Arcam included me in their review tour for the new rHead. Arcam are in their 40th year and make some lovely looking minimalist kit. With kind regards to Rob Follis who arranged the tour , let us have a closer look at the capabilities of this integrated amp.

 
Introduction
 
This was a week loan. I have done my utmost to try as much kit and to listen as carefully as I could within the context of the deadline. These are my ears and my opinions. Yours may be different. The differences I describe are not striking, they are subtle. Comparisons between different headphones are far more likely to reveal big differences than amps specced to a similar standard and made with decent care and attention.
What I look for in an amplifier is the amp's ability to drive all my headphones and drive them with ease. I have 2 headphones in particular that take no prisoners.....
 
 
 
The vintage AKG K1000 Bass Heavy model.

 
 
Famously or infamously a devourer of power, these headphones demand an awful lot of power on tap and many owners have gone for speaker amps even up to 100 Watts per channel to get the best from these. Think of a super revealing set of headphones when you think about the AKGs,  they are not particularly bassy at all especially when the drivers are twisted away from the ears. You get an idea of how far away from the ears I listen to them from the photo above. The AKGs come with a balanced to speaker terminal adapter as standard. 
 
The rHead struggled to push the K1000s to the levels they need to express themselves , not surprising considering they are less efficient than the HE6.
 
 
My HiFiMan HE6s showing the open mod.
 

 
 
The HE6 demands lots of power too, again many owners have given up trying specialist headphone amps and gone for speaker amps and have bought HiFiMans attenuator box to attach them. The HE6s are supplied as a balanced headphone but at least these have a single ended adapter. They take lots of power to get them at their best but not so much as demanded by the AKGs. There is a treble spike noticeable with the HE6s and much time is spent with EQing and modding to get them sounding at their very best.
 
The rHead was able to power these to loud enough levels ,  I felt that the very best of HE6 was missing and needed the juice that only my Mini Beast can deliver.
 
2 more headphones I used extensively both of which are considerably easier to power properly.
 
 
The Soundmagic P55 Vento was a newly revised headphone that had been sent to me for demo.
 

 
 
It is an on the ear headphone that is efficient enough to not need external amping. It’s a closed cup design. From the limited time I have spent with the Soundmagics , they have an impactful bass and tend towards a slightly hot treble.
The rival headphone to the Vento was the Mr Speakers Alpha Dogs
 

 
 
 
 effectively a heavily customised Fostex T50 with 3D printed cups, a world first.  Not as efficient as the Ventos, the Dogs need an amp. The character of the Alpha Dogs is the amount of detail they can retrieve, especially in the mids. What I notice about them compared to the other headphones in my collection is the amount of hiss they can pick up.
 
 
The Sound
 
As earlier described I considered how I was to spend my time to best describe to you the attributes of the rHead and I came to the conclusion that the only way to do this was to set up my existing kit such as I have and switch between the various bits. Switching between the bits as regularly and quickly as my sanity allows normally gives me a flavour of the differences within a reasonable time frame. It's not quite blind testing but sometimes life is just too short.
 
As usual with being a headfier of a few years servitude I have amassed far more kit than I need. At least that gives some variability to my testing equipment and I have a rich source to tap into even with amplifiers, so much so that I didn't bother with my Topping T22 30 Watt per channel amp. The kit I used to compare the rHead is as follows :
 
 
 
 
Amongst the mass of wires , my Fidelity Audio HPA 200 SE 
 

 
 
The standard version retails at £625. I had mine upgraded to an SE edition a few years ago. Brent, the designer and upgrader and owner of Fidelity Audio said at the time mine was the first 200 he'd upgraded. The upgrade is no longer offered. I have not since found a model that was upgraded to this spec, it cost me £200 to upgrade it at the time. The amp is single ended only and takes RCA in and has an output so it'll work alongside a conventional hifi setup. What was previously offered for the HPA 200 , 500 mw into 32 ohms was upgraded to a 1 Watt spec. 
 
 
 
The next amp up is a power amp made by my good friend and fellow headfier @dill3000. It is a clone of the First Watt  F6 designed by Nelson Pass . The design was distributed to the DIY community and I'm very fortunate to have one. It is dubbed The Mini Beast
 

 
 
 And for good reason......
Seen here with the rHead and Mojo perched above, the power amp is huge and extremely powerful , wonderfully over the top for a headphone based system. The AKG K1000 and HE-6 have room to breathe here, in fact they have the size of a small country to breathe ! I class this as my end game , although @dill3000 makes better systems , you will need trolleys beyond this size.......
 
 
One word could be used to describe the sound. Pleasant. But we shall need many more words to justify this because we are headfiers
 
 So with the devil being in the details let me produce my pitchfork and prod you around for a line or 2. The low end on the rHead has a bit of extra warmth to it , there is a nice oomph or impact to the overall presentation which does not distract from the rest of the spectrum. There is no treble glare present , an enticing feature to note for HE6 owners and arguably HD800 owners may find some solace here too. The sound is smooth and has no sharp bits and the most noticeable quality for me was the slight extra bass presence. 
 
The rHead was up against some very strong opposition. When pitted against the Mini Beast the rHead was behind in the detail transparency and soundstage stakes. The bass was not as tight. Against the HPA 200 SE the sound was smoother and had more bass. The soundstage was not as large on the rHead. Against the Mojo things changed somewhat. The Mojo took on the bass attributes of the rHead but the bass was less flabby on the Mojo. If anything, the sound was slightly smoother on the Mojo. The soundstage again was better on the Mojo. Many owners will rave about the Mojo’s capabilities as a headphone out and it did not disappoint on this occasion even against a newly produced dedicated A class amplifier costing almost the same money. These findings sound like the rHead was way behind my other kit but this was not the case - had I only had the rHead as a reference I would have been extremely happy to listen with it. I would go along with the opinion of my learned friends who have already taken part in the tour; there is very little to dislike here.
 
 
Conclusion
 
Sound
 
Bass - punchy but not boomy
 
Mids - linear
 
Highs - slightly rolled off
 
Warm sound signature
 
Sound stage depth width and height - Average
 
Intimate feel to music
 
Build
 
Somewhat cheap mains adapter with a non moulded plug that various plug ends are supplied in the rHead box which make the amp usable for any of the Continent's mains systems without needing separate mains adapters for shipping purposes.
There is an rca cable supplied, likewise cheap and cheerful. I would have like to have seen some more variety and quality in the cables supplied or at least a splitter for those of us going from a headphone out from our phones or Daps or Mojos.
The rHead itself looks great , feels solid and has plenty of connections.
 
I had plenty of product to pitch this against and although this was a little behind the likes of the Mojo for my tastes , if you like your music to have a bit of extra warmph and low end punch to it this may suit you down to the ground

This is a good IEM -for under £200 it is a great IEM.

There, I've said it. But fear not reader, there is a great deal more rambling insight ahead. I shall tell all about this IEM and give you my opinion, warts and all, for you to digest and contrast against my fellow headphone fanatics out there. I have 2 people to thank before we dive any deeper into the mists of sound and word - grettings to @Tony-Hifi of HiFiHeadphones fame for being the loaner of the Pinnacles and for embracing the HeadFi community in such a worthy fashion. And not to forget @glassmonkey for putting my name out there for a listen to these for a week.
 

Introduction

The MEE audio Pinnacle P1

is a single dynamic driver IEM. It is their flagship model and retails in the UK for £179.99
http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/mee-audio-pinnacle-p1-in-ear-isolating-earphones-with-replaceable-cable-and-universal-controls-mic.html
It has 50 Ohms impedance , and a 20hz - 20 khz frequency response. It is a closed ear canal over the ear IEM with detachable cables. 2 are supplied-  1 with a mic for hands free phone calls 1 mic free longer cable for everything else. Both cables are extremely posh and beautiful looking.
IEMs are in a separate field to full size headphones. I use an IEM over a full size when I'm wearing sunglasses - I don't like the way the headband on a full size squeezes my head. For working out/running the smaller the better in my opinion. When space is at a premium , when only a pocket is available for stowaway purposes, only an IEM will doodle do.
I shan't be comparing the Pinnacle P1 to full size headphones - they are opposites. Only IEMs will be used for this piece, but some interesting ones will come up along the way.
 

The Sound

For comparison purposes I had a few IEMs to choose from. The first 2 of a similar price level and the next 2 of a much higher price. First up is the Sony XBA4ip.
 

Dynamic 4 driver design - Superwoofer, woofer.mid range and tweeter. 8 Ohms impedance. Frequency response 3hz-28 khz Sensitivity 108 db Noise isolation -unknown(not great though) £275
Rave reviews fror these when they came out - WhatHiFi tested them in September 2012 at £275 and gave them 5 stars, It appears that at £100 less than the XBAs for the MEEs things have moved on somewhat since then... The MEE Pinnacle had more bass more presence in the mids and a silkier high than the Sony XBA4ip. It took all of 5 seconds to confirm this to my ears , but a 15 minute further audition pulled the Pinnacles away even further.
 
Next up - The Klipsch X11i

A single full range armature driver design 50 Ohms impedance frequency response 5hz-19 khz 110 db sensitivity -26 db noise isolation £248
 
A match in the impedance , but not not in the sound signature. The 11is had a punchier more exciting sub and bass but was muddier across the rest of the spectrum. To my ears I would go for the MEEs sound. The X11i is certainly no slouch and is close to the sound quality of the MEEs.
 
As a bit of fun or perhaps just because I can , let's now have a look at what a whole chunk of more cash will get you in the miniature world of the IEM.
Cheapest first. But cheap? No. Definetrely not. The Erib-2a from oBravo

Hybrid Dynamic and Planar Magnetic NDD full range and Planar Magetic Tweeter Dual Driver IEMs. Impedance 16 Ohms Frequency Response 20 hz-35 khz Sensitiviity 102 db Noise Isolation-unknown(poor though) £549
The frequency response at the lower end suggests the MEE may have an advantage in the low end dynamics of the sound v these. This is quite correct , the Pinnacle has a lot more bass and punch. The mid bass and above is where the ERIBs excfel and they have a wider airier crisper sound.
 
Finally let us go the whole way - to the world of the Custom IEM
 
The ACS Encore Pro Studio

 
 
 
5 Driver 3 way crossover custom IEMs. 20 hz-21 hz 85 Ohm Impedance 120.5 db sensitivity -26 db Noise Isolation £749
Despite the specs the ACS has punch and drive to the low end that surpasses the bass I've heard from any IEMs. The sound stage is wider , the mids and highs are neutral than the MEEs. This is what I would expect when you are paying 3x the price of the MEE Pinnacle.
 

Sound Quality Conclusion

The Pinnacles sound lovely there is nothing to criticise here for the price , sure they don't have the clarity and depth of stuff 2 or 3x the price, but they trounce any of the similar priced opposition I have.
 

Sensitivity

The listening environment is the key to understanding what the MEE Pinaccles can and can't do here. In a quiet environment , sat down in the front room on your own , through a smartphone the MEEs are fine at just near top volume . Go running with them top volume is a must and some may want even more dependent on taste and traffic noise. I am not one for weighing myself down with stacks when every ounce counts on the move, so amping the MEEs is not an option for me on the roads. I found I could run and enjoy these through my smartphone so just be aware as a note of caution , you will not be needing to reach for the volume down button.
 

Isolation

And this is reason no.1 as to why you'll want to take up running once you've listened to the Pinnacle's. They sieve out all but the most outrageously loud noises when worn over the ear and make running a musical experience. Of course, when you're near collapse half a mile into your jog as I normally am some of the subtler nuances of the engineer's mix may get lost on you, but these will want to get you out there. Hopefully.
Sat in the front room with the rest of the family - nothing gets through - rows, slanging matches , sword fights , sneezes , coughing fits , Dolby Surround on the TV. All blanked out. Bliss.
 

Comfort

The ultimate test for the comfort of an IEM is to take it out on a long run. This I did a few times.  Comfort gets top marks. Worn over the ears with the cable behind the neck and threaded round the back , no adjustments are needed to the fit whilst on the run, leaving no excuse but to just keep on running. The cable's weight is just not present because of the cleverness of the over the design and the shape of the driver which is pretty much as close as you can get to a custom fit. In contrast, my £749 Customs even need the odd bit of adjustment around the bottom of the driver and because they are so much larger they can put more pressure around the earlobe. 
 

Microphonics

No cable noise present on the MEE Pinnacles I'm pleased to report. Ever the negative feature of IEMs where the cable noise can be heard through the drivers , MEEs eradicated the issue with good thick shielded cable,  a nice heavy driver balanced through that great shape and the over the ear design. Both the XBA4 and Klipsch X11 display noticeable cable noise- the down from the ear designs do nothing to help reduce this effect.
 

Accessories

A really nice bonus of a non mic cable and a hands free cable both of which are great quality are included.

 
 
Box of tips with 3 comply sizes and 6 normal tips.

 
 
A neat little carry case pocket sized

 
 
A cable clip

 
A decent full size adapter

 
A booklet that even gives hints on wearing around the ear

 
 

All of which go to show MEE have cut no corners in this department
 
 

Conclusion

The MEE Pinnacle shows us jusat how much quality can be achieved in the |EM world for under £200. If you're on the move and want some escape from the realities of the tube or the bus or the loneliness of the long distance runner, give them a try. You won't be disappointed. Or bankrupt

With thanks to @Tony-Hifi of HifiHeadphones and @glassmonkey for their perseverance in getting this to me for a week's evaluation, I have this week my review of the Audio Opus 1 , the first official release from the South Korean Company  who have for several years been used by other leaders in the Audio industry to make products.
The usual caveats apply here , these are my opinions , I have listened to them as often as I could over the week , thrown as many genres at them plugged in lots of different headphones etc. but my opinion should not be used as definitve and should form only part of a cross section of opinions before you go spending your hard earned money.
 

Introduction

The Audio Opus 1 is a Digital Audio Player which uses Android as it's GUI base. It has 32 Gb of internal storage and has a slot for 2 micro SD cards of up to 200 Gb each, so a maximum of 432 Gb should put plenty of tracks on here. I tried it with FLAC and DSD and MP3 files all of which worked without a hitch. The screen is large enough to see what's going and the covers display with plenty of colour.
Navigating your way though the GUI is a piece of cake ; the Opus 1 has a fast enough processor and is flawless in this regard.

The Opus is recharged reasonably quickly through the Micro USB slot , either through your laptop/PC or through a mains. Micro USB is of course a way in which your files can be transferred onto the Opus.
 
 
The Opus 1 is a music player pure and simple. There is no YouTube Deezer or video player functionality. This is a specialist device for music lovers looking for a no compromise sound quality. For a step up for larger headphones and speakers there is an optical out facility to connect to an external DAC and then onwards into a larger HiFi system. Balanced out completes the outputs.

The Sound

I drew sound comparisons against my Colorfly C3 , Ibasso DX100 and the Ipod Classic 120 Gb.

 
 
Colorfly C3 - DAC: TI PCM1770
 

The DX100 - ES9018 32Bit DAC Chip
 

 
Ipod Classic 120 Gb - Apple 338S0394 DAC
 
 

 
Audio Opus 1 - Cirrus Logic CS4398 x 2EA Dual DAC
 
Some pretty pictures there - but how does the Opus 1 compare ? In short , as expected , it was the best sounding one of the bunch. A close 2nd, the Ibasso DX100 still sounds good even though  several years old , but it can't live with the more accurate presentation of the Opus. The DX100 sounds bassier and more rolled off in the highs. The bass on the Opus is less flabby and the presentation has more clarity. Starting to lag behind just a little , the Ipod Classic sounds a little muddier with a more closed in sound stage. The Colorfly C3 has a lively enough sound but is bass shy and showing some harshness and strain in the sound signature.
 
The Audio Opus 1 was tried against the following headphones - Meze 99 Classics , ACS Encore Studio Pro & oBravo Erib-2a. I found the sound to be engaging , sweet, smooth and silky. Sound is difficult to describe but you get the idea - the sound felt "right". I spent most of my time with my review copy of the 99s (with thanks to @MezeTeam) and found to my shock that I couldn't improve the sound by using these through my Chord Mojo. The sound deteriorated. The Meze 99 Classics have a rather copius amount of bass and the Mojo was just too much. The Opus 1 kept that bass under control and I have to say it was much more enjoyable a listen through the headphone out than through the Optical Out. I would be intruiged as to how others find this - there are a lot of Mojo owners out there who might be attracted to this little DAP.
 

Style

What's not to like about the look of this little beauty ? All the corners and edges are bevelled , the attention to detail is very evident here. Nothing retro or chunky - just modern and extremely shapely. In fact I'm reminded of something else....
 

The AK300 uses the bevelling and splays those lines out even further , to give a more modern art look. Many will prefer the less extreme lines of the Opus 1.
I think the Audio Opus 1 is going to attract with it's eye catching looks.
 

Accessories

The DAP comes with exquisite packaging

the usual Micro USB cable is supplied- a reasonably thick black one, and most importantly , a truly excellent protective case

 
 
 
The quality of the seams and the embossed up / down volume buttons on the outside of the case, everything just oozes quality and attention to detail.
 

Conclusion

The Audio Opus has something to offer over a Chord Mojo and OTG Smartphone Combo - particularly when it comes to sensitive IEMs and Full Size Cans, particularly with bassier headphones. This is a stylish , specialist DAP which will alienate no one with it's good looks. It works flawlessly and has lots of storage. It lacks versatlity at present as it cannot be used for either OTG with a smartphone or as a Dac/Amp with a computer and it can't be used to browse the net or any other player such as Deezer etc. If you are looking for a straightforward music player that sounds like a top of the line player should , then this has to be worth an audition

MEZE 99 CLASSIC
What beats beneath the elegance?

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

It has been mentioned that a review has the potential for bias. The headphones are sent to us for free evaluation for 7 days in return for an honest review on Headfi. We ship them onwards at our own cost and for the majority of us we do not get to keep the headphones. Reviewers are doing this because they like listening to different headphones and writing about them. As for the companies who are offering their product to the community for testing , I believe this is something to celebrate and to embrace. In my opinion , it gives the products offered up for review a positive start. From thereon all bets are off . The headphones sink or swim accordingly. Thankfully , all ears are different all headphones are different and all musical tastes are different. This is why we hope as reviewers you will find this as some benefit in your decision as to which headphone or headphones you choose to buy with your hard earned cash.
 
A tale of Trev and his tumultuous trip with the wooden marvel that is sure to be talked about until revision II hits the market.
Many months ago I was perusing the head fi threads and found the Meze page scouting for reviewers for a European Tour. The looks alone convinced me that these would be worth a listen so I put my name forward and luckily was chosen.
Finally my turn has come up. I can give you my findings based on a week with them.
 

Introduction
 

Meze are an up and coming Romanian company who did a kickstarter campaign for the 99 Classics. We can speculate as to why this was but I believe this phone is the first bespoke full size product they have made.  Their website is well presented and currently only 2 products are on sale, the 99 and an IEM. Clearly there are high hopes for this phone.
With thanks to Meze ,I have had the pleasure of listening to their sole over the ear headphone for a little over a week.
I hope I can give you a flavour of their sound signature and some insight into comfort, fit, looks, sensitivity and versatility.
The 99 Classics are the result of in house development and a successful Indiegogo campaign. I am not a fan of Indiegogo because of having to pay money up front for a product which may not have a working prototype. Meze, being an established company carry no such pitfalls and reached their investment goal in 2 days.
The 99 Classics are an over the ear design. They have chosen wood for their cup design in keeping with previous models. Meze believe that a wood design is timeless and they have built their headphones to last. The wood cups take 45 days of work before they are ready. They are highly polished and each cup is unique in the grain it has.
The cups and pads are relatively thin and of a medium width. They are a closed design. The drivers are close to the ear. My ears fit inside the cups but I do have small ears. Meze are looking at the design to see if larger cups ,thicker pads etc are feasible but for now let us look at what is real.
 

The Sound
 
 
The sound signature is a fun one, many reviewers seem agreed on this. I found the bass to be quite prominent without bleeding markedly into the mids and highs. There are advantages to this signature particularly with regard to tracks which are considered bass shy.
Modern tracks are not bass shy in my opinion. Even to the point of eqing some bass off hip hop /loudness wars type material, I have had more fun listening to other genres.
Classical music has a new lease of life with the 99. Without sacrificing the grandeur of the violins and piano and horn sections there is a pleasant background oomph that gives a nice body to the presentation. I would encourage any owners to send us their impression of Classical Music for good or for bad. For me I found it really lent something and had me searching for my favourite selections. For those who are not necessarily die hard classical fans but don't mind a few strings lending some depth to a song , please try Eve of the War by Jeff Wayne.

The extra bass lifts the track in my opinion.
There are many tracks out there that lend themselves to the Meze style of delivery - Gary Numan’s Replicas

 
sounds like a different recording for example.
The low end I would describe as somewhat slow in it’s decay possibly even a little flabby. This is not a criticism because I found it extremely pleasing on much of the music I listened to.
 
For all the bass weight here there are other redeeming factors for those seeking a refinement in their sound quality.  Put any track you like on - there is a clarity here that makes it’s way through the bass. I felt that the obvious characteristic of this clarity could be heard through the echo and separation of the instruments. The Meze headphones have got this right, certainly for the sound I look for in a headphone.
We have bass and we have clarity so in terms of a €300 headphone we have some very good plusses.
 
As a comparison I have a pair of Pendulumic Stance S1+ bluetooth closed phones .
 

 
 

They retail at £174.99 or €221.56 , approximately 26% cheaper.
 
They are a neutral sounding headphone with what I’ve considered to be a competitive sound quality for this price brand. The Stance sounded relatively boring when pitted against the 99s.
Next up , the more expensive Mr Speakers Alpha Dogs, a closed full size with larger cups and larger pads.

 
A quote from a head announcement from Dan as of May 2016  -
“To celebrate the end of an era and thank our customers, especially the Head-Fi community for so much encouragement and support, we're holding a "Thank You" sale for our entire line of T50-based Mad Dog and Alpha headphones.  These will be the last we make, and once these Alpha and Mad Dog headphones are gone… “That's all folks!”
 
Mad Dog:  $299.99 now $269.99
Mad Dog Pro: $449.99 now $379.99
Alpha Dog: $599.99 now $499.99
Alpha Prime: $999.99 now $799.99
…which makes the Alpha Dogs €434 or 44% more expensive.

The Alpha Dogs sound more airy and refined than the Meze 99 Classics. The Meze Classics have more bass extension , far more, than the Alpha Dogs. The difference is not a subtle one.  The Dogs have an arguably more accurate , faster decaying low end response.  
 
How do the Meze Classics compare to similar priced IEM’s? The concept behind the full size and In Ear is entirely different but the results are the same - sound comes out. I had a set of Sony XBA4ips knocking about so I tested the 2 side by side.

 

The Sony ’s have 4 drivers each side - all balanced armature - 1 full range 1 tweeter 1 woofer and 1 super woofer.
They are now discontinued but are highly regarded in the In Ear world.
 
A pair can now be had for £199 or €252 - 16% cheaper than the Meze.
The Meze has better sound quality in my opinion. The bass is far bigger on the Classics, the sound is much richer and thicker , the sound stage is bigger and the clarity and separation beats the Sonys.
 

Sound Quality Conclusions
 
 

The Meze 99 Classics have a bassy, rich , thick , clear, wide sound signature. They can compete favourably with IEMs and closed headphones in the same price bracket and some will prefer the sound signature over closed headphones  costing significantly more.
Is the hump in the bass likely to become fatiguing over weeks , months and years? This is a question many may ask.  I feel a responsibility to addressing this issue , particularly as it seems I have recommended these headphones for classical recordings. Most people I know are using the classical genre as a means to relax ; to use a headphone that is screaming and punching rather than soothing and caressing is not really what we are looking for! The reason I am hoping the Meze won’t fatigue is because they are not just about bass ; they have lots of other qualities. Those qualities do not need lots of volume to become part of the signature , they are present at relatively low listening levels. I believe one of the key factors in listening fatigue stems from not only listening to artificially enhanced frequency ranges , it also comes from being forced to listen at a high volume to bring all of the dynamics of the music into the mix.
 
 

The Style
 
 
The unit I was sent was one of 3 models being sold.
The Walnut Classic Gold model - elegance with the wood cups, the 3 colour scheme and the size is understated. The understated has been achieved with the thinness of the pads the ear cups and the non solid dual rings supporting the headband.

 
The Walnut Silver - for those who will love the walnut effect but may feel the gold as a darker colour may look perhaps a little too much. The silver offsets the darkness of the finish of the cups quite pleasantly in my opinion.

 
 
The Maple Silver - a much more modern styling , much brighter and lighter in colour scheme of course. My favourite combination of traditional wood with advanced minimalism. Beautiful.

 

The Fit
 
 The headphones fit my ears extremely well. I have small ears. The drivers are very close to my ears. I am certain this is giving the bass a lift. However, I have no feeling that there is a lack of upper range frequency loss due to the proximity. For this reason , I am wondering whether there would be an advantage with thicker pads. This may well over time lend more comfort to the listening experience for those with larger ears so if Meze manage to achieve the same sound quality with bigger pads then this is surely some research worth pursuing.
The headband has just the right amount of tension in it that the leather adjustment band rests easily around the top of the head ; no pulling clamps and adjustment bolts at the side of the headphone and everything is done in a second.
There is a degree of movement on the cups against the ears and there is a slight clamping effect.to This will maintain that proximity to the ears and help to generate the bass. It’s all about the bass!

 
 
Sensitivity
 
The Meze Classics are loud enough to use on your phone and ask for no amplification. Below my Cubot H1

 
tested extensively with Deezer on numerous 320 kps tracks as well as some uploaded flacs. They respond to a cleaner crisper source and you will hear differences between a phone and a DAP.  I was fortunate to coincide this review with a loan from HiFiHeadphones of the Audio Opus 1 Digital Audio Player.

 

I loved the sound of this player hooked up to the Meze headphones. They performed extremely well together and in fact the vast majority of my testing was done sat in a comfortable chair as close to the outside as the weather would allow.
On some days , this was directly outside in sweltering heat with only my music and a chilled pint or two of beer to comfort me. I have no hesitation in recommending this as ideal listening conditions. The writing was done when it was raining and the listening was done when the sun was shining.

 
 
The correct way round I’m sure you’ll agree.

In the spirit of researching this article , I decided to see what difference, if any , adding the Chord Mojo Dac/Amp par excellence to the stack would make.

 
Attaching the optical out cable from the Opus 1 to the Mojo the Classics were put into 1 of the 2 headphone outs of the Mojo. To my surprise , I did not like the output from the Mojo. The Meze Classics sounded better direct from the Opus 1! Amezing!
The sound thickened up using the Mojo, it sounded like the Meze were being pushed too hard.  This makes life much easier in my opinion. ……or does it? Much experimentation can be done with sources for the Classics; some will make the Meze sound too bassy some will hit that sweet spot. Many of the cheaper sources are bass light that I have heard; the Colorfly C3 for example may be a good bet.

 
 
Lovely looking very small not particularly powerful or great storage or UI but sounded lovely with the Classics. And pretty cheap…
 
 
Isolation
 
 
The Meze 99s have average isolation. At moderate listening levels in a quiet environment none of the outside world gets in.  With the TV on sat beside your loved one there will be an issue.
The headphones don’t bleed so they can’t be heard by anyone else whilst they are being worn. The thinness of the pads and cups leads to some outside noise getting in. Whether people consider the Meze suitable for out and about  is a moot point ; there is an advantage to a headphone with some isolation but not overmuch. Some traffic noise can be considered  necessary for safety.
The finish of these may lead people to consider them for indoor
Versatility use only.  Maze however have supplied 2 leads - 1 is a 3 metre cable for indoor listening ,the 2nd much shorter with an inline mic for hands free phone calls.

 

Out and about use is further enhanced by the large carry case provided.

 
 

 The phones do not fold flat so the case is too large for pockets but will fit in a backpack for  commuter  / tourist use.
I would strongly recommend when not being worn and carried around that the headphones stay in their case. God forbid that they might be dropped on their cups and get scraped on the pavement.
Oh hang on……
 
 
The Company
 
 
 The next part of the story is a tale of disaster! Yes, even reviewers get clumsy sometimes. For reasons unknown to me I ended carrying the Meze 99s into work from my vehicle in a velour bag. I was that confident they couldn’t possibly be dropped by me ; I am far too careful for such things.  Suffice it to say , I tripped on a crack in the pavement that didn’t exist, stopped myself from falling by means of a double fast trot on the spot and a good bit of windmilling and grabbing at air, and something had to give. The Meze 99 Classics did just that. They came out of my hands which were too busy flailing around to save them from hitting the ground! To my horror I noticed I had created some small chips on both wooden cups! This is both a testimony to the Meze’s strength (they didn’t crack right down the middle or on any of the seams-there aren’t any) and the fragility of the veneer finish.  
Had the same happened to any set of headphones I am sure the result would have been similar. In short, please look after them!
I immediately contacted Meze and offered to pay for them in full.  To their credit Meze sent me a prompt reply stating accidents happen , the headphones were repairable and there would be no question of me buying these headphones.
Bear in mind that all parts of Meze 99 Classics are replaceable.

 
No glue is used. I have a pair of AKG K1000s , built to last , looking as good as the day they were made. Apart from they are struggling with  subbass on the right driver. I believe the reason to be that the glue has deteriorated over the course of the 20+ years since they were made. Not an impossible task to remedy by any means , but a long discontinued phone of this sort of value means either an expensive specialist repair or an unenviable DIY repair. All this for a pinprick hole in a bead of glue. Maze have sensibly avoided this pitfall . No glue is used, everything can be unscrewed.  Another consumer friendly aspect to these phones.
 

Conclusions
 
 
The Meze 99 Classics have a distinctive rich sound. They add bass to tracks , some will benefit from this , some will not . There is much more to these headphones sound than bass. Due to the combination of all these things, I would recommend them for classical music and bass shy music. I had a great deal of fun listening to all my favourite tracks and genres of music with them.
There are 3 distinctive styles, hopefully there is a style available for everyones taste.
The headphones can be used outdoors as well as indoors and go very loud even from a smartphone. Isolation is not in the top tier - tube rides and busy roads may lend themselves to a different headphone. If you do use them outside be careful. If you can’t be careful, don’t worry! They’ll fix them for you.
Meze have a winner on their hands with the Meze 99 Classics. They are fun sound with some serious styling and are built to last.

[COLOR=FF00AA]Introduction[/COLOR]

Many many thanks go to Eu Jin for allowing me to participate in this review tour of the ERIB-2a Universal IEMs. I have to tell you that I was completely unaware of Obravo as a company and do not keep up with the latest developments in the headfi world unless they are so huge it's difficult to miss them. I would also point out that I tend to take the latest developments in the world of Audio with a pinch of salt. That being said I try to keep an open mind and have products ranging from the old (AKG K1000 bass heavy)


to the new (Chord Mojo)



. 
My tastes in the headphone world have become quite expensive. These IEMs will raise a few eyebrows at the retail price of 549 sterling. I've bought more expensive in ears so this didn't in itself phase me.



[COLOR=FF00AA]The Gear Used[/COLOR]
I own a set of Sennheiser IE800s , single driver universals with a fixed cable. I have had these for around 2 years. Six months ago I got a set of Snugs Custom Shells for them as an upgrade. 
  I also have the ACS Encore Studio Custom In Ears. They have an over the ear detachable cable design and have 5 drivers and linum bax cables. I have had these for almost a year.  I own other IEMs but time being short I have concentrated on the Senns and ACS as sensible opposition for comparison purposes.
The Sennheisers are a down from the ear design and really benefit from the solid fitting earplugs I had made by Snugs. They haven't radically altered the sound quality of the IE00s but at least I'm not constantly adjusting the tips and the shells when they are trying to come out of my ears due to the weight of the cables and the shape of the driver shells. The IE800s sound rich detailed and have a lot of bass.
The ACS Encores have even more bass. They are arguably a more accurate sound signature than the Senns but don't have quite as big a soundstage. The fit and isolation is incredible , as you'd expect from the founding father of custom earphones , (at least in the UK ). 
The Obravos , for all their technological advances, were against tough competition.

[COLOR=FF00AA]The Design[/COLOR]
The ERIB-2a has a new type of hybrid driver design . It has a planar magnetic and neodynum tweeter design. It is a wear down from the ear design. There is a means to get the comply foam tips to stay in place which is supplied with the Obravos. A simple silicon wing is pulled onto the barrel of the driver and swivels around to fit inside the earlobe. It's a first for me to see this but it really works! I was amazed but these things keep the IEMs in place even during a run. The cable is a cord affair which is detachable. 
I must let you know straight away that I am a fan of both IEMs and Full Size Headphones. I have always considered full size to be the winners for wearing indoors and IEMs are for out and about and on the move. Some exceptional IEMs may be good enough accomodate both needs. I have maybe a dozen different headphones ; full sized closed , full sized open , earspeakers, full sized bluetooth, in ear bluetooth, on the ear , in ear universals , Custom In Ears, 4 driver IEMs, 2 driver IEMs you name it. But what if just one set of IEMs could deal with it all? That's half a room full of amps, Dac Amps and DAPs and headphones all cleared out and a set of In Ears in my pocket instead......

[COLOR=FF00AA]The Sound Quality[/COLOR]
Let me tell you now ;  I am a fan of these IEMs. The sound signature is light and airy and has much to compare it with a full size open headphone. There is a sparkle in the mids and treble which is immediately apparent. Acoustic guitar strings keyboards and vocals have a shimmer. The clarity of these IEMs is stunning ; I have seldom heard anything of any size which makes vocals so easy to follow. The Obravo does not have the silky velvet smoothness of the IE800 but what you get instead are studio tricks literally flying out of the mix at you. I never expected to hear that level of clarity when I'm out on a run listening to my phone. 
This level of clarity will inevitably have a trade off. Poor recorded music is treated without forgiveness. Anything which has an edginess to it will be glaring these IEMs. Thankfully sich tracks are few and far between. I found a few I can share with you whilst listening to Deezer- Galveston by Glen Campbell which is shrill throughout and Both Sides Now by Judy Collins which has a distorted electronic keyboard and a glaring quality in some of the vocal peaks as well as having a dullness in the vocals overall. I can live with a track or 2 being unlistenable if I'm getting so much reward with the rest. And I listened to the ERIBs for hours and hours with classical acoustic folk pop rock electronic music and films and documentaries aswell.

[COLOR=FF00AA]The Special Touch[/COLOR]
The quality of the spaciousness in these IEMs is stunning. The IEMs are on a par and go beyond many full size headphones in the sound stage and precision of mids and highs.


I did the usual trick I reserve for my AKG K1000s when I put these on and switched on my Acoustic Zen Maestro Virtual Speakers to watch a film in 7.1.



Yes , I time took the earphones off because I thought I had left my surround system on and was hearing those speakers. Furthermore , the phone rang in one of the scenes I was watching . I did the classic and took my IEMs off and looked around for where I had left the landline. EVEN THOUGH I knew the phone I have doesn't have that ringtone. Doh......
Explosions , gun shots dialogue all sounded like full size speakers were blasting at me. Just as accurate as many of my full size headphones, the oBravos proved themselves capable of reproducng the sound that the Out of Your Head software was designed for , namely the feeling that you were in the same room listening to those speakers playing rather than the sound signature of your headphones.

More info can be found at https://fongaudio.com/out-of-your-head-trial-download/

[COLOR=FF00AA]Obravo ERIB-2a v Sennheiser HD800 Trek Modded[/COLOR]

Given the performance as a pseudo speaker , I decided it would be interesting to see how the oBravos measured up against a decent set of full size headphones. My Sennheiser HD800s modified with a Trek mod - my own version of the Anaxilus mod. The anaxilus mod made my 800s sound like a set of Beats so I removed 2/3rds of the materials used and got what I wanted in bass improvement without the dulling of the upper frequencies. I have also changed the cable for a 3.5 mm terminated lower impedance cable so it sounds louder now.
I plugged my 800s into my Ibasso DX100



and made a quick comparison with the ERIB-2a over the course of the next 15 minutes.


It will come as no surpise that the HD800s sounded larger- voices had more depth and a richer tone. The impression of a large sound stage is well documented for the Senns, the oBravos were no slouch in this department and I felt there was little to choose between the 2. The overall refinement and effortlessness of the HD800s is in contrast to the punchier thinner shimmery signature of the oBravos. My opinion of the comparison was that the HD800s were a world class headphone


whereas the oBravos were a top class IEM that had some of the attributes of a good full size headphone and 1 of the attributes of a world class full size.
Time was spent comparing the IEMs I had which were of a similar retail price.

[COLOR=FF00AA]Sennheiser IE800 v oBravo ERIB-2a[/COLOR]

Both IEMs are a down from the ear design . The shell on the Sennheisers are much smaller than the oBravos.


However, this is where it gets interesting. The shells on the IE800s have to go partially inside the ear and to get a decent bass response they have to fit slightly into the ear canal. There needs to be a reasonably tight seal to get the best sound which is hard to achieve and needs constant readjustment. The fit , for my ears , is awful.
The oBravos driver shell sits outside the ear. The design is ear bud as opposed to ear canal and for the sound stage to be right they should not be forced tightly into the ear canal.




There are silicon wings provided that sit over the nozzles - they rest against the inside of the ears and keep the tips nicely in place, even when running.


The fit is comfortable and the thought behind the design makes the best sound easy to achieve.
The tips on the Ie800s are patented by Sennheiser.


This means the only ones you can use that will consistently stay on the barrel are the silicon tips provided. They irritate my ears. The only solution for me was to buy Snugs Custom Sleeves for them ; this set me back another 120 sterling on top of the 600 pounds already laid out.
The oBravos come supplied with Comply Foam Tips, they stay in place and are comfortable and give a small bass boost. This is definetely needed for the oBravos.
The isolation of the oBravos was average. The combination of the ear bud fit and given the holes around the front which vent to the outside this was unsurpising. This means there are limitations as to how much one might enjoy classical music out and about, but on the same token traffic noise intrudes enough for there to be some positive safety factors. The IE800s do not isolate well - the sound leaks out of the gap between the ear canal and the flex in the silicon causes plenty of leakage.
The sound of the IE800s - if you can get them adjusted well enough and for long enough - is lush , spacious and has plenty of bass. On the move , with stock tips, they don't stay in my ears for long enough to appreciate the qualities.
The sound of the oBravos is thinner , more spacious and has a much quicker bass decay . On the move, much of the finer attributes are still present as the signature makes vocals much clearer in the mix and the bass doesn't go low enough to get lost with the pounding of my feet if I'm runnning.
The microphonics of the IE800 are not good , the cable is heavy and noisy and, as mine has done , tends to go stiff after a few years. All of which contributes to it wanting to come out of your ears. The construction is kevlar and it has less flex than most cables I've used even from new but it is extremely strong. Custom Sleeves alleviate some but not all of these issues.
The cable for the oBravos is a cord construction .


It's not the most elegant looking cable cosmetically in my opinion, but there are no microphonics from it and it is flexible and won't be likely to go stiff over time. The cable from the oBravos is a snap connection and is solid and gives a decent length between the driver and the cable which contributes to the lack of microphonics.


The cable to the IE800s is fixed.

[COLOR=FF00AA]OBravo v ACS Encore Studio Pro Custom IEMs[/COLOR]

The ACS has a custom made fit which is the most isolating IEM I've ever used , more isolating than custom sleeves Westones ER4Ps etc. Classical music can be enjoyed anywhere or any other quiet passages of music.


The cable has no microphonics and is linum bax so is thin and strong.


The sound has more bass than the IE800s has a smaller soundstage and an accurate but warmer feel to it than the oBravos.
The carry case for both ACS and oBravo is too large to be transported around.


Whilst you could probably get away with putting the oBravos in your pocket loose there would be a tangled mess doing that the ACS. Both need there own small carry pouch or case which aren't supplied.

[COLOR=FF00AA]Conclusion[/COLOR]





The oBravo ERIB-2a proves to be a capable perfomer with much to like ; notably the sound stage , the shimmering mids and highs , the comfort , the lack of microphonics and the versatility from phone to dap to DAC to full desktop setup.
The price is 549 - some will find this steep considering there is a thinness in the sound which will take time to adjust to . The bass is accurate and fast but does not have the impact of full size or similar prices IEMs. The down the ear design makes sense for the ERIB and doesn't get in the way but arguably lacks the elegant looks of a snazzier looking cable with an over the ear design.


For a means of being almost a jack of all trades I would say that these IEMs would be hard to ignore amongst similar competitors , even Custom IEMs , at this price level , so I think 4 stars out of 5 are in order.

I was part of the EU Review Tour of the Airist Audio Heron 5 Headphone Amplifier and as such had the opportunity to listen and compare this with my other kit for 10 days . A lot of listening was had during that time. After extensive and painstaking switching between this and my First Watt F6 Clone I sent the last half of my time listening exclusively to the Heron. By then I was comfortable with the differences between this and my main kit.


 


I was not aware of the Heron until I applied to be put on the review tour. In view of the price point I felt my existing equipment should be of high enough resolution to bring out the qualities both good and bad in the Heron. I came into this review with as few preconceptions as possible although being on the thread I was aware of the impressions others had. However, what is always the case is that others have neither the same equipment I have , the same music or the same ears.


 


The equipment I tested the Airist against were the best I had. I tested the Heron 5 against my finest Amplifier by a long margin - the DIY First Watt F6 Clone Power Amplifier. My friend and fellow headfier @dill3000 meticulously built this around the design offered to the DIY Community by Nelson Pass of Pass Labs and First Watt fame. Dillan has changed out some of the components in favour of some higher quality bits, all plusses for me of course. We have dubbed it "The Mini Beast" because it is huge and it is powerful. The Mini Beast was built specifically for one purpose - to slay the HiFiMan HE-6 which many of you will know needs a lot of power to perform at it's best. 


I had such good results with the HE-6 and The Mini Beast I had no particular interest in changing anything. Then my friend @glassmonkey  suggested I try the AKG K1000 Earspeakers with the Amplifier. So I am now able to bring you a review which exclusively covers my adventures with the Heron and one of the most power hungry headphones ever made - the Bass Heavy AKG K1000.



 


The Heron 5 delivers 5 Watts into 32 Ohms and has a separate 6.3 out for either low or high impedance headphones, this means your balanced cables for your HE-6 or K1000 will need the 6.3 adapter. Let me tell you right now it will drive either of these headphones perfectly well and will produce great results with them. As another teaser to the rest of this review , I preferred the sound of the Heron 5 to the sound signature of the Mini Beast. Now read on for more detailed stuff.....


 


Sound Signature of the Heron 5 compared to the Mini Beast


 


The Heron 5 has a smooth refined gorgeous HiFi sheen to the music I put through it. It was a joy to listen to any and every track. In short I loved it! Let me explain what I thought were the differences between the Heron 5 and my F6 Mini Beast. First of all - price. The F6 Mini Beast DIY build - the cost of that is a matter of a conversation between you and @dill3000 . The retail model is nearer to $4000. The Heron 5 is currently showing as $1995 on their website. The power . The F6 is designed to be powerful enough to run small to medium size speakers and can even run some floorstanders. The Heron 5 is designed to run headphones but with 5 W at 32 Ohms it will run even the most power hungry headphones that I have. The Sound - the Heron 5 has a refined smooth sound, whereas The Mini Beast has a much more lively sound signature. The power and slam of this amp is impressive. It has a crisp accurate attack. No wonder we have named it the Mini Beast!


Power and slam vs smoothness, each person will respond differently to what suits them dependent on their mood at the time their approach to music and what type of music they prefer. For the 10 days I had the Heron , I got a lot of enjoyment using my Chord Mojo as a source and had a relaxing time listening to the wonderful laidback presentation this headphone amp gave. I would be surpised if anyone who bought wouldn't feel any different from seeing this as a piece of audio kit to cherish; especially with something as difficult to get good results with as the AKG K1000s.





The AKG K1000s bass heavy model take even more volume on the Heron 5 than the HE-6 ; significantly more. However before the Heron 5 is maxed out and clipping the AKGs are singing. The difference between the K1000s and conventional headphones is that they are designed to be worn away from the ears. The further away they are from the ears the more spatial the sound becomes although this reduces the bass response. The impression is of a halfway point between the intimacy of headphones and the realism of loudpseakers.

The build of the Heron 5 is solid . It's weighty measuring almost 7 kg on the scales nodoubt due to the power supply inside the aluminium enclosure which is an elegant white appearance. There are the 2 jacks




one for low and one for high impedance phones on the front and a huge volume knob



that has a knotch adjustment that goes up in specific increments. At the rear of the unit is a metal switch that toggles between RCA in and Balanced in Mode.



It looks strange in relation to the finish quality of the rest of the Heron; almost like an afterthought. There is a 110/230 V power selector




which for my model was thankfully switched to the correct setting but at least this being user changeable can be used anywhere in the world without the need for modifying.

I have come to the end of my time with the Heron 5 and would encourage any of you interested in upgrading your headphone amp to one which can take on the best , or should I say The Beast....... to look very closely at the Airist Audio Heron 5

 

 

With thanks

 
to Tony from HiFiHeadphones who provided me a Paw 5000 DAP for review these are a collection of my thoughts.
 

Introduction

 
I made the decision early on in the audition of the DAP to focus my time with it. So I apologise now if you are hoping for a story of me as usual trying out 100s of different combinations with every IEM,bluetooth,full size phone,amp,DAP . You get the picture. 
 
Suffice it to say, time is fleeting, life is too short. I realised just how good the PAW 5000 quite early on in the time I had with it and I got on with the job of enjoying my music with it.
 

The Testing

 
Was done on the move and seated , in loud environments , wired and wireless, with Custom IEMs, Bluetooth and Full Size headphones. Through the headphone jack (minimally) Optically through the Chord Mojo, and then through the Mojo fed to my First Watt F6 50 Watts per channel Mini Beast.
 
The custom IEMs used were the 5 driver ACS Encore Studio Pro.
 
 

 

 
 
The bluetooth headphones used were the Pendulumic Stance S1+.
 

 
 
 
 
The full size headphones used were the HiFiMan HE-6 modified slightly by removing the dust covers on both both cups.
 

 
 

The Sound Quality

 
It may strike you as a little early to let the cat out of the bag. But please assume by this time I have unwrapped , charged and worked out how to switch on the Lotoo Paw 5000 and am now listening to it for the first time. 
I try to be as objective as I can when listening to anything I have been asked to review no matter how must it retails at and despite any other impressions I have read or come across previously. I have to confess that I have had previous experience with the Lotoo - I listened to it in CanJam London , my good friend @Turrican2 has replaced his Ibasso DX100 for this model and this is not even the first time I have had the opportunity to listen to the review model.....
@glassmonkey is my good friend from South East England and had the review model in November 2015 . Together the 2 of us had an extensive listen during a mini meet Micah was kind enough to host and we got through through many many hours of music during that great weekend.
Therefore I come to the listening phase of the Paw 5000 with many preconceived ideas as to how it will sound. Because I already knew the Paw 5000 was a premium product I decided to give no more than a few minutes of listening through the headphone out port of the device. The headphone out port produces more than enough power for my super sensitive ACS Encores . With no EQ set, I found the Paw dull and lifeless.  Please do not feel too shocked by this statement. I apply EQ to every music player I have. So of course, on a flat start this is exactly what I expected.
All comparisons were made between the Ibasso DX100 , owned by myself for 3 years.
 

 
 
 
Needless to say this is a DAP to which I am accustomed to the sound of and being that I have owned it for 3 years , that I am perfectly happy with. The presentation of the DX100 (with EQ applied) is a warm bassy smooth sound, whether played optically through the Chord Mojo or through the headphone out or through the Mojo/F6 combination. 
So it followed that I needed to have a shufty through the sound settings of the Paw 5000. There are 2 EQ functions within the DAP ; ATE and PME. There is also a damping filter switch and a hi-lo filter switch. The 4 different combinations of hardware and software can be mixed and matched over a much longer period of time than I allowed myself to achieve the correct synergy. Also the correct synergy is an individual experience. I spent 5 minutes or so , keeping the damping on , the hi-lo filter on hi, the ATE on sweet and the PME on rock. This was a pleasing enough synergy for me. There was enough texture in the voices and guitars and cymbals and enough punch in the kick drum and bass guitar to beat the DX100s more laid back delivery. There I said it; for me , the delivery of Rock Music through the Paw 5000 has more life and excitement than I can achieve on the Ibasso DX100.
Many will prefer the smoothness and refinement of the DX100 for their listening habits; I personally prefer the Paw 5000.
The Paw 5000 was compared in all combinations.Headphone out using the ACS Encore Studio Pros, Optical out to the Chord Mojo , again using the ACS
 
 

 
 
 
and finally the endgame combination of the Paw,Mojo with the HiFiMan HE-6 connected to the speaker taps to the F6 Diy Build "The Mini Beast" built lovingly by my good friend @dill3000
 
 

 
 
 
 
All combinations retained the musical attributes brought by the EQ and filter changes. Whilst extremely difficult to express in words of any real meaning ; each stage of the journey of connecting to ever higher end gear reveals more of the musical presentation of the Paw and highlights the differences between this and the DX100.
 

The Build

 
The Lotoo Paw 5000 is a tiny DAP . It has no internal storage and takes a Micro SD card formatted in FAT32. My 128 GB card worked flawlessly in it. The GUI is a little primitive ; but in it's simplicity it is quick and it is precise. I had a collection of MP3s (sorry Micah!) and FLAC files and everything worked without any pops or clicks. 
The look of the Paw , as you can tell from the title, was uninspiring (sorry Phil!). It is small and plastic and could easily be mistaken for a run of the mill cheap and cheerful DAP.
 

 
 
I have a Colorfly C3 . This DAP is £50.
 
 

 
 
Beauty of course is in the eye of the beholder and one must never judge a book by the cover. I feel rotten going into the cosmetic appeal of a product when I would be hypocritical in saying it makes any difference for me in deciding what audio product I wish to buy. I feel I should put my head above the parapet and state that the design of the Paw could look more elegant and the GUI could have been designed to look and feel a little less basic given where it sits in the marketplace.
 

Conclusion

In reality, the 4 stars are well deserved. There is little to criticise about the Lotoo. After all ; it beat the legendary Ibasso DX100 DAP I have had for a long long time based alone on sound quality. There is no comparison between the Paw and the DX100 in loading time , playability , battery life, recharging time and GUI. The Paw 5000 is light years ahead on these aspects.
The Paw as a great sounding , tiny , quick loading , easy to operate and versatile music player should fit into most people's higher end setups quite comfortably. 

 
 
 
 
Kindly sent to me by Gary Zhang of Havit , a new company to headfi that have added an awful lot of decent headphones to the budget market.
 
This is my 3rd review for Havit , previously having tried the HV-H2555BT More Hav than Hav not
 

and the HV-H91DJ C'mon - £20? Havit - I lovit!
 
 

 
The HV-H930BT 
 

 
Is their Bluetooth 4.1 spec Sports In Ear Water Resistant model
 
It is inexpensive to say the least
 

 
And is worthy of a listen - even for headfi 
 
The Design
 
The 930 is a solid IEM with as small a cable leading from left to right ears as you could imagine. With a 200 hour standby time , a 6.5 hour talk time and a 6 hour music time these Monitors are recharged through the usual micro usb cable method in 2 hours. They can be connected to 2 devices at the same time ; useful for listening to a Macbook and taking calls from a smartphone for instance. They are sold in the UK through amazon.co,uk
 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bluetooth-Headphone-HAVIT-HV-H930BT-Smartphone/dp/B018HVZ5XU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451364805&sr=8-1&keywords=h930bt
 
and retail for £16.99. 
 
 
Using the IEMs is relatively easy for the tech savvy 
 

 
Pausing the music is as simply as pressing the middle button , taking and ending calls on Android or Iphone is the same button press and works absolutely fine. Long button presses when the music is not on will call back the previously dialled number, something I have done more than once, so if you're like me be prepared to strike up a conversation when you least expect it! As always,hands free dialling must be treated with respect and caution.....
The cable is tangle free and the IEMs are small enough to fit into any pocket and do not need a bag as they are sweat and waterproof and I have not managed to scratch them so far.
The Bluetooth range is described as 10 metres with no obstacles ; in practice I found the phone needed to be in my pocket and my Macbook Pro had to be in the same room as me i.e 20 feet to avoid dropouts, Once I had the range correct there were no subsequent dropouts.
 
These phones are designed for the active, they are not aimed at the Audiophile sat listening in a comfy quiet environment to chamber music through their SACD player. They are a tool to help you work out harder and are made to resist as much sweat and water as you can throw at them. Which is exactly what I did and is exactly how I shall review them.
 
The Sound
 
Bassy presentation , smooth in the mids and highs , the Havits need toning down very slightly in the lower end when I am walking and doing chores. In a noisy environment particularly when I'm running the bass is needed and can easily be lived with. Although I have mentioned chamber music through your SACD as not quite the market the 930 is aimed at , classical music is given a pleasing artificial warmth with these phones I am pleased to say. Rock and Pop is treated with a forgiving signature which should make it listenable through most genres and bit rates from MP3 to ultra hi res. 
The sound signature alters drastically with the depth and angle of the drivers and tips and significant time needs to be spent to achieve good results for my ears. We are talking  few millimetres and a few degrees causing tinny or boomy sound .
 
The Fit
 
This I found an issue for my ears . The IEMs memory wire is designed to fit around the ear and drop the tips in just the right place for the best sound quality . I achieved the best results with the wires pulled away frpm around the ears and pushed against my head a few cms higher up. I am sure this was due to the ergonomic design of the driver shells which I think will fit plush inside an awful lot of ears out there. Just not mine....  The net result of a slightly imperfect fit is the trial and error involved at the start of a workout. This needs to be setup before you start pounding the streets or hitting the gym and can take a couple of minutes to get right even when you have found the sweet spot, Not a huge sacrifice but worth noting if you unlucky with your ear contours like myself. 
 
Isolation
 
The isolation has to be sacrificed in favour of the best sound signature. I have no qualms about doing this as I have numerous IEMs which shut the world out completely for me. Cyclists , road runners and pedestrians still need to have some grasp on what is going on around them in busier and busier city streets, I found all road noise is only marginally quieter than without wearing any earphones with the 930s on. It encouraged me away from the city and into the country which is no bad thing for my lungs. Wind noise is not something I found obtrusive.
 
Microphonics
 
Cable noise is all but non existent - the cable is short and hangs down behind the ears onto the shoulders. It is not heavy cable and phone conversations are the same as holding the phone to your ear. Nothing to worry about with the old bugbear that affects many IEMs costing  even up to £1000.......
 
 

 
 
Accessories
 
A decent enough length micro usb cable and couple of sets of tips are supplied with the H930. I think more tips might mean a slightly better fit but 95% will be happy with either the small or large ones provided and I have a load of other tips from other IEMs purchased should I ever be tempted to experiment further. 
 
The Look
 
I think Havit have once again scored a winner with the sculpted contours of the driver shells, the colour coordination along the cable and eartips. These simply do not look like they cost £16.99 and put many others £100a more expensive to shame. They are eye catching and sporty looking and I like their looks. 
 
 
Conclusion
 
Tough, smooth sounding , safe to wear and eye catching IEMs under £17 which are quick to charge , are built to last , and will fit into a pocket when not needed. The Havit has lots to offer and are another recommendation from me 

A new company I had not heard of previously , Ausdom are likely to become familiar to many headfiers if this wireless headphone is anything to go by.  I have been part of the worldwide review tour of the ausdom M05 and was sent an entirely new model direct from Hong Kong for evaluation.
 
I have had these a week and I can give you an idea of what they sound like as wireless headphones and how they fared. 
 
 

 
 
 
These are £59.99 on Amazon. I consider these phones to be amongst the best I've heard - wired or wireless , full size or IEM, for that price. 
 
 
I must admit I have been reluctant to look twice at anything under £100 in the headphone market thanks to HMVs gallery of headphone horrors
 

 
 
 
 
 
that I use as an excuse  to escape the hell of high street shopping.
I have had some preconceptions regarding cheaper headphones which, over the course of the past year have been well and truly dispelled with some recent events. The V shape of bloated bass invisible mids and shrill highs is something which I find unbearable to listen to ; I'm a bit spoilt in that my main listening is done with HE-6s and HD800s. 
 
The week has been spent to fine tune my initial impressions which were favourable and to put these phones through a variety of music and sources and software. I compared them to some of my other wireless and over ear phones.
 
I am happy to tell you that by day 2 I was pleased enough with what I was hearing that my listening was no longer critical. I was using the M05 in the way that they were intended , as portable over the ear wireless phones that could be put on and used for moving around my house , for commuting and even for running. This is how I see many of of my fellow listeners using them so I decided to do the same myself.
 
The sound right out of the box is good.
 

 
 
 
 
For the price it is excellent. The bass was a bit overwhelming and the highs sounded very slightly coarse on my normal eq settings for my HD800 and HE6 on Audivarna 
 

 
 
I was surprised to find that switching off the EQ achieved the best results. Who'd have thought that ?
When faced with such evidence I have no choice but to tell you -  yes,  the sound signature is balanced - I can hear bass where it needs to be , the voices are clear and treble is rolled off nice and smoothly. 
 
The soundstage is decent , there is echo in live performances and subtlety in the dark arts of the studio wherein Coldplay have forged their latest blockbuster.
 
I listened using the Chord Mojo wired and the M05s upscaled in tonal quality and soundstage nicely, I listened through the bluetooth of the Note II and the Macbook Pro and the Iphone 4 , all worked well, sounded great and got me a reasonable distance away before the sound started cutting out.
 
The phones look great to me , they have a textured cup and are tastefully colour matched through the design. V Moda, Beats and Bose all make similar sized products and Ausdom have done well to give their phone an individual look.
 
The M05s are extremely light , do not clamp particularly , and swivel so the cups fold flat . There is also enough give in the design of the cups that the cups swivel to about 30 degrees to the outside which ensures a decent fit. The cups fit just over my ears without pinching the lobes and the pads although thin are comfortable enough to absorb some pressure if someone with slightly bigger ears wore them.
 
I wore mine straight for 4 hours without discomfort , of course the pads may cause sweating during the summer . It's definitely Winter time where I am albeit a warmer one than usual. I got them nice and warm during a 90 minute run and it's fair to say they absorbed quite a lot of moisture during that time. They were extremely comfortable on the run and had enough bass to make the low end still hearable and the hum of the treadmill although very present wasn't too much of a distraction.
 
When compared to the Havit HV2555BT Headphones
 

The Ausdom's perform at the price difference (the Havit is £24.99) over the 2555s. The M05s sound much better are much more comfortable have a better bluetooth range and look nicer.
 
When compared to the Pendulumic Stance S1+
 
 

The M05 lack a little finesse and sparkle are not quite as comfortable and easy to use. But , they look better and cost an awful lot less money than the Stance (£174.99 currently)
 
Ausdom have a great deal of potential as a new company to the headfi community and what they are capable of given a more generous budget is an exciting prospect. I believe they have a more expensive model due out soon and look forward to bringing you news on this in the near future.

Havit HV-H91DJ
 

 
 
The Introduction
 
These are are the 2nd set of headphones sent to me by Havit for reviewing. I have a third headset pending , which I will tell you about once I’ve given it a listen.
 
These are DJ headphones, they have cups that swivel out if you fancy spinning discs with them. They also have a mic on the cable that can control the music from your smartphone, pause , next and back functions.
 
They look stylish in an Autumn brown finish and they are very very cheap on Amazon.
 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/HAVIT-HV-H91DJ-Professional-Headphones-Microphone/dp/B00IOEFHHA/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1449176271&sr=1-1&keywords=hv91
 
But do they sound any good?
 
 
The answer is yes! These headphones sound good straight out of the box - they need no more EQing than my Sennheiser HD800s or HiFiMan HE-6s ; this means they are not overly coloured in their sound signature by a ruthless boomy bass coarse mids or shrill highs. There is nothing to fear from these £20 headphones sound wise. 
 
In fact , there is a lot to celebrate here , Havit , once their name is out there will surely make other manufacturers up their game. I thought the bluetooth H2555BT model I looked at last week
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/havit-hv-h2555bt-nfc-hd-stereo-bluetooth-3-0-wired-wireless-headset-with-touch-control-12-hours-of-hands-free-talking-and-14-hours-wireless-music-streaming-with-potent-bass-crystal-audio-built-in-mic-black/reviews/14593
 

 
 
was a great product for the price. This outperforms the 2555BT on sound quality , of course we don’t have the wireless capability here. 
 
The fit
 
Because the DJs fold up and to the left and right we have an added benefit here over the 2555BTs - a better fit onto the ears.
 

 
 
 
The cups don’t feel inflexible and are definitely not as tight as the BTs. 
The fit is over the ears rather than on the ears. My ears did not completely fit inside the cups, my ear lobes were outside the cups. I don’t have very big ears so I suspect that others will be in the same situation. 
The clamp effect of the HV91s is noticeable. They do clamp tight -  after 6 hours (!) my ears were complaining a little. But not enough to need to take them off.
They last 6 hours before becoming uncomfortable because Havit have looked at comfort in detail with these phones. The band has a decent width mock leather material over 90% of the headband - there is nothing to pinch the side of your head,
 

 
 
something which makes me feel I’m being squashed in.
And the Havit’s are reassuringly light , there is no chance of any downward pressure from these. The only pressure will come from the side pressure of the cups and this is manageable.
The pads are a comfortable fit although they are thin
 
 

 
, of course due to the comfort factors of the weight the headband and the left right up down flex of the cups. The pads get quite warm after a few hours of wearing indoors - perfect for those cool Autumn evenings!
 
These headphones do not have the fit of a £20 headphone - they punch above their weight in this category.
 

The look

 
 

 
 
The DJs look elegant  - only 3 colours are used - a golden black and brown , a white logo on each cup and a rubberised matt black for everything else. 
There is a pleasant mottled black and brown finish on the top of the headband.
 

 
This gives a pleasant feel to the handling of the top of the headphones. 
The function button is colour matched to the cable and is small and discrete.
There has clearly been a lot of thought gone into making these phones look as good as they sound - they present a welcome departure from most of the silver and black designs of my existing 
phone collection. Silver and black is boring!
 
Should these phones be spotted being worn in the street and why not?- they isolate and stay in place really well, they will be recognised as something different from the standard beats look. The Havit logo is tastefully emblazoned in white
 

 
so some brand awareness is likely to get out there.
On good looks alone I hope punters will be attracted to these phones , they look as good as they sound.
 
 
 
The Design
 
As DJ headphones , the HV91s need to have both cups swivel independently , those requests for that special song could come from the left or right… 
But the fact they fold upwards means they can be folded away to half their size for easy storage. 
 

 
 
The flex in the cups also allows for a much more precise fit - the fit can be adjusted 4 ways increasing isolation , tonal response and long term comfort.
The clamping effect keeps the cups in the right place on the move and can be adjusted on and off for conversations in a second.
The rubberised matt black finish around the cups is a scratch and dirt/stain free setup by the look of it. This is where the majority of the handling will take place and will ensure the HV91 keep it’s good looks for a long time to come.
 
The Sound
 
I tested these on everything from a  phone
 

to a  virtual speaker system being pushed through a 50 Watts per Channel fully A class power Amplifier
 

 
 
 
worth arguably 200 times the retail value of the Havit HV91s. 
I did this because I wanted to see when the HV91 would fall over, or if it would fall over.....
 
 
 
All of my music players are EQ’d to the sound signature I prefer.
 
 

 
This sound signature fits my musical tastes fairly well across the spectrum of classical to metal. Most of my headphone collection is  able to cope with the standard EQ without needing further adjustment - a bassy phone will sound bassier but not enough to need EQing back, for example.
 
 Note II through USB Audio Player Pro
 
 
On my phone , through the headphone out socket (rarely used nowadays), the sound is big. The soundstage is reasonably wide , the instruments do not bleed into each other in a nasty loud mess. The voice is easy to follow through the track, the drums have plenty of depth and energy to them and the highs are not rolled off enough that micro details are not present. Are these really £20? I keep thinking there must be some mistake…..
Onto the Mojo.
 
 
Chord Mojo through Vox player
 

 
 
 
A £399 Dac/Amp of some repute. A game changer in the portable audio end of the market in my opinion. Which does it's best to overwhelm the HV91. The phones start to get twitchy enough in the bass to pull the bass response back to flat up to the 512 Hz range. 
 

 
Anyone familiar with Adele? Despite the setback for tickets in either London or Birmingham I put on “Hello” as everyone must know this song by now. Adele soars in this song, the more revealing nature of the Mojo made a change of EQ to a 9.5 Db boost in the 8K and 16K regions and some slight trimming of the 1K 2K and 4K ranges.
Playing through Adele’s latest album , “25” further , the acoustic Send My Love sounded great. “I Miss You”, with a much fuller feel than the latter 2 tracks displayed the hypnotic drum beat and the large soundstage with the subtle percussive sounds well enough to give a good feel of the atmosphere.
From the sublime to the ridiculous….
 
 
Chord Mojo through Vox Player Through Out of Your Head Virtual Speaker Software
 
 
I have just purchased a Virtual Speaker Technology
 

 
 
developed by fellow headfier Darin Fong(@darinf).  I can now tell you what a £20 headphone can sound like when partnered with a Virtual Speaker which retails for £227,000!!!!!
 
 
Acapella: Spharon ($325,000/pair)
 

 
They have two huge horns for the tweeter and mid range. The bass has four 15inch woofers per channel. The speakers are 7.5 feet tall and weigh 1,364 pounds each!
 
 
 
This is a first for me in terms of software like this and a much deeper review is needed to explain more. Suffice it to say that various preconceptions of how a headphone should sound need to be dealt with before such software can be truly appreciated. 
I am through that stage now and I can lean back and listen to what a millionaire’s system might sound like; without the expense and without the room treatment and without the neighbours doing a “here’s Johnny!”
 

 
 
when I listen to Adele’s “Water Under the Bridge” at this volume.
The sound signature is from the Speakers now and not from the headphones which is a difficult concept to grasp. What this means is that all EQ is turned off and the Out of Your Head software has a recorded sound signature that has been adjusted and calibrated for the room the measurements were taken from.
What we effectively get is a set of £20 headphones that now think they are £227,000 speakers being played through a system that can handle 7.5 feet tall blocks of concrete! The bass has changed not by a small amount……
Finally, from the ridiculous to the plain crazy.
 
 
 
 
The 24 96 25 album
 

 
 
 
- through the Mojo- through the virtual speaker software-and into the heart of the mini beast….
The mini beast is a 50 watt per channel power amplifier built in this country by my talented friend Dillan.(@dill3000).
It is based on a First Watt  F6 design given to the DIY community by Nelson Pass of First Watt and Pass Labs. The F6 retails at $3500 ; Dillan ,being Dillan, has modified the design by changing out some of the components. The components he uses are arguably of superior sound quality so they’re in and I’m the winner! 
Obviously something this powerful needs attenuation ; Dillan built me a box to use that with. The HiFiMan attenuator box was just not going to be good enough for me and my wonderful headphones. I bet he never thought I’d use a £20 headphone on it…..
 

 
 
Ok , the volume is now at 2%! The bass is threatening to pull my HV91s off my ears…..I need to switch to my favourite speakers 
 
 
Acoustic Zen: Adagio Speakers Experimental
 

 
Prototype speakers based on the Acoustic Zen Adagio Jr. speakers, but they are MUCH better. 7.1 speaker configuration.
 
 
All I Ask is track 10 of Adele’s 25. Piano and voice, lots of voice. The sound is rich ; the headphone works well as a play though device.
Yes I know ; it was a stupid thing to do for a set of £20 phones , but the more stupid it is the more fun it seems to do it! And as I can do it , I will do it!
 
Conclusion
 
These are a great set of £20 phones, would make a great present for some lucky person. But, if you go on amazon looking
 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/HAVIT-HV-H91DJ-Professional-Headphones-Microphone/dp/B00IOEFHHA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449179256&sr=8-1&keywords=hv91dj
 
 I would advise get 2-treat yourself!

Hello and welcome to my review of Havit's Bluetooth On Ear Headphone. These were sent specifically for review purposes after I was kindly picked as a member of the headfi review team by Gary Zhang of Havit. Thanks Gary 

 
 
 
 
Havit HV-H2555BT Bluetooth Headphones
 
How much cheaper can you get for a pair of on the ear bluetooth headphones! These retail at £24.99. And what’s more- they work! With even a few extra touches, or should I say, sweeps thrown in.
 

 
 
 
 
Features
 
 
There are touch switches normally found on a bluetooth headphone on the left and right cups which control volume , take and end phone calls, pair to your device and switch the headset on and off.
 
In addition there are sweep gestures on the outside of the left cup which pause and play, skip and reverse and volume up and down.
 

 
A few hours of use and this quickly becomes the easiest way to control your music and offers even more convenience over the conventional limitations of a wired system with a phone in your pocket or in an armband.
The wireless function of the Havits work as an NFC device or as Bluetooth. My Samsung Note II works as NFC. Activating the function in the settings of the phone and sweeping the phone over the headphone soon gets things working, 
 

 
 
Alternatively Bluetooth was equally as painless to set up on my Macbook. Once pairing had taken place there was no need to repeat this process.
 
Sound quality
 
 
Given that everything worked successfully , I proceeded with some trepidation into proper listening sensing the sound would be the fatal flaw. Something offering so much for so little was too good to be true. I have been a casual browser of the headphones available at HMV to try and keep up with the flavour of the month stuff out there and have been appalled at some of the sub £100 gear.  I am pleased to tell you that despite some flaws, I can give the sound of these little things a thumbs up. What a relief that there’s stuff like this out there for those on a limited budget. 
There are a few preconceived ideas I have about budget headphones and how their sound will be tuned. I assume there will be huge bass , muted mids and shrill highs, the V of vengeance for the high end headfier……
 

 
 
The bass
 
 
The low end was strident and glaring on all the tracks I tried using the normal eq I have set up for all my current headphones. What suits an HE-6 does not suit the Havit - not one bit!  I made the bass so much better by taking 3 db off the 3 bands.
 

Vox Music Player for Mac
 
Still plenty enough there with no pushing into the mids and no fatigue to listening to the drummer or the producer putting a bass wash around everything.
 
The Mids
 
 
 
The mids found their space once I had pulled the bass where it belonged. Voices were easy to follow. I left the mids fairly flat across the EQ and thought they were perfectly acceptable at this price point.
 
 
 
The Highs
 
 
When I first put these headphones on I honestly expected a shrill noise instead of cymbals strings and echo. Instead I found the highs to be pleasantly rolled off with no hint of harshness. I eventually turned up the 4k 8k and 16k bands very slightly to get more detail and texture.
 

 
 
 
The soundstage
 
 
The soundstage was somewhat closed in compared to more expensive models out there but what you get is perfectly good enough for £24.99. Instruments can be followed in the mix with concentration and the highs and mids being so good for the price offset any small loss of airiness in the presentation.
 
 
Overall impression of the Sound Quality
 
 
Straight out of the box I would not expect many headfiers I know to be happy with the sound the Havits produce. But with some time on the EQ these phones can be easily tamed and their positive attributes can come to the fore with the over zealous nature of the lows can be quietly moved into the corner.
 
Field Testing
 
 
The final testing was less about sound quality and more about field testing the HVs where they were designed to be used (and abused). So I took them for a run to see whether they would fall off. How they fare when being pushed against a sweating head is a good way to separate the men from the boys in the headphone world. Let’s get them working….. 
Bluetooth headphones are more comfortable to run with. For me I dislike the constant movement of a headphone cable slapping against my chest when I run. I have also had problems with sweat running down the cable and into the unit I’m using as a source. Not to mention the ever present evil of microphonics. So in my opinion , wireless headphones were made to run with. And I intend to put these to the test with my longest medium paced run in 25 years. Stand by…..
 

 
 
Wireless Reliability
 
 
I found the Havits dropped out on average once every 2 minutes for the first 10 minutes of my run , only for a split second each time. I had my phone approx 6 feet from me. After 10 minutes I experienced no dropouts in the sound at all and had 81 minutes of uninterrupted music.
 
Isolation
 
 
The isolation was not the last word in noise cancellation , ballads were wrestling with my pounding feet, the whirring of the treadmill and the gasp of my rather loud breathing (especially after an hour). The volume I set by default to maximum, more than loud enough to follow any song and distract me from the pain I was going through!
I am heavy footed and although the Havits clamp well enough I was experiencing a movement noise from the left pad of the HVs. This disappeared after 50 minutes and at the 75 minute stage I got a minor vibration noise from the right pad. All vibrations , breathing, pounding, whirring etc disappeared once the music got going on any particular track.
 
The Music - it's all about that Bass
 
 
Only 2 tracks were problematic from a listening point of view in over 90 minutes of hitting the treadmill. Road Tripping’ by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers
 

 
- wow the bass guitar on this was unlistenable at full volume and was tamed with a 50% reduction in volume. This was done in a fraction of a second using the sweeping motion on the left ear cup.
 
Stan by Eminem featuring Dido
 

 
- again the bass on this is ridiculous - that’s hip hop for you I guess. The synthetic drum and bass sound was not as painful as the Chillis so I listened through. A disturbing song in more than one way….
I did not believe that the irritation of these 2 songs was the fault of the Headphones or my EQing - some tracks have certain traits that I find grating, I’m sure we all have particular songs we can’t listen to without wincing. The new type of scrunchy ultra low synthetic bass found in “Stan” is not something I would need to change my EQ settings for because it wouldn’t be something I would listen to often enough for this to be a problem. 
 
Survival
 
 
The Havits survived the 90 minute run intact, I survived too more importantly. The sweat on the headband and the pads and the cups was wipeable easily enough and had not intruded into the middle of the inner pads. This is where the drivers are situated.
 
 
Conclusion - are they worth Having? 
 
 
Retailing for one fifth the price of a ticket to a reunion ELO concert
 

 
I had very little expectations of these bluetooth phones. The last phones I bought were slightly south of £600 and that was second hand and I was apprehensive to say the least that I no longer had my feet in the budget market enough to properly evaluate a £24.99 headphone. I was pleasantly surprised that I had not become some sort of an Audiophile Snob who sees no good in anything under £100. 
Are there things I would change? Yes , I would make both ear cups twistable to the left and right as well as up and down, I would  put a little more material for the pads to try and absorb any extra vibration and I would tune some of the bass down. Whether this could be done at the price level is debatable. And none of these issues are major issues ; they would not affect whether to hav or to hav not in my opinion. I could live with all of these issues no problem. 
 
I recommend these Bluetooth Headphones unreservedly for the price…… well, providing you have the patience to tailor the sound to your personal preference , this is, after all, what EQ settings are all about.
 
And one more thing before I go......
 


https://www.prohavit.com/
 
Don't say I don't do anything for you.....

 

 

 
 
 
 
They're back! I was the first to review these back in November and I was not impressed. They were harsh sounding to say the least.I did my review. I said my piece. A few couldn't believe my findings. My review went against many others at the time, What Hi Fi seemed to love them, for instance. As a result of mine and other reviews, the Soundmagic P55 Vento was recalled. And revamped. Fast forward 9 months to August 2016 and the new batch have arrived.
Thanks to Tony of HiFIHeadphones for the loan and a chance to revisit these phones.
These are on ear headphones. They are lightweight , clamp well and are comfortable for prolonged use.
 
Introduction
 
I spent a couple of days listening solely to these to adjust my ears to their characteristics. The good news - the Ventos have lost that boomy harsh sound and have a subtler presentation. The music is not thrown at you is I remember it was , there is still punch and some rawness to the sound. Much has thankfully been tamed.
The bass has been toned down and the flabbiness has been reasonably well removed. The bass and mids have some punch to them , the top end no longer grates the way it did.
For music styles, driving rock and pop was the easiest to listen to with these. Classical music especially violins and Orchestras in full swing were not the P55s forte.
 
A review is not a fair one unless a comparison is made against headphones in a similar price range so without further ado....
 
 
I have used a pair of Pendulumic Stance S1+ Bluetooth Headphones


in the first head to head. The Stance can be used wired or wireless, is an over the ear style headphone , does not clamp as well but is comfortable for extended periods. It retails at a similar price level.
 
The Sound
 
The Stance has bigger, deeper cups. This results in the drivers being further away from the ear. The immediacy of the Vento hits you - they have more impact in the bass and mid regions.
The Ventos sound more congested than the Stance, the initial excitement and liveleness of the presentation eventually lost out to the more controlled Pendulumics.
Instrumentation and vocals are easier to follow on the Ventos. This is an advantage of a more intimate soundstage.
 
The Music
 
Some of the tracks I used

 
The Judgement is the Mirror - Dali's Car
 
A little known collabaration between Mick Karn formerly of Japan who provided the instrumentation and mixed the track and Peter Murphy of Bauhaus fame who provides lyrics and vocals. The song reached the giddy heights of No.66 in the UK charts in 1984. This somewhat obscure song I own as a single and I ripped it onto digital some years ago. There are pops and clicks galore. A spacious musical landscape with very smple synth and drum machine and bass sounds that will reveal any harshness in a headphone. There was nothing here that made me wince when I put the Vento's on , thankfully.
 

 
Classic- Adrian Gurvitz
 
Released in 1982 and again from a 7" single which is badly warped , Adrian Gurvitz's only well known song has scratches galore , lots of echo and tons of bass. The Vento was unleashed on this track and came up trumps.
 
 
Comfort
 
It's difficult to criticise the Vento's in this respect. Although the cups do not fit over my ears , the soft material covering them makes them clamp with a perfect pressure even for my abnormally thin head. Coupled with the fact these are so light it's easy to forget you have them on.
 
Versatility
 
When buying full size headphones such as these many people will be wanting to use their new phones outside their living room , so there are other factors to consider. Microphonics - any cable noise working it's way into the drivers is often caused by movement ; bad on walking , terrible on running. Not a normal problem for full size headphones and the Vento's exhibit no cable noise. 1 thin cable fits well away from the right driver at the bottom of the driver housing and is detachable. Isolation also synonymous with leakage, the Vento's are, well, vented....so they let in noise from the outside world but also broadcast a little too. Discretion will have to be used on the tube and whether this would be an enjoyable experience is debatable. Which is a shame. The Vento's punch is clearly lessened on the go- the ambient background noise floor in the outside world being fairly low frequency- but is far better than most headphones in it's class. These headphones are useful to take out for a quiet country run ; they clamp well, they're light and there is very little vibration noise inherent in the design. The Stance has a headband design that has a lot of movement built in and there is an annoying squeak present which leaves them trailing behind the Vento despite the lack of wire getting in the way.
 
 
 
Conclusion
 
The Vento's have been tweaked to good effect. They have lost much harshness in the top end. The intimacy of the sound stage will appeal to some and will not be favourable to others. Driving rock dance pop etc will sound vibrant and alive with these and you will want to turn them up. And with the new Vento you should be able to do this without too much flinching. I preferred my Pendulumic Stance S1+ phones which have the added wireless capability ; but not for all variables and not with all music. I can't unreservedly recommend these but if I have whetted your appetite then take the chance to have a listen yourself and tell us all what you think

The Chord Mojo has arrived. It was an unexpected arrival for me because I thought nothing this size would come from Chord.
At various meets up and down the country I've  listened to the Hugo and Hugo TT half heartedly; I wasn’t prepared to spend £1400 on a portable device. I remained skeptical that my Ibasso DX100 sounded any better through the Hugo than it did through the headphone out. As we all know , in a show setting with the levels of ambient noise and listening to a device lots of people are queuing to hear is not the ideal way to figure out subtle differences, and my Sennheiser HD800s are more than a little open.
 
 
So hence I was delighted to hear that something special was on the way to me that was half the size of the Hugo and retailed at £399 , but with much of the quality. With thanks to Levi who considered me for the review team, here’s what I thought.

 
 
 
Sound quality
 
 
This is the most important criteria for me as a reviewer. I do not know what people have out there as existing systems. I do not know what people can afford. If the one factor what does it sound like cannot be arrived at really quickly, there is a danger that people may turn to Facebook updates in frustration and/or boredom! I cannot take such a risk! Therefore let me whet your appetites and hopefully you can dig further into my adventures with the Mojo.
The Mojo delivers on sound quality. It has a classy sound signature that, as a Dac/Amp, outclasses anything I currently own. 
I tried as many combinations as I could within the time I spent with the Mojo. There is a responsibility to you, the reader, not to make snap decisions based on 1 nights’ quick listen when expectation bias and flavour of the month fever can twist things. I spent many (happy) hours with the Mojo and pitted them time and again against the competition , be it a headphone out on my phone to plugging in my Cambridge Audio DacMagic +, a desktop Dac/Amp which boasts incredibly low jitter and lots of power etc. etc.
 
 
 

 
Here is a list of phones used:
 
IEMs
 
 
Sennheiser IE800 Universal and Snugs Custom Shelled
Flare R2Pro Titanium Universal and Snugs Custom Shelled
Klipsch X11i Universal
Westone UM2 ACS Custom Shelled
RHA M750 Universal
Sony XBA4ip Universal
Monster Inspiration Universal
ACS Encore Studio Customs
 
 
 

 
 
 
Over Ears
 
Sennheiser HD800 Modded
HiFiMan HE-6
Mr Speakers Aloha Dogs
Pendulimic Stance S1
 
Sources
 
 
Samsung Galaxy Note II
Ibasso DX100 DAP
Colorfly C3 DAP
Ibasso D14 Bushmaster Portable Dac/Amp
Cambridge Audio DacMagic + Desktop Dac/Amp
Macbook Pro Retina
 
 
 
 
 
 
The testing
 
 
The differences in sound quality vary according to quality of recording and quality of headphones. 
 
When we talk about the HD800 we talk about the top level of sound quality and a potential issue with Amp mismatching. There is a possibility some headfier’s will be shaking their heads in disbelief at stuff of this size being tried. The Mojo makes easy work of powering up the HD800 to ear splitting volume.The HD800 was able to showcase some of the Mojo’s magic- tighter faster bass, cleaner presentation, micro effects in splendid isolation. Tonally I was hearing a sound which I would describe as lifting a curtain away from the music. The HD800 is a fitting way to compare the sources -  if a little unfair when we consider the headphone out of the Colorfly C3 and Note II which inevitably fall short of the power necessary. 
 
First up was my new shiny Ibasso D14 Bushmaster. It is a Dac/amp with a right angled OTG cable for Android phones. The D14 retains much of the sparkly Ibasso signature sound with not quite the level of refinement of the DX100. After 30 minutes of switching, in disbelief I realised that I had made the decision to sell the D14 after one month of ownership. The Mojo was that much better. I heard the differences in tonal quality accuracy rhythm straight away : I refused to accept this was not a placebo effect. After constant switching even using my cheapest phones I was utterly smitten with the Chord. The only hope for me was that the DX100 would reveal how good it could perform and outperform the Mojo.  As for the Ibasso D14, I sold it within 24 hours of listening to the Mojo. It has gone. The Mojo too, being a review model, has gone on to my good friend and fellow reviewer @dill3000.
 
The DX100 is a wonderful DAP I have had for 2 years now and this has had a huge amount of use from me , so much so it has been back to Ibasso twice this year, once for battery and WiFi replacement and the second time I managed to blow the Dac chip. The stock sound of the DX100 is warm , bassy with lots of detail.I have listened to DAP after DAP, the Astell and Kern AK300 and Tera Player are the only ones thus far I feel improve on the DX100s sound. This is not to criticise anyone else’s DAPs I certainly have not listened to them all, and I like a warm sound too. 
The DX100 has 128 Gb of storage, 6.3 mm and 3 mm headphone sockets, line out, composite out, optical out. It is very big for a DAP and very powerful. I love it. The DX100 gave me the opportunity to compare from the headphone out and volume matching to the Mojo using the optical out connection. I could then tell what the DX100 could do on it’s own and then as a transport for the Mojo. I was floored by  the results! 
Redbooks tried included Adele’s new release Hello. Lots of soaring vocals and a relatively uncomplicated recording for Adele. 
Listened and switching between both units every 30 seconds every minute then the whole track. I got to know that track quite well…. I was convinced after exhaustive backwards and forwards that my first impressions were the correct ones. The Mojo as a Dac/Amp could beat the DX100. And it was an enjoyable engaging refined performance. 
A 3 way match was also set up between the Mojo , the DX100 and the DacMagic + desktop amp. Again , the most convenient connection for fast switching and volume matching was optical using the DX100 as the player. 
 
 
Anyone a Muse fan? 

 
I listened to the Drones album as a 24 96 Flac. Plenty of bass, piano, screeching guitars, despair of course too. Could the Mojo take on the DacMagic + as a Desktop solution when the Mojo is merely the size of a large pebble? The DM + outperforms the DX100 and because it can be battery run using a Power Gorilla Battery Pack tends to go everywhere with me. Therefore, for much of my serious listening DX100 into the DM + then line out to my Fidelity Audio HPA200 SE Head Amp is the way to go. 
The DM+ could not match the Mojo for sound reproduction in mine and 2 other guinea pigs’ opinions. More musical, more going on, more texture to the voices and the guitars, more echo, these were the sorts of comments being traded back and forth in favour of the Mojo.
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
Value for Money
 
The Mojo is not a cheap device as a portable but by gum it’s cheap for Chord!The Mojo is priced at a premium for a portable device. I was surprised to find that there were no cables offered excepting a tiny micro usb cable. Bearing in mind I bought a 1m cable for £2 on Monday in a large department store that works just fine. An OTG cable cost me £3. When a set of IEMs costing £30 comes with a decent set of accessories why does the Mojo only come with such a short charging cable? 
 
 
Build Quality
 
I have an optical cable, it is quite a thick stiff lead and it falls out of the Mojo at will. As I use optical connections most of the time, this proved to be a problem, and necessitated some swapping around of tv leads. Therefore I must point out that the SPDIF of the Mojo is a weakness to the otherwise solidness of the product. The thinner the cable the better for the Mojo. So huge audiophile cables are out I’m afraid.
When charging  the Mojo and listening at the same time the unit gets hot; great in the Winter! As a Class A , the Mojo is quite warm anyway , I have yet to put it in my pocket and take it out for a stroll to see how hot it would get in my pocket as I did not have the suitable OTG lead or CCK lead or optical lead. But be warned, stuff this good tends to run warm. 
The lights are shiny and beautiful and there is a dimming function for their use at night and to extend battery life. I find them very pretty to look at and they serve the purpose of showing the bitrate of the file. The lights are a cornerstone of the Chord look but the inability to switch them off completely may cause some privacy issues when taken to bed at night for some peaceful pre sleep Beethoven.
 
 
A couple of headphones I used in slightly more detail:
 
Pendulimic Stance S1
 
 
A great sounding wireless headphone which was one of the hits at CanJam. The wired option gave me a chance to have a listen to the HDTracks Rhythm of the Saints by Paul Simon . The differences in bass tightness and overall clarity  were much harder to pick out than with the HD800 but they were nevertheless there. I would be hesitant to shell out the money for the Mojo if this was your headphone of choice.
This was the first set of headphones I tried with the Mojo, believe me the Mojo grew on me from here.
 
 

 
 
 
 
Mr Speakers Alpha Dogs
 
As 2 headphones could be run from the Mojo simultaneously, the Alpha Dogs were used to evaluate  by my girlfriend at the same time as the Stance S1s. My girlfriend does not like her music as loud as me so the lower sensitivity of the Dogs gave us an opportunity to both listen to the same track at the same time at roughly the same volume.
The Alpha Dogs are a great closed headphone , they are reference like in their signature and show up micro details, including tape hiss. The phones are ultra revealing, they need lots of amping too. The Mojo’s handle the Dog’s needs comfortably and these sound a joy through the headphone port, with the HD800s in as well , the Mojo does get a little hot.
 
 
 
 
 
Sennheiser IE800
 
 

My favourite IEM with the sweetest of mid and top end reproduction and lots of bass. These shone with the Mojo’s. They stepped up a gear and were the first phones that made me see the beautiful extra clarity and accuracy that the Mojo was bringing. I listened backwards and forwards between the DX100 DacMagic + and Mojo for 25 minutes, got fed up with missing out in the Mojo, and as time is precious, relaxed and listened to track after track for hours. 
 
Flare R2 Pro Titanium 
 

A fantastic IEM with a slightly warmer signature than the IE800s. They  lack very little in any area that I can hear apart from a slightly rolled off treble. I listened to Birdy through my Note II OTG’d to the Mojo and then the headphone out and to me the difference was startling. If you like a bass with real punch you would be well advised to give these a listen. I have now had these customised into full shells as shown above. Much more comfortable, just awaiting the Mojo to get back to their best.
 
 
 
HiFiMan HE-6
 
Bought from the States thanks to @midnightwalker. I have had these headphones for a week. I have unwrapped them simply to check they produced sound from both drivers, and to see whether the Mojos could drive them. Believe it or not, yes they do go loud well before top volume is reached. The results are what one would come to expect from an HE-6 which is significantly underpowered, thus it sounded harsh and sibilant and closed in. It was an interesting experiment anyway. The HiFiMan's are awaiting something very special indeed to be built for me. 
 
 
 
Conclusions
 
I once had an absolutely wonderful DAC, the M2Tech Young from Italy, it cost me a fortune! It sounded as it should having a rich refined ultra detailed signature I have not heard since. During this review I was given the opportunity to remember what that sound was like. So thank you to @It was a great device musicday and Chord for giving me that opportunity. But the Mojo goes further. Because it offers that sound, for much less money, and adds portability and Android compatibility and an 8-10 hour battery. And let's not forget the exquisite styling. The Mojo is a work of art in it's minimalism , yet it has these huge light buttons that just cry out to be touched!
 
If it looks like a Lamborghini and it drives like a Lamborghini.... it's a Lamborghini!


Now we are one

1 year down the line.... and we're still together
The Mojo is still with me .The above model I reviewed, sadly , it had to send it back to Chord . I did get to listen to it later on in the Tour because it went to @dill3000 at a time when he happened to be building a huge amp for me. I applied to Chord to buy the Mojo from the Tour but they wouldn't let me keep it
I had an Ibasso Bushmaster at the time , and had bought that directly from China and waited all that time for the DAC/Amp to be imported. It was a great device. I had only owned it for a week but before my stage in the Mojo Tour was over , I had sold it to pay for the Chord. There then came an agonising wait whilst Chord desperately tried to get the sufficient numbers out there to meet demand. All in all I did well , I think I was only without a Mojo for a month.
The Mojo still goes with me everywhere. It adds life and sparkle to everything from my $32.75 **** UEs to my Bass Heavy AKG K1000 Phones . The AKGs are perhaps the least sensitive headphones ever made ; the Mojo is plugged into my @dill3000 created First Watt F6 Power Amp to give them the power they need. The Mojo supplies plenty enough voltage to make a pretty stunning preamp although it looks a little strange juxtaposed to a giant 50 WPC super amp!



I have had lots of problems in my search for a cheap replacement for my phone, specifically chosen to be used as a longer lasting OTG device than my Samsung Galaxy Note II. I tried the Cubot H1 . This had a battery life (5300 mAh), not kidding , of 2 days... But the OTG was hopeless on it for interference , even in Airplane Mode. My next was a 6300 mAh Leagoo Shark1 with exactly the same problem. Android phone no.3 , the Median Life E5005 5" smartphone seemed like a bargain. £79.99 from Aldi with Android 6.0 and 4G as standard. The OTG was again dreadful.


I have now settled for the Motorola Moto G4. This has some interference compared to the Note II when in cellular mode , but in airplane mode is whisper quiet. It has a full day's battery life supports Android 6.0 , has a Fast Charge facility , 4G as standard and takes a Micro SD card. All for £159.99.


What does the Chord Mojo bring to the party after all this time? When others are bringing Prosecco, Chord brings Champagne.



Some come with a box of Celebrations and are welcomed, Chord offers up hotelchocolat...


The Mojo is an example of when something is simply right. It brings out detail and depth in my music. This in turn creates a clarity and poIish that I find in only the best audio equipment.
I don't use the Mojo for my running. It doesn't take to being jogged about like that. The buttons will sometimes switch on and off at random when they are in a bag . If I'm not careful , one of these my ears will be blown clean off when the Mojo switches back on at full volume! I can tell you I have a shock or 2 over the past year. Not every usb plug will charge the Mojo properly and it takes a long time to charge compared to the newest Smartphone devices out there. It adds a lot of bulk to a phone or a DAP , especially when you see how thick my DX100 is anyway.


Let's face it ; no marriage is perfect. The most important thing is we're still in love.


Amendment Dec 2016 - I have directly compared the RHA DL Dacamp and iFi Micro iDSD BL Dacamp during this month. The Mojo is still the winner for me. The decisive winner. I have some links to some tracks I recorded to side by side compare the iFi and Mojo using a semi pro ART analogue to digital recorder. If you are interested in hearing the difference between the 2 please have a listen. https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B41-5ITI_tfbaFVBYU9CWWhqdncThe results I hope you will hear for yourselves. This is not the best that either Dac can sound; there is analogue loss. But it will show you (hopefully) which sounds better to your ears. Surely that is better than any hot air blown in this review or any measurement I could try to baffle you with......

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B41-5ITI_tfbV09lVnllN2hrSGs
This is my latest venture - I wanted to find out for once and for all whether optical or USB is the way forward of listening to my music - what do you think?

[VIDEO]https://youtu.be/jt4b9cLY9vQ[/VIDEO]

The best (and the worst) of The Beast

 

 

Has one of our newest DIYers found a way to tame the illusive HiFiMan HE-6?  Can the Sennheiser HD800 be redressed into a finer suit?

 

Read on and be told a story of failure and success, starring everything from Schitt to silver, the only things left out will be MP3s. Yes fanboys, even Beats by Dr Dread will get a mention….

 
 Last weekend I got the opportunity to witness something special in the headphone world that very few people in the UK will have had the chance to hear. Those in the HE-6 forum and the HD800 need to read on carefully; someone has been reading and understanding what many of the more knowledgeable folks have been saying. I believe Dillan has found a way to solve some of the problems inherent in squeezing out the best both the HE-6 and the HD800 can deliver.
 
Last weekend I travelled from the left hand corner of the UK (Cornwall) to the right hand corner(Suffolk) to see my good friend Dillan(@dill3000). Dillan lives in a pretty splendid setting in a huge house tucked away from some of the larger towns like Ipswich and Norwich. We were lucky enough to have the house to ourselves so we could talk headphones undisturbed by the stresses of normal life.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Dillan McNeish is a graphic designer by profession. Many of you won’t know this but Dillan supplied the logo for the SoCamJam held in Cambridge in April of this year. I was lucky enough win a T-shirt sporting the design at the meet, Andy(@smial1966) certainly knows how to put on a raffle at a headfi meet! With congratulations to Andy and Mark(@pedalhead) for organising such a momentous and sociable gathering of fellow geeks from all across the country and into Europe. Ye gods I won 3 prizes! But more on luck later. 
 
Unbeknown to me Dillan had attended the London calling meets cordially hosted by Nadim(@gsarider) back in 2013 on not one but two times at the Great Russell Hotel in the heart of London. All through this period our designer was watching listening and learning, refining the knowledge base he now possesses.
 
I got a chance to pick our resident experts brains over some of the best Espresso this side of Naples. Although many of us might find this daunting, given enough time and patience, a DIY Amp build can bring an exotic slant to the High End Headphone Community, that which only a no compromise build can bring. And our Suffolk headfier learnt from scratch with only a distant memory of soldering at CDT class in Senior School….
 
 
Let me give you now a little glimpse of the first amp Dillan has created.
 

 
 
 
 
He dubbed it “The Beast”. When it roars- you listen- in awe. 
During the Summer months The Beast reaches a cool optimal operating temperature of 51 degrees. Perfect for heating a room up to an uncomfortable level to thin the crowds out to the point where only the most dedicated headphone fanatics remain…..
 
Of course during the other 3 seasons it will replace the need for a slightly more expensive central heating system(please see Dillan for price comparisons). If only the Utility Companies could make their radiators sound this good ; maybe we wouldn’t be so tempted to complain about the rising prices even when crude is falling. Let me tell you ; for those who have not had the privilege, there is nothing crude about The Beast. This is a pure class A Dual Mono Power Amplifier oozing in refinement. Made with the finest ingredients one can create the ultimate meal. This meal needs a big dish and a sturdy table too, and while we’re sat down a few table manners must be observed. But more on that later, I’ve hopefully whetted your appetites and we must move on….
 
 
The Beast was born from the immeasurably gifted and generous Nelson Pass, a gentleman who goes under the banner of First Watt in the USA. As a nod to his roots, and a testimony to his artistry, Nelson gives away his secrets to the DIY community once he has sold 100 units of each of his amplifiers. He then stops making them…..
Dillan did a lot more study on what makes a headphone great than I have and probably most of us ever will in our lifetimes. I mean, HAVE YOU SEEN THE SIZE OF THE HD800 and HE-6 FORUMS ON HEADFI????? They’re daunting ; dark and dangerous places in which mysterious characters with more money than sense lurk. Only the strong survive on these threads, newcomers must tread gently and carefully. Stand ready to be exposed if you have not read , absorbed and most importantly understood the contents of the first 1000 posts of each of these forums. You have been warned…..
 
I spent some quality time at Suffolk gaining some knowledge as to how an amplifier is designed and matched to a speaker. In our case this is headphones. Clearly The Beast is designed for powering one of those old fashioned speaker set ups, some of you may even have one. But this is HeadFi! We’re not here to talk about speakers! Unless you can put them over, in or at least within a few inches of your ears. That is where the magic happens for us. There is an intimacy of a secret world conjured by a series of Sorcerers , Dr Fang and Axell Grell amongst them that belongs to an elite group of headphones. Speakers need a particular set of circumstances to perform at their best , a room needs to have the correct acoustic properties for instance, which is why the Royal Albert Hall has some rather strange looking mushrooms hanging off it’s ceiling. Headphones don’t need that, even the proportions of the head on which they cling to aren’t particularly important. They are expensive sure, but not in the same league as their larger high end cousins. The sound is arguably right up there with the best and the neighbours don’t complain because they are entirely unaware of our secret world…..
 

 
 
 
The Beast , believe it or not, is only 30 Watts per channel. The First Watt Amp Designs are about powering to low levels with unusual designs. Dillan, like any great designer, could not resist making a few changes to the blueprints given to the DIY community by Nelson. The changes were significant and costly of course. Not content with tweaking the design parameters , he set about modding the HE-6 phones to remarkable levels. The cable has been changed to a balanced (DIY built naturally) the outside grill removed, blue tack has been placed all around the inside of the drivers, Vegan Ear Pads have been purchased instead of the stock velours, sorbathon patches appear at strategic places around the outside of the cups, and a partial extra damping on the outside of the driver ring. All designed to eliminate vibration and ringing noticed by Dillan himself and verified by some headfiers whose opinions are valued.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The results of our designers first efforts were taken to SoCamJam in April 2015. Somehow that monster was transported up by train to the Hall! Unfortunately all the effort was in vain ; one of the guests started fiddling around with the connections at the back with the amp volume turned on presumably quite high while Dillan was away from his amp. The Beast blew out both HE-6 drivers. A hole could plainly be seen through one of them. Back to the drawing board….
 
We come nearer to the present , Dillan , thanks to the efforts kindness and goodwill of some unsung heroes who I can’t name got some replacement drivers and the HE-6  phones are as good as ever. Some brief thoughts on the potential shortcomings of the HE-6 are they don’t perform well without plenty of power. Underpowered Amps result in a thinner harsher sound. Power is nothing of course without refinement ; in short a decent amp is needed as well as a powerful one. And Dillan goes further; he has chosen a design which pushes lots of current as he believes this is what the HE-6 seeks. 
 
I spent some quality time this weekend listening to track after track, I have 3 years with my HD800s and have listened and adored the Orpheus on a couple of occasions and the SR009 BHSE combination amongst others. The SR009 BHSE combination I had picked as my retirement package and I didn’t think it could be beaten. My mind was unswayable , anything below the SR009 combo was not as nice sounding to me as my slightly modded HD800s. Mark’s HE1000s are stunning and many people prefer this sound hands down compared to the HD800. My ears are tuned to the huge soundstage and the micro detail of the HD800s and were stuck in their ways. I listened to my first set of HE-6s and was smitten by them immediately. 
 
Tom(@Ithilstone) and Dill had a pair each and brought them across to Oxford for myself , Micah(@glassmonkey) and Mark(@Pedalhead) to have a listen to. And the Beast , to my joy, was risen again! I would finally get the chance to hear this strange looking huge thing. AS soon as I was sat down with Dillan’s HE-6s on, I realised there was more to life than the SR009/BHSE, as good as that is. The sound these modded HE-6s bring when plugged into the speaker taps of The Beast is an experience I hope all of you readers might get to enjoy one day. The fullness of the sound , the accuracy of the instruments and the delivery of micro detail were mind-blowing. The music took on an effortless liveliness that is difficult for me to put into words. Whichever part of the music I could follow , from the drums to the vocals to the guitars , I could see no faults. At low listening levels the sound was also more involving than I could have imagined below the SR009 combination. I went through Phil Collins I Don’t Care Anymore from the HD Tracks Hello I Must Be Going! album which sounds good on most systems , on this it sounds incredible. I did not make notes at the time as to what I listened to and it all seems so long ago now, but I was taken , I was gone for the precious time I had in the clutches of The Beast.
 
Which is not to take away from the brand new pair that Tom was kind enough to bring along and was hooked into a 25  Watt per channel NVA AP20 Integrated Amplifier with an added extra of an unbalanced headphone jack on the front panel. Unmodded , and my first ever listen to HE-6s , wow they sounded great! The sound was different from the HD800s and even at the unmodded stage my ears preferred the fuller sound of the HE-6s , even though I was losing out on some of the hugeness of the sound stage.
 
Thanks to Tom and Mark and Electromod who lent us the huge Schitt Ragnarok, I was able to do a supertest and utilising the balanced and unbalanced I was able to listen to the stock HE-6  HE-1000 and my modded HD800s, comparing an HDTrack of Aretha Franklin at her soulful best. Swapping between all 3 and listening to the track over and over , my ears preferred the planar magnetic sound of the HiFiMan over the Sennheiser. The Senns sounded thinner overall and boomier in the lower regions than the HE models. What struck me was I still preferred the HE-6 sound to the HE-1000. The HE-6 just sounded right to  me , whereas I think many will prefer the 1000s which have livelier wider sound with arguably even more punch with the bass. I must stress at this point that all 3 sounded incredible through the Ragnarok. Listening is a subjective experience and all opinions are welcomed, how else can we further our experience? I have a set of older ears, I am unable to hear beyond 14000Hz and my musical tastes lean towards Rock and Pop and much of that is retro ; heck even most of the contemporary I stuff listen to stuff sounds retro!
 
I think Mark Micah Tom and myself were agreement with each other on that Saturday on the beauty of The Beast. That sound had a unanimous thumbs up and it was extremely difficult to prise any of us away from listening to our favourite tracks as if for the first time.
 
Dillan also told us of 3 more projects in the pipeline ; the passive preamp for The Beast , an HD800 amp and a Mini Beast for the HE-6. 
 
Fast forward to the 17th and 18th October and 2 of the projects were nearing completion. The passive preamp is designed as a pure volume control for The Beast ; it is completely neutral sounding in it’s design spec. It looks spectacular too. 
 
The HD800 amp , with separate power supply, was finished as I was hooked into The Beast downstairs. Many hours may have passed, it’s difficult to tell. The sound was just as good as I remember, I was again transported. The journey was well rewarded even if it had been doubled. With a HiFiM8 as the source at the time of proceedings , the opinion was the performance could be pushed yet further still. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Dillan arrived downstairs to unveil the HD800 Amp and power supply. The HD800 as special as it is,has been being worked on by many of us Sennheiser owners. Both Dillan and I have applied our own preference to the Anaxilus mod. I likened the muffled results of my full mod to a pair of Beats and removed mine. I had all but given up on trying anything else when the sound of the mod came as such a disappointment but decided as the mod was so easy there was room for experimentation. I ended up with a personally pleasing result with a thin woollen covering of the driver ring. I had no idea that my designer friend had come to the self same conclusion. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
The HD800 is known as a picky headphone to amp. Many discussions have ensued as to the best match for this headphone, and of course the best sounding match may not be so for everyone . Indeed there are so many options one could not get through them all. The needs of the HD800 are different from the needs of the HE-6 , the Senns are more sensitive and can be accused of some harshness. Dillan believes that with the HD800s to sound their best we need to be thinking of lots of voltage as opposed to lots of current. His design is based on this principle. We listened to the amp at length and we were both really satisfied with the results. The HD800s sound wonderful with this amp. Again I find it difficult to explain to existing users who are getting so much pleasure from their own own setups which they have tailored to their own needs over perhaps many years. All I would say is, please get a chance to listen to this set up if Dillan takes this to a show. To me I have never heard the HD800s sing like this. A DX100 or MacBook Pro hooked into a Cambridge Audio DacMagic Plus  provided the source. This , I’m sure, could be even better were the source changed for the better. Further experimentation took place this time in the software of our music player, Amarra. The Harman Standard EQ on the HD800s courtesy of a YouTube video from Tyll of Innerfidelity and Bob Katz was carefully studied and a match to the response curve was duly best guessed by Dillan and put onto the Amarra’s EQ setting and a comparison was set up using a track “Boys of Summer” by Don Henley. The Album from which that most memorable single emerged is entitled - “Building the Perfect Beast”…..
 

 
 
 
The HD800 , when EQ’d with a guesstimate of the Harman Response Curve, pulled in the soundstage of the phones. It brought all the instruments closer to the ear and the phones had a fuller sound to my ears. Many of you will be horrified to think that the soundstage, which is arguably the biggest character of the HD800s , is being altered. I understand your concerns
 
and I was fiercely against any alteration of that quality up until the point I heard the difference. As this is achieved through an EQ setting, there is everything to be gained and nothing to lose as it can be switched back and forward at will with no permanent changes necessary. Worth a try. 
 
 
 
 
A fitting end to my tale for now. Having satisfied myself as to what the HD800s are capable of as far as Dillan has gone at this stage, we both realised it was time to see whether they had improved on the HE-6. it was time to turn back to the HiFiMan. Boys of Summer came on again and we changed heads or rather swapped the HE-6 between us. It was still like listening to a different track to my ears ; as amazing as the 800s were. Maybe Dillan can tell us all a thing or two when it comes to Building the Perfect Beast.
 

Introduction
I am part of the RHA T20 Tour and received my IEMs on Monday.
 
I have listened to them a WHOLE lot since then and here are my discoveries.
 
The listening took place sat down, on the move, on the run and any way I could think of to put these Scottish Gems through their paces.
 
They were plugged into my DX100 shown above as well as my Note II, Macbook Pro, Colorfly C3 and Cambridge Audio Dacmagic Plus. I have other kit but this felt like a good cross section.
 
I will go into the music I listened to in more depth as I go along, the tracks ranged from Full Orchestra to angry men playing guitars extremely loud.
 

 
The Package
 
RHA has some wonderful eye candy for the Headfier to enjoy and I unwrapped this with anticipation.
 

 
Opening up further the usual touches RHA owners will be familiar with, and the filters shown clearly. A diagram on the inside sleeve explaining new dual voice coil technology innovation in the drivers.
 

 
 
 

 

 

 
The accessories are what we have come to expect from RHA and now even more. A manual with everything you thought you needed to know about the T20 complete with graphs safety info i.e don't turn them up too loud!
 
A cable clip which is really tight on the cable so needs to be fitted in the right place to start with and can't easily be slid up and down cable of this thickness. If you're out walking or running this clip will definitely be needed because there's a significant length to the multicore copper cable and it'll swing everywhere or use up a pocket with the excess being stuffed in there.
 
10 sets of tips in silicone or memory foam should ensure a good fit for most ears. The mouldable ear hooks and smoothness of the driver housings should get most ears sorted after a few tries.
 
The carry case will house the T20, it's ear tips and clip and filters when not in use and is the same as my 750 case which has lasted well and slides in and out of my pockets really well as well as looking black and stylish.
 
For even more customising RHA has introduced a 3 filter option for their flagship model. Bass will boost the lower frequency range , neutral will keep bass and treble under control and the treble filter will boost the upper end of the spectrum. The filters screw into the drivers and are a doddle to fit , so you can interchange according to mood , music or for the sake of change.
 
The build
 
 

 

 

 
 
 
The build as you can see has been looked at with great care . Every stress point on the cable is reinforced in steel or tough plastic. The cable is thicker than most IEMs I have come across on the market. The design is now all in black which is a cosmetic improvement over the previous grey and black. The design of the driver housing , in the same way as the T10 , means that more material is going into the ear than previously on the 750. The T20 is a far better fit in my ears than the 750 which occasionally can slip out slightly but noticeably. The T20s, under normal use, are a solid fit for hours as they power through track after track. Anyone having any doubts about the build of these should be made aware that RHA are offering a 3 year warranty, not every manufacturer is doing that .....
 
 
 
The Comfort
These are heavy! Made of metal injection moulded stainless steel there's nothing flimsy here, and I had a sense of foreboding when I went to put them on for the first time , being aware of the fit issues I have with my Sennheiser IE800s which are half this weight. Thankfully the memory wire hooks with the around the ear design hold most all of the weight away from the ear lobe. I experienced the tiniest of aches in my right ear on the fit and I could certainly tell there was quite some weight in my ear but I was able to wear these for 6 hours at a time and soon forgot they were in.
 
Walking needed careful placement of the cable clip , the cable produced no noise and there was the odd noise caused by the ear hook part of the cable bouncing up and down very slightly.
 
Running needed a tightening of the chin strap to minimise the bouncing vibration caused by more pronounced bouncing of the ear hooks.
 
A comparison between 2 similar priced IEms I own; the Klipsch X10is are a thinner design and have to be inserted deeper into the ear canal, they are far less comfortable to wear , they can't be worn over the ear, they have lots of cable noise and don't isolate well enough to even consider running. When it's windy outside it's no place for the Klipsch.
 
The Sony XBA4ips have just as large a housing as the T20s but have a much shorter fit and are designed to be worn down from the ear. They are difficult to wear even walking , they stick a long way out of the ear lobe and have to be squashed in pretty tight to get a good seal and need constant readjusting when walking. Running is out for these and I can't wear them for as long as I could wear the T20s.
 
The Sound
 
My first listening was through my Note II headphone out. Most people will buy these for their Phone , Iphone or Ipod I reckoned.
 
Neutral Filter, All Around the World Oasis, Played through Note II:
 
9 minutes of Oasis at their overblown best. The bass on these IEMs was in evidence straight away, they gave a low end oomph beneath the track , the chorus of this song has a lot thrown in there and the mids and upper range sounded slightly harsh. There was a full feeling to the sound.
 
The Sony XBA4ips did not have the low end oomph but the instruments were easier to pick out and there was more width to the sound and Oasis sounded more natural , if not quite as exciting.....
 
The Klipsch X10is sounded significantly thinner than the T20s although there was oomph there it was not as much . The mids and treble were less strained than the T20s
 
Spring The Four Seasons Revisited Vivaldi recomposed by Max Richter, Played through Note II

This time I put the T20s through their paces with a Chamber Orchestra and synth with Daniel Hope the principal soloist on violin.
There shouldn't be much low end on this piece and it builds to a flurry of violins complementing each other and spacing themselves between the left and right channels.

The T20s sounded nice and full through this track and found some low end from seemingly nowhere as the piece built; there was just a little strain in the sounds of the violins and there was a hint of congestion in the busy part of the section.

The Klipsch in comparison sounded thin and as good as they are could not really keep with the T20s unitil the busier part of Spring came fto the fore.

The XBA4s sounded natural and were controlled through the busier part of the track.

Hotel California The Eagles HDTracks, Played through Ibasso DX100

Less treble problems with this track , the bass sounds great once again ; if I had to be ultra critical the opening of the song with the guitar sounds like it's slightly too pronounced.

The Sonys in comparison sounded more natural , the bass could be followed more accurately and there was more space between the instruments.

Carnival De Paris Dario G, Played through Macbook Pro connected to Cambridge Audio Dacmagic Plus

Had to put this one in because of the bagpipe solo! Not what I normally listen to but a track many will be familiar with. Dance tracks seem to work extremely well with the T20s. Again , the bagpipe in all it's naked glory was slightly too shrill for my tastes. On balance I think the T20s were the more enjoyable listen for this track compared to the XBA4ips. The Klipsch by this stage has been relegated from the comparison because in my opinion I don't think they sounded as good as the T20s.

The 3 Filters

I tried the neutral filter for the first 5 days of my review period thinking that this would be the obvious choice for my listening tastes. I am not a basshead although I like a full sound and I listen to rock music primarily. I am not keen on sacrificing treble for the sake of more bass or sacrificing anything to boost mids or treble.

However given that I was finding the mids and trebles a bit glarey I tried the bass filter. The results surprised me. The bass was huge of course, but there seemed to be a toning down of the treble , whether that was because of the bass creeping into the mids I'm not sure , but there was a noticeable improvement in the treble.

The treble filter was not my preference, it knocked some of the bass response off and made the treble even more prominent. The presentation became too congested and loud.

Comparisons

Westone UM2 with ACS Custom Sleeves

The addition of the custom sleeves make this a price match. Performance of the UM2 is superior at low listening levels with better isolation - Classical Music would be the obvious example here. For rock and pop; the UM2 has more harshness in the upper range and less warmth in the lower ranges.
For comfort either pair fare well.

Klipsch X10i / X11i

Both IEMs have the same driver the difference is in the cabling and reinforcements of the X11i. The sound quality in the treble of the Klipsch is less harsh, but the thinness of the sound overrall means the T20s beat them convincingly for me.

MA750

Significantly less in price. Part of the RHA stable so therefore worthy of a listen side by side. These IEMs did not disgrace themselves against the T20 and had less noticeable treble boost. The bass was not in the same league. The fit of the 750 was much more problematic compared to the much larger driver housings of the T20.

Sony XBA4ip

The Sonys had a leaner signature with a wider sound stage and a natural sounding frequency response. It did not isolate anywhere near as well and was nothing like as comfortable as the T20.

Conclusion

The T20 is a solid built IEM capable of some good sound whether on the move or at home. The musical presentation overall is an exciting one , with tons of bass ; useful for masking the sounds of commuting on a train or the thud from running or walking.
I have decided to update this review in the light of so many competitors coming onto the market recently at a similar price level which do not have the treble fatigue that these IEMs suffer from. The treble on the RHA T20 is simply too harsh for extended listening and once over the honeymoon period of the deep bass and warmth of that and the lower mids I suspect some will struggle with these. There are other more subtle presentations available for similar money but each has their individual drawbacks and careful consideration is needed before you make the jump.
If your choice sways towards the T20- enjoy!
 
[Mod Edit: Improved the formatting.]

Hi there,
This review is based on my honest impressions of the HD800. I have no technical background little technical knowledge but I listen to music an awful lot. This comes from the heart and I in no way intend to cause any personal offence to any of the gear anyone else has. I simply wish to put on record what my personal findings have been on this set of phones and the reader can compare to other reviews out there.
First of all, I have to say it has not been possible to find a way to give you an unbiased comparison of these headphones against any others on the market. This is because double blind testing only works when you are using ancillary equipment.
If you know your existing headphones then you know how they feel on your head so this immediately destroys any chance of knowing what the true differences are. Leaving aside all the tricks your ears can and will play on you....
This is a good and a bad thing. On the one hand it gives reviews like this an added importance to the prospective buyer and on the other hand theee is no esy of proving whether any of this is correct.
The closest one might get to a really good comparison would be those people lucky enough to have a sound card dac or headphone amplifier that had 2 headphone outputs. Switching between headphones could therefore be done faster and the memory of the sound characteristics of each arguably clearer in one's mind. I believe jude has a benchmark dac that has this facility. The added complication is that every headphone has a slightly different sensitivity so volume matching is arguably needed. I have not got these facilities they are more suited to the regular reviewers out there.
I have had the hd800s since early December 2012 so have listened to them for several hundred hours. I have owned denon ahd2000's westone um2s shure ecl5s ue triple fi 10s monster gratitudes klipsch x10is srx mk3 pros and audeze lcd2's during this time. A comparison between these headphones is all I can do. There might be headphones out yhere that blow the hd800s out of the water for the type of sound quality I like but that's the mystique of our hobby- we will never truly know what the best out there is. David Mahler must be getting there with the number of top end phones he has I guess. But for mere mortals....
The hd800s are my favourite headphones. Whatever I plug them into whatever music I listen to. When it is practical to listen through them (they leak a huge amount of sound) they're amazing. The music is reproduced in a way I never believed was possible until I heard them. The audeze lcd2's are renowned for the live feel and the bass they produce and their beautiful finish. All of this I believe to be true from the time I owned them. My ears much preferred the sound of the hd800s and I will try to explain why.
There is something about the precision of the mix of the music the wideness of the sound that I have not experienced with any other headphone in the same way. The hd800s to my ears excel in this aspect. You will read numerous articles which will make you think twice about spending so much money on these phones. I have read they need hugely expensive headphone amplifiers , dacs, cabling, modding, 100s of hours of burn in time, special recordings, special ears probably. The list is endless. Who knows maybe some of that stuff is right especially for those who have pursued those paths to the nth degree.
Some of these paths are expensive toll roads, from my viewpoint I think I'll catch the bus
I am therefore not going to describe the hd800s as having shortcomings of needing any of the above because my ears are telling me they don't. Which is surely good news if youve just spent $1500.
Other criticism I've read is that they sound harsh or the treble has too much 'sparkle'. Not to my 46 year old ears they don't. Not one bit. The higher frequency stuff sounds just great. Another criticism levelled is that they lack bass. Again, I have found this to be untrue. All instrumemts are presented accurately so if there's metallica softly tapping way at the drums on enter sandman or the orchestra limbering up on jeff waynes the eve of the war it's worth taking some time out to hear it if you haven't before.
The only detrimental thing I can say beyond the obvious that they leak sound is that when I first listened to them out of the box they sounded very thin and strained like a cheap pair of iems. This was quite worrying to me. They started to improve after a few minutes and certainly gave me a sigh of relief after 30 minutes when I realised my new phones werent broken. Whether this phenomenon was what is described as burn in or whether it was down to the headphones being cold having been stored in a box for a long time I could not tell you. I left the phones connected to an ipod night and day for a week listening to them when I had a chance. This was just as much to make absolutely sure there wasn't a manufacturer fault than it was to burn them in and it did the phones no harm at all in the process. In hindsight I had nothing to fear but for those of you buying new I would advise it for the peace of mind that you haven't got a broken pair
I find most of the headfiers out there are on a budget. Am I right? If I had a budget of $1500 and I wanted to get the best sound quality I could I would buy a pair of these 2nd hand and spend the rest on wine, women (your loved ones deserve a treat for letting you get these), and song.
I hope I have not trodden on anyone's toes or caused anyone any upset in writing this. It was a simple impulsive wish to share some of the pleasure I have had in owning this amazing set of headphones.

AMENDMENT 10/11/15


I thought I would tell you of what life is like after a few years of use. I have dropped these phones a few times and had to repair the stock cables at the termination, they have been taken around with me during my journey to and from the various places I live so they show signs of wear.






The HD800s still live up to their initial impressions, I have bought and sold many other phones; LCD2.2, T1, Stax Sigma Pro, IE800, X11i, Alpha Dog, Encore Pro Studio, Stance S1,T20 etc. I have listened to many other phones including the SR009, Orpheus, K1000, Abyss, GS1000i, PS1000, Ultrasone, Noble, LCD3,W1000,HE560 and HE1000. Whilst some of these have been better sounding to me (SR009,K1000,HE1000,Orpheus,Abyss,HE560) I have not been tempted to spend those sorts of sums on replacement.
Some 2 months ago I decided to mod the HD800 using the Anaxilus Mod. I was really disappointed with the results, to me they sounded muffled, lost too much of their soundstage and were too prominent in the bass. Rather than discarding all the research and damping material I decided to tone down the effect of the mod. I put wool felt over the metal rings of the driver reducing the thickness of the original mod by a factor of two thirds.






The cutting is crude, the felt doesn't 100% cover the surface of the ring. It doesn't even stick hard and fast the surface. Yet the felt does what it needs to do.
This has made a noticeable difference in bass response and ringing around the upper treble region, although a word of warning ; the upper mids and treble region is where I believe the magic of the illusion of the huge soundstage is created. Of course the size and angle of the drivers plays a part in the soundstage too , the mod does pull it in. The soundstage is further refined and pulled in with an EQ I have set up on my Audivarna Plus music player.





I am reaping the fruit of my labours with these phones, in spite of the HD800S launch. The S Model is intended to rectify some of the perceived shortcomings of the 800 Model, I have to say I have changed the stock sound of mine using damping and eq to the point where I have no interest in replacing them with the S Model.
There has been one recent major purchase; this is the HE6 and a huge speaker amp based on the First Watt F6, @dill3000 diy built "The Mini Beast". More on that in another review. The HE-6 is a different tone and the soundstage is altogether different. The HD800 is still with me and enjoying a new lease of life despite the HE-6.

Revision Nov 2016
More modding
The half felt half lambswool has now been replaced with a full lambswool layer to the ring around the drivers of my HD800.


Listening to the S model made me realise there was still more that should be done with these phones. My friend @dill3000 pointed out to me @Sorrodje had another layer of sophistication to add to the mods already done out there.
[VIDEO]https://youtu.be/Ydot90j8gmo[/VIDEO]
Dillan got some resonators and I set to work on the drivers. 10 minutes later and I was finished. They work! Wonderful work @Sorrodje. Thank you. You have made the great even greater.
The HD800 , at £1099 , is looking at ever more of a bargain. Although , even with the mods , I would put my money on the S model for the extra £100. the soundstage is not quite so wide and the imaging perhaps not quite so pin sharp, but I think the tonality still just edges it.

I wanted to tell you what this is like straight out of the box because I just got this in less than a week new from hong kong for £70. So this is for anyone wondering about taking a plunge on a dap but not sure which direction to take.
I wanted to post it because I can't believe this is on ebay for £70! It'll surely sell out at that price.
The packaging is bomb proof. It has 6 lots of wrapping around it. You get a set of in ears they look gross. Won't be using them so no idea whether they're bearable. A usb cable a mains plug a velvet sky blue pouch 2 cleaning cloths and a screen protector are provided as well as the beautiful looking cardboard presentation box.
Now onto the c3 itself.... the instructions are in Chinese. It's pretty obvious how to switcch it on. The controls are on the touch screen. Seems easy enough to work for me. There's pre loaded music which is what I listened to to check all was fine.
Through my klipsch x10is I have no complaints. They have put wav and flac files on there for us to try out .There's plenty of depth there. No sibilance is present. The cello sounds absolutely gorgeous as it should do. The vocals are brought nicely to the forefront.
If people are interested I can compare it to my imod 5.5 with rwa lod rsa hornet combo. But let's be serious and state here and now that , being used to that combo which is 8 times more expensive, I am getting a lot of pleasure from the Colorfly C3.
Why on earth don't more out there own it?