Many in Headfi forum complained about the sealing issue they encountered with this earphone and I somehow agree with them. It is true, the nozzle of S2000 is indeed short and the fit is shallow and loose. Obviously that is a problem; poor sealing leaks sound, reduces bass and causes the earphone to fall off.


Sound

Isolation is a problem for most people but how about the sound? The raison d’être of an earphone. Despite having poor sealing, S2000 does a lot of things right in the sound department. Having listened to higher end IEMs, I was not thrilled by the sound. The treble extension is great and so far I have yet to encounter any sibilance in the high. The bass quantity is adequate but not excessive. The low is above average and not boomy by dynamic driver standard. Mid is natural and forward, nothing unexpected for this price and earphone design. What surprised me the most is the soundstage, the stage is wide for an earphone of this size and the positioning is very accurate.



Soundwise, don't expect this earphone to better $200 earphones or even $100 earphones, that's just wishful... but I think the sounds quality came close to that of a $50 earphone. No doubt, it is full sounding when you achieve the appropriate fit for your ears. S2000 does not offer the details and finesse in sound of a multi-BA drivers UIEM and of course I will have to let that slide since it costs a mere $25, it is almost criminal to ask for more.

I noticed a hint of channel imbalance in my S2000. Maybe that is due to me not being able to position the earphone properly in my ears, or maybe it is just the unit I have but somehow I think the volume is slightly lower on the right channel.

-----------------------------



To me, audio and photography are two parallel worlds. Speaking in analogy: Balanced Armature or BA earphones have better resolution (megapixels in photo term, resolving power in audio) while Dynamic earphones have better dynamic range (ev stops in photography, frequency range in audio). If I can only own a pair of single driver earphones, I will not hesitate to go for single dynamic driver earphones. If I get to choose a pair of multi drivers earphones, then BA earphones become the obvious choice. The logic is simple, for untrained ears or casual listening, resolution is just not all that crucial. The same goes for photography, you can always get away with a smaller picture provided it is well exposed. Moving on, if an earphone is equipped with more than one driver, the multiple drivers are capable of covering a wider frequency range while retaining or improving on sound resolution, so multi-BA earphones usually offer an overall more enjoyable sound compared to their single dynamic driver counterparts. For that reason I think one should opt for BA earphone if they are going for a multiple driver setup and dynamic earphone if they are going for a simple single driver earphone.


Comfort

Due to the short nozzle design, S2000 fits loose in my ears, so as a result it is also quite comfortable to listen to for long. I think S2000 is by far the lightest over ears earphone I have reviewed and the lateral profile of the earphone is so narrow it hides behind my ears when I use it.



Since the earphone is so light, it might be a great earphone for runners or ladies (with smaller ear canals, no prejudice against women here). I have seen S2000 dropped in Massdrop early this year and it garnered some positive reviews from actual owners, of course some did complain about the fit. I have also seen Advanced Sound offering the mobile edition of this earphone on Amazon for slightly more money but the one I received for review is the live edition that has no built-in microphone.


Disclaimer

Advanced Sound sent me this pair of S2000 a while ago, but I left it in my drawer for some time as I was not able to fork out the time to come out with this review. For the past few months, I jotted down random thoughts about this earphone when I use it and this is the “off the cuffs” review I compiled from all those notes.


Conclusion

“If only it has a better seal”, that is probably what most S2000 owners have in mind. I concur with them but I think S2000 is nevertheless a pleasant sounding earphone. It is also stylish, light and easy on my ears.

I have no doubt that S2000 is well worth its price. If you prefer earphones with loose-fitting, you will not go wrong with this $25 buy, S2000 might actually be a hidden gem for you!

Costing a lil over $20, Hypersense HEX02 has the build quality of a $100 earphones, but unfortunately not a $100 sound. My first impression of this earphone is that it is made to last. A huge portion of the earphone is made of shinny metal, presumably stainless steel, the cable is reinforced by a cleverly designed strain relief and the whole construction just inspires confidence and screams quality. It felt great to unbox this baby and feels even better when I hold it in my hands.

HEX02 sounded a little thin even when I maxed out the volume on my laptop. If you are using it with an amplifier you should not have the same problem. This earphone hovers in a different sonical spectrum of Lypertek MEVI, HEX02 is flatter sounding in comparison and less exciting to listen to. Then again it all comes down to personal preferences, some prefer a more original sound presentation and some prefer something else.



There is a huge brand plate at the back of this earphone. If you take a look at hypersense.cn (their official website) you will notice that they are offering customization service, so that means you can order a batch of HEX02 with your company brand printed on the backplate, hmm okay now it is making a whole lot of sense...

The cable looks thin and feels supple. That is actually a good thing for me, I have never liked hefty cables and I am not religious. I can not lug a copper or silver chain around my neck whole day and I am inclined to accept the trade off in sound... if there’s any. The official website stated that HEX02 uses Monocrystalline copper wires that are reinforced by Kevlar fibers. Esoteric and NASA as they sound, those are but fancy words to describe an average copper earphone cable.



Being a metal earphone, HEX02 has this metallic overtone that I can clearly hear when I listen to podcasts and that is not a desirable thing. I encountered the same phenomena with HifiBoy Dream I reviewed a while ago but believed that such an overtone contributes to a holographic sound. Since the soundstage of HEX02 is not especially spacious, it does nothing positive to the sound. For normal or non-critical listening, the metallic overtone blends into music and I was not aware of it so that does not bother me.



Specification

Earphone Type: In- Ear
Connection Type: Wired
Plug Type: 3.5mm gold-plated plug
Cable Length: 1.35m Monocrystaline Kevlar copper
Driver: 9mm dynamic
Impedance: 16ohm
Sensitivity: 95dB
Frequency response: 20Hz-40 KHz
Rated Power: 10mW

Onto the sound, I think Hypersense HEX02 is rather flat sounding. The treble and bass extension is also quite average and the soundstage is not as wide as the similarly priced Lypertek MEVI.



I believe HEX02 is not meant for classical or instrumental songs, instruments sounded jumbled-up but thankfully male or female vocal rendition is decent all thanks to its skillful handling of mids but anything else is just not outstanding. Having listened to many budget earphones, I can straight up say that the instrument placement of HEX02 is not quite up to par with similarly priced competitors (okay, no mention of MEVI since the instrument placement of MEVI is not great either). I am biased in favor to U-shape or in layman term “the mainstream tuning”, so to me HEX02 does not deliver enough sparkle in the treble and punch in the bass.

I meant to write this review as simple and straight forward as possible... so to recapitulate, Hypersense Eclipse HEX02 looks and feels like an earphone that costs 2 to 3 times more than its price but does not sound more than its price tag. Soundwise, HEX02 is the polar opposite of Lypertek MEVI. While MEVI, at least in my POV is clearly nicer sounding, it is not built half as tough as HEX02. Probably due to the difference in sizes, HEX02 does not fit as well as Mevi but it is nevertheless quite comfortable to use for long compared to most other IEMs. Note: Mevi fits like a glove to me.

I rummaged through Hypersense website and tried in vain to find any other products. Contrary to what the name implies, HEX02 is probably the first product from Hypersense. I can’t help but to wonder where is HEX01 or the mark I?



So... I guess if you care about the look and durability of an earphone, Hypersense Eclipse HEX02 is clearly a good choice, else you should look elsewhere for better options.


Disclaimer

I would like to thank Hypersense and Penon for sending me this earphone for review. I wrote my reviews based on how I feel (sometimes under the influence of alcohol) and I am not obliged to glorify any products.

Holla! Today I would like to talk about a petite earphone named Mevi. It is from Lypertek, a new comer in the audio industry. Mevi is the very first earphone that rolled out from their production floor and I am fortunate enough to be posted a pair for evaluation. Of course for that, I would like to thank Lypertek and Penon Audio for their kindness.

https://lypertek.com
Penon.com/lypertek-mevi.html


Unboxing

Lypertek Mevi came in a small white box that has a nice product image printed on it. This is a simple earphone with a simple packaging so there ain’t a lot to talk about here, you get a pair of earphones, a cable clip, a rather nice carrying case and a some silicone tips in it.


Earphone and Build Quality

Okay, I should ditch the thesaurus since petite is the perfect word to describe Lypertek Mevi. I have reviewed and looked closely at a few single dynamic driver IEMs recently and Mevi is easily 20% smaller (in volumetric size) compared to an average earphone of the same setup. To put it in perspective, one side of this earphone is slightly smaller than my lil' pinky. The earphone construction is also quite simple, there’s a metal front cover and a metal back cover, they are held together by some glue. I have nothing against simple, simple is good.



The sample Mevi that I received is red in color, or more precisely hot rod metallic red. I love the paint job and I think that sets it apart from other dark or black earphones that flood the market today. Pair that with the sensuous curvature, Mevi is simply gorgeous.

Delicate as it looks, delicate it actually is. After a short period of evaluation (some 1 month), one side of the front cover separated itself from the back cover of my Mevi unit*. I suspect I might have the pre-production unit so maybe the gluing process or parameters were not optimized, that is not unheard of in engineering runs. Anyhow with a drop of Cyanoacrylate glue and a little patience I was able to glue the covers back.

* not my fault, not me not me.



It’s not like Mevi is purposely built fragile and has no strengthening features. The cable terminating into the audio jack is reinforced by a strain relief and there’s strain relieves on the cables leading into the back covers. Aside from preventing cable tear, the left and right of the backcover strain relieves are color coded for easier identification.



Mevi is compatible with smartphones so you have the microphone and smartbutton on the right cable. The tactility of the button feels okay and I think it should work with both IOS and android devices. I also need to mention that there’s a mispellng of Mevi as Mavi on the Y-split and I can’t get past that.



Overall I think the build quality left something to be desired but seeing that it is the first product from a new company, I should not be too critical here.


Comfort and Isolation

I have many in-ear monitors but non is as comfortable to use as Lypertek Mevi.

Noise isolation usually depends on the tip used. I am using the smallest tips that came in the box and they work okay to block off most outside noise but not my mom’s nagging.


Specification

Earphone Type: In- Ear
Connection Type: Wired
Plug Type: 3.5mm gold-plated plug
Cable Length: 1.2m
Driver: 7mm dynamic driver
Impedance: 32ohm
Sensitivity: 95dB
Frequency response: 20Hz-20 KHz


The Overall Sound



Mevi has a U shaped, fun and exciting sound signature, the bass and treble are quite accentuated. I do hear a hint of graininess in the sound especially when I listen to mid-centric songs. To be honest, I don’t always despise grainy sound, sometime a slightly noisy earphone can be quite desirable. Listening to older songs with such earphones take me down the memory lane, that nostalgic feeling is just priceless.

Mevi, despite having a petite appearance can really pump out some decent bass. The bass quantity is moderate and does not drown out everything else. The bass response is fast and accurate and I can hear a fair bit of details in the low region. Overall, I am quite content with how Mevi deal with the low.

The mid is satisfactory, at least for the price. There is enough mass in the mid so Mevi does not sound anemic. Vocals are lively and forward. I gave Baby Blue - Badfinger a good listen and I tapped my toes all the way through the song.

The treble is well extended but free from sibilance or harshness. Metallic instruments sounded natural to me. The sound is not shilling nor it is sharp. Thankfully there’s a hint of delicate sparkle in the high that completes the sound.



In comparison to similarly priced Hypersense HEX02, Mevi has a significantly larger soundstage. Then again, that soundstage is not the largest I have ever heard but Mevi does offer pretty good instrument placements and imaging.

To be fair, I think Mevi sounded surprisingly good for the price tag. I initially thought Mevi as more of a fashion accessory, but time and time again, I have been proven wrong.


Source

I have Mevi connected to Sabaj Da2 and amped by VE RunAbout Plus and it sounded larger than life. Initially I thought this simple earphone would not scale with good sources but I was wrong. I advice trying it out amped and unamped and so that you can hear the differences yourself.


Conclusion:

Lypertek Mevi has a U-shaped sound with a decent soundstage. It is not the best sounding earphone money can buy, but it is nonetheless pleasant sounding. It is small, light and above all, very nice looking! I consider the build quality of Mevi its Achilles heel, you should look else where if you are worried bout the build quality.

Introduction

Meze Audio is the company behind the now iconic wooden headphones, 99 Classics. Many articles I read mentioned the fascinating story of how Antonio Meze started his company. In one of the interview, Antonio stated that he tried in vain to find a pair of headphones that he can connect with so he ended up making his own. Prior to founding his namesake company, Antonio Meze worked as an industrial designer, he very much got into the audio business as an outsider.

Take a look at Meze Audio official website and you will notice the 4 products that they are currently selling, 2 headphones and 2 earphones. 99 Neo headphone is essentially the lower end version of 99 Classics headphone. Both headphones share the same internal components, 99 Neo being the cheaper sibling does not have the signature wooden earcups. The same product segmentation method is used for their earphones/IEM, 11 Neo is essentially the strip-down version of 12 Classics. The wooden cover of 12 Classics had been omitted from 11 Neo so Meze Audio is able to sell it for 20usd less. Aside from the cosmetic, I noticed that the copper-clad aluminium coil is also absent from 11 Neo. I have done some goggling and I discovered that Meze Audio used to sell 11 Classics and 11 Deco, the now discontinued predecessors to the aforementioned earphones.

99 Classics is a great headphone that is lauded by audio critics, the lesser known 12 Classics earphone is no slouch either. In this review, I will talk in detail about 12 Classics.

Disclaimer

I am grateful to be sent a pair of 12 Classics Iridium for evaluation and I would like to thank Meze Audio for the opportunity to review the product. I am writing this review as I see fit and not commercially associated with them.

https://www.mezeaudio.com/collections/all/products/12-classics-iridium


Unboxing



I don’t really believe in the saying that an earphone is not to be judged by its box because first impression does matter!



12 Classics came in a classy looking box. Once I broke the seal and opened the box up, I was greeted by the earphone, a protective pouch, a lapel clip and some eartips. Meze Audio also included a pair of Comply Isolation premium eartips as part of the package. The whole packaging felt right, I had a dopamine rush unboxing the earphone!


Physical

Earphone

The text “Designed by Antonio Meze” is apparent on the side of the packaging box. Antonio Meze, the owner of the company is also the industrial designer behind both 12 Classics and 99 Classics.



I received Meze 12 Classics in Iridium colour and I must say, the earphone screams luxury! It is perhaps the most intricately made earphone I have ever owned. The last few years have seen a boom in affordable Chinese Fi earphones and I for one might have spent too much time with those earphones to the extend that I became accustomed to the usually not so great earphone aesthetics. To lay my hands on Meze 12 Classics felt rather refreshing, it reinvigorated my appreciation for premium products and good designs.



12 Classics is a great combination of premium materials and robust construction. The walnut wood cover looks good in pictures and in real life. Take a read at Meze’s website, they mentioned that the wood trim will age gracefully overtime, I think that’s pretty cool. Wood usually absorbs moisture and oil and will darken with age but my 3 months old unit looks the same thus far so only time will tell. The shiny part of the earphone is cold to touch so I am assuming those are aluminum. The quality control of this earphones seems good, I don’t see any glue residue or uneven gaps that I can complain about.

I have compared 12 Classics to some of my other earphones, the earphone itself is large to medium-sized for a single dynamic driver setup. The diameter of the nozzle (the protruded part that holds the eartip) is on the larger side and I will explain later why that is not a good thing.


Cable and Plug

Meze 12 Classics cable is hefty, springy and rubbery. I usually coil and tie up my earphones for storage. When I unwind 12 Classics for use, the cable immediately curls up due to its memory effect. Most people might not see that as an issue but that bothers me quite a bit.



I noticed strain reliefs on all the joints of 12 Classics so I am quite convinced that the earphone will not break down anytime soon. That said, I think the Y-split and microphone might be over-designed. The oversized Y-split and microphone could have been a lot smaller and still function the same.



Given that 12 Classics is equipped with a smartphone button and an in-line microphone, I believe 12 Classics was planned as a consumer earphone for the masses. I have so far tested 12 Classics on my DAC, laptop and smartphones. 12 Classics has a 4-pole TRRS CTIA jack that works flawlessly with my phone and ipad but the same can not be said with Sabaj Da2. I will only hear from one side of the earphone if I push 12 Classics jack all the way into the DAC socket so most of the time I have to adjust the insertion depth to regain stereo sound. That might not be a big deal but I felt the need to mention the issue here.



One thing that troubled me the most is the left and right indications, of which 12 Classics barely has. Only if you inspect the earphone carefully that you will be able to find the small L and R embossed on the strain relieves. I guess users have to resort to memorizing the microphone side as the right side. Ya I know that sounds easy but it is not, audio makers don’t always have the microphone on the right side.


Comfort

The fit of 12 Classics is okay but not the greatest. 12 Classics fits my ears snugly but it doesn’t seem to stay firmly in my ears like smaller earphones do. 12 Classics usually slips out of my ear canals after some 45 minutes of use. I was quite puzzled. After some comparisons, I figured that those earphones that stay firmly in my ears tend to have smaller nozzles. As you can see in the pictures below, the nozzle diameter of 12 Classics is quite a bit bigger than the other earphones.



Specification

Earphone Type: In- Ear
Connection Type: Wired
Plug Type: 3.5mm 4 poles straight gold-plated plug
Driver: Titanium coated 8mm mylar driver
Coil: Copper-clad aluminum voice coil
Impedance: 16ohm
Sensitivity: 101dB (+/- 3db)
Frequency response: 16Hz-24 KHz
Total Harmonic Distortion: <0.5%
Noise attenuation: up to 26dB
Cable: 1.2m 7N OFC


The Sound

Soundwise, I think 12 Classics is very consumer orientated. Such a sound signature can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, the mainstream tuning is easy to like, but on the other it might not be able to please audiophiles who crave for analytical listening.



The frequency response graph that I have generated only vaguely resembles the one from Meze. I have double checked my settings, setup and I got the same result in every test. At least from my finding, I am certain that there’s no inbalance between the left and right channel since the lines overlap properly in the graph.

Much like 99 Classics, 12 Classics excels in the low. The decent bass in 12 Classics made it a suitable earphone for modern and jazz music. The bass quantity is good and the rumble is sufficient. Mid frequency is also a cakewalk for 12 Classics, the sound is just buttery smooth and coherent.



The treble of 12 Classics is not something I would write home about. The earphone has a high that is tamed at 7k Hz and cut off at around 12k Hz. I have listened to sharp vocals and harmonica rich songs with this earphone and have not encountered any sibilance in the sound. I wish the sound could be a little more exciting and I believe the treble should be a little more elevated since I believe 99 Classics is supposed to be a fun sounding earphone.

Overall, I think 12 Classics has a pretty good sound.


Soundstage



12 Classics has a congested soundstage. The soundstage is small and the sound imaging is average at best. I have noticed two small ports on each side of the earphone but I believe those only help with the bass and do nothing for the soundstage.


Source

12 Classics sounded muffled when I used it with my laptop. The sound quality scaled up quite a bit when I had it plugged to my usb DAC. With a good source, the sound clarity will improve significantly but the soundstage will not open up a bit.


Conclusion:

Meze 12 Classics is both style and substance, it sounds nice and looks great. I really enjoy the earphone as a whole.

There's a lot to love about 12 Classics. If you can look past the narrow soundstage, 12 Classics might be the earphone for you.

First of all, I would like to apologize to Mr. Charles of Burson for late delivery of this long overdue review. I guess I will blame it on my penchant for procrastination and drinking. I am sure many of you can relate to that.

I will start with a bit of my history with Burson Supreme Sound. This review is very much a continuation of the review I wrote on Burson V5i months ago. In that review, I mentioned that V5i is a bit of a half-measure.

V5i is a partial discrete opamp, the sound is not a total departure from a conventional IC opamp. I compared V5i with some of the opamps I have then and I think V5i performed very well as an opamp but it is not a game changer that delivers the ‘other-worldliness‘ in sound. So I ended that review voicing my keen interest to check out Burson Supreme Sound V6, the pure discrete opamp!



Fast forward a month or two, I was granted my wish and another few weeks later I received two pieces of V6s in my mailbox, a vivid V6 (red) and a classic V6 (orange). Hurray, I rode off into the sunset and have since lived happily ever after…

Hahaha, not really. It ain’t all sunshine and rainbows, at least not in my point of view, I still see myself grinding through this humdrum existence.


The Sound Test

I usually numb my pessimism by listening to music and I treat opamp rolling and appreciation as a sorta sacred ritual because it takes up a lot of attention and time. I don’t always roll my opamps, but when I do, I do it ceremonially, like it is some kinda Chado.



At the time of writing this review I have already upgraded my sources, DAC, amplifier and what have you. A third of my desktop real estate is now occupied by audio gears and gizmos. For this comparison, I scribbled down how I felt and perceived, what I subconsciously heard listening to my various setups.



On any given day, I listen to a variety of music but for this discrete opamp connoisseur exercise, I made myself loop through selected songs and albums below:

Another Day in Paradise - Phil Collins
Like a Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan
Rosanna - Toto
The Chain - Fleetwood Mac
Diana Krall’s Wallflower album
and some of those songs by Norah Jones

Ya, I know, give me that mackerel eyes and call me cliche.

Straight from my Dell Laptop (DAC Conexant ccx20672 21z) = The sound is sad and muffled, I had never listened through the laptop jack ever since getting my first lossless player.

Straight from Sabaj Da2(unbalanced) = Edgy sound with some spiky high but it is quite a bit better than listening straight from my laptop.

Straight from Sabaj Da2(balanced) = Crystal clear sound but it is still a little anemic. It is not bad overall, at least the mid sounded fuller now.

Straight from Zishan Z2 (with V6 Vivid) = Vocal sounded very “human” with the red tower. V6 Vivid is obviously less fatigue sounding than listening straight from Sabaj Da2. It sounded “rounded off” and perhaps a little colored compared to listening straight from Sabaj Da2.

Straight from Zishan Z2 (with V6 Classic) = Vocal sounded more in the face compared to V6 Vivid, V6 Classic is a tad more aggressive sounding than the red V6. Music sounded very engaging through V6 Classic and there is a sense of intimacy in the sound.

Zishan Z2 (as DAC) with Nobsound NS-02E (with V6) = The mid sounded too thick for my liking, I didn’t like it.

Dell laptop with Nobsound NS-02E (with both V6) = Did not sound very refined, the sound has a bit of character but is slightly grainy. Some details were lost somewhere.

italic = with Burson Supreme Sound V6 attached

After some comparisons, I quickly realized the benefits of a good discreet opamp. Overall Burson Supreme Sound V6 delivers a denser, fuller sound with a perceptibly wider soundstage. That confirmed Burson’s claim of V6 as offering a live concert experience.

Discrete opamps have a dozen of benefits but none is more important than the higher output power. The off-the-shelf integrated circuit (IC) opamps can only run at about half a watt (0.5w) because there’s no way to squeeze huge individual electronic components into an IC opamp. Discrete opamps by nature do not have such limitation, they are capable of delivering tighter sound with wider and more realistic soundstage.



If you own Burson Supreme Sound V6, I recommend you to listen to Baker street by Gerry Rafferty. With a pair of full size open back headphones, I was able to enjoy the song like I had never before. Playing the song through V6 Vivid, I don't think the soprano saxophone line can sound any better.

My go to track for accessing the smoothness of sound is All Along the Watch Tower by Bob Dylan. It is not a song I typically listen to with my earphones. All Along the Watch Tower is a harmonica-rich track, the harmonica section sounded extremely harsh straight from analytical DAC such as Sabaj Da2. The same track sounded fine through V6 Vivid and better with V6 Classic.



Overall I think the two V6s sounded more ‘emotional’ compared to the IC opamps that I own. They are still no way as sophisticated sounding as a tube amplifier but unlike a tube amplifier, V6s retain a higher level of clarity and details in a song. The tube amplifier (at least the one I own) tend to filter off some of the minute details in a song.

I have also compared V6 to V5i, V6 is obviously a step up. V6 Vivid is a direct upgrade of all aspects from V5 while V6 Classic is a variant with a different sound. Personally I prefer the red V6 Vivid for contemporary and rock songs because the sound signature is more accentuated. Classic V6 works great if you listen to folk, country, concerto or other audiophile engineered medias.


Packaging

V6 came nicely packed and sealed in a small plastic snap case. The case is actually very handy for storing Burson opamps. If you have plenty of opamps and you suck at housekeeping then you will understand what I am saying.


Physical

Burson Supreme Sound V6 looks tall and massive in pictures. It stands at 29mm and the footprint is 12.4mm x 14.5mm. It is one of the largest if not tallest opamp in the market, maybe the coolest looking as well.



Don’t expect V6 to fit inside Zishan Z2 because they simply won’t. Actually I should take my words back. If you are comfortable with soldering and tinkering, you can actually shift the capacitor to another location and have V6 laying flat inside Z2 housing. Also, when I am using XuanZu XZ-U303 with the two V6s, I have to keep the lid off.



Burson Supreme Sound V6 looks like a Lego brick and it is color coded. The bright red plastic tower is V6 vivid and the one with orange housing is V6 Classic. I am not able to inspect the parts inside because the whole construction is sealed off with black epoxy at the bottom. However I am able to peep through the vent holes at the top and I can spot two pieces of printed circuit boards (PCBs) suspended inside, held apart by the external plastic. Yes, I believe the vents are there for heat dissipation because V6 does heat up when it is operating.

On the outside, V6 looks minimalist. There isn’t a lot to talk about the physical design. Apart from the taper for mold release, V6 is very much a square column. The front is pad-printed with Burson’s kangaroo logo, suggesting that Burson is an Aussie company.



The pins at the bottom of V6 are plated with gold (or so it seems). I have swapped the two V6s in and out of my amplifiers many times and the pins are holding up alright. Compare that to my other IC opamps with crooked pins, I have to say that V6 screams quality.



It is amazing how Burson discrete opamp had evolved and reduced in size. They switched from using bulkier electronic components to smaller components, hence also achieving lower power consumption and a reduced minimal working voltage. V6 looks a million time sturdier (a figure of speech) than the bare-naked V4. Also for your information, V6 is now backed by Burson lifetime warranty, so worry no more.



Most naked or bare discrete opamps do not have intuitive marking for installation. For orientation, Burson designed in a groove on one side of V6 for matching with the notch on a DIP8 socket. I read that if an opamp is plugged in reverse, it will get destroyed. That will no longer be the case for V6 as it is probably the first and only opamp in the world to be equipped with reverse voltage protection. In simple English, it means you will not fry V6 even if you install them reversely in the dip8 slots.


Technical

V6 is the sixth iteration of the Supreme Sound discrete opamp and the result of over 12 years of research and development. It is the most refined opamp that to roll out off Burson's factory today.

It is not altogether surprising that discrete opamps consume more current than the conventional IC opamp due to larger and separated components. That said, the efficiency of V6 is quite a leap from V4, a dual V6 opamp consumes about 14mA (mili Ampere) compared to 40mA of a dual V4. Most people will not have a problem with the power consumption because in most cases, V6 can only be used in stationary amplifiers. The reduced minimum operating voltage also means V6 is compatible with more amplifiers.



V6 Classic and V6 Vivid have different PCB layouts and they produce slightly different sound. V6 Vivid should have similar sound signature to its predecessor V5 while V6 Classic that has an entirely different output stage design is intended to sound different.



I figured that a single discrete opamp almost always has a single PCB to hold the electronic components. Dual discrete opamps tend to have two identical PCBs and the PCBs should be similar to that of the single discrete version of the same opamp. The PCBs in V6 stand vertically with both PCBs facing back-to-back in the housing. SparkosLabs (another discrete opamp maker) had another approach, they arranged their dual opamp PCBs horizontally.

I have seen some adapters that converts two single opamps into a dual opamp. I have also heard people telling me that the best sound can only be achieved by pairing two single opamps with an adapter but now that I look at it in detail, I think that’s bogus. If you need a dual opamp, save yourself the trouble, just go ahead and purchase a dual opamp.


Compatibility and Pairing

The sample I received are dual op amps so I am not able to use them in VE Runabout Plus but they work fine with Zishan Z2 and XuanZu XZ-U303/ Nobsound NS-02E.



I have tried to pair Burson Supreme Sound V5i with XZ-U303 with very little success, it hissed beyond acceptable level. However I do not have a problem fitting V6s into the same tube amplifier, it works flawlessly! I really didn’t expect XZ-U303 to work with V6 seeing that it didn’t work with V5i.


Some Word of Advice:

A single opamp can only replace another single opamp and a dual with a dual. The two are not compatible and cannot be used interchangeably.

Do not try to hot-swap your opamps, you will get a loud noise that will potentially destroy your eardrums and earphones.



If you did not manage to fit V6 into your amplifier due to constrained space, consider getting DIP8 extension sockets or risers. I am currently using DIP8 extension sockets for XuanZu XZ-U303.



There’s a saying that PCB is part of the opamp design. If you wish to reduce the noise level of your audio setup, you can try out this mod by wrapping V6 with a piece of copper foil and have it grounded. I have not gotten around to do the mod but in theory it should work like a Faraday cage and cut down on external electromagnetic interference.



Last but not least, be warned that opamp rolling is an addictive activity so do it responsibly. Make sure you have enough time to burn before going down the rabbit hole.


Conclusion

Burson Supreme Sound V6 is the best opamp money can buy and the sound quality is as good as it gets.

If you already spent a fortune on headphones, earphones, DACs and amplifiers, don’t settle for mediocrity, go the distance and try out Burson Supreme Sound V6.

Introduction

LZ-A5 is the fifth generation of Lao Zhong’s A series earphones. Coincidentally LZ-A5 is also the first of the series to operate on 5 drivers, 1 dynamic driver and 4 balanced armature (BA) drivers on each side. Like its predecessor LZ-A4, the sound of LZ-A5 can be tweaked by swapping in different filters that came in the package.

To tell the truth, I have been spoiled by many great audio gears for sometime now and have not been wow-ed by any new stuff lately. This growing despondent was broken when I laid my hands on LZ-A5 for the first time. It is the first new gear in recent time to put a smile on my face.



Disclaimer

I am grateful to be sent a pair of LZ-A5 for evaluation and I would like to thank Lao Zhong Audio and Penon Audio. I owe them a review but not necessarily a positive review as I am in no way associated with them.

https://penonaudio.com/lz-a5.html

I thought of finishing this review much earlier but putting everything together seems harder than I imagined.


Unboxing



The packaging of LZ-A5 is somewhat underwhelming. I was expecting more seeing that this earphone came with a price tag that breaks the 200 dollars mark. LZ-A5 came in a black cardboard box with magnetic lid. Inside the box, there’s two in-ear monitors with a set of filters already attached to them, a metal piece holding 3 sets of tuning filters, a chunky MMCX cable with a velcro tie on it, some silicon tips, a metal carrying case, a warranty card and a manual. Just so you know, the metal protective carrying case is identical to the case that came with HifiMan RE 2000 and RE 800.

I have not met Mr. Lao Zhong but I can only imagine him as a very down to earth person. LZ-A5 is presented in the most straight forward way imagined, so forget about the bells and whistles.


Physical



Earphone

Many, if not most of LZ-A4 owners complain about its ergonomic. LZ-A4 is angular in shape and tends to cut one’s ears with its sharp edges. Lao Zhong being Lao Zhong, has a good reputation of listening to constructive feed-backs and learning from criticisms so it is no surprise that the ergonomic issue had been addressed in the new LZ-A5.

The outer shell of each LZ-A5 monitor is made of two pieces of anodized aluminum shells. I believe the shells are joined together with glue since I can not spot any screws or welding traces. The seam between the two halves is quite visible but there’s no glue residue on my sample unit so overall I consider the craftsmanship great. The shells are extremely smooth with no rough edges or sharp points. This time around, the physique of LZ-A5 is optimum, there’s nothing I can think of to criticize here, Lao Zhong obviously had learned a hell lot from making LZ-A4.



Both the IEM and the cable have L and R identifications. After using LZ-A5 for a while, you probably can tell L from R just by feeling them in your hands. Some people made a big deal out of the Honda logo but I think id est quod id est.


Stock Cable

LZ-A5 came with a detachable woven cable. The cable is fully clothed and according to the specification sheet, it has a 6N single copper core. I am never fond of fabric cables and this is no exception. The MMCX ends are embedded with memory wires so they are supposed to conform to the shapes of one’s ears but they didn’t work for me. On the other end, the cable is terminated with an L-shaped 3.5mm plug that looks very similar to that of HifiBoy Dream I reviewed earlier.



Many people said that they heard a surge in sound quality by swapping in a higher quality cable, think 8core 6N cable, higher numbers and whatnots. I am currently using LZ-A5 with a thinner MMCX1s (2.5mm balanced) cable from Fiio. I find that to be a good balance between acoustic quality and wear comfort. Overall, LZ-A5 cable is hefty and impractical, I don’t find it desirable in any way.


Comfort

I am extremely fussy when it comes to comfort. When inserted properly, LZ-A5 slips into my ears with great ease and stays in place firmly. LZ-A5 is by no means featherweight, I can feel it in my ears but it is not what I would describe as heavy.



The physical design of the LZ-A5 is perfect in my book, trust me, the fit and ergonomic is a quantum leap from LZ-A4. Put aside the cringy stock cable, the ergonomic of A5 is a solid 5 out of 5. I wear spectacles and I can assure you that A5 will not give specky-four-eyes any hard time.


Durablitility

For your information, balanced armature (BA) earphones are generally very fragile. If you keep knocking your BA earphones on hard surfaces, the armature inside will deform and you will get a permanently distorted sound.



I have always reminded myself to treat LZ-A5 with the utmost care but of course me being Mr. Magoo’s brother from another mother, I abused it very frequently and even inadvertently dripped it in a mug of beer. Immediate after that mishap, I wiped it dry and LZ-A5 miraculously survived. So all in all, I have no doubt that LZ-A5 is a durable product.


Specification

Earphone Type: In- Ear
Connection Type: Wired
Plug Type: 3.5mm gold-plated plug
Cable Length: 1.3m
Driver: 4 balanced armature drivers 1 dynamic driver
Impedance: 16ohm
Sensitivity: 105dB
Frequency response: 8Hz-36 KHz
Total Harmonic Distortion: <0.2%
Power Output: 5mW
Cable: 1.2m 5N OFC


The Earphone Design



I decided to include this section to talk about LZ-A5 design. Pictures above are the cross-section and exploded views of LZ-A5.

Many audio companies have their own line of configurable earphones - FLC, Trinity Audio and etc. Trinity recently released a model with the most filters ever, 5 filters in 2 different lengths, so that’s an astonishing 10 options.



BA drivers are not particularly flat sounding, they by design produce frequency response graph with two peaks. I will elaborate more on the technicalities in a jiffy. As far as I know, the most usual way to tame the two peaks are by adding an acoustic damping screen/mesh in front of the BA nozzle or by laser-ing a tiny hole on the membrane that suspense the diaphragm. The miniature size of BA drivers enables multi drivers setup that in turn allows acoustic designers to achieve a certain sound. Of course that is not done without any drawback, coherency can be an issue for earphones with multiple drivers.



Judging from the macro photograph and the diagrams above, the 4 BA drivers in LZ-A5 are arranged in pairs and lined up next to each other. The BA drivers are not pointing straight at the nozzle opening and a dynamic driver is positioned behind the two pairs of BA drivers. Also noteworthy is the tiny opening Lao Zhong placed behind the dynamic driver probably to allow for a more natural sound and a fuller bass.


The Interchangeable Filters

LZ-A5 is not overly convoluted given that it is a configurable earphone. Users will not require any tools to swap in their desired filters. Each pair of filters is represented with a different color and every filter has threaded ends. All the filters came with tiny rubber bumpers to prevent over-screwing that will potentially damage the threads.


Initially I tinkered quite a bit with the filters but over time, I kinda settled in with the gray filters because they are the most versatile and they are great for movies and YouTube. Black filters are great as well and they are probably the nicest sounding but I opted for gray filter for prolong use.

I think having options is great even for someone as indecisive as I am. The interchangeable filter system works great to fine-tune sound to one’s taste and I think little feature like this does go a long way to enhance listening experience.



Most color coding are meant to be intuitive and I suppose the same applies to LZ-A5 tuning system. I figured red is a warmer color, hence it is associated with a mellower sound and blue on the other end of the color spectrum is cold, so it produces a colder sound. Blue has a sharper high and red being the opposite has the most suppressed treble.



From the macro photo above, you can see that the blue filter has no mesh material in it, so it is technically just a metal grill. Black filter has a hollow mesh with the same metal grill. Judging from the dim light that leaks through, I believe red filter has the densest filter material. I think it is logical to think that the thicker or denser the filter material is, the more suppressed the highs will be.

Not unlike other IEMs, you can also further customize the sound by swapping in a different pair of ear-tips or cable.


The Overall Sound

With the release of LZ-A4 a year ago, LZ became the price-performance leader in the mid-high IEM segment. The price-performance ratio of LZ-A4 was, and still is incredible. The price-performance ratio of LZ-A5 is just as good, if not better! I noticed that the resolving power of LZ-A5 had been drastically improved from LZ-A4, a lot more details can be heard from whatever you listen to.

Unlike most audiophiles who claimed to have great ears, I believe my ears deteriorated at an unbelievably high rate due to my inclination to listen to music at high volume. The LZ-A5 I am reviewing easily clocked 300 hours of listening and burn-in at the time of writing this review. Although I had been advised to burn it in, I did not hear any distinguishable change in sound through out the run-in period but that’s just me, yo.



When I first put on the earphones, I was greeted by a very welcoming sound and I instantly buried my disapproval of the less than remarkable packaging. Yes, LZ-A5 completely obliterated the rest of my IEMs, in terms of resolving power and musicality. My brother compared some of the earphones laying around on my desk and I could see the same WOW in his expression when he put on LZ-A5 so I guess I am not alone here.

The sound is for the lack of a better word, majestic. I am not saying that a terrible song will miraculously sound nicer with LZ-A5 because that can't be true and I am not selling snake oil here. LZ-A5 does offer a very immersive listening experience, the sound is just bold and energetic. I find LZ-A5 especially suited for electronic EDM, maybe due to its accentuated tuning. LZ-A5 also pairs rather well with classical music due to its outstanding instrument renditions and placement. I would describe LZ-A5 as a pair of IEMs that sound like a full-size closed back headphones with a slightly nicer soundstage.


Low

I am not a bass-head per se so I will only briefly describe the low. There’s sufficient rumble in the sub-bass region, the bass of LZ-A5 is punchy but not exceedingly so. Overall the bass is quite good but that is not the main attraction here, so let’s move on.


Mid

Awesome mid-range, that’s the short and precise summary. Lao Zhong seemed to emphasize on the mid-high refinement, my ears tell me that a lot of effort had been put into getting the mid right. The transition across treble, mid and bass is seamless, LZ-A5 never failed to maintain cohesion between the drivers.


High

The high frequency tuning of the LZ-A5 is a bit adventurous and daring. To some people they might perceive LZ-A5 as sparkly and others will think that it is rough and edgy. The same treble sound harsh to certain people with sensitive ears but not to the others and that’s the nature of our ears, we are not made equal after all.

Overall I think the quantity of the treble is about right. Although I am not bothered by the peaky high, I would prefer a slightly more rounded off peaks. I figured the red filters do cut away few decibels from the high but will not properly round off the sound.

Also for your information, I usually test the treble of an IEM by listening to Jump by Van Halen (particularly the synthesizer part). If I do not get any discomfort looping through the song twice, the earphone has a tolerable high. And yes, LZ-A5 passed the Van Halen trial.


Frequency Response Test

I am cheap. I set up the test below with a modified lapel mic, a Comply foam and some putty. Comply foam because it has one of the best sealing. I apologize for not putting together a more professional setup and I do not claim that this data is 100% accurate or more accurate than anyone else’s.

My main intention is to compare the effects of different filters to the sound. The graph is provided for the point of discussion.


Blue : blue filter
Yellow : black filter
Gray : gray filter
Red : red filter

A double peak graph is to be expected of any Balanced Armature (BA) In-ear Monitor (IEM). The first peak (3k Hz) is a result of combined resonance of components inside BA drivers or enclosed behind the diaphragm. The second peak (15k Hz) is the combined resonance of diaphragm, membrane and other external components. The elevated bump around 60hz is contributed by the dynamic driver.



The graph shows how a filter performs in relation to another. The manual claimed a 4 db (+2db to -2db) difference between blue and red filters and about 2db difference between each filter and that is about right. My test result sorta correlates with the data but mine shows close to 6db difference between blue and red filters. The bass remained the same for every filter used.

Blue Filter

I don’t like piercing sound so blue filter is not what I would go for. I have tried it once or twice but I prefer the other filters.

Black Filter

Black filter is the most balanced in my opinion and that is probably why it came attached to the earphone as the default filter. 2db is not a huge change in sound so depending on your source, if you have a bass-inclined player, you can compensate that with a colder filter or vice versa.

Gray Filter

As mentioned, I mostly alternates between the gray and black filters. Gray filter is what I use most of the time because they are quite balanced and it gives me the sound for easy listening.

Red Filter

Red filter has a suppressed high and it cuts away some of the details in the highs.




New Filters

I read that Lao Zhong collected some inputs from LZ-A5 users and recently released a revised set of filters (in the same blue, black, gray and red color). I have not tested those new filters so I am not sure how good they are. I have read that the new filters rounded off the edginess in the high but I have also seen frequency measurements showing identical readings to the existing filters. I will come back and update this review once I try and test out those new filters.


Soundstage/ Sound Isolation

LZ-A5 has the most spacious soundstage I have heard so far in the IEM category. I have yet to hear any in-ear that has the equal width and amount of separation. Even the semi-open Philips Fidelio S2 pales away when it comes to soundstage.

I usually don’t use in-ear-monitors for movies but that changed with LZ-A5. I recently finished a movie in a cafe using LZ-A5. In the midst of watching the movie, I turned around and was surprised to see someone talking on the phone. I was only aware of him when I saw him. The noise isolation of LZ-A5 is quite incredible for a universal in-ear monitor (UIEM).



Source

You do not have to feed LZ-A5 with an amplifier as that is unnecessary to unleash its full potential. In fact, instead of having LZ-A5 amplified, it can actually benefit from clean sources.

I have tried it with a few sources and noticed that it does not pair well with some of my players or amplifiers (usually those with very high output impedance). Also, LZ-A5 is quite a hiss magnet, so be warned!


Conclusion:

All in all, LZ-A5 offers a mid to top-tier sound at a relatively affordable price tag. LZ-A5 is setting the bar high for the affordable multiple drivers CIEM category. I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys clear and detailed sound.

LZ-A5 is an amazing and ambitious product from Lao Zhong. For those looking for vivid sounding earphones, you will have a hard time finding something better for around 270 bucks. The possibility to customize the sound is really the icing on the cake.

The only disappointment I have with LZ-A5 so far is probably the annoying cable that I gave up using. All in all, LZ-A5 deserves a 5 out 5 despite having a major (but remediable) flaw.

Introduction

Hifi Boy? A junior version of HiFi Man?

There is one thing I am sure about Hifi Boy Dream, the sound is true to its name. I have spent approximately over a month listening to it. Many of the nights, I just let myself sink into my favorite couch listening to the dreamy sound.

Hifi Boy is a relatively new earphone maker from China. This is the second product from the company and their first earbud. Dream only came into the market after going through more than a year of development. The designer wrote that he was inspired by the sounds of full sized headphones and believe it or not, he is particularly fond of the sound of Hifiman Shangri-La so he tried to replicate the same sound in Hifi Boy Dream. Obviously I can’t verify this claim as I can’t afford as set of Shangri-La and have never had the chance to try it out.


Disclaimer

I am grateful to be sent a pair of Hifi Boy Dream for evaluation and I would like to thank Hifi Boy and Penon Audio. I am in no way associated with them so I owe it to no body to write a positive review.

https://penonaudio.com/earphones/earbuds/hifi-boy-dream.html


Unboxing



Hifi Boy Dream came in a nice box filled with cool accessories . It is one of the better earphone package from Chinese manufacturers.


Physical

Before I step into the sound department, I would like to touch on the external attributes of Hifi Boy Dream. This earphone looks solid and inspires quality. The outer housing of the earbud is made of machined brass. It does look and feel a lot nicer than those el cheapo plastic earbuds out there. It is also quite rare for a sub-100 dollars earbud to have metal grills.



The cable of Dream is braided. The jack end of cable is braided out of 4 loose wires while the earbud side of the cable is made of two twirled wires. To be honest, I have never liked braided cable but this cable somehow changed my bias against braided cables.

The designer of Dream claimed that they started developing Dream in October 2016 when Celsus Gramo One was the hot selling earbuds of the time. It is no wonder that Hifi Boy Dream reminds me a lot of Gramo One. Unlike HE 150 pro and TY Hi-Z F300M that bootlegged the design, Dream is similar but not identical to Gramo One.



Hifi Boy Dream is solidly built. Durability of this earphone is not something I would complain about. I have carried Dream out in my laptop bag, knocked them around, dropped them everyday on the hard tabletop, so far Dream is holding out pretty well.



There is a rubber strain relief on the plug of Dream but there’s no strain reliefs leading into the earbud housings. I understand that they left out the strain relief due to space limitation. The lack of strain relieves is not at all that worrisome to me. I have yanked the braided cable many times (by accident of course) and it survived, maybe the braiding absorbed the force that I induced on it.


Specification

Driver: 16mm dynamic driver
Impedance: 32ohm
Sensitivity: 100dB
Frequency response: 15 Hz-23 KHz
Cable: 1.2m 5N OFC
Plug: 3.5mm


Sound

This earphone easily clocked 300 hours of listening and burn-in at the time of writing this review.

Put the Shangri-La myth aside, I think Hifi Boy Dream has a very balanced sound with metallic overtone. For some, that sound might come as unexciting. The sound is not accentuated on both ends of the spectrum so depending on users, some might want to tailor the sound with their DAP equalizers. I don’t think Hifi Boy Dream is an earbud that you will fall in love immediately because of its flat tuning. Give it a longer listen and you will start to enjoy the sound.

One thing I have to mention upfront is the crystal clean sound reproduction of Dream. I have paired Hifi Boy Dream with DAP of high output impedance and I can hardly hear any white noise from it. I don’t have the most sensitive ears but I can always hear hissing when I plug my more sensitive IEMs into certain DAPs. I am actually quite surprised that Hifi Boy Dream compares very favorably with higher impedance earbuds when it comes to the cleanliness of noise floor and tightness in sound.

Overall I think Hifi Boy Dream is detailed sounding but not dry or fatiguing to listen to.


Lows

Dream is bass shy. While it is capable of delivering a healthy amount of bass, I urge you not to expect the same toe tapping fun of mainstream earbuds that we became accustomed to. Bass extension of Dream is really nothing to write home about. There’s no sign of artificial bass boost in Dream that muddied the lower frequency.


Mids

Dream excels in the mid region. Vocal rendition is a walk in the park for Hifi Boy Dream, the mid is smooth and delicate. I can listen to vocal ballads with Dream all day, it is just that good.

There is no disconnection between the middle frequency and the lower frequency. I do not hear any sudden bump or sink in the sound spectrum. I do not have a frequency response chart to show here but I am sure if there is any, the chart should be smooth and flat.


Highs

Dream has great treble and I came across the same finding from other owners. It is very transparent sounding and has good level of clarity.

The treble is slightly sparkly but surprisingly not fatiguing to listen to. I have never encountered any sign of sibilance or harshness in the sound, Dream is indeed an earbud that I can listen to for long.


Soundstage

The soundstage of Hifi Boy Dream is natural and moderate in size. The imaging is layered and positioning of vocals and instruments is very accurate. Couple that with the metallic overtone, Dream has this hall-like presentation. I find myself enjoying jazz and unplugged music the most when using Hifi Boy Dream.


Source

I have auditioned Dream with various devices and tried it amped and unamped. Dream sounded good straight from my laptop or smartphone, however if you want a fuller sound you should listen to it through an amplifier.

When I pair Dream with my tube amp, the sound became richer but it looses some micro details as a a trade off. I have no problem pairing Dream to amplifiers with high output impedance, the noise floor of this sensitive (32 ohm) earbud remained pitch black.


Comparisons

I don’t always compare an earphone to another when I am indulging in music as it spoils the whole listening experience. I am writing my comparisons below based on how I remember certain earbuds.

Compared to ToneKing TO200 (about 50 dollars)

I gave TO200 five stars in my past review cause I only had good things to say about TO200. Soundwise, I still prefer TO200 for the more airy presentation even after I familiarize with Hifi Boy Dream sound. TO200 clearly edges out Hifi Boy Dream when it comes to the width of soundstage. I prefer a wider soundstage and that’s just my personal preference, I do find the soundstage of Hifi Boy more realistic and its imaging more accurate. I also remember TO200 as having fuller and more engaging sound than Hifi Boy Dream.

Both earbuds are made of metal, they are both comfortable to use for long. I don’t think any of the two earbuds has the upper hand when it comes to comfort, both have significantly better fit than Monk Plus and other MX500 clones.


Compared to Monk Lite 120 ohm (6 dollars)

Yes, of course they are not earbuds of the same league. I think Hifi Boy Dream easily bettered the cheaper Monk Lite. I can hear more details in Hifi Boy Dream compared to Monk Lite 120, but then again the 6 dollars Monk Lite is no slouch, it punches well above its 6 dollars tag.

To be honest, I have never really liked the more popular Monk Plus. To me, ToneKing TP16 and even the similarly priced Qian 39 sounded better. Monk Lite 120 is a different story, I like it quite a bit more than Monk Plus. I really enjoy the more laid back sound and love the more ergonomic shape. Both Monk Lite and Hifi Boy Dream have similar sound characteristics, both are ideal for long listening periods. They are not bassy by any means and I find Hifi Boy Dream to be a little more balanced sounding. What puts Dream slightly ahead in the game has to be the grandiose of sound and the better overall construction.


Compared to Moondrop VX Pro and Moondrop Nameless (20 & 60 dollars)

I like the sound and comfort of Moondrop Nameless more than the higher end VX Pro but Moondrop Nameless is plagued with quality issue. I am probably the third person to complain about the build quality of Nameless here on Headfi.

The beauty queen VX pro looks superb, it has this dazzling chrome copper housing that looks many times better than most earbuds, BUT (and that’s a huge but) they are also a little heavier than most earbuds so they tend to slip out of my ears every 15 minutes I listen to them. Dream on the other hand looks a lot more discreet but they stay in my ears for hours. I never once have to adjust them when I am using them.

Both the moondrops are cold sounding, Dream however has a more neutral sound signature.


Compared to LZ A5 (about 250 dollars)

I can’t help but to compare Hifi Boy Dream to LZ A5. I know it’s not an apple to apple comparison and it is unfair to do a cross-category comparison between two distinctively different earphones. They are priced differently as well, with LZ A5 costing 1.5x more. I am throwing in this comparison only because I received both earphones the same time and I listened to both Dream and A5 back to back for the whole last month.

LZ A5 is the fullest sounding earphone I have so far. LZ A5 beats Hifi Boy Dream hands down in terms of overall sound quality, it is more engaging to listen to and has a sweeter sound. As an earbud, Hifi Boy Dream has a more spacious soundstage and I think it is more convenient to listen to Dream.

A fuller sound does not necessarily mean a more pleasing sound. I find myself always switching back and forth between the two great earphones because they are very different, physically and sonic wise. I have no doubt Dream can hold its ground even against one of the best sub-300 dollars in-ears.


Conclusion:



It is easy to recommend Hifi Boy Dream to whoever looking for a pair of earbuds. Amped or unamped, Hifi Boy Dream never failed to deliver. The sound, ergonomic and build quality of Hifi Boy Dream are great, I really could not find a fault that I can point out here.

Hifi Boy Dream is one of the most balanced sounding earbud out there. The more I listen to it, the more it grows on me. It compares very favorably with upper tier earbuds from more established brands.

Dream earns an easy 4.5 out of 5 from me. If you are to ask me why not a 5? That’s simply because I still think TO200 is a slightly better sounding earbud.

Binary Acoustics EP1 Single BA In-ear Monitors

First of all, I must admit that I am not too fond of in-ear monitors. My preferences have always been full size open-back headphones and earbuds. I dig full cans because they offer good comfort and the best portable sound; earbuds because they are simple, they offer unequaled comfort and good soundstages. That said, every now and then I will still dip my toe in the water and try out the latest IEMs that are appearing in the market.




Background

Binary Acoustics is an emerging luxury IEM (in-ear monitors) maker from China. They have been producing high end custom monitors and cables for some years now and recently transitioned into making universal IEMs. I was told that Binary Acoustics specializes in BA IEMs and they were responsible for tuning some of the BA IEMs sold under other brands. That is not altogether surprising as the current earphone market in China is in a boom and the audio world is quite a close-knit community.

EP1 is the first universal in-ear monitor produced by Binary Acoustics. As of the end of 2017, they were operating in a studio-laboratory setup. The company did not rely on outside manufacturing plant to churn out the quantity, they currently hand-build each and every piece of EP1 they sell. With the release of a cost-down model in early 2018, things might have changed.


Click below for a stop motion unboxing video.




Disclaimer

I received my pair of EP1 as a test sample from Binary Acoustics some three months ago but decided to postpone writing this review because I wanted to have a longer listen to it and I needed some time to digest the sound and the technologies that went into this earphone. As always, I hope my reviews will benefit fellow head-fiers here.




Physical

EP1 is tiny and I am not overstating it. Each EP1 weighs 3 gram and has an enclosure volume of 317mm3. While I can’t say for sure if EP1 is the smallest IEM in the world, I am certain that it is the smallest earphones I have ever tested in my life.*

*AAW Q seems shorter in length while having similar diameter.

I was curios so I bench-marked the dimensions of EP1 with similar IEMs. I noticed that EP1 is slightly fatter and shorter than Final Audio Design F3100. Etymotic Research ER4XR, one of the smallest earphone available in the market today is about 50% fatter and two times the length of EP1.

Binary Acoustics claimed that if their sole intention is to create the smallest BA IEM, they probably can come out with an IEM half the size of EP1. They claimed to have beefed up EP1 chamber wall to make it more durable. So I guess EP1 is not small for small sake, the current design is the right size for good sound, durability and comfort.



Instead of having silicon tip on the nozzle, EP1’s silicon tip sits directly on the monitor chamber. The Balanced Armature (BA) transducers literally sit inside my ear canals when I listen to it. I believe the unmistakably forward sounding signature is due to the close proximity of BA drivers to my eardrums.

I also read that Binary Acoustics was able to dramatically shrink down their earphones by eliminating acoustic tubes traditionally used in IEMs. On close inspection, I noticed that the single BA units seemed to sit right behind the metal grills. While I am not entirely sure how that was done (probably with a plastic feature that hold it in place from behind), I believe such unobstructed positioning helped to achieve a clear and natural sound. After listening to EP1 on and off for the some three months, I can confirm that the sound is almost entirely free from chamber resonance.



EP1 looks minimalistic and Bauhaus modernistic. EP1 is an earphone that is striped to its bare minimum and the whole earphone was designed from ground up with basic geometries. There’s no organic curves, fancy ornaments to be seen and Binary Acoustics didn’t even stamp their brand name on this IEM.

EP1 monitor chamber is made of chrome-plated copper and it is reminiscent of an empty bullet casing. There are altogether three openings on the monitor chamber, one for sound to pass through, a cable outlet and a tiny hole for air flow balancing. Overall EP1 is a tasteful design and it screams elegance!

The EP1 I received is a special edition that came with silver plated copper (SPC) cable. A basic EP1 will come with black rubbery cable. I believe Binary Acoustics sourced the SPC cable (OD 2mm) from Lyre Acoustics (I happen to have a similar 3.5mm MMCX cable from Lyre Acoustics). While the SPC cable is springy, it is tangle free and feels soft to the touch. The cable has no memory effect and most importantly I never had an issue with it being microphonics. The left and right sides of EP1 are identical but the left cable is wrapped with a tiny black rubber ring. That is quite a genius touch as it means a lot to me to be able to distinguish left from right by feel in the dark.

Probably due to space constrain, the strain relief had been omitted from EP1. Some people might fret about the the absence of a strain relief, I am not a careful person so I was naturally one of them. I broke some of my earphones the first day I had them, thankfully I am blessed with good soldering skill. I have yanked EP1 cable a couple of times by accident, luckily it is still functional at the time of writing this review. EP1 might look delicate but it is actually quite durable since it had survived the last three months with possibly one the clumsiest person on earth and that is saying something!




Package

I had a very positive experience unboxing EP1. EP1 came in a black box made of sturdy cardboard material. The box was filled with abundant accessories: two sets of silicone flange tips in three sizes, a pair of earhooks, a lapel clip, a faux leather pouch, a piece of cloth, some cable ties, a warranty card and a manual.


Specifications

· Design: In-ear Monitors (in canal)
· Driver: 1 balanced armature
· Frequency range: 10-22000Hz
· Impedance: 40 ohm @ 1KHz
· Sensitivity: 111 dB/mW @ 1KHz
· Cable material: Silver plated copper
· Cable length: 120cm symmetrical design
· Plug Type: 3.5mm straight gold-plated
· Weight: 12g including cable, 3g not counting cable

Total Harmonic Distortion THD is not offered by Binary Acoustics.
EP1 delivers decent volume through most portable devices.




Acoustic Design

Prior to the golden age of IEMs (~2008-now?), BA transducers were mainly used in hearing aids. They were later appropriated into IEMs thanks to acoustical improvement over the years.

In this day and age, it is not uncommon for a custom IEM to have 2-10 balanced armature and dynamic drivers. It has even became a norm for a sub-30dollar earphone to have up to 3 drivers (Xiaomi Hybrid Pro HD and Knowledge Zenith KZ being the prime examples) and that makes the single BA EP1 seems almost primitive on paper.

In general, a single Balanced Armature (BA) IEM tends to be flat sounding and tiring to listen to (usually metallic sounding because the sound comes from a moving metal piece inside the unit). The most common trick to get a BA IEM to sound right is to pack a few BA units together and have each BA handles a part of the sound spectrum. Audio companies also usually achieve a relatively flat frequency response chart by stuffing multiple BA drivers in an IEM. Theoretically speaking, a flatter frequency response chart is a more balanced sound.

Unlike dynamic drivers, BA drivers tend to create a less powerful bass response since less air is moved during sound production. More air movement almost always means stronger bass sensation because in reality we tend to equate good bass with what we can feel and not actually hear.

Binary acoustics obviously modeled EP1 after some single-BA IEMs in the market today, notably those from Final Audio Design (FAD) and Etymotic Research. A typical IEM is sealed but there are some that are not, for examples those FAD earphones with BAM system. The description of BAM on FAD site is quite vague. BAM is a fancy acronym (Balanced Air Movement) coined by Final Audio Design to describe airflow optimization through creations of apertures on BA transducer and the monitor barrel. To me, BAM is essentially a bass response port that allows BA drivers to move at a higher amplitude and have a faster return. EP1 has a similar BAM port of about 0.5mm in diameter. It is located directly opposite the cable outlet. I did not and do not intend to break open my EP1 so I can’t confirm if the BA driver in it has a port as well. Alternating through the few IEMs that I have, it became obvious to me that EP1 sounds bassier and faster because of this technology.

Also noteworthy in my opinion is the tubeless design of EP1. I am quite sure Binary Acoustic is not the first company to come out with such a design as I have read about the Tubeless In-ear Audio (TIA) technology used in Audio 64 earphones and the Acoustic Expansion Chamber (TAEC) used in Campfire Audio earphones, I believe EP1 runs on the same acoustic principle. At least judging from the exploded views, Audio 64 and Campfire Audio seems to have similar driver placement.




Sound

I relaxed my EP1 with at least 100 hours of burn-in to ensure that I was hearing the optimal sound during my review.

The one weakness of EP1 is almost predictable given they use a single tiny balanced armature driver. EP1, not unlike other single BA IEM struggles to present grand, powerful orchestral arrangements that can go toe-to-toe with more powerful multi-driver earphones.

EP1 isn’t neutral, it is in fact a little aggressive sounding for my pallet. It is forward sounding with a U-shaped sound character. The resolution of EP1 is good, but it is far from being the most analytical earphones I have heard. EP1 is obviously not reference-tuned, it has this easy-going sound that is almost tailored for contemporary pop and rock music. The treble and bass of EP1 are clearly lifted above the mid. Although EP1 does not sound extremely smooth across the frequency spectrum, I have not heard any disconnection (a sudden dip or bump in the spectrum) when I used it for some complex tunes.

I am actually quite impressed by the clarity of EP1 as it is clean and clear even at the lower volume. The tiny bit of sparkle in the sound adds some excitement to a song. Enough with the praise, I think EP1 is not suitable for listening to youtube, audiobook or podcast. The forward and aggressive character became a curse for spoken audio. I couldn’t stand the shoutiness of the earphone and I often find myself changing to other earphones when I listen to an audiobook.

Overall there is a lot of energy in EP1’s sound and I find the sound signature to be quite unique for a single full-range BA IEM. It is meant for engaging listen and I do not think it is for analytical listeners.




Soundstage

Coming from full size headphones and leaky earbuds, I am truly disappointed by EP1’s soundstage. The soundstage is neither tall nor it is wide and the spatial spread of EP1 is slightly narrower than an average IEM. I guess the tiny port does nothing to expand the soundstage.

Vocals are front and intimate and they sounded very near probably due to the driver placement and the absence of an acoustic tube. Sound imaging is okay, I could distinguish different sound sections without a problem. Still, it is almost wrong to use EP1 for orchestral or classical music due to its cluttered stage.

All in all, the soundstage of EP1 leaves a lot to be desired. If you want an expansive soundstage, get yourself other IEM or better still get something else that is not an IEM.


Low

Oddly enough, what surprised me the most is the bass of EP1. The midbass is thick and punchy but not exceedingly so. I can hear or feel a good amount of sub-bass as well. To me, EP1’s bass quality is spandex tight and the attack is impactful, It is something not often seen (or heard) in an IEM, more-so in an IEM of this size.

While the bass quantity is good, It is by no means bloated or boomy. The bass texture is awesome and it is far from sounding murky. EP1 defies my expectation of the lower frequency in a single-BA IEM. If Binary Acoustics aimed to create IEMs with good lower frequency that can match that of a multi-drivers IEM, they clearly had succeeded.

Mid

The mid of EP1 is nothing to write home about. It is mildly recessed while being smooth and natural, but there’s really not a lot going on here. Female vocals usually sounded great and male vocals tend to sound younger than they should be. Being tuned as a musical IEM rather than a reference IEM, the mid is really not EP1’s strongest suit but hey, you can’t have it all!

High

EP1 is adequately bright. For the last three months listening to EP1, I spotted no hint of sibilant. I think the treble is well defined but not entirely soft. It is well extended but a tad bright for my liking.

EP1 is one of the crispiest sounding earphones I have. It is capable of delivering some of the most realistic string and cymbal renditions I have heard so far.


Source

EP1 is not picky. I used it with my ipad, phone, laptop and lossless player. EP1 did not sound very different on different devices and I don’t think EP1 will scale with better sources or amps. I was told that Binary Acoustics designed EP1 to be played through iphone or ipad (Cirrus Logic DAC) and that meant it was optimized for other smartphones as well.




Comfort and Isolation

In the end, even the best audio quality equates to nothing if an earphone is not comfy. No matter how great a pair of headphones is, if it hurts my head I will not be able to listen to it.

I do not consider EP1 the most comfortable earphones I have ever used. First, like any other IEM, EP1 requires a getting-used-to period, which is typically a few days. It is an invasive fit after all, it took me roughly 4 days to be able to use EP1 for a long listen. If you are a seasoned IEM user, you might find EP1 quite comfortable.

Also, my ears suffered air pressure in-balance when using EP1, that is an inherent shortcoming of an IEM. Air pressure builds up in a blocked canal after an hour or so. Most IEMs give me that same claustrophobic feeling if I use them for more than an hour. Using EP1 is quite straight forward. I didn’t have to fight EP1 to get it to fit right on me. When I use EP1 for a normal listening session, I usually push EP1 into my ear canals until I hear a pop or I get cut to a total silence. I generally do not have noise isolation problem with EP1.


Comparisons

When it comes to single BA IEM, most audiophiles will certainly think of Etymotic Research ER4. Final Audio on the other hand also released a line of single BA IEMs, that they labeled as the F series (F7200, F4100 and F3100). So I think it makes a lot of sense to compare EP1 to them because they share the same design.

Etymotic Research ER4XR is the latest and greatest of the ER4 series. Compared to ER4XR, EP1 has a much narrower soundstage with worse imaging, it is bassier, brighter and has a thinner mid. I find EP1 to be more engaging to listen to but it is less balanced compared to ER4XR. EP1 simply does not have the same resolving power of ER4XR. The treble control, dynamic and articulation of ER4XR are better than EP1 but not by a mile. Overall EP1 has a different emphasis compared to ER4XR: ER4XR is more of a balanced-mid IEM and EP1 is a bassier IEM. EP1 can’t compete with ER4XR solely on the sound department but as an overall package it does hold its own ground, especially if you take into account of its styling, portability and fit.

Final Audio Design F7200 has a flatter but finer sound compared to the more accentuated EP1. Now that I listen to EP1, I consider F7200 an earphone that sounded similar to ER4XR. Also worth mentioning is the Final Audio Design E series because from afar, EP1 looks undeniably similar to FAD E3000 but they are actually very different. It is unfair to compare EP1 with E3000 because E3000 is a budget single dynamic driver IEM. Zero Audio’s Carbon Tenore (the one everyone raved about) is another single dynamic driver IEM that looks similar to EP1. In a short listening session, I concluded that both Carbon Tenore and E3000 were outmatched by EP1 in most aspects. Carbon Tenore’s mid is remarkable, it is silky smooth but overall the earphone does not sound as lively as EP1. E3000 is a decent dynamic IEM. It is a great IEM for the price but the bass sounded loose and lacking to me, the decay and return is slow compared to EP1.




Overall Thoughts

I must admit that I greatly underestimated EP1 because of its size and simplicity. EP1 ticked off many boxes and does many things right. If you want a pair of earphones that sound great, look nice and are highly portable then look no further, you will not go wrong with EP1.

EP1 is a very well-made earphone with no major flaws. While the sound didn’t blow me away nor it has the most drivers, EP1 is a refreshing take in this somewhat convoluted Ear-Fi world.

To me (a mild alcoholic), EP1 is like a pint of craft beer: fine, exclusive and exquisite.


Thanks for Reading.

Physical
If this is an art project, XZ-U303 will receive an A for its gorgeous look. It is undeniably good-looking, the amplifier is housed in a hexagonal metal enclosure with a vacuum tube protruding out through the top. U303 came in two color schemes: black body - gold dial and silver body - chrome dial, I picked the former because it looks nicer.

Nob, Snob, Noob??
I bought this amplifier from ebay and received it three weeks later in a beat-up generic corrugated box. Nob, I can’t elaborate more on the packaging. In mainland China, this headphone amplifier is sold as XuanZu XZ-U303 but for the oversea market, it is distributed by Douk Audio as Nobsound NS-02E. I think they are better off keeping the Chinese name, ya you get the joke. At first I thought XZ-U303/NS-02E is a namesake iteration of Nobsound NS-01E (Xuanzu XZ-U2017 in China) since they have seemingly similar components, later I realized that U303 runs on a fatter vacuum tube and has two interchangeable opamp slots.



Specifications:
· Tube: 6N3
· Output power: ≥1100 mW (32 ohm)
· Adapter Headphone Impedance: 18-600 ohm
· Total harmonic distortion: <0.005%
· SNR: ≥110 dB
· Frequency Response: 20 Hz – 30 kHz
· Size: 90 * 90 * 39 mm (L * W * H; 3.54 x 3.54 x 1.54 inches) /H: 80 mm with tube and feet
· Net weight: 165g
· Colors Available: Black, Silver
· Input and Output Audio Jacks: 3.5 mm

Sound
Out of the box, the sound quality of this headphone amplifier is a disappointment. I plugged this amplifier straight into my laptop and I can hear all sort of noises, hums and hisses. When I fiddled with my setup or moved something on my desk I could hear some annoying sound distortions. So I decided to order some expensive 3.5mm to 3.5mm cables to try out; I bought the shortest standard 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable from XuanZu and another pure braided silver cable. The higher quality cable solved part of the sound distortion but the low volume high pitch hissing was still there. I deduced that the hissing sound came from the power supply or power cable. Believing that U303 is sensitive to EMI (electromagnet interference), I tried plugging U303 to a standalone power socket and the hissing persisted. I was not satisfied so I added a ferrite core to the power cable but the improvement was not significant. All these turned out to be a red herring later on, apparently U303 will not pair well with certain opamps. To be fair, I have also read through XuanZu website (on TaoBao), they claimed that they designed XZ-U303 especially for headphones of higher impedance (up to 600ohm) and that is true. When I used it with higher impedance headphones, the noise floor was cleaner even if I purposely run it with the wrong setup. I was quite confused and invested many incremental upgrades into U303 hoping to arrive at a cleaner and nicer sound.



Pairing and Customization
If you like to customize things, you will not go wrong with XZ-U303. This amplifier is built for tinkerers, it runs on two DIP8 dual opamps and one 5670 vacuum tube amplifier (Nobsound NS-01E takes a 6021 tube). I have tried the components below with XZ-U303.

Tube:
Beijing 6N3 (2micas, square getter) - stock tube that came in XZ-U303
GE JAN 5670 (2micas, round getter) - with green prints
Russian Reflector 6H3N-E (3 micas, round getter)
Sylvania 5670 (2micas, square getter)

Opamp:
Texas Instrument NE5532P - stock opamp that came in XZ-U303
National LM4562NA - stock opamp that came in Zishan Z2
National LME49720HA
Burson Audio Supreme Sound V5i

I have paired XZ-U303 with my laptop, my smartphone, my DAP and ipad (built with AK Asahi Kasei, ESS Sabre and Cirrus Logic DACs). Personally I did not notice the expanded soundstage that many reviewers claimed to hear from a tube amplifier but then again I have to clarify that U303 is technically not a pure tube amplifier. I read that the sound amplification is actually done by the two opamps and the vacuum tube is there for sound coloration, and yes the U303 will not make a sound if you pull out the vacuum tube.

I got the thickest sound from a combination of Laptop USB - Zishan Z2 Line Out LO - XZ-U303 - GE Jan 5670 - Burson SS V5i but the noise floor was extremely dirty. After some experimentation, I came to a conclusion that U303 is very picky with opamps. My assumption that a more expensive opamp will always sound better was proven wrong as the stock NE5532Ps delivered a considerably cleaner noise floor than SS V5is. I can't say for sure if 49720HA and 4562NA will work well with U303 since I only have a piece of each.



The stock Beijing vacuum tube is tallest tube of the bunch, it sounded anemic to me and I happen to like a fuller sound. I got the Russian Reflector 6H3N for cheap but it has this piercing high that can be unbearable. I will suggest you to fork out the money for a GE, RCA, Sylvania 5670 if you are looking for a more analogue sound. Usually older vacuum tubes of irregular shapes seem to produce a more sophisticated sound, maybe there’s something ‘wabi-sabi’ about them. That said, if you are an IEM guy and you are looking for an amplifier that reproduces clean and accurate sound, I will suggest you to walk away, I believe your two years old Iphone sound better than U303.

Other than that, I have also compared the three 3.5mm to 3.5mm cables that I have, the XuanZu cable (not part of the package, you have to pay extra for that) gave me an almost distortion-free sound and it worked better than the more expensive pure silver braided cable.



Overall Thoughts
By the end of the day, I probably spent more on components and accessories (tubes, opamps, cables, ferrite core and etc) than the price of a new XZ-U303. Don’t get me wrong, U303 itself is cheap and worth the money even if you take into account its flaws. I must admit that the emotional excitement I get from the tube sound is beyond description. U303 sounded magical with vocal and jazz tracks, the amplifier is a nice addition to my desk.

This amplifier requires a lot of participation, so if you are a tinkerer, by all means, go ahead and get it, you will be rewarded with the IKEA effect. If you plan to use U303 with some sensitive earphones or IEMs I will advice you to keep your money or spend it on a more appropriate amplifier.


Also check out my review of the Burson Supreme Sound V5i here.
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/burson-audio-supreme-sound-opamp-v5i.21562/reviews#review-19627

However corny it sounds, I think listening to music in the dead of night is incredibly cathartic. Music is my solace; I have invested many of my hours finding the right sound, zoning out on music and many more crawling through Head-Fi. For a normal person, that might sound rather absurd but as an audio geek, I can't think of a better way to use my life.



Burson Audio was kind enough to send me two Supreme Sound V5i hybrid opamps in exchange for an honest review. I have since kept myself busy trying out V5i. The picture above is a snapshot of the opamps I currently have in my arsenal: National LM4562NA, Texas Instrument NE5532P, National LME49720HA and Burson Audio Supreme Sound V5i.
*Texas Instrument acquired National Semiconductor in 2011.



I must say Burson's presentation of the Supreme Sound V5i is impressive and their products seem professionally packed. I can still recall seeing Supreme Sound V5i for the first time, it was serene: the two V5is were siting comfortably in the foam padded plastic snap box. The V5i opamp is housed in a shiny metal enclosure that suggests sturdiness and complexity. The metal enclosure probably also dissipates heat and shields itself from EMI (electromagnetic interference). I enjoyed the unboxing experience and appreciate Burson's attentions to details so I really can't claim that I was not fed with the "you will get a significantly better sound" placebo.



For a long time, I remained a minimalist listener. I listened straight from my smartphone and refused to use an amplifier. I did not believe the extra heft is worth the trouble and yes, I am a thrifty person. Gradually and eventually I gave in to temptations and bought myself a Zishan Z2 DAP and a XZ-U303 (Nobsound NS-02E in the West) desktop headphone amplifier. I learned that amplifiers (however cheap they are) open up to a whole new audio experience. My decisions to acquire the two devices were partially driven by how customizable they are: Zishan Z2 has a DIP8 slot while XZ-U303 has two DIP8 slots with a 5670 vacuum tube (valve for the Brits) socket. I had a lot of fun time swapping ICs and tubes and I get to enjoy different sounds without having to splurge on another pair of headphones.

Let me talk a bit about Burson Audio and their products. The company sells a line of single-purpose discrete circuits opamps under the Supreme Sound label. Discrete circuit opamps are different from the more popular solid-state integrated chip (IC) opamps. IC opamps are commonly used in PC and various electronic devices. Due to their versatility and popular demands, integrated chips were manufactured in high volume so they are dirt cheap. You can probably walk into a nearby electronic shop and purchase a piece of NE5532P or NE5534 for a single dollar. Since IC opamps have to cater for a wide variety of applications, a lot of their components have nothing to do with audio amplification.
*There are some exceptions: e.g., Muses ICs were developed by New Japan Radio Co. NJRC specially for audio applications.



Instead of going with the flow, Burson Audio offers discrete circuit opamps like Supreme Sound V5 and Supreme Sound V6. Both the V5 and V6 look tall, colorful and different because beneath the plastic covers are capacitors, resistors and PCBs. On first thought you might think that it is a backward approach but Burson did so for some good reasons. With this approach, they get to design their own circuits specifically for music. They are able to cut down on components and remove unnecessary components that have nothing to do with audio amplification. An opamp with fewer electronic components is better at preserving the purity of sound since sound signals will be processed by fewer components hence lower external noise and coloration. Separating out components also enables better quality control of each component. Metaphorically speaking, a discrete circuit has the character of a vinyl player since its sole purpose is to play music while an IC opamp behaves more like a smartphone, a jack of all trades. If you don't need a tool for communication and status updates, you are probably better off with a vinyl player since it plays better music (spare me the debate).
* Marantz's HDAM and its clones are discrete opamps as well.



Supreme Sound V5i is one of a kind. It is an opamp Burson developed and produced in collaboration with an external microchip company. V5i is amphibious in the sense that it is technically not a full IC. The FET circuit of the V5i is in solid-state IC form and it is complimented by some external discrete components (think capacitors and resistors). For that reason, it is more appropriate to categorize V5i as a hybrid opamp, or an IC opamp with some externalized discrete parts. I believe the goal is to produce an amp that has the size, price and efficiency of an IC opamp while having the sound characteristic of a discrete circuit opamp. Reading through the technical details and company history, I learned to appreciate the technologies that went into V5i even more.



On first listen, I was amazed by the resolving power and transparent sound of V5i. But then again I was also equally thrilled by TI/NS LME49720HA when I first have it. In my point of view, V5i and LME49720HA sound better overall compared to the stock opamps that came with my devices. To put things into perspective, it is safe to say that listening to music through Zishan Z2 (with any opamp) is perceptibly better than plugging straight into my laptop; going from a dollar opamp to a higher tier opamp also helps with the sound. It is just that the more expensive opamps tend to be equally good in sound. When I pair my headphone amps with lower impedance headphones/ earphones, the benefits of an amp diminishes. I do not have golden ears so if I blind-test all the opamps I own, I will not be able to name each sound correctly. Of course I am not saying that all the opamps sound the same, I can probably distinguish one from another if I compare them side by side (if your aim is to enjoy music, you will not do that). I do not find the sound of V5i to be supremely better than say the LME49720HA. I think both of them are neutral sounding and V5i has a more analogue character (easier to ears). I believe both V5i and LME49720HA are a tad smoother sounding than the NE5532P and LM4562NA. One thing I do not like about the LME49720HA is its form factor, I could not use it straight out of the box, I had to snip and bend its pins and use it with a DIP socket to prolong its lifespan. LME49720HA also seems to heat up in a short period of use. On the positive note, it is a sign that I am not getting a fake since it is probably doing something. I can hardly squeeze the LME49720HA into my Zishan Z2 but the V5i goes into Z2 with great ease. I also find it easier to handle V5i as I am able to pinch its metal cap with my finger tips and pull it out of my devices but I can not do the same to the odd-shaped LME49720HA. Overall, I must say V5i is a more complete product.



I did try Supreme Sound V5is on my XZ-U303, a hybrid headphone amp that runs on two opamps and a tube (an analogue component) and that is a whole different story, a whole new game of its own. I don't think anyone who is looking for an accurate unaltered sound will go for a tube amp, the whole point of using a tube is for the deliberate audio coloration, or the 'tube sound'. So to use a clear sounding opamp in XZ-U303 kinda defeats its purpose. As of yet, I have not given XZ-U303 - V5is enough listen because the XZ-U303 was designed in a way that the DIP8 slots are not easily accessible. I might write about this interesting fella when some of my 5670 tubes arrive.
* Update, Burson Supreme Sound V5i does not pair well with XZ-U303, my review of U303: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/xu...eadphone-amplifier.22822/reviews#review-19698



I consider V5i a middle-of-the-road hybrid opamp that targets mid-level audiophiles. I can't claim that V5i sounds entirely different from a pure solid-state IC opamp but it is indeed an upgrade from whatever stock opamps that came in my devices. Maybe Supreme Sound V5 and V6 do sound different but I am not sure since I don't have them. By the end of the day I can't say for sure how V5i will benefit you or if it is worth your money. In my case, I have spent countless of hours toying with my V5is, swapping them in and out of my device, configuring and tinkering with my system... am I a happier person now? Obviously yes!

Mrz, MusicMaker, ToneKing?

ToneKing rose to fame with the release of Tomahawk some years ago but remained a mysterious company to the western world. The company had since changed its name from MrZ to MusicMaker and later ToneKing. I do not know the reason behind the frequent rebranding but the last and current name is probably the company’s attempt to Latinize its Chinese name TianKui, using the same TK initials.

ToneKing Tomahawk used to be the talk of Head-fi. What puzzles me is why the later releases from the same company do not achieve the same level of fame and success as the Tomahawk? Maybe and just maybe, newer, cheaper and better earbuds are mushrooming so the later ToneKings like the mid-range TO200 and the flagship TY2 have been overlooked. So, now I am writing this review to do TO200 justice.


Physical
While I can’t say for sure that all Chinese earphones have robust builds but I am sure that ToneKing earbuds are very rugged. I have TP16, Tomahawk and TO200 for some time now; I knock them around, drop them on the table, shove them in my bags and chuck them in my jeans pockets everyday. They have been squashed and tortured by me and they seem to hold out pretty well, I do not notice degradation of any kind.


TO200 looks intricate compared to TP16 and Tomahawk but the build quality is just as good or better than its predecessors. The TO200 I have was nicely put together and I do not notice any glue residue or uneven gap on the unit. On first glance, TO200 does look oddly similar to TO300 but the latter has no detachable cable. TO200 inherits the same generic plastic inner shell of Tomahawk, TP16 and most of other MX500 earphones. The metal outer shell is a unique design shared exclusively by the three TO siblings (TO65, TO180 and TO200). The dark grey finish of TO200 gives it a very classy look. One minor gripe I have with the TO200 is the LR indication. The L and R markings are printed minutely at the sides of the earbuds; it makes differentiation in the dark a pain.


Obviously TO200 will not win any beauty contest; this pair of earphones simply does not have the look. It is not exactly a love at first sight for me, and then again I never really like the look of a Tomahawk either. TO200 departed from the familiar design language of Tomahawk and TY2 as TO200 no longer has that fancy bamboo shaft and it is not the shining knight that its predecessors were. When I weighed TO200 and Tomahawk with my bare hands, I was surprised to find that TO200 actually feels lighter than Tomahawk and it fits better in my small ears. There is no fatigue to speak of when I inserted TO200 into my ears but Yuin Docomo shell still has the crown when it comes to comfort.


Physically, the cable of TO200 resembles the cable of TP16 and Tomahawk but it terminates with MMCX ends, thereby opening up the option of swapping to another MMCX cable. The stock MMCX cable is made of 4N high purity silver-plated oxygen-free copper. Phew. It is soft and microphonics are essentially non-existent when I used it with the earbuds. The cable certainly does not look as fancy-pansy as those aftermarket braided cables but it is perfectly functional and inspires quality, I have nothing but praise for the cable.


Specifications

Impedance: 200ohm
Sensitivity: 113db/mW
Frequency Response Range: 12-32000Hz
Cable Length: 1.2m


Sound
TO200 benefited greatly from the higher impedance design. Higher impedance earbuds utilize stiffer coils hence they require more power to move the membranes. Theoretically if a driver is harder to move, it is also more controlled. I usually listen to music at medium level in quiet environments. The noise floor of this 200ohm earbuds is extremely clean. With TO200, I can finally enjoy crystal clear music in the middle of the night.

Thanks to the analytical characteristic of TO200, I can now hear some small details that are not audible in any cheaper earphones. I began to notice the small breaths that a singer took before hitting high notes. It is these small details that really make the sound realistic and set it apart from other earphones.

Compared to the already good TP16 and Tomahawk, TO200 delivers an even better listening experience when amped right. While TP16 and Tomahawk has U-shaped sounds, TO200 is more resolving and has a flatter frequency response. This upgrade in clarity was not done without any trade off as I find TO200 less cheerful sounding than its predecessors.


Highs
I must say, female vocals sound incredible with TO200. They are transparent with good level of clarity, impactful but have no sibilance or harshness in the sound. While the treble is not really sparkly, it is also not fatiguing and I find it quite enjoyable for long listen.

Mids
Good mids run in TO200's DNA and TO200 was probably built for acoustic-centric songs. The mids are well controlled and smooth across the spectrum, and the tones are clear and revealing. Vocals are presented very accurately with good resolution, again if amped right. TO200 never failed to pleasure my ears. At times, I turned around to inspect my surrounding as I was convinced that the sound came from outside the earbuds.

Lows
The bass of the TO200 is average at best. It is extended but sounds grainy to my ears. I didn’t get much slam or rumble even when I was listening to deafening rock tracks, the bass quantity is just not there. I definitely wouldn’t count on TO200 to render bassy songs. On the bright side, the laid back presentation of the low does not overpower the rest of the spectrum. Pun intended here. I find this gentle sound delightful as I am not really a basshead per se.

Soundstage
The soundstage of TO200 is surprisingly huge, surpassing that of TP16 and Tomahawk. It is something I have yet to come across in a pair of earbuds. Positioning of vocals and instruments is great. The longitude separation is wide; in fact in some cases the separation is too much for my liking.

Source
I auditioned TO200 with various devices (built with AK Asahi Kasei, ESS Sabre, Cirrus Logic DACs) and tried it amped and unamped. It’s clear to me that TO200 will not sing without an amp.


The Mystery

Conventional wisdom tells me that earphones with big vents should have hollowness to their sounds and sealed earphones like most of the IEMs have fuller sound.

The vents on TO200 are hard to miss; they probably contributed to the huge soundstage. I have tried to wear TO200 with the plastic inner shells buried in my ears, they sounded similar to what I hear when I am wearing them correctly but with the volume cut to about 60%. As the tinkerer that I am, I sealed TO200 vents with my fingers. The sound did change slightly and accordingly but even with the vents closed up, TO200 did not sound muffled. I repeated the same experiment on my Headroom MS16, the sound changed very significantly. Then I tried the same experiment on my Fidelio S2; closing up S2 vents also resulted in an obvious change of sound.

I have since spent some nights peeking into TO200 vents and wondered what is behind those metal grills…


Overall Thoughts
TO200 broke away from the ToneKing's signature fun sound. It is smooth sounding yet analytical, a combination that is hard to come by. Also thanks to its unique design, TO200 has an enormous soundstage with excellent imaging. Pair these great audio qualities with the excellent build, TO200 is indeed a gem of earbuds. I can wholeheartedly recommend TO200 to my head-fi friends here.

Disclaimer, TO200 was provided as a sample for the purpose of review.
https://www.aliexpress.com/store/3216145