty in comparison, while the MM-500 sounds just “right”. Apart from that huge soundstage, I cannot think of a single reason why you should choose the 8xx over the MM-500.

Pairing​

The Audeze MM-500 is very easy to drive, and thanks to its amazingly natural tone, you can basically pair them with anything you want. Yes, they still sound best out of a high-end system, but it’s not necessary for you to enjoy them. The MM-500 can be paired with a DAP like the latest iBasso DX170 and this pairing is going to give you a highly technical sound with a lot of texture.

If you’d like to introduce a bit of warmth, you could try pairing the MM-500 with Burson Playmate 2 or the Yulong Aurora. This will give you a little bit of body to the sound and transform the MM-500 into a slightly less technical-sounding headphone.

Also, you can just simply plug these into the Feliks Audio Envy to get that incredibly fast and snappy sound that just feels impossibly detailed. While I would most certainly recommend that, you don’t really have to have a $6000 amplifier for these babies to shine. Everything clean and detailed sounding will definitely do the job.

Summary​

The Audeze MM-500 is the next step in the evolution of Audeze after the LCD5. The new design and build are just spectacular, and it is by far one of the best-looking and feeling headphones that I’ve ever experienced in my entire life (and I experienced a lot, you know this).

It is the sound that matters the most though, and once again, Audeze did an incredible job with these. The MM-500 has a studio heritage and it’s definitely present in its sound, which is hugely detailed, fast, snappy, and very natural sounding, with a mid-forward presentation. Even though they are very technical, they do not sound too extreme or forced, resulting in an experience that is not tiring or just “too much”.

Audeze re-enters the sub $2000 market with quite a fantastic product, and the MM-500 is now my nr.1 recommendation for a technical marvel in its price category.

Wildly Recommended.

Gear used during this review for the sake of comparison and as an accompanying equipment:

• Headphones – Hifiman Susvara, Final D8000 Pro, Audeze LCD-X 2021, Hifiman HE1000se, Drop + Sennheiser HD8XX, HEDDphone, Hifiman Edition XS, Hifiman Arya SE
• Sources– XI Audio K-DAC, Feliks Envy, SMSL SH-9, EarMen Tradutto, SMSL DO100 + HO100, Burson Playmate 2, Yulong Aurora

Big thanks to Audeze for providing the MM-500 for this review. I wasn’t paid or asked to say anything good or bad about this product, all of the above is just my personal, unbiased opinion. Audeze hasn’t seen this review before publishing it.
You can get your Audeze MM-500 here or here.