Executive Summary

The $55 Maono WM620 is a compact set of two well-built, good-sounding microphones with receiver that can be used for Vlogging, streaming, and Zoom/Teams/Skype telecasting.

Also great for broadcasting music due a special “reverb setting”. Indoor/outdoor use with special noise-cancelling algorithm. Very portable and easily chargeable as all elements are stored in a dedicated charge case not exceeding the size of some TWS cases.

The Maono WM620 was provided unsolicited by the company and I thank them for that. You can get it from maono.com.

Introduction

Lavalier microphones, that is small mics that you attach to your shirt, are widely applied in TV studios for interviewing purposes. At home or in the office, you can use them for Zoom, Microsoft Teams meetings, or (YouTube) live streaming/Vlogging. If you want to do interviews, you need two microphones. And if you want to be mobile during use, your microphones should be wireless.

What we would like to see in such microphones is a small size (to conceal them if required), good sound quality, long battery life, and a long wireless range. The Maono WM620 Lavalier Wireless are…errrm…wireless.

On top of these standard requirements, they offer environmental noise cancelling — that is background noise is being removed…and a reverb mode for musicians and horror movies.

Maono is a high-tech company that produces affordable microphones, audio interfaces, headphones, and other audio accessories. They preferably sell directly to consumers to keep their prices reasonable.

Specifications Maono WM620

Physicals of the WM620

In the box is a charge case with USB-C cable, inside are the receiver and two transmitting microphones with magnetic clip, 2 magnets for attaching, and the manual. The case is barely larger than that of an earphone.

All parts are made of hard polycarbonate and appear reasonably sturdy. The receiver has a USB-C plug for attaching it to Android phones and computers. It also works for iPhone but you need an OTG adapter like this one for (except iPhone 15, which has a USB-C port). The transmitting microphones and the receiver are very small, the whole set is very transportable and therefore well suited for use on the road.

Functionality and Operation

The WM620’s receiver is connected to your recording device and the two microphones are attached to people, either by a (magnetic) clip or by an included magnet. Pairing is easy on the push of a button.

If you don’t like the view of the transmitter on your chest, you can hide it in a pocket or behind your shirt/blouse/jacket and hardwire a small external lavalier mic to it (not included)…which bypasses the two mics but reduces your recording microphones from 2 to 1. The receiver hosts a 3.5 mm headphone socket for real-time monitoring.

The microphones feature a 2-step environmental noise reduction to minimize the ambient background sounds, and a 4-level gain. They also have a reverb button for musical productions and a mute button.

The microphones and the receiver have a range of status LEDs on their tops.

Each transmitting microphone features its own USB-C port for charging, although they are all being automatically charged in the storage case. The receiver does no have a battery but draws power from the host device. You can use the set while charging your phone through the receiver’s USB-C port.

The mics work for 6 hours and can be recharged twice in the recharge case, which totals 18 hours of use. You need a 5 V USB charger (not included) for charging the case.

The maximum transmission distance is given with 100 m.

Sound Quality

The most import feature of this microphone set is its sound quality. Check it out here:

I used the maximum gain on both mics. The radio was playing very quietly. Pretty good sound to my ears. The reverb function is a bit of a gimmick but the environmental noise cancellation works very well. What’s really great…and I am repeating myself, is the compact size of the whole set…everything fits in a handy charge case.

Concluding Remarks

The Maono WM620 is a great microphone set that ticks the following boxes: it is small, light, and works well. And the price is right, too.

Until next time…keep on listening!

Disclaimer

The WM620 was provided unsolicited by Maono and I thank them for that. You can get it from maono.com.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

The post MAONO WM620 Wireless Microphone Review – UFO appeared first on Music For The Masses.

INTRODUCTION

Courting green audio aficionados and perhaps some seasoned folks, the Fosi Audio ZA3 desktop amp has the allure of affordable yet buzz worthy tech. They have built an arsenal of small but mighty desktop power amplifier solutions, from 2 channel, 3 channel and now a select-able two channel/monoblock built around the Texas Instruments TPA3255 class D amp chip. 

By scaling back maximum power, they are able to also run it in a lower signal to noise ratio region that makes it clean and resolving at the same time and delivering plenty of power for a desktop or even room filling output. However we need to be realistic about the 300W max power output as the power supply is not large enough to deliver true 300W continuous power output with the 32V maxing out at 160W or 240W for the 48V version.

Having experimented with the TB10D, and V3 amplifiers from Fosi Audio, the ZA3 is the next generation or third iteration of this design, each one improving on the next as it should. The TB10D/BT20A Pro were Gen1 using the TPA3255 and were the most powerful version…until they launched the V3 with a 48V 5A power supply option.

Technically you can order the 48V 5A power supply and use it with the TB10D Pro for more power with reduced signal to noise specifications. Fosi Audio offers it with 32V/5A. 48V/5A or no power supply options priced at $129, $149 and $99 respectively.

FEATURE COMMENTARY

Ideally though the V3 was fairly well received minus some caveats, and the Fosi Audio ZA3 is a more mature version with the stylistic elements of a burnt orange volume knob, balanced inputs, a usable preamp and a mono mode to boost power output, or wastefully use it to power a small subwoofer.

New features not available on their other models include the switchable RCA or XLR balanced input that accepts ¼” TRS/XLR. With these two unbalanced and balanced connections you get two inputs. We are still stuck with the tiny binding posts found on their other models, I tend to use banana jacks for easy switching anyway.

Other new features include the subwoofer output, and 12V trigger input to automatically turn it on/off with a preamp or AVR? Another more diy approach for desktop PC users would be to run a 12v out from your desktop PC and trigger it that way. There are most likely some DACs out there with 12 trigger outputs to turn it on as well. I did test this with my ancient Denon AVR-3806 and it comes in handy, let me explain.

The Fosi Audio ZA3 powers on or off with a long press on the volume knob, it seems sensitive to where you push on it, or it did not always recognize that I had tried to turn it on. Maybe I was impatient, but sometimes I just did not have the magic touch to turn it on. I would prefer a standalone power switch if the knob is going to be touchy. The knob itself is smooth and the indentation is prominent enough to see the position of it from across the room.

With the 48V 5A power supply almost as big as the amp itself, I felt comfortable taking this thing for a spin as the main room amplifier and freeing it from pure desktop usage. While it fits more at home there, it has plenty of output to be the focal point of a serious sound system.

The manual is not entirely clear about loading the amp, it states 2-8 ohm speaker systems, I imagine this is for stereo operation. To be safe, I would not recommend using a 2 ohm load in mono mode unless Fosi Audio explicitly states it.

SOUND COMPARISONS

Pairing the Fosi Audio ZA3 with my Amrita Audio Elan 8 inch 2 way floor standers, the SMSL DO100 DAC, and Sony DVP-SS7700 it performed rather exceptionally for a Class D chip amp. Imaging separation and clarity were quite noteworthy. Bass control was tight,  yet perhaps a little restrained. This was not a lack of power as I was running it at a decent listening level about 50% maximum clean output, instead there was  some richness missing.

Swapping in a Parasound HCA800 II set to the same level, it sounded more enveloping and the bass had more texture and warmth. More meaty and visceral sounding, I swapped in the Adcom GFA-545 again doing some level matching and noticed it too had more drive behind the bass.

Between these two amps, they both gave the impression of stronger depth and more envelopment. The Fosi Audio ZA3 had a defined stage width with less front to back range, and the Parasound felt more like an arcing stage as opposed to a flat stage.

To be fair, these are some well regarded 2 channel amps with plenty of power supply and output current to power the vast majority of 2 channel sound systems into blissful happiness. Next I put it up against the Denon AVR-3806, a decently powerful home theater receiver and it did not have the same clarity or resolution of the Fosi Audio ZA3. 

My final test of the Fosi Audio ZA3 was to incorporate the subwoofer pre-out. The addition of the subwoofer pre-out helps with the new wave of small bookshelf plus subwoofer setups. It is much easier in a smaller room or desktop setup to make room for a bookshelf and offload the heavy lifting to the subwoofer on bass duty.

The pre-out has a 200Hz low pass filter and is controlled via the volume knob. The V3 pre-out was not a true pre-out, so Fosi implemented a proper and useful feature. Note it can be used to supplement the natural roll-off of your main speakers, there is no high pass filter for the main channels and you would need to use the built in crossover of your subwoofer to adjust it down to a proper cut-off frequency.

MODDING AND HOT-RODDING

Op-amp swapping carries over from the V3 to the Fosi Audio ZA3. Removing four 2mm hex screws (two on the back panel, two underneath), prying off the volume knob with a plastic cooking spatula, and loosening the 10mm nut gives you access to the internals, which construction shows are miles and miles better than a Dayton Audio DTA-100a I have from over a decade ago.

The op-amps are used in the pre-amplification stages and provide gain and feedback control to minimize distortion. There are a total of five op-amps that can be swapped, one for each Left/Right, two for the subwoofer pre-out (one is used for the filter), and one for the XLR.

They come stock with TI NE5532 which is vintage by audio standards, but an extremely stable, inexpensive, noise free op-amp found in millions of audio devices including professional audio gear.

Other boutique op-amps can be swapped in, but adding new ones may not always be a great idea or guarantee “better” performance. It is fairly easy for some faster op-amps to become unstable and oscillate in the wrong situation, or perhaps they cannot drive the load, or the gain is not structured correctly to minimize distortion.

 The high price tags of other op-amps might be a result of low use so it does not benefit from economy of scale, or just flat out because they can. I happen to have 4 BB ones ranging from the OPA2134PA, 2227P, 2228P and 2107AP from an Audiotrak Prodigy soundcard experiment.

I might investigate in a separate review if I find it interesting enough, some of them might add noise or cause instability and I would like to measure the effects if possible using my limited measurement equipment. The heatsink + power resistors would most likely overheat when looking at distortion components, I really need to bring out my water heater element load to handle the power better.

Bipolar, FET and discrete op-amps can behave differently as well so without proper testing equipment, you might introduce some coloration into your audio chain. There used to be great information by Douglas Self over a decade ago, but there are also many other great resources (59+ op amps tested ) found throughout the internet or in books.

You can also just take the religious route and just believe. I can fully appreciate how hard it is to remove sighted bias from testing, and how short our memory is if not performing quick changes to compare.

FINAL REMARKS

I did test it in mono mode while I did some housework, and it never got too warm or shut down. I was not stress testing, but I feel confident that the Fosi Audio ZA3 handles mono loads just fine and they boost a 240W power rating into a 4 ohm load. Get two and run them as monoblocks and have ultimate channel separation.

Channel separation is the noise of one channel bleeding into the other channel if you were unaware. One missing feature is a volume control bypass for the dual mono folks, but max them out and let it rip through another pre-amp device, DAC or streamer.

One feature missing is perhaps a phono input for the resurgence of vinyl. It’s not a must have feature, as those really into vinyl might prefer to use a standalone phono preamp of their choosing anyway. Other people might prefer bluetooth input instead, a good DAC or preamp might include those features separately, I enjoy this as just an amp.

Class D is essentially a motor control circuit design tailored to meet the audible audio frequency spectrum requirements, and speakers share similarities to motors in that a coil of wire is excited through a magnetic field. There should be no fear in using modern Class D amps and losing fidelity. While differences were noted between full fledged larger brethren, I have minor qualms in recommending the Fosi Audio ZA3 amplifier.

While the V3 is on loan to Loomis I am unable to directly compare, I believe the ZA3 stages closer to the Adcom and Parasound than the V3 did. It does a better amplification job than an AVR and it looks sleek on a desktop being plenty powerful in a nearfield setup.

Disclaimer: Fosi Audio thankfully provided this gratis and this review was not written by robots.

FOSI AUDIO ZA3 SPECIFICATIONS

Chip Set Texas Instruments TPA3255
Output Power With 48V/5A PSU
Stereo: 155Wx2 @4Ω
Mono: 235Wx1 @4Ω
With 32V/5A PSU
Stereo: 95Wx2 @4Ω
Mono: 110Wx1 @4Ω
Terminating Impedance 2-8Ω
Input Mode RCA, XLR, 1/4″ TRS
Output Mode Speaker Output (supports banana plug or bare wire connection), Active Subwoofer Output
Frequency Range 20Hz – 20KHz(±0.1dB)
SINAD 89dB
THD ＜0.006%
SNR ≥106dB
Dynamic Range ≥106dB
Device Dimension 15.49 x 18.39 x 5.08 cm; 1.78 Kilograms
DC Input Range 24-48V
Power Supply 32V/5A, 48V/5A

Contact us!

DISCLAIMER

Get it from Following Stores:

Fosi Audio Direct

Our generic standard disclaimer.

About my measurements.

The post Fosi Audio ZA3 Stereo/Mono Amp Review – Making New Friends appeared first on Music For The Masses.

At-a-glance Card

Full Device Card

Test setup and preliminary notes

Sources: AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt / Chord Mojo / E1DA 9038D, 9038SG3 / Questyle QP1R, QP2R, M15, CMA-400i / Sony WM-1A – Final Type-E silicon tips – Dunu DUW-02S cable – lossless 16-24/44.1-192 FLAC + DSD 64/128/256 tracks.

Signature analysis

Tonality

EA1000 are tuned following a wiiide V shape, and feature a replaceable “tuning nozzles” system to offer interesting variations of the tonal balance on top. There is a slight metallic sheen coming up on the high trebles, also depending on the source material.

No matter the nozzle choice the timbre stays more or less unchanged: mid-bodied notes across the board with a sole exception for lean-ish low mids, and a commendable overall organicity.

The various nozzles deliver different sonic nuances vis-a-vis their building materials (Gold ones are made of brass), their length, their front mesh and of course the sponge or cloth they may be filled with. Here’s a description of the differences each one brings to the board.

Red nozzle : midbass is somewhat “bloomy”, its notes tend to “expand” a little bit; highmids and treble are instead near-precisely the tonality I prefer. Too bad for that bass, which is not as organic as it should.

Gold nozzle: midbass is evidently more combed, and I like it better, but so is treble too, while highmids are more forward. Guitars and femaie vocals are probably best expressed here, but stage height is cut off, and air and spatiality take a hit.

Black nozzle: midbass is the same as Gold, while high mids and treble are very similar to Red, with possibly a slight tad more energy on one hand, and a bit less depth on the other.

It’s a toss between Black and Red for my particular tastes, and well… I experimented further and found out that in the end I prefer Red with a -1,5dB Q=1 correction on 90Hz to “clean” those doublebass vibrations off. And yes, I’m a “never happy dog” !

Sub-Bass

Sub bass is extended but not elevated. Rumble is present but not imposing itself, which is perfectly good for my library but may be a point of contempt for other musical tastes.

Mid Bass

Mid bass notes are very well rendered by EA1000, with the Red nozzle adding a bit more butter compared to the other two alternatives.

While such makes them a bit more greasy than they should to be called perfectly organic when it comes to render acoustic bass instruments, the effect is indeed not excessive so not only it is welcome in conjunction with many musical genres, but also not necessarily unwelcome even to hardbop or modal lovers.

It’s quite easy to guess – or hope? – that the high quality of EA1000’s mid bass rendering is also directly dependent on that uncommon “Passive Radiator” device inside the box, and anyhow this is what Simgot’s marketing insists on making us believe.

Mids

Mid frequencies are a bit of a mixed bag here. They are recessed in their central part, and somewhat lean in their lower segment.

High mids however go up in power quite rapidly between 1 and 2KHz which is where they give their best. As a consequence, and simplifying maybe a bit too much, EA1000 render guitars and sax tenors better than pianos, for example.

Male Vocals

Vis-a-vis what I just noted about mids in general, male vocals are a territory where EA1000 don’t fare particularly well: especially baritone and bass voices come out perceivably leaner than real, and that’s a common trait no matter the nozzle installed.

Female Vocals

Opposite of the male case, female vocals benefit from a better tonal situation on EA1000 and in facts come across very naturally colored, bodied, detailed and very pleasing at all times.

Highs

Treble is one of the areas where EA1000 do best, and at the same time one where the 3 different nozzles apply more significant variations.

As I anticipated above, to my tastes Red nozzles nail it, period: “Red” trebles are energetic yet still not excessively so, bodied, very detailed, and they “breath” a lot of air in terms of spatiality. Their sole real downside is that perceivable metallic aftertaste coming up once too often – it’s not too strong, nor too fastidious, but it’s undoubtedly there to make the final result just a bit less than fully positive (what a pity).

Golden nozzles furtherly strengthen highmids and low trebles, while also taking some of that magic air quantity off. Black nozzles are very, very similar to Red up there, juts a tad less airy (but less so compared to Gold).

Technicalities

Soundstage

Width and height are very extented, much beyond what you normally get on similar priced IEMs. Depth is “only” barely above average, always referred to the same category.

Imaging

Macrodynamics are very well executed on EA1000, with always precise instrument positioning on stage.

Details

EA1000 offer very good detail retrieval in the high mids and low treble.

Retrieval is good on midbass too, where the concessions made to drama and musicality just rarely steal something off note contouring. As my few readers know I’m noticing this as I’m biased towards acoustic music.

Instrument separation

Separation, layering and microdynamics are all no doubt EA1000’s excellence points. It’s indeed very uncommon to find better around, not only at this price point, but much higher too.

Driveability

EA1000 are easy to drive in terms of sound pressure output thanks to a good sensitivity (109 dB/mW) paired with a not too low impedance (16 Ohm). Their sound quality scales with amping quality however – I suspect this may have to do with that passive radiator device.

Physicals

Build

EA1000 offer a very convincing feeling of solidity and reliability. Their full metal housings are obviously impervious to reasonable physical damages (and possibly to some unreasonable ones, too).

Faceplates are covered by what are declared as “crystal” (!) glasses. I couldn’t assess whether it’s actually crystal, all I can say is it does not appear to be easily scratched, and when in contact with a metal tip it does not tend to sound “plastic”.

For the benefit of those who pay particular attention to aesthetics it should be noted that the housings’ chrome finish and of the “crystal” faceplates are very well taken care of, and that will help them feel alive in their compulsion to continually wipe every surface clean of fingerprints.

Fit

EA1000’s housings fit me near-perfectly in terms of size & shape. Nozzles are not too short, and they are mounted on a sort of protruded portion of the shell. Eartips of the right size easily get a grasp – even more than a seal – onto my canals’ internal surfaces, with this contributing to a firm seating once properly worn – all this in spite of the earpieces not being precisely “featherweights”.

Comfort

As mentioned above EA1000 sit well in my outer ears and prove perfectly comfortable to wear, even for prolonged periods of time.

Isolation

Given the housings’ shapes and calibrated dimensions, EA1000 shells form an important isolation barrier. The multiple vents, and most of all the wide opening corresponding to the passive radiator do of course take steps in the opposite direction but I would say that the overall result is more than satisfactory anyhow.

Cable

EA1000 are sold with a replaceable non-modular-terminated 3.5mm cable. Its aesthetics and haptics are more than ok but I could not conduct my usual comparison tests round-robining amongst my various sources as most of them got balanced outputs. I can’t consequently offer an opinion on the stock cable’s sound performance. For my tests I paired a Dunu DUW-02S cable.

On a more commercial note, given the recent (2-3 years) market evolutions, the fact that an otherwise “premium” package like EA1000’s does not offer a balanced termination cable option – be it in form of available choice at order time or of modular termination system – is to be reported as a negative remark in the general evaluation.

Specifications (declared)

Comparisons

Tanchjim Oxygen (€ 190)

Oxygen feature a bit softer attack, yielding into less punchy bass and overall silkier, more relaxing timbre. Oxygen’s tonality is overall more organic, exquisitely neutral – which may of course be a love-hate thing in some cases. Their midrange is not recessed resulting in much better vocal and guitars rendition. Oxygen’s trebles are less energetic, airy and sparkly.

Stage on Oxygen is a bit narrower, perceivably less high, but much deeper. Lastly, Oxygen are much more demanding in terms of source power.

Intime Miyabi Mk-II (€170 + import costs)

You can find my Miyabi review here. Miyabi Mk-II differ from Miyabi insofar as their mids are less upfront, and their timbre is dryer and clearer, and that’s why I’m taking them as a more appropriate comparison to EA1000 here.

Midbass elevation is similar between Miyabi Mk-II and EA1000, but EA1000 have a cleaner timbre, better punch and sound more resolving there. In a nutshell, bass is technically better on EA1000, very possibly due to their Passive Radiator thing.

Miyabi Mk-II’s mids are way more bodied, and obviously more organic. Trebles are overall better on Miyabi Mk-II, less upfront but more refined. Opposite to bass, while good on EA1000 treble is, that is better on Miyabi, likely consequece of the fantastic deeds of Watanabe-sama’s VST driver,

Miyabi Mk-II cast a slightly narrower stage, same height, but way better depth. They require a bit more power than EA1000 but the difference is not big on this.

Ikko OH1S (€ 150)

The two offer very similar timbre, and similar general tonality. Bass is less forward and less punchy on OH1S (almost ruler-flat, indeed), which also contributes to their mids be felt as less recessed, more “meaningful”, and I’m talking about both low and middle mids.

Trebles are more energetic on EA1000, which is an advantage at times, but a disadvantage when this pairs negatively with some tracks or musical genres. Separation is similar on the two models, layering is a bit better on EA1000 due to better microdynamics. Stage is narrower on OH1S, but deeper.

Final A5000 (€ 299)

A5000’s presentation is more markedly V-shaped compared to EA1000’s. Both offer a dry timbre with little concession to warmth, with A5000 being by a whiff the coldest of the two.

Bass are a tie game, both models offering very significant quality in the region. Mids are also similar, in this case meaning both models choose to let them in second-layer position, accepting sub-organic leanness. Trebles are better on EA1000, with A5000 too often scanting into excess and sibilance, and delivering less air.

Technicalities – all of them – are in favour of A5000, sometimes vastly too. Stage is wider and deeper on A5000, just a bit less high. Layering and separation is macroscopically better on A5000. Ditto for detail retrieval, which is “sensational” on A5000.

Considerations & conclusions

Simgot hit a strike with EA1000, there’s very little doubt about this. Their nice timbre and even more their greatly calibrated tonality are of absolute value. Technicalities are also extremely good, with a particular mention deserved by layering and microdynamics. Their less shiny aspects are in the end very few in comparison.

As you may or may not know I’m quite selective, and that’s why I’m pleased to state that EA1000 fall amongst the very IEMs I find recommendable around the €200 mark. For that, I’m double thankful to Simgot for the review opportunity I’ve been offered.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

The post Simgot EA1000 Review – Hitting A Strike appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Cons — Truthear Zero Red have fingerprint-magnet shells
– Not the most dynamic or exciting presentation
– Could be more resolving in the treble region

INTRODUCTION

The Truthear X Crinacle Zero: Red (that’s one mouthful of a name) were announced back in May 2023, during the High End Munich show. While there are copious hints of irony in announcing a pair of budget IEMs in a show literally called “High End”, there was no shortage of hype even before that.

Crinacle’s original vision was to tune the Red closer to his own “ideal” target curve, and apart from a welcome dosage of extra bass, they do hit that mark. The Zero Red also “fix” some of the issues and criticisms that the Harman target has been subjected to in the yesteryear (including the criticisms from the tuner, Crinacle, himself).

I reviewed the original Zero (Zero: Blue?) more than a year ago and found them somewhat uninspiring. Given that they were tuned after the (purportedly flawed) Harman target, the Zero Red should be a logical upgrade as they address the issues of said target. Moreover, the Red act as a showcase of Crinacle’s ideal target and should be an accessible entry to the tuner/reviewer’s preferred tuning.

But that was nine months ago. Now in February 2024, there is a lot less smoke and the influencer-induced hype machine has long run out of fuel. Time to see if the Zero Red have managed to survive the test of… time.

A benchmark pair of IEMs should, after all.

Note: the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier. Shenzhenaudio was kind enough to send the Zero Red for evaluation.

Sources used: Questyle CMA 12 Master
Price, while reviewed: $55. Can be bought from Shenzhenaudio.

PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

Decent stock cable – check. Half-decent stock eartips – check. PU leather carrying pouch that offers minimal protection – check.

Cringe waifu on the packaging – check. Oh wait.

Nonetheless, the stock accessories are the same as the OG Zero other than the 10ohm impedance adapter that’s now included in the box. It’s a pretty rare thing and I welcome the addition.

This adapter should increase the sub-bass by a few dBs due to the way the crossover is designed. You can further increase the sub-bass with higher impedance adapters but the driver would probably bottom out at that point.

BUILD QUALITY

These are basically the Truthear Zero with a red faceplate. I have to say that the red faceplate looks better than the blue one of the predecessors. Another change is the size of the vent which is now larger than the original version and should allow for greater airflow.

The 2-pin connector is recessed, thankfully. The crossover circuit can also be seen near the connectors through the translucent shell.

While the build is generally good, the shells are smudge prone and slippery. So keep a cleaning cloth handy.

COMFORT, ISOLATION, AND FIT

Fit and comfort is excellent, so is the isolation.

SOURCE AND EARTIPS

The Zero Red are fairly easy to drive, though the addition of inline impedance (via the supplied adapter) will need more voltage from the source side. Even then, it’s not a big deal and should be handled by most dongles in the market.

The stock eartips are good enough to get you going though I am not a fan of the somewhat stiff stem. Third party tips offer even better seal and comfort but the sound signature did not change much.

DRIVER SETUP

The dual dynamic driver setup of the first version of Zero makes a reappearance with subtle improvements.

The distortion figures of the 10mm bass driver are better, which is a much needed upgrade. The 7.8mm midrange and treble driver seems to be unchanged from the first version.

ZERO RED TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES

If I had to describe the Zero Red’s tuning in one word, it would be: safe. Balanced would be another descriptor, even though the muted treble can throw off said “balance”.

Crinacle decided to go for a less dramatic bass shelf, while adding a touch of warmth to the lower-mids by starting the bass rise from 300 Hz downward. As a result, the transition between the upper-bass and lower-midrange is not as drastic as the OG Zero and sounds far more coherent. If you want more bass, there is always the impedance adapter. However, I did not like the extra bass as it cast a haze over the lower-mids.

The midrange itself is ruler-flat until 1 kHz and then goes for a pinna gain for approximately 8dB. This tuning choice strikes a good balance between male and female vocals. Other than baritone vocals, everything sounded correct.

Strings have good heft without sounding too dampened, grand pianos show their characteristic down-stroke “thock”, and distortion guitars are brought forward without becoming overbearing. However, such safe can often verge towards “boring” for some. I did not find it to be the case, but if you are into super-forward female vocals, the Zero Red might be tad laid-back.

Finally, the treble is somewhat muted and there is a noticeable lack of response around 10kHz. This kills off the sparkle and airiness, but on the plus side you avoid fatigue and distortion. My assumption is that the treble driver is not adept at handling high frequencies (ironic, given it’s supposed to do exactly that), but given the budget pricing I’m willing to cut some slack here.

Soundstage and imaging are about average, in the context of IEMs in this range of course. Certain peers offer a wider sense of stage or more precise imaging, but the Zero Red won’t sound claustrophobic. Rather it’s not the most accurate in placing instruments at ordinal orientations. Macrodynamic punch is pretty good but microdynamics are lacking, with subtle shifts in volume levels being imperceptible at times.

SELECT COMPARISONS

vs TruthEar Zero

The OG Zero and the Zero Red are primarily differentiated by their tuning choices. The predecessor had a more drastic sub-bass shelf that practically hollowed out the mid-bass and somewhat butchered male vocals. In that aspect, the Zero Red are wholesale improvements. The bass driver is also better on the newer version, resulting in better texture in the bass region.

Frankly, for the improvements in the bass and mids alone, I would consider the previous Zero “outdated” vs the newest revision. The mids of the OG just sounded unnatural to my ears and the Red fixes that one big “con”.

vs Final E3000

The Final E3000 have long been a mainstay in our Wall of Excellence as the IEMs to get around USD$50. The fixed cable is a huge con, however, so the Zero Red is already a step ahead in terms of build quality. Comfort and isolation go in E3000’s direction due to their seamless, bullet-style fit and exceptional passive noise cancellation.

When it comes to the sound, these IEMs take different routes in order to achieve a “fatigue-free” tuning. Final E3000 go for more pronounced mid-bass and rolls off at the sub-bass past 40kHz. The pinna gain is even more reserved, while there is more response in the treble region, albeit upper-treble is similarly rolled-off.

The Zero Red have superior midrange clarity and sub-bass rumble, at the cost of mid-bass body (snare hits are more satisfying on the E3000) and less sense of stage-width and depth (can be attributed to the more reserved upper-mids on the Final IEMs). Imaging is also better on the E3000.

Do the Zero Red replace the E3000 for me, then? Not really. I still prefer the timbre on the E3000, and the more spacious presentation is more engaging to my ears. The Zero Red is more of a sidegrade – swapping spaciousness for a more forward midrange. If the treble on the Zero Red had more sparkle I would probably be swayed in the other direction, but that’s not the case, not yet.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

The raison d’etre for the Zero Red is to improve upon their predecessors, while establishing themselves as the new “budget benchmark”. They clear the first hurdle pretty easily (not that it was too high a bar). It’s the second part where things get tricky.

There is a new “budget benchmark” every week now, and the technical inferiority of the Zero Red keep them from fetching that particular crown. For me, the Zero Red are more of a showcase of what Crinacle’s ideal tuning is about, and I look forward to his upcoming releases where he will get to use better drivers to achieve a similar target, perhaps with superior treble sparkle and extension.

To wrap up this review with a familiar “ranking” methodology:
Tone Grade: A
Technical Grade: C
Overall Grade: B
Value: 1 star

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PHOTOGRAPHY

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

The post Truthear X Crinacle Zero Red Review – New Benchmark Or Another Rehash? appeared first on Music For The Masses.

We already have had a complete review piece about DragonFly Cobalt for almost three years now at audioreviews.org, and based on shared appreciation within our team we decided to stick it onto our Wall of Excellence. As AudioQuest sent me a sample too, I am now sharing my own take on the device.

Very interestingly, AudioQuest recently repositioned Cobalt’s price to € 199,95 in EU (down from € 299,95) – and I can anticipate this is a KO move vs much of its direct competition. Cobalt is widely distributed, and can be purchased from multiple channels including Amazon and many other online platforms.

At-a-glance Card

Features and description

Externals

DragonFly Cobalt is the size of an old-school “USB pen drive”, with is encasing painted of a nice blue – or well, cobalt – color.

There are no controls, wheels or buttons whatsoever on the structure. Only after plugging it into a host PC (or Mac, or mobile device) one realises that the stylised dragonfly logo on the top side is indeed backlit by a colored LED, which color changes depending on the input stream digital sample rate:

Internals

The DragonFly product range is based on technology developed by a mr Gordon Rankin, a gentleman busy with seriously innovative digital and analog audio technology and products for the past almost 4 decades.

Gordon’s own company Wavelength Audio Ltd still holds the rights to the registered trademarks and of course the intellectual property at the very heart of AudioQuest’s DragonFl(ies), including DragonFly Cobalt of course.

Just for the sake of historical curiosity – and give Caesar his own, of course – StreamLength® is the given name of Gordon’s original setup which for the first time allowed for a plug-in device to take control of USB communication timing, which was normally exclusively managed by the host (the PC) until then. Such flip of perspective is the crux to the nowadays ubiquitous “Asynchronous USB mode”, the very base to start from and achieve adequate control over jitter when it comes to digital audio communications.

Once put the plug-in device in a control position over communications timing, the other step Gordon took was that of giving the device itself a high precision clock generator, which in DragonFly Cobalt case happens by taking it out of the very ESS ES9038Q2M chip at its core. Such setup was originally named “monoClock® technology” by Gordon.

Another fundamental architectural choice taken inside DragonFly Cobalt is to adopt separate chips for digital reconstruction (DAC) and amplification – as opposed to most of the direct competition relying on “all-in-one” chips doing both things on the same piece of silicon and – which is most significant to our discussion – without offering integrators and users any significant flexibility to change, fine tune, let alone customise the overall system behaviour. That’s why DragonFly Cobalt’s voicing, dynamic range and SNR won’t be apriori similar to that of other dongle devices relying on ES9038-line chips’ internal amping features.

Exploiting another feature on ES9038Q2M, DragonFly Cobalt comes with a custom designed minimum-phase slow roll-off FIR filter.

While I have no complaints about such choice, considering the hardware offers support for it I would welcome the chance to apply different filters, via good ol’ firmware flashing or even better via some sort of mobile app. Maybe there’s a chance this would come in the future?

USB communications are carried out via the good deeds of a Microchip’s PIC32MX274 IC, featuring extremely low power needs, also vis-a-vis its programming for support only USB-1on DragonFly Cobalt.

All such choices – the DAC chip, the AMP chip, and the USB processor chip – contribute to DragonFly Cobalt being amongst the lowest-power-demanding dongles on the market when it comes to host supply needs, which is why it is one of the very few to offer full compatibility with iPhone/iPad hosts, notoriously unable to deliver other than very low power off of their Lightning sockets.

Mind you though: free meals not being a part of real life, nor any divinity existing taking care of creating energy from nothing no matter how hard you pray, low input power draw means a few things that you do need to keep in mind to set the correct expectations about DragonFly Cobalt’s performance.

One: the USB-1 protocol drains much less power at the cost of a limited maximum transfer speed, which in terms of digital audio values turns into a 24 bit / 96 KHz digital resolution cap. And… PCM only! No DSD support.

Two: the ESS 9601 amp will prove limited in terms of maximum output power, with particular regards to current . So while it will reliably deliver a nice 2.1 V max swing on high impedance loads, DragonFly Cobalt will not (as it can not) adequately power low(er) sensitivity drivers, especially if featuring low impedances too.

So in practical terms you should not rely on DragonFly Cobalt to properly driver the likes of final E5000, or final B1, or final A3000, let alone pretty much any planar driver. 

And, no surprise should arise when Cobalt will seem to “struggle” (e.g. in terms of loss of treble control) with “mid-hard” loads. All that will be due to the device’s internal power circuitry “running out of current” in some situations, having it apriori been set up not to request more than a certain, very limited power from the host device to begin with.

Input

Like all pure “dongles”, DragonFly Cobalt only accepts USB input.

Very “classically” the device carries a USB-A male plug, so in itself it’s ready to plug onto any common PC or Mac USB port.

A USB-A to USB-C short cable adapter is supplied too, to facilitate connectivity with more recent smartphones. More on the adapter under Package, here below.

Output

DragonFly Cobalt’s sole output is its analog 3.5mm connector, of course accepting any 3.5mm single-ended terminated load.

Those who (also) own balanced-ended sources will most likely have a few or many of their drivers equipped with balanced terminated cables, and will need a balanced-to-single-ended adapter to plug them onto the Cobalt.

Host power requirements

DragonFly Cobalt requires very low power from the host (i.e., the PC, the phone or the dap it is connected to and therefor powered from). I’m talking about just 60mA when idle (i.e. when connected but “doing nothing”), and between 150 and 200mA when playing out on good volume on a mid-impedance driver.

This is of course very good news, but grounds for some caveats too.

Starting on the good side: DragonFly Cobalt will not suck your phone battery dry in no time like so many direct competitors and (!) it will perfectly work with iPhones and iPads, known picky fellas when it comes to the powering requirements of the devices you plug onto them. It will also not more than vaguely warm during operation.

On the flip side there are two important notes to make – which I indeed already mentioned above under “Internals”.

One: DragonFly Cobalt exclusively supports the USB 1 protocol speeds (USB 2 would require more power), which translates into a maximum supported input resolution 24 bit, 96Khz PCM (and no DSD).

Two: DragonFly Cobalt’s maximum output power will be, of course, limited, too: expect it to be good for powering high impedance (300 ohm) dynamic drivers (e.g. Sennheiser HD-series cans) and mid-impedance (20-30 ohm) not particularly demanding IEMs – which are, combined, probably >95% of the drivers out there anyway.

Volume and gain control

DragonFly Cobalt offers no physical control options so there’s no way to set the gain, and the sole way to manage its volume is via the host’s digital volume control.

On such latter front a point, as you may or may not know, the Android operating system divides the USB device volume range in only 40 steps (or even 25 for the latest Android releases…). When operating a device like DragonFly Cobalt this results in the last ticks of the volume control range converting into way too big SPL variations.

So if you are planning on using DragonFly Cobalt on a Android-based host just keep in mind that the way to “fix” this is using a better featured music player app e.g. UAPP or others – which is what you would normally do anyway for a number of other reasons one above all bypassing standard Android audio drivers – re-defining the number of steps Volume control is divided into (up to 250, on UAPP).

Other features

MQA Rendering

I won’t spend a word on what MQA itself is, of course. Google around if you wish and you’ll be overflooded with info.

What matters here is: DragonFly Cobalt is a “MQA Renderer”, so it can fully unfold MQA tracks on its own hardware, which is an upgrade vs the default represented by having the music player host do the unfolding, and only limited to the first 2 folds.

Firmware

For their DragonFly product line AudioQuest offers free software for users to autonomously carry on firmware upgrade operations when needed.

For DragonFly Cobalt no updated firmware version was (yet) ever released, however.

DragonTail

DragonFly Cobalt ships together with two complementary accessories: a leather sleeve, and a USB-A to USB-C short adapter cable – which, as always in AudioQuest’s standards, got its own given name: “DragonTail Extender”.

The DragonTail appear as nothing else than a digital plug format adapter, much needed of course to facilitate connecting the Cobalt to mobile devices like smartphones, or dap/transports. The version bundled with Cobalt is called DragonTail-C as it features a USB-C male plug at its end. AudioQuest also carries a DragonTail-Micro alternative.

What’s probably most interesting about DragonTail is its quality. I won’t take a digital audio cabling detour here, but I think it’s worth to share a very simple experience I had with Cobalt. When I first put it to work I connected Cobalt to my PC, where there’s only a USB-C port available, so I used a “nameless” USB-A to USB-C adapter cable I had laying around on my desk. No surprises: it just worked as I was expecting it to, and Cobalt sounded “right” off the bat.

One day for whatever reason I needed a USB-A to USB-C adapter for another application. Where do I have one? Meh… who knows. While watching around I noticed the one hooked to the Cobalt so I just took that one off, leaving the Cobalt disconnected for a while.

A few days later I wanted to use the Cobalt again, and did not want to “undo” the other cabling involving the other adapter. Time to think harder and try to devine where could I have another one – and that’s when I remembered there must have been one left inside the Cobalt box. Took it. Plugged it. It worked (of course). But… Cobalt seemed to be sounding different.

Mmmh – I thought – that’s very likely my wrong memory. So I carried on, for a day or two. Then, I decided to check it. Undid the other cable chain, recuped the “nameless” adapter cable, and organised a quick A/B test. And yes, there is a difference. When using DragonTail to connect it to my PC the Cobalt delivers fuller notes, and a darker background.

As I mentioned en-passant within my article regarding AudioQuest’s JitterBug, a passive cable cannot possibly “improve” a digital signal. However, it can deplete it. So what is actually happening on my case is that DragonTail revealed that the other cable was introducing noise…

DragonFly Cobalt sound

DragonFly Cobalt sounds detailed, dynamic and most of all clean, yet significantly musical.

In terms of cleanness in particular it trades (hard!) blows with the E1DA’s 9038SG3 and 9038D, arguably the “cleanest” – in the sense of most distortion-free – dongle-class devices one can find.

Which leads me right to articulate about the true crucial point of Cobalt’s sound: its stunningly spot-on compromise between resolving power, transparency and musicality.

I can name other more musical (“gracefully colored”) dongles. I can name more transparent ones, too. Very often, if not invariably, auditioning one of either group makes you soon want one from the other. Cobalt is not that. When listening to Cobalt’s clean notes you can’t fail noticing how expressive they also are, and, while going with Cobalt’s musical flow you’ll never feel you are really missing tiny beats, or soft nuances.

Cobalt’s output is masterfully “balanced”, not in the meaning we most commonly give to the word, regarding properly reciprocally calibrating lows mids and highs, rather is the sense of delivering as much of both – transparency and musicality, clean timbre and personal tonality – one can realistically hope to have at the same time.

Considerations & conclusions

DragonFly Cobalt is an absolutely remarkable piece of gear offering high quality reconstruction, reference-level amping transparency and delicious tonality, all near-magically mixed together at a unique mixture spot.

With its minuscule input power demands Cobalt is possibly the easiest in its class to pair with any mobile transport, iPhones and their (in)famous interfacing standards and power-out limitations. And, its single-ended output fully supports all those stock wires you may have a drawer full of, without leaving a balanced alternative to be desired.

Some may consider its modest maximum output power a limitation, and technically right so. However, in practical terms they translate into letting out possibly less than 5% of the IEMs on our Wall of Excellence.

DragonFly Cobalt was stuck onto our Wall of Excellence long ago, when its price was € 299,95. Now it’s been repositioned to € 199,95. Enough said, I guess.

The Editor: I have been using the Cobalt daily for the last three years...despite a drawer full of dongles: sounds great, has low power consumption, is small and light, and easy to use. The (monetary) value is mainly in its DAC part.

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The post AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt Review (2) – Knowledge Is Power appeared first on Music For The Masses.

INTRO

The Oladance OWS Sports represents a new category of earphones we have reviewed in the past called Open Wearable Stereo. The OWS concept was first pioneered by the former Bose Team and inspired by the need for user safety and awareness, Oladance OWS Sports adds another product to their lineup of well received products such as the OWS Pro. My fellow co-bloggers had high praises and recommended I try them out since it is a different concept and one that is executed in a most excellent way.

I found them so curiously odd and different that I shared them with friends and everyone over the holidays. Priced at $179 they are a unicorn in a field of crowded options.

BACKGROUND

Oladance is a nod to Leonard Euler, the love of mathematics and invention to achieve something wonderfully new that allows us to enjoy sound while moving throughout the world.

They are quick to point out these are NOT bone conduction (more on that later) and can help those who do not enjoy wearing other types of headphones either for medical reasons and or physical reasons.

In engineering, projects or products should solve a need. The Oladance OWS Sports aims to allow people to enjoy music while staying active, yet be aware of their surroundings and not damage their hearing or nerve endings.

Bone conduction aims to solve this problem, but can also introduce new problems. At the very least avoiding bone conduction can reduce the pressure on the temple and comfort can be improved. There are some claims that long term bone conduction usage can damage nerve endings of which I can neither confirm nor deny. The hearing aid industry would probably be a better source for this information, but the Oladance OWS Sports removes this possibly by using Air Conduction instead.

There is a haptic feel while holding them from the oversized 23mm dual drivers, but since they do not make contact it is mostly the result of the large divers trying to deliver the required output to your ears.

With careful tuning and directing sound towards your ear openings without blocking them, it is like someone whispering in your ear in a clear manner. Due to the fact they are not completely sealed to your ear canal, there is some loss of low end bass similar to PA speakers not covering the bottom end or another closer analogy would be a soundbar for your TV or a small set of 3” bookshelf speakers. It covers the midrange and lower midbass, but the treble and sub-bass are present in lower quantities and not as detailed as in ears.

The Oladance OWS Sports can be used in a wide range of activities although primarily geared to walking, running, and cycling. I found them useful while cleaning out my storage room late at night. They did not fall off while moving around, did not bother my family members and were extremely comfortable. I wear glasses and had no issues with interference from my glasses either. 

I also have a co-worker that primarily uses bone conduction so he still has awareness while working. These would also work excellent in this situation, especially in cases where normal earphones are not allowed. After using them for hours, my ears did not feel fatigued or tired from listening.

Oladance did a phenomenal job of creating a set of earphones with balance and comfort, there are no sharp edges, they are lightweight and the soft materials are very skin friendly. The wrap around strap can be used to quickly hang them off your neck for further attention when needed.

The Oladance OWS Sports are also IPX8 water resistant which means workouts and light rain can be tolerated. IPX8 is supposed to mean it can withstand water immersion of at least 1m/3ft, but time-frame and depth is up to the manufacturer. In this case Oladance states 10 seconds of direct rinsing of the speaker port should not cause damage. Oladance is quick to point out these are NOT for swimming.

For medical purposes, the Oladance brought awareness to me about two key things: Nerve Damage and Vertigo. I had never considered bone conduction can cause nerve damage, and although I have an extended family member that suffers vertigo, I had not realized wearing headphones could cause them trouble. The Oladance OWS Sports offers a solution for those unable to enjoy portable sound.

Personally, I enjoyed the Oladance OWS Sports outside while walking the dog. I can hear vehicles approaching with ease, and also a windy day was a good test. Normal in-ear or even earbuds introduce edges for the wind to catch and then since they are touching inner parts of your ear they tend to amplify the wind noise in unnatural ways.

The Oladance OWS Sports on the other hand with its rounded form factor and floating design combined with noise reduction technology handled it with no sweat. Everything was clear and there was no additional amplification of the wind noise. Bravo.

With the open wearable aspect of the Oladance OWS Sports, it solves the sweaty ears problem of over ears, and the ear insertion and pressure of in-ear, and the falling out problem of earbuds with the wrap around strap. On-ears can be uncomfortable due to extra pressure on the ears, and foam pads get yucky after many uses.

It trumps all categories in terms of situational awareness, even for the noise canceling types that offer transparent modes that sound unnatural. It will not replace noise canceling obviously for that use case, that is not what they were designed for.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES

Oladance OWS Sports offers multi-point device connections. That means you can have it connected to a music device or your computer for work and a phone at the same time. This comes in handy also for people who might have to carry around two phones, one for work and one for personal use. Switching back and forth was seamless.

EQ presets are Default (best sound), Surging Bass (muffled muted mids and treble), Pure Voice (focus on midrange lo-fi experience), Custom offering access to 5 equalizer bands (160Hz, 440hz, 800Hz, 2.7khz, and 8khz)

Default Button Controls (The Oladance App allows customization)

Battery life is advertised at 15 hours and while I did not keep track of how long before needing a charge, I did not have to charge amongst the on and off nature of testing the last month. It should provide increased battery life over bone conduction since those have to excite the body to make sound, they are rather in-efficient. 

The rather large hard case is flocked with felt/cotton that appears to be water resistant, even the zipper is covered by rubber when zipped. It was easy to use when placing the headphones and cable into it, however my wife was quick to point out it would never fit in her cross-body bag. It is clearly meant to fit into a backpack, work bag, or gym bag. Even medium sized purses would be an issue. It is about half the size of an over-the-ears type case.

While the charging cable utilizes an easy magnetic connection,  I am a little disappointed it does not offer a standard USB-C cable. I can see both sides to this argument however. A USB connection adds bulk to the earphone and may be harder to protect against water intrusion.

The Oladance OWS Sports solution makes the connection shallow and quick. I should point out that the case does not offer wireless charging either, and there is no included charging power supply.

SOUND

So I slapped these on the year end gear list because they offer a unique solution and sound good while doing it. Bass is limited but has a full warm sound, punch is soft due to limited extension and sub-bass is not really present. Treble is soft and yet clear. I liken it to full range speaker treble in that it reproduces the spectrum of sound but ultimate articulation is slightly lost due to the transmission distance from the output to the ear.

Cymbals are extremely smoothed while woodwinds and brass have an environmental airiness given the open nature of the earphones. There is just enough percussion available for Piano sound natural. There is no peakiness or sibilance. Midrange sounds clear and open, rather spacious and wide like listening to speakers in the nearfield up close.

Acoustic guitar has warmth and plucks are easily picked out and defined, but does sound a bit tubby, the best part is that I get a sense of being in a room versus just listening to earphones. It’s such an interesting listening experience that is half nearfield speaker, half open back earphone is the best way to describe it. Depth and width are excellent, the staging presentation is done very well.

WRAPPING UP

Comfort, cannot stand other types of earphones, awareness of surroundings and active lifestyle are all excellent reasons to buy these Oladance OWS Sports. If your focus is on sound quality and full frequency reproduction look elsewhere. The lack of bass would turn off normal users. They are unique and designed purposefully so therefore I can recommend them for specific applications mentioned previously.

Disclaimer: Oladance provided these gratis with only wanting to make sure we understood they were not bone conduction, and the reasons why. Audioreviews extends a thank you for allowing us to experience this new form factor.

SPECIFICATIONS

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DISCLAIMER

Get it from Oladance Shop, the kickstarter recently closed.

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About my measurements.

The post Oladance OWS Sports Review – Open Has Never Been More Fun appeared first on Music For The Masses.

The Colorfly CDA-M2 is a powerful dongle with excellent imaging and an organic sound that drives current-hungry low-impedance iems well as well as 300 ohm headphones at the cost of a “healthy” battery draw from the source.

The $159 Colorfly CDA-M2 was provided unsolicited for my review by SHENZHENAUDIO, and I thank them for that. You can purchase it from SHENZHENAUDIO.COM.

Introduction

Ever since audio pioneer Gordon Rankin produced a dongle (“a DAC/amp without battery sourced by the host device”) with a current drain small enough to work with a mobile phone, a plethora of companies has released countless models following this concept. We may remember “Dongle Madness” and other sensationalist (but rather unorderly) ranking lists. /

These dongles can be put into two end member categories: such with power, and such with low battery drain (AudioQuest DragonFly series). The powerful ones drive low-impedance earphones/headphones well but drain your phone’s battery fast (e.g. ifi Audio Go bar). The battery conserving ones may not be used for earphone/headphone with impedances below 24 ohm (bass would be mushy as it needs the most power).

The art is to produce a dongle with the best compromise between the two. A successful example is the $250 Questyle M15. The ColorFly CDA-M2 (another “Fly”) balances this fine line relatively well with lots of power and an acceptable battery drain.

Colorfly is not as new a company as one might think, they are subsidiary of Colorful, the graphic card manufacturer. The founder of Luxury & Precision (Mr Wan) was the former engineer for Colorfly. He designed the very first digital Chi-Fi audio player that is able to decode 24 bit files. He also designed the circuitry of the CDA-M2, which follows the highly acclaimed M1 model.

Specifications Colorfly CDA-M2

Physical Things and Functionality

In the box are the CDA-M2, a ribbon USB-C cable, and the manual. The CNC machined chassis is made of zinc alloy with a glass covered OLED screen (with 10 brightness levels). The device works plug-and-play with Apple, Android, and Windows devices (from version 10; a Windows driver for earlier version can be downloaded from the company site). A lightning cable for iPhone is not included.

The body may be relatively small but I find it slightly heavy at 27 g. Also, I’d like to see a soft case to protect it from crashing with the phone or computer it is attached to.

The device is hardware controlled by its three buttons. You will have to set the output on your host device to near 100% (I usually do 80%). You can adjust volume, gain, L and R balance, you have the choice between 5 digital filters (make essentially no difference), and you can switch on an overvoltage suppression (useful when accidentally disconnecting the device).

You can select screen brightness, rotate the display, and select the time it switches itself off. You also have the option to toggle a voltage overflow protection on/off, check the current voltage, and run the CDA-M2 in gaming mode (with presumably lower latency).

As to the technology under the hood, you find a lot of information in the specs above. The core is a dual Cirrus Logic CS43198 DAC chip that tells you absolutely nothing about the sound quality – in contrary to the internet’s echo chamber. All it indicatesis that a dual DAC may have a better channel separation and cross talk than a single one. But, rest assured, the chips are well implemented so that resulting sound quality is actually very good. Details below.

Amplification and Power Management

The CDA-M2 provides enough current to drive the notorious thirsty final E5000 earphones – not many dongles can do that. It also handles 300 ohm headphones such as my Sennheiser HD 600 well. Providing a relatively high current comes at a price: it drains your source faster than, let’s say, the even more powerful Questyle M15.

The CDA-M2 is accepted even by older iPhones, despite Apple’s limitation to a current draw of 100 mA. The Colorfly engineers must have found a way to circumvent this barrier.

This may not play a role with a computer source or a modern phone, but will be a challenge for an older model with a smaller battery. The champions in terms of power management are still the AudioQuest DragonFlys, which, as a downside, don’t drive current-hungry, that is low-impedance earphones well (<24 ohm).

If you want to read up on these particularities around “Ohm’s Law”, I can offer this article as a guide.

Sound

After having tested umpteen dongles, the CDA-M2 blew me somewhat out of my socks. Sound quality is incredible (considering its $159 price tag). It can be characterized as neutral, possibly with the corners rounded a bit by the slightest temperature, but very agreeable (“musical”) and not analytical like the ifi Audio Go Bar, for example. Very appealing to my ears.

Imaging is absolutely outstanding, beating even my beloved Questyle QP1R ($950 in 2015). I started testing with the easy-to-drive final Sonorous III closed-back headphones and the very difficult-to-drive final E5000 earphones. The CDA-M2 mastered both with ease: luscious, crisp, transparent yet rich. Wonderful dynamics. Biiiiiiig staging. Everything so homogenous and organic.

I am increasingly wondering why we need desktop stacks, at least for transducers that do not need excessive current.

In comparison, the $250 Questyle M15 is slightly more powerful [better for 300 ohm headphones] and has less current draw. While is also handles the notorious final E5000, it drains your phone slower than the CDA-M2. In terms of sound, the CDA-2 may sound a bit crisper and forward, and the M15 a bit thicker and laid back. But these differences are small – both devices are excellent. The most important differences are in power and price.

Concluding Remarks

Not only did the Colorfly CDA-M2 surprise me, it also completely convinced me: tons of features, super sound. What a great dongle that raises the bar in the $150 region.

Until next time…keep on listening!

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Disclaimer

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The post Colorfly CDA-M2 Review – With Flying Colors appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Die Sennheiser IE 900 sind ein fantastisch klingender, dynamischer Kopfhörer, der sich durch eine neutral-helle, zusammenhängende Tonalität mit einem natürlichen Timbre und einer unglaublichen oberen Erweiterungsqualität auszeichnet, die dem erfahrenen Audiophilen für die kommenden Jahre gefallen wird.

Die IE 900 hängen an unserer Wall of Excellence.

Ich danke Sennheiser USA für dieses Leihgerät, das sie mir großzügig für 4 Monate gebent haben. Ich danke Kazi für die Messungen.

Einführung

Ich bin einmal bei der CES-Show im Venetian in Las Vegas gelandet. Das war ziemlich zufällig, und ich war mehr von der “Erwachsenenkost” im selben Hotel angezogen worden – auch zufällig. Da ich auch keine Tickets hatte, war ich auf die peripheren Überlauf-Suiten beschränkt. In einem von ihnen spielte ein ausgeklügeltes Stereo-Setup… viele Röhren und LEDs, monströse Kabel und sehr große Lautsprecher. Ein riesiges System. Die kleine Menge war ooh-ing und aah-ing.

Aus den Lautsprechern kam… Chormusik von einem Chor. Sehr subtil und unspektakulär. Aber es klang natürlich und realistisch. So viel Ausrüstung, so viel Investition, für so wenig Ergebnis? Ich habe mich am Kopf gekratzt… und das zu Unrecht.

Was könnte besser sein, als die Reproduktion so nah wie möglich am Original zu sein? Wir sitzen in modernen Konzertsälen und hören Kammermusik und Symphonien, die nie auffälliger klingen, als es die Natur erlaubt. Ist es nicht das, worum es bei Audiophilie geht?

Ich habe mir >1000-Dollar-Kopfhörer angehört, die spektakulär, aber auch unrealistisch klangen: parfümiert… und “glasig” in meinen Ohren. Wie gut ist eine Auflösung jenseits der Natürlichen?

Sennheiser, ein 1945 aus der Asche Deutschlands gegründetes Unternehmen, hat sich schon immer für natürlichen Klang eingesetzt. Meine ersten Kopfhörer waren die HD 414, heute schätze ich die HD 600 (eingeführt 1997) und die HD 25 (eingeführt 1988/89?). Natürlicher Klang ist offensichtlich nie veraltet.

In Bezug auf In-Ear-Monitore kam Sennheiser relativ spät aus den Startblöcken. Sie können stolz darauf sein, die Ohrhörer (ihre berühmte M-Serie) zu erfinden, und fügten ihre ersten In-Ear-Monitore parallel zur Einführung des iPhone hinzu… das einen sehr matschigen Bass hatte.

Ihr 2015 Momentum In-Ear hatte einen anständigen V-förmigen Sound mit zu viel Bass und zu wenig Gesang für meinen Geschmack. Im Jahr 2019 stellte Sennheiser seine Pro-Linie für Musiker vor, die ich bis zum Anschlag analysiert habe. Im Nachhinein konnte ich das mittlere Modell Sennheiser IE 400 PRO nur als den besten Klang der Menge empfehlen.

Der 350-Dollar- Sennheiser IE 300, der 2021 eingeführt wurde, zielte auf die “Verbrauchermenge” ab. Zu der Zeit hatte Sennnheiser mehr mit der Schallkammer für eine verbesserte Klarheit experimentiert, die wahrscheinlich der Kern ihrer Entwicklungen IE 600 und IE 900 war, die 2021 auf den Markt kamen. 

Als Bonbon für die budgetbewusste beeindruckt der 2023 eingeführte 150 $ Sennheiser IE 200 selbst den kritischsten Zuhörer – und sie führen Kreise über den IE 300.

Wenn Sie also die IE 900 (oder IE 600) mögen, sie sich aber nicht leisten können, holen Sie sich die IE 200.

Physische Dinge und Benutzerfreundlichkeit

Ich möchte mich nicht wiederholen. Informationen zum technischen Aspekt erhalten Sie im obigen Bereich, auf der Sennheiser-Website und genau hier in Albertos sehr gründlicher IE 900-Analyse.

In der Box finden Sie:

Die präzisionsgefrästen und eloxierten Aluminiumgehäuse folgen den Modellen IE 200 und (abgesetzt) IE 300 des Unternehmens, formtechnisch … und damit komfortmäßig. Passform und Komfort haben für mich höchste Priorität, und die kleinen Ohrhörer punkten 10/10. Keine Notwendigkeit für maßgeschneiderte Muscheln.

Leider haben alle diese Modelle (und auch der IE 600) die gleichen Silikon-Ohrstöpsel, die überhaupt nicht zu meinen Ohren passen; ich habe stattdessen langgestiemte Azla SednaEarFits (“Toilettenkolben”) verwendet, die auch eine ausgezeichnete Isolierung erzeugen. Sennheiser bietet maßgeschneiderte Silikon-Ohrstöpsel an – aber nur in Deutschland.

Drei Kabel sind für einzelnde 3,5 mm und ausgeglichene (2,5 mm, 4,4 mm) Schaltkreise enthalten. Sie sind ziemlich unscheinbar in ihrer visuellen Anziehungskraft, aber pragmatisch. Die MMCX-Anschlüsse unterscheiden sich geringfügig von den Standardanschlüssen, Sie müssen beim Anbringen von Kabeln von Drittanbietern vorsichtig sein.

Tonalität und technische Details

Die Klangsignatur des Sennheiser IE 900 kann als neutral mit einem Hint von hell, organisch und nah an der Wahrheit charakterisiert werden, mit realistisch abgerundeten Ecken….das bedeutet, ein Cello klingt wie ein Cello und eine Trompete wie eine Trompete: Der Notenausklang ist genau richtig. Sie zeichnen sich durch komplexe Musik (sagen wir, von einem Orchester) aus, die auf natürlich verstärkten Instrumenten (z.B. Streicher, Blasinstrumente) gespielt wird, und sind wirklich ein Iem für die Puristen.

Was mir zuerst auffällt, wenn ich den IE 900 in meine Ohren stecke, ist die fabelhafte Hocherweiterung und Auflösung, in einer Qualität, die ich noch nie in einem Iem erlebt habe. Normalerweise kümmere ich mich nicht viel um die Dress, aber dieser ist ein echter Leckerbissen.

Das niedrige Ende ist so, wie es sein sollte: schön umhüllend mit einer SEHR tiefen Verlängerung, kein Mittelbass-Humpfel, gute Komposition bis hin zu den niedrigsten Frequenzen. Gutes Rumpeln da unten, aber nicht zu dick. Der Bass ist wirkungsvoll und schnell, schmiert sich aber nicht in die untere Mitte. Große Trennung zwischen ihnen.

Immer ein guter Test für die Bassdichtheit ist Ladi Geislers “Knackbass” in den frühen 1960er Jahren Bert Kaempfert Aufnahmen (Wunder von Deutschland Sound Engineering). Und die IE 900s liefern es so, wie es sein sollte… Bassgitarren und Schlagzeug sind eng und knackig, aber ohne überwältigend zu sein.

Stimmen werden von einigen im IE 900 als schlank wahrgenommen, aber nicht für mich. Männliche Stimmen sind sicherlich nicht fett, auch nicht scharf, sondern eher realistisch, gut abgerundet, nuanciert und dreidimensional gut skulpturiert. Der Mittelklasse kommt auch mit großer Auflösung, Klarheit und Transparenz.

Weibliche Stimmen sind voll und gut abgerundet/artikulal zu meinen Ohren und nach vorne, mehr nach vorne als in den HD 600-Kopfhörern. Einer meiner Standards ist Stevie Nicks in “Dreams” aus dem Fleetwood Mac Rumours Album.

Treble ist eine der herausragenden Funktionen der IE 900: sehr gut lösende, sehr akzentuierte Becken kommen auf dem IE 900 besser heraus wie bei allen anderen Kopfhörern, die ich getestet habe. Sie stehen in krassem Gegensatz zu den Roboterbecken in planar-magnetischen Iems.

Trompeten, Streicher, E-Gitarren und Klaviere in der oberen Mitte sind diskret und unaufdringlich und passen gut in den Mix.

Die Klangbühne ist sehr breit (“Widescreen”) und groß und etwas tief, aber nicht so tief wie, sagen wir, das Dunu Zen. 3D-Bildgebung und Mikrodynamik sind ausgezeichnet, man kann die Musiker auf der Bühne wirklich ziemlich genau in 3D abbilden.

Wenn es um das Timbre geht, kann ich mir keinen Sennheiser-Kopfhörer oder -Kopfhörer vorstellen, der sich in dieser Hinsicht nicht ausgezeichnet hat. Der IE 900 liefert Musik so nah an der Quelle, wie sie sein könnte. Ausgezeichnete Klarheit und Transparenz tragen dazu bei, ohne die künstliche “Glasigkeit” der meisten BA- oder Hybrid-Ohrhörer.

Wenn man alles zusammenbringt, zeichnet sich der IE 900 durch seinen Zusammenhalt aus… das gesamte Frequenzspektrum ist gut ausbalanciert, nichts, was es übertrieben oder vernachlässigt. Ihr Geld fließt in realistische natürliche Klangproduktion: Musik, wie sie ist.

Im Vergleich dazu sind meine geliebten Dunu Zen leichter anzutreiben…mit mehr Bass, daher auch schmaler, aber tiefer, stufenmäßig, mit einem viel schärferen oberen Mittelbereich. Ihre Becken verschwinden jedoch im Vergleich zum IE 900 in einem Loch. Die letzten E5000 sind schwieriger zu fahren, wärmer, haben einen volleren männlichen/weiblichen Gesang, sind Bassiser, aber der Bass ist im Allgemeinen fuzzier (je nach Quelle). Sie haben eine schmalere Stufe und es fehlt die Doppelverlängerung des IE 900.

Der IE 600 lassen sich etwas schwieriger antreiben als der IE 900. Sie sind bassigzer, druckvoller, V-förmiger und daher spektakulärer mit einer breiteren Massenanziehungskraft… aber sie sind auch etwas grober (insbesondere in den Höhen) als die feiner gewebte und bessere Bildgebung IE 900. Der IE 600 ist der überschwängliche Teenager und der IE 900 der reifere, entspanntere, ältere Bruder.

Der Sennheiser IE 200 ist schwieriger zu treiben als der IE 900 mit weicheren Noten, weniger intimen Bildern und ohne die spektakuläre Doppelverlängerung des IE 900. Sie sind dennoch insgesamt verdammt gut und produzieren zum Beispiel den Gesang sehr gut.

Abschließende Bemerkungen

Die Sennheiser IE 900 sind für Puristen, für Zuhörer, die Musik so nah wie möglich an der Wahrheit genießen wollen. Sie übertreiben nicht und begeistern daher nicht beim ersten Hören (abgesont der Doppel), sie verweilen … und tun es weiter. Die IE 900 sind eindeutig für den fortgeschrittenen Zuhörer, der tief in ziemlich komplexe Orchester-, Gesangs- und Jazzmusik eintaucht.

Der IE 900 mag teuer sein, aber er wird seine Relevanz und damit seinen Wert in den kommenden Jahren behalten. Ähnlich wie bei der vorherigen HD 600-Kopfhörerserie sind sie eine Investition in die Zukunft.

Bis zum nächsten Mal…keep on listening!

The post Sennheiser IE 900 Rezension – Aus Einem Guss appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Cons — The Truthear Nova have thin-sounding lower-mids
– Upper-midrange glare in tracks with low sub-bass
– BA timbre
– Microdynamics are not so evident

INTRODUCTION

Truthear has garnered a certain cult following, thanks to a fairly “solid” series of IEMs, albeit all of them in the <USD$100 range. The brand’s latest release, Nova, aim to change the strictly “budget” outlook of the brand. At $150, the Nova are the most expensive product Truthear has released so far.

With higher price comes loftier expectations. Time to see how well the Nova can manage that weight.

Note: the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier. Heartfelt thanks to Shenzhenaudio for sending the Truthear Nova in for evaluation.

Sources used: Cayin RU7, Questyle CMA Twelve Master
Price, while reviewed: $150. Can be bought from Shenzhenaudio.

PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

Truthear remains true to its “waifu art” packaging. You can even order an acrylic cutout of the “waifu” during the purchase process. Well, I am not the intended audience for this but I guess there is a demand out there for such “perks”.

The packaging is quite large but there is a lot of wasted space for the sake of a more appealing arrangement of the accessories. I mean, one can easily just bundle the tips in small zip-lock bags, but I digress.

Other than the silicone and foam tips, you also get a PU leather carry case that doesn’t offer a lot of protection but looks cool nonetheless. The stock cable has a visually striking black and blue color scheme, but the length is longer than your standard 1.2m cables, resulting in a more cumbersome experience while walking around.

BUILD QUALITY

The Nova have similar glossy, slippery, and fingerprint-attracting black shells as the Truthear Zero. Other than the faceplate design, the overall aesthetics have many similarities with the budget model.

This is somewhat perplexing as I assumed Truthear would go for a more premium build or at least a different finish for the resin shell. Nonetheless, “premium” is not a word I can associate with the Nova’s overall build. It’s serviceable, decent even – but not something noteworthy.

There are three different sound-bores, with each of them channeling sound from separate driver arrays. The 2-pin port is, thankfully, recessed and there are 4 vents on the side to alleviate pressure and also allow the dynamic driver to have additional air to move around.

COMFORT, ISOLATION, AND FIT

Despite the nozzle being on the thicker side, the Nova have very good fit and comfort. Isolation is good with the supplied foam tips, but not class-leading.

SOURCE AND EARTIPS

At a sensitivity of 108 dB/mW into 15 ohms, the Truthear Nova are fairly easy to drive. Do note that the crossover circuit is prone to impedance mismatch, so a source with low output impedance is recommended. For this review, I used stock tips and cable, and the Cayin RU7 dongle.

DRIVER SETUP

The Nova utilize a 1DD + 4BA setup, with the DD being in charge of the sub-bass and the mid-bass, while the BA drivers handle the mids and highs. The BA drivers are dual-BAs, so they occupy less space inside the shells. Each driver has a separate acoustic tube/wave-guide attached to channel the sound into the bores.

Finally, there are dampers placed in the nozzle for attenuating resonant frequencies and aberrant peaks. A fairly competent driver setup and kudos to Truthear for nailing down the basics and then some.

TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES

The Truthear Nova are Harman-neutral (2019 V2), apart from some subtle deviations. They are perhaps the most “true Harman” IEMs you can get under USD$200, so if you love Harman tuning and religiously abide by it – skip the rest of the review and grab a pair right now.

For those who have their reservations about Harman – there is more to the story than meets the eye.

The tell-tale sub-bass shelf is here to stay, with a sudden rise from about 300Hz downward. Understandably, the upper-mids need to be pushed upward to counter-balance the sub-bass dominance and to ensure that vocals have enough clarity and forwardness.

I strongly believe that a pair of IEMs’ bass response is only as good as the driver allows it to be. With a subpar or under-performing driver, the bass will lack authority, slam, and texture. No amount of EQ shenanigans can compensate for high distortion characteristics. Fortunately, the Nova have a pretty decent dynamic driver for the “woofer”.

Bass has good slam and rumble and doesn’t break up or distort even at higher volumes. Bass texture is lacking, but some of that can be attributed to the mid-bass thinness which is a point of contention about the Harman target itself. Either way, bass is satisfyingly deep and punchy for the most part, and can provide the “macrodynamism” one expects from sudden bass drops, for example.

The lower-mids can come across as “thin” at times, especially if you are accustomed to the sound of certain old speakers, or reference headphones like Sennheiser HD 650. Baritone vocals lack the heft while snare hits can sound anemic, lacking in density.

Upper-mids, meanwhile, take the center stage with female vocals being noticeably more forward than the male vocals. This forwardness can be engaging if there is enough bass in the recording to balance things out. In acoustic tracks with low or no sub-bass , the balance gets skewed towards the upper-midrange instead, resulting in shout and shrillness. if your library rarely consists of such tracks, this should not be an issue. Otherwise, take note.

The treble is quite dark past 7kHz. There is a steep roll-off with not much upper-treble to add air into the mix. Treble can at times exhibit BA timbre, with cymbals and hi-hats lacking the note weight one expects. Due to the lack of airiness, cymbals abruptly stop “ringing” and the decay is unnaturally fast. This also limits the perceived “wideness” of the soundstage, even though the Nova do not sound closed-in.

Imaging is precise, with only ordinal directions being somewhat difficult to pinpoint. Instrument separation is another strong area of the Nova, as even in busy tracks it is easy to figure things out individually.

Microdynamics (subtle shifts in volume) are not so evident on the Truthear Nova, resulting in somewhat of a flat representation of music.

SELECT COMPARISONS

Truthear Nova vs Simgot EM6L

Simgot EM6L are noticeably cheaper than the Truthear Nova and come with a less flashy design and arguably worse accessories. Comfort is similar on both, while isolation is slightly better on the Simgot IEMs. Ironically, both these IEMs share the same driver configuration: 1DD + 4BA, though Simgot utilizes a smaller 8mm dynamic driver compared to the 10mm driver on Nova.

As for the sound, EM6L also closely follow the Harman 2019 V2 with a distinct deviation near the mid-bass where Simgot decided to fill up the “suck-out” around 250Hz. This noticeably improves male vocals and the rendition of percussion instruments. Upper treble is slightly more pronounced on the EM6L compared to the Nova (and Harman IE target), resulting in better perceived airiness, albeit the differences are minimal.

Imaging is about similar on both of these IEMs, though EM6L render microdynamics more convincingly.

In the end, I prefer the EM6L overall, not only because it offers similar performance for significantly less, but also because the tuning “fixes” aligns them closer to my preferences.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

The Truthear Nova are competent IEMs. Tonal preferences aside, there are no glaring flaws in the overall package, be it technicalities or build/accessories. It’s just that the competition is offering the same, if not more, for less. And that’s where things get tricky.

The current IEM market is a race to the bottom: a frenzied hustle to give the customers the “best” for the “least”. Truthear built its reputation based on that very mission statement but competition has not only caught up, rather they’ve turned the whole game on its head by driving prices down further.

So, while the Nova indeed hit their target: a mid-tier Harman-abiding pair of IEMs with decent technicalities, they find themselves late to the party. Unless you are really afraid of mid-bass, there are better options out there. But if it’s Harman you want in its pure, unadulterated form – the Nova will have your back.

MY VERDICT

3.5/5

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DISCLAIMER

Get it from Shenzhenaudio.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

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

The post Truthear Nova Review – Hitting the Mark appeared first on Music For The Masses.

A5000 like all of the A line is readily distributed in Europe, and can be bought from multiple sources including Amazon for € 299,00 retail.

Introduction to final A series

I’ll take the story from a bit far back in the past this time: I’ll start from D8000.

final’s D8000 project was (and is) founded on reaching absolute top sonic results stemming from world-class leading-edge R&D and technology.

More simply put, this more or less equates to engaging into the following bet: if we design components which are world’s best, really meaning 360° best materials, employing 360° best methods, etc, then we’ll get the absolute “best possible” head/earphones.

Is that the case with D8000? Well in a sense, arguably yes indeed, at least in terms of high-range market reception.

Let’s move forward.

As you may or may not know, the first model within final E family of earphones was E3000 (presented in the same year: 2017), and it was created with the exact purpose of obtaining a sound perception as similar to D8000’s “universality” as possible.

Of course, E3000 as a product being aimed at the budget market, no one ever thought to start from employing top end materials or parts on them, rather – in a sense, an equally and perhaps even more challenging effort indeed – by “just” applying extremely sophisticated psychoacoustic research to otherwise much more “ordinary cost” components.

It’s totally obvious that E3000 do not sound like D8000 in the end, but it’s certainly as much obvious that their general presentation, and even some parts of their technicalities, are incredibly close to their intended archetype, again the more so when considering the ridiculous price tag they were positioned on the market at.

In the couple of years following those 2017 months final pitted a total of 5 other models onto the market to complete their E family lineup – some carrying a pretense of higher sophistication and style, some oppositely aiming at an even tinier-budgeted market segment, however all based on two common fundaments : employing the same single 6-mm dynamic driver, and offering an arguably general-purpose tuning, beyond modest flavour touch-ups ranging from bright-neutral (E1000, E500), to balanced-neutral (E2000), to warm-balanced (E3000, E4000, E5000).

Then – and we are in the end getting close to our today’s case – a different train of thought was applied.

Making headphones sounding “as good as possible” starting from “as advanced as possible technology” may be a nice engineeristic exercise but runs the risk of ending up producing a remarkable piece of equipment which is nevertheless distant from the particular, real-world preferences of many users.

Alternatively said: what if world technology’s best can only get some – or many? – users “close” to what they really need, but not right on the spot? Simple as hell, they will just be not fully satisfied – in spite of all the rutilant technological words accompanying the product they were sold as “best”.

So : instead of moving from technology traits towards application, final started flipping the point of view, focusing on specific auditioning targets to begin with (!), and got engaged on understanding their particular challenges, ending out backtracking into (re)designing technology, and developing products purposefully tuned to best pursue such newly scouted needs.

As I reported in the introduction of my B3 review, when conceiving their B-series final reflected on the relations between spatial projection and dynamic range.

Taking into consideration small bands, acting on physically unextended stages, a lot of overlapping sounds and voices usually happen. In such situation there’s a relatively lesser need to render “spatial amplitude”, in exchange for much higher demand for sonic separation capabilities. B3 are absolute champions on that purpose.

On another drawing table – and we are finally starting to refer to the A series now – they started investigating better on the dyscrasy between today’s most common auditioning situations, naturally at the base of nowadays’ user expectations, and the very different ones which where common when much or even most of that music was actually produced.

Within such project, they moved from observing that perceptions such as “sound transparency” are not modellable in terms of sound amplitude modulation (you know? those “frequency response graphs” you see everywhere… they do not represent the entire IEM/HP sound behaviour!), yet they are crucial to a user satisfaction depending on the musical genre, and/or the aforementioned chasm between a piece’s original mastering and its today’s reproduction conditions. And that’s just an example.

In their effort to model user expectations, soon they realised that a mixture of physical measures and subjective evaluations was involved, and to manage it all they even developed an appropriate internal-use scoring methodology called Perceptual Transparency Measurement (PTM) – no real technical details sadly available on that, bar a succinct marketing-level description.

As already hinted before, different types of musical situations require, or at least preferentially would call for, different renderings to best be perceived by the auditioner.

For classical and other acoustic music the sense of a wider stage space, and perceiving the various instruments well enucleated from one another on it, is of course much more important vs rock or pop.

Furthermore: while (for example) for classical music priority #1 is no doubt making sure that the auditioner perceives the correct relative distances amongst the various instruments (violins and other strings in the front, wind in the middle, percussion back there), having a particularly wide dynamic range (i,e. a particularly wide breadth of in-between sound nuances separating the faintest and loudest note played by each instrument) is not a vital requirement here.

Oppositely rock and pop bands play much more tightly grouped together, and their music is supposed to be much more blended in the first place, which is why sound field size and imaging are much less prioritary in their case, while resolution and layering become key, and dynamic range amplitude with them.

All such differences were known since the beginning to music professionals, and that’s why different types of music were most often recorded / produced with such priorities in mind to begin with.

So how to approach such situation?

There are of course two different ways: develop relatively more specialised headphone/earphone models, each aimed at optimising a defined subset of musical situations, or, work on R&D to try and come up with something that will cover a broader, ideally almost universal applicative span.

While the former method would naturally result in products loved by relatively restricted groups of specific enthusiasts, the latter is supposed to deliver products that would be recognised as excellent by a very diverse users population.

Cutting this very long story very, very short: final’s marketing narration tells us they re-thought their (intended) universal-purpose IEM line on the basis of more up to date technical-demoscopic research, in parallel of course to their ever-accruing technological advancements and skills.

Fair enough. Enter the A series then !

Starting from the first model and flagship – A8000 – and through its other 3 ones named A4000, A3000 and A5000 (mentioned in the order of their release dates) A series is focused on delivering the most extended possible mix of clarity and spaciousness together, while not compromising on dynamic range.

In final’s own words (referred to A4000): “realize [its] quality not by its ability to create sound capable of attracting a small number of wild fans through its strong individuality, but rather sound aimed at greater universality”.

A bold target, indeed. I mean… try asking Diderot and D’Alembert…

No wonder that once self-encased in such an epic task they deemed it appropriate to specially develop a brand-new dynamic driver from the ground up. Or indeed, even two different ones.

The first one is the so-named “Truly Pure Beryllium Diaphragm” driver created on purpose for their A8000, released some four years ago. One of the very few real things on the market when it comes to Beryllium foil adoption. By the way: you did laugh at cheap chifi brands’ sudden hype, emerged just weeks after final and very few other higher standing companies presented their new Beryllium-tech drivers, stating they could deliver “True Beryllium” diaphragms for a fraction of the price, didn’t you?

Past social marketing fun apart, at the technological level the resort to Beryllium came from the search for an extremely lightweight material, to obtain superfast sound propagation speeds. In other words: they designed the fastest-moving dynamic driver they could think of, meant as a crucial component to get to the intended sonic target.

They also developed a second version of such driver, the so-called “f-Core DU” driver. No Beryllium in there, “just” a call for a speed as close to that of the Truly Pure Beryllium Driver, for a much lower manufacturing cost – both in terms of sheer material cost and of the equipment and skills required to treat it – which is a quite as tough industrial challenge, indeed.

I won’t bother you with the various marketing wordage final uses about the f-Core DU, you can find some here if you like. Long story short: it’s fast, very fast, and it costs less so it can be fit into “budget” finished products – as low as € 130 retail, instead of 2K€-tagged ones as the TPBD.

All good, even epic, indeed. But did it all work ?

Well if you want my opinion – and I presume you do at least a bit, otherwise why wasting your time reading all this? – yes to an extent, but not quite as they intended to.

Be warned: in frankness, I must say I am not a supporter of the project in line of principle. Universality and optimisation are irreconcilable enemies for me, and my life is made of distilled choices in most if not really all of its aspects, so I will always be a supporter for “specialised” vs “genericist” – and this applies to “items” (audio gear, vacuum cleaners, cars) as well as to “services” (restaurants, jobs…), or relations (friends, partners). This alone might and probably should be seen as an apriori bias leading me to downvote final A instances vs their declared intentions.

That being duly noted, first and foremost I must say I was not impressed by A8000, considering its price of 2000 €.

While I never owned an A8000 sample, I took some extended audition time on them during the latest Munich High End show, and there I built some solid “impressions” – not the same as a long term experience, for sure, however I feel what I heard is enough to form a clean opinion about their key aspects at the very least.

That beryllium-based fantastic driver is, indeed, as fast as a planar, and maybe even more – and that’s precisely why I reckon it fails on delivering a truly organic timbre – as I can’t fail decoding its supersnappy transients as a taint of artificiality touching pretty much everything in their presentation.

That is indeed a monumental pity, as it undermines all the effectively marvelous other deeds no doubt accomplished by A8000 in terms of clarity, spatial drawing, tonal coherence, range extension and more. However, an artificial timbre is a too serious turn off for me.

As for A3000, A4000 and A5000, instead, I happen to have purchased a sample of each right upon their release dates – so I have a much more extended opinion on each of them. You already [should] know my take regarding A3000, as I covered them here.

This article is of course about A5000, and before you wonder I will not write a full blown piece about A4000, and I hope I will succeed conveying why within the Comparisons section, here below,

Well I guess I can consider this introduction over now…

At-a-glance Card

Full Device Card

Test setup and preliminary notes

Sources: AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt / Chord Mojo / E1DA 9038D, 9038SG3 / Questyle QP1R, QP2R, M15, CMA-400i / Sony WM-1A – INAIRS foam or JVC SpiralDot silicon tips – Stock cable – lossless 16-24/44.1-192 FLAC + DSD 64/128/256 tracks.

Signature analysis

Tonality

A5000 are tuned following a rather classical V shape, if a bit wide, so with elevated bass and sub-bass, energetic treble and (moderately, in this case) recessed mids.

The timbre is clear and a whiff lean-ish but not too much really, and the result stays reasonably close to organicity. The overall impact is a bit off neutral colour, shifted towards the cold side, and medium-bodied notes, a bit more such towards the bass, and less towards the high-mids and higher on.

Sub-Bass

Sub-bass is fully extended, and more elevated then midbass. It is not overly elevated though, so it stays there as a good, hearable rumble floor when of course the music calls for it.

Mid Bass

Mid bass on A5000 is good, fast, with quite pulpy and well contoured notes. Decay is tight, attack perhaps a bit on the relaxed side. From my library I get good bass readability, yet when pushing a bit up on the amping kickdrum may at times tend to get fuzzy. Even in such occasions however mid bass in never bleeding on the mids.

Mids

Mids are recessed yet well delivered nonetheless. They do partake to the overall note leanness, probably ultimately connaturate to the very f-Core DU driver, and such feat may resolve into a first impression of relative coldness and unwanted thinness.

Letting music flow, however, one appreciates such texturing, and the level of detail which are present in this segment, too, with that soon re-ranking A5000’s mids onto their honest value in the overall mix. It stays anyhow true that central piano octaves, and some guitars, will sound dry, somewhat unlushy.

No doubt, a sole driver is in general on vantage position to grant seamless tonal passage from mids to highmids, and this is the case on A5000 too, even in presence of a steep-ish ramp in the output, up to an important pinna gain at around 4Khz.

Good news include that there’s very little if any glare.

Male Vocals

A5000 treat baritones an basses with good authority and power, and tenors too but those start to partake to the mids’ general dryness – this, in spite of their relatively recessed level in the presentation.

Female Vocals

Female vocale are sparkly, energetic and clear. I would much prefer them having some more “butter” on them, yet their actual tonality is in the end consistent with the rest of A5000 signature, which is clearly not mid-centric by design, quite the opposite as we already noted.

Sadly, they are quite often affected by sibilance which paired with their dry-ish timbre brings them south of truly organic, and most importantly lets them come across quite raw a bit too often.

Highs

A5000 trebles are a mixed bag, and that’s a real pity. On one end there’s very good energy, sparkle, and clarity, without excessive thinness, and no zings. On the down side however they do lack airiness, and often expose a modest yet fastidious sibilance – and more in general their elevation and modulation is anyhow such to produce fatigue on mid-length listening sessions, which is a serious turn off to me.

Sadly, JVC SpiralDot tips – usually quite effective in taming harsh trebles and sibilance – don’t help in this particular case.

Technicalities

Soundstage

In compliance with an intended feature for the entire A family, A5000 offer soundstage drawing capabilities that are extremely significant in absolute terms, with this I mean they widely transcend the levels of other drivers, probably most other drivers, in their price category.

A5000 in particular draw very ample width, and even more remarkable height, paired with no less than significant depth.

Imaging

Microdynamics are an absolute forte on A5000 – it is always very easy to pinpoint instruments on the stage, and their positioning is offered in a very natural way.

Details

Detail retrieval is extremely good, perhaps even sensational on A5000 on the low mids and mid bass. It is also above average, but just that, in the trebles, due to their previously mentioned tendency to get a bit hot.

Instrument separation

Layering and separation are very good on A5000, at the absolute top and beyond of their direct price competitors. This, paired with the aforementioned drawn stage amplitude, depending on the particular track master delivers a comprehensive no less then theatrical spatial experience, with voices not only well identified and enucleated, but also seemingly positioned at sensible distances from one other.

Microdynamics are a bit above average but no more then that, hampered in general by the driver’s tightness. Within such general view, they are better on mid bass and low mids, and more limited the more we go up in the frequencies.

Driveability

Properly driving A5000 is not overly hard, but their 100dB/mW sensitivity at 18 ohm does call for sources with at least some current delivery muscle on low impedance loads. Read: I would not recommend direct smartphone pairing, or other particularly known-weak mobile source usage.

Physicals

Build

The ABS resin material appears fully resistant to “normal” solicitations. The Shibo finish is a love/hate thing (I am in the former group).

Recessed and notched cable connectors are good on the tech side, but a bit inconvenient for the user as only few(er) third party manufacturers easily make compatible 2pin terminations available.

Fit

A 3-contact-point fit between the housing and the outer ear has been designed by final aiming at the best compromise between wearing firmness and light stress accumulation over time.

The design idea is quite brilliant to be honest, the rationale being: you need (just) 3 grip points to obtain stability. One is the eartip umbrella, inside the canal. Another one is the housing’s short front side vs the tragus. And the third can be any one of the possible 4 contact spots between the housing’s shaped back side and the concha – depending on one’s ear particular shape that of course will happen on one or another position. I would say that for my experience it all works as intended.

The nozzle is relatively short – same situation for the whole A series of course as the shell size&shape is identical on all models – that calls for a shallow fit, which is consistent with the housings’ shape and size: pushing them further in would defeat their triple-support-point design, and most of all would (and will – I tried!) soon become uncomfortable.

Be as it may, this situation makes tip choice apriori limited. In my case luckily the working trick “just” stays in choosing a bigger size for my left ear: that gets me a firm grip and seal with the tip sitting “just in” the canal. Oh and by the way: stock final E black tips are good for the purpose.

Comfort

A5000’s particular housings size, their 3-point-fit design, and their external finish all contribute to a good comfort once the right “personal” position is found.

Oppositely, if you want, or feel obliged by your particular outer ear conformation, to opt for a deeper fit very high chances are that A5000 housings will not be as comfy for you after a moderate, and in the worst cases even short period of time.

Isolation

Passive isolation is quite nice once A5000 are properly fitted “as per design”, but not more than that as the housings won’t even “fill the concha up”, which would of course block more of the leak.

Cable

A5000 stock cable is a new model for final. Instead of the Junkosha silver plated copper, 2-thread PVC-sheated cable bundled with A8000, E5000 and B3, a new silver plated copper 8-thread braided cable is offered.

final did not disclose much additional information, nor spare / alternative termination versions are available yet on their website.

Sadly, similarly to all other final packages, no modular termination plugs are available on A5000 either, so pairing to a balanced source requires swapping it anyhow.

Talking about cable rolling: better stay on silver plated. Dunu DUW-02S is a good rec for A5000.

Specifications (declared)

Comparisons

final A3000 – € 109,99 Amazon.it

There’s an almost 3x price difference between A3000 and A5000, and such piece of data is totally misleading. In terms of general quality, strong points and – more simply – listening pleasure, the two are on par at the very least, and depending on personal tastes (such as in my case) A3000 indeed come ahead in the comparison. Which means that, while A5000 are already worth every cent of their cost, A3000 represent a total no brainer for whoever is akin to their presentation flavour.

Insofar as part of the same A family, the two models share identical housings (A5000 just carrying a different external finish) and drivers, and their packages bundles are identical too. A5000 come with a supposed higher quality cable – which however did not impress me too much in terms of sonic quality, not to speak about the fact that, both carrying a classical non-modular single ended termination, I had to swap both for the sake of properly exploiting my various sources.

A3000 present a U, or even W if you wish, shaped presentation in lieu of the (wide) V on the A5000. In terms of modulation, there are two extremely important, and crucial differences between the two tunings.

One: high mids are tamed and very slowly growing from 2 all the way to 6KHz on A3000, while “more harmanilly” ramping quite sharply from 2 to 3Khz on A5000, and almost plateauing thereafter.

Two: mid bass and mids are all the way uniformly more forward on A3000, this already per se resulting in a perceivable warmer tonality and a bit fuller timbre across the board, but it all results in a very evidently different overall timbre and tonality balance as the two aspects of course work together.

A3000 have an overall tonality which is much more pleasing to my ears, and while it may be said to be a bit less energetic and dynamic especially on guitars and trumpets, I would never trade added muscle in those areas for the wonderfully delicate balance A3000 offer on acoustic music, therein included tracks with vocals, and female vocals in particular.

Both sets can be said to have a non-lushy timbre, with A5000 on a furtherly drier position. A5000 have an evident if modest bit better extension towards the bass, with their sub-bass rumble being more nicely present in many occasions. Sadly, both are unable to completely avoid sibilance, but A3000 fall into this pit less then 50% of the times compared to A5000. Even with that said, however, in presence of similar 6KHz peaks A3000’s more relaxed high mids tuning makes them much, much less fatiguing, and pleasant to enjoy even for quite long sessions.

Technicalities such as soundstage casting and microdynamics are on par at stunning levels on the two models. Microdynamics are an evident tad better on A3000 thanks to their slightly more relaxed transients across the board. Similarly, detail retrieval is better on A3000 both on the bass, and moreover on the high mids and trebles, vis-a-vis them being much less invasively “hot” compare to A5000’s.

A3000 carry a (decisive) even lower sensitivity, which makes totally impossible to disregard selecting an adequate power source when it comes to pairing choices. Forget smartphones, and all low powered sources / dongles too. To give an idea, a Sony NW-A55 is barely enough to cope with A3000, with no headroom to spare to compensate for low volume recorded tracks.

final A4000 – € 129,99 Amazon.de

A4000 are the third individual in the “different twins born group” A3000-A4000-A5000. With this said, let me cut very short here on everything else which is similar or even identical between A4000 and A5000: shells, package, fit and comfort, cable (identical to A3000’s, different to A5000’s but not “practically so” in the end, see above), and last but not least f-Core DU driver.

Presentations are also quite similar between A4000 and A5000, however they diverge by that small much that makes for a decisive difference – especially for my tastes. Similarities are in the general tuning, which is a V, a sharper one at that on A4000, and on timbre, which is equally fast / clear on both models. Soundstage and imaging are equivalently top notch too. A5000 have farther lower extension, resulting in a more strongly evident sub-bass.

Most important, and crucially, A4000 offer even more energetic high mids than A5000, which is where their tonality breaks in my opinion, and anyhow for my tastes. Fast transient, so much (too much!) energy on guitars, trumpets and high piano chords, and that 6KHz peak which won’t forgive sibilating more frequently than not make A4000 a definitely unbalanced-bright, at times even splashy high tones cannon, too often sounding artificial – which is a true pity as their low mids and bass lines are viceversa beyond commendable.

Microdynamics are equivalently no more than average both on A4000 and A5000, with A4000 being nothing to write home about in terms of high mid and treble detail retrieval, too often drowning under the waves of excessive clarity and brightness.

Long story short: I would exclusively recommend A4000 to die-hard treble-heads.

Tanchjim Oxygen – € 269,00 AliExpress

I called A3000 and A4000 in as the first two comparisons due to them being part of the same product family of course, however no doubt the most significant notes will be those referring to Oxygen, being for me the rock-solid, as of yet undisputed natural-tonality sub-300€ reference.

Both A5000 and Oxygen carry a single Dynamic Driver, and while both can be classified as bright-neutral tonalities, their immediate skin-effect is obviously different due to the much clearer timbre brought up by A5000 compared to Oxygen, which – while still in the category of relatively fast drivers – offers definitely more relaxed transients, both as for attack and decay.

Oxygen sound therefor “mellower”, tonally softer, less clear, and most of all they convey a more closed-in group sensation – there is a way less air between one instrument and the other. En revenche, acoustic instruments and human voices sound obviously more organic on Oxygen.

Oxygen and A5000 are equally extended down to the bass, but A5000’s tighter transients deliver punchier, more energetic feeling to midbass, which of course may be more or less welcome depending on the track/genre.

Oxygen are more aggressive when it comes to high mids modulation, but less when it comes to low trebles. Their thicker note weight, however, make the entire high line less aggressive, if a bit less impactful, compared to A5000.

There is *no* sibilance on Oxygen.

Stage projection is evidently better on A5000, and by a significant margin. The opposite can be said about microdynamics, where the palm clearly goes to Oxygen.

Oxygen’s lesser cleanness and air presence do not compromise on layering and separation: Oxygen and A5000 are equally good at resolving overlapping instruments and voices.

Oxygen may be less easy to comfortably fit – shallow insertion being sadly a forced option here.

Like most if not all Tanchjim / Moondrop models, Oxygen require opposite-than-normal 2pin cable polarity so there’s that, too, to keep in mind when (as I strongly recommend) upgrading to a better cable, binning Oxygen’s disappointing stock one.

Yanyin Canon II – $ 341,00 + import duties, Linsoul

These recently-released 1 DD + 4 BA hybrids are surfing their hype waves right these weeks, and I happened to have a chance to assess a pair.

Both Canon II and A5000 offer full bilateral range extension, which is of course a more significant achievement on A5000 given they carry a single driver instead of five. En passant, it’s however fair to underline how Canon II offer commendable timbre coherence amongst their drivers, with some hearable débacle exclusively circumscribed to the passage between low and high mids.

Canon II’s dynamic driver offers very nicely calibrated sub-bass – possibly even better than A5000’s – and fuller bodied, slower decaying mid-bass notes, which sound punchier, but less cleanly separated, compared to A5000’s, resulting therefore in a stronger, but less readable and a bit more “stuffy” bass presentation. This, when Canon II’s tuning switches are both kept on their OFF positions – as flipping either, let alone both, up will make bass even thicker and less natural.

Canon II’s treble is vivid, and their BAs carry nothing short of a delicious timbre. Treble note weight is surely better on Canon II – and a sort of absolute weakness on A5000. Compared to A5000, however, detail retrieval is less on Canon II, and airiness is nothing to write home about even in absolute terms.

Imaging on Canon II is above decent, primarily hampered by the too bold bass actually, which would be not too big a drawback in absolute terms, if not in direct comparison to A5000 where it is practically perfect instead.

Canon II are also good at separation and layering, again with the sole exception of the 80-250 Hz region falling too often hostage of their exuberant mid bass personality. A5000’s are near perfect across the board though. Microdynamics are not superlative on A5000, but even more ordinary on Canon II for one reason or another.

Canon II’s fit is not too easy (not arduous either however) mainly due to quite bulky housings, and thick nozzles. Their stock tips are right away binnable, JVC SpiralDots offering good results on them, for the record.

Intime Miyabi – € 150,00 + reforwarding costs and import duties from Japan

Miyabi feature a hybrid setup made of a dynamic driver paired with a industry-unique, patented ceramic tweeter and other specialties, vs A5000’s proprietary f-Core DU single dynamic driver. In spite of such hybrid setup of theirs, Miyabi sport a totally commendable timbral coherence, nowhere shorter than A5000’s.

Miyabi and A5000 offer substantially equivalent bilateral range extension, with A5000 coming across stronger in the bass and sub-bass – Miyabi being nevertheless significantly slammy and textured there – and Miyabi more energetic, bodied and engaging in the treble. The two are also arguably on par on their exceptional space projection, separation and layering capabilities. Microdynamics are better on Miyabi.

Miyabi’s presentation is fundamentally neutral with a slightly bright accent, while A5000 is markedly V-shaped in comparison, although a mild-V if taken in absolute terms. Either can be said to carry a quite personal timbre, however diversion from more common options is more pronounced on Miyabi.

As a consequence, some may viscerally love Miyabi’s voicing while others might not fully enjoy their “brassy” aftertaste, and that sort of “popular crudeness” of theirs may be decoded as “commoner class” by those who will tend to better appreciate that silky, “rich middle class” style taint offered by A5000.

Miyabi’s vocals are a big notch more organic compared to A5000, very obviously so when it comes to female voices.

Miyabi’s fat bullet shape will probably result statistically easier to fit, and more easily comfortable vs A5000’s shallow fit. Neither get positive votes for their stock cables, which in both cases is bound for a quick upgrade. Unlike A5000, Miyabi benefit or indeed even require third party tips for best results.

Last but not least Miyabi are significantly less expensive, but much more difficult to source outside of Japan due to the very limited distribution network set up by their manufacturer, a very small crafting company.

Penon Fan 2 – $ 165,00 (down from $279,00 …why?) + import duties direct from Penon

Fan 2 are based on 2 dynamic and 2 BA drivers, vs final’s single proprietary f-Core DU driver on A5000, and sport a U-shaped presentation, with a nice organic timbre and a slightly warm-colored tonality, vs A5000’s more accented V tonality, definitely leaner note body and (in comparison) dryer/colder color.

I find Fan 2 striking a better, as in more realistic, note body compromise compared to A5000, which again I find a tad too lean in comparison. Fan 2 exhibit some timbral incoherence, which is extremely subtle if ever perceivable on A5000 instead. Both models offer very good bilateral range extension, I’d say on par the one with the other.

A5000 offer a much better defined, textured, detailed and slammy bass, which instead comes across too frequently a bit woolly from Fan 2. Flipping the situation, I would choose Fan 2 for what attains to organic mids rendering.

While both are very good about imaging and instrument separation, A5000 come clearly ahead in terms of layering capability. Soundstage casting is also hands down on A5000 favor.

Fan 2 are very picky when it comes to eartips selection, and possibly even more so in terms of source pairing – they require a very low impedance amp not to scant into fr skewage due to their extremely low internal impedance. Fan 2 and their stock cable pair better with one another vs A5000 and their one.

Considerations & conclusions

As I tried to outline above, I have mixed feelings about final’s A series, starting from not agreeing with the fundamental project purpose of delivering wide-range drivers, intentionally targeting equal satisfaction to very diverse user categories, continuing with not having been dazzled on my road to Damascus by auditioning the A8000s, on one end, while greatly appreciating the deeds of the f-Core DU driver as implemented into A-series budget models – such positive feeling standing beyond the tuning differences characterising those 3 models – on the other.

More than 2 years after my original piece about A3000 I do reaffirm that to my senses the overall best of the three budget priced A series models are indeed A3000. They deliver an incredibly subtle balance amongst note body, clarity, macro and microdynamics on top of a full-neutral presentation over a stunning all-direction-extended stage.

A5000 are anyhow second in line. Athletic like an Olympic fencer, they strike strong when needed while at the same time chiseling their movements in a precise and artistic way. Too bad for those modest, but perceivable, exaggerations in the treble area, as they could otherwise join their siblings on our Excellence showcase.

Lastly, I find A4000 much less special then their sisters, and of what they might potentially be. While they do positively hit on the user with the same grand stage, and imaging clarity, as their fellow A’s, they do pass the excess limit on their trebles, making an overly bright tonality, as such delivering a non-realistic overall musical experience.

The post final A5000 Review – One Cent To Excellence appeared first on Music For The Masses.

MACK’S ThermaFit Soft Foam Ear Plugs are barrel-shaped noise stoppers that work well for my large ear canals in terms of comfort, fit, and effectiveness. They are also well suited for Flents Quiet Please users who cannot handle their new formula.

I thank Mack’s for supplying their ThermaFit for my review upon my request – after I could not purchase them at a reasonable price in Canada.

Introduction

Noise is unwanted sound. Noise annoys as the Manchester punk outfit Buzzcocks sang in the late 1970s. My three closest neighbours have an air conditioner, one of them also a hot tub. The guy across the street runs 2-stroke engines 12 month a year, for gardening in the summer and snow clearing in the winter. It is buzzing at any time of the day in and around my house, and sadly also during the night. To add insult to injury, my wife developed snoring recently.

Sadly, I am very sensitive to noise. As a classically trained (but failed) musician, hearing training was part of my education. This hard-acquired sensitivity is backfiring now. The city does not help as their bylaws do not factor in many environmental noises and the resulting vibrations. The choices are moving, educating the neighbours…or dampen the sound by insulating my ear canals.

That’s what the old Greeks did with beeswax, wool, cotton etc. whatever worked. But it was a German guy, Max Negwer, as late as 1907, who produced the first commercial ear plugs “Ohropax” (ear peace), mainly made of wax. Classical musician (another one) Ray Benner and his wife Cecilia purchased Mckeon Products in 1962. The company sold only Mack’s moldable clay ear plugs, named after the company founder. The couple subsequently invented the moldable silicone ear plug, saving swimmers from ear infection.

Memory foam ear plugs followed in 1972, marketed by the Cabot Safety company. They are made from either polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or polyurethane. The disposable ear plugs were born and quickly occupied the drugstores. Memory foam is the most comfortable, optimally moulding, and best sound absorbing material to this date.

Today, many people rely on ear protection for sleep. Some have been subscribing to ear plugs for decades. Others need protection on job sites. For all of us, companies like Mack’s offer a broad range of ear plugs for all ear shapes and noise reduction levels.

Ear plugs come in different shapes, mainly conical/tapered or cylindrical/barrel shaped. I am only concerned with the barrel shaped ones as only these fit my large ear canals, namely Mack’s ThermaFit.

Until recently, the US market featured two memory foam darlings, the Flents Quiet Please and the Mack’s ThermaFit. In Canada, only the Flents were readily available. Recently, Flents changed suppliers and completely switched the product around: different shape, different comfort and fit, and different materials with different physical properties. Long-term subscribers went mad: they reported skin rash, lack of insulation, lack of hold etc. they felt deceived and betrayed.

Mack’s ThermaFit ear plugs come to the rescue. They are very similar to the original Flents Quiet Please. In this article we will have a good look at these.

Specifications MACK’s ThermaFit Soft Foam Earplugs

What makes a good Ear Plug?

People need ear plugs for all sorts of situations and environments, as discussed above. The plugs have to insulate properly (duh!!!) but also provide good comfort, fit, and breathability. They should be skin friendly and not trigger allergies. Important is their ability for long-term use. Many people have subscriptions with the supplier and have used the same product for decades. Product continuity means reliability and is therefore of utmost importance.

The Mack’s ThermaFit tick all these boxes.

How do the Mack’s ThermaFit perform?

Mack’s ThermaFit are made of porous PVC, in the USA. You can see that the ThermaFit are more porous than its competitors (discontinued Flents Quiet Please and 3M Classic), which makes for increased comfort (less surface area in ear canal) and less sweating through better breathing. Less sweating also means that the ThermaFit don’t fall out easily.

I find the Mack’s in-ear tension very soothing. They are shorter than the 3M Classic, and hence you can lay optimally on the side with them. The longer 3Ms are more for job sites in my opinion, and the Mack’s better suited for sleep.

As to sound reduction: varies with insertion depth…the deeper the better. Upon inserting the ear plug, make sure you roll/squeeze them properly, then raise the ear with the other hand while pulling it back from the head: back and up! This ensures the perfect seal.

Rating is rating, and any ear plugs rated at 29 dB insulate the same…there may be slight variations depending on the noise frequency to be blocked and on the fit in the individual ear canals.

None of these works perfectly against a 110 dB leaf blower (obviously not, at 29 dB NRR), they just may round the edges somewhat. For 100% results, you may have to add a noise cancelling headphone like the Bose QC35. I tested the combination of the Mack’s with the older Bose QC15, which reduced my neighbour’s aggressive 2-stroke weed wacker noise to zero.

Are the Mack’s ThermaFit an adequate Replacement for the Flents Quiet Please?

Strictly yes. You cannot put a newspaper between the discontinued Flents and the Mack’s. The Mack’s have better porosity, but the dimensions are essentially the same.

Concluding Remarks

Mack’s ThermaFit ear plugs are as good as it gets for me. They are my new preference for overnight use. I wished they would be more easily available in Canada, too.

Have a good and healthy sleep!

Until next time…quietly yours…and keep on listening!

The post MACK’S ThermaFit Soft Foam Ear Plugs Review appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Gear of the Year: audioreviews.org is soon completing its 5th year. We are still six dedicated and competent authors located all over the western hemisphere, catering to a mature, discerning readership. Our list of earphone reviews is approaching 450 and our Wall of Excellence (WoE) is better decorated than the Christmas tree at NYC’s Rockefeller Center. Since any product on our WoE is backed by more than one opinion, it should give you confidence in your buying decisions.

However, our WoE is not a bunch of “best of” lists as we have not tested all competitors in each category. Such claims would be presumptuous.

We did, sadly, lose our single sponsor HifiGo (and some more suppliers) over our reviews of their gear. But hey, our critical, realistic approach sets us apart from 98% of the blogosphere (we think). We rather deal with companies that have confidence in their products.

Whatever gear passes our test must be somewhat good. We still don’t do Google ads, affiliate links, and we don’t allow trackers…we are no salespeople, we honour your reading pleasure and your privacy. We are simply audio aficionados.

Thank you for your patronage in 2023! Enjoy this read and we wish you a happy and successful 2024!

Hey, feel free to let us know your personal favourites of 2023 in the comments section below.

We thank our 2023 Partners

And here we go…that’s what we enjoyed in 2023…published by author in the order of submission…and purely subjective.

Loomis Johnson…Chicago, USA

Wiim Mini AirPlay 2 Wifi Streamer—the onboard DAC is just fair, and the app is quirky (if very ambitious), but through its digital out this is a genuinely excellent streamer  for less than a hundo.

BGVP DM9 IEM—energetic and massive sounding, these are head and shoulders above any other IEM I’ve heard this year. Richly priced at $600 and worth every penny.

Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Headphones—Bose has marginally better ANC and Sennheiser a longer battery and better UI, but overall the XM5 would be my pick if (god forbid) I could own only one TWS.

Oladance Wearable Stereo Open Ear Headphones —eons better than any bone-conduction model out there, these come close to good in-ear TWS models for sound quality, with a rich warm sound and a big 3D stage. Hall of Fame material.

SMSL D0400  DAC/Headphone Amp—a tad more detailed (if not necessarily better-sounding) than the godlike SU-9, the inclusion of balanced out and an excellent onboard headphone amp makes this my pick among SMSL’s myriad offerings.

Truthear Shio DAC/Dongle—well featured, balanced dongle won’t make your counterfeit Beats sound like Carnegie Hall, but it sounds just slightly more transparent than its ubiquitous price peers.

JBL Boombox 3 Portable Bluetooth Speaker— rather than spending ten grand to mod the sound system on his 100k pontoon boat, a very wealthy friend of mine dropped $349 on one of these. He couldn’t be happier. Link two together and you’ll be in hip-hop heaven.

Eagle Rare 10-Year Bourbon—if this was an IEM, we’d deem it “musical, balanced and fully coherent.” People are asking stupid prices for this in the secondary market, but if you can find it anywhere near its $40 SRP, buy it.

Dreamcloud Premier Rest Hybrid Mattress—the downside of buying a really good mattress is that it’ll sap your ambition faster than a meth habit. If, however, like me your ambition is to lay around and watch professional basketball, this is a necessary acquisition.

Jürgen Kraus…Calgary, CANADA

Short and sweet, as I am mainly still using my 2022 gear. And the best gear is the gear one uses after all. 2023 added a few excellent products to my daily listening. Oladance TWS Pro wearables were most impressive…and useful…a home theatre on your ears you don’t even feel. I can listen to these all day.

In terms of earphones, the Sennheiser IE 900 impressed me most because of their natural, cohesive presentation, their incredible treble quality, and their wonderful dosage across the frequency spectrum. I preferred them much more over the IE 600, which offer the same Harman type tuning we have experienced so often before. Both were sadly loaners. I also love the well-balanced Sennheiser IE 200, which are tuning wise closer to the IE 900 than to the IE 600.

Also very natural sounding are the Akoustyx S6, but they do need some modding to tame the upper midrange. As to budget TWS, I do have a pair of Moondrop Space Travel by my bedside, for talk radio and classical music. They have a very composed and nuanced presentation…and they fit me well.

Also by my bedside is the EarMan CH-Amp/Tradutto combination for driving my HD 600 and final Sonorous III. I equipped the HD 600 with a Hart Audio 4.4 mm balanced cable. Also great is the SMSL DO200 MKII DAC, which I use on my desk.

As a movable desktop stack (between sofa and kitchen table) serves the very good sounding Moondrop DiscDream CD player. A great idea to reconsider this technology — looking forward to another premium Walkman.

An honorouble mention goes to the very versatile TempoTec Serenade X Digital Desktop Player, and TempoTec as a company, as they don’t get lost in countless models of the same…no they offer one model of each product, and each is well thought out. A big step up for them in the last two years.

As a guilty pleasure, I indulged myself with USB cables for audio usage from AudioQuest (Forest), IKEA, and Monoprice. I love USB cables. And this combination of brands doesn’t leave room for the usual shitstorm by naysayers.

And hey, Loomis, we just acquired an Endy mattress. Made in Canada, of course.

Alberto Pittaluga…Bologna, ITALY

Given I’m not one of those world-famous tiktokers I guess it’s preliminary worth remembering that I have a sharp inclination to carefully avoid wasting time on even assessing “stuff” which doesn’t apriori seem to qualify for a serious upgrade to whatever I already own – an attitude of mine that applies across the board of course, not certainly to audio gear only. Such information is I presume key to better understand the following list.

Proceeding by categories, and starting with cans, towards the end of the year I got a pair of Sennheiser HD800. These were quite a lot anticipated to upgrade my pleasure on my particular library vs the HD600 – and that’s of course what happened. As a side bonus I had yet another chance to touch how important fresh pads and a decent cable are for sound optimisation, let alone how tough still is finding an overall more exquisite timbre then the one coming off my Groove.

Shrinking size down to IEMs, my trip to Munich earlier this year got me very curious about Sennheiser’s relatively recent IEM introductions, and that’s where the curiosity to assess IE900 and (from a different source) IE600 came up from.

The latter impressed me almost as much as the former, however when it comes to stunning V-shaped IEM encounters happened this year nothing beats – and I reckon will hardly beat tomorrow – Intime Sho DD.

The other major IEM acquisition of the year is represented by final B3, and their ability to capture the auditioner and port him onto the jazz stage. Honorable mention goes to Akoustykx S6 (and their “magic” Earlocks).

In terms of source gear, I completed my collection of DAPs by acquiring a Sony WM-1A, of course instantly flashing MrWalkman WM1Z signature onto it. For a number of reasons its sonic features are at the same time in line and complementary to those of my other standards: Questyle QP1R and QP2R.

Sometimes it does bring an audible improvement, other times it doesn’t – it depends on the apriori situation of the system you plug it onto. I’m talking about AudioQuest’s Jitterbug. My (quite articulated) home setup is clearly in the benefitted category, and that’s why 3 of these are now stable part of it.

Source gear honorable mention goes to a tiny-budgeted device, Ifi GO Link. That, and IEMs with a balanced cable and a 3.5mm TRRS adapter, right away became my blind buy rec to those individuals which every now and then, attracted by the gear they often see me fiddling with, ask me to indicate “something nice and inexpensive to get started with”.

Looking in retrospect what I just recapped (and I genuinely did it “live”, now, for the mere sake of putting these notes together) none of my 2023 preferred tech comes from chifi-land. The white-bearded badly-aging old continent nerd in me shily shruddered in realising it

Durwood…Chicago, USA

Kefine Klanar

Redefines what a planar can do, the Timeless 7Hz was great but it also had that overblown upper air treble that made it standout. The Klanar on the other hand dials everything down delivering similar quality bass and while not as treble exciting is better balanced, target curve crowd pleasing retaining the technical precision and quick transient delivery of the planar driver.

Moondrop Blessing Dusk 2 

Fits snugly staying in place, great technical details, with enough bass to keep me interested.

BGVP DM9

While I do not own many top tier earphones, I have listened to plenty at shows and know that they best anything I have in the $300 realm. The bass hump is well controlled and balanced nicely in the midbass/sub-bass transition region. The elevated treble plateau keeps them energized and engaging delivering maximum resolution and clarity.

SMSL DO400 DAC/AMP

Extreme value premium desktop DAC melding a powerful headphone amp. I miss the quick control of a potentiometer volume knob of a split dac/amp solution, but it is worth the feature rich resolving DAC and potent headphone amp drive.

Truthear SHIO DAC

Just as powerful as any of the dongles out there it sounds the most blended qualities of a dongle dac without leaning too warm, bassy, thin or sharp. Not head and shoulders above the LG G8, but can turn any USB-C phone into an excellent DAP for an average price.

Oladance OWS Sport

A new category of open-ear sports headphones that offers other uses while avoiding disadvantages of in-ear pressure, ear canal phobias, and isolation, earbud compromises, and over ears isolation and sweatiness. Balanced sound quality that trades low-end bass for open awareness without the lackluster bone conduction competition. Review coming soon, they know what they are doing.

TWS????

Still looking for a TWS all-rounder. I want them to fit tight without loosening slowly, excellent tonality and have good ANC. A blend of the Sony WF-1000XM3 ANC with the sound of the Moondrop Alice combined with the fitment of the KZ ZXS Pro.

When browsing the local classifieds this year I scored some very excellent sounding vintage ADS L570/2 and lesser known local midwest unicorn relic well tuned, amazing imaging cherry veneer Amrita Elan (I think) that my buddy is still scorning me over not “allowing” him to buy them instead- no worries we are still friends. He would love to get his hands on the 3 way model with isobaric woofers anyway.

Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir…Munich, GERMANY

This year passed by in the blink of an eye, but fortunately I managed to listen to hundreds of devices in this rather short span. My personal collection also went through some radical changes, so without further ado…

Firstly, I finally upgraded my reference gear, both portable and desktop. On the portable side, it’s now Lotoo PAW Gold Touch paired with the venerable Cayin C9. The desktop, meanwhile, is the recently-retired Questyle CMA Twelve Master. Having tried numerous TOTL setups so far, these two fit my needs the most. I may add a tube amp down the line, but that’s for the future.

On the IEM side of things, my daily drivers include Sennheiser IE 900 and the (discontinued) Softears Turii. The IE 900 are perhaps the most advanced in terms of driver tech, and the Turii have such a unique, spacious sound that it belies the single dynamic setup. They have received the most “ear time” this year, and will likely continue to do so in the coming year.

On the TWS side of things, I am impressed by the Beats Studio Buds Plus. For once, a Beats product is actually decent enough to be a daily driver. Apart from the middling noise cancellation, there is little I’d change about them given the price tag.

Finally, I have streamlined my headphones collection and ended up purchasing a modded Sennheiser HD 800. These hold up tremendously well against the planar magnetic behemoths even now, and the staging and imaging are unparalleled in the sub-$2000 space. I was also pleasantly surprised by Sennheiser HD 660S2, though the price tag is a bit higher than I’d prefer.

This year, I finally managed to audition the Sennheiser HE-1 for almost an hour. It was a surreal experience and I can definitely see (or hear) why these are so mythical. That being said, the Warwick Acoustics Aperio are no slouch either and trade blows with the supreme Sennheisers.

But the one pair of headphones that I can call my “personal endgame” are none other than Warwick Bravura. They get dangerously close to the summit-fi behemoths and fortunately, come pre-built as a system so you can save on the cost of an energizer or accompanying pre-amps to further flavor the sound.

Notable mentions: Campfire Audio Supermoon (perhaps the best sounding planar IEMs), Softears Twilight (fantastic single DD), Effect Audio Code 23 (the best copper cable I have ever tried, despite the challenging ergonomics), iFi Go Blu (fantastic little dongle), Cayin RU7 (replaced Questyle M15 for my portable use).

Biodegraded…Vancouver, CANADA

Environmentally friendly, as his name implies, he stuck to his 2021 gear…again. Gives us carbon credits.

Gear of the Year 2022

The post Gear Of The Year 2023 – Our Personal Favourites appeared first on Music For The Masses.

ENTER HERE

KZ Acoustics was my gateway brand into the world of Chi-Fi remaining firmly planted in the affordable segment of constantly recommended IEMs, and now they bring us the KZ VXS Pro TWS. The “Pro” indicates a second iteration as the first was actually the VXS, and they have had a few TWS models over the years. 

The KZ VXS Pro is aimed at the active crowd and more specifically the gaming crowd. While I am not their target consumer, these TWS are great for kicking around the house or out and about with a comfy familiar V or Harman tuning. Pricing is more mid-level budget at $58, so twice as costly as entry level and also one of Jürgen’s suggestions of the Moondrop Space Travel.

While my sampling size of budget TWS is small, I previously tried out the Fiitii Air 2, Fiitii Hifidots, and the Tinhifi Tin Buds 3. The bulk of my experience is more mid-tier with the Sony WF-1000W3, Moondrop Alice, and Drop Axel Grell TWS, all different beasts with go-to features that are a mixed bag.

SOUND

KZ VXS Pro bass is warm and thick if not on the punchy side followed by a recessed midrange. I can appreciate these are not shouty in any way or forward sounding. Vocals are flat sounding without portraying much space. Bass guitars have grunt behind them, and electric guitars come on heavy and present, while delivering a sculpted tone. I find this rather enjoyable with rock.

Treble is tuned safely with nothing offensive, but definitely lifted in comparison to the Moondrop Space Travel. The presence region is tilted downward so things such as a snare and horns are not overpowering, perhaps tame. There is a treble lift around the 8-10khz mark that allow cymbals to exhibit crunchy and tizzy tendencies, but I would consider the quality in line with the price.

The KZ VXS Pro sounds rather closed in most of the time, and not a lot of front to back differentiation. Instrument separation is above average however the closed in staging does make it feel crowded. It can handle busy tracks without much fanfare, but there is one excellent star feature.

Volume output on the KZ VXS Pro is top notch. It may have something to do with the Qualcomm 5171 chipset which boasts a  SNR at 105dB. Other bluetooth chipsets are rated around 95dB in the Signal-to-Noise Ratio department. While KZ is employing this chipset, there is nothing stopping others from also using this (captain) obviously.

Part of this chipset and most others as well is that DSP can be applied to tune the earphone, specifically a 10 band parametric EQ. This is exactly how the powered studio monitors have morphed over the years as well. Engineers apply a complex parametric EQ to tune the monitors as desired to hit a flat target.

This is one area TWS will have a leg up on wired earphones that are only tuned acoustically. At some point TWS might crossover from consumer mainstream also into the professional audiophile realm making the EQ dirty little secret just part of everyday life.

Evidence for this exists in the KZ VSX Pro marketing, normally brands like to point out magnet structures, driver counts, fancy diaphragm materials, etc. Instead KZ focuses solely on the chipset and DSP technology. They are not relying completely on the parametric EQ and instead complementing the acoustic tuning methods.

Keep in mind that KZ did not utilize any ANC using the DSP only relying on the passive noise attenuation of the shell. I also do not want to discount that starting with good drive units, and proper acoustic tuning should come first.

If we put the KZ VXS Pro up against the Moondrop Space Travel TWS, I would say the midrange is on equal footing. The Space Travel has a fuller lower midrange and a mellow treble region that gives a more relaxed listening experience. The KZ VXS is more fun, and probably fits the genres of my music collection better. Cymbals and guitars are more pumped up. 

OTHER STUFF

So there is no ANC on the KZ VXS Pro like there is on the Moondrop Space Travel, which is barely enough to call it ANC. Instead the KZ VXS Pro has a “high performance mode” activated by pressing on the right or left earpiece 3 times. This is for lower latency gaming and also movie watching.

I have no idea what the typical latency is on most TWS, but it can be a problem if drastic. I know 100-200ms or more I can usually detect some weirdness when watching movies. The KZ VXS Pro limits latency to 58ms. The vocal announcements are in English on the Kz VXS Pro, albeit the “high performance” is easier for me to understand than the “standard mode”. As long as I can tell though, no big deal.

For charging the KZ VXS Pro, the case has a 400ma battery. Battery life is a touted 8 hours which is pretty good, I never found them running out of juice. The clear cover provides an indication on the earpieces themselves it is charging, vs the case displaying that.

There is a second LED in the case that is activated by charging or by pressing the button. Different colors indicate charge level, cool idea but unless you commit it to memory a multi-segment light would be preferred. Unfortunately, wireless charging is absent.

The clear plastic window has me concerned about the longevity of the case for rough users, mine is already scratched up. At least it has a cover unlike the Moondrop Space Travel. I do like the case better than the TinHifi Tin Buds 3 with its loosely rotating cover that easily swung open making it prone to ear pieces becoming dislodged. 

Taking calls on the KZ VS Pro was relatively easy. Call quality was an oddity and I do not know why. I spoke for a long time in one call without issues, but a few other calls had the sound cutting out and making weird background white noise. Once it transferred the call to the Iphone itself, I was able to hear the caller. I do not know if the trouble was on my end or theirs, but concerning none the less.

Fitment and comfort conform well to my ears, the shell design on the KZ VXS Pro is something that is found on many of their model lineup. This is how KZ keeps costs low, by reusing old molds/designs. Controls are easy to use, and are duplicated on both sides.

CLOSING TIME

KZ VXS Pro was an enjoyable TWS that I found myself digging the bass guitar slap and strum. Treble reproduction quantity was desirable, and quality of it met expectations. Value-wise for a TWS, they sit in the middle of the road. They are double in price over the entry level affair, yet get close to the used market pricing on well known models that offer lots of features and good sound.

I think you are better served buying this TWS model over a budget wired model from KZ since you are not going to get exceptional sound from their low budget tiers anyway. Good enough for government work, just be wary of making calls with them.

Disclaimer: KZ Shipsed these to me accidentally instead of Jürgen. Thank you KZ for making that mistake, they make walking the dog more enjoyable.

Get it from the KZ Store or ALIEXPRESS.

KZ VXS PRO SPECIFICATIONS

• Bluetooth Version: 5.3
• Bluetooth Chip: QCC5171
• Transmission range: Approximately 15 meters
• Earphones battery life: Approximately 8 hours
• Earphones battery capacity: 48mAh
• Charging case battery capacity: 400mAh
• Charging case recharge cycles: Approximately 4 times
• Charging interface: Type-C

Contact us!

DISCLAIMER

Our generic standard disclaimer.

About my measurements.

The post KZ VXS Pro TWS Review – No Games, All Business appeared first on Music For The Masses.

I can anticipate I had a very big pleasure in the encounter, and I hope I’ll be able to properly convey my take on the many pluses and few minuses of this set, together with some comparison hints with their lower cost (but not lower quality) sisters IE600 and more.

IE900 currently sell in Europe for € 1499.00 including VAT. Main official product page, with direct purchase possibility here.

At-a-glance Card

Full Device Card

Test setup and preliminary notes

Sources: Questyle QP1R, QP2R, M15, CMA-400i / Lotoo Paw Gold Touch + Cayin C9 / Sony WM-1A / E1DA 9038D, 9038SG3 – INAIRS AIR1 foam and/or JVC SpiralDot silicon tips – Stock cable – lossless 16-24/44.1-192 FLAC + DSD 64/128/256 tracks.

Signature analysis

Tonality

IE900’s general tonality is bright-neutral. The timbre is slightly lean, especially in the mids, and you can tell from the very first audition that this is a product aimed at rendering trebles in the most organic, detailed, engaging at the same time non-distorting way as possible, while in the process never leaving bass less attended to. And – boy! – if they succeeded at this!

From a more tech-involved angle standpoint, what I also very interesting to note is that they chose not to closely follow, let alone chase, any most en vague target curves out there… More on this, maybe, much later on.

Sub-Bass

One of Sennheiser’s 7mm dynamic driver’s qualities – perhaps not the most important one, but the most readily apparent to me for sure – is its extension capabilities, something very hardly heard before on IEMs, at least from my modest hobbyist’s ears.

As a direct consequence of that bass reaches as deeeep as you can possibly hear. You can safely bet the limiting factor in this case is more your hearing than anything else.

In terms of volume some elevation is present, but a modest one at that. IE900 definitely are not made to satisfy so-called bassheads, not even “educated” ones. Even for the tastes of die hard acoustic jazz lovers like me, there are times when I concede to the pulsion to adding a +3dB low shelf at 50 Hz, but that’s really occasional: in most situations IE900 sub bass is just perfect for my (quite specialised – mind you!) library.

I’ll reach even further, actually, and I would say that although not so high in elevation it’s presence is anyhow so consistent and predictable that the net effect is similar to adding a subwoofer to your nearfield setup, keeping it at a modest sound pressure level, just for “background support”, so to say.

Mid Bass

IE900’s mid bass is fast, even sculpted, yet fully textured and very expressive, emotional. This is one of the sets that renders Andrew Cyrille’s kick drum with the highest level of realism I ever auditioned.

This weren’t enough IE900, and very particularly its bass line, scale incredibly well with amping power and quality.

While in general IE900’s sensitivity is not low, so as to make them driveable to already outstanding results by relatively modest powered mobile sources, you will be totally astonished by the difference – emerging particularly in the bass section – when driving them from high quality, much higher specced amp sources.

One inter alia: Cayin C9, which I happen to have access to. Mid bass and low bass notes come up in body, viscerality and slam in a totally surprising way. It all sounds (pun intended) as if you’re sitting in a mixing studios listening to on those high end monitors hanging in there. Really, really, REALLY significant. Oh and by the way: even in such “exalted” situation, mid bass never, ever takes over on the low mids…!

Mids

Mids feel slightly recessed, if nothing else because the other parts around them (bass, and most of all high mids and trebles) come across with even bolder personality, so to say.

On the other hand their general timbre is very good if a bit lean especially in the high part, yet feels spot-on in most if not really all cases for my library.

The passage from middle to high mids easily reminds me what happens on Final’s A3000 – another, much lower tier, single-DD set featuring a remarkable (within its price class) quality single dynamic driver. And, another virtuous example of totally surprising results based on a not so common, off-choir even, tuning curve.

The passage is very smooth, of course consequence of the one driver employed, and also of the sensible taming applied to the 2-4Khz region which, thanks to driver elasticity (and, in IE900’s case, of who knows what other aspects liaised to the triple resonance chamber milled into their housings – more on this below), does not translate into overly tamed feedback in that region, oppositely it delivers a very lively, detailed while unoffensive experience.

As I mentioned before, if one remark the high mids segment calls for is some relative leanness to the notes. I feel some “butter” missing on central piano octaves, and on female vocals, to match my personal perfection. I’m not of course expecting to find the same focus on that region here that you can get from specialised sets like Final F7200 to just name one, yet as I said just a tad more of lipids would have rendered the dish even more flavoury.

Male Vocals

IE900 render baritones and bass humans with organicity and authority, and tenors, too, with just a bit of relative leanness commencing to appear on their higher registers.

Female Vocals

Female vocals are well presented, textured, clean and quite engaging. As mentioned above, they do lack a bit of body to their central notes to be astonishing.

Highs

These, together with some of the technicalities, are evidently the stars of the show on IE900.

The result is so outstanding that you can bet this must be the consequence of something really special the developers had to put in to get there: energy, expression, body, details and air, all together, while never scanting into sibilance, shoutyness let alone zinging.

A wonderful litmus paper test for this is Lee Morgan’s trumpet phrasings from 1 up to to 2 minutes into Art Blakey’s & The Messenger’s monumental 1958 Moanin’ take, from the homonymous album. Morgan instrument’s sound is full bodied yet perfectly textured, but most of all powerful yet not piercing, and far from splashy or shouty.

Such result does vary a bit in accuracy depending on eartips selection (more on this below).

Incidentally, I could only hear one other set doing better to date, but it did so only on this very particular aspect and failed in others in comparison to IE900, bass being first: a German-made multidriver unit. Oh and that’s priced 3X over our today’s reference .

Technicalities

Soundstage

IE900 stage projection is probably the widest I ever heard in an IEM, and while I think about that I would also put all closed-back overears I heard in, for good measure. There’s significant height and good depth, too !

This is another situation where IE900’s huge treble extension shows its good deeds: as many know of course we can hear sounds up to 16Khz (well… when young! ) but frequencies above such mark are not useless at all, as they contribute carrying information about the time it takes for sound to come back (or not come back) from the “walls around the room” – thereby helping on “drawing the stage”.

This is of course only evident when the source digital material does contain such higher frequency information, and the DAC is indeed capable of reconstructing it – which is luckily the case for much of my library, and a few of my sources .

Imaging

Macrodynamics are extremely precise, positioning cues are spot on at all times, along all 3 axes.

Details

Detail retrieval from the high mids and especially from the treble is nothing short than superb, twice as much if again we remember we are in presence of a single DD set.

I like to believe this is one consequence of those Sennheiser’s claimed designs efforts focused on sound modelling obtained via those cavities inside the housings (more on this below).

Let me add that, as an old western-economy industry bear myself, I also like to think that in addition to the positivity on the obtained result this way of proceeding is also much less prone to be “easily replied” by of some of those chifi usual suspects – building practical reproduction hurdles into one’s physical product arguably representing an even more effective method, supplemental to “mere” legal patenting, to better protect one’s industrial invention efforts in our globalised world lacking cohesive governance.

Instrument separation

Layering and instrument separation is another field where IE900 surely excel, once again especially so when considering we are talking about a single driver set.

Even on busiest (acoustic) tracks you never get a sense of congestion or mixture between voicings coming from the same spot on the stage, and the sense of depth is always granted. At times, it seems as if IE900 are able to render virtually infinite layers, such is their capability in keeping overlapping but heterogenous sounds apart from one another.

I could only hear one other IEM set till now able – on equal source gear and tracks, of course – to present me with a superior readability on low volume and/or background sounds, and that’s Softears Turii – which other technicalities, and the tonality before them, are however quite different from IE900’s so I wouldn’t easily cast a better/worse score between the two, frankly.

Driveability

As en passant I previously mentioned, IE900 are quite easy to drive exploiting the power of so many at least decent mobile sources on the mainstream market, most dongles included. Their 123dB/V (corresponding to approx 105dB/mW) at 18 ohm are not a huge requirement in facts, and that’s surely a big plus in terms of crowd accessibility.

On the other hand, IE900’s note body will dramatically improve when the source happens to have the guts to push up on current delivery, this with particular regards to mid bass and mid tones.

While listening to IE900 directly paired to a Lotoo Paw Gold Touch DAP is already a lushy treat – for many reasons, first and foremost LPGT’s quite special proweness on subtle microdynamics reconstruction – you should wait until you’ll hear what you get having LPGT’s output pass through a further amplification stage, e.g. a Cayin C9 mobile set: then you’ll be in for a strong experience … .

Such situation can, and should, be reported both as a pro and as a (relative) limitation of the set.

Physicals

Build

I suspect not to be the only one whose first eye-impression when shown a pair of IE900 has been something like: “inconspicuous”.

Actually handling them such impression – well, at least my impression – changed radically: IE900’s housing are in facts CNC-milled off a solid piece of aluminium, which incidentally is a wonderful material I happen to know the positive properties of due to my professional involvement with it, on a completely different market.

Long story short, IE900’s housings are at the same time extremely solid and sturdy, and very lightweight.

I also do approve the choice for those thin engraving lines on the outside, which – if anything on the aesthetical level – result in a pleasant, if a bit mitteleuropean-industry-flavoured, “unglossy” finish style, and avoid overexposure to fingerprinting.

On the solidity and shock resistance there’s no question: a solid piece of aluminium gives more than the required warranties for this use case. I’m ready to bet that trampling over these ones (with their cable removed) with a car would leave them a bit dirty, but in shape.

Apart from all this, what is surely most interesting is what cannot be appreciated from the outside, and that is the internal shaping given to the housings – always by CNC-milling them – and the specially developed ultrawide range-capable 7mm dynamic driver.

The DD is responsible for offering coverage for an exceptionally wide range of frequencies for a single driver: from 5 to 48KHz.

That being not enough, taken alone, to deliver the wanted sonic result, tonality shaping is carried out by way of tree small resonator chambers, i.e. appropriate “carvings” milled into the very piece of solid AL making the housings, in-between the driver and the nozzle. Furthermore, some specialty shaping and internal surfaces finishing is put in there, to take care of smoothening excessive treble energy – and I must say with excellent results, based on my audition (see above).

Fit

Kudos to Sennheiser also for the just incredibly effective ergonomics they conceived for the shape of their IE series, which includes IE900 of course.

Even if for some reason you wouldn’t tell when seeing that somehow uncommon form for the first time, it takes seconds after wearing (any of) them the first time to vibrantly love them, and the one(s) who designed them.

On the flip – read negative – side two things are worth noting.

One: in some cases – me included – the main housing body may be a (decisive) tad too lean to match those magical proportions which fill your outer ear just enough to gain perfectly stable positioning while never feel like a swollen bean is nagging at you from out there.

It’s of course then evident that you can’t possibly design a one-size solid structure that’s so precisely fitting into everybody’s body, no matter human diversity. And in doubt, of course you’ll have to do it smaller vs bigger ! So this ain’t defect of course, yet it’s definitely an issue to manage, when it arises.

Two: again, in my case, the supply of stock tips (both silicon and foam) for one reason or the other falls short of being adequate.

Stock silicon tips have a very soft umbrella, 100% studied to get the best intended sound out of the IE900. Too bad that on the “mechanical” front it happens that, housings being too lean to stay put in my concha’s, I instinctually tend to regain firmness by pushing them deeper in. When that happens silicon tips’ umbrellas fold on themselves, totally losing the seal.

Sadly, the problem about stock tips falling short of properly fitting my canals (left one in particular) affects foamies too! Again, I suspect that’s liaised with me needing to get a higher stability by pushing shells deeper in, thereby reaching a wider segment of my ear canal, which those foamies can’t adequately fill up, not even the supplied L size.

I shared this issue with Sennheiser, and the answer has been enlightening for the sake of clarifying the origins of this situation.

First and foremost, in Sennheiser’s design intention IE900 tips should ideally “feel as if they disappear” in the ear canal, precisely the opposite of the sensation you get from bullet style IEMs, and/or triple-flanged eartips. Hence, the thinner umbrella the better, of course.

Flipping the coin, however, superlight tips intended for such precise aim will not be the best choice if for whatever reason a user prefers, or needs, to achieve a deeper fit.

I do confirm all : if – disregarding stability for a moment – I wear IE900 in a shallower position, indeed their stock silicon tips do keep the seal, and they deliver a very pleasant “feathery” sensation, or even virtually no sensation at all – as per intention.

And by the way, were it possible and handy for me, I would actually prefer such shallow fit, not being myself a die-hard fan of deep insertion – even when I use bullet-shape IEMs (which nevertheless – Sennheiser friends will forgive me – I don’t find so devilish counter-ergonomic as they reckon).

Be as it may, this finally reveals what the entire real problem is in my case: housings’ stability.

Again, in Sennheiser’s design intention, in cases like mine where the person’s ear structure is a bit too big and can’t grab the housings firm by itself, that’s where those easy-shape earhook sheaths installed on the cable (more on them below, under “Cable”) should do the trick, mechanically retrofitting the set so to say, and delivering the required stability.

So that is precisely where the game fails in my case (and not my one only).

No, to me those shapeable earhooks are super-comfortable, but not resilient enough to compensate for the housings’ eventual wobbling. That’s why I can’t personally “afford” a shallow fit, and rest comes with it.

Curtain fall ? Nevah !

First possible workaround: browsing the internet I found some sort of third party “gel outfits” – of course made some place in China. I call them “gloves”: imagine little-finger sized equivalents to a silicon smartphone back-cover. Or, similar to those winged rings you fit onto TWS drivers to help them stay firm in place. Something like this, but there are others around too.

I tried a friend’s ones and indeed those perfectly fit IE900’s housings, granting them that small body size increment that results into fitting my ear in a perfectly stable and comfortable way. And then, yes!, I can afford shallower fit and the whole stock tips game works as per design in my case too.

Alternative workaround: use third party tips .

Well as you can imagine I would have gone through the long tips exploration session anyhow, but in this case it was let’s say double motivated.

This article is getting already lengthy and I don’t believe that adding further smalltalk to it would make it better so my eighteen readers will I hope understand if I won’t indulge in the full report here about how I found each of the probably 15 different tip models I tried.

Suffice it to say that in the end I’m torn between two options, featuring some differences : INAIRS AIR1 foams, and JVC SpiralDot silicons.

INAIRS offer a firmer fit sensation, and their M size actually well fills my external ear canal up, thereby effectively contributing to hold those slim housings firm(er) in place for me. They also grant me better passive isolation, and a sort of delicate “softening” to some note edges (which, in itself, is not always a welcome addition).

SpiralDots feature stiffer silicon umbrellas compared to stock tips but won’t go as far as mechanically compensating housings movements, so their adoption does require either a deeper fit, or those “gel gloves” I mentioned before. The good news is that they are sturdy enough not to lose the seal when pushed deeper. Their wide bore positively contributes to IE900’s already good bass, and they yield a more crystalline timbre compared to foams.

Runnerup silicon options worth mentioning are Radius Deepmount – even better than Spiraldot on bass definition and speed, but tend to turn trebles a bit too hot – and Final E (strictly CLEAR version – black and other-coloured ones making low bass a bit “hazy”) – which deliver more body in the mids but lose some detail and precision in the treble and bass.

Last but absolutely not least, Sennheiser and their mother company being deeply involved with medical grade hearing aids and technologies, a custom eartips production service is made available – sadly only to German residents for now though .

It’s called Custom Comfort Tips. The rationale seems very simple in its complexity: by realising an elongated silicon tip, custom shaped following your own ear canal shape and size on one end, and perfectly slapping onto the IEM’s nozzles and neighbouring shell part on the other, you get extremely close to eliminate that personal fit variation that makes each one’s sound experience with that particular driver too much “potentially different” from its intended goal.

The program is also very well streamlined in terms of enduser fruition. It’s all centrally managed by Sennheiser, you don’t have to “look for” anything your own: place the order centrally, geoloc the supporting audiologist shop nearest to your location from a link on Sennheiser’s site, take an appointment and have your canals measured there (their service is part of the price paid to Sennheiser), wait for a few days and receive your tips at home.

The very same tips can be swapped onto IE900, IE600 and IE200. The tips’ fee is currently included with the price of an IE900 package, and a discount is offered to IE600 owners.

Those friends (lucky bastards individuals) who, residing in Germany, already could get their custom tips confirm they are indeed absolute game changers. The rest of us need to come to terms with a impatient wait .

Comfort

IE900’s shape is designed for very easy and natural fit and this immediately traduces into supreme comfort even for very protracted period of time.

In case the housing turns out to be a bit too “slim” for one’s ears (like in my case) there’s a chance the consequent instability may be somewhat fastidious. Longer story above about the origins of this. Consequences: compensating instability by reaching down for a deeper fit may turn out to be a bit uncomfy in medium/long sessions; adopting “gel gloves” of appropriate thickness may be the best way to go.

Isolation

When perfectly fitting, IE900 offer good levels of passive isolation – even more if equipped with foam tips.

In “fat concha” situations like my case, the same result is quite easily obtained by outfitting the housings with with “gel gloves” or such (see above).

Cable

It’s certainly pleasing – if after all in line with expectations vis-a-vis the package price, one may say – to find 3 different cables inside the box, each with a different hard-wired termination: single ended 3.5mm, and balanced 2.5 and 4.4mm, covering I would say 99.9% of possible needs.

Also, the freely mouldable TPU sheath applied towards to cables housing’s end allows you to shape them into the most precisely matching and comfortable earhooks you can get, exactly following your ear root line.

It’s the first time I encounter this offering, and it’s a very welcome feat – even if, as reported under “Fit” here above, it does not get as far as solving the problem of housings being too lean for my particular outer ears.

On another important note: Sennheiser’s IE-line MMCX connectors are not “everyday MMCX” fixings in reality. So be prepared: hardly any of your (my!) existing MMCX cables will fit, or safely fit .

Sennheiser’s MMCX implementation (in some documents tagged as “MMCX Fidelity+”) is indeed proprietary. Looking closely, the male connector coming off the tip of the cable has an additional “lip” compared to ordinary MMCX plugs. Such lip, plus a deeper, and more deeply recessed female connector, are responsible for significantly improving on connection firmness.

All good so far, the less good news however being the following two.

One I already mentioned: 99% chances are that you won’t be able to pair your IE900 with any loved individual off your thick existing herd of however good – and expensive! – MMCX cables.

The other is safely identifying the genuinely licensed (!) third parties, which would therefore be in condition to supply reliably compatible cables. Fact: between a few friends of mine and myself we experienced a few 3rd party cables sold as IE900-compatible, most of which turned into wobbly, unreliable connections. Tread lightly when shopping for cables here!!

Specifications (declared)

Comparisons

Sennheiser IE600 (€ 799,00 – currently on sale for € 549,00)

Even if very similar aesthetically, and equally based on a single dynamic driver, IE600 and IE900 are quite different at the technological level from one another.

Sennheiser confirmed to me that the dynamic driver inside IE600 is a different variation (although part of the same main project) from that adopted for IE900. The same applies for the driver inside IE200, by the way.

In addition to that, housings’ builds and their internals are also quite different.

Unlike IE900’s earpieces – CNC-milled from a solid piece of aluminium and featured with 3 specially designed resonance chambers inside – IE600’s housings are 3D-printed from a special zirconium alloy by Heraeus Amloy Tech, and featured with two sets of 2 internal chambers. Such structure internal to IE600 (D2CA: Dual 2-Chamber Absorbers) focuses on treating overlapping notes coming for different instruments at the same time, helping on dramatically improving they separation, and layering.

With all this said, the sound experience offered by IE600 is for some respects similar, for others quite different from that granted by IE900.

Similarities stay in rendering clarity, and in outstanding layering and separation proweness.

The main difference is in the tonality : unlike IE900, IE600 are quite evidently V-shaped, although maybe a “wide V” at that. A more mainstream indulging tuning choice if you wish, vs IE900’s off the choir one.

Bass is equivalently speedy on IE600 and IE900, but on IE600 it is much more evident, elevated, and I refer to mid bass and even more to sub bass here. In spite of such higher elevation, bass is still perfectly readable at all times, very well textured, and stays consistently separated from low and central mids – as it definitely should – in IE600 no less than in IE900.

Another part where the two sets diverge is in the high mids, and – I would say al least in part consequently – in their treble.

IE600’s 2-4K frequencies are way more forward and pulpy, with this bringing guitars and female vocals the “butter” which is a bit left behind on IE900. However an important taming is imposed on 6KHz on IE600, I assume to avoid that their composite output would scant into shouty and/or fatiguing. As a consequence, treble detail retrieval and overall “airiness” is quite obviously less on IE600 vs IE900.

Quitting all this tech talk : choose IE600 for prog rock, hard rock, electronic music and general purpose, while – money not being a hurdle – go blind-eyed with IE900 for acoustic jazz and most of all classical music.

Such separated applicative indications, paired with ultimately equivalent proweness in doing, each one, what they are designed to do, calls for refraining from positioning IE600 and IE900 one on a higher step vs the other, and I rather recommend them as different tools to reach different pleasures, so indeed complementary to each other.

Campfire Andromeda 2020 (discontinued, was € 1099,00)

I feel this is a quite interesting comparison not only due to the reputation Campfire Audio as a manufacturer, and the various iterations of their Andromeda set deservedly conquered over time, but especially vis-a-vis the under many respects opposite design philosophies behind Andromeda and IE900.

As everybody may remember, Andromeda are a full-BA multidriver sets, vs IE900 single-DD choice.

As a further testimony to the successful results obtained by Sennheiser on their sole dynamic driver, I would readily note that if one of the two sets may be found to deliver a tad less bilateral extension that is… Andromeda. Differences on this are small, however.

Other aspects which are very similar between Andromeda and IE900 include treble detailing, and the tuning choice to keep their 2-4KHz regions tamed down to help deliver a smooth, unshouty yet energetic overall highmid+treble section, which is indeed the case on both sets, and probable the key reasons why treble is equally delicious – beyond within some differences – in either situation.

Other similarities, or real equivalences are about stage size and three-dimensionality, with Andromeda being probably a tad deeper but less high and wide, and about layering and separation.

Tonalities are instead quite different: Andromeda is obviously warmer, consequence of some more power impressed onto 2-400Hz and some taken off from 1-2Khz. IE900 offer more airiness up above, not much resulting in terms of better clarity but rather in terms of a more realistic spatial sensation.

The most obvious differences however stay on bass note body and microdynamics: Sennheiser’s model attains to a higher level altogether, especially on the latter part – IE900 microdynamics are a very thick step above Andromeda.

As for driveability Andromeda require much less power to shine at its full potential, but conversely they require so little of that, and at such a low impedance, that many if not most sources will make them hiss, and that will of course be audible through quiet musical passages.

Beware of counterfeiting !

It is sadly worth noting that the market is literally flooded with fake / counterfeited IE900, and IE600, and many other Sennheiser sets – and not since yesterday.

Sadly the criminals involved with this are quite skilled on delivering aesthetically near-identical products (from the boxing down to the actual items), thus posing a serious threat to the casual user when it comes to choosing and giving trust to their vendors, especially considering the important price tags we are talking about.

I happen to have access to a fake IE900 sample, which I could therefore compare with the guaranteed-genuine one coming directly from Sennheiser’s headquarters.

Sound quality wise I must say I expected a much bigger difference between the two sets. What surprised me the most was in particular the fake unit’s remarkable bilateral extension, roughly in the same ballpark as the genuine one – and that’s saying something. In terms of bass definition, note body and microdynamics, however, genuine IE900 are just straight better.

Visual counterfaiting is really staggering for how realistic it is, and how much attention and careful observation was required to discover the clues indicating the two units did not come from the same ultimate source. I took a few pictures, and shared them with Sennheiser personnel to have confirmation of my findings, and here is my report, with the hope that it might be useful to someone to avoid being frauded.

First and foremost, there was no way to spot any difference whatsoever about the printed carton box sleeve, not on the box’s internal structure and elements, the paddings etc. All apparently identical.

By closely assessing product details however some differences started to come up.

1) Cables’ earhook sheaths are not freely reshapeable on the fake unit I checked – they stay much firmer on their pristine curvature for how much you try to model them. Genuine Sennheiser sheaths are pliable almost like plasteline, and they stay in your wanted shape quite reliably while you wear them.

2) Cables’ chin sliders feature a Sennheiser logo sticker. The genuine one carries an S-logo hologram, the counterfeit one is a very obvious flattened, non-holographic, clumsy imitation. Genuine cable is sitting on top in the following picture.

3) Genuine cable’s main sheath features a smooth, uniform, solid external finish. This fake unit’s sheath carries some sort of twisted wires appearance. You can appreciate this difference, too, from the picture above – where, again, the counterfeit cable is the coiled one, below the genuine one.

4) Assessing nozzle ends, genuine IE900 should look “pitch black”, while this counterfeit sample reveals silver colour inside through a wider mesh structure, as shown by this picture.

5) The pinned plastic plate carrying stock tips should show glossy S M L size letters, not matte ones. Furthermore, genuine foam tips have quite flat tops, not bulging ones. Based on this information, try yourself to spot the genuine set in the following picture .

It’s of course worth noting that I could assess just one fake unit, so there is no certainty, let alone guarantee, that the above hints do apply to other cases.

Sennheiser recommends to buy new units exclusively from fully trusted, official Sennheiser distributors – and that’s a no brainer.

For second hand units – while of course remembering that channels like ebay or similar need to be taken with two grains of salt (always better than one) – a good idea is to have the seller send a picture showing the unit serial number in advance, and get in contact with Sennheiser Consumer Hearing support services: they will check if the number is reported as legit.

Considerations & conclusions

I tried to outline the multiple reasons why I believe IE900 are a beyond-outstanding product, particularly suitable for classical, and acoustic music in general, and I feel like adding some considerations at a more general level here.

What is seems from the outside is that Sennheiser did this by going back to the design board, and restart from assessing the wanted target, asking themselves how to reach it – “reinventing the wheel” if need be, and/or using more “usual” parts and competences, purging their minds from “assumed-well-established existing solutions” bias in advance.

Of course I have no real clue about their internal processes and how the real story went, but if it were a plot for a movie about an industrial success story, it might probably go as follows.

IE900’s dynamic driver itself is proprietary, made to deliver a sensibly wider range extension compared to other high quality dynamic drivers on the market. Why? Because multidrivers do struggle with tonal coherence – all of them – and, let’s face it, for good reasons too. On the other hand, existing single drivers are all “short blankets”, so to say.

So point #1 : let’s design a “wiiiiiide blanket” driver. Period. Then we see the rest.

Oh by the way: let’s do it without employing marketing-buzzword-level raw materials.

IE900’s is in the end a plastic membrane driver – such an “obsolete sounding” technology, inn’it? – yet it loops dozens of circles around others made of “newer materials”. Guess why?… .

I must say I feel empathic on these topics as they can’t fail reminding me that within the infinitely more modest scope of the small industrial company I currently serve in as a marketing and sales manager I often listen to my agents recursively pointing at certain innovative-name-sounding products from the competition. Transeat. Back to our plot.

Once you have an eXtra Wide Range transducer, you are still supposed to shape its sound to manage its behaviour, avoid excesses, and bend its tonality to a specific wanted target sound. This is usually done by a mix of shaping IEM shells, adding vents, filters, foams, meshes etc.

As for us: we will primarily “shape the shells” – and good luck to those who will try to precisely copy them.

Inside IEx00 housings there are milled or built (depending on the specific model’s production process) micrometrically formed spaces (“chambers”). They even got as far as studying how wrinkled their internal surfaces need to be to get the right wanted effect on sound waves passing by.

I can only remotely fathom the complexity of such a research, and the level of competences, skills, tools and budgets (!) you need to put on the table to even commence spinning such a project up. Well they did it – and succeeded.

Last but not least: once you have those grand IEMs done, based on a superbly extended driver, and tuned to consistently output the exact wanted timbre and tonality onto… lab measuring equipment (!) how about maximising the chance the same or at least a very similar result is actually appreciated by anybody’s ears – which sadly (for engineers, and luckily for philosophers) are all “guaranteed different” from the most advanced acoustic coupler mockups employed at the lab ?

Yes, you can try closing the gap by filling the commercial package with countless alternative eartips, or…

Our mother company is a leading multinational involved in hearing aids and acoustic implantations. Let’s roll out a custom eartips program!

I presume this very long stream of considerations, and their fictionalized dressings, can be summarised as follows: the old saying “when the game gets tough, the tough get playing” is of course in general an abstraction – it does take for the tough to actually be willing to get playing ! But when they do… .

Sennheiser for decades did deliver undisputed top-class headphone models (do we need to remember that HD600 originally came out in 1997?) yet they flew much lower in the rankings of IEM proposals until recently.

With their IE900 / IE600 / IE200 program they took a wholly-renovated approach to the segment, and results do show.

These 3 models lead their corresponding price brackets, and debating whether they deserve #1, #2 or #3 entry in their specific subclasses is surely very important for Sennheiser’s product marketing, their numbers etc, but for us, the users, it’s now probably just funny, loud coffee bar discussions. IE200, IE600 and IE900 are, all of them, absolute winners, and each one can easily be taken as the sole IEM one may want to own given that budget and/or that musical preference.

IE900 are light years far from being yet-another high quality high priced single DD IEMs. They can and should be narrated as a successful reinvention of the entire IEM experience, instanced onto the specific preferences of classical and other acoustic music lovers.

Sennheiser created a monumental product with IE900, and while its price tag is no doubt demanding, not a cent of it lacks justification in the multifaceted quality it offers.

IE900 is dutifully tagged on our Wall of Excellence.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

The post Sennheiser IE900 Review (1) – Classical Reinvented appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Cons — Nozzle is on the thicker side
– Treble can exhibit BA timbre
– Stock cable could be better
– Needs to be paired with a warm-ish source for best results

INTRODUCTION

Hisenior audio has been in the industry for years, mostly catering to the custom monitor market. While I have always wanted to try one of its IEMs, I never got around to it, until the release of Okavango that is.

The driver configuration of the Okavango is quite comprehensive for their price tag: 1 Bio-cellulose DD + 6 BA drivers with true 4-way crossover are nothing to scoff at. Add to that the tuning switches and things certainly look interesting to say the least.

This isn’t a numbers game though, so the driver count barely matters as long as the sound is competitive. At the asking price, there are several well-established competitors, which leaves little room for mistake on Hisenior’s part. No pressure, I guess.

Note: the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier. I purchased the Okavango and Whitewhale cable at a discount.

Sources used: Cayin RU7, Lotoo PAW Gold Touch, Questyle CMA Twelve Master
Price, while reviewed: $300. Can be bought from Hisenior’s official website.

PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

The highlight of the packaging is definitely the Pelican-like hard-shell carry case. The case is waterproof, crush-proof, and has lined mesh pockets along with foam padding. I’d pay $50 for a case like this and here you get one for free. Not bad at all.

The stock cable is less of a standout. It’s a generic cloth-braided cable. I also purchased the WhiteWhale cable in 4.4mm termination. This is a great cable in terms of ergonomics and overall aesthetics. The 6N SP-OCC material is radiates a certain sheen that catches the eye.

There are also 10 pairs of tips inside the package. I ended up using Spinfit CP-100+ for this review, but the stock tips were pretty decent as well. Finally, you get a SIM-card tool for engaging the switches, and a cleaning brush.

BUILD QUALITY

Okavango use a pseudo-custom resin shell. The faceplate design and even the shell color can be customized on the Okavango Custom-design variant, at a price-premium. I liked the look of the stock shell and just invested the extra bucks into the cable.

The faceplate seems to be stabilized wood on the upper portion. On the side, there are the tuning switches and a large vent to alleviate pressure buildup and allow airflow into the chamber for the dynamic driver.

The nozzle is on the thicker side, though I did not find it to be uncomfortable. There is a metal mesh on top of the nozzle but underneath it should be individual sound bores. The switches are rather small and needs a small, pointy object to be engaged. I ended up using the tip of a ballpoint pen most of the times.

Overall, the typically “solid” build quality one should expect at the asking price.

COMFORT, ISOLATION, AND FIT

Comfort is fairly good on the Okavango, other than the nozzle which can feel substantial when worn, albeit it was not uncomfortable for me. Isolation is above average with silicone tips and good with foam tips.

SOURCE AND EARTIPS

I primarily used the Okavango with the Cayin RU7 that helped with the BA timbre in the highs. The Okavango are not power hungry at all and should be easily driven by most dongles in the market.

DRIVER SETUP

The Hisenior Okavango are 7-driver hybrids, with a four way crossover splitting the driver setup into low, mids, highs, and ultra-highs. The single DD is used for bass frequencies only, whereas the rest of the frequencies are handled by the 6BA drivers. Hisenior does not divulge further information about specific driver types used in construction.

Moreover, there are two tuning switches, resulting in four different combination of the switches (00, 01, 10, 11). These switches can noticeably alter the overall presentation.

TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES

As the Okavango have four different tuning choices, It is hard to generalize the sound signature. However, all the tunings are somewhat V-shaped, and the degree of the “steepness” of the curve on either side depends on the tuning mode selected.

Many dynamic + BA hybrids tend to focus less on the performance of the BA driver which results in a slow bass that is highly incoherent against the rest of the (ultra-fast) BA driver array.

Hisenior mostly solves this issue by choosing a dynamic driver with fast transients, so bass notes do not linger or lag behind even in relatively complex tracks. Moreover, there is a physicality to the bass that further enhances the sense of engagement, as can be heard on John Mayer’s Clarity. Mid-bass texture is well-rendered, with heavy snare hits having adequate body.

Mids are tuned in a crowd-pleasing manner. None of the tuning modes offer much upper-midrange prominence, resulting in a slightly laid-back, smooth vocal rendition. Male vocals can sound recessed in bass-heavy tracks, Acoustic guitars and strings do not lose the sharpness of the leading edge, neither do heavy guitar riffs, thanks to the peak near 4kHz.

This peak alone would be problematic if the treble rolled-off from thereon, but the mid-treble peak around 7kHz balances out the forwardness in lower-treble. However, this leads to the tuning coming across as “analytical” in certain source pairings and switch configurations. The bass configuration (first switch up, second one down) aids in this regard and mellows out the signature considerably.

One notable issue is the dry BA timbre that hi-hats or cymbal hits can exhibit. Pairing to a slightly warmer source like Cayin RU7 takes care of the issue to a degree, but the “brittleness” of treble notes remain. I guess it’s one of those concessions you have to make at this price point.

Staging is the widest in the brightest configuration, while imaging is also the most precise when treble mode is engaged. The other three modes either narrow the stage, or add some haziness to the staging. Considering the competition, the staging and imaging on the Okavango range from above-average (bass config) to very good (bright config).

Macrodynamics are rendered exceptionally well, with sudden bass drops or orchestral rises having the “drama” you expect. Microdynamics or subtle shifts in volume are less obvious, which seems to be a case for most hybrid IEMs that I’ve come across.

Overall, really competent tuning and good technicalities result in IEMs that stand out amidst a sea of competition.

SELECT COMPARISONS

vs Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite

The Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite are priced slightly lower than the Okavango and have an all-BA setup, with 8 BA drivers taking care of everything. Build is similar between both, but the Orchestra Lite go for a transparent inner-shell which looks better IMO.

Comfort is similar on both, while isolation is better on Orchestra Lite.

When it comes to sound, the Okavango have far superior bass response, there really is no contest here. Bass slam, depth, mid-bass texture – all put the vented BAs on the Orchestra Lite to shame. Mids are slightly smoother on the Orchestra Lite, so is the treble. Okavango have more focus in mid and lower-treble while the upper-treble airiness can be better than the Orchestra Lite in the treble configuration.

Staging is wider on the Okavango, while imaging is similar between both. Dynamics are also superior on the Hisenior IEMs, resulting in a near slam-dunk of the Okavango over the Orchestra Lite.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

Hisenior quietly released one of the best hybrid IEMs around the USD $300 mark. The tuning switches work well, all four tunings have their place depending on one’s playlist and mood, and the general build and finish is as competitive as anything in this price range.

If I had to improve something, it would be the overall timbre. The timbral mismatch between the bass and treble is quite noticeable.

Then again, if all those things happened, the Okavango would likely be priced considerably higher. There is always a catch after all.

MY VERDICT

4.25/5

Contact us!

DISCLAIMER

Get it from Hisenior Store

Our generic standard disclaimer.

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

The post Hisenior Okavango Review – Tuning Switches That Work appeared first on Music For The Masses.

The $230 Oladance OWS Pro is an open-ear wearable stereo device that impresses by its natural, open presentation. Something completely different compared to the usual fare…and very well executed.

The Oladance OWS Pro was kindly and unsolicited provided by the company for my analysis – and I thank them for that. As always, no affiliate links and no kickback. And no silly YouTube videos either. Wir können auch anders.

Introduction

In 1726, Swiss mathematician Leonard Euler published his doctorate “dissertatio physica de sono” (physical dissertation on sound). In 1739 he followed up with the “tentamen novae theoriae musicae” (attempt at a new theory of music), hoping to eventually incorporate musical theory as part of mathematics. You may remember the Euler’s number from your math class: the mathematical constant e, approximately equal to 2.71828, which is the base of natural logarithms.

Oladance obviously adapted some of Euler’s sonic ideas. Their first syllable is based on the Cantonese pronunciation of his name. The company was established in the US in 2019, where the product and software designs are located.. Their goal is to bring the physical and digital world together with innovative audio products. They also have offices in Hong Kong and Shenzhen to target their biggest expansion markets. Their first-generation product was launched in 2021, but global sales only commenced in 2022.

OWS is short for “Open Wearable Stereo”. This concept, according to the company, stands for open and natural, comfort and health (avoidance of hearing damage), and stereo sound quality (through software innovations and hardware innovations). I have to admit, there is lots of interesting and innovative technology in these wearables.

Specifications Oladance OWS Pro

Physicals

In the box are the earpieces, a storage/charge case, a USB-C charge cable and the manual/other paperwork. These earpieces are made of titanium and skin-friendly silicone, the case of polycarbonate-polyacrylonitrile alloy. Both are “Chrome de la Chrome”, reminiscent of the Terminator II movie. Excellent haptic, a premium product…and a fingerprint magnet.

Battery life is up to 16 h per charge and 58 h for the case for continuous playback. Charge times are 2 h for the earpiece and 3 h for the case.

Comfort and Fit

Comfort is amazing. The earpieces feel weightless…you really think you are sitting in a concert hall or recording studio. There appears to be a good balance between the battery in the back and the speaker module in the front that avoids any pulling. After a long listening session, I could not find the buds…they were still sitting on my ears.

Fit is another issue. The company relies on “on-size-fits-all” shape, but human ears differ in shape. The speakers have to somewhat aligned properly on the ear. While fit is good for most, people with very big or very small ears may have issues: the sound may be tinny and the maximum volume rather low.

This issue could be avoided if Oladance had made the earpieces bendable so that people could adapt them to their ear shapes. But, then they would not fit into the charging case easily anymore…unless it was flexible, too ;).

On the good side: glasses are no problem, I tried different ones with different temple geometries. Furthermore, these wearables sit secure like rocks. You can shake your head as you want, and bow in all directions…they do not move. Excellent!

Now you definitely know the difference between comfort and fit.

Features and Operation

The OWS Pro incorporates a lot of innovative ideas and technologies such as virtual bass and dynamic EQ. The virtual bass uses the ear as resonance and the dynamic IQ adapts automatically to the ambient noise (indoor, outdoor). Six microphones aim to cancel external wind sounds…which works actually very well for me in the Canadian fall.

The free app, available from Google Play and App Store, allows for selecting different sound profiles and offers even a basic customize eq.

Since an open wearable does not seal well, the app offers something similar to ANC, called “Focus Mode” (also displayed as “Zen Mode”), which works soso, depending on ambient noise. Since the wearables invite for lengthy listening sessions, a patented anti-hearing algorithm can be used to avoid hearing damage.

The OWS Pro are operated with one button on each earpiece (and also sport an on/off switch). The button is clickable and also swipeable, depending on functionality. Gestures can be customized in the app. I found these difficult to handle initially, but got used to them quickly.

Bluetooth Functionality/Performance

The OWS Pro deploys the latest Bluetooth version 5.3, but the older SBC codec. You may not hear much of a difference between lossy and lossless. Multipoint is supported: you can connect the OWS Pro up to two devices. The earpieces work within a distance of 20 m.

Tonality and Technicalities

While one size-fits-all accounts for the earpieces, it does not for the sound. Depending on how the earpieces are aligned in one’s ear, you get a different sound perception. And this varies as no ear is the same. But what’s in common for everybody is the polished and balanced, sparkly, clean, transparent, NATURAL quality of the reproduction and the fantastic soundstage (wide and tall, but limited in depth). You think you are sitting in the recording studio or a concert hall. A truly open sound.

If a V-shaped iem was a heavy French Bordeaux wine, the Oladance OWS Pro are like a bubbly fine champagne.

Some users and Oladance itself perceive a similarity to Bose earphones, but I would rather compare the their sonic qualities to Bang & Olufsen products. The sound goes perfectly with the wearing comfort.

Since on-ears are never very bassy (they may dig deep but do not have that punch of in-ears), you get a rather balanced, coherent sonic image. And yes, the OWS Pro has that good sub-bass extension, and midbass has this golden, full, soothing feel.

Treble is sweet and nicely extended (for a Bluetooth device) with a lot of pearly sparkle. Midrange is present and silky, voices are sculptured 3-dimensionally, they are reasonably forward and of natural richness (not too thick or too lean). Just as it should be.

Note definition is excellent, imaging and soundstage are marvellous and so are separation and layering…but I am repeating myself. Resolution and microdetail are also outstanding for the class. I was admiring the sound of my big stereo system until I realized the music actually came from the wearables. If NAD’s Paul Barton had designed the OWS Pro, one would speak of “room feel”.

The overall listening experience is cohesive, relaxed, ORGANIC, and laid back but also very disciplined and composed (no smearing notes). When turning the volume up high, the upper mids can get a bit grainy (but never shouty). The OWS Pro work best with (complex) natural sounds…but are a mixed bag when the music becomes more aggressive (because of the limited bass punch).

Phone/Microphone Quality

Listen yourself. Here is a sound sample recorded with the 6 built-in microphones:

Value

At $230, the Olandance OWS Pro don’t come cheap but fit with the pricing of comparable iems and in accordance with their (expensive) technology. They really are a quality product in terms of both haptic and sound.

Why Would We Want It (or Not)?

The main purpose of having these is relaxed, non-fatiguing, natural, home-theater-like listening over a longer period of time. For example, while writing some of this, I listened to a lengthy Vladimir Horowitz piano recital. And/or you want to be able to hear the ambient noise when on the job or in traffic…hey don’t do that. You can also enjoy these in the gym or doing sweaty outdoor sporting activities (IPX4 water resistance)…or simple when walking around in a hot, humid climate.

“Yes they [Oladance] have their shit together.” Loomis Johnson (famous audio blogger).

Concluding Remarks

The Oladance OWS Pro are a completely new and interesting concept with their perfect marriage between extreme comfort and relaxed, natural listening experience. They offer a balanced, cohesive sound with great note definition and accuracy and give you a realistic live experience. You can listen to them all day without fatigue and without running out of battery (while your phone does…)

Due to their nature as on-ears, they don’t have that driving, authoritative bass and are less suited for the more aggressive music. They target the more mature, discerned listener. I love these for piano, orchestral, and jazz…but also enjoyed listening to rock music like Queen, Dire Straits, and Pink Floyd.

The OWS Pro are truly fine dining. Oladance are a young and coming company that will make it big, I’m sure.

Leonard Euler would be pleased.

Until next time…keep on listening!

The post Oladance OWS Pro Review – Aural Sculptures appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Cons — The Quintet can exhibit some incoherence during the transition from mids to treble
– Mid-bass texture could be better
– Lower-mids get veiled by the sub-bass
– Slight “zing” in the upper-treble

INTRODUCTION

A few months back, I reviewed the Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite. They seemed to have a safe, no-frills tuning that veered towards “too smooth” at times.

Nonetheless, what stood out about them was the driver configuration given the price point. Similar themes re-appear with the Kiwi Ears Quintet that sport a quad-hybrid (also known as Quadbrid) setup for midrange pricing. In recent years, such driver setup has been exclusive to the TOTL or kilobuck IEMs, so the Quintet have already won the spec-sheet war.

Sound quality is not proportional to the driver count though, so the Quintet have a lot to live up to if they want to carve a spot in this hyper-competitive market.

Note: Thanks to Linsoul for sending the Kiwi Ears Quintet for evaluation.

Sources used: Questyle CMA Twelve Master, Cayin RU7
Price, while reviewed: $220. Can be bought from Linsoul.

PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

The packaging is minimal, while the accessories are fairly good. The stock tips were good enough for me, and the stock cable seems fine so I assume a replacement will not be essential. The sheathing is a bit on the stiffer side but it also adds some durability, so a fair trade-off.

BUILD QUALITY

Kiwi Ears opts for a pseudo-custom shell design, with 3D-printed resin on the inner shell while a metal faceplate adorns the outer part. There are two vents beside the (flush) 2-pin port. The nozzle is on the thicker side, so third-party eartips might need some compatibility check.

Overall, a no-frills design that’s practical without being a highlight.

COMFORT, ISOLATION, AND FIT

Despite the thicker-than-average nozzle, the Quintet are comfortable for me even during long listening sessions. I did not notice any driver flex. Isolation is average, likely due to the dual vents.

SOURCE AND EARTIPS

For this review, I used the stock narrow-bore eartips and the stock cable. Cayin RU7 was used as the source while on-the-go, and the Questyle CMA Twelve Master was the source when using on the desk.

KIWI EARS QUINTET DRIVER SETUP

Driver configuration is perhaps the most interesting aspect of the Quintet. They have a grand total of five drivers (apt model naming) of four different types: 1 DD (DLC-coated diaphragm), 2 BAs (dual-BA configuration), 1 micro-planar, and 1 piezo-electric bone-conduction (BC) driver.

The BC driver is placed atop the dynamic driver, whereas the other four drivers are placed in various parts of the shell. There is also a damper in front of the Knowles driver to keep resonances in check.

All in all, a very interesting driver configuration and perhaps the Quintet are only “quadbrid” IEMs under the USD$300 mark.

TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES

The tuning of the Kiwi Ears Quintet is close to that of the Harman 2019 target, but with a subjectively better bass shelf and more extended treble.

Kiwi Ears’ take on the Harman target has its perks: the mid-bass is not as “hollow”, resulting in superior and more realistic rendition of percussive hits. Moreover, the added brilliance in the upper-treble makes the perceived stage wider, due to the added airiness, alongside increasing resolved details.

All is not fine, however, as the sub-bass is still too overzealous at times and can cast a shade over the lower-midrange, making male vocals sound hazy and lacking articulation in bassy tracks.

Moreover, the upper-mids are pulled back lower than the sub-bass shelf, resulting in certain female vocals being pushed back in the mix. This might be a boon for those who prefer their vocals pulled back and are allergic to shout. On the other hand, those looking for every minute detail in vocals and string instruments will be left wanting.

I found the treble tuning right up my alley. There is a distinct change in timbre when moving from the mid-treble to upper-treble, as the piezo driver adds a distinct “sheen” to the trailing end of notes in hi-hats and cymbal hits. However, I found the coloration mostly inoffensive and the added sense of air and resolution far outweighed the con of incoherence for me.

Finally, staging is better than average, while imaging was mostly accurate despite having some issues in locating instruments that are placed in ordinal directions. Microdynamics could be better to further highlight subtle shifts in volume, while macrodynamic punch is well rendered.

SELECT COMPARISONS

The Sennheiser IE 200 are single dynamic driver IEMs, and so loses immediately in terms of driver count. Also, the stock accessories are plain better on the Quintet.

However, the IE 200 gain back points due to their more natural timbre and excellent coherency. I also found the bass and mids to be better tuned on the IE 200, with bass notes having superior texture.

In the end, the choice is between a more natural and balanced midrange and bass tuning (IE 200) vs a more resolving pair of IEMs with better treble extension (Quintet). The listener’s preferences will determine the ultimate winner.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

For me, the Quintet are the most well-rounded product Kiwi Ears has launched so far. While the Orchestra Lite had their merit, and the budget IEMs are competitively priced and mostly well-tuned, they all lack the “X-factor” that makes a product stand out.

The Quintet have that X-factor in the form of class-leading upper-treble extension. They also significantly lower the barrier of entry for a pair of quadbrid IEMs.

These days, most releases fall by the wayside, failing to capture even the slightest attention and ending up as flavor-of-the-month at best. The KiwiEars Quintet are genuinely interesting for a change, and I can wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone pining for good treble and an otherwise inoffensive tuning.

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The post Kiwi Ears Quintet Review – Lowering The Barrier appeared first on Music For The Masses.

The €199.00/$300 CAD Tangent CD II is an elegant looking, small CD Player that offers adequate sound but lacks standard features such as continuous playback or a display. Its enormous jitter makes it a poor transport as it does not work with all DACs.

I purchased the Tangent CD II at full price from Electronics For Less Canada.

Introduction

Tangent are a Danish audio company that had been established in 1996. They are known for their radios, loudspeakers, and Hifi components. Their designs follow these distinguished Scandinavian concepts we know from Bang & Olufsen or IKEA: simple and pragmatic, always with clear lines.

I purchased the Tangent CD II because I needed a small CD transport to work with a similarly sized desktop DAC/amp combo. After all, I have 3000-4000 CDs. Sure most of them have been ripped, but there is still the odd classical CD I had ignored in the past.

Specifications Tangent CD II

The most important specifications are not given (marked with “?”). When reading on, you may get an idea why.

Physicals, Functionality, and Operation

The Tangent CD II’s biggest asset is its small size: it is a square box, hardly exceeding the footprint of a CD. There is no display. The only indication that the player is on is a pinhead LED (white when on, red when on standby). The front panel is made of brushed steel with a row of buttons (with good mechanisms). the CDs are slot loaded, which works well. Good haptic and attractive design.

The back panel features the on/off switch, the power outlet, analog RCA line outs and S/PDIF (optical). A coaxial out is sadly missed.

The remote is a universal one to be also used for the company’s fitting amp and streamer. What is lacking is the ability to select ANY track on the CD…you are out of luck above #6 (!!!).

The drive is quiet during operation and responsive to the remote.

Listening/Sound

In my testing, I used the Tangent CD II as transport only and as full CD Player. The same music was used with all sources. I listened with the easily driven final Sonorous III headphones.

Setup I: CD II as Transport

I connected the Tangent CD II via its optical line out with the EarMen Tradutto and SMSL DO200 MK II DACs. The DACs were connected to the EarMen CH-Amp via balanced and RCA interconnects. In this setup, the CD II was used as a transport only — bypassing its own DAC. I compared the CD II with my iPhone connected via USB to the DACs.

Using the Tangent CD II as transport only worked with the Tradutto DAC. The CD II / SMSL DAC combo produced regular music dropouts every few seconds. I tried several Toslink cables — no difference. All alternative sources connected optically with the SMSL worked fine, hence the CD II must be the culprit. The problem is most likely timing errors (jitter) from the CD II.

The more expensive and technically more sophisticated Tradutto appears to have a rather high jitter tolerance. Tangent should have added a coaxial line out as it is less prone to jitter than optical.

Setup II: CD II as CD Player

I also wired the Tangent CD II directly into the CH-Amp via the RCA line outs, thereby bypassing the external DACs. In a comparison test, I replaced the CD II with a vintage Panasonic Portable CD Player (with a dedicated 3.5 mm line out).

Results/Interpretation

iPhone via USB vs. CD II via optical into external DAC: the USB signal was stronger/louder and richer. I had to turn the amp much higher up to get the same volume with the CD II. The CD II has more rounded notes (Toslink effect) and sounded flatter than iPhone/USB. The CD II’s sound quality was acceptable to my ears: nothing harsh sounding. But the CD II needed so much more amp power, which may become an issue with hungrier cans.

CD II through external Tradutto DAC revealed a better sound quality compared to using its own DAC. The CD II’s integrated DAC delivered the lowest signal volume of the testing.

Through its own DAC, the CD II played “better” than the Panasonic. Both had approximately the same low output volume level.

In summary, the iPhone transport via USB delivered the best results.

Criticism

Unfortunately, the Tangent CD II has severe technical and operational shortcomings. First, it does not work well as a CD transport because of its jitter — you may get dropouts in your DAC. Optical connections are prone to jitter, which could be mitigated by a coaxial output that the CD II lacks. I presume Tangent use cheap parts.

Another real bummer is the lack of continuous play: when listening to a Live album, you get gaps between tracks…which is really annoying….and, frankly, substandard.

Also amateurish is the limited functionality of the remote: you can only access tracks 1-6 directly. If you’d like to, for example, go to Variation #26 of J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations, you are out of luck. Sure, you can forward one by one, but the lack of a display makes your navigation much guesswork.

And then there is the low output level…

Summa summarum, it is no surprise that Tangent does not include the crucial specs in their manual.

Concluding Remarks

The Tangent CD II offers adequate performance as a CD Player, provided you listen to albums and don’t want to jump between tracks. As a CD transport, it is a tricky option as it may not work with all DACs because of its enormous timing errors through its optical line out. Several operational misses described above complete the list of plunders.

On the positive side, Its biggest assets are its attractive design and its small footprint.

I regret having purchased it as it simply does not do its job for me (as a CD transport) — and I find it overpriced. As it seems, it features the simplest technology available in an attractive box.

Tangent Danmark’s marketing obviously relies on the popularity of stylish Danish design in general and the potential customer may have subconsciously Bang & Olufsen in mind. But, under the hood, the CD II does not offer enough substance to warrant its purchase in my opinion as it lacks too many basics.

Until next time…keep on listening!

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The post Tangent CD II Review (1) – Jitter Assault appeared first on Music For The Masses.