Shure KSE1200SYS electrostatic in-ear headphone system Review
March 18, 2019 Comments Off on Shure KSE1200SYS electrostatic in-ear headphone system Review
“A problem with armature-based IEMs, such as my Ultimate Ears 18 Pros, is that their vibrating reeds start to run out of excursion with high levels of low-frequency tones, producing “doubling” (second-harmonic distortion). This was not the case with either the KSE1500 or KSE1200SYS earpieces, which played the low-frequency, 1/3-octave warble tones on my Editor’s Choice (CD, Stereophile STPH016-2) cleanly and with full weight down to 32Hz, provided the sleeves were making good seals with my ear canals. The combination of low-frequency clarity and weight in “Happiness Is Easy,” from Talk Talk’s The Colour of Spring (DSD64 file ripped from SACD, EMI 591452), made the sparse interjections from Danny Thompson’s double bass and Alan Gorrie’s electric bass sound suitably forceful. No, in terms of low-frequency weight, the in-ear Shures still couldn’t match my long-term headphone reference, Audeze’s LCD-Xes, driven in balanced mode by Ayre Acoustics’ EX-8 integrated amplifier. However, the over-ear LCD-Xes weigh my head down after the first couple of hours; the lightweight Shures remained comfortable throughout far longer listening sessions.”
HIDIZS MERMAID MS1 AND MS4 $150 REVIEW
March 11, 2019 Comments Off on HIDIZS MERMAID MS1 AND MS4 $150 REVIEW
“For the money, both earphones pack a punch. The Kickstarter sets the MS1 to 99$ (regular 149$) but would be a steal at full price. And the MS4 competes well against pricier earphones, both at its Kickstarter discount and its full price.Eventually, the cable prongs may wiggle themselves out of the earphones. Otherwise, both are well finished and well-built and should look good in years. Their cables should outlast the market.”
Sennheiser IE800S In Ear Headphone Review
March 5, 2019 Comments Off on Sennheiser IE800S In Ear Headphone Review
Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless Earphones – REVIEW
March 2, 2019 Comments Off on Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless Earphones – REVIEW
LIME EARS MODEL X UNIVERSAL REVIEW
February 23, 2019 Comments Off on LIME EARS MODEL X UNIVERSAL REVIEW
“The boosted low-end on the Model X bass-on mode does mean you will hear a bit more body to instrumental timbre. Lower pitched instrumental work, particularly guitar work with sound richer and more authoritative on this switch setting much like the custom Model X.
Vocals for me do not actually change their position or presence with either switch but due to the more elevated nature of the low end with the bass-on mode they will struggle for a bit more air and fall a bit further back in the mix. When there is less bass energy, however, vocal timbre does sound a little fuller and warmer than when the bass mode is off which I prefer at times, especially for female vocals.
Staging does change on the Bass-On mode compared to Bass-Off. I find the depth to improve on the Bass-On mode with relatively the same level of height and air compared to the Bass-Off mode. With the bass turned off the Model X sounds more linear, not quite as deep or forward sounding but the mids are a bit more open and spacious sounding as a result.”
Audio-Technica’s CKR7 true wireless earphones
February 23, 2019 Comments Off on Audio-Technica’s CKR7 true wireless earphones
FIIO FA7 $300 REVIEW
February 16, 2019 Comments Off on FIIO FA7 $300 REVIEW
“I ran the FA7 on an iPhone6, an AK120, and FiiO’s own M6 DAP as these are popular lower powered devices. On these pairings, I am hearing good resolution especially on the upper vocal range. The dynamic range is good with decent texture in its low-end and excellent articulation and detail in its treble performance despite it rolling-off at the very top-end.
The FA7 performs well technically, yet the low-end quantity can be a bit overwhelming at times. To me, lower pitched vocals are a bit laid back, particularly male vocals which, at times, compete with that stronger bass bias. You may find equalizing down the midbass by 2-3dB effective in delivering more clarity to the FA7’s vocal presence.”
Lark Studio LSXC $1699 Review
February 13, 2019 Comments Off on Lark Studio LSXC $1699 Review
The PW Saladin cleans up the signature of the LSXC and takes a touch of warmth out of the timber replacing it with a little more treble sparkle and clarity. The sound still has relatively the same tuning bias but you do get a much better level of dynamic range, a more open sound and significantly better width in the soundstage.
Personally, I might dabble a bit more with some other cables including some 8-wire silver options to see if I can get a little more out of the LSXC staging-wise for the main review. What you need to know for now this is a smooth and warm sounding monitor with a forgiving presentation rather than a reference tuning.”
Shozy Pola First Look
February 12, 2019 Comments Off on Shozy Pola First Look
“Sonically, the innards of the POLA have gone through multiple revisions too. Shozy worked with various driver setups, 2, 3 and 4-BA to complement the ES tweeters. However, ultimately BA drivers proved challenging to implement due to a mismatch between their sensitivity and the insensitive ES tweeters that require a step-up transformer. The BA drivers required heavy damping which compromised efficiency and fidelity. Ultimately, Shozy settled on a massive 13mm graphene dynamic driver that matches the character of the ES driver, that Shozy claims to effectively provide excellent end to end extension free of obtrusive peaks and troughs. The POLA is stated to carry a slightly darker sound with pronounced vocals and a focus on dynamics.”
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