So what does this $59 dongle do that my <$15 Xumee or CXPro don’t? Well, for one thing it’ll blast the doors off your more sensitive IEMs—its modest (70mw/32oHm) power spec notwithstanding, this thing gets really loud. It will also bring the bass—it has a highly augmented subwoofer-type low end which adds impact even to flatter-tuned phones like the Etymotic ER2, while substantially tightening and deepening the normally slow, bloomy bass of my Koss KSC-75.

The Ikko Zerda ITM02’s bass emphasis does, however, lend it a slightly detached quality (your ears are drawn to that big bottom) which somewhat overshadows the mids  and veils the higher frequencies; cymbals, guitar strings and piano keys sound smoothed-over and missing some nuance and microdetail. The overall effect is to impart energy and to thicken note texture, which works well for techno and other heavier genres and less well for acoustic and orchestral fare. Tonality is wholly free of the shrillness or digital brightness of many cheaper units, but instruments are not well-separated.

The iKKO Zerda ITM02 remind me quite a bit of the iBasso DC-05, another brawny, bass heavy piece which favors dynamic slam over high-end detail. The DC-05 sounds a bit more seamless and coherent, however, with fewer audible dips and less rolloff. Both tend to work better with higher-impedance (>100 oHm) phones, while for easier loads the comparably priced Hidisz S3 is more refined, with much more high end transparency. 

iKKO has previously shown the tuning chops to become a major player, and with careful pairing  the ITM02 will have real appeal for fans of a bass-heavy signature. For me, however, it registers as inessential at this price point, with other cheaper, less-colored alternatives doing a better job at note definition. 

Disclaimer: got free review unit from iKKO, which will be passed to other reviewers.

Specifications Ikko Zerda ITM02

Contact us!

The post IKKO Zerda ITM02 Portable Headphone Amp Review – Talk About Mudflaps… appeared first on Music For The Masses.

At-a-glance Card

Features and description

Externals

IKKO ITM01 is more or less the size of 2 AA batteries, a bit thinner than those, and much lighter in weight. It’s actually small and lightweight enough not to represent a significant burden to a smartphone once connected to its USB-C port.

The chassis is plastic, and its black satin finish is quite prone to scrathes, besides feeling not particularly resistant vs possible traumatic compressions or such. Still, perfectly adequate to normal daily use including quick pocketing/unpocketing during communing etc.

Internals

IKKO declares that ITM01 is developed around an ESS custom chip codenamed ESS9298 featuring low noise and high current output. I couldn’t find better specifications by searching on Esstech websites or around, sadly.

Face value specs are interesting, as the chip can accept out to 32bit / 384KHz PCM and up to DSD 128. No MQA support is offered though.

Output power is declared at 2V (125mW) @ 32 Ohm load, but with the big (positive) caveat represented by an adaptive gain to properly support more demanding loads – more on this later.

Input

Only digital input over USB is allowed into ITM01, with the specialty represented by a priorietary magnetic cable connector.

Unlike most competitors, the USB connector on IKKO ITM01 main body follows a special design encompassing a magnetized connector offering very quick disconnection capabilities while keeping extremely firm and solid connectivity while the plug is in place.

Among the advantages of the proprietary magnetic connectors is system resilience in case someone inadvertedly pulls the earphone cable: the magnetic plug will be “weak enough” in such case as to get disconnected rapidly, avoiding mechanical stress on other parts of the line.

IKKO ITM01 ships equipped with 2 replaceable short cables, one ending in a USB-A plug, the other in a USB-C plug. An Apple Lightning plug option is also available and can be separately purchased.

Output

The sole output port available on ITM01 is a 3.5mm single ended audio connector – with a quite uncommon specialty though: it fully supports microphones built into the connected drivers.

Which means that with ITM01 one can seamlessly switch from music listening to handling calls exactly like I would with a mic-equipped earphone directly connected to the phone. Or, that one can keep their mic-equipped headphone connected to IT01 and go from watching a movie to playing a game including audio chat.

Volume and gain control

ITM01 has hardware volume buttons on its main body, which are correctly liaised with system volume controls both on Windows and Android hosts: actionating upon the hw buttons host volume control moves up and down smoothly and without the need for any driver to be installed.

ITM01 also comes with a load sensing system, which switches to high gain mode when higher impedance drivers are connected. The threshold is not documented, based on my empirical essays I would say it’s around 32 ohm.

Other features

Tuning presets

ITM01 comes equipped with 3 “preset tunings”. Each “tuning” modifies the sound presentation, offering a different impact to the user.

The user can quickly select and cycle-through them by long-pressing the central button on the main device body. When each tuning is selected, a led on the chassis side will light of a different colour:

• Music (Yellow led)
• Movie (Blue led)
• Game (Purple led)

More on them below.

Ikko ITM01 Zerda Sound

Let me start by considering the “Music” (Yellow led) tuning preset.

One good thing that’s immediately noticed when using ITM01 is the significant power this unassuming thingie is able to feed into so many different drivers I could pair to it.

ITM01 delivers a lot of current into low impedance, low sensitivity loads (E3000, E5000 & such). And, it also drives HD600 or SRH1540 with authority in terms of powering, most certainly thanks to the selfswitching gain following the internal impedance adapting tech.

With that said, sound quality is in line with the device cost (50 bucks) so don’t expect big wonders: DAC reconstruction, while surely better than my phone or my PC’s built-in systems, is not particularly extended nor resolving, generally quite neutral with some bass accent.

The amping module lacks in dynamic range and most of all transparency. In addition to the general low budget situation, ITM01’s adaptive-gain capabilties present their bill here.

The situation with amping gets a bit better when ITM01 is connected via an appropriate USB conditioner (eg my Nano iUSB2), or to a less-noisy host, e.g. a battery based transport. But even with that, “pure” sound quality is not the reason why one would want an ITM01 in its pockets.

Switching to Movie mode (Blue led) the most evident change is in mid frequencies which are pushed significantly forward, both in terms of power and imaging. The soundstage gets narrower horizontally, but deeper, definitely more intimate. Imaging gets also trickier due to a sort of “central panning” switch.

Game mode (Purple led) can be seen as the opposite of Movie mode in a sense: instead of shrinking and concentrating the scene towards the center, and the mid frequencies, Game mode sorts of “furtherly distributes” the instruments along the horizontal axis, presenting a wider but almost totally flat soundstage. This is good while gaming to facilitate on steps / noises / events positioning although definitely not organic when it comes to music.

An important caveat: mode switching is not totally seamless nor totally instanteneous. In particular, volume jumps may happen between one and the next mode so it’s recommended to pause playback before switching.

Considerations & conclusions

At the end of the day everyting is relative in life.

On one hand I could say that IKKO ITM01 does not shine in tems of audiophile finesse. On the other hand, though, all better devices I heard cost at least twice as much.

IKKO ITM01 offers some very nice, and even unique features which make it worth considering as a very inexpensive, general-purpose, entry-level dac-amp dongle for music listening, gaming and even office communication support.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

The post Ikko ITM01 Zerda Review (2) – Second Opinion appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Cons — Deserves a tad more upper midrange and treble extension for a wider stage and more sparkle; not the fastest driver; limited applicability of third-party eartips.

Executive Summary

Introduction

IKKO is a Chinese manufacturer that has initially delighted us with their very few however innovative <$200 earphones (and accessories). Their first iem, the IKKO OH1 stood out by its metallic, unconventional shells with a great haptic. The “masterfully jazzy” well-dosed V-shaped IKKO OH10 made it onto our Wall of Excellence. They excel by their superb imaging and staging – and offer a sniff into the premium segment at a mid-tier price.

The – in contrast to the OH10 – brighter tuned IKKO OH1S is a highly underrated marvel, possibly because many influencers had their listening experience guided by the frequency response graph. The OH2 is physically very similar to the OH2. It appears that IKKO wants to appease those customers with there OH2 who found the OH1S too spicy. Will it work?

IKKO are currently expanding their product range into dongles such as the IKKO Zerda ITM01, microphones (for YouTubers), small speakers, and other desktop accessories.

Specifications

:

Physical Things and Usability

In the box are the earpieces, the cable, a set of IKKO I-Planet foam tips, a set of oval silicone tips, a storage wallet, an IKKO pin, an MMCX tool for safely disconnecting cable and earpieces, and the paperwork.

Just like the OH1S, IKKO OH2’s shells are premium built with mostly aluminum alloy and some resin, and they feature one of the companyʼs trademarks: oval nozzles, which help forming any eartip into the cross-sectional shape of your ear canals.

The shells are rather small and light compared to the OH10, they look and feel great, sit firmly in my ears and are very comfortable. The small size of the earpieces is certainly a huge asset. Isolation is not the greatest for me.

I find the haptic and ergonomics premium: 10/10.

I really like the included cable (same as with OH1S): spindly, wiry, light. Coated with hard pvc, it has the right stiffness for me and is not rubbery at all. Great in the days where cables are increasingly becoming ropes pulling our ears down. Less is more, also in this case.

Tonality and Technicalities

IKKO have tuned the OH2 differently from their other popular models. It is not V-shaped like the OH10 – and it is not as treble extended as the OH1S, although both share the relatively flat frequency response up to 1.5 kHz. As in so many cases, the OH2’s frequency response graph is literally misleading as it leads speculations into the wrong direction.

From a helicopter perspective, the IKKO OH2 is somewhat dry and slightly warm sounding iem. For me, the included IKKO I-Planet foam tips worked best. But foams in combination with my ears always generate a rather dry bass.

And it is rather dry indeed. Sub-bass extension is good, there is plenty of rumble down there, and there is no boomy mid-bass peak. Nevertheless could the bass be tighter – and it probably is with a different tips/ears combination. I’d call the bass typical for mid-price single dynamic-driver iems, but nothing special. It is certainly not the fastest around and can be somewhat blunt in some recordings.

The vocals have very good weight and decent definition, they are not set back, which is an asset at this price tag. There is a small congestion from the hesitant upper midrange (pinna gain is <10 dB) which compresses male and female voices a bit. A tad more energy at around 2 kHz would make them wider and airier. Higher piano and violin notes lack sparkle.

The top rolloff starts already in the upper midrange but becomes dramatic at above 5 kHz. Treble extension is audibly lacking and compromises stage width and overall sparkle/air.

And whilst stage is narrow, it has a good height and depth. Imaging and spatial cues are good and resolution, separation, and layering are average. The OH2’s biggest sonic assets are its note weight and its very natural timbre.

IKKO OH2 Compared

The $79 Hidizs MM2 with their exchangeable out vents are more versatile and may have slightly better imaging and staging (more headroom), but I find the OH2 have a better organic reproduction , note weight, and cohesion. Instant wow effect vs. slowly growing likability! I also prefer the OH2’s smaller earpieces for their small design and premium haptic whereas the light yet bulky MM2 shells are reminiscent of the budget KZ fare. I’d say the OH2 appeal more to the older, mature crowd (like me) and the MM2 preferably to teenagers.

The $79 Moondrop Aria, viewed as the dynamic-driver standard below $100, is much faster, brighter, and leaner than the OH2. It is technically cleaner with a better defined low end, a better extended treble, and more width. But it also has an upper midrange glare that may be unpleasant for some. The OH2 is less analytical, warmer, deeper, but also thicker in its performance, it has more “soul” and is more engaging to me. The Moondrop may be the “better” earphone, but the OH2 is more enjoyable to me.

The main question may be how the OH2 compares to the $159 IKKO OH1S? Well the OH1S may be brighter but they benefit from their treble extension, which results in a wider stage and better imaging. They provide more headroom. They also have better note definition and resolution. I’d say the price difference is justified – and I, quite frankly, prefer the OH1S as they are the better iem.

Concluding Remarks

IKKO iems are totally underrated in the internet’s echo chambers that cultivate herd mentality pushing überhyped yet short-lived products to promote compulsive buying habits. IKKO iems have a long shelf live for a reason.

The IKKO OH2 are the mellow alternative to all these brightish <$100 earphones such as the Moondrop Aria. They impress by their haptic and accessories, which are essentially identical to the OH1S at twice the price. They further have a decent tonality with an intimate midrange and an organic timbre.

The OH2 will appeal to the more mature budget “audiophile”, who cares about substance rather than gimmicks.

To give you my personal perspective: I really like the OH2 a lot – and not only for their sound but also for their handling (the importance of which for daily use is typically undervalued in reviews). But then again, I could say the same about the OH1S and OH10.

Until next time…keep on listening!

The post IKKO OH2 Review – A Purist’s Daydream appeared first on Music For The Masses.

• Small and light, good build.
• 3 modes for more versatility – music, gaming and movie modes.
• Innovative detachable magnetic cable system.
• Plug and playable, compatible with desktops/laptops, apple and android phones (there is an option to get Lightning versus USB C connectors).
• Very low output impedance, suitable for low impedance IEMs. No hiss.
• Neutralish, with a slight bass boost to add some fun.
• Volume controller.

Cons

• Gets slightly warm.
• Volume may jump when switching between modes – best to mute device/lower volume first.

Executive Summary

The IKKO Zerda ITM01 is a swiss army knife of the budget dongle DAC/AMP arena. It has a music, gaming and movie mode, making it quite versatile. It also has volume controls and boasts a very innovative magnetic cable system. There is good power on tap, yet this set can still drive low impedance type IEMs because of its low output impedance.

Specifications

• DAC uses ESS’s high-performance ESS9298 chip
• PCM supports up to 16Bit/384kHz
• DSD supports up to DoP128
• Adopts ikko’s custom anti-interference magnet thread connection method
• SNR: 118dB@32Ω (A-weight)
• Frequency response range: 20Hz-40kHz (-0.5dB)
• Output impedance: <0.8Ω
• Adaptation impedance: adaptive 16ohm – 600ohm
• Output level: 2V @ 32Ω (125mW @ 32Ω)
• Distortion: < 0.001%
• Decoding ability: Simulation (multiple sound optimizations)
• Size: 58x22x11mm
• Output: 3.5 mm
• Tested at $59 USD

Accessories

• 1x Ikko ITM01 Dongle
• 1x USB A cable
• 1x Type C or lightning cable (you can choose either option at order).

The USB A cable is very long, so no worries of a too short cable limiting your usage. In fact I found it too long and dangly, and had to tie up the cable when using it with my laptop. This cable is cloth braided and there is an included faux leather strap to tie the USB A cable.

A second cable is included, this is either a Lightning or USB Type C connector, depending on which one you choose at ordering. Well that depends if you are of the Apple or Android persuasion, but this cable is very much shorter.

These 2 included cables feature a very nifty and innovative magnetic connector to attach the cable to the DAC/AMP device. The magnetic end of the cable locks on easily and can be used in either direction; this may lessen wear and tear for frequent cable changing.

Contrary to the impressions that a magnetic connector can cause an easy dislodgement of the cable from the DAC/AMP, it is actually not easy to remove this magnetic clamp once the cable is inside, and I had no issues with dislodging the cable on the go.

This cable is unfortunately proprietary. I do appreciate that this DAC/AMP dongle’s cable is detachable, as a non-detachable one may be a point of failure down the line. In this current year of 2021, it is really not excusable to have a non-detachable cable for these dongles (unless we are talking about an ultra-budget set), as a non-detachable cable is one awkward yank away from being a white elephant.

Build

The ITM01 is made of plastic, but is sturdy yet light. As mentioned above, the detachable cable definitely should prolong its lifespan.

Measuring in at 58 x 22 x 11 mm, this set can easily fit into a jeans pocket on the go.

This set has a 3.5 mm output (single ended) and has no balanced option.

Functionality

The IKKO Zerda ITM01 is a plug and play set, and is compatible with desktops/laptops, apple and android phones (depending on the cable type you order), without any need to install drivers.

Disclaimer: I am not an Apple fanboy and do not own any Apple products, so I opted for the USB C version and tested this set on Android phones and a Windows laptop. Please check with others who have bought the Lightning version if they have any issues with Apple products.

The volume buttons work as advertised on the IKKO Zerda ITM01, they can be pressed down with a satisfactory click. I appreciate that the volume steps in the ITM01 are quite fine, unlike the Tempotec Sonata HD Pro, which have huge volume levels in between each volume step.

Pressing the middle button once (short press) pauses or starts the music. This middle button also controls the mode if pressed for 3 seconds: music (yellow LED), movie (blue LED) and game mode (purple LED).

Technical Aspects

The IKKO Zerda ITM01 can support PCM up to 16Bit/384kHz and DSD up to DoP128.

I did not note any RF interference when putting the IKKO Zerda ITM01 through its paces. Neither did I hear any hiss nor clicking with changing tracks midway. There is a bit of a clicking noise however, when changing modes.

On the music mode (yellow LED), the IKKO Zerda ITM01 essentially is neutralish with a slight bass boost. This keeps it from sounding sterile and adds a little bit of fun to the equation. The background is pitch dark with highly sensitive IEMs.

In fact with the advertised <0.8Ω output impedance, this set is perfect for multi driver low impedance IEMs (rule of eights in audiophile teachings). I’ve tried some 9ish ohm low output impedance sets like the Audiosense T800 and TRI Starsea on this DAC/AMP without any issues.

With very high impedance earbuds and cans eg ~ 300 ohms, the IKKO Zerda ITM01 faired well and could drive such gear adequately. When paired with some power hungry IEMs, eg KBEAR BElieve/Final E3000 (low sensitivity) and TRI I3 (planar tribid), these all sounded good, with a lot more headroom to spare.

On the movie mode (blue LED), the soundstage was compressed a tinge, with a boost in the upper mids region, giving more clarity to voices. This gave a spherical blob of soundstage with the head as the reference point, and there was some loss in instrument separation.

I didn’t get a “surround sound” vibe with this mode though. The volume cap is also much higher here than on the music mode, and the volume levels may jump from the music mode when playing an equivalent track (so beware).

On the gaming mode (purple LED), the soundstage became unnaturally wide (it may not be suited for music listening as such), but this might aid in placement of gun shots and footsteps, especially for FPS players. Instrument separation does take a hit compared to the music mode.

Likewise, the volume cap here is also much more than on the music mode, and the volume can also jump suddenly compared to the music mode, while on the same test track.

Hence, when changing modes to the gaming/movie mode, as they have a different volume level/cap, my advise is to mute the volume of your device and put the source (eg phone/laptop) volume to zero, and slowly increase incrementally, in case of any sudden jumps in volume between the modes.

The IKKO Zerda ITM01 does get a bit warm with prolonged usage, but I’ve definitely had other dongle DAC/AMPs that go much hotter.

Comparisons

Compared to the Tempotec Sonata HD Pro, the ITM01 has about comparable sound quality, but the ITM01 is more fun sounding in view of a bass boost, compared to the rather neutral Sonata HD Pro; the Sonata HD Pro can sound a bit more boring as such.

The Sonata HD Pro also has weaker driving power, and can’t drive some more demanding gear, eg 300 ohm cans. Having said that, there are some mods (eg BHD firmware mod, or using a 3.5 mm to 3.5 mm adapter) to get the Sonata HD Pro to output more juice, but the volume steps on the Sonata HD Pro are also bigger, so fine tuning volume levels on the Sonata HD Pro isn’t as reliable.

Compared to the E1DA 9038D, the ITM01 has poorer soundstage and technicalities, but that is not surprising considering the E1DA 9038D is around double the price (the 9038D is not better by twice for sure).

Driving power on both sets are good for a single-ended dongle, but the E1DA 9038D drains more battery and gets noticeably warmer. The E1DA 9038D is also very neutral and may sound more boring and analytical than the ITM01.

Conclusions

The IKKO Zerda ITM01 is a swiss army knife of the budget dongle DAC/AMP arena. It has a music, gaming and movie mode, making it quite versatile. It also has volume controls and boasts a very innovative magnetic cable system. There is good power on tap, yet this set can still drive low impedance type IEMs because of its low output impedance.

This DAC/AMP dongle (on the music mode) features a neutral signature with some slight bass boost to add a bit of fun to the music. Soundwise, the ITM01 definitely holds its own at the budget segment, and at $59 USD, has really quite good price to performance ratio. Recommended!

Contact us!

Disclaimer

I would like to thank Rebecca from IKKO for providing this review unit. It can be purchased here: https://www.ikkoaudio.com/products/ikko-zerda-itm01-portable-audio-dac-detachable-magnetic-cable-adapter

Our generic standard disclaimer.

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

The post IKKO Zerda ITM01 Review (1) – Swiss Army Knife appeared first on Music For The Masses.

21-11-21 Jürgen

Our Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/audioreviews finally cleared 9,800 members. It was established on 1 Jan 2020 and its growth has been stalling lately. Will we have 10,000 members by Christmas?

21-11-19 Jürgen

More drama ahead? I published me take on the $5 VE Monk Pro earbud. They finally got the impedance down from 64 ohm to 32 ohm to present a truly “portable” earbud. I think my writeup is reasonably entertaining.

21-11-19 Jürgen

We have been playing with Google Adsense in order to try out whether Google prefers their clients in their listings. We put the settings on “autopilot”…after 203 days, this angry guys showed up. Sign of things to come? We’ll monitor this.

21-11-17 Jürgen

This “drama” over this Facebook post generated quite some outrage. What some people did not understand was that I don’t see a relationship between the hype and the quality of this iem. If you read between the lines, you’ll see my subtle criticism of peer pressure and compulsive buying triggered by pied pipers. 8000 views: goal achieved :).

21-11-17 Jürgen

Durwood posts his review of the $1500 Questyle CMA Twelve DAC/amp combo…endgame for many.

21-11-15 Jürgen

Loomis publishes his Sennheiser CX 400BT review.

21-11-13 Jürgen

Baskingshark’s IKKO Zerda ITM1 review now published. I see some KZ reviews being presently worked on. In the immediate line-up are a Sennheiser TWS and a premium Questyle amp.

21-11-13 Kazi

Received the Fearless Barcelona recently for review. It is the cheapest Fearless IEM till now and the design belies the price tag. I love how they’ve designed the face-plate here.

Sadly, they sound horrible. Not recommended at all. Too much bass, highly recessed mids, zero treble extension. Get something else this holiday.

21-11-12 Alberto

Yesterday I received my new/old Cowon Plenue 2 and of course the very first impression is imprinted over my experience with QP1R. At first listen the P2 on its balanced output is quite nice, nicely extended and with a very good note weight. While less clean / revealing / detailed compared to the QP1R (whose single ended output is a quite good proof of why balanced is more a marketing name for decent quality output than anything else) on the other hand it offers a huge host of sound finetuning options, commencing from selectable reconstruction filters, to a very good “tweakable” graphical EQ module (not a true PEQ but close) and some further DSPs. Connectivity options are null / nil / zero – like QP1R. There’s not even BT – and that’s perfectly fine

21-11-12 Jürgen

Singles day is over…as the name implies, I didn’t buy a single thing. Our blog stats are surprising: 70% of our traffic stems from Google searches, and only 15% from Facebook. It is therefore not worth posting across FB groups…which is uncool anyway.

21-11-11 Jürgen

Today is 11/11 Asian Singles day. Not many exciting deals as far as I can see…but our blog experiences lots of views. In the meantime we published reviews of the FIIL CC2 and Oneodio Pro C reviews.

21-11-07 Jürgen

Burson Funk review out now. A fantastic headphone amp it is.

21-11-04 Jürgen

Working on the Burson Funk amp to hit the weekend deadline. Fantastic, powerful amp that works for headphones and speakers alike.

21-11-03 Jürgen

Published the Tin Hifi T2 EVO review. Kazi and I ordered a Final A3000 as found on our Wall of Excellence.

21-11-02 Jürgen

Re-dressed the blog’s right sidebar and added useful information. Meet your 8 authors, Wall of Excellence etc. Just look to the right.

21-11-01 Jürgen

Alberto’s iBasso IT04 review published. 283 iem reviews altogether now. Solved a caching problem, which affected our Google indexing. Thanks to the support of rankmath.com SEO plugin.

21-10-31 Jürgen

Finally got the Shanling UA1 review published. It is currently in Biodegraded’s hands for a 2nd review. Will have to finish the NiceHCK T2 EVO next week, and work on the Astell & Kern PEE51 dongle.

21-10-30 Alberto

Got my Hip Dac 2 review loaner unit in yesterday. First thing I noticed it came equipped with firmware 7.3 installed. The odd part is that on IFI’s website the 7.3 firmware is not listed under Hip Dac 2’s eligible downloads. Which means I could not recupe any “release info” about what’s different in 7.3 vs 7.2

While I was there, I also checked under Micro iDSD Signature’s section, and apparently firmware version 7.x has been removed from there too. Odd, at least. I put a question into IFI to get more info.

21-10-29 Jürgen

Published my Venture Electronics BIE Pro review on the blog. Submitted link to VE Clan Facebook group, where it got stuck in censorship, but was eventually posted after approval. That was only intermittent, I think I was tacitly expelled from that group after mentioning censorship. Be prepared that VE Clan Facebook group is manipulative as it presents cherry-picked information.

On another note, Loomis Johnson submitted his review of the Sennheiser CX-400BT True Wireless Earphones for publication.

21-10-28 Kazi

Received KZ ZEX. Their naming convention is making me go bad. Graphed it and labeled the graph wrong because these names all sound similar (ZAX/ZEX/ZSX). Either way, not too impressed with the sound. Kinda peaky in the mid-treble. Graphs show that as well.

21-10-27 Jürgen

Behind with some reviews, e.g. Unique Melody 3DT and Tin Hifi T2 Evo.

21-10-26 Jürgen

Blog received a few more tweaks, including a new site map.

21-10-25 Jürgen’s 10 Day Roundup

In the last 2 weeks, we published reviews of 2 totally underrated Final Audio headphones (Sonorous II+III) including some update earpads.

We identified some good TWS iems for the office in the Elevoc Clear.

We further think the Moondrop Kato is a winner (but need a second set for our European crew).

And we had a couple of second opinions of the GeekWold GK10, Tforce Yuan Li, SeeAudio Bravery, and Tanchjim Tanya.

We currently offer 281 earphone reviews.

21-10-25 Kazi

Received the iFi Hip DAC2 today, and the copper colorway will surely steal some glances. The sound isn’t changed much from the original Hip DAC (if at all) but it didn’t need to since the OG was one of the best DAC/Amps out there under $200. Full review in the works.

21-10-25 Jürgen

Worked on search engine optimization “SEO” all weekend after some trouble with Google. Also subscribed to webmaster tools of Bing and Yandex search engines. You can analyze the SEO of your own site here: https://rankmath.com/tools/seo-analyzer/

21-10-24 Kazi

Slow weekend, nice weather. Went out mostly to enjoy the fall colors. Also did some random photoshoot for the upcoming reviews. Also received the VE Monk SM recently. Not a fan. Shrill, sharp sound and technicalities are middling even for the $20 price bracket. At least it looks and feels nice in hand.

In other news, A&K released the SR25 mk. 2. Not a fan of the design at all. The tilted makes no usability sense. Also it’s basically the original SR25 with just a 4.4mm jack added. Meh.

21-10-23 Jürgen

Our blog has currently problems with Google indexing. I re-created the sitemaps. It would help if you linked to it from your site. Thanks.

21-10-23 Jürgen

The ongoing power crisis in China has led to increased operating costs as well as to price hikes of raw materials. Expect delays and price increases for your Christmas shopping.

Have not heard of 11/11 deals this year…strange.

21-10-22 Jürgen

Coming next on the blog (tonight my time) is Baskingshark’s review of the SeeAudio Bravery. We have a few more ready ones such as a tech article on “System on Chip” (SoC), that is dac and amp on the same chip. Another tech post will be an elaboration on the 1/8 rule on the example of the Apogee Groove.

Alberto will be offering reviews of the iBasso IT04, the Kinera Leyding earphone cable, and the Tanchjim Tanya in the very near future. These are ready. He is still working on a couple of Fearless models among others.

Also almost ready to go are reviews of the Shanling UA1 dongle, the VE Bonus Pro iem, and the VE Monk Go.

21-10-21 Biodegraded

Behind in evaluating various dongles sent by Jürgen for second opinions: Helm Bolt, Shanling UA 1, Earmen Sparrow, Tempotec Sonata BHD. So far, I’m surprised by the contrast between the Bolt and UA 1 (both use the same ESS DAC/Amp chip but yes, they sound a lot different) and by the bal vs SE contrast from the Sparrow. Comparisons will be made to the Audioquest DragonFly Black and ifi nano iDSD Black Label.

I’m also considering a winter project building this Pass Labs class A solid-state headphone amp to complement my tube hybrid and little USB- or battery-powered desktop/portable things. Much swearing will no doubt ensue. Right now though, have to clean the scratchies from the volume pot of an integrated amp that needs to be moved on.

2021-10-21 Kazi

Have had quite a hectic October, so couldn’t manage to publish anything. However, look forward to the “Review Extravaganza” over the coming two weeks or so. At least four articles are in the works and shall be published withing quick succession including:

• FIIL CC2 (a pretty good TWS)
• Moondrop Quarks
• Campfire Audio Holocene
• Campfire Audio Honeydew
• Final A4000
• Shanling Q1
• Cayin Fantasy

And just to close out, one of the photos I shot today (I think it came out pretty good). See you on the other side.

2021-10-21 Jürgen

Sitting currently on review units of Burson Funk amp and two Allo power supplies that may take some time. Almost ready is a review of the Unique Melody 3DT iem whereas the IKKO OH10 still needs some work. Overdue are reviews of several VE Electronics items as well as some ddHiFi accessories.

That famous Hidizs S9 Pro Copper edition dongle (limited to 500 copies) has been on its way from Calgary to Bologna for a good week now. Let’s see how fast Air Mail is.

Currently looking for a second Moondrop Kato review unit for our European chapter. After all, a single opinion is not sufficient for an item to qualify for our Wall of Excellence.

2021-10-21 Jürgen

This page was established to report our progress (but also some observations and opinions) within audioreviews.org. All our authors with WordPress accounts have access.

2021-10-20 Jürgen

Android Brick alas audioreviews.news is using our good name to attract traffic to his fake reviews. This may be legally correct but it is not ethical. He was shamed and left our Facebook group.

Beware of imitations!

This is https://www.audioreviews.org/news/

No marketing!

No sugarcoating!

Just genuine analyses!

The post Our News appeared first on Music For The Masses.

All our DAC & Amp Related Articles

ALL OUR REVIEWS (headphones, earphones, dacs/amps, daps, bluetooth, clean power & USB, microphones, cables/adapters, eartips, earpads, noise insulation): here

Model labelled with “*” are on our Wall of Excellence.

Integrated DAC/amps

Simplified Guide to Small Portable DAC/amps (Jürgen Kraus)

Apple Computer’s Internal Audio Circuit [iMac, MacBooks] (Jürgen Kraus)

Apogee Groove* (Alberto Pittaluga)

Apogee Groove: Technical Considerations (Jürgen Kraus)

Apogee Groove Anniversary Edition (Alberto Pittaluga)

Apple Audio Adapter* (Jürgen Kraus)

Appleオーディオアダプタ（Lightning版、USB-C版とも）* (Jürgen Kraus)

Apple Kopfhöreranschluss Adapter* (Jürgen Kraus)

Astell & Kern PEE51 (Jürgen Kraus)

Audirect Atom 2 (Loomis Johnson)

AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt* (1) (Jürgen Kraus)

AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt* (2) (Alberto Pittaluga)

AudioQuest DragonFly Red (Jürgen Kraus)

BGVP T01s (Loomis Johnson)

Colorfly CDA-1MP (Durwood)

Colorfly CDA-M2 (Jürgen Kraus)

Conexant (CX-Pro) CX31993 (Loomis Johnson)

Cozoy Takt-C (1) (Jürgen Kraus)

Cozoy Takt-C (2) (Durwood)

E1DA 9038SG3 and 9038D (Alberto Pittaluga)

ddHifi TC35i (Jürgen Kraus)

EarMen Angel (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)

EarMen Eagle (Jürgen Kraus)

EarMen Sparrow* (1) (Jürgen Kraus)

EarMen Sparrow* (2) (Biodegraded)

EarMen TR-Amp* (Jürgen Kraus)

Earstudio HUD100 (Jürgen Kraus)

Helm Audio Bolt (Jürgen Kraus)

Helm Bolt and Shanling UA1 compared (Biodegraded)

Hidizs S2 (Loomis Johnson)

Hidizs S3 Pro (Loomis Johnson)

Hidisz S-9, Cozoy Takt-C and Meizu MasterHifi USB Dac/Amps (Loomis Johnson)

Hidizs S9 PRO (Jürgen Kraus)

Hidizs XO (1) (Jürgen Kraus)

Hidizs XO (2) (Durwood)

Hidizs XO (3) (Loomis Johnson)

Hilidac Audirect Atom Pro (Jürgen Kraus)

Hilidac Audirect Beam 2SE (Kazi Muhbab Mutakabbir)

iBasso DC-05 DAC/amp (Loomis Johnson)

ifi Audio Go bar (1) (Alberto Pittaluga)

ifi Audio Go bar (2) Jürgen Kraus)

ifi Audio Go bar (Deutsch) Jürgen Kraus)

ifi Audio GO blu (Alberto Pittaluga)

ifi Audio GO link (1) (Alberto Pittaluga)

ifi Audio GO link (2) (Jürgen Kraus)

ifi Audio Gryphon (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)

ifi Audio hip-dac* (Jürgen Kraus)

ifi Audio hip-dac2 (1) (Kazi Muhbab Mutakabbir)

ifi Audio hip-dac2 (2) (Alberto Pittaluga)

ifi Neo IDSD2 (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)

iFi Audio Micro iDSD Signature* (Alberto Pittaluga)

ifi Audio nano iDSD Black Label (Alberto Pittaluga)

ifi Audio Neo iDSD (Kazi Muhbab Mutakabbir)

iKKO Heimdalir ITB03 (Kazi Muhbab Mutakabbir)

IKKO ITM1 Zerda (1) (Baskingshark)

IKKO ITM1 Zerda (2) (Alberto Pittaluga)

IKKO ITM02 Zerda (Loomis Johnson)

Khadas Tone2 Pro (Jürgen Kraus)

Moondrop Dawn (Durwood)

Questyle CMA Fifteen* (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)

Questyle CMA Twelve (Durwood)

Questyle M15* (1) (Jürgen Kraus)

Questyle M15* (2) (Alberto Pittaluga)

Questyle M15* (3) Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir

Qudelix-5K* (Jürgen Kraus)

Shanling UA1 (Jürgen Kraus)

Shanling UA1 and Helm Bolt compared (Biodegraded)

Shanling UA2 (Jürgen Kraus)

Shanling UA2 Plus (1) (Durwood

Shanling UA2 Plus (2) (Loomis Johnson)

Shanling UA3 (Durwood)

Shanling UP4 (Durwood)

SMSL C200 (Durwood)

SMSL DO400 (1) (Loomis Johnson)

SMSL DO400 (2) (Durwood)

TempoTec March III M3 (Jürgen Kraus)

TempoTec Serenade X Digital Desktop Player (Jürgen Kraus)

Tempotec Sonata BHD (Jürgen Kraus)

Tempotec Sonata HD Pro (1) (Jürgen Kraus)

Tempotec Sonata HD Pro (2) (Baskingshark)

Tempotec Sonata HD II vs Tempotec Sonata E35 (Durwood)

TRI TK-2 (KopiOkaya)

Truthear SHIO (1) (Durwood)

Truthhear SHIO (2) (Loomis Johnson)

Venture Electronics Odyssey HD (Jürgen Kraus)

Xumee USB-C DAC (Loomis Johnson)

Digital Analog Converters (DACs)

EarMen Tradutto (Jürgen Kraus)

EarMen Tradutto (Deutsch) (Jürgen Kraus)

SMSL C100 (Loomis Johnson)

SMSL DO100 (Durwood)

SMSL DO200 MKII (Jürgen Kraus)

SMSL DO300 (Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir)

SMSL SU-6 (Loomis Johnson)

SMSL SU-9 DAC/Preamp I (Loomis Johnson)

SMSL SU-9 DAC/Preamp II (Durwood)

Headphone/Power Amplifiers

Ampapa A1 (Durwood)

Burson Funk (Jürgen Kraus)

Burson V6 Classic (vs. V6 Vivid) opamps (Jürgen Kraus)

Cayin C9 Portable Amplifier (Kazi Muhbab Mutakabbir)

EarMen CH-Amp (Jürgen Kraus)

EarMen CH-Amp (Deutsch) (Jürgen Kraus)

Fosi Audio BT30D Pro (Durwood)

Fosi Audio P3 (Durwood)

Fosi Audio TB10D (upgraded) (Durwood)

Fosi V3 Amplifier (1) (Durwood)

Fosi V3 Amplifier (2) (Loomis Johnson)

Fosi Audio ZA3 (Durwood)

Helm DB12 AAAMP Portable Headphone Amp (Jürgen Kraus)

ifi Audio Zen Can Amplifier (Kazi Muhbab Mutakabbir)

ifi Audio Zen Can Amplifier (Alberto Pittaluga)

ifi Audio Zen Phono RIAA Preamplifier (Biodegraded) 

Pairing the JVC HA-FDX1 earphone with the Earstudio HUD100, ifi Hip Dac, and Tempotec Sonata HD PRO

SMSL AO200MKII (Loomis Johnson)

SMSL A300 Power Amplifier (Loomis Johnson)

SMSL HO100 (Durwood)

SMSL SH-6 (Loomis Johnson)

SMSL SH-9 Balanced Headphone Amp (1) (Loomis Johnson)

SMSL SH-9 Balanced Headphone Amp (2) (Durwood)

The post Our 118 DAC & Amp Reviews appeared first on Music For The Masses.