Category: $300+

$300+, Dunu, Earphone, review

Dunu Luna: World’s First

Greetings! Today we’re checking out the Luna, a new flagship single dynamic-based earphone with some “world’s first” technology running the show. Beryllium is a pretty sweet material to use for speakers. Dangerous to collect and manufacture, but the resultant qualities are worth it. It’s extremely light and stiff resulting in breakup/distortion later, and at higher frequencies than other more common materials, such as titanium. Whereas … Continue reading Dunu Luna: World’s First

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$300+, Campfire Audio, Earphone, review

Campfire Audio Ara: A new direction

Greetings! Today we’re checking out the new top dog model in Campfire Audio’s armature-only lineup, the Ara (air-ah). Campfire’s gear in my experience has mostly been about providing an entertaining, but not necessarily accurate experience. The Atlas and Polaris were hella fun, v-shaped bass monsters, the IO a bright little beast laser focused on mids, and the Andromeda a killer all-rounder with a little bit … Continue reading Campfire Audio Ara: A new direction

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$300+, astrotec, Earphone, review

Astrotec Volans: Niche

Greetings! Today we’re checking out a new single dynamic earphone from Astrotec, the Volans. Rolling with the astronomy-based theme they’ve been using on-and-off for a while now (ex. Lyra and Delphinus5), Volans is a southern constellation representing a flying fish. Interesting to me is is that its composition includes two galaxies as well as two double stars, the latter of which are apparently visible with … Continue reading Astrotec Volans: Niche

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$300+, Campfire Audio, Earphone, Unboxing, Update

Campfire Audio: The 2020 Crew

Greetings! Today we’re taking a look at Campfire’s newest trifecta of top of the line earphones; Andromeda 2020, Solaris 2020, and the all-new Ara (air-ah). Starting with the Andromeda, externally it is virtually unchanged save for a revised nozzle that falls in line with the slatted design that has been common to the lineup since the Comet/Atlas. Inside is where the major changes have taken … Continue reading Campfire Audio: The 2020 Crew

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$300+, astrotec, Earphone, review

Astrotec Phoenix: Sub-Bass Royalty

Greetings! Today we’re checking out Astrotec’s newest flagship, the Phoenix. Their previous flagship, the Delphinus5 equipped with five Knowles armatures per side, was and still is one of my favourite earphones. It is one of the most neutral and flat sounding reference products I’ve heard, all the while looking fantastic in the process and being comfortable to boot. Still, the way it was tuned was … Continue reading Astrotec Phoenix: Sub-Bass Royalty

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$300+, Earphone, fiio, review

FiiO FA9: The Pantologist

Greetings! Today we’re checking out something truly special, that being the flagship for FiiO’s armature-only lineup, the FA9. While probably best known for their amps, dacs, and DAPs, FiiO has been humming along nicely with their earphone releases. Single dynamic, hybrids, and armature-only models abound. The FA9 is their new armature only flagship with some features that help set it apart from other products in … Continue reading FiiO FA9: The Pantologist

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$300+, Dunu, Earphone, review

Dunu DK-3001 Pro: Finesse

Greetings! Today we’re checking out something special; Dunu’s DK-3001 Pro. Back in 2017 Dunu released the original DK-3001 to positive fanfare. While I never had the chance to try out that model, looking back on old reviews it seems much of the original’s DNA remains, although with the Pro Dunu has reworked the concept. Along with the addition of an extra armature bringing the total … Continue reading Dunu DK-3001 Pro: Finesse

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$300+, Audiofly, Earphone, review

Audiofly AF1120 MK2: Reference Quality

Greetings! Today we’re checking out the AF1120 MK2 from Audiofly. Based out of Australia, Audiofly has been in the business of portable audio since 2012. They embrace the concepts of technological innovation, musician empowerment, and quality sound on all levels. They have worked to achieve this through products that cover a wider range of prices and purposes, from affordable Bluetooth to high end studio monitoring. … Continue reading Audiofly AF1120 MK2: Reference Quality

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$0-99, $100-299, $300+, advanced, astrotec, BGVP, bluetooth, Brainwavz, Campfire Audio, earbud, Earphone, Fearless, headphone, hifiman, Periodic Audio, review, Shanling, SoundPEATS, TinAudio, TRN, Update, ZiShan

2019 Super Award Ceremony of Audio Excellence

Welcome Back! Today I’m handing out accolades to products that won my heart throughout 2019. These weren’t necessarily best in class in every case, but the ones that stuck around in my daily driver lineup and made the most impact long term, or as long a term as could be given they were all received and reviewing during the 2019 calendar year. Let’s get started! … Continue reading 2019 Super Award Ceremony of Audio Excellence

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$300+, Campfire Audio, headphone, review

Campfire Audio Cascade – expatinjapan/Head pie

‘Cascade is a culmination of a 3 year engineering effort to bring our signature sound to a headphone. The result is a portable, closed-back headphone that sounds and performs like it’s open. Even better; it has the unique sound you expect from a Campfire Audio headphone.’ https://campfireaudio.com/shop/cascade/  Campfire Audio Cascade and ALO Audio SXC 8 upgrade cable Ken and Caleb with some of the early prototypes … Continue reading Campfire Audio Cascade – expatinjapan/Head pie

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$300+, Earphone, Meze, review

Meze Rai Penta, Its Strength Is Musicality.

I’d like to thank The Contraptionist for allowing me to help fill-in for him while he takes a much needed breather.  I recently had a chance to try out the Meze Rai Penta and thought this audience would be interested . Disclaimer:  I received the Rai Penta as part of a tour arranged by Meze and Head-fi.  I have received no incentives in exchange for … Continue reading Meze Rai Penta, Its Strength Is Musicality.

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$300+, Campfire Audio, Earphone, review

Campfire Audio Andromeda: As Expected

Greetings! Today we’re checking out the Andromeda from Campfire Audio. Does this thing really need an introduction? For the sake of writing a complete review, sure, but I’ll keep it brief. The Andromeda first appeared on the market in 2016 and took the portable audio community by storm thanks to a balanced tune that does pretty much everything right. Over the years it has continued … Continue reading Campfire Audio Andromeda: As Expected

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$300+, Campfire Audio, Earphone, review

Campfire Audio Polaris II: Renewed and Reloaded

Greetings! Today we’re checking out the new, reworked version of the Polaris from Campfire Audio. Back in 2017 when I reviewed the original Polaris, I was blown away. Here was an earphone that was quite technically adept in a way that was befitting of it’s premium price tag, yet it had an unashamedly v-shaped signature. It was both fun and capable, yet there were a … Continue reading Campfire Audio Polaris II: Renewed and Reloaded

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$300+, Campfire Audio, Earphone, review

Campfire Audio Solaris: Awe Inspiring

Greetings, Today we’re checking out one of Campfire Audio’s newest premium releases, the four driver hybrid Solaris. It’s not often a new brand appears and sweeps an industry with game changing gear, and even less common for them to keep the momentum going in the following years. Campfire Audio, brainchild of ALO (Audio Line Out) founder Ken Ball, exploded onto the high end audio scene … Continue reading Campfire Audio Solaris: Awe Inspiring

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$300+, Earphone, Fearless, review

Fearless S6 Rui: Ultimo!

Greetings! Today we’re checking out one of the mid-range models in the Fearless lineup, the S6 Rui. The last few years have seen Chinese audio manufacturers really take off, and they’re not slowing down. With brands like Knowledge Zenith absolutely dominating the budget sector, it was only natural for other markets to see massive growth too. For 150 bucks you can get a feature rich … Continue reading Fearless S6 Rui: Ultimo!

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