Pros: Comfortable – Quality silicone – Do not alter sound (save for niche cases) Cons: Shallow design and small sizing limit compatibility with shallow fit earphones – Steep price Greetings! Today we’re checking out a new product from ADV; Eartune Fidelity U eartips. Born through a Kickstarter campaign back in 2015, ADV, or ADVANCED as they were known back then, stormed onto the scene … Continue reading ADV Eartune Fidelity U: Sublime Comfort
Greetings! Today we’re checking out a new planar magnetic headphone from a brand that specializes in the technology, the Hifiman DEVA. While Hifiman has released plenty of relatively inexpensive planar headphones over the years, the DEVA represents Hifiman’s recent shift towards affordably addressing the wireless market. Previous models to address this audience were the full-sized Ananda BT, and their true wireless in ear monitors, the … Continue reading Hifiman DEVA: Versatile and Capable
Greetings! Today we’re checking out the Model 3 BA2 from ADV. Four years ago (has it really been that long!!??), ADV released the Model 3, a 6mm micro driver equipped earphone with MMCX removable cables. It had a stylish, low profile shell similar in style to products from Weston and Shure. Depending on which version you ordered (Live or Mobile) it came with either a … Continue reading ADV Model 3 BA2: Purposeful
Greetings, Today we’re taking a casual look at the new Accessport Air from Advanced. Way back in January of this year (2019) Advanced dropped a new Kickstarter campaign for their wireless Bluetooth module, the Accessport Air. If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you’ll know I’ve covered a lot of their products and am a big fan of the brand. To show my … Continue reading ADVANCED Accessport Air: This is Good
Greetings! Today we’re checking out one of HIFIMAN’s more affordable new planar magnetic headphones, the Sundara. HIFIMAN was founded in 2007 in New York, and in 2009 released their first product, the HM-801 portable media player. Since then they’ve expanded their portfolio to include a wide variety of headphones, earphones, DAPs, and various accessories. Their lineup of planar magnetic headphones is their bread and butter … Continue reading HIFIMAN Sundara: Benchmark
Greetings! Today we’re checking out a new headphone from Brainwavz, the Alara. Established in 2008 and owned by GPGS, Brainwavz is no stranger to the audio market. With classics like the HM5 and B2 as well as modern gems like the Jive and B400 under their belt, it is no surprise they’ve continued to move further upscale with some of their recent releases. The Alara … Continue reading Brainwavz Alara: Pull you in from afara
Greetings, Today we’re checking out another wireless entry from Astrotec, the BX70. The BX70 is the third entry in Astrotec’s lineup using this gem-like design language, with the prior two entries being the GX40 and GX50. Like the GX50, the BX70 features MMCX connectors allowing users to swap cables, something you’re likely to be doing. The BX70 takes on the recent trend of including both … Continue reading Astrotec BX70: Be Yourself, Stay Unique
Greetings! Earlier this year ADVANCED released the GT3, an earphone with a super speedy driver, lots of treble, and tons of detail. It’s a quality listen and a beautifully built piece of equipment but catered to a more rigid crowd looking for accuracy and clarity than outright fun. Bass. It is the bane of an audiophiles existence. It doesn’t sound natural when it’s boosted that … Continue reading ADVANCED GT3 Superbass: SUPERBASS!!!
Greetings, Today we’re taking a quick first look at a new variant of the GT3 from ADVANCED, the Superbass. Earlier this year the GT3 hit the market and impressed with it’s extremely quick and well controlled drivers that output a bright and detailed signature. The Superbass looks almost the same, but with an ominous new paint job that hints at what lies within; an experience … Continue reading ADVANCED GT3 Superbass: Preview
Greetings! Today we’re checking out iFi’s top tier hybrid amp extraordinaire, the Pro iCAN. Any time I’m in a thread or forum where someone is asking for a suggestion on which new amplifier to buy, inevitably someone will throw one of iFi’s many options into the mix. With such a vast selection of products to choose from, and with a positive reputation to back it … Continue reading iFi Pro iCAN: Where Want and Need Meet
Pros: Clarity, detail, speed, and control – Outstanding build quality – Comprehensive accessory kit Cons: Limited signature variety via the included filter set Greetings! Today we’re checking out one of ADVANCED’s newest releases, the GT3. A few years back ADVANCED, then known as ADV.SOUND, got their start with the crowd funded M4, a gorgeous, budget friendly, micro-driver equipped earphone with sand-blasted and diamond-cut aluminum housings. Since … Continue reading ADVANCED GT3: You call that fast? Check this out.
Greetings! Today we’re going to be taking a look at ADVANCED’s current flagship headphone, the Alpha. As the running top dog of ADVANCED’s fleet, the Alpha needs to stand out in one form or another to draw attention. With massive 96mm planar magnetic drivers (or orthodynamic if you prefer that term) controlled by powerful n48 magnets, the Alpha delivers a spacious and detailed sound scape. … Continue reading ADVANCED Alpha: Top Dog
Greetings! 2017 has been a pretty great year for ADVANCED. Watching the brand branch out to new and interesting tech has been a great experience. The GT-R and Alpha feature planar magnetic technology. They teamed up with AAW to craft the Accessport portable amplifier. Today we are checking out ADVANCED’s take on the budget active noise cancelling market with the 747. Competent active noise cancelling … Continue reading ADVANCED 747: Ssshhhh…let the bass take over
Greetings! Today we’re reviewing an all-new planar magnetic headphone from ADVANCED, the GT-R. ADVANCED’s freshman offering, the M4, was an awesome little micro-driver based earphone with a reasonably neutral signature. It’s build was fantastic and price right at under 50 USD. My next experience was with their Model 3, a warm in ear with a detachable MMCX equipped Bluetooth dongle and low profile, Shure-style housing. … Continue reading ADVANCED GT-R: GODZILLA!!!
Greetings! Today we are going to be looking at the newest earphone from ADVANCED, the Model 3. ADVANCED first appeared on the scene with the M4, a $39.99, crowdfunded, micro-driver earphone that delivers crystal clear sound, excellent build quality, and a whole lot of bang for the buck. It showed that this new startup knew what they were doing and could deliver a strong product … Continue reading Advanced Model 3: My conversion to Bluetooth begins now
The Contraptionist 