Specifications:

Driver: 1 x 10 mm Dynamic Driver

Impedance: 32 ohms

Frequency response: 20 – 20,000 Hz

Sensitivity: 110 dB

Connector: MMCX

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Kinera in any way and they sent the Sif over as a review unit. Kinera has not influenced me to say anything good or bad about the product and all opinions are mine and mine alone.

Before I start, I would like to give a big thank you to Steve and Kinera for the excellent communication and for providing us with the opportunity to review the Sif.

Links to Kinera’s Facebook page are available HERE!

Review by: “Charlie” from The Little Audiophile

Kinera Sif Retail Price (at time of writing): US$37 (SG$50)

TLA Score

Physical Attributes
Comfort: 10/10
Durability: 6/10
Ease of Wearing: 7/10
Noise Isolation: 6/10
Microphonics: 9/10
Value for Money: 10/10

Sonic Attributes
Bass: 10/10
Mids: 8/10
Trebles: 8/10
Sound Stage: 9/10
Separation & Imaging: 9/10
Source Matchability: 9/10


If you are into personal audio, the name “Kinera” should be no stranger to you. Remember the Idun that made waves not too long ago? Yeap, that was Kinera’s doing. Today we will be looking at the Kinera Sif, which is the Yang (light) in contrast to the Yin (dark), that is Kinera Seed. Coming in at just under 50 USD, it is one of the most affordable entries in Kinera’s lineup.

THE BOX
I wasn’t expecting to receive any packages that Friday when unexpectedly, a deliveryman showed up, handed a package over to me. Curious, I caressed it a little without opening it up, I determined the package was of a hexagonal shape.

“It’s the Kinera, no question”.





I actually really like the packaging style that Kinera has chosen for their more recent IEMs. Albeit coming in at vastly different prices, the Odin, Idun and Sif all share the same hexagonal packaging that slides off elegantly when the box is suspended by the top lid.



Kinera sure knows a thing or two about first impressions!

Inside, you will find some documentation, a semi-hard carrying case, 3 sets of ear-tips and the Sif itself with a velcro cable-manager attached to it. Pretty standard stuff.



No complaints about the packaging or spread of accessories here.

BUILD AND DESIGN
Housing
The Sif is finished in a glossy white plastic housing that is extremely lightweight. It essentially has a similar shell shape as the Kinera SEED before it, albeit the different nozzle and colour availability.

The plastic on the Sif does not feel especially thick, it is reminiscent of the plastic used on the KZ ZSR that I personally own. The Sif is better put together though. I have no reason to believe that the Kinera Sif would break under normal use, although I would suggest taking extra precautions not to drop these from a height.

There are some rough edges at the seams where the faceplate joins the inner face. Knowing that the Idun and Odin do not have this problem leads me to assume that Kinera is trying to keep the cost down with this IEM, which in turn translates to a lower retail price at the consumer end.

The nozzle and grille on the Sif are made of metal. I support this design philosophy as the chrome colour of the nozzle does contrast nicely with the white housing of the Sif, apart from improving its strength and durability in the nozzle region. One gripe I have with the nozzle shape is the sloped design of the nozzle. Some 3rd party tips tend to slide down the nozzle, especially if the central tube is not rigid enough.



Yes, the cable is removable on the Sif, and similar to the Seed, the Sif also employs the MMCX connection standard. Having owned multiple MMCX equipped IEMs, I can quite easily discern that the MMCX is manufactured with a high tolerance. It has some give and certain 3rd party cables does wobble slightly in the MMCX jack. There was, however, no cutting out of sound when the cable was adjusted around its socket. On the stock cable, no wobble or looseness was detected, which is honestly pretty intriguing.

Thinking about it, at a significantly higher price point, the Acoustune line of IEMs do exhibit the exact same wobbly-connector characteristic so I guess I’ll give these a break.



Overall, I would say that the Sif’s build quality is average at best. The thin plastic and wobbly connector do not particularly inspire a high degree of confidence in its durability, but again for its 37USD price tag, it’s fine.

Cable
The cable that Kinera ships with is a 4-wire 1.2 m Silver-Plated Copper cable which is tightly and evenly machine braided. The overall cable leans toward being on the thinner side and as such is extra supple. As mentioned, it locks securely on the main housing with no wobble. The 3.5 mm jack is minute. Real tiny. This jack should work well with those thick phone cases that are becoming so common these days.





Microphonics are virtually non-existent with this IEM thanks to its soft and supple cable that does not transmit vibrational noise up into the IEMs.



One thing about the Sif’s cable that I absolutely love is the aggressively curved shape-retaining ear hooks as shown below. No, the cable does not feature a memory wire, if that’s your thing. This aggressive curve contours tightly to the back of the ear which, to me at least, gives the perception of a more secure fit. It is a small detail, but an appreciated one nonetheless.



COMFORT AND FIT
The Sif is pretty much up there in terms of wearing comfort. The design resembles that of the Shure SE series of IEMs. Tried and true for the past 5 odd years or so, Kinera has taken the safe route with the design of the Sif, and Seed before it. I have absolutely no complaints about discomfort or pain when wearing this IEM. None.

I went crazy one day an I had these on for about 4 hours continuously – No discomfort whatsoever.

One minor gripe I have about the Sif is the ear tip compatibility. I won’t take any points away from this as it isn’t inherently a negative, but you are pretty much inclined to use hard-stem ear tips with this IEM. To start, the ear tips that Kinera provide are exactly that – hard stemmed. They fit well, but, when switching over to something like the Final Audio Type E ear tip or Spinfits even, they seem to angle really weirdly in the inner ear. I do get a “balanced” left and right isolation, however.

That leads us nicely onto noise isolation I guess. How do these isolate? Honestly, not as good as I expected. Looking at the SE215, HEM1 and EDC which shares a relatively similar housing to the Sif, the noise isolation of the formers outclass that of the Sif.



With that said, considering the Sif against an IEM of any shape, noise isolation is just about average – the seal is quite airy and when commuting on Singapore’s Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), I can quite easily pick up low levels of environmental and ambient noise in my immediate area. Looking at the Sif’s design, there are two small outward facing holes which I believe is for air to move around the dynamic driver. I think this is the source of the slightly decreased isolation. It shouldn’t be a deal breaker for most though!

SOUND QUALITY
Sound Quality was tested on my Opus 1 DAP



According to Kinera, the Sif sports a single 10 mm SPM Complex Diaphgram Driver which in other words, is basically a dynamic driver to oversimplify things. Kinera recommends at least a 30-hour burn-in period is needed for the sound to settle. On my end, I did as they recommended and yes, there was a sonic difference. Most notably, the upper mids smoothened out and the bass tightened up a tad.

Especially on more budget-friendly IEMs, I usually don’t buy into the 10 mm… 13mm… 1000mm nuclear-powered, sub-atomic blah blah blah driver that companies too often slap onto their packaging, for the sake of appealing to the masses.

The Sif here is different. For just 37 USD, what Kinera has done here is magic. I’m sure they have coated the Sif’s drivers with fairy dust or unicorn poopoo because these little guys can easily rival IEMs twice, or even thrice it’s price. I’m not even exaggerating.

Soundstage, Separation and Imaging
When properly run, the soundstage on this IEM can be pretty phenomenal. An example of this is with the track “Wandering” by Yosi Horikawa. The song starts off progressively and in the first 20 seconds, the sound footsteps and birds chirping in the distance reach out very far with a good sense of air, space, and realism. That said, the Sif is capable of replicating soundstage from very near in to very far out. Interestingly, the Sif is able to replicate depth and height pretty well. Going back to the track “Wandering”, I can quite easily discern that the two groups of birds were chirping to my rear left and right at an elevated height. I can easily tell they were perched on a tree.

I guess this brings us nicely to the accuracy in the positioning of entities in the soundstage. Yes, it is again pretty good in this regard. I can pinpoint where each sound is coming from in the soundstage to a couple of degrees.

Separation on the Sif is good stuff. I think the airiness in the seal and spaciousness in the soundstage helps to clear up any congestion and compression between the instruments and vocals. A good example of this would be on the track “The Freedom Song” by Jason Mraz. At the beginning of the song, the bongos, guitars and vocals are presented as individual entities in the mix. Hit the 40-second mark, snares, drums and other instruments kick in and again remain pretty much uncongested and well separated. That said, the Sif can handle more complex tracks with ease.

Sound Signature
The Sif is warm sounding IEM with a mid-bass and upper-mid emphasis. Having the Sif as my daily driver for about 2 weeks straight, I found it very hard to find any faults in the sound signature or tuning. Considering the price, I would even go on to say that the tuning is damn near perfect.

Bass
Sub-bass is very well extended. An example here would be in the track “I Like Me Better" by Lauv. This song is basically sub-bass galore and the Sif is fully capable of presenting the energy of every sub-bass hit. It was quite a treat for me!

Mid-bass is again simply delicious. It is very slightly more emphasized over the sub-bass and is super energetic and impactful with minimal bleeding into the mids. Bass has good speed and decays appropriately quickly, making way for the next notes to come without interfering with them. It also does not muddy the lower mids

Bass, in general, has very good resolution and is very well balanced with the mids and trebles. It is perhaps my favourite thing about the IEM.

Mids
Mids on the Sif have a forward presentation. Male and female vocals are in no way recessed with this IEM – just the way I like it! When taking something like “Don’t Know Why” by Norah Jones, her vocals are represented perfectly with the instrument. Her vocals also come off as being very natural with good texture and a touch of graininess.

“Hot-plugging” around the KZ ZSR, iBasso IT01 and Sif on the same track, I found that the ZSR came off as slightly sharp and slightly thin sounding while the IT01 presented her vocals in a slightly recessed manner and was noticeably muddier in contrast to the Sif. I.e. to say, I liked the presentation of the Sif best.

The same thing can be said for male vocals. IMO, they are just a hair more emphasized as compared to their female counterpart, while still remaining natural. I think this presentation also really allows the emotions of the singer to come through.

Instruments in this frequency have good speed and impact. Guitars on the track “Give Me A Moment” by J.S. Ondara are wonderfully crunchy and clean, albeit being less emphasized in contrast to his vocals.

In the upper-mids, some mild sibilance would surface on “essy” tracks. It is nowhere near unbearable of off-putting though. I would consider myself moderately sensitive to sibilance, and to put things into perspective, the track “New Face” actually sounds fine with the Sif at normal listening volumes.

Trebles
Lastly, trebles on the Sif are quite detailed with a good amount of resolution. Micro-details are not the most obvious when compared to some of my balanced armature IEMs, but for the price and dynamic driver configuration, it is one of the better ones in this regard.

I believe there are some peaks in the lower trebles, but the mid and upper trebles are pretty smooth. Treble extension is also pretty good, although, at the very highest end of the treble at or around the 16,000 Hz range, it really starts to dip. For reference, I have a hearing range of about 14 – 22,000Hz.

Overall, an unoffensive presentation and harshness is very well restrained.

CONCLUSION
So, who is this IEM for? Simply put, I would pretty much recommend these to anyone looking for a 50 dollar IEM. I mean, the value that Kinera brings to the table with the Sif is just incredible. It is unfazed by almost all genres that I have thrown at it.

Now, this is just my personal preference and you might disagree with me, but, I would actually choose the Sif over the very popular Tin Audio T2, iBasso IT01 and Shure SE215 any day. It is more fun sounding than the T2, cleaner and less veiled than the IT01 and simply more detailed than the SE215.

Today, Kinera has proven that value, a single dynamic driver and quality can, in fact, come together, with proper research and careful tuning. It is just so hard to fault the Sif here apart from its slightly uninspiring build quality and average noise isolation. That said, if those flaws aren’t absolutely critical to you, I would truly and wholeheartedly recommend these IEMs.

Head over to thelittleaudiophile.wordpress.com for more reviews!

Specifications:

Driver: 1 x Dynamic + 1 x Balanced Armature

Impedance: 25 ohms

Frequency response: 20 – 40,000 Hz

Sensitivity: 104 dB

Connector: 0.75 mm 2-pin

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with KZ in any way and do not benefit monetarily or in any other form for writing this review. I purchased this in-ear monitor with my own resources and I am simply giving my honest review of the product!

Review by: “Charlie” from The Little Audiophile

KZ ZSN Retail Price (at time of writing): S$25

TLA Score
Physical Attributes
Comfort: 8/10
Durability: 8/10
Ease of Wearing: 8/10
Noise Isolation: 7/10
Microphonics: 7/10
Value for Money: 10/10

Sonic Attributes
Bass: 8/10
Mids: 7/10
Trebles: 7/10
Sound Stage: 6/10
Separation & Imaging: 8/10
Source Matchability: 9/10

Another day, another product from KZ. KZ releases so many earphones so rapidly that I have honestly lost track on what their latest offerings are. Today we’ll be looking at the KZ ZSN, which is not KZ’s flagship model, yet, is no pushover either. Coming in at just SG$25, I am thoroughly impressed with the ZSN.

THE BOX
The ZSN comes in the typical KZ white packaging with hasn’t changed since it’s earlier models. It provides some specifications on the back of the packaging and that’s pretty much it. For the price, I can’t fault KZ’s decision.



Inside, you’ll receive the earphone itself with one set of generic medium ear tips already attached followed by an array of S, M and L sized “Starline” ear tips. No carrying pouch or hard case is provided. The earpiece sits loosely inside the box, so do take some caution when unboxing them.



BUILD AND DESIGN
Housing
KZ has had many variations in their design – from the CIEM shaped ZS3 to the ZS5 and ZS6, which looks reminds me of an IEM from some other manufacturer, to the transparent ZS10 and AS10 which flaunts the earphone’s circuit board.

The ZSN’s design is disruptive, to say the least. It is housed in an attractive metal faceplate with a plastic inner face. The nozzle is made of copper or aluminum alloy, depending on your options. I personally dig more minimalistic designs, but this one is an exception. There is this youthfulness to the design which gels well with the sound signature. The ZSN is available in black, silver or cyan. The unit I am reviewing is in the gorgeous black color.



Going back to the nozzle, the bore is on the wider side, such that you might have some difficulty using hard-cored tips as they just wouldn’t stay on securely. I had a hard time fitting on the Final Audio Type E and Sony hybrid tips.

Surprise, surprise – KZ has once again changed their 2-pin connector system, bringing the revision to a version C. This is a welcomed improvement, as it makes the connector system feel more robust and durable. Connector wobble is virtually eliminated and would reduce wear on the connectors in the long run. Do note that the pin diameter is 0.75mm, so you’ll probably have to turn to KZ for replacement or upgrade cables. Apart from the smaller diameter, the cable polarity has to also be considered.



Lastly, this IEM would last you a few years or more if you take decent care of them. The addition of a removable cable can only work to its benefit.

Cable
The 1.2m cable that ships with the ZSN are a definite upgrade over the older KZ models. KZ has decided to lose the memory wire and has opted for a heat-shrink which to me, is much more comfortable than it’s predecessors. The cable is also not a tangle-fest, unlike the one on the ZSR which was a low-key anger management class every damn time I had to unravel it. Definitely, a thumbs up for me!



Good Bye Tangela!
Source: Wikipedia

One small gripe I have with the ZSN’s cable is just how low the Y-split sits. I don’t see how this is detrimental to the overall user experience, except that having two separate cables for such a length looks a tad bit messy. The split and jack is typical KZ stuff, so take it or leave it I guess.



COMFORT
The ZSN, like most other models from KZ, fit comfortably in the ear. The inner face of the ZSN is completely smooth and contours to my ear shape wonderfully. The bore length is average, while the width is above average. I have medium to slightly large ears and these fit me without any discomfort or whatsoever, even after hours of wearing them on end.

Hot spots or pressure points did not develop even after extended wearing.



I had no issues with noise isolation either. I was on the Mass-Rapid Transport (MRT) on a weekend with children playing and quite honestly screaming around the grab poles. Above the music (which I don’t listen loud by the way), I could not hear much of and be bothered by the chaos and anarchy that was raging on in front of me. Everything was muted to something of a whisper. Sometimes, ignorance is indeed bliss, get yourselves a ZSN for the commute!

SOUND QUALITY
Note: Sound Quality was tested mainly on my Huawei Nova 2i with AKM 4376A DAC

Out of KZ’s lineup, the ZSN impresses me the most in terms of sound quality. The sound that these earphone expels quite literally leaves me in awe everytime that I plug these in and hit the play button. I just cannot comprehend how these cost a mere SG$25.

The ZSN sports a dual driver configuration – one dynamic driver for the lower frequencies and a balanced armature driver for the higher frequencies. After putting the ZSN through its paces, the changes in sound were either too little for me to discern or there was simply no changes after burn-in, and thus I’d consider burn-in unnecessary. Despite the relatively high sensitivity of 104 dB/mW, I did not notice any hiss even when plugged into the smartphone.



Soundstage, Separation and Imaging
To start off, the soundstage is just average. It is smaller than that found on the ZSR that I reviewed previously and in the limited soundstage. There is more width than depth to the soundstage and layering is fairly good. Imaging and separation are commendable and I found that the positions of vocalists and instruments to be very precise.

Sound Signature
The ZSN carries a V-shape sound signature with a fantastic balance of bass and treble quantities. The ZSN presents a great amount of detail without sounding artificial or overly boosted in the upper regions, which is unlike some other chi-fi earphones in the same price category. The mid and upper mid-range takes the foreground while the bass takes a step or two to the rear in terms forwardness, which is quite a unique experience, considering it is a V-shaped earphone. This overall makes for an intimate-sounding earphone which I rarely see on earphones in this price category.

Bass
The bass region on the ZSN is thick and visceral. This is paired with a fantastic sub-bass extension and presence which never leaves you wanting more if you are listening to pop or other bass-heavy genres. There is a greater emphasis on mid-bass than sub-bass which I can appreciate – too much sub-bass would devolve into becoming unnatural and quite nauseating for me.

There is, however, a general lack of resolution in the bass. The bass is a little loose and decay isn’t quick. Some transient smearing can translate into a loss of details in the bass region. That said, the slow decay isn’t too prominent, but is noticeable. No doubt, I love my bass, and the ZSN does not disappoint, especially for the price.

Mids
The mids on the ZSN is sweet as honey and is not muddied by the wholesome bass response. For some weird reason, I found that the vocals on the ZSN to be very intimate, especially when using shorter ear tips. Vocals are wonderfully articulate and organic with a hint of graininess. Vocals at no point sound thin or “telephonic”, due to the elevated bass presentation. Take the track “Mixed Signals” by Ruth B. from the album “Safe Haven” for example. The ZSN is able to convey her emotions and voice beautifully.

In other instruments (and most noticeably in guitars), however, does not have the same magic that works for the vocals. In comparison to the vocals, instruments seem to sound a little veiled and less intimate, although in no way a deal-breaker for me.

The biggest gripe I have regarding the mid-range is the upper-mids sibilance which does show itself on certain tracks. On the ZSN, I found that female vocals tend to be much more prone to this effect. Take “Havana” by Camila Cabello for example. If you are listening on slightly higher volume, the parts where she goes “oooOOooOOOo” displays some of this, and can sound somewhat harsh.

Trebles
The ZSN’s treble is well defined and pretty resolving. I found that I was able to pick out micro-details, although it isn’t especially crisp or clear. The treble, however, has this airiness and separation from the rest of the frequencies that enables it to stand out. This region is quite smooth with no severe peaks that make for a non-fatiguing listen overall. Treble attack and decay are very quick, as the drivers employed here are balanced armatures. Overall, a very resolving treble region.

PAIRING
Select Alternative Ear tips
Though this review was done with the stock KZ “Starline” tips, I did tip roll a little and found that it ear tips did change the sound of the earphone noticeably. I found the KZ ZSN to pair especially well with the iBasso short ear tips. It improved the overall clarity of the ZSN and I have been using it with this earphone ever since.



Just look at the difference!



I have not found any other ear tip that improved the sound signature of the ZSN while being able to retain its grip on the nozzle.

CONCLUSION
The ZSN embodies the phrase “bang for your buck”. I was pleasantly taken aback when I first put these on. If I had no frame of reference, I probably would have guessed that these earphones cost 80 dollars, or possibly even slightly north of 80. Good isolation and ergonomics, paired with a commendable build and sound quality make the ZSN a no-brainer decision if you are looking for an earphone for under 50 dollars. In my opinion, this earphone can stand up to the Audio Technica ATH-LS50iS in terms of both build and sound quality, no problem.

The energetic, fun sound signature is great for an EDC earphone that you can chug into your bag (just an expression, but please don’t do that) and get along your daily business. The ZSN is also easily drivable with a smartphone, so no problems with matchability here.

I am truly impressed with the ZSN and I hope that KZ would recognize its success with the ZSN move in this direction and improve on the ZSN in future releases while finding a design language that becomes the symbol of KZ earphone. I’m very satisfied and I look forward to what else KZ has to offer in the future!

Do check out our WordPress site at https://thelittleaudiophile.wordpress.com/ for more reviews!

Specifications:

Driver: 1 x Dynamic Driver

Impedance: 32 ohms

Frequency response: 10 - 40,000 Hz

Sensitivity: 92 dB

Connector: MMCX

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated to Advanced in any way and do not benefit monetarily or in any other form for writing this review. This unit was lent to me by Zeppelin & Co. and I am simply giving my honest review of the product!

Thank You so much to the wonderful folks at Zeppelin & Co. for coordinating and setting me up to make this review a possibility. Links to their Facebook page will be available below, so do check them out!

Review by: "Charlie" from The Little Audiophile

Advanced Sound GT3 Retail Price (at time of writing): S$298 (US$218)

TLA Score
Physical Attributes
Comfort: 7/10
Durability: 9/10
Ease of Wearing: 9/10
Noise Isolation: 8/10
Microphonics: 9/10
Value for Money: 7/10

Sonic Attributes
Bass: 7/10
Mids: 5/10
Trebles: 6/10
Sound Stage: 6/10
Separation & Imaging: 7/10
Source Matchability: 6/10

ADVANCED, or Adv, in short, is a new name in the audio industry. Initially founded as a Kickstarter campaign in 2015, ADVANCED has now grown into a reputable company, producing many excellent budget-friendly earphones such as the Adv S2000 and the GT4, to mid-fi IEMs such as the GT3 which we would be reviewing today.

Much like the iBasso IT03, I wasn't impressed by the GT3's performance at the initial listen. But after some tinkering with my source and giving it some extra "juice", oh boy, how much my opinions have changed.

THE BOX
I love Adv's approach when it comes to packaging. It does not try to "overpromote" the product or try to sell itself. Instead, it gives you all the information you would want when looking for a new pair of IEMs.



On the front, you'd find the usual photograph of the product with a minimalist type of facade. On the right, you'll find the company's slogan and philosophy. On the left, you'll get a comprehensive exploded view of the GT3's internals. On the back, you'll see a frequency response graph, packaging information, and product specifications.



Slide off the white sleeve and you it would expose the black magnetic-flip box. Open that up too and you will be greeted by a plethora of accessories (and I mean PLETHORA), along with the GT3 itself, with the cable detached.

Inside, you will find, yes, the GT3 itself with the reference filter attached, along with two extra pairs of tuning filters. In the carrying case, you will find 3 pairs of foam tips, 3 pairs of silicone tips, 3 pairs of bi-flange silicone tips, 2 cables, a magnetic clip, and 3 user guides in 3 different languages. Wow ADVANCED, wow.





BUILD AND DESIGN
Housing
Steel. Stainless Steel. We are all too familiar with this material, aren't we? The GT3's housing is practically unbreakable in your day to day use. Must I say more?

The interchangeable nozzles are made of metal too. Though I cannot confirm if it is stainless steel too as it does feel less dense of a material. I may be wrong here, but nonetheless, the nozzle is also very well built. One potential concern I would foresee is that the nozzles are screwed on, which means it is threaded. In a case where your threads do get damaged or misaligned, it could result in you not being able to attach or detach the nozzle.



The connector employed is the MMCX connector. This connector on the GT3 is particularly sturdy as it is shrouded in a thick hard-plastic and is not highly prone to denting or damage if handled normally. The cables lock in with a satisfying click and there is no wobble or jiggle when in the socket.



Overall, I'd say the durability of this product is nothing short of top notch!

Cable
As mentioned, the Adv GT3 comes with 2 provided cables. A 1.5 m SPC braided-cable and a 1.2 m "mobile" SPC cable with in-line controls and microphone.

Let's start with the 1.2 m mobile cable first.

1.2 m Mobile Cable
This cable looks... rugged and a little confused, to say the least. I have not seen a cable from any other manufacturer that has incorporated more variation of materials in a cable that this one. The 3.5 m jack is gold-plated and is housed in a black (rubber) and silver (metal) coloured shroud. Upwards the cable is sleeved up to the Y-split, in which the Y-split is again, black and silver. Upwards some more, the split cables are rubberized, which finally ends in the non-memory wire ear hooks, which are black again. It is just a horrible looking cable IMO.





On calls, the in-line microphone is decently clear and articulate. The receiver would have no problems with the intelligibility of your spoken words. There is a chin cinch on the cable, but it is just so ridiculously tiny that I suspect it might just break off over time.



The 1.2 m length is slightly shorter than average. I have made a similar complaint about the Audio Technica's ATH-LS50iS's cable which is similar in length. I am 1.85 m tall and this length is just "sufficient" for me.

Overall, this cable is decently built, though, I would not be too confident about the rubber cable region above the Y split. I personally do not dig this cable though, purely because of the aesthetics and the slightly shorter length.

1.5 m SPC braided cable
Amen ADVANCED has included a what I'd call "primary cable". This is godsent. The 3.5 mm jack is still gold-plated, but now, the shroud and Y-split are all black and the cables are all silver. It really helps with the overall fluidity of the design language.



This cable is also very decently built. It reminds me a lot of the ALO cable that came with the Campfire Audio Orion that I just reviewed recently, except that this cable is a little thicker and is, unfortunately, not a litz cable. Strain relief is adequate and the cable does not tangle easily.

At 1.5 m, this cable length is perfect and I can achieve very good mobility and range of motion. I believe this is the GT3's "audiophile" cable and therefore I would use this cable throughout the course of the review.

COMFORT
Comfort wise, the GT3 is fine. Personally, it takes some fiddling around to get a "balanced" seal on my left and right ear, and when you do, the ear tips actually sit relatively deep in your inner ear. The seal is by no means of the "airy" type and noise isolation is superb. I was using the single-flanged silicone ear tips by the way.

I did find some slight discomfort or soreness on the front of my outer ear after about an hour of listening. Changing over to the double-flanged ear tips did alleviate some of the discomforts but at the cost of sound quality. I chose sound quality over comfort here.

You might not have an issue with the comfort though and it could just be me.

This IEM would be suitable for people with smaller ears as the size housing is not substantial by any means and would not obstruct the insertion of the nozzle into the ears. Personally, the Campfire Comet and Atlas do not fit me well. I have to manually put down on the left housing just to get a good seal. This is not a problem with the GT3.

Overall, I am pleased with the comfort and fit or the GT3.



SOUND QUALITY
Note: Sound Quality was tested on my Astell&Kern AK Jr with a Fiio Q1MkII slaved as an amplifier. The 1.5 m SPC braided-cable was used, with the "Reference" filter attached.

The "driver war" seems to be in full swing in recent years, with companies trying to cram more and more drivers into their IEMs while inevitably cranking up the retail price. But the folks at ADVANCED knows better. The GT3 sports a single "lightweight" dynamic driver at its core.

To some of you, the GT3 might come across as an everyday carry IEM. An easy to drive, run of the mill earphone. WRONG! This little bugger needs power. If you try running this thing off the phone, I can almost assure you that you are not getting the most out of this IEM. In fact, even ADVANCED themselves claimed that the GT3 scales well on their product website.

So, how do they actually sound, with proper amplification?

Honestly and anti-climactically, I was a little disappointed. Here's why.

Soundstage, Separation and Imaging
The soundstage on the GT3 is wider than it is deep. There is a good sense of stereo width, but when it comes to depth, the soundstage does not stretch out very far, which when combined, results in a somewhat unnatural effect.

Separation, however, is superb for the price. Instruments and vocals do not feel congested or compressed together, which in my opinion, aids the IEM in appearing or sounding more detailed and spatial.



Sound Signature
The GT3 goes for a V-shaped sound signature with an unmistakable focus on trebles as opposed to the bass response. This IEM is extremely detailed for the price. The plucking of the acoustic guitar on Nils Lofgren's "Some Must Dream" has this sparkly effect which in my experience can only be achieved by a sufficiently detailed IEM.

However, the trebles sound disassociated with the rest of the frequencies for some reason. I believe it is because of the thin sounding mids, in which the vocals lack weight but still manages to be articulate. Pair this with an aggressive treble response resulted in a somewhat unnatural vocal or mid profile IMO. The same can be said for both male and female vocals.

Bass
The bass on the GT3 is very pleasant. Sub-bass extension is decent but remains unintrusive. The overall bass response is weighty but not particularly impactful, which might not satisfy the true and true bassheads.

There is a similar emphasis on sub-bass and mid-bass quantity and the decay in both the sub and mid-bass is very quick, especially for a dynamic driver. As such, bass sounds well controlled and very snappy. This bass profile also means that the mids or vocals are by no means muddy.

Mids
Mids... oh dear. Mids, as mentioned are thin and lack the weight needed to make vocals sound organic. The articulate vocals paired with the lack of weight gives a somewhat telephonic effect on the vocals. Mids can easily come off as unengaging or boring because of this effect

Sibilance is another problem with the GT3 in the upper registers of the mid-range. This easily translates to a fatiguing IEM over extended listening sessions. The upper mids feel disconnected from the treble region, as the trebles are just incredibly bright.

Trebles
The treble region is a hit-or-miss question. To start, the trebles carry impressive clarity, definition and speed which is honestly quite uncommon in a single-dynamic driver setup. It reminds me a little bit of the classic cheap chi-fi tuning where manufacturers boost the trebles up just to make the IEM appear detailed. The GT3 is indeed something like this, but it is more refined and more properly implemented, which IMO really works in its own favour.

However, there are some peaks in the lower-trebles which could come off as unnatural or intrusive to some. Another thing is that the trebles are so jacked up in terms of detail and quantity that is does not gel with the other frequencies and feels almost like the mids and bass are trailing behind or playing catchup with the mids. With the black filters installed, the overall frequency does seem to be more balanced and less "disassociated", but not to a very large degree.

CONCLUSION
The GT3 is marketed as an "extreme resolution" IEM as ADVANCED claims, and yes, I do agree with this claim. But again, it almost feels like the company overlooked the factor of the overall listening experience and coherency of the sound signature. I would recommend this IEM to someone who already has, or is considering to get an amplifier, has a competent source and is looking for an analytical sounding IEM.

For the casual lister, the IEM is a little too bright for my taste, though yet again, price wise, I'd say for S$298, the clarity and detail you are getting are phenomenal and I have not heard any other IEM in this price range which is able to replicate or perform as well as the GT3 does.


Again, for the money, you are also getting something virtually indestructible. The overall finish is phenomenal and would last you years.

Lastly, I should really say that as far as I do not especially dig the sound signature of this IEM and I might come off as putting this product in a negative light, I believe that given a chance, you should try out these pair of IEMs and see if they suit your preference or needs.

Thank you Zeppelin & Co. for arranging for a review unit, and thank you all for dropping by. The Little Audiophile out, see you in the next one!

Do check out our WordPress site at https://thelittleaudiophile.wordpress.com/ for more reviews!
Zeppelin & Co. Facebook Page: Click Here

Specifications:

Driver: 1x Balanced Armature Driver

Impedance: 13.9 ohms

Frequency response: 10 - 19,000 Hz

Sensitivity: 114 dB

Connector: MMCX

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated to Campfire Audio in any way and do not benefit monetarily or in any other form for writing this review. The Campfire Audio Orion was lent to me by reviewer "Gloryrain" for the sole purpose of reviewing it. I will keep my review of the product as honest and as impartial as possible.

Review by: "Charlie" and from The Little Audiophile

Campfire Audio Orion Retail Price (at time of writing): US$349 (S$478) on their website

TLA Score
Physical Attributes
Comfort: 5/10
Durability: 10/10
Ease of Wearing: 8/10
Noise Isolation: 7/10
Microphonics: 9/10
Value for Money: 5/10

Sonic Attributes
Bass: 8/10
Mids: 7/10
Trebles: 7/10
Sound Stage: 6/10
Separation & Imaging: 6/10
Source Matchability: 8/10

Campfire Audio, a subsidiary of ALO, is a company based in Oregon, USA. They specialise in making high-end audio equipment, with the Andromeda being arguably the most well-known model in the line-up. Today, we'll look at Andromeda's little brother, the Orion and see how it performs.

THE BOX
The Orion comes in a pudgy blue-coloured laminated paper box with twinkly little stars dotting the box, along with what reminds me of Vincent van Gogh's painting of "The Starry Night". On the top, you'll see a big "ORION CK" with some other wording and on the front, you'll see a picture of the Orion with other wording.



Inside, you will find a plethora of ear tips, a cleaning tool, a semi-hard carrying case and lastly the Orion itself. For the price, I am happy with what is included in the box.


Note: I am missing the semi-hard case and one pair of medium Spinfits.

BUILD AND DESIGN
Housing
Campfire is renowned for it's exceptional attention to details and overall build quality. They do not cheap out on materials and build quality and the Orion here is no exception. The housing is an all aluminium shell with a Cerakote finishing to give it a greater resistance to impact, corrosion and things of such. In other words, it improves the durability of the product.



The nozzle on the Orion is also made of metal, which retains that "design fluidity" with the rest of the housing. It is extremely thick and well-built that I just cannot think of what could possibly break them in your day to day use unless you are deliberately trying to.



The connector system employed is the MMCX type which is not recessed into the housing and should be able to host most 3rd party cables.



I have no complaints about the build quality really. The choice of materials is good and the MMCX This IEM would last you years if you take care of them. I only wished that the Orion came in a few other colours. But that's just nit-picking.

Cable
The cable that comes with the Orion is an ALO SPC Litz cable which terminates in a 3.5 mm audio jack. I will be very honest, at first, it looks like those cheap cables you can find online, with its generic transparent MMCX and 3.5 mm plugs. But it really isn't.



Campfire claims that their MMCX pins and are made of the Beryllium Copper. Now, I am no expert in this field, but Campfire states that it is supposed to extend and improve the lifespan of their MMCX connector system. I personally cannot confirm how true this it, but what is true is that the MMCX's locking mechanism is relatively tight and the cable does not freely spin in the female connector at all.





COMFORT
Comfort. I understand that this is a very subjective topic and in the case of the Campfire's line-up of IEMs which uses this polygonal housing design, the question of comfort is a hit or miss really.

Unfortunately, it is a miss for me. Here's why.

To start, I get a good seal and fit with the Orion. The fit is airy and is quite shallow and everything seems fine at first. 30 mins into wearing these, I felt some discomfort, pain even, at 2 points of my ear. Namely, the Tragus and the Concha.

Looking at the Orion, I have determined the two points to be:


this significant angle here that rubs against the Concha, and


this nut that rubs against the Tragus of the ear.

Apart from these two pressure points, the rest of the housing fits me well.

Despite its metal housing and the tropical weather here in sunny Singapore, there was no significant heat buildup in my hours of testing. The same thing can be said about the nozzle area where the ear tips contact the skin.



As the fit is relatively shallow, noise attenuation is just average. It does not come close to something like the NuForce HEM1, but is very slightly better than that of the Audio Technica LS50iS, albeit less airy.

I have average-sized ears and comfort is an issue for me. I would highly suggest spending a minimum of 30 mins with this IEM to determine if the fit would work for you.

SOUND QUALITY
Note: Sound Quality was tested on my AK Jr

With only a single doing the lifting, it is far behind the Andromeda in terms of driver count. But Campfire knows better - driver count isn't the final word in sound quality. It's how you implement that one driver. Coming in at US$349 on the Campfire Audio website, this IEM is by no means cheap if you compare it against most single BA driver IEMs.

So, are these worth your money? Long story short, for the solid build quality, it might be worth the money if you are rough on your IEMs. Sound-wise, they aren't bad. It's just that you can get an equally competent IEM for less. Read on to find out why I think so!

Soundstage, Separation and Imaging
As the seal is on the Orion is quite airy, I do find the soundstage to be wide as it is deep. On the track "Keep Coming Back" by Richard Marx, the soundstage starts very near and extends out sufficiently far. Soundstage isn't the widest I've heard in the price range, but it is above average. The same can be said for many other tracks I've tested. Kudos to Campfire!

Instrumental and vocal separation is impressive. Instruments and vocals in no way feel compressed or "mushed" together. John Mayer's "Clarity" (how coincidental indeed) from the album Heavier Things is able to show the Orion's ability to separate the drums from the vocals from the acoustic guitars from the trumpets and so on. In short, I'm pleased! The presentation is like this:

Sound Signature
Campfire Audio claims that the Orion has a (and I quote): "Reference sound signature and flat sonic delivery; Orion delivers your favourite tracks as they were recorded."

Do I agree? Not exactly. I felt that the Orion has a slight U-shaped sound signature with more bass emphasis as compared to treble emphasis. Treble rolls-off a little early and doesn't extend very far. As such, the Orion does not deliver enough treble details and isn't the most resolving IEM, especially in its price range. Just my opinion.

The Orion is, however, not fatiguing to listen to, with it's rolled off treble. I can listen to this IEM for hours on end as sibilance is not a problem with the Orion and there are no unnatural peaks in any of the frequencies. Decay and speed are quick in the mids and bass regions, which makes this IEM relatively agile, even in fast-paced, high-tempo tracks.

The Orion is one of those IEMs which is able to balance technicality and musicality beautifully. There is a little bit of colouration in the vocals, which does spice up the music a bit. Just a little bit.

Through my time with this IEM, I found that this thing shines in rock genres.



Bass
The bass on the Orion is slightly accentuated and has a good sub-bass extension, which in turn adds some weight and fullness to the overall sound signature. However, the sub-bass does lack some rumble and impact, which some listeners would interpret as fun or musical. Depending on your taste, you might or might not like it.

Mids
The mids are, what I feel, the best part of the Orion. Vocals take a frontal presentation which manages to be intimate, yes, but unintrusive. There is weight to both male and female vocals and it sounds oddly natural and there is no graininess in the vocal texture. I put on my sibilance test track "New Face" by Psy. Nope. Error 404, no sibilance found. Sibilance is a stranger to this IEM.

Guitars... this is getting me excited. Acoustic guitars are crunchy and very well textured. Bass guitars as in the song "Clarity" have a good weight and resonance to them.

Trebles
The treble region is relatively smooth with no significant peaks or dips and even on tracks with a high treble presence, no sibilance is exhibited by the Orion. Treble extension on the Orion isn't exactly impressive. However, it does deliver a notable amount of clarity with whatever treble that is present and sounds quite natural to my ears. All these add up to a rather forgiving treble signature which should not highlight poor quality recordings.

PAIRING
Alternative Ear tips
Acoustune AET07


With the AET07 tips, there is a slight improvement in the treble region and recovers a bit of treble detail. Vocals sound a little unnatural with this tips. Bass is relatively untouched.

Final Audio Type E


I like to call the Final Audio Type E the "magic tips" as they are able to synergise with most IEMs. Not this one though. There is an improvement in the bass impact, but everything else goes to s***. Vocals sound muted and veiled. Slight sibilance is also introduced into the treble. In short, the tonal balance of the Orion is thrown off with these tips.

At the end of the day, I would still recommend using the stock tips or wide bore tips

SELECT COMPARISON
Note: All prices stated were at the time of writing.

Campfire Audio Orion Vs Shure SE535 LTD [S$729]
I think this is a good comparison as both the Orion and the SE535 LTD are the individual company's attempt to manufacture a neutral sounding IEM.

Compared to the Orion, the Shure SE535 is flatter sounding with slightly less bass quantity and more veiled vocals. The way I described how the SE535 LTD sounded was that it was like "(The vocalist is) singing behind a piece of cloth". The treble extension on the SE535 LTD seemed to extend out further but is a smoother and less detailed treble overall. Nonetheless, this is the more neutral of the two and would be, arguably, a better stage monitor if that is what you are looking for.

I did find that the Orion has a wider soundstage and a much better instrumental separation. In fact, the difference was so noticeable that the Orion made the SE535 LTD sound congested or compressed in a way.

CONCLUSION
Overall, the Campfire Audio Orion is a good sounding IEM. It has a pleasant, forgiving sound signature which retains treble clarity. The intimate vocals and a polite yet unrecessed bass add volume to the music. The good balance of technicality against musicality makes for a very pleasant listen. The build quality is also phenomenal and would survive the daily rigours of life.

However, I felt that comfort wise, this IEM is just not up to par, depending on who you are asking. The sharp angles do contact certain pressure points in the outer ear and honestly, just causes pain. The forgiving sound signature enables the listener to listen for hours on end, but the comfort issue for me just didn't allow this.

Another thing is the price. US$349, for a single BA IEM is not a small sum of money. Though Campfire Audio has implemented this Single BA driver very well, I feel that you would be able to get multi-driver IEMs, which performs similarly (in terms of performance and not sound signature) for a lower price.

I should end off by saying that, yes, the Orion does sound pretty good, but it isn't the cheapest nor is it the most value for money IEM out there. Well, that's just my humble opinions of the Campfire Audio Orion and I hope you've enjoyed the read. Stay safe and happy listening! Charlie, out.

Do check out our WordPress site at https://thelittleaudiophile.wordpress.com/ for more reviews!

Specifications:

Driver: 2 x Dynamic

Impedance: 12 ohms

Frequency response: 20 – 20,000 Hz

Sensitivity: 107 dB

Connector: A2DC

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated to Audio Technica in any way and do not benefit monetarily or in any other form for writing this review. I purchased this in-ear monitor with my own resources and I am simply giving my honest review of the product!

Review by: “Charlie” from The Little Audiophile

Audio Technica ATH-E40 Retail Price (at time of writing): S$138

TLA Score
Physical Attributes
Comfort: 5/10
Durability: 9/10
Ease of Wearing: 5/10
Noise Isolation: 9/10
Microphonics: 9/10
Value for Money: 8/10

Sonic Attributes
Bass: 8/10
Mids: 9/10
Trebles: 7/10
Sound Stage: 8/10
Separation & Imaging: 6/10
Source Matchability: 9/10



I purchased the Audio Technica ATH-E40 during an IT and audio fair held at the Singapore EXPO for slightly under S$130 after having a brief listen to my friend’s well burnt in ATH-E40. My initial impressions were rather positive, so I decided to pick a pair up for myself. From the day of writing this review, I have owned these IEM for just slightly under a year and I am able to give my opinions on the product…


THE BOX




The ATH-E40 comes in a small pudgy box which is what Audio Technica usually uses for it’s mid to high-end line of in-ear monitors. Nothing fancy, but it does serve its purpose. Inside the box, you will find the ATH-E40 with size M tips installed, 3 pairs of silicone ear tips (XS, S, L), a 3.5 mm to 1/4 inch adapter, a black hard carrying case and other relevant paperwork with a warranty card.






BUILD AND DESIGN


Housing


The ATH-E40’s housing is made entirely out of high-quality plastic which feels fairly hard and durable. The main body has a matte finish with a translucent circular cap that shows the guts and drivers of the IEM. Cool in my opinion – It adds a unique character to the design language.

Wire


The audio jack on the ATH-E40 is a 3.5 mm gold plated TRS plug which is enclosed by what appears to be hard vulcanized rubber with a properly decent strain relief. Upwards, the wiring is made of a thick and durable cable that is separated into 2 individual strands to supposedly reduce signal interference and in turn, provide a cleaner sound to the listener. The wire then separates at the Y-split. Duh…right?

The wire is 1.6 m long which is plenty good if you are using this IEM at home but a hassle when you are out and about. I stand at 1.85 m tall and I realize that the wire gets caught on my knee a lot when I am climbing a flight of stairs or just lifting my legs to step onto higher ground. NOT A GOOD FEELING WHEN YOU ACCIDENTALLY YANK AT YOUR EARPHONE WIRES. Going all the way up, the ear hooks are made of a memory wire which I personally like. I like to contour the hook tightly to my ear shape and therefore the housing stays in my ear securely. The memory wire is also good for listening to music while lying down as the ear hooks remain contoured to your ear shape. Non-memory wire ear hooks will tend to flop out of its place with the slightest movement when lying down, simply due to gravity.



Connector


The ATH-E40 utilizes Audio Technica’s latest proprietary removable connection mechanism, which is the Audio Designed Detachable Coaxial (A2DC) connector. It functions somewhat like an MMCX connector, except it does not rotate as freely around the connection and in my opinion, has a more secure locking mechanism.

COMFORT



This is where the ATH-E40 falls short (for some people). To start, the housing is not heavy and that the ear hooks help dissipate the weight of the housing more evenly. The issue for some lies in the stem and bore of the housing. The stem is substantially long for an in-ear monitor such that it sits deep in the inner ear canal. The bore is not particularly thin either and it will press against the inner ear. With this two factors combined, some users feel a painful sensation in the inner ear when wearing for prolonged sessions. I personally do encounter this problem where the stem presses against the back of my right ear canal and after about 30 minutes of wearing it, pain starts to set in and it can get really uncomfortable for me. Even after taking the earphones out, my inner ear will remain feeling sore for the next 10 minutes or so. Bummer. However, when installed with Comply T400 isolation tips, the discomfort has all but disappeared.



SOUND QUALITY


The E40 just has a bit more sub-bass than mid-bass, the upper-mids are more forward and the trebles are rolled off slightly early. The soundstage is wideeeee and instrumental positioning and separation is good. For the price, the E40 carries good detail and clarity.

Of all the earphones I own, I find that the E40 responds the best to EQ-ing. The sound signature can be EQ-ed to your liking without it sounding too unnatural or weird, provided you EQ responsibly. *wink* When pairing with the AK Jr and Fiio A3 Amplifier with Bass Boost on, the E40 sounds pretty damn good, especially in the bass department.



Bass


The bass on the E40 is bang on. Not weak such that it does makes music unexciting and not immersive, yet not over the top such that all you hear is something like explosions going on in an action movie. It feels controlled and authoritative and hardly bleeds into the midrange so mids are not muddied. The bass is damn near perfect.

Mids


As mentioned, the upper-mids are forward and are really rich. As such, guitars and vocals sound clean and authoritative with a decent amount of detail in them. John Mayer’s “In The Blood” sounds absolutely wonderful with this earphone. The lower-mids blends nicely with the Bass

Treble



Trebles are where the E40 lacks a little. It is slightly overshadowed by the forward mids, although its presence can still be heard. Yet, I find the treble to be perfect for this earphone. Why? Because there is little to no sibilance displayed in the treble region and is not so bright in such a way that cymbals sound harsh and abrasive to listen to which can quickly destroy the listening experience. It’s slightly early roll-off might not be for everyone though.

PAIRING


Sources


The ATH-E40 pairs well with slightly warm or neutral sounding sources. A bright or V-shaped source might add too much prowess to the upper-mids or trebles as the upper mids on the E40 are already lifted.

Adding an amp into the setup (for some reason) really does help to bring out the best in the E40, despite its low impedance and high sensitivity. The sub-bass and mids really come alive when this earphone is amped up!

Alternative Ear Tips




Apart from using the stock Audio Technica silicon tips, I have trickled down to a couple of other ear tips that has a positive impact on the sound signature, depending on your preferences.

Sony hybrid tips:

I use M-sized Sony hybrid ear tips for improved comfort and to slightly reduce the forwardness of the mids. The trebles become slightly more pronounced as well, for these tips create a bit more distance between your eardrums and the IEM’s driver than having stock tips on.

Samsung stock tips:

Samsung tips? Seriously? Yea. Samsung tips have a larger opening than the Sony hybrids and stock Audio Technica ear tips. As such, Bass has more kick to it and without really drowning out the mids or trebles. If you are in the mood for dem BASS or if you are just a bass-head in general, these tips fit well.

Comply T400 isolation foam tips (without wax guard):

The T400 helps make the sound signature more neutral in my listen. It takes away some kick to the bass and adds a tad bit of treble. I also find the T400 to be the least fatiguing to wear over a longer listening session. However, Comply foam tips has a very short service life and purchasing new foam tips are not cheap at all.

CONCLUSION

I feel that the earphones could have been designed to be more ergonomic and fit better. But if you can look past that, the E40 is an impressive earphone for under S$150. It performs well with most genres of music and responds well to EQ-ing to suit your preference. It sounds good and is well built, I highly recommend getting yourself a pair of these earphones as they are a good bang for your buck, again, provided you can get the right, comfortable fit.

Do check out our WordPress site at https://thelittleaudiophile.wordpress.com/ for more reviews!

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated to Fiio in any way and do not benefit monetarily or in any other form for writing this review. I purchased this in-ear monitor with my own resources and I am simply giving my honest review of the product!


Review by: “Charlie” from The Little Audiophile


Fiio. A company that has really made a name for themselves in the audio industry. Their X-series of DAPs has been making big waves in the audio world for their high quality players that does not cost a kidney and a liver. Fiio’s A-series of Amplifiers are again, known for their excellent price to performance ratio. Today I will review the Fiio A3, which is the company’s mid range portable headphone amplifier. With the MSRP of just under S$90, this amp delivers, just without the massive price tag.


FEATURES



The Fiio A3 features a 1,400mAh battery, rated for 16 hours, a Low and High gain setting and a nice Bass Boost function. It has a very low output impedance of <0.2 ohms and Fiio recommends pairing the Amp with headphones with impedance ranging from 16-150 ohms. I know… these are all just numbers and specs where you can read online. But I’ll explain more on these features throughout the course of the review.





AUDIO QUALITY


Right. Firstly, lets talk about audio colouration when using this Amp. Luckily, the Fiio A3 is mostly neutral and transparent throughout the frequency range when Bass Boost is turned off. Which is good because an Amplifier’s main purpose is to deliver more power to the headphones and not modify the sound signature in any negative way.


Music sounds richer and more immersive even, when I use the Fiio A3 with Bass Boost on. The music seems to be more intimate, while soundstage on certain headphones, seem to expand. It is honestly hard to put in words what I am hearing. It is like tasting fresh milk when you have been drinking low fat milk all along, and now you don’t wanna go back. It is something like that…


Anyways, the Bass Boost function gives aoughly a 4dB increment in approximately the mid-bass region at 50Hz which as mentioned, helps in making the experience more immersive. It is good to note that this increase in bass does not muffle the mids, which in turn means that vocals remain clear even though the bass is emphasized. However with Bass Boost on, sound stage seems to narrow down a little.


Now, the A3 definitely isn’t the end game in the headphone amplifier market. It too has it’s downsides and to be fair, I’ll have to talk about the not-so-good parts of the Fiio A3. Here goes.


Bassy headphones suffer from very mild Static like/Distortion(y) sound in the low bass to low mid-bass region when Bass Boost is on and when listening on average volume with the dial turned to 6 and my source at 50% volume. I first noticed this when listening on my Massdrop x Nuforce EDC where the low and low mid-bass(es) sometimes sounded unstable and there was a little bit of growling-like noises.


The A3 does sometimes exhibit very soft static noises in between changing tracks that does not affect the music when it plays, but I think it is a good thing to note.


One last boo-boo about the A3 is channel imbalance on low volumes. When the dial is set under 2, the left channel is obviously louder than the right channel. However in it’s defense, I never actually listen on such low volumes anyway. With low gain, my volume dial is usually set within 5 to 7, depending on the track, ambient noise and headphone used. At such settings, the channels seem balanced enough.




USER EXPERIENCE


As important as sound quality is, the user friendliness should not be forgone, such that the user would even bother using them. These are my thoughts on what I liked and disliked about this amplifier.


First off, I really liked the Analog dial that the A3 uses. It allows for a better control over listening volume.


Secondly, Fiio decided that changing the issued 6 rubber feet to 2 white translucent rubber pads is more feasible. This I wholeheartedly agree, considering that the Fiio A3 is a portable amplifier, and would be stacked with a phone, DAP or perhaps even a DAC most often. It prevents scratching of it’s “other half” and makes stacking so much easier.


Thirdly, I had wished for different coloured indicator lights to . Perhaps blinking red for charging, steady green for charged, steady blue for normal operation and steady red for errors instead of slow blinking, rapid blinking and steady blue for its status indicator.
Lastly, I had wished that Fiio used a 1/4 inch jack for output instead of a 3.5mm jack, just like the one that the iFi iCan Nano sports. It would open up that many more options as for headphone pairing. However with the compactness of the Fiio A3, a larger jack might not be possible and I might just be being nit-picky here.





CONCLUSION


I believe that the Fiio A3 is an excellent performer for its price range and comes with a limited, but well thought out set of accessories.




I have personally tried the Fiio A5 which comes in at a significantly higher price at $199 at the point of writing this review but I could not hear any significant improvements in sound over the A3 despite it’s better specifications. The iFi iCan Nano is another amplifier that I had the chance to audition, and yes, they definitely trump the Fiio A3 slightly in terms of audio clarity, but do bear in mind that the iCan Nano comes in at S$259, which is nearly three times the cost of the A3! I love the iCan Nano’s performance but I personally and most certainly cannot justify the price. It is without doubt good. But not like three times as good. I always keep this mentality before I make a purchase, that is “specs are just specs. In practice things are different. And that is what is most important.” For the average user or even the audio enthusiast, the A3 is very user friendly, extremely compact and very well built and it sounds awesome! The power output is adequate for most headphones up to 200 ohms to get to a decent listening level.


The Fiio A3 pairs very well with my Astell and Kern AK Jr and does really help liven up the bass region in my music. In closing, I believe the Fiio A3 might be the amplifier for you if you are looking for an amplifier with a excellent price to performance ratio and do not wish to bottleneck your “mid-fi” audio equipment.



Do check out our WordPress site at https://thelittleaudiophile.wordpress.com/ for more reviews!

Specifications:

Driver: 1 x 6 mm Dynamic

Impedance: 16 ohms

Frequency response: 20 – 20,000 Hz

Sensitivity: 90.5 dB

Connector: 0.78 mm 2-pin

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated to Massdrop or Nuforce in any way and do not benefit monetarily or in any other form for writing this review. I purchased this in-ear monitor with my own resources and I am simply giving my honest review of the product!

Review by: “Charlie” from The Little Audiophile

Massdrop x NuForce EDC Retail Price (at time of writing): S$87

TLA Score
Physical Attributes
Comfort: 9/10
Durability: 7/10
Ease of Wearing: 8/10
Noise Isolation: 9.5/10
Microphonics: 9/10
Value for Money: 9/10

Sonic Attributes
Bass: 8/10
Mids: 6/10
Trebles: 5/10
Sound Stage: 8/10
Separation & Imaging: 4/10
Source Matchability: 9/10


The Massdrop x Nuforce EDC is a sleek looking in-ear monitor sold exclusively on Massdrop. With well over 5000 units sold at the time of writing, I knew this was something special, at a really affordable price. Similar to the Nuforce HEM1 in its housing design, it shares the same level of unrivaled comfort that weighs nearly nothing in your ears, and yet has a fantastic sound isolation property. It has a low impedance of 16ohms and a low sensitivity of 90.5dB. Amping is needed to let this IEM reach its full potential.

THE BOX



The EDC comes in a similar looking box as that of the HEM1, less the magnetic flip cover and the transparent window that displays the HEM1 itself. The EDC comes in a simple top-open lid instead.

In the box, you will find the EDC itself with size M tips installed, a set of S and L silicon and foam tips, a black carrying case similar to that of the HEM1, a black velcro cable manager and a shirt clip.




BUILD AND DESIGN


Housing


The EDC is again made from the same Lexan that the HEM1 does and houses a transparent cap that shows the dynamic driver’s stabilizer. The weight of the braided cable and the microphone cable is 15 g and 16 g respectively. In other words, it is respectably lightweight. The EDC is sold in one color only – a smoky bluish-grey hue. Personally, I like this color over the HEM1’s smoky black color.


EDC (left) vs HEM1 (right)

Wire


Braided Cable

The wire on the braided cable is rather thin and does not look too promising in terms of its tensile strength, but only the test of time will show its durability. The braided cable is very supple and tangle-free which is a big plus, as after all, it is an EDC. Everyday Carry. It terminates in a right-angled 3.5mm gold plated TRS plug similar to that on the HEM1.

Microphone Cable

The microphone cable looks sturdier in my opinion and has a rubbery feel to it. It is noticeably less supple than the braided cable but offers a sturdier Y-split and ear hook. The addition of an in-line remote and mic also helps when answering calls and pausing and playing tracks. It terminates in a right angle 3.5mm gold plated TRRS plug with a different strain relief as compared to the braided cable.

Connector


The EDC uses the standard 0.78 mm 2-pin connector system that does not rotate like an MMCX connector does, and it secures very firmly in place. The EDC would not accept the HEM1’s cable as it uses a 0.75 mm connector and would fit loosely on the EDC. The EDC and HEM1’s cable is also of opposite polarity, as confirmed by Jyri from Nuforce, so the cables are not interchangeable.

COMFORT

The EDC, like the HEM1 is one of the most comfortable IEMs I have worn. It is so lightweight and the angle of the nozzle fits in the ear so comfortably. The EDC uses a small bore nozzle which technically allows for more free play on how the ear tips can be designed and sized. I can say wholeheartedly say that the stock silicone tips are designed very well and fit very well. I would go on to say that for me, it is better than the famed Shure SE215 in terms of comfort, although they look rather similar.

SOUND QUALITY



The Massdrop x Nuforce EDC carries a neutral to a slightly warm sound signature. Soundstage is quite wide and instrumental positioning is decent. Upper-mids and trebles, however, are really smooth. They seem almost neutral with no spikes in frequency response in this range. The EDC, however, needs an amp to reach its full potential. With it’s below average sensitivity of 90.5dB, I find that my Sony Xperia XA1 has barely enough amplification power to run the EDC at average listening volumes.

Bass

The sub-bass extension on the EDC is good, though it goes deep, it is composed and not overpowering. Mid-bass is where a “bass-hump” can be heard. Mid-bass is more pronounced and it sounds raw and somewhat lethargic. There is not much texture to the bass and feels like it is unhappy to be there. There is some bleeding into the lower-mids which muddy the lower-mids slightly.


Mids


The mids on the EDC is mostly neutral. It sounds slightly overshadowed by the elevated mid-bass on bassier tracks, which I personally am not a fan of. But when a less bassy track comes on, the vocals shine through! It is smooth and really natural. Rag ‘n’ Bone Man – Die Easy and Amber Rubarth – Storms are on the Ocean sounds just so beautiful. It almost feels like I am in a room with them and they are singing just for me.


Treble


With respect to the mids, the trebles are equally neutral and would stand on equal elevation on the frequency response chart. Treble extension is good and there is no treble spike that would emphasize details, but instead, it goes for the same natural sound as in the mids. You will hear little amounts of sibilance from vocals which again, sounds natural.

PAIRING


Sources

The EDC requires an amp to realize its full potential and pairs well with V-shaped or bright sounding sources. Pairing the EDC with a neutral source might make the sound too neutral and unexciting for most people.

CONCLUSION

I feel that the Massdrop x Nuforce EDC makes a great IEM for acoustic, blues, bossa nova or other down-tempo genres, though pop and faster genres are still fine too. The mids and trebles are so smooth and natural that it is so easy to enjoy for many long hours of continuous listening. The bass has enough power when it comes to a bassy track, though it comes off as a tad bit boomy and lethargic. The comfort and isolation on the EDC is fantastic and I personally love this IEM as an everyday out and about driver. It is fairly inexpensive at USD$60, decently built and suits its EDC role very well.

Do check out our WordPress site at https://thelittleaudiophile.wordpress.com/ for more reviews!

Specifications:


Driver: 2 x Balanced Armature

Impedance: 27 ohms

Frequency response: 20 – 18,000 Hz

Sensitivity: 119 dB

Connector: MMCX

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated to Westone in any way and do not benefit monetarily or in any other form for writing this review. I purchased this in-ear monitor with my own resources and I am simply giving my honest review of the product!

Review by: “Gloryrain” from The Little Audiophile

TLA Score
Physical Attributes
Comfort: 9/10
Durability: 7/10
Ease of Wearing: 8/10
Noise Isolation: 8/10
Microphonics: 8/10
Value for Money: 6/10

Sonic Attributes
Bass: 6/10
Mids: 7/10
Trebles: 5/10
Sound Stage: 6/10
Separation & Imaging: 5/10
Source Matchability: 9/10

The UM PRO 20 (2017 model) is Westone’s newly revised mid-low range dual balanced armature IEM of the same name in the AM PRO x0 series, with the UM PRO 10 below it, and the UM PRO 30 and 50 above. The UM PRO 20 is marketed as a universal fit stage or studio monitor. But does this sub S$500 IEM justify its price tag with its performance? Well… I guess you just have to read on to find out.

THE BOX

Box design

The UM PRO 20 comes in a really simple white rectangular box. Really nothing fancy, and quite honestly, a little underwhelming for an IEM of this price range. The unboxing was easy and the IEM can be easily removed from the holder without the risk of damaging them.

Inside the box, you will receive five sizes of silicon and foam ear tips, a cleaning brush, a plastic hard case (which to be honest is pretty sturdy) and the UM PRO 20 itself.

BUILD AND DESIGN

Housing

Westone’s design language has really matured into the modern, sleek looking IEMs that they make these days. Long gone are the days of the Westone 4r with its somewhat childish and unimpressive looks. The UM PRO 20 sports a transparent plastic faceplate with a transparent grey plastic for its underside which is also the design basis that they use for the AM PRO x0 series of IEMs. The housing feels tough enough to withstand the stresses of daily usage, although honestly, I suspect it may not survive a drop from chest level. The nozzles seem sturdy and are unlikely to break without a considerable force or drop.

Wire

The 3.5 mm jack is very basic. It is an irregular shaped right-angle jack with no strain relief system. Upwards, the UM PRO 20 sports what appears to be a 4-core braided OFC cable which is decently strong and durable and does not tangle easily. The resistance to tensile force seems to be very good too (though we’ll never wanna know what the limits are). The Y-split, however, feels sturdy and sufficiently thicc (thick) and the chin slider glides smoothly along the wire. Smoother than me sliding into people’s DMs lol…

Up Up Upwards, the ear hook is of the memory wire type and the connectors seem more durable than the Westone MMCX connectors of old, which had quite a high product failure rate.

Connector

The MMCX connector on the UM PRO 20’s housing is of the recessed type and is sufficiently anchored to the housing. It appears very durable and will accept any MMCX cables you decide to violate it with.



COMFORT

Throughout my usage of the UM PRO 20, I did not notice any heat build up in my ears. The nozzle’s bore size is of Comply T100 size, which means this nozzle is very thin and does not press against the walls of my inner ear. The stem of the nozzle is also fairly long, as such, it sits deep into the ear canal. It may feel a little awkward to fit at first, but there was no discomfort at all throughout my use.

The UM PRO 20 shares a design very similar to that of the Shure SE215, or Nuforce HEM1 which is well known for its comfort when wearing them for long hours. Well… the UM PRO 20 is equally comfortable as compared to the Shure and the Nuforce mentioned above. The housing sits just perfectly in the outer ear and the nozzle angles are just plainly put – correct.




SOUND QUALITY



I’ll just go straight to it. While the UM PRO 20 seems to hit all the right notes in the design and comfort department, the sound quality on this IEM is really a hit or miss depending on the user’s preference.

The UM PRO 20 carries a slightly warm, slightly dark (in the bass region) sound signature, although it is leaned mostly towards neutrality. The focus is obviously on technicality here, with a hint of musicality in its presentation.

Soundstage is not particularly wide and sounds compressed. There is more depth than width in terms of what little imaging it has. Also, due to the compressed soundstage, instrumental separation and layering are again unimpressive.



Bass

The bass takes on a relaxed presentation and sub-bass extension is only average as it does not go deep, although there is more sub-bass than mid-bass in terms of quantity. Mid-bass is tight, though slightly muddy, but does not sound uncomfortably or unnaturally aggressive. Upper-mids do muddy the lower-mids slightly.

Mids

Thanks to the upper-mids warmth, along with the little musicality that the IEM has, vocals do not sound too flat or unexciting and can still be enjoyable to listen to, although they are not intimate enough for my liking.

Mids carry good body, especially in the lower-mids region where male vocals and guitars sound weighty, though some tracks can put it over as overly thicc. Heh, I did it again… For those who are coming from bright sounding IEMs, the UM PRO 20 would sound veiled in comparison to brighter IEMs such as the Oriolus Forsteni that we previously reviewed.

Treble

Upper-trebles roll off early and leaves us with much to wish for in terms of treble extension. As such, there is zero sibilance and there are no weird peaks in the treble region and the trebles are very very smooth.

Because of the early roll off and very smooth trebles, detail retrieval on the IEM is sub-par.

COMPARISON TO OLD UM PRO 20

=> The old UM PRO 20 had more bass (especially sub-bass), thus, it sounded muddy and boomy in the bass region. Mids were also notable more veiled on the old version.

=> The old model was more technical and flat in the mids and trebles, as compared to the 2017 model.

=> The new model has more treble extension and is better at detail retrieval from the upper mids onwards

PAIRING

Sources

The UM PRO 20 is sufficiently easy to drive from an average smartphone with a headphone jack and AMP-ing is really not needed. It pairs best with V-shaped or bright sources, to give it more musicality.


CONCLUSION

The Westone UM PRO 20 is surely a looker and a comfort(er)? Heck. It’s got a good build and comfort going for it, but the sound signature is probably not preferred by the masses for casual listening. For a stage or studio monitor, yes, it would probably suit that role decently. But for the average listener or audiophile, this IEM lacks the musicality that makes music exciting and engaging. Would I recommend it? Heh… it depends on what you plan to use it for and what sound signature you like… Thanks for reading and keep listening! XD

Do check out our WordPress site at https://thelittleaudiophile.wordpress.com/ for more reviews!

Specifications:


Driver: 2 x Balanced Armature + 1 x Dynamic

Impedance: 24 ohms

Frequency response: 10 – 40,000 Hz

Sensitivity: 111dB

Connector: 0.78 mm 2-pin

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated to Oriolus in any way and do not benefit monetarily or in any other form for writing this review. I purchased this in-ear monitor with my own resources and I am simply giving my honest review of the product!

Review by: “Gloryrain” from The Little Audiophile

TLA Score
Physical Attributes
Comfort: 9/10
Durability: 9/10
Ease of Wearing: 9/10
Noise Isolation: 7/10
Microphonics: 8/10
Value for Money: 8/10

Sonic Attributes
Bass: 9/10
Mids: 7/10
Trebles: 7/10
Sound Stage: 7/10
Separation & Imaging: 8/10
Source Matchability: 7/10


THE BOX

Box design

Awwwww snap… Earphones + Black box for packaging = Classy. Dats quick assumption. But seriously though, how does the packaging choice work out for the Forsteni? Well hot damn, the Oriolus Forsteni does come in a really gorgeous black box with “Oriolus” on the top cover. It is such a simple box, but yet looks really professional and screams “EXPENSIVE STUFF INSIDE!!!”. Good choice, people at Oriolus.

Accessories Given

In the box, you will get a cable manager, a shirt clip, foam tips, three sizes of silicon tips and three sizes of double flanged tips, a cleaning tool and cool egg shaped leather carrying case. BUT DO YOU GET THE ORIOLUS FORSTENI IEM ITSELF? go figure




BUILD AND DESIGN

Housing

Sexy looking Forsteni… The main housing is made of a polished black plastic with “Oriolus” engraved in gold on the brushed silver faceplate, which is cover with a clear plastic layer that is chamfered at the edges to give a really smooth touch. The main housing is pretty solid and well built with no rough edge on the IEM. The 2-pin female connector is recessed into the housing itself which makes the housing look real sleek with no angles.

Wire

The wire on the Forsteni is really unexceptional. The 3.5 mm gold-plated plug looks really unexceptional and strain relieve is basic. Upwards, the wire is thick and sturdy and looks like it could hold up to some accidental pulls or tugs. The ear hooks are memory wire which finally ends with a 2-pin connector that is housed in a metal housing.

Connector

The 0.78 mm 2-pin connector secures well into the housing and does not come out without a good pull. Being a 2-pin connector, it does not rotate about the axis like an mmcx does.



COMFORT

The Forsteni has a short nozzle which does not sit too deep into the ear. Thus, there is no pain or excessive pressure on the inner ear canal. There are also no angles that put stress on the outer ear. No heat build up is felt over extended listening periods that we have tried. The bass vent on the housing does reduce isolate slightly though.


SOUND QUALITY

The Forsteni delivers a U-shaped sound signature with a higher emphasis on the treble (which is smooth) as compared to the bass, as such, the Forsteni is pleasantly detailed without an intrusive bass. Soundstage is above average and there is more width as compared to the depth. Also due to the lean and clean body, paired with the impressive treble, instrumental separation is delightfully delightful!

Bass

Bass… oh dat glorious bASS indeed. The Forsteni’s bass extends all the way down the crevices of the sub-bass which manages to stay composed and controlled. There is good (not headache inducing) amount of rumble to the sub-bass which adds that punch to the lower regions. Bass is slightly on the elevated side but is still leaning towards neutrality and is far from being boomy.

Mid-bass is tight and is generally enough for most listeners…but if you are a bASS lover, this IEM ain’t for you. Oh yes, them mid-bass ain’t bleed into the lower mids, thus mids are not muddied.

Mids

Mids and lower-mids are slightly recessed as compared to the upper-mids. Upper-mids are ever so slightly elevated which really enhances vocal clarity and detail, especially for female vocals. Vocals sound intimate and engaging without taking the back presentation in the music.

Nonetheless, the mids sound clean and airy and are very well presented.

Treble

Trebles. How does the Forsteni perform in this region? Honestly, unexceptional really. Treble emphasis is good for an IEM in its price range, but extension could be better and it could sound harsh to some people. Sibilance does show up on “essy” songs such as “Bangarang” by Skrillex, or “New Face” by Psy.




PAIRING

Sources

The Oriolus pairs well with Warm or U-shaped sources. Using a V-shaped source recesses the mids a little too much for our liking.

CONCLUSION



Oriolus Forsteni might as well be the synonym to price to performance ratio. With a solid built and impressive sound, they are a good option if you are a budget-phile kind of audiophile. The overall easy to like sound and good tonal balance finished off with a beautiful, head-turning, attention-seeking, comfortable-fitting design really works out for the Forsteni. If you are looking for a mid-fi IEM, this could very well be the one for you.

Specifications:


Driver: 1 x 10 mm Dynamic

Impedance: 50 ohms

Frequency response: 20 – 20,000 Hz

Sensitivity: 96 dB

Connector: MMCX

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated to Massdrop or MEE Audio in any way and do not benefit monetarily or in any other form for writing this review. I purchased this in-ear monitor with my own resources and I am simply giving my honest review of the product!

Review by: “Gloryrain” from The Little Audiophile

TLA Score
Physical Attributes
Comfort: 9/10
Durability: 7/10
Ease of Wearing: 7/10
Noise Isolation: 8/10
Microphonics: 8/10
Value for Money: 7/10

Sonic Attributes
Bass: 7/10
Mids: 6/10
Trebles: 7/10
Sound Stage: 6/10
Separation & Imaging: 7/10
Source Matchability: 4/10


I purchased the Massdrop x MEE Audio Pinnacle PX out of curiosity, just to try out how it would perform when holding the MEE Audio’s name alongside Massdrop’s. Here’s what I think about it…


THE BOX

The Pinnacle PX comes in a small pudgy box with the usual Massdrop and MEE Audio branding on the front. A really simple, minimalistic box that well… serves its purpose. Who cares about boxes anyways. Inside, you will find a pair of triple flange tips, two sizes of bi-flange tips, two sizes of normal silicone tips and the IEM itself. Oh yes! It comes with a shirt clip too that no one actually uses unless you live in the 1990s.




BUILD AND DESIGN


Housing


Zinc alloy – this is what the housing is made of. Alright… if you know your chemistry well, which I don’t, Zinc is a pretty hard metal, so durability should not be an issue here with the Pinnacle PX. The shape of the PX is also ergonomically constructed so fit will be no issue for the majority of the listeners.

Wire


The PX comes with a gold-plated TRRS 3.5 mm jack that is enclosed with a hard plastic, right-angled shroud. Strain relief is basic to say the least. Okay, moving on to the wire…


The wire is that cool 1.3 m twisty-wisty helix oxygen-free cable (OFC) that is totally audiophile. Length-wise, I fell that 1.3 m is just nice for an IEM cable. The cable is thick yet supple and feels very durable. The in-line microphone is also a good implementation, though the IEM may not be that suitable for the day out and about use…(read on to find out why please). There is no memory wire or heat shrink at the ear hooks so… to be very honest I do not even know is it a good or bad thing but I believe it boils down to personal preference at this point. Anyways, a good cable nonetheless.


Connector


The connector is a standard MMCX termination which feels fairly durable and secure and is made of the same hard plastic material as the jack.





COMFORT

Comfort on the PX is great. It is able to be worn cable-up or cable-down and the housing fits most of the outer ear without pain or discomfort. The nozzle size is of comply T400 specification and the nozzle inserts fairly deep into the ear canal and when worn cable-up, the ear hooks do not put much stress or weight onto the ears.





SOUND QUALITY

Unlike the Pinnacle P1 which takes a neutral sound signature, the PX takes on a U-shaped sound signature. Soundstage is not particularly wide due to the body in the lower frequencies, but instrumental separation is good and different instruments can be clearly heard.

Bass


In the bass department, the PX has more sub-bass than mid-bass and that sub-bass rumble does not extend very low as it rolls-off early. As such, bassy tracks do not feel that powerful and immersive. The mid-bass, however, is tight and bodied and it does not bleed into the mids, thus, it does not sound overly boomy and does not muddy the mids.


Mids

Mids are only slightly recessed and the elevated treble helps to bring out an airy soundstage in the mids. The mids are well bodied but are not particularly engaging, so the PX is definitely not for vocal or guitar lovers. Shame. Upper-mids are more pleasing than lower-mids as it is heightened by the treble emphasis.


Treble


Treble is clear and bright, while not appearing shrill or piercing, although it might appear sibilant to some listeners, especially in the 5 – 7 kHz range. The treble peaks in the low-trebles, then gently roll off. The roll off is gentle enough to still retain high-treble detail. That said, treble extension is still great for the given price point.




PAIRING


Sources


This is where the PX falls short, in terms of compatibility at least. 50 ohms – that is pretty big when trying to pair this IEM with your average smartphone. On the iPhone 7 that I paired with, the PX is incapable of reaching satisfactory listening levels. With an amp, however, dynamics and details really start to shine through.

The U-shaped sound signature of the Pinnacle PX pairs best with U-shaped, warm or neutral sources




CONCLUSION

This is an impressive IEM with a good price to performance ratio. Sound and build quality is more than satisfactory and would shine as an everyday carry IEM, provided you are fine with lugging an extra portable amp with you. We recommend switching out the stock OFC cable for a high quality, lower resistance third-party MMCX cable as the stock one does carry a relatively high resistance. Listening volumes may be able to be improved by doing this. If you have the equipment to run these and are on a tight budget, this is a relatively good IEM to consider with little more to be desired for an IEM at this price point.

Do check out our WordPress site at https://thelittleaudiophile.wordpress.com/ for more reviews!

Specifications:

Driver: 1 x Balanced Armature

Impedance: 18 ohms

Frequency response: 20 – 20,000 Hz

Sensitivity: 107 dB

Connector: 0.78 mm 2-pin

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated to Jomo in any way and do not benefit monetarily or in any other form for writing this review. I purchased this in-ear monitor with my own resources and I am simply giving my honest review of the product!

Review by: “Gloryrain” from The Little Audiophile

Jomo Haka CIEM Retail Price (at time of writing): Starting from S$599

TLA Score
Physical Attributes
Comfort: 9/10
Durability: 9/10
Ease of Wearing: 7/10
Noise Isolation: 9.5/10
Microphonics: 8/10
Value for Money: 8/10

Sonic Attributes
Bass: 8/10
Mids: 7/10
Trebles: 7/10
Sound Stage: 6/10
Separation & Imaging: 7/10
Source Matchability: 6/10



The Jomo Haka is a single balanced armature driver IEM available in Universal IEM (UIEM) or Custom IEM (CIEM) form. For the purpose of this review, we will be looking at the CIEM version of the Haka. The Haka comes in at S$599 and $499 for the base model of the CIEM and UIEM respectively. These IEMs are not cheap by any means so they’d better deliver in performance and build quality. But do they?

THE BOX
The Haka comes in a minimalistic black box with the words “HAKA” and “In-Ear monitors” on the front. Very simple, but I really dig the design – it just screams professionalism.

Open up the box and you will find a warranty card, an aluminum case to house your IEM and lastly, the IEM itself. Do note that you do not get ear tips for the CIEM version of the Haka as there is no need for those.



BUILD AND DESIGN
Housing
The Haka is housed in a very well made glossy finished acrylic shell which I have no complaints about. The golden “Gloryrain” logo is precision laser engraved into the shell and looks absolutely stunning. The housing does have some heft to it and the build quality is really commendable.



Wire
The stock wire that comes with the Haka is a 4-core Silver Plated Copper (SPC) wire which is really just decent. I am not saying that the cable is bad or of poor quality but it is unremarkable for the Haka’s price point. The cable is machine braided and the braiding is tight. The 3.5 mm jack is solid with a decent enough strain relief system and the connector terminates into a 0.78 mm connector on the other end.



COMFORT
Comfort on the Jomo Haka CIEM is no doubt fantastic, considering it is, after all, a custom. The acrylic nozzle does not put excessive pressure on the inner ear and fits snug as a pug. There is, however, some heat build up after an extended listening period, but nothing too extreme or uncomfortable.



SOUND QUALITY
Okay. The Haka IEM is tuned in favor of musicality as opposed to technicality. It takes on the U-shaped sound signature that leans towards the warmer side and takes on a smooth and relaxed tonality.

The soundstage on the Haka is not particularly wide, due to the tight seal and heightened amount of body in the bass and lower mids. Do not expect “live-like” tracks representation. Instrumental separation is also just average and you do not get a distinct sense of separation between guitars and the percussion. Be advised that the soundstage and instrumental separation is by no means bad, it just hits slightly above its price range.

Vocals take a nice mid-presentation while instruments take on a more frontal presentation. Once again, soundstage is not especially wide but is good enough for the price.





Bass
In the Haka, there is more sub-bass body than mid-bass body. Bass extension is quite good and mid-bass leans towards the tighter side of the spectrum. Bass takes on a relaxed presentation but has a tinge of aggression to it. The bass profile on the Haka actually helps bring out warmth in the sound signature.

Mids
As mentioned, the Haka carries a U-shaped sound signature which means that the mid profile will be slightly recessed or laid back. Male vocals are thick, especially in the lower frequencies while female vocals take on a leaner approach as compared to male vocals. The upper and lower-mids are more forward than the mids (the mid-mids if that makes sense). Overall, the mids are well detailed and is good for the price.

Trebles
The trebbies are just slightly rolled off such that it is not fatiguing to listen to for long sessions and can be considered laid back. Also, with the rolled off treble, the IEM leans toward being musical instead of analytical. This is not a bright sounding IEM y any means and may not have enough treble for some.

I personally would have preferred slightly more treble emphasis to show more details, especially in the mids and upper-mids regions as that is where the prominent frequencies of acoustic music.

Pairing
Cable
The Haka uses a detachable cable, thus cable rolling is a possibility. I found that the Haka pairs well with “treble-forwarding” cables, namely SPC and silver cables.

Source
The Haka uses a BA driver and is quite sensitive and can be easily driven off a phone. In my testing, I have used an AAW Accessport driven off an iPhone 7+ and only had the volume turned to 4 out of the 16 steps.

Conclusion
In conclusion, the Jomo Haka is a good value for money CIEM. The slightly laid-back treble is very easy to listen to for longer sessions. If you are looking for a stage or studio monitor, these CIEM is probably not for you due to its U-shaped sound signature and rolled off trebles. It definitely fits better than all the universal IEMs I have owned as the seal here is near perfect so noise isolation and comfort is settled.

However, if you are interested in getting yourself an entry level custom, the Haka is a good place to start. I highly recommend you audition the Jomo Haka universal IEM to get a feel of how the CIEM version would sound like however.

Do check out our WordPress site at https://thelittleaudiophile.wordpress.com/ for more reviews!
Links: Jomo Audio

SPECIFICATIONS:

Input/Output: 3.5 mm Input and Output, 2.5 mm Balanced Output, Digital In (USB/OTG DAC)

DAC Chip: Single AKM4452

Amplifier Chip: OPA1662 (low-pass) and OPA926

Max supported sampling rate: Up to 384kHz/32bit PCM and DSD256

Output Impedance: <1.2 ohms (3.5mm out) and <2 ohms (2.5mm balanced out)

For more technical information, click here: Fiio Q1 Mark II full specifications

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated to Fiio in any way and do not benefit monetarily or in any other form for writing this review. I purchased this DAC/Amp with my own resources and I am simply giving my honest review of the product!

Review by: “Charlie” from The Little Audiophile

Fiio Q1MkII Retail Price (at time of writing): S$179

Fiio Q1MkII… where do I start? Alright, this little DAC/AMP is small in stature but is not exactly small in sound. No doubt it would not beat something like the Q5 – a TOTL DAC/AMP from Fiio, which is priced at slightly over S$500 here in Singapore. But at a fraction of the cost, the Q1MkII definitely punches well above the price Fiio is commanding. Why? Read on to find out.

THE BOX
The product comes in a pretty standard white box. Inside, you’ll find an interconnect (IC), a lightning to micro USB cable, 2 sets of stacking bands (normal and large sizes) and 1 stacking pad. Note the rubber feet on the Q1MkII are not included in the package. I installed them myself.



BUILD AND DESIGN
Volume knob
The Q1MkII employs a digitally-stepped volume adjustment which is supposed to mitigate problems of channel imbalance. Though I am unable to confirm if this it actually works on paper, I can tell you that there is no audible channel imbalance.

Also, when you turn the volume up or down when the music is playing, you can actually hear very soft “clicking” sounds (maybe about 10 to 15 dB) due to the digital volume adjustment at work. There will be no “clicking” sounds when you are not turning the volume knob. Just something to take note of.

Nonetheless, the volume knob is very solid and the motion is very smooth, though it feels slightly weighted.



Gain Switch
The high gain switch on the Q1MkII does not give a very big volume increase from the low gain in my experience. However, the low gain is already decently powerful. Fiio’s website did state that the delta of the volume between low and high gain is 5.7 dB for 3.5 mm out and 5.9 dB for 2.5 mm Balanced out.

One thing worth mentioning is that the Amp is reasonably clean of background noise, even on high gain. When turning the pot up to the max, I did not notice much (or any) background noise or amplifier hiss.

To put things into perspective, the Fiio A3 will start to display a little bit of background noise when the pot is turned up to an 8 or 9, even on low gain. (Sidetrack) In its defense, the A3’s noise is only really noticeable when no music is being played or on parts of the track where volumes are low.

Bass Boost
The bass boost function on the Q1MkII is a real question of hit or miss. Polar opposites. On bassy, or just moderately bassy headphones or IEMs, you might wanna turn this “fun switch” off as does hit you will a substantial amount of mid + sub-bass. Six decibels, according to Fiio, is how much more bass you would get. That is substantial.

This bass boost extends all the way from 20Hz to 100Hz, before gradually falling off. However, 125 Hz to 250 Hz is the range where vocals get their body. This means that by adding this addition bass, you could potentially over thicken/muddy the vocals. I personally keep the bass boost off unless I really want that extra kick.

With the bass boost off, the bass might not be weighty or impactful enough for some. However, this bass is polite and decays fast, so I am perfectly fine with it.



Usability and Compatibility
Apple Devices
This DAC/Amp is honestly really easy to use. For Android or Apple devices, it is usually plug and play. I am no Apple user, but I would believe that the Q1MkII would most probably work with most or if not all of the more recent Apple devices. Do note that the Q1MkII will not drain the battery of your Apple smartphone and will use its own battery power instead.

Android Devices
With Android phones, however, you should do some research to verify if your device is capable of isochronous data transfer. Most recent Android devices would support USB OTG, but not all devices support isochronous data transfer which is required for an OTG DAC’s media playback(ability) to work. In such cases, your smartphone might have issues with connection, audio playback or it might just straight up not detect your external DAC/Amp, the Q1MkII included.

I have found a website which might give you some insights into whether your smartphone is capable of using external DAC/Amps. Links will be all the way at the bottom.

Another issue with non-rooted Android phones is that when the Q1MkII is plugged into an Android phone, 99% of Android phones will start charging up the Q1MkII immediately (the Q1MkII’s indicator light will show up purple or red if so) and thus, it will quickly drain the battery of your Android smartphone. There is a workaround though. By fully charging your Q1MkII before you connect it to your smartphone will mean that there is a lesser potential difference in voltage between the battery of your smartphone and the battery of the Q1MkII. This will result in a significantly slower battery drain of your Android smartphone. In fact, the indicator light on the Q1MkII should show up as blue now, meaning there is no/negligible discharge of power from your Android phone’s battery into your DAC’s battery.

Windows Computer
On a Windows laptop or desktop, a driver needs to be installed before you can use the device as a DAC. Drivers are available on Fiio’s website. After installing the Q1MkII drivers, you will need to head over to the Sounds option and set your default playback device to the Q1MkII. Don’t worry… if you do ever need to disconnect your Q1MkII from your PC, just turn it off and unplug the device. Sounds and playback functions will automatically revert back to using the PC’s internal DAC until you finally plug-in and turn on the Q1MkII again.

I have slaved my Q1MkII to my laptop many times without it failing or glitching on me once, so yes, it works very well with Windows.

Connectivity and Features
This DAC has provisions for 3.5 mm and 2.5 mm outputs, a 3.5 mm input and a digital-in for USB/OTG DAC functionality. However, it does lack Bluetooth or any wireless functions and it does not have a Charge/ Do Not Charge function as seen in the previous generation Fiio Q1.

Overall Finish
The Q1MkII is finished off in an anodized all metal case which supposedly helps to shield the internal components from electromagnetic interference or EMF in short. I would believe this claim as again, compared to the Fiio A3, my IEMs pick up a lot of EMF or RF noise from the A3 (as the IEM would act as an antenna) when it is stacked directly behind a smartphone, with the only remedy being that I switch my smartphone to airplane mode.

The Fiio Q1MkII does NOT have this problem when stacked in the similar configuration and no EMF or RF noise was picked up by my IEMs so kudos to Fiio for this.

Away from all these technical stuff, the Q1MkII’s plugs and switches are very well made and the quality control was superb. Two gripes that I have about the Q1MkII is that the audio jacks require quite some force to plug in or out as they are quite tight. I would believe that they would become less tight after time though, but not in a bad way.

The other gripe is that the “Bass” and “Gain” wordings are just plain illegible in poorer lighting conditions. It is literally grey on black. Sure it looks sleeker with the dark colours but practicality wise, meh. White text would have been perfect.

SOUND QUALITY
As DAC
The Fiio Q1MkII is more musical than it is technical. Music and especially vocals sound so natural with this DAC as this little bugger takes on a somewhat neutral to a very slightly warm sound signature. As such, I feel that this DAC does not tarnish the natural sound signature of the IEM itself by adding unwanted bloat at the wrong frequencies.

I wouldn’t say that the DAC is particularly detailed or quick, but it does seem to gel well with most decent IEMs.

Take the Fatfreq Eden for example. I absolutely loved the pairing. It went full on musicality with just a sprinkle of technicality and it sounded amazing. So basically, the Q1MkII carries a smooth, easily likeable sound signature.

If you are looking for a reference sounding source, however, you are unfortunately better off looking somewhere else.

As Amplifier
As an Amplifier, the Q1MkII is no slouch either. This amp tends to add mid-bass and lower-mid warmth to music. In my experience, using this device as an amp can actually change the overall sound signature quite substantially (also considering the source’s sound signature) and that different sources would yield different results. Thus I am unable to comment too much on this setup.

However, as mentioned above, the amp is noticeably clean with little to no noise.



Conclusion
The Q1MkII is no doubt a relatively inexpensive amp, compared to many other DAC/Amps on the market. But for this amount of money you are paying, this product really does delivers in spades. I have seen users pairing this device with $500+ IEMs and they did not feel that the Q1MkII was bottlenecking their high-end IEMs, or that the bottleneck was just too subtle to tell.

This device is also built very well, even if it cost twice or thrice as much. Well done Fiio for the choice of materials here. Everything seems well finished with no rough edges or imperfections in manufacturing.

However, for the price of the Q1MkII, there are definitely some corners that Fiio had to cut in terms of features, such as the lack of Bluetooth connectivity, Charge/No charge switch, etc. Nonetheless, this is still a really great product from Fiio.

Do check out our WordPress site at https://thelittleaudiophile.wordpress.com/ for more reviews!

Android Device Compatibility List
Another Disclaimer: I am not 100% certain if the list is only applicable to Android devices with Extreamsd products installed, or for Android devices on its own. Please do more research on your own pertaining to the Fiio Q1MkII’s compatibility with your specific Android devices!

The compatibility list is from the website Extreamsd.com:
http://www.extreamsd.com/index.php/technology/usb-audio-driver

SPECIFICATIONS:
Driver: 1 x Dynamic Driver + 2 x Balanced Armature

Impedance: 22 ohms

Frequency response: 10 – 40,000 Hz

Sensitivity: 107 dB

Connector: 0.75 mm 2-pin

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated to Knowledge Zenith in any way and do not benefit monetarily or in any other form for writing this review. I purchased this in-ear monitor with my own resources and I am simply giving my honest review of the product!
Review by: “Charlie” from The Little Audiophile

TLA Score
Physical Attributes
Comfort: 7/10
Durability: 5/10
Ease of Wearing: 7/10
Noise Isolation: 7/10
Microphonics: 3/10
Value for Money: 9.5/10

Sonic Attributes
Bass: 8/10
Mids: 7/10
Trebles: 8/10
Sound Stage: 8/10
Separation & Imaging: 7/10
Source Matchability: 8/10

Oh another day, another review…

Knowledge Kenith – a brand more popularly known as KZ. They make a ton of products such as the well-received ZS6, ZST and ZS3 just to name a few. KZ is well known for manufacturing hardware that boast an impressive price to performance ratio. Their new 5-driver IEM, the ZS10 for example, comes in at a palatable SGD 60.10 (USD 44.16) on their official web-store on Aliexpress.

Coming back to the IEM in question today, the ZSR comes in at an even more accessible SGD 37.95 (USD 27.90) on Aliexpress. With its 3 driver configuration, how does this IEM actually fair?

THE BOX


The ZSR comes in an unassuming small white box. Nothing fancy at all, but yet again, the simple packaging would in turn result in a cheaper production cost, right? Inside you will find the ZSR itself along with 3 sets of ear tip sizes – small, medium (pre-installed) and large.



The unboxing experience was a little fumbly as I had some trouble removing the earphone form its slot. No risk of damaging the IEM in this process though. Other than that, the unboxing process was just pretty average…

BUILD AND DESIGN
Housing
I got my KZ ZSR in transparent green and in this colour, you can see all of the internal drivers and wiring. There is quite a substantial gap in between the face plate and dynamic driver sitting inside, which leads me to question why the housing had to be so unnecessarily large.



The plastic used is not particularly high quality either. Tapping the shell with my fingernail, I could hear that the plastic was not very thick. Yes, I know it sounds weird, but you know what I mean. Under normal use, this IEM’s structural will not fail you but I am not confident that this IEM would survive a drop from anything higher than waist level.

Bottom line – just don’t drop these (or any other IEM for that matter).

Wire
The wire, oh my lord the damn wire… this is the part that I really dislike (maybe even hate) most about the IEM. It is made of rubber. Not just rubber. But a grippy, springy tangle prone kind of rubber. It is sufficiently long at approximately 1.3 m and you do get an in-line mic however.



The Y-split is not particularly robust either and looks like it could be a potential weak point of the cable. The 3.5 mm jack looks decently built though.





The good thing about the ZSR is that it comes with a detachable cable, which means cable rolling is sort of a possibility. Why is it “sort of a possibility” you might ask… well, the connector that KZ decided to go with is 0.75 mm, which means the much more common 0.78 mm 2-pin connectors might not work with this IEM and may stress the female connectors if you do manage to plug them in.



Then there is the question of polarity, which I, unfortunately, am not able to confirm if the polarity is indeed reversed. KZ does make their own upgrade cables so I would highly recommend using those instead.



COMFORT
Remember the iBasso IT03 that we reviewed previously? The ZSR is very much like those in terms of the shell design (and internals too, as they both sport the same driver configuration). Hmmm *squints eye and looks rubs chin suspiciously…* Anyways, with the shell looking so similar to that of the IT03, you would expect the comfort level to be pretty identical right? Right.

The ZSR is a comfortable pair of IEM. The nozzle, though a little on the wider side, fits me very well and the provided Starline tips allow for a deeper insertion and therefore isolation is quite above average while not putting uncomfortable amounts of stress on your ear canals. Do note that with the Starline tips, repeated insertions and pull-outs (over a short time span) can easily result in a sore inner ear.



The protrusion for the concha is not as deep as that found on the IT03, thus it should fit most people’s ears better.

SOUND QUALITY
Many mid to high end IEMs cost well into the hundreds or thousands, but not everyone is willing to invest so much into an equipment as such for a good sound. So, how does the KZ ZSR perform in terms of sonic performance? Not bad actually… especially for what you are paying.

Now onto the sound…

Sound Signature
The ZSR no doubt is tuned for a U-shaped, balanced sound signature with slightly more treble emphasis somewhere in the 7 kHz to 12 kHz range than bass. The ZSR is more musical than technical. It is quite detailed for the price though.

Sound Stage and Imaging
The polite bass response on the ZSR helps to widen the soundstage and frankly, the soundstage is quite wide even by “audiophile” standards. Imaging however is a little messy, due to the poorer separation between instruments. I was unable to pinpoint the position where each instrument was playing from in almost every track.

Bass
Bass on the ZSR is quite tight or controlled and there is more mid-bass than sub-bass. That mid-bass does muddy the lower-mids a little, however.

Sub-bass extension is delightful. It is deep such that I was able to actually hear the sub-bass rumble, though this rumble is not particularly weighty.

Mids
The mids on the ZSR is slightly recessed and takes on a relaxed presentation. Vocals are decently articulate and sound relatively smooth, though it does not take the frontal presentation in music and is not very intimate.

String instruments do not sound in your face and actually has a good timbre to it. Guitars, for example, do not sound overly emphasized and sit very nicely with the rest of the music.

Treble
The trebles are pretty detailed for the price. They are also quite forgiving and will not highlight poor mastering too aggressively.

The trebles were noticeably peaky in the 7 kHz to 12 kHz range and were quite harsh and sibilant. Diana Krall’s “Desperado” was not enjoyable to listen to with this IEM as the “S” consonants are just way too pronounced and is quite fatiguing to listen to. Skrillex’s “Bangarang” is another perfect example of how the trebles are just way too sharp.

Overall, I did not like the treble response on the ZSR, though at the price I should not be complaining.



PAIRING
Alternative Ear Tips
Foam Tips
I found that foam tips paired well with this IEM as it helps to enhance the bass response while smoothing out some of the sharp trebles



Source
The ZSR is very easy to run and does not require a lot of power to reach its full potential.

I found that a warm or V-shaped sound signature pairs well with the ZSR. It brings out the musicality in tracks. I was testing this IEM with the V-shaped sounding Sony Xperia XA1 on the go and I actually quite enjoyed myself with this combo.

CONCLUSION
The KZ ZSR is no doubt a fantastic IEM in terms of Price to Performance Ratio. For the money, I personally have not heard of any other IEM that performs quite as well as these in the under $50 price bracket, less the Advanced S2000 and Xiaomi In Ear PRO HD.

With a fair build quality, removable cable and a decently balanced sound, these IEM are easy to recommend to anyone who is on a tight budget. If you prefer an even more balanced sound, however, I would recommend the Advanced S2000. Though it does cost a tad bit more, I feel it is worth even extra penny.

If you are decided on getting the ZSR, I would highly recommend picking up the KZ OFC cable and try them with foam ear tips. Well, I guess this is it for now. Stay safe and I’ll see you in the next review!

Do check out our WordPress site at https://thelittleaudiophile.wordpress.com/ for more reviews!

Specifications:

Driver: 2x Dynamic Driver + 1x Balanced Armature Driver

Impedance: 32 ohms

Frequency response: 20 – 40,000 Hz

Sensitivity: 98 dB

Connector: Non-detachable

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated to Xiaomi in any way and do not benefit monetarily or in any other form for writing this review. I purchased this in-ear monitor with my own resources and I am simply giving my honest review of the product!

Review by: “Charlie” from The Little Audiophile

Xiaomi In-Ear Headphones PRO HD Retail Price (at time of writing): S$39

TLA Score
Physical Attributes
Comfort: 9/10
Durability: 7/10
Ease of Wearing: 9/10
Noise Isolation: 5/10
Microphonics: 7/10
Value for Money: 9/10

Sonic Attributes
Bass: 4/10
Mids: 5/10
Trebles: 6/10
Sound Stage: 5/10
Separation & Imaging: 7/10
Source Matchability: 8/10

Xiaomi In-Ear Headphones PRO HD – That’s what Xiaomi decided to call this thing. *Shakes head* I’ll just call this the PRO HD from now on as y’all will go nuts reading “Xiaomi In-Ear HHHeadpphoneeeess PPPPRRRRROOO HHHDDEEEE” over and over again. So, you’re welcome.

These retail for just under S$40 (US$30) and this price range is where most budget earphones are found.

THE BOX
The packaging is extremely simple. A White box with a picture of the IEM on the front, “Mi” logos on the sides, and specifications on the back.



Open the slide cover and you will be greeted by a plastic case with a clear lid which houses the IEM with the M-sized tips attached and 3 pairs of extra ear tips. Below this box, you will find another white box which houses the soft carrying pouch. But for S$40, I’m can’t ask for more.





Do bear in mind, the provided case is impractical to use in the long run. Inside this plastic case, you will find this soft-touch rubber cable management thingy which 99% of you will not use as it is just too leceh (Malay for Troublesome) to keep coiling your cable everytime you are stowing this IEM away.

If you decide to not use the rubber insert, it would expose the extra ear tip compartment, which has spikes to hold the tips in place. I am pretty sure it is not a good idea to put your earphones in there.



TL;DR just use the provided carry pouch…

BUILD AND DESIGN
Housing
The Xiao… I mean PRO HD is housed in a, get this – TiTAnIuM hOuSinG. I don’t know how Xiaomi is able to use such premium materials in something of this price honestly, but good choice of materials here. Overall, the housing is very light and does not weigh down on the ears. This earphone is only available in brushed metal silver.



I should say that throughout my 1 year plus of owning this earphone, and using them for sports, outdoor wear and even sleeping with them on, this earphone held up and is still going strong. Durability has been tested by yours truly *wink*.

I do not like the nozzle on the PRO HD. The ear tip stopper is not wide enough and the ear tip would tend to slip too far down the nozzle. The bore is Comply T400 sized and is fairly short, so comfort should not be a problem for most people. Opinions if any



Cable
The wire is 1.25 m long which is standard and the material Xiaomi opted for here is some kind of soft rubber which is very springy and I am not a fan of. However, it is not as bad as the one on the KZ ZSR‘s. Thank god that thing has a removable cable. Talking about removable cables, the PRO HD does not have one, so in the event that your cable does fail or break, then it will be time for a new earphone.

The PRO HD cable is very supple and flexible. Do note that there is no chin cinch on the cable if this is a deal-breaker for you. There is, however, a 3-button remote + microphone, which supports Android in-line functions for play-pause/call and volume up and down.



COMFORT
Comfort wise, these earphones are very comfortable to wear for long hours at a time. I found no pressure points in my ears and there was minimal heat build up too. The short nozzle also helped to prevent any abrasion or rubbing in your ear canal.

However, the stock ear tips are absolute garbage. Initially, I thought it was just me until I had 2 other friends who complained that the stock tips did not work for them either and were just atrocious when it comes to giving a proper seal and fit.



As such, noise isolation is just very poor. In fact, I could not even do a proper sound quality evaluation because of the poor fit and seal. As such, I had no choice but to use a third party ear tip to evaluate the sound quality. The ear tips I opted for was, you guessed it! The Final Audio Type E ear tips. In my experience, these ear tips change the sound signature of IEMs the least, so that I can be as objective as possible in this review. Unfortunately, even with a proper fit with these tips, the seal is quite airy and isolation is only average.

SOUND QUALITY
Note: Sound Quality was tested on my Huawei Nova 2i with AKM4376A DAC.

I chose to test this earphone with a normal smartphone with a decent enough DAC, as most users would not be buying a dedicated player or DAC to pair with this inexpensive earphone anyways.

I’ve ever owned some of the earlier Xiaomi earphones that cost less than the PRO HD that we are reviewing today. I can say that though the PRO HD is not perfect, I have to say that Xiaomi has come a long way in its earphone development. I would say that this product is strong in certain areas and weak in others. But for S$40, I’d say these are worth the purchase.

This earphone houses 2 dynamic drivers. Smells like it needs some burn-in doesn’t it? Yes. It does. A lot of it. I don’t remember exactly how much time I have put into the burn-in process, but I believe it is somewhere close to 200 hours. That’s pretty loco.

Pre-burn-in, the PRO HD had unbearable sibilance. It was just through the roof! In my self-declared sibilance test song “New Face” by Psy, every “s” sound was so prominent and pronounced that it was just a torture to listen to.

Post-burn-in, the sibilance has lessened but is nowhere near eradicated.

Soundstage, Separation and Imaging
The soundstage on the PRO HD was not very wide and lacked depth, width and height perception. Instrumental and vocal separation is decent for the price.

Vocals are flat in my opinion, and it somehow does not gel particularly well with instruments. It gives the perception that acoustic guitars and cymbals take a frontal presentation, while other instruments (especially drums) and vocals are positioned to the back.

Sound Signature
Sound signature? No question. These earphones are really bright. Despite the crazy amount of sibilance, the PRO HD is actually very detailed. I was able to pick out most of the minute details in tracks that I know well. However, paired with the substantially recessed bass, the PRO HD just does not sound full or weighty. Thus, overall, I just cannot say this is a resolving earphone because it lacks bass and lower-mid quantity and texture.

I would also, therefore, only recommend this earphone for acoustic, jazz or other down-tempo, lower energy music because of the sound signature.

Bass
This is undoubtedly the most disappointing part of this earphone. Bass hits are so recessed that it hits with no impact or authority. I actually visualize a half-hearted punch when I say this. Sub-bass wise, I did manage to make out a hint of sub-bass on certain bassier tracks, but that is as far as it would go for sub-bass response.

Mid-bass is slightly more audible, but again has no weight or punch to it. The note decay is also not quick. The best way to describe the bass is lethargic and sluggish.

Mids
The mids are flat and quite boring if I must be honest. Though vocals are not recessed, they lack the energy that makes them engaging or intimate. On quieter sections of the track, vocals sound too soft and can get masked by the trebles. On more complex tracks, vocals have the potential to get lost in the mix.

String instruments, especially guitar strums are pretty crunchy, especially on acoustic genres. However, just like the vocals, they can get overpowered by the trebles if the track is complex.

Trebles
The treble region is where the greatest strength and weakness of the PRO HD is found.

The good – The PRO HD is really bright and has great treble detail for the price. If you are looking for bright sounding earphones for under S$50, these are worth a look.

Now comes the bad. As far as these earphones are bright, they are not able to bring out the vocal detail and texture as the mids are just too recessed. Also, I feel that there is a substantial peak somewhere near the 10kHz range which makes the trebles downright sharp and piercing on tracks with larger treble presence.

PAIRING
Select Alternative Ear tips
I totally do not recommend the stock ear tips. Of all the people I know who has owned or owns this earphone, their number 1 complain is that these ear tips do not even give a proper seal and fit.



Although this test was conducted with the Final Audio Type E ear tips, I would personally recommend KZ Starline ear tips. They seem to elevate the bass response slightly while making the mid-bass less splashy. Sibilance is still hanging around though.

SELECT COMPARISONS
Note: All prices stated were at the time of writing.

PRO HD Vs Advanced S2000 (S$68)
These 2 earphones are of completely different sound signatures and though the price of the Advanced S2000 is a little higher, I feel you are getting a more balanced sound signature with the S2000.

The Advanced S2000 unquestionably has a V-shaped sound signature. It has a punchy bass and sub-bass extension is decent. Mids are not very recessed, but vocals do sound a little nasally. Treble rolls-off a little early i.e. the extension isn’t very good. Not much sibilance is exhibited in the S2000 and is in-turn less fatiguing to listen to for longer listening sessions.

The PRO HD has way less bass than the S2000. Vocals on the PRO HD are less nasally but are more recessed as a whole, because of the insane trebles. Talking about trebles, the PRO HD is no doubt the more detailed of the two but is also the (much) more sibilant.

The PRO HD is more well built than the plastic-housing S2000. The S2000’s cable is way cooler as it is braided and it also feels stronger as compared to the PRO HD’s cable.

If you are keen on trying out the Advanced S2000, you can actually go have a listen to them at Zeppelin & Co. located at Sim Lim Square, #02-78.

PRO HD Vs KZ ZSR (S$37)
The KZ ZSR has a U-shaped sound, but with more treble emphasis than bass. the bass is definitely punchier and weightier than that of the PRO HD and the mids are also recessed, but not as much as on the Xiaomi. Vocals are clear and articulate, though slightly lean. Trebles are sibilant, but it isn’t as bad as that of the Xiaomi. Overall, it is just a more balanced sound signature.

The overall build quality of the ZSR is worst than the PRO HD with it’s all plastic build which does creak a little if you press on the shell, but for the cable, it does come with a 2-pin 0.75 mm removable cable.

CONCLUSION
The PRO HD is an inexpensive earphone for the budget conscious listener. It does have it’s strong points, but there are also glaring weaknesses which could ruin the overall listening experience. If you are treble or sibilance sensitive, this earphone is definitely not for you.

Personally, I would fork out a little more ka-ching just to get a more balanced sounding earphone. The S2000 for one is a great option. However, if you strictly have to keep within your budget of S$50, I would highly recommend checking out KZ products (links to the KZ website will be below).

I do feel that Xiaomi has come a long way in developing their earphone lineup. Build quality is fantastic for the price, but sound signature wise, it just won’t please everyone.

To end off, if a bright sound signature is your thing, sure give these a shot. But if you are looking for a more balanced sound, there are many other brands offering this sound signature, possibly even for a lower price.

Do check out our WordPress site at https://thelittleaudiophile.wordpress.com/ for more reviews!

SPECIFICATIONS:

Driver: 2 x Balanced Armature + 1 x Dynamic Driver

Impedance: 8 ohms

Frequency response: 10 – 30,000 Hz

Sensitivity: 105 dB

Connector: MMCX

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated to iBasso in any way and do not benefit monetarily or in any other form for writing this review. I purchased this in-ear monitor with my own resources and I am simply giving my honest review of the product!
Review by: “Charlie” from The Little Audiophile

iBasso IT03 Recommended Retail Price (at time of writing): S$379

TLA Score
Physical Attributes
Comfort: 9/10
Durability: 9/10
Ease of Wearing: 7/10
Noise Isolation: 9/10
Microphonics: 8/10
Value for Money: 8/10

Sonic Attributes
Bass: 8/10
Mids: 7/10
Trebles: 8/10
Sound Stage: 9/10
Separation & Imaging: 8/10
Source Matchability: 6/10

iBasso is a brand name that needs no introduction in the audio enthusiast realm. The DX200 and DX80 DAPs are just some of the popular products under iBasso’s belt, to name a couple. With all these experience in this market, iBasso ventured out and developed their first IEM – the iBasso IT03. Subsequently, iBasso released the IT01 soon after and the IT04 is hitting the stores (in Singapore at least) really soon.

Coming back to the topic, I purchased the IT03 from Zeppelin & Co.located inside Sim Lim Square and I have been evaluating this IEM ever since. With the launch of the IT04, I think it would be great to touch base and talk about the IT03 for a bit. So, for my humble opinions on the IT03, do read on!

THE BOX
If there is one thing that iBasso really knows about the packaging is that first impressions count. I must say, for the price the IT03 is one of the most professionally packaged IEM I have encountered. It is minimalistic yet practical. The box on the iBasso is slightly on the larger size for an IEM. It has the typical picture of the IEM in the front, some specs and relevant information on the sides. Nothing out of the ordinary.



Slide away the white shroud thingy, it reveals the all-black box with houses all the goodies you paid for. Open the magnetic flip black box and you are greeted with a frequency response graph and the obsidian black IT03 on the top shelf. On the bottom shelf, you will find the genuine leather (GENUINE, MIND YOU!) carrying case, along with a ton of ear tips and a warranty card.



Personally, I think the inclusion of the frequency response graph is a good way of advising the listener on what sound signature to expect from the IEM. However, I would have preferred it if iBasso included the frequency response chart with the different tips attached while having the measurements available on their website instead (the IT03 measurements charts are not available on iBasso’s official website). I know this is sitting on the lines of nit-picking and it is what sounds best to the individual user that really matters, but having solid data and measurements is always good nonetheless.



IEM Case
One thing I need to address is that the provided IEM case is just so stupidly small, I can barely fit the IT03 into the leather case. I like the genuine leather case provided, but unfortunately, it just cannot fulfil its intended purpose.



BUILD AND DESIGN
Housing
Just like all of iBasso’s DAPs, they did not cheap out on their IEM line of products and the IT03 is built really well and the design is very robust. I trust this IEM would survive the abuse of being an everyday carry.

The shell is made of a high-quality plastic that is only available in the obsidian black colour, unlike the funky little brother, the IT01, which is available in all black, or red and blue (for the right and left housing respectively).



The MMCX female connector is secured well on the IT03 and I do not see them facing issues of the connector sinking into the shell over repeated plug-ins and outs. Also, the connector is of pretty good quality and would not dent or bend if the user takes decent care when cleaning or plugging or unplugging the cable.

Cable

The cable provided with the IT03 is a tightly braided 4-core Oxygen-Free Copper cable and is actually of pretty high quality in my opinion. It sports a very robust TRS 3.5mm jack and shroud, along with memory ear guides. Nothing fancy, but essential in the making of a good all rounder IEM. Do note that the provided cable does not come with an in-line microphone, though you will be able to switch third-party MMCX cables with an in-line mic.



I have found that the male MMCX connector on the provided cable has a slightly protruded shroud, in which you may not be able to use this cable with other IEMs.



COMFORT
The IT03 is shaped very much like how a Custom IEM would, less the nozzle region. There is a protrusion in the shell above the nozzle to fit into the concha of the ear. The bore of the nozzle is also substantial in size (like T400/T500 kind of size), though the shaft is not unnecessarily long.



The IT03 fit me well, though for some your mileage may vary. The protrusion for the concha and wide nozzle may not fit users with smaller ears. Anyways, in my experience, there was just a tad bit of heat build up over extended listening sessions (2+ hours) and the large nozzle was not fatiguing for my large ears for I am a good listener (hehe)! I will talk about tip selection regarding comfort in the later segments of the review.

SOUND QUALITY
Honestly, the IT03 did not impress me during my initial auditions at Zeppelin & Co. (on a side note, the staff at Zeppelin & Co. had been really awesome as I auditioned the IT03 many times over my visits to their shop because I was frankly undecided if I wanted to pick a pair up. Thank you for being so patient with me XD).

After trying the IT03 out for a little longer, I started to fall in love with them. Here’s why…

Pre – Burn In
Burn-in – do you believe in it?

Out of the box, the first thing you’d probably notice when you play your first track is “Damn… these IEMs are peaky and sharp as heck! In the Trebs! Damn… NID inducing” Well, I won’t lie, they really are. I was going through my albums and I came across the track “Do Something Good” by Zayn, which was a sibilance fest. The “S” consonants and cymbals we so pronounced that it literally just ruined the whole song.

Sub-bass was seismic and a tad bit loose. Though I do not really mind this as much as the peaky trebles, the raw sub-bass can get a little bit overbearing on bassy tracks.

Sound Stage and Imaging
Nonetheless, the soundstage is VERY wide. I’d say there is a greater sense of width than depth and height, however. There is this very cool almost “surround sound” effect where on one track (can’t remember which one though ), the soundstage was from my 7 o’clock to my 5 o’clock, and this isn’t even supposed to be a binaural track. With me being able to perceive the exact point where the sound is, it shows how accurate the imaging is on the IT03. In short, the wide soundstage coupled with excellent imaging makes a very immersive listening experience..



Post – Burn In
After about 100 hours of run-time, I can safely say that the peaky-ness has mostly resolved itself and the bass has tightened up a little bit. I revisited the song “Do Something Good” and found that the “essy” sibilance has lessened (not disappeared though).

Sound Signature
I found that the IT03 has a rather U-shaped, aggressive sound signature and has a higher treble presence than bass presence. The excellent, detailed treble response means that the IT03 is quite a resolving pair of IEM.

Soundstage and Imaging
Soundstage remains unchanged or that the changes are too minute for me to pick up, even after the 100-hour burn-in, so I shall not mention about it again.

Bass
The bass on the IT03 is fantastic. It has enough impact and has a fantastic extension to come off as energetic and full. There is slightly more audible sub-bass than mid-bass and does not muddy the mids in any way. I’d say bass-head should stay away from this IEM though as although the bass is energetic, it might be a little too quick and decays a little too fast for bass-philes.

Mids
The mids are no slouch either. I love how the vocals sound clean and uncongested, especially on live-recordings. For male vocals, I especially liked listening to Ed Sheeran’s “So” with this IEM as I could almost feel that he meant every word he sang.

Female vocals were again fantastic. “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman was a complete joy to listen to as could really “feel” the song and that I too really wanted to cross the border and (go) into the city to… I dunno… something.

However, with all these good things said about the vocals, I should say that the vocals are not (and nowhere near thick). They are slightly lean and therefore does not have the “chesty” kind of sound which occurs when there is a hump in the lower-mids.

String instruments were fast and engaging to listen to. Guitar plucks were very crispy and the fast decay does not smear the following note. The boost in the upper-mid range meant that guitars and especially acoustic tracks are something to ride home about.

Trebles
Smooth, analytical, revealing, sparkly. These are the words I’d use to describe the trebles. Trebles are forward so they do add details to the vocals and also expand the soundstage.

Do note that the IT03 will reveal nuances in poorly recorded tracks and can be fatiguing to listen to on such tracks. Other than that, trebles are lovely and extremely well detailed for the price.

PAIRING
Alternative Ear tips
Final Audio Type-E
I found that the Final Audio tips helped make the vocals more articulate while introducing some sibilance. It provides a great seal, though the insertion is not very deep.



Sony Hybrid
These tips helped make the IT03 sound a little fuller in the mids, while not introducing any sibilance into the tracks. I do not notice any difference in the bass response with these tips. Insertion, like the Final Audio tips, is not particularly deep.



KZ Starline
With the KZ Starline tips, you are as close to making the IT03 fit like a custom as you can get. The insertion is deeper than the Sony Hybrid or the Final Audio Type-E tips, but it does not feel abrasive or uncomfortable in the ear. These tips do, however, elevate the bass response a tad bit, especially in the mid-bass.



3rd Party Cable
I threw on an Infinity Audio Copper Litz Cable just to mute the trebles a little while forwarding the mids and bass a tad bit. I personally prefer this pairing as although the IT03 is no longer as analytical as with the stock cable, tracks just feel richer and more weighty.



Sources
I found that a warm sounding source compliments the U-shaped sounding IT03 the best. As such, the Astell & Kern AK Jr with Fiio Q1MKii slung as AMP was my choice of pairing over the Fiio Q1MKii as a DAC as the pairing, to simply put, lost all its charm. Really.

Also, do note that the IT03 shares the similar characteristic as most other multi-driver hybrids, which is that it needs a competently powerful source to be able to get the full performance out of this IEM. For example, I tried this IEM with my Sony Xperia XA1, which does not have a very powerful amplifier. The experience was just… Yuck. The sound presentation and dynamics just sounded off.



SELECT COMPARISONS
Note: All prices stated were at the time of writing.

IT03 Vs Shure SE535 LTD [S$729]

The Shure SE535 LTD is a fairly popular IEM and is relatively neutral. As such, I will use this as a baseline comparison with the IT03

The SE535 LTD is intended to be a stage monitor, thus the tuning is pretty flat. The sound signature is neutral to a slightly dark, with a rolled-off treble. The mids are flat and the bass is nowhere accentuated.

In comparison, the IT03 is more U-shaped. Bass on the IT03 has better impact and weight while mids sound a little leaner. Treble wise, the IT03 is brighter and more detailed, though definitely the more fatiguing of the two. Between the two, the IT03 is the one with the wider soundstage.

IT03 Vs IT01 [S$149]

Now, this has gotta be interesting. It’s sibling rivalry time. But unfortunately, not really. Despite sharing the IT0x name, they are vastly different in sound signature.

The IT01 has a balanced sound signature with lower-mid warmth. Bass is emphasized and is pleasantly weighty. Though the bass does not decay very quickly, it does not sound bloated or overbearing. As such, it is a very natural sounding bass. Mids are pretty smooth with warmth in the lower-mids, in which male vocals sound especially erm… “luscious”. Trebles are not accentuated and are very unintrusive. There is sufficient detail, though I would have preferred a slightly more forward treble. The soundstage on the IT01 is also decent with more width than height.

The IT03 has the more “audiophile” tuning of the two. The overall bass region is less thick and more agile. Mids are leaner than that of the IT01 but do seem more articulate. The IT03 is also very much brighter, more detailed and more prone to sibilance, with it’s BA driver working the trebles. Soundstage is much wider on the IT03 than on the IT01.

CONCLUSION
The iBasso IT03 is a fantastic IEM for the price. Not many other IEM manufacturers are able to deliver such performance at under S$400 and I truly believe that this IEM strikes well above its price range, especially when you have found the right pairing. If you do wish to pick one up, do audition it first as the fit might not be for you.

With a fantastic build quality and a ton of accessories, you do not need to worry about these breaking if you take adequate care of them. Also, I wanna say EXPERIMENT. Try the IT03 with different cables and different tips. See what you like and it will grow on you, as it has for me. That is all for now I guess… Thanks for reading and see you in the next one!

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