Hifiman Arya Planar Magnetic Headphone Overview
June 15, 2019 Comments Off on Hifiman Arya Planar Magnetic Headphone Overview
SENDYAUDIO AIVA REVIEW
June 14, 2019 Comments Off on SENDYAUDIO AIVA REVIEW
“The Aiva doesn’t really follow the norms for planar headphone tuning and in turn, it sounds a lot more ‘contrasty’, musical and engaging rather than shooting for absolute neutrality or accuracy. With an almost ethereal high-end performance, a warm and punchy low-end and vocal presence up to 1-2k that is quite clear sounding, the tuning is more for ‘fun’.
The hot spots in its FR elevation, whilst not wholly even-handed, shoot for excitement or immediate engagement shall we say. I would not go as far as to say this gravitates to some sort of standard V-shaped response curve because there are some oddities in the lower-treble that tend to accentuate that upper-treble brilliance but if you are looking to avoid neutral then the Aiva is a good place to start.
In some ways, I have heard aspects of this type of presentation with the AEON Closed, with a similar nod to the coloration on the low-end but nothing quite like that treble performance with the closest being the slightly more even keel of the Sundara top-end.”
Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless Review
June 13, 2019 Comments Off on Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless Review
“I settled on the ‘Movie’ setting in the equalization on the SSC app. It gave me the open, clean sound I like from headphones where the music seems under the greatest scrutiny. The other settings (Club, Speech or Custom) are varied enough to offer every purchaser their favourite sound design—and these are switchable via a small button on the right earpiece.
Many of the headphone functions are ingeniously accessed via touching/sliding/tapping the right earpiece. Phone calls and Google Assistant support both functioned well. Phone calls, especially, had a pleasant, open character to the sound. Ambient filtering was first class. Many times, phone call support is a weak point with this type of headphone.”
ABYSS HEADPHONES DIANA PHI $2,000 REVIEW
June 11, 2019 Comments Off on ABYSS HEADPHONES DIANA PHI $2,000 REVIEW
“The Diana Phi, to my ears, is probably one of the truest sounds signatures I have ever heard from a planar magnetic headphone. What I mean by that is both the tuning in terms of its neutral timbre as well as its insane levels of clarity and detail retrieval. Together, they combine to make the Diana Phi sound incredibly revealing, coherent, and very reference-like in its overall presentation.
The quality is very unique in some ways to the competition. The Diana Phi has neither the aplomb or power of the D8000 low-end nor the warmth and intimacy of the MrSpeakers Ether 2. This is an altogether different sound to these competing flagships and one which I find to be an almost perfect complement to the Meze Empyrean’s rich and refined but more languid signature.
The Diana Phi is supremely fast and accurate for a planar magnetic headphone. It has a pace akin to the more expansive, (and expensive), Hifiman Susvara but possessing a neutral timbre and note control closer to electrostatic quality save for that very pure and well extended distortion-free planar low-end. A low-end, I might add, which copes remarkably well with just about any amp you can throw at it, even 100W power amps.”
FOCAL STELLIA REFERENCE REVIEW
June 10, 2019 Comments Off on FOCAL STELLIA REFERENCE REVIEW
“Focal continues to grow as a company with their commitment to the personal audio market. The last several years have brought Focal speaker technology to the headphone community with exceptionally capable products that are world-class designs which sound exceptional. The Stellia with its beautiful cognac finish design is a stellar looking headphone that offers exceptional musicality and is magical in delivery of the music.
The cable is an improvement over the Elegia cable that I had reviewed and built to a price point. Many users will find aftermarket cables bring more clarity and less microphonics to the party. I used the Black Dragon and noticed more inner detail and clarity and a step up over the stock cable.”
Audio Technica ATH-L5000 Review Limited Edition $7000 AUD
June 8, 2019 Comments Off on Audio Technica ATH-L5000 Review Limited Edition $7000 AUD
Sennheiser HD 6XX Review
June 1, 2019 Comments Off on Sennheiser HD 6XX Review
“The HD 6XX’s impedance is rated at a very high 300 ohms, but that didn’t pose any problem in my listening tests. It weighs 9.2 ounces, pretty light for full-size headphones. Drop (formerly Massdrop) sells the HD 6XX with a two-year warranty, double the length of coverage of most headphones.”
Mr. Speakers Ether 2 – $2,000 Review
May 28, 2019 Comments Off on Mr. Speakers Ether 2 – $2,000 Review
“To me, this is one kick-butt headphone. The frequency response is just about spot on perfect. Compared to the Aeon, the upper midrange is a bit cleaner and less shouty, the mids a bit more full, especially in the lower midrange, with a bit more bass presence and dynamics than the Aeon and a super smooth treble response that is neither bright nor warm, but exceptionally balanced. The mids are silky without being too forward or too warm. Some measurements and listening revealed to me a response which is much like a smoother, less aggressive version of the Harman Curve. This is just about right for my tastes, and everything the headphone does has an effortlessly resolving and transparent feel to it. I was most surprised by the sense of imaging however. This is one of the only headphones that feels like it has a real sense of soundstage and clarity to me without being harsh. The image it throws is distinctly in the forward-ish location in relationship to my eyeballs, and remarkably tangible. I could see some folks feeling the treble is ever so slightly dry, though I found this to be somewhat amp dependent and in general I didn’t hear the treble as being bright or overly damped or peaky. Certainly this headphone has a more natural sound to it than some of Mr. Speakers earlier headphones, such as the first generation of Ether headps which were a bit analytical for my tastes.
ABYSS DIANA PHI REVIEW
May 27, 2019 Comments Off on ABYSS DIANA PHI REVIEW
“We have seen many good headphones in the recent months and years, but it seems that the higher end segment is concentrating on planar magnetic drivers. The market is filled with cans from established orthodynamic headphone manufacturers like HiFiMAN, Audeze and Abyss themselves, but we have seen new introductions like the Empyrean by Meze, the MrSpeakers Ether headphones and the newly launched Rosson Audio Design RAD-0 from Alex Rosson (ex-CEO of Audeze).
I can only compare the Diana Phi with what I have in my inventory though, as I won’t make any judgements based on short term listenings or sessions from the past. Those aren’t credible in my books and I won’t add comparisons to something I haven’t heard at home. Let’s take a look how the Diana Phi compares to my other headphones.”
Audiophilepure 
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