Greetings! In May of 2017 I had the chance to check out a very cool earphone from a very unique brand. The R1 from Double Tap Audio was crafted from expended .40 calibre casings, fitted with 10mm dynamic drivers, magnets where the primers were, with fed music to you through 550 nylon paracord coated cables. In addition to simply looking awesome, they were hella durable … Continue reading Double Tap R2: Temple of Bullets
Greetings! Today we’re checking out a budget friendly Bluetooth module from juggernauts in the portable audio industry, FiiO. FiiO has been around since 2007 and quickly arose to become one of the premier Chinese manufacturers as a result of products like their iconic X-Series media players. Their current lineup is wide reaching and includes DAP, amps, earphones, accessories, and Bluetooth modules like the µBTR we’re … Continue reading FiiO uBTR: Micro Machine
Greetings! Today we’re checking out Rose’s flagship dual-driver earbud, the Mojito. My first run in with Rose was with the stellar Masya. The Masya impressed with a unique and unconventional yet supremely comfortable design that encased a pair of well-tuned drivers per side. It was my first time listening to such a well-rounded ear bud and I came away with a deeper respect for that … Continue reading Rose Mojito: Earbuds are where it’s at
Greetings! HiFiMan was founded in New York in 2005 by Dr. Fang Bian, at that point under the name Head Direct. Over the last decade the brand has grown and their lineup expanded with numerous models of headphones, earphones, media players, and more, spread across a vast swath of price points. 2017 has seen the release of some pretty impressive new top tier products. Today … Continue reading HiFiMan RE800: Going for the Gold
Greetings! Today we are checking out something that I find pretty cool, that being a dual-dynamic ear bud from Rose Technology called Masya. I’m still fairly new to the ear bud world, having spent the majority of my time listening to impressive budget friendly gear like the VE Monk, FiiO EM3, and only more recently some slightly more costly buds like the Penon BS1 and … Continue reading Rose Maysa: The Right Path
Greetings! Today we’re going to be checking out the R1 from Double Tap Audio. Randy May, the creator of Double Tap Audio, went at the R1 with the intention of mixing “a high-quality build and sound with highly durable materials to make a very rugged pair of headphones.” Funded via a successful Kickstarter campaign, this earphone utilizes once-fired, solid brass, 40 caliber casings and anodized … Continue reading Double Tap Audio R1: Ex-Bullets in the Head
Greetings! Today we are going to be taking a look at the Paco, a compact, attractive, and smartly priced earphone in Fischer Audio’s Totem series of products. Fischer Audio isn’t new to the industry first appearing on the scene in 2006. For me personally, the product I think of when I hear the name Fischer Audio is the DBA-02, dual balanced armature in-ear. I’ve not … Continue reading Fischer Audio Paco: Francisco Would Be Proud
Greetings! Today we’re going to be checking out a wallet-friendly earphone from SOMiC, an established Chinese brand; the V4. When researching the brand for this review, I was surprised to find that SOMiC has been around the block, first appearing on the scene 18 years ago. Unlike many companies who outsource aspects of their business, SOMiC does it all themselves. Their two production facilities in … Continue reading SOMiC V4: Twin Turbo
Greetings! Today we are going to be taking a look at a beautiful supra-aural pair of headphones from thinksound; the On2. thinksound was co-founded in 2009 by Mike Tunney and Aaron Fournier, the one who engineered the On2. Their goal was to make headphones that satisfied a number of lofty goals; meeting their own personal sound expectations, being visually pleasing, comfortable, and environmentally conscious. They’re … Continue reading thinksound On2 – Portable Perfection
Greetings! Today we are going to be checking out Meze’s entry level product, the 11 Neo. Morpheus would be so proud. While they’ve been around for a while now Meze really found their stride with the 99 Classics, a headphone that has since their release in 2015 thundered on to become quite the beloved product. This year we see the release of their new in-ear … Continue reading Meze 11 Neo: Aluminum Ace
Greetings! Today we will be checking out another wooden wonder from the brilliant minds at Meze, the aptly named 12 Classics. Hailing from Romania, Meze is a company that needs no introduction with the hi-fi crowd. Despite only being on the market for a short period of time, their 99 Classics model has become ubiquitously associated with all-round quality and a timeless design. When Meze … Continue reading Meze 12 Classics: The Walnut Wonder
Greetings! Today we are going to be taking a look at the ZS3, yet another excellent new earphone from the masters of bang-for-your-buck, Knowledge Zenith. If anyone has been following the rise of budget earphones spilling out of China over the last couple years, you surely have come across Knowledge Zenith. They’re best known for offering earphones costing around 10 USD that bat well above … Continue reading KZ ZS3: The best budget earphone out there right now?
Greetings! Today we are going to be looking at the most spectacularly teensy, tiny little earphone ever to grace my ears, the Advanced AcousticWerkes (AAW) Q. AAW is a Singapore based company best known for their comprehensive lineup of custom in ear monitors which you can check out here. Their customs range from a single dynamic to their flagship 5way hybrid and certainly provide some … Continue reading Advanced AcousticWerkes Q: A new breed of canalphone
Greetings! Today we are going to be checking out the S5 from Brainwavz, an earphone that really doesn’t need much of an introduction at this point. The S5 was released in 2014 to a mostly positive reception and has been heavily reviewed since, getting an average of 4 out of 5 starts over 49 reviews on Head-fi.org, and an average of 3.75 stars out of … Continue reading Brainwavz S5: Sold on Solid
Greetings! Today we are going to be taking a look at the ADVANCED M4. Yes, they feature dynamic 6mm micro-drivers. Yes, I am excited. Some of you may realize by now that I have an unhealthy affinity towards micro-drivers. The M4 originally came to be as part of a successful Kickstarter crowd funding project. On their product page, ADVANCED claims the M4 to be “one … Continue reading Advanced M4: I Have The Energy
The Contraptionist 