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The Contraptionist brings to the table detailed, comprehensive reviews of audio gear covering a wide variety of budgets. The reviews within may be a little different from others around the web. Here, the entire package is nearly as important as how the product sounds. I like to mix the subjective and objective (mostly subjective) giving readers my personal account of a product and what it is like to use on a daily basis. While reviews built around measurements have their place, I feel they eschew the most important part of owning something; the enjoyment you get out of actually using it. Even products that measure poorly can provide great entertainment and build a following that lasts well beyond the lifespan of the product, such as the Havi B3 Pro I. Some products that measure nigh perfectly gain no following and fade into obscurity. It helps to have some character.

While in the past this site has not been monetized, I’m giving WordAds a shot to see how intrusive they are and what sort of revenue is generated. If it makes enough to pay for the yearly cost to run this site, I’m content. Manufacturers/retailers/etc. that try to solicit positive reviews in exchange for free samples are blacklisted. All reviews are done for the enjoyment of writing and sharing my experiences with fellow enthusiasts. There is no secret agenda, and I’m not attempting to generate sales for anyone, and I do not make any money doing this. If a product is good, the review will reflect that. If it isn’t, that’ll be stated. All my reviews will contain both positives and negatives since no product is perfect and everything is flawed in one way or another. If something was provided as a free sample for reviewing, that will be disclosed. If it was purchased at a discounted rate for the purposes of review, that will be disclosed. If I bought something because I wanted to review it, that’ll be disclosed. If it’s a loaner? You guessed it. That will be disclosed. Free samples that do not need to be returned are not sold off afterwards. They are kept and used for comparisons with competing brands. They may also be shared with community members on tours. After an extended length of time, generally beyond a year when they are no longer as relevant, they are likely to be given away to those who will make better use of them.

Photography Unless otherwise specified, all photos featured on this blog were taken by me and are my property. They are not to be used or featured elsewhere without appropriate consent or compensation. If interested in using a photo you see here, just email me at the address below.

Measurements Measurements were set up following the guide on Audioreviews.org. I use a Dayton Audio iMM-6 with a basic silicone tube coupler, earphones running through a Zishan DSD since it has the cleanest output of my current sources, and REW software. I generally use the same small foam tip inserted to a marked distance for everything, with a backup silicone tip that measures similarly for iems with small nozzles. An IEC coupler compensation file was provided by Alec Jackson. I’m not aiming to have the most accurate measurements in the business since I’m using such a basic set up, but simply to provide something that can be supplementary to my written content, and comparable to measurements from others on a basic level (peaks and troughs in mostly the same areas, and at similar levels). Everything is measured at 85dB, or as close as I can get since the DSD’s volume is handled digitally. Since my measurements are not meant to be taken as gospel, they are cleaned up with 1/6 smoothing. Uncompensated versions are saved for reference though.

Feedback, Comments, Review Opportunities Should you have any questions or feedback, or are interested in having me review your product, please leave a comment on any of the many articles at your fingertips. You are also welcome to reach out via the following;

Email: thecontraptionistblog@gmail.com

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Want to contribute to and help support The Contraptionist? Patreon unfairly diminishes donations from anyone but top tier supporters, locks content, and who wants another monthly payment? Instead, you are welcome to donate to Paypal at your leisure at the contraptionistblog@gmail.com. Initial donations will go towards covering the site (~140 CAD yearly), everything afterwards will go towards purchasing items you request for review.

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your time perusing The Contraptionist!

– B9Scrambler