Audiophilepure

Anyone who has listened to the HE1000 series headphones will recognize the bright aspects of their presentation. However, the HE1000 UNVEILED produces a more balanced sound signature with a flatter frequency response in certain regions compared to past iterations within this series.

I rarely get a set of headphones that once I have heard them I cannot put them down. The HIFIMAN HE1000 UNVEILED did exactly that to me. It seems that the uncovered driver implementation allows the driver to breathe freely and this in turn produces a natural timbre that’s sonically accurate.

my favorite Dan Clark Audio headphone. Yes the Dan Clark Audio CORINA is still the best sounding, and the Dan Clark Audio STEALTH steps in just below that, as the Dan Clark Audio E3 is yet another slight dip in performance, but the performance gap becomes ever so much smaller as each new headphone is introduced and the NOIRE X checks off every box making it a reference headphone. Expansive soundstage, ruler flat tonal balance, deep subsonic bass, musical honeyed midrange, extreme clarity, the absence of distortion that you didn’t even realize was there before, masterful speed and transient response, layers of detail, realistic timbre to instruments, excellent three-dimensional imaging, and fantastic build quality. All combined, this makes the NOIRE X not only a top-performing headphone but an incredible value to boot.

While the NOIRE X does take a bit of power to drive it worked well with every amp I tried, though your phone, if it has a headphone output, may find it a bit of a struggle, it worked well with mine but I did need to turn it up all the way and still it was not what I would call loud. I will say the clarity is such that you will probably be drawn to listen at volumes louder than you probably should. As it should be, the NOIRE X is completely genre-agnostic and performed well with every style of music. Well done Dan Clark Audio, as this is close to my last review of the year, I can definitely say that this headphone will get my vote for a Product of the Year Award, and my strongest recommendation.

https://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0125/FiiO_S15_Music_Streame_Hi_Res_DAC_Bluetooth_Receiver_Review.htm

When hearing Blue Trane played back, the sound of Coltrane’s piercing tenor sax was accompanied by a level of talent that other musicians rarely matched. And I was having the FiiO’s reproduce what I can only describe as severely lifelike sent shivers down my spine. I was also in awe that I heard this sound sourced by a $999 streamer. After this album streamed through the Moon 681, it had a bit more body and drew me into the music better. But no way did it sound 12 times better!

And it wasn’t only the sound of Coltrane’s sax that amazed me, but the sound of the other instruments played by the other musicians that he assembled for this session. This included Lee Morgan on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Kenny Drew playing piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones behind the drum kit.

The varying styles the band played on this album ranged from mellow blues, ballads, and upbeat bop; holding all this together was the Coltrane’s fantastic stream of consciousness solos, along with the FiiO S15’s transparent signal that it sent to the linestage, and eventually through my speakers. There is a reason why this album is beloved by so many, even more than 65 years after it was released.

Even though this album wasn’t the best one to judge the soundstage and image talent of the FiiO S15, as I said, I listened to all types of music through this streamer, and both the vast, layered soundstage and pinpoint imaging were present, but only when the recording had these characteristics.