Shures KSE1500
 

 
 
The KSE1500 is world first In Ear Isolated Electrostat. Its not the first portable or earphone electrostat but definitely the first isolated one. Coming in at USD$2999, it cost a lot for in-ear monitor. The biggest question is: IS IT WORTH IT?
 
Packaging:
 
The KSE1500 comes with everything and the kitchen sink.  The main unit and earphones, 5 Cables, wall charger, cleaning cloth, case  for both the amp/dac unit and the earphones. Theres really nothing to complain about what is given except Shures should have just design a special pelican case that can hold both the amp and earphone together with a custom partitioned foam.
 
Quality:
 
The amp/dac is really well built. Comes with its very own LCD screen that’s clear and bright even in the day. The amp is solidly built. The connectors used for the Shures are LEMO 0B connectors. This are dust proof connectors that can survive quite some abuse and cost a good amount too. The earphones themselves have non replaceable cables. At first I thought it may be a problem but looking at the connectors, the kevlar cables, the thickness of them, I think its not going to give way anytime. Which brings to the final buds themselves. I wonder what Shures was thinking cause sadly the buds looks and feels cheap. The left and right buds moldings are actually slightly different, with one side have fine lines on it while the other can be seen with the driver touching the outer shell. To summarise, the buds don’t look like they are worthy of a 1k IEM and this is a $2999 system. The buds are fully sealed and very light so I doubt they will get damage but definitely the premium feel could have been achieved just to pamper the buyer.
 
Usage and Comfort:
 
The connection is straight forward as the connectors are grooved. The connector is well secured and cannot be pulled apart without releasing the catch. The amp operation initially can be awkward and requires some help or the manual to understand the basic usage.  Once you get pass that stage, its straight forward. The LCD shows the input volumes and aim is to keep them from clipping. The screen also shows the volume which can be changed by the knob on the top left of the amp.  The knob is nice but the steps are quite sad. Shures actually thought 25 steps are enough for volume.
 
The amp has some additional function. It has a build in equalizer that actually works with minimum distortion to the sound. I use it quite often to get the music taste I want which I will touch on in the later sound quality section. The equalizer is a 4 point parametric with various choices and +-6DB setting. It has 5 build in presets and 4 additional user defined ones. Sadly you cant rename them so memorisation of which setting you did up will be needed.
 
The other options are setting of input volume reduction especially for high output dacs like the chord or AK players. The last item in the menu is the utilities to set things such as charge while using, battery report, lcd brightness.
 
The earbuds are easy to fit and comfortable. Being a 1 driver earbud, its small, light and can fit into most ears. The recommended were the foam tips and base on my personal usage its true. It also removes the most ambient noise. Shures claim 37 db reduction and I don’t think its that far off, definitely a better fit then my Lyras with complys.
 
The amp unit comes with a leather pouch and like every other amp you can choose to strap it to your player. The pouch has the ability to hook the amp through a belt or bag which is a nice touch but that will need a long interconnect cable which Shures actually provided (there is a shot 20cm and a long 1m long one)
 

 
 
Sound quality:
 
For 3k USD it should sound like the best ever thing right? The answer to this: Subjective.
 
To start off I need a disclaimer, I never tried Layla. I tried most things below 2k USD, anywhere from the Shures SE215 to the UM Legend and JH Roxxane. So where do the Shures stand?
 
Compared to most earphones below the 1k USD, there is no fight. From the 1-2k USD mark, preference and genre of music plays a very large part to where the Shures stand. So lets start with the basic parameters of treble, vocals, bass, and sound stage followed by the characteristic of the sound which will cover the rest.
 
Track origin:
 
Liberi Fatali: Distance World from Final Fantasy
Hello: Adele 25
Powder Snow: Suara
Sometime When we Touch: Susan Wong
Hotel California: Eagles, Hell Freezes Over
Gate:: Kisada Kyodan and The Rockets
 
Treble: Very good extension and smooth. The bells in Powder Snow can be heard very clearly with the “Ting” that’s extremely realistic. This is one of the greatest magic in KSE1500, guitars, bells, violins, all sound extremely realistic with almost no coloration. Its like hearing the real instruments themselves with great realism. Theres no harshness in the treble though some may find it bright as its reproduces everything. Also due to the treble extension and prominence, it adds a effect of airyiness in the sound which I will elaborate in the later section.
 
Vocals: Vocals are very strong. Both for female and male, they sound just right with a lot of air and smoothness. I especially love female vocals by Susan Wong and Suara on the KSE1500. Adele sounds magical too especially on the track Hello. The vocals are a little laid back by default compared to say my Lyra or UM Mage.  They have a smoothness that’s unmatched on any IEM I tried so far.
 
Bass: This is where the KSE1500 is both good and bad. The bass is tight, fast  and punchy when needed. However it lacks the slam and the boom. You will not get the shake in the ear feeling that some of the BA or Dynamic can give you. You also cant get the boom and decay like those of the Dynamic similar to the Lyra. What you get is extremely tight bass with no delay. This does mean it comes and go really fast, does not affect any other sound in the spectrum and respond very well to tracks that have a lot of fast beat. The KSE1500 do go deep, but you wont get the rumble like a dynamic  IEM. If you want the impact, rumble and the boom, get something else.  Else the KSE1500 is just right.
 
Soundstage: The KSE1500 has a soundstage that’s wide but not the widest of IEM. I couldn't put a finger on the exact size but it’s a IEM scale sound stage so don’t expect open can stax like stage. It does have very good separation and depth.  The requirement though is you must get the best sealing else things start getting muddle up which is the case with silicon tips I tried initially.
 
Characteristic: The KSE1500 is extremely neutral. High clarity, High details, everything just feels right, nothing feels overly emphasized as a whole. This lead to a sound that’s soo clean that sterile maybe the word to use. Its transient response is fast, nothing gets muddle up even in the most complex track with bass and guitar all mixed together. I quote a friend: “Listening to the KSE1500 feels like listening to the pure music in a sound proof room”. There is no distortion, no coloration, just pure music that feels like how it originally is.  Which lead to the biggest issue of the KSE1500: ITS BORING! In a recent gathering of 8 of my friends, some audiophile and some casual listeners, those that did not like it biggest complain was its just boring after a while. The sound feels in your face,:clear and correct with no wow or spectacular factor.  This can be rectified in EQ, my favourtie being the vocal boost, to bring the qualities that you prefer up front. The KSE1500 equalizer is very good,  almost no distortion and the earphones respond very well to them. Somethings can never be rectified such as a warmness of sound and increasing the bass impact, at least not with the build in EQ or those on most devices.
 
Value:
 
How can we be talking about value for the world most expensive IEM? Or is it really? $2999 you are getting a earphone AND a amp/dac. Now lets look at top of the range IEM such as the Siren series on Nobel K10, couple them with a decent amp and you will probably break the $2999 mark easily. Lets not forget the KSE1500 is working at 100% potential due to a whole system design while for most IEM, you will probably need to hunt for the most synergy amp which can cost anywhere from few hundreds to thousands. You also get a DAC which may not be the greatest but definitely a step up from your mobile phones and entry DAPS.
 

 
 
Conclusion:
 
So where does all this leave the KSE1500. Is it the GREATEST? The answer for me is YES, a true TOTL, flaghip of flagships. But to many others it will be no. Its probably 1-2k good but 3k probably not unless you are into its sound signature. The KSE1500 excels in clarity, detail, transcient response, and seperation. Bass is good but probably not the quantity some wants them to be. Nethier is its soundstage the widest ever. So before you make a purchase on the KSE1500 or any othe TOTL iem, make sure you can audition it or comes with a return policy.
 
And for me, Im loving it everyday more then the previous. It has reached a point that my HE500 no longer sounds right and my Lyra is actually muddy even through a Chord Mojo.
 
 
 
 

The Chord Mojo is the newest product launch just this Mid October by Chord Electronics. Mojo, the short form of Mobile Joy, is the 3rd battery powered DAC by Chord and also the smallest and most affordable of the series at just SGD$899. Hugo(SGD$2800) and the Hugo TT(SGD$6500) before it are many times the size and price yet provide the performance that almost any audiophile will rave about. Will Mojo rise up to the standards of its predecessors?  In short, totally!

Design



 
The Mojo is the size of a park of card and maybe a little thicker. Made of solid aluminium coated black with 3 round balls as buttons with various sockets. The words and icons are laser etched to the surface and the black matt coat is relatively scratch resistance.

A total of 3 digital inputs and 2 3.5mm stereo outputs are found on the Mojo. There is no analogue in or balance ports, the whole design purely focusing on its DAC and output to portable headphones. The digital inputs are Optical, Coax and USB, covering most input types that a DAC could consume.

The 3 balls work as buttons, with 1 as power and 2 as volume. Each of them will light up in a series of rainbow color to represent the bit rate and volume. The colors are honestly hard to remember but are really useful and will be described in the next section. The balls spins about in their socket but so far I do not really think they are better then buttons except being fancy.

In totality, the Mojo is a solid design that is relatively small and solid. Balanced out would have been nice in the form of AK 2.5mm but I'm not really complaining at this price point.

In Use

The Mojo in use is rather interesting.

First the the size: Yes it is rather small but it makes stacking with everything touch screen troublesome. The straps will have to go over the screen as most touch devices are rather long and big (16:9 ratio). Considering the market that Mojo is targeting, making a long and thin device would have been better. Other then that, it  is really small for its capability and if you have a AK100/120 or DX50/90, this guy would be right at home as a stack though a little thick. Using a velcro will probably solve the issue, though it will leave a mess when you want to remove it.

Secondly is the ports: They are good but for a portable, I wonder if it would have been better if all the ports are on one side. The issue is wires going in and out of both sides means stacking and putting it into the pocket is rather impossible without hitting the cables on either end. Infact I lost a few connections via USB with my ZX 2 when my digital cable was leaning onto something in my bag. If everything was one side, it would have been a more optimal layout for portable usage.

Thirdly buttons (or balls): Its a love hate relationship with those balls and where they are. I quite love to just fiddle with them and roll them about, but the way they are positioned makes them either really hard to press when stacked, or really prone to being pressed by anything. If you faced the words "mojo" inwards, the balls will need your finger to reach in to toggle them, if you face the words out, anything just touching the device from an angle probably will mess with your volume.

Forth the rainbow colors: This is actually one design I actually love. You can dim or brighten them by pressing the volume buttons together. Knowing the device is on or off is simple with those big balls of glowing lights. The colors initially were confusing but after a while you just need to know red is the lower, green is middle and violet/white is up top. In-fact what I love most is based on the headphones I use and the color I listen them at, I can set the volume before playing easily. There is also a small colored led under the power port. It works rather well to tell how much power is left.

Some other stuff: Line out is achieved by pressing the two volume buttons at start up. This result in two violet lights and if its too high voltage for your amp (3v), just press the volume buttons to reduce it. 3v was too high for my CDM but perfectly fine for the WA22. The device runs for about 8hrs via USB and high res songs, gets quite warm and even hot when its charging. However no worries as there are internal circuitry which will shut itself off at 65c. This prevents damages to itself or accidental burns to your skin. The battery life is only about 8hrs via USB. It is a little short in my opinion and will require a daily charge.

Sound Quality



 
The most important part for any audio device especially a DAC/AMP. Mojo in one word: Superb.

Headphones: Lyra, H6, ESW10, RS1

Transport: ZX2

Songs: Orchestra from FFistant Worlds, Gate, Hotel California, Songs by Susan Wong, Songs by Suara

Amps: WooAudio WA22, ALO CDM

Firstly to start of, its a relatively neutral sounding amp, leaning towards energetic and musicality. Hearing it through the many song, I find it has no true preference to any genra, making good work of anything thrown at it without any emphasis or harshness.

The greatest value of Mojo to me compared to any DAPs and DACs I heard is the energy in the song. No matter which song I played, it always have this energy that no other device I could match. The moment I switched to my ZX2, iPhone or my CDM in built DAC, they immediately felt for a lack of words: tired. It is like the vocals and instrument lack that little shim and power. Mojo felt like the performer who just arrived on stage full of energy while the other devices felt like the energy has all been used up and winding down.

Then there is the effortless of the sound. No matter what you throw at it, no sound in the spectrum will feel like its catching up or lacking in energy. This also makes the sound more realistic to me, similar to a live performance.

The other really notable sound quality which I would point out is how realistic the highs are yet never feeling harsh. The cymbals, bells and strings all felt really natural, especially in this tracks of distant worlds, no matter how much the bass or number of instruments, the highs will always be notable yet never distorted in any form.

Lastly the bass of this device is quick, punchy but without the feeling of emphasis. If the songs have little bass, like those from Suara, they felt well balanced in the background as support elements. But in Gate, a mid bass heavy track, its quick, punchy yet never bleeds into the vocals or mask the highs.

The only complain if I really want to squeeze one out about the sound is it sounds "Matter of Fact". The output of the device just sound right, but sometimes this can get boring and this is where amping comes in. By default, Mojo vocals in most track felt well centered with good mass, running it through the WA22, the vocals spread out a little more and in general more soothing. Between raw or amped in this case is more of a preference. The CDM however shows some interesting improvement which I will cover in the next section.

Drive and Matching

On its own, the Mojo is really powerful. I do not think any headphone will have insufficient volume or authority. Everything I thrown at it sounds great. It may not be the absolute best of each headphone, but definitely no complains and enjoyable. Even with the harder ones like LCD2, it sounds perfectly fine.



 
However to put it at its best, to me a ALO CDM acting as its amp, sublime. It actually adds even more energy to the sound, providing a touch more air especially in the vocals and highs. Euphoric sounding, it may just be the best stack that can fit into a bag.

Value

Of all the audio gear I purchased, I rate this the best value product. It sounds great, small enough and could be used by itself perfectly fine. At a sub SGD$1000 price, it beats DAC/DAPS twice or even triple its price. I really can't think of a source device that provides more value based on the performance it provides. 

In conclusion, Mojo to me is Magic in the pocket. A worthwhile purchase for any audiophile who wants the best without paying a king's ransom.

 
The WA22 is my third Desktop Amp and second tube amp. I got it through AV One, a local retailer here, after 2 rounds of testing and I was impressed enough to purchase it.
 
Built like a tank and weighed more then 10KG, the WA22 is one of the nicest looking amp that gives a the buyer confidence. The volume knob has stops built in. Personally I prefer a smooth knob with good tension but the one on the WA22 is really smooth and the volume increase usually hits the amount I need to so no complaints. The only amp I that felt better using is the studio six by ALO but I guess its really subjective to each individual..
 

 
The WA22 is a very smooth amp with good warmness. Through my vocal songs by Suara and Susan Wong, this warmness makes the vocal all the more realistic and pleasing to hear. Especially in the phases where the vocal dominates most of the sound, it gives a feeling of a upfront small little hall that the singer is there to express her song. Theres also a slightly longer decay that adds on to the smoothness that makes the WA22 a blast to listen for vocals.
 

 
Listening to more pop music however lacks the absolute impact in those bass and the shimmer in the high. Everything feels tamed and yet extended. It feels some excitement is actually lost in the music compared to my hybrid tube amp ALO Continental Dual Mono. This is however mitigated a little with the usage of Sylvania 6SN7GT which I replaced over the default tube.  For the lack of impact of impact, the WA22 bring about quite some depth in the lows and plenty of clarity. This can be felt in the various sound tracks from Final Fantasy Distant World series. Separation is also great, allowing each instrument to be identified. However their exact positioning is definitely not the absolute best: the studio six which I had a chance to also try out is better at it, though it cost twice the price!
 

 
With all its power, its a great amp to drive the planars and likes of K701. My HE500 was really revived with the energy the WA22 gives it. The K701 with the WA22 has plenty of clarity and a nice warm sound stage. It doesnt feel as wide as the WA5 that I tried out, but it feels more realistic like a good sized room. It also drives IEMS quite well. My Lyra had no hiss from the WA22 even when the pot is turned more then 50%.
 

 
If one major issue I have, is the original tubes that comes with it is rather bad. Just changing it really improves the entire amp by a good margin. My current favourite for vocals is the RCA 6SN7 while for general listening, the Sylvania is a great generalist for most types of song. My rectifier is a RCA 5U4G, definitely going to try a Metal base Mullard 5ar4 one day.
 
In conclusion, the WA22 is a great amp especially after some basic tube rolling. It may not be the best if you want the best seperation or sound stage, but if vocals are the main course of your music, then this amp is extremely enjoyable and worth the space and cost.

 
After years of not getting anything new, the Lyra was my first earphones that I would classify as high end. I got it before my CDM and one thing really lead to another.
 
Made by Campfire Audio, a spin off by ALO Audio, the Lyra is a single Beryllium dynamic driver IEM encased in a Ceremic casing which looks really pretty and well made. The cables provided were the tinsel from ALO audio which I didnt like (see below) and all this is packed together in a nice brown leather case with wool in it.
 
The Lyra is really light and small, as such it fits nicely into my small ears. They come with 3 different type of tips, I personally use the comply as they are the most comfortable to wear and produces a sound I find most acceptable.
 

 
The Lyra was my choice of purchase after testing a host of earphones at my local dealer. I can outright say I did not choose this earphone as it is greatest, however it produced the most enjoyable music experience to me. If I was to describe, Lyra is a intimate experience that couples with one of the most enjoyable bass thats deep and full of impact, all this packaged with warm and smooth signature that does not lead to listening fatigue. Its like listening in a concert hall, with all the warm melodies wrapping around you.
 
Im a fan of music from the Final Fantasy Series, especially the music from Distant Worlds. The Lyra really brings alive the music I enjoyed, similar to a live performance in a cosy hall, where music is all around. The vocals from Answers felt intimate yet majestic, the bass from One Wing Angel had the impact and engagement that I only experience in larger cans, the soft yet soothing voice from Kiss Me Goodbye with all the details from the vocalist breath to the really soft string instruments could be heard. There is also a very different decay in sound, that adds a really nice touch of smoothness without messing with the clarity. The Lyra provided a musical experience that one could just close your eyes and tap to the beat or doze off to sleep in all its coziness.
 
However the Lyra I felt lacks separation for a IEM in its price range. The BA systems like the Shures and JH provided better clarity and separation between instruments, in the process making the sound stage seem a little larger. It also lack bite in the highs, something that a friend of mine commented and why he dislike it. Theres also the Tinsel cable which seem to muddy the sound a little. I tried all sort of cables and a silver coated pure copper cable could really improve all the above issues. It does loose a little of its magic I stated above but I find that the sound with a cable change felt more acceptable to most for a IEM at this price. 
 
Tips do matter for the Lyra. Silicon increase the impact and bass response, comply tames it and improves clarity. If silicon I will go for spin fits for the best seal.
 
One final rant before I conclude: The cable mmcx connectors oxidised and start turning green a little too quick. The place Im at is a little humid but less then a month is extremely quick and the clear plastic that shows the oxidisation in all its glory really detracts from the really awesome shiny black look of the Lyra. The connector is also moulded out of smooth plastic, trying to remove it prove to be too much challenge with the lack of grip. If anything I want to change, its definitely the cable for both sound and looks.  Maybe Campfire should just provide users with a choice of cables from their parent ALO SXC or Pure Copper cables. Either would have been better and cater to the various group of listeners. Im still looking for my perfect cable, maybe a Cryo Copper Balanced cable to my CDM could really improve things yet retain that magic. 
 

 
The Lyra is a IEM thats all about enjoying the music and not technicality wins, providing a close intimate sound with engaging lows that most other could dream off. It may not be the best at its price bracket for some fields, but for what it excels, it provides you a experience that probably could not be obtained anywhere else.

This is my first tube amp so what i describe is in relation to all the stuff I heard before.
 
I am a sceptic of portable Amps/Dacs. Most of them gave very marginal improvement over a decent player and even lesser to a good DAP released in the last two years. With the purchase of the AK Jr and Sony ZX2, I got my IEMs covered but needed something for my Headphones.
 
Enter the ALO Continental Dual Mono.
 

 
I shall not talk about the specs since they can be gotten of ALO site here. A Wolfson 8741 DAC running through a Balance Tube setup. All this in a package similar sized to a iPhone 6+ and around 4x the thickness.
 
General
 
The build of the amp is fantastic. Solid case with all the plugs in place and nothing loose. The glass used is gorilla so you can view the tubes glowing in all its glory with out worrying too much of getting scratched. I did feel the knob looks a little plasticky to the otherwise photogenic looking amp. The amp came in a cupboard box and well padded. Together with it are some bands and a ALO green line usb cable, NICE!
 

 
 
Powering the amp on takes a few seconds for tubes to get ready. The volume knob is smooth with little channel unbalance. The amp comes with selectable low and high gain. The low gain on my Lyra are hiss free. However my customs UM mage do produce a soft hiss. At full turn on low, the IEMS become too loud if driven by the Dac. However if I feed it through the line in via ZX2, low is too weak for many IEMS yet high generates a hiss. I put this issue on Sony for having such a weak output but it would have been nice if low scales a little more for those less efficient yet sensitive IEMS. The highs are much louder, with just a slight twist bringing the volume beyond low gains max. It does cause hissing on IEMS but are perfectly fine on headphones.
 
Sound
 
I believe that any equipment purchased should cater to your music rather then their technical qualities. I put a mixed of Orchestra, bass heavy track and vocals. I take the Sony ZX2 and CEnterance Dacport as the reference point, my IEM being the Lyra and Headphone HE500. 
 
Through the IEM, the differences I find are subtle. There was a small noticeable bass tightening with more slam then my ZX2 on my bass heavy track. The clarity is also improved with slightly better separation during complex phrases with a lot of bass and instruments mixed together. The vocals improved over the ZX2, smooth and gave a feeling of softness in female vocals with nice decay and air. The ZX2 is has a slight laid back mids and the amp brought it forwards a little. In the orchestra, the treble felt more tamed and the bass more controlled. 
 
Through the HE500 it was much better. Straight out, it gives the headphones greater body, bass control and most importantly, a warm enveloping sound that the DAPs, my C never had. The orchestra track felt cleaner, sound stage wide and all around. The instrument could easily be identified yet gel together smoothly. It gave the feeling of separated yet together as one for the orchestra, like a well made hall for live performances. The vocal tracks was very smooth, warm and the feeling of being whispered at. The air and decay was great but never felt out of place. The bass track was deep and punchy even on my HE500.  They gave the HE500 a energy I never heard before.
 

 
 
Conclusion
 
I dont have ears that could tell the difference between a AK120ii and AK240. The CDM however gave such a significant improvement that even my untrained ears that just want to enjoy the music could pick up without even close AB. This is definitely one of my best and most significant purchase that I highly recommend people to try. Warm enveloping sound yet still retaining clarity. Definitely a musical experience.
 
Just some final notes about the downside: Battery life is around 5-7 hrs. It also gets relatively warm but wont hurt your hand. This is especially so when it runs in dac/amp mode while charging, the heat is something you dont want to put your hand on for longer then a few seconds. I also had issues connecting to my USB 3 on my mac and had to go through a Hub to get the Dac working.
 
One last thing, I gave my friend who really has 0 interest in audio gear to utilise this amp with a B&O h6 and ZX2. He could pinpoint the difference within a minute of listening. To me if someone with totally no interest and use to iBuds, could tell a difference between two relatively high end gear without much effort speaks of the improvement that the CDM brings.