I was lucky enough to manage to buy the Continental a week before ALO kindly sent me over the National for review so I decided I would see what route and direction each would take side by side and see which one I would choose. I can tell you this I wish I could ride both buses at the same time. Yes they are different but both excite me and both are top quality in their approach and sound presentation I can honestly say I would want both and can probably just about justify it.

A short story behind these two amps is probably required at this point. A while back ALO put together the Continental v1 and then a little later the v2 (with gain switching for low impedance earphones) based on tube design with a nice little but quite rare Raytheon 6111 NOS tube tucked inside and since they launched it these amps have been flying off the shelves due to rave reviews and the scarcity of the 6111 tube. Yup the message is this particular bus (amp shall we say from this point onwards?) is only going to be in service for a short period of time so get it while it lasts so, bingo!, you have a collectors item right there and then for audiophiles.

But how do you build on the success of a collectors item? If the reviews are strong then surely the sound is the top priority here and not the tube itself? Can it be replicated in a sustainable fashion? Well step up the National amp last month with its solid state build design and reported house sound that is very much the Continental without that lovely tube. Well I generalize a touch but the aim was to recreate the Continental in a solid state form so the tube issue did not prevent a success story from being a very short preamble.

And there you have it from the world’s worst story teller but the key for me is now that I have both and since I am not dying to burn a hole in my wallet anymore which one would I go for in hindsight considering the Continental is $529 and the National is srp $399 but selling at $299 (for now). If the sound is the same surely the $299 National is the best bet? Well again this really depends on what you are after because that while both to my ears aim for the same destination but the ride, (shall we say sound now?), experience differs in such a way I think they will definitely appeal to slightly different audiences.

Out of the box

I kind of like the nod to the 50′s styling of both the box and decal on both amps. Coming in choices of silver or black (here our National is silver and our Continental is black) the styling of the box design is like version 1 with the Continental and version 2 with the National. The National has the slightly superior packaging overall, well more suited shall we say. Not to say I didn’t like the Continental packaging but it just felt the whole thing evolved slightly with the release of the National. Inside you get the amp, a power adapter (note both seem to have the same power requirements as the power adapters are exactly the same) and a a few branded bands encased in matching black or white color polystyrene.

Physical differences

Placing them side by side the key difference is in length. The national is about 20% shorter in length than the Continental although by hand both feel roughly the same weight. Both enclosures are fairly basic in terms of design, quite traditional you would say with the only real distinguishing feature being the venting holds for the tube in the Continental. The v2 and the National also come with low/high gain switches with your input output and volume pots and power switch to the front and AC/charging at the back. They look incredibly similar and depth/ height wise are more or less the same.

Specs wise outside of the sound measurements one key difference is the battery life and charging times. Using low impedance (32ohm to 50ohm) dynamic mobile cans the National far outstripped the Continental in terms of useful battery life. The Continental topped out at about 7-8 hours and the National was going strong well beyond 12-14 hours on an 80% charge so kudos for solid state technology and any battery revisions done by ALO. This already makes the National the choice for heavy commuters and travelers who need longer play times. Not to say don’t buy a Continental for portable use because after all it is a portable amp but if you want longer hours the National is going to give you that edge.

The second key consideration to take note of is the general heat coming out of both amps. Those vents in the Continental are there for a reason and that is the tube. It blows hot, well hot as all tubes do, but since you don’t spend all your time at home touching your desktop tubes your going to notice the heat of the Continental a lot more than you normally might since this amp is for holding right out of your hand. The national does get warm also but nowhere near on the same level as the Continental. So on heat levels you give the edge to the National but the National is not the coldest amp I have experienced either when in full flow.

My experience with charging cycles seems to suggest the shorter cycle being for the Continental with the National taking slightly longer to go to green on the AC LED. Your mileage may vary depending on your charge state so just bear in mind this is my own unique experience (220 Volt electrical setup by the way).

In all I give the edge in portability, battery and heat to the National but do bear in mind that tubes do not run cold so if your a tube guy this wont be an issue for you but just make sure not to block those vents on the Continental all the time – they are there for a good reason.

The Continental Tube

A word of mention to the most unique and differentiating feature between these two amps – the Continental tube. It’s a really small one, the Raytheon 6111 NOS tube and yes they are very hard to source. I came across a few at eBay but there were still live auctions with the price going up and up so not entirely sure the street price of these if you do find them. They are sub-miniture class tubes with somewhere around 100,000 hour life spans so don’t expect to need a replacement anytime soon. Noted also for their low noise levels the 6111 are designed to be able to cope with fairly demanding headphones such as the Beyer T1, LCD-2, HD800 but sadly not quite the oomph for the more demanding ortho’s such as the higher HE series from Hifiman. I honestly really enjoyed it with the German Maestro 8.35d on the lower end of the scale as well so most headphones are pretty well covered.

You might think at this stage I am favoring the National and up to this point I got to admit if I never listen to anything out of the amps I am going to say National – its got price, battery, heat levels and smaller form factor in its favor but come on now, we don’t splash our cash for this, the sound is the true marker. Being an ex-owner of the fabulously battery challenged HM-602 from Hifiman I can tell you if one sounds better than the other then short battery life or heat is not an issue.

Now going back to my original story the National was supposed to be the Continental without the tube so to speak so you have to assume you would expect the same sound but to be honest to my ears there are some differences to the sound of both these amps that allow them to occupy their own unique space. I did say if I could have both I would buy both simply because I can see different usages out of them for different purposes.

The Sound

Sound wise the Continental is the more refined amp of the two. Its simply stunning. Allow those tubes to warm up a touch like any normal tube amp and just listen to those amazing warm and luscious liquid mids and super spacious sound stage and presentation. This is the star of the show for me. The bass extension is pretty good actually also but its not dominating the tonality of the amp allowing the mids to take front and center and really give a wonderful clarity to anything you can throw at it within reason. The treble lacks any sharp peaks or sibilance but retains excellent articulation and clarity as well. The Continental sound, though mid orientated is fantastically smooth and coherent throughout – a true audiophile’s amplifier and one that you are going to keep coming back to time and time again if you are a discerning listener. For those with IEM’s do note the v2 high low gain switch allows much better control for those low impedance companions than previously possible with the v1.

The National occupies a slightly different space and to be honest first time out of the box you are going to think the National has more instant impact. The gain setting seems a tad higher with lower settings on the volume pot possible but the first real aural impact you are going to notice is the increased emphasis and weight of the bass performance over the Continental. I know certain customers are going to enjoy that over the more balanced mid-centric emphasis of the Continental. The tonality of the National is certainly much darker than the Continental though it still retains a very nice warm emphasis. The mid-centric qualities of the Continental have been replaced with slightly thicker mids that are slightly more recessed and not quite as airy or detailed. The treble is also quite smooth and laid back but perhaps lacks the articulation of the Continental. The National to me is the more musical amp in some ways with more instant impact but doesn’t quite soar like the Continental or have quite the same huge sound stage. The darker tones and added bass emphasis however does allow it to attack different genres better than the Continental such as dance, R&B and some types of rock so it can step out of the shadows of the more refined and detailed Continental and hold its own with plenty of authority.

Oh and if you have a few dollars more and are going to run the National from an iPod or idevice I highly recommend the ALO Audio Cricket LOD interconnect which is just fabulous. It’s low profile cabling really keeps the whole setup from being messy

Which to choose then?

Boy that is a very hard question – buy both? If only life was that simple. Let me put it this way to try and help you out. If you are a commuter or an out and about person with a need for long battery life and the amp is sitting in your pocket most of the day and your more into R&B, ,hip-hop and crunching hard rock I might suggest the National to you simply because of its superb bass impact and weight and super long battery life and slightly smaller form factor. But if you have a set of higher end cans such as T1, listen to more challenging mid-centric complex music and don’t need huge battery life and are a big tube fan then the answer is, albeit a more expensive one, a lot more clearer – get the Continental.

Since the arrival of my PB2 and Db2 from Ibasso a year ago I honestly have not been this excited about portable amps in a long time.

Continental Specs

Tube type; one Raytheon 6111 NOS tube
Battery: Lithium-Polymer
Battery Play Time: Approximately 7 – 8 hours per charge
Recharge Time: Approximately 3-4 hours
Frequency Response: 40Hz-20KHz +/- 1dB
Signal-to-Noise Ratio: >100dB
Total Harmonic Distortion: 1%
Stereo Crosstalk: >85dB @ 1KHz
Input Impedance 30K ohms Output
Output 300mW@ 32 ohms

National Specs

Frequency Response : +/- 1 dB:10-100,000 Hz
Maximum Output: 20 V Peak to Peak
THD+N: 0.004% @ 16V Peak to Peak out into 600
Broadband Noise: : <<10μV RMS, unweighted, integrated over 20Hz – 100kHz
Input Impedance: 10KOhms
Maximum Input Level: 3.5VRMS
Channel Tracking: < +/- <±0.2dBdB

For those unaware v-moda is the brainchild of Val Kolton with the considerable assistance of designer Joseph Bucknall and the direct result of a party hard visit to Ibiza in Europe which is famed for it’s unbelievable dance parties and heavyweight DJ’s who often rise to fame on the back of huge sessions there. Essentially Val figured that Headphones are not just electronics but lifestyle choices and should be sold outside of the rather drab confines of appliance sections. To a large extent in 2004 Val was tapping into or kick-starting what has now become a cultural phenomenon of the fashion or consumer line of headphones by such tour-de-forces as Monster, Bose and Skullcandy which has sought to move headphones into mainstream lifestyling with great success. Only for V-moda the sound quality does indeed count.

I remember somewhere on Head-fi Val spoke about the SQ of the Crossfade line pertaining to the fact his years in the music business have taught him the value of your hearing and to a large extent he has designed the sound to ensure that prolonged listening to the v-moda line would not do direct damage to your ears. After a few hours with the LP I can understand his thinking on that and how it has shaped the listening experience which I will get into later.

Packaging

Well no kidding this package has real style. It puts other major and well renowned manufacturers to shame. Even the box has a ribbon which you must cut to open the box much like some sort of event. Open the box up (complete with faux-snake skin handle)and the first thing you are going to notice is this very weird but awesome alien type headphone case in which the headphones are housed.

It looks pretty alien but you know it really works well to be honest. One of the best cases I have seen and very unique. Its pretty sturdy and actually the contours give it a smaller footprint than most regular cases. Open it up and everything has its place.

The headphones themselves can be fitted either side of the case with ease and being a detachable single entry headphone there is no wire mess with two cables being tucked away under a little elastic nylon holder. You will also notice a nifty little latch which can be taken out and attached to the case and say a bag or rucksack for extra portability. Something I might try myself on my travels next month. The cables are pretty durable looking and covered in cloth with one end straight and the other as a slight angle. Both seem to fit in the headphone but my preference is for the right angle coming out of the cup. It just seems a tad more natural.

Headphone Build

The headphone itself is very durable and very well put together actually. This is not cheap looking at all and much more distinctive than some of the more staid designs out there. Pair this beside an M50 or an HD25-1 II and this is the one that is going to grab your attention first. Fit wise the pads are very comfortable for an on-ear and just the right amount of pressure on the head. They term the LP as semi-open on account of the tiny slots at the bottom also on the face plates. The headband is made of a stiff outer and soft inner and the cup gables are rather like the Beyer design only a little more aggressive in appearance. Its a sort of a mixture between gothic, metal and industrial in design coupled with the fact you can also have custom cup face plates which makes the whole experience a little bit more interesting and personalized.

As I speak also there is a white version out now and some may love that. I prefer bad-ass black to be honest but horses for courses!

Just a word of warning, like the ATH AD700 MK2 you got to slot the cable tight into the cup entry or else it wont connect properly and give you sound from hell. This happened to me first time round and I damn near threw it away only to realize it was not securely connected.

Isolation and clamping is actually very good and the cup materials give a nice soft padding on the ears. The whole headphone is sturdy but light and something you can comfortably wear when walking around without fear of it falling off. Its a softer and better fit than the DT1350 and HD25-1 II and slightly better than the ESW9. The clamping is stronger than the ESW9, but weaker though than the other two.

Sound Quality

The LP is built from the bottom up giving more bias to the mid-bass and mids with a roll off on the highs. There is a slight reverb (big hall echo) when I initially burned them in but it settled down after a few hours of solid play. The bass itself is punchy when needed though does not extend deep down as some other headphones or quite the same snap as say the HD25-1 II, but a bit more weighted and thicker than the DT1350. Running Megadeth’s 1988 ‘Hook in Mouth’ from my Cowon X7 (flat EQ) and ALO National Amp the added weight of the National’s above par bass attack is excellent without ever bleeding into the mids. Definitely a mid-bass hump of sorts but not an ever present one that distracts from the rest of the SQ. Overall the bass is rich and thick with decent extension without being overtly punchy.

Thankfully no bass bleed allowing the mids to to post better than average results with vocals. Not as strong or as forward as the more mid-focused and detailed DT1350 but cleaner and less recessed and smoother than the HD25-1 II. I still rate the ESW9 as tops for vocals and smoothness in the mids though – you just can’t beat a good woody sometimes. The tonality is very smooth and musical and the mids do not sound of place in the overall presentation.

This is not a treble orientated headphone so those looking for sharp details, aggressive and fast attack will need to think again. It lacks the shimmer and the heat of the HD25-1 II and the detail of the DT1350 though given its overall smooth sound signature I don’t think this is surprising to be honest. In some ways its highs are not too far off the ESW9 without perhaps some of the articulation. Thankfully the LP is 100% sibilance free and for those who like a warmer laid back and smooth treble response that is non fatiguing will enjoy this.

The LP sound stage is on par with the ESW9, certainly better than the HD25-1 II and slightly bigger than the DT1350. It does have a touch of reverb common in closed cans despite its semi open nature. Imaging and instrument separation is again on par for closed headphones and I again ranked it just behind the ESW9. The warm smooth sound might make it seem muddy to others who are more used to the razor sharp attack of say a Grado though.

Conclusions

So where does the LP sit in the plethora of today’s consumer driven higher end headphone market? Well for start its a winner for looks and comfort and unique appeal; the headphone stands out from the crowd thanks to its aggressive design, customisable face plates and fantastic contoured headphone case which actually has purpose. Its easy to drive, good isolation and clamping is just right for outdoors walkabouts. You will be noticed with this headphone that is for sure.

Sound wise its warm, musical and not overly analytical with a smooth response that is perhaps a tad too rolled over on the highs but retains solid strengths on the mids and and a decent bass that is not overly dominant or punchy or have a typical consumer v-curve signature.

Overall I think the LP has plenty of potential and a solid debut for v-moda on the on-ear market that is going to appeal to a lot of casual listeners and those with sensitive ears looking for a durable portable headphone.

The secret ingredient for these bullet shaped IEM’s is their patented PureSound Processor which they claim to give you distortion and harmonics free, 3-dimensional listening experience. The sound is described as producing brighter mids, crips highs and clean deep bass. I will give you two out of three on that score and will explain in further detail later.

Packaging and Build

Let take a look at the package before we get down to the sound. I find earphone packaging to be either a score or fail and that even extended to the big custom $1000 ones also. The bottom line with an earphone for functionality is that is must fit into your ear and produce a good seal (good tips) and it must have good portability, i.e. a case that you can put in your pocket or somewhere discreet. You don’t offer good tips and a case then honestly go back to the R&D team and ask them what the heck am I paying you for.

Taking a look at the ClarityOne package I felt they almost got the package just right. The case is the ubiquitous round clam shell but with above average branding logo and a really nice sturdy locking mechanism all in Orange and Black. That is a good example on how to do one of those clam shell cases right if you ask me. The tips though I am not so sure on. The standard one prefitted did not fit my ears all that well but the medium was ok and the small was, well, kind of too small. I ended up tapping into my reserves of tips and coming out with some nice white rubber tips that fitted real nice and in similar texture to the stock tips that came with the ClarityOne’s to ensure I didn’t change the SQ by accident with a change of tips. You may wish to try Comply Tips also if you can get a good fit. I suspect the qualities of Comply (T-400′s) would really suit these earphones.

Build wise these are very well designed and in the popular bullet form factor. You can tell some good work was put into how these were made. The cable is quite durable looking and rather interestingly the cable is made of a synthetic material that really does reduce a lot of lot of tangles. I was able to produce a little harmonic feedback on the cables into the earphone with my tap tap test using my fingers but nothing out of the ordinary. The further down the cable there was virtually no harmonics whatsoever.

Technical Specs

Sensitivity (1kHz):110dB SPL/mW
Frequency Range:15 Hz – 20 kHz
Jack Plug:3.5 mm stereo gold plated
Cable Length:48 in/1.12 m tangle free
Transducer:7.5mm neodymium magnet
Impedance (1kHz): 8 ohm

Sound Quality

Ok so whipped out the ipod 5.5g rockbox, an ALO Continental and a C&C X02 amp for testing. Both amps will bring a tubeish warmth and dark tonality and being at 8ohms the ipod itself is going to have no issues working the ClairtyOne’s either.

Right out of the box I am going to tell you these are not for bassheads. The ClarityOne’s have a real bias to the upper mids and highs and are a bit thin on the lower end of the spectrum. If your a basshead I just don’t think you are going to enjoy these. However if treble is your forte then these perform very well indeed at the entry point. There is nothing bloated or slow about the sound signature especially for guitar work which I found pretty aggressive and accurate on tracks such as Hammerfall’s Punish and Enslave” from 2009′s No Sacrifice, No Victory album. At times the aggression can slip into some harshness particularly on heavy cymbal work. For some rock work I would switch to the Comply T-400′s to just smooth off the edges a bit without loosing any of that articulation and attack.

For more soundstage orientated audio I tried the Continental with the Ipod and the King Arthur OST (just one of the best OST’s in years). The emotion was there, the detail was pretty good, just missed that bottom end and extension to give it a more richer and deeper image that I so love on my Merlin’s for this album. It performs very well indeed on the fast percussion work with a very detailed presentation that doesn’t get chaotic in anyway or fall on itself. If the bass extended further I would say this would have had excellent results.

Conclusion

If your a treble head then these earphones will be more your taste. If you like liquid warm with bass then nope these will not work for you. If your amp matching an E11 might be the ticket to balance the highs with the amp’s dark bass signature. With an 8ohm resistance though you can plug these into just about anything and the performance will be pretty good. I enjoyed them much more with delicate and detailed tracks than I did with rock and pop but they did not do too bad with trance and electronica either which from time to time relies on shimmer and sparkle. They look great and the packaging is pretty good. I think Puresound Technologies are heading in the right direction; just hoping they tweak the processor and come out with dark evil bass monsters next time to compliment these nicely.

Quite apart from the technical specifications the size and form factor alone makes these two units stand out. From an audio mobile purist you are going to take a second look at these two units for a number of reasons. First is the size alone. Yes they are smaller in the shape of the uDAC and Superpro 707 but a lot more attractive to look at with a more smoothed off curvature. The input and outputs are front and back so those preferring a side facing setup might not be in favor though given its petite size you can put the DAC and uPower just about anywhere behind your system and allow it to remain hidden.

Technical Specifications

UD384:

The Kingrex UD384 is an async USB DAC and Digital to Digital (USB to Spdif) converter capable of up to 24/384 sample rates (from its USB input).
The Kingrex UD384 can be operated either from a regular 7.5v SMPS or from the UPower, which is the optional battery power supply.

UD384 (32bits/384Khz USB DAC )
Input: USB x 1
Analog output: RCA x 2 (Rx1 Lx1)
Digital output :SPDIF x 1
Sampling rate support :44.1Khz, 48Khz, 88.2Khz, 96Khz, 176.4Khz, 192Khz, & 384Khz(384Khz for USB DAC only)
Supported bit rate: 16 / 24 /32bit
USB:2.0 high speed
Adaptive Clock Generator for Audio Streaming Synchronization
Asynchronous mode changeable through DFU Tool
Power requirement: 7.5V/250mA
Size: 110x82x24mm

UPower:

Pure DC output battery power supply unit
Two output : 2.5mm DC jacket: 7.5V DC output and USB A :5V DC output(through linear regulator)
Major component: High quality Sanyo Li-ion battery.
Power volume: 2600mA/hr. Included special design for isolated protect circuitry for two Li-ion batteries.
Using fully high quality aluminum for styling & cooling.
Low battery indicator design for charging reminding.
CHG/DC OUT switch. Fully isolated the charging and discharging. It will free the AC noise from the charger.
Parallel charging- each battery cell could charge to its maximum by the design.

So what makes this little package so special? Quite a lot actually. The name itself is a hint with the u384 being able to pump out up to 32bit/384kHz playback which is a monstrous future proof right there. Only a few companies dabble in 384 playback so sadly this level of digital quality is not yet common spread but when it does boy you are in for a treat.

The U384 also packs in a Digital to Digital (USB to Spdif) converter that gives you great up-scaling or playback potential or you can simply use it as a regular USB DAC with its RCA outputs depending on your setup. The u384 is also asynchronous and supports all lower common sampling rates from 44.1kHz to that 384kHz (the latter only via USB and not through the S/PDIF socket) but not 352.8kHz. Judging by comments on the web the 352.8khz is a rate that we may see in later models though honestly most people are not going to fret too much about missing out on that particular rate.

That alone is an enticing package for audio purists but connect the u384 to the uPower and the whole experience goes up a notch. The Upower PSU is designed specifically in response to the commonly held opinion that a good power supply enhances playback quality and the performance of the receiving unit as a whole. Now living in Asia I can testify that dirty power is a real annoyance and my various cleaning units and voltage regulators are testimony to that. It is a further bonus then that the uPower can also act as an independent battery source to the U384 giving them both clean space between me and my wall sockets should the need arise which is just great for my local forum meets when plugs are a premium. The uPower itself can simply direct connect to the U384 once fully charged through a supplied 7.5V to 7.5V I/O discreet power cable and the whole setup is ready to go. The similar form factor means I can stack them on top of each other in a very neat and tidy space. Beyond the functional benefits the uPower can bring a lot more to the party in terms of sound quality adjustment which I will get into later.

Setting up the u384 and uPower

Just a quick word on the setup since this is not quite plug and play and there are some recommendations to get the right setup that Kingrex kindly provided for me. First up it will work most Windows variants from Windows XP to Windows 7 and Mac OSX 10.5 – 7. With Windows however it is not plug and play so you are going to have to install the supplied drivers on a nice little nifty 8GB Kingrex branded USB stick. Having done that you are good to go for playback on Windows as it recognizes the uDAC384 right away and shows up in your OS playback devices list. Be aware on Windows 8 Consumer preview edition, which is what I am running on an old laptop, there is no support yet for the drivers supplied so it will not work with the preview. I can’t say for sure yet if this will be remedied when the official Windows 8 OS comes out but I am sure Kingrex will update their drivers in due course.

Beyond getting your drivers installed Kingrex have recommended Foobar + WASAPI drivers for audio playback on higher end Windows or ASIO4ALL on Windows XP and iTunes plus Pure Music or Amarra on Mac’s for best reproduction. I promptly went for the Windows 7 setup and then hooked up the u384 to the uPower via the AC and started with the USB to Analog core setup using a Burson Audio HA-160 Amp.

Sound Quality

I can best define the sound quality in two phases with the u384 – without uPower and with uPower. The Upower does make a difference to the sound presentation in my opinion. With the uPower connected to the u384 the background noise is next to zero with some fantastic sound staging which went very deep and layered in its imaging. With the help of Kingrex we downloaded some 32 bit samples from www.unipheyemusic.com and the results where indeed very impressive. Working the u384 via the Burson Audio and an LCD-2 v2 gave a lot more precision, speed and accuracy than I expected. After around 100-200 hours of burn in any initial brightness I found out of the box died away and the setup became a lot more balanced with a very resolving high end and fantastic articulation.

Moving across the genres I found it did especially well with complex musical passages with little or no background interference on quieter delicate acoustics and for more modern genres such as pop and rock it resolved very well indeed. I would not term this as an overly colored DAC setup nor overly warm but if matched well it gives oodles of detail and involvement without ever being fatiguing, well at least to my ears it is not fatiguing.

Going up through the levels to higher digital samples and the u384 copes incredibly well. I would say the u384 shines a lot better than other higher end DAC’s at higher sampling rates than I expected. It certainly slays my modest Maverick Audio DAC but the D1 does benefit from tube warmth and a slightly richer lower end though the details are not as clear or articulate as the u384. Don’t get me started on the Beresford TC-7510 comparison, there is just no competition, hands down the u384 is a far superior performer in every respect.

Where does this sit in your system?

If your after a major hub for a complex system the u384 might come up a bit short. It does not have all the knobs and whistles of a central nervous system type DAC like a similarly prices Cambridge Audio DAC magic (balanced outputs etc). However if your a digital music guy who likes their setup relatively straight forward and have SPDIF connectivity and maybe a single high end amp and looking for quality pure sound and great upsampling rates the u384 and uPower are a fantastically priced option. The future proofing in sampling rates is already there; the slight mobility factor in the uPower allows you to bring a small setup to any audio meet and get great high end sound. Price wise I think Kingrex nailed it in terms of what you get for your money. If the 352 sampling rate gets injected in at some later stage in future versions then I can have zero complaints.

First of all the name is relatively new in the market. You are not going to see immediate brand recognition like Sennheiser or Grado so they have their work cut out but then again they don’t come with any preconceptions either so no automatic bias. German Maestro were actually born out of the old MB Quart lineage of headphones so they are not completely new to the market in terms of know how and development expertise. The second point to note is indeed they are a German firm and indeed the headphones are manufactured in Germany. Some people put a lot of stock in that and in the brief time I have handled them I can honestly say the quality of finish is exactly as the company intended them to be – near indestructible!

These cans are really built to last and I don’t mean in a “drop them they might not break’ kind of way, I mean ‘drop them and stomp on them and then plug them in and listen to great music’ kind of way. I had previously mentioned last year I thought the Aiaiai TMA-1 set the standard for robustness, well the 8.35D just takes it up up a few notches. I wouldn’t bother buying a case for these (unless your packing it in a bag of nails), I just don’t see anyway you can break them in normal everyday use.

German Maestro 8.35 D

The whole casing is made from durable plastics that is very flexible indeed with some added leather on the headband underside for necessary comfort. The pads themselves are flat plether type that are not quite over the ear but very large on ear. They are not the deepest of pads, certainly no J-Money and to be honest about 2-3mm more thickness might have just elevated this to very high comfort levels. For now I would day they are relatively comfy fresh out of the box with a rock solid clamp. Isolation is pretty decent also and does what is required when the music gets going. I would say again though if the pads has a bit more depth and memory shaping they might have got the isolation a bit higher but then who knows what would happen to the sound as a result so I don’t recommend opening pandora’s box on that one – stick with the stock initially because there is no real need to mod this can.

Technical Data

Frequency Response: 20 – 27.400 Hz
Nominal Impedance: 35 O
Sound pressure level (1mW/1kHz): 101 dB
Acoustical Principle: Closed
Ear Pads: Synthetic leather, circumaural
Average pressure on the ear: ~5.5 N
Weight w/o cable: 220 g
Connector: Stereo-Multi-Jack 3,5 / 6,3 mm
Spiralcable 1,5 / 3 m

The 8.35D is a 35ohm headphone and as such is a bit of a breeze when it comes to power. 35 ohms will release it from the desktop and give you portability and honestly despite it’s size I do see this potentially as a very good, if somewhat large, portable headphone.

The Sound

For me the GM 8.35D sits above the Aiaiai TMA-1 and the Hd25-1 II and slightly below the Senn HD600/650 class and in direct competition with the Hifiman HE300 and the Beyer DT48′s. I can honestly say that those with a love for slightly darker sounding headphones with a smooth response and a nice bass midhump without loss of articulation will really enjoy the 8.35D. It is cleaner than the TMA-1 with greater clarity in the highs and less claustrophobia and aggression than the HD25-1 II. The cohesion is also much better than the Hifiman HE300. Everything flows with good coherence throughout. The bass is very present on the 8.35d but unlike both of the mobile counterparts is neither in your face or sloppy and slow. The coherence of the sound presentation makes everything almost dreamy and lush rather than pounding and in your face.

I don’t think it is going to suit fast hard hitting high energy rock but interestingly enough I really enjoyed it with R&B, pop and dance and particularly anything with electronics and vocals to the fore. The midbass hump lacks a little slam but this really benefits the coherence with the mids and highs giving the music much more depth without it being a bass nightmare and killing the mids.

A-ha’s “To let you win” off 2000′s “Minor Earth, Major Sky” is just the right pace for these headphones and demonstrates it strengths really well. The clean presentation of Morten Harket’s intimate vocals was very lush and lacked any sibilance (potential problem for close mic work on recordings like this). Certainly the vocals did not get lost with a strong midrange that held it’s own. The highs on the 8.35D show a little roll off at the absolute top end giving it a more relaxed energy and removing potential fatigue with it’s non spiky nature.

One note on rock though – for those that have Graveyard’s 2012 album, “Hisingen Blues” will know that its a really warm close sounding rock album recorded in a very classic rock style. A bass heavy headphone or too warm and veiled and it will sound like pure rubbish. I highly recommend you take the 8.35d for a test run using this album. Outside of top tier headphones this is the first darkish closed headphone that I have seen it do justice to this album. The vocals are perfectly positioned, slightly forward and very clear without taking away from the very grungy garage nature of the band. I tried this album with my UM Merlin’s a few weeks back and was not as impressed as I was with the GM 8.35d in handling this type of sound. I had to switch the Merlin’s to silver cables to get closer to the  the 8.35D  clarity.

For amping purposes I tried the 8.35am out of the FiiO E9 and E17, the KingRex UD384, uPower and Bravo Audio Ocean Tube Amp all the way up a Schiit Lyr and Burson Audio. One of our staff writers here mentioned the scaling of the 8.35d was not as strong as say some of it’s competitors like the Beyer DT250 and to be honest at 35ohms I did not expect it to scale the heights. It sounded great though out of the FiiO combo and if your dividing your budget between a good quality headphone and some low end amping I don’t think you have any fears from this match up. On the mobile side the E17  is plenty good in it’s own right. Keep the amping clean and the 8.35D is a perfect match for me.

Conclusion

As I mentioned right at the start – this headphone for me was never really on my radar before. It is now. The 8.35D really is a flexible headphone across the genres with the possible exception of more challenging or technical jazz and classical tracks. The musical nature of its SQ allows it to deftly move between garage style rock such as Graveyard to David Guetta and still come out singing. It bass punch is really satisfying without too much boom or sloppiness and it’s strong mids help everything to come out clean in the uppers without any fatiguing or sibilant highs. The easy driving nature gives it a mobility dimension and its build quality makes it one tough son of a gun!

The German Maestro is available from www.hifiheadphones.co.uk currently priced at £149.00.

Before getting into the details I just want to thank both Advanced Headphones for supplying the Exodus to Tim and for Hifi Headphones supplying one to me. Big up to our UK sponsors on this! Take it away Tim..

So my first item up for review was definitely a product I was already in two minds about and that product was the House of Marley Exodus closed can. As you may have seen from the press shots these things look beautiful and are made out of some pretty awesome materials (one piece curved wooden headband? Yes please!) However what you may have noticed from their website is a slight lacking in technical details and very little mentioned about the audio quality side of things. Being an audiophile obsessed with good design you see my predicament that I faced.Enough of the assumptions and onto the real deal.

I can help you out there Tim, here are some of the tech specs floating around at the moment for the Exodus headphone:

The ever so nice bag and beautifully crafted headphones

Packaging

The brand push their green credentials and the packaging on the exodus headphones looks to re-enforce that idea using lots of natural un-dyed cardboard ready to be added to the paper recycling box, this isn’t to say there was a lack of care, in fact there was some seriously impressive cardboard cutting and folding design going on, incorporating a secure section to store the headphones and a side pocket to hold the completely unexpected carry case that also comes with these headphones.

Close up of the bag

The carry case is well designed with a re-enforced front and back and soft side walls to keep your cans in great condition wherever you may go. This added bonus wasn’t mentioned on the website and was one of many great finishing touches along with the perfectly folded headphone cord tied up with some hemp string in a neat little bow that really helped set this product apart from anything else I’ve seen in this price range, they really do have a personal touch.

If you don’t like the Exodus the bag is almost good enough in its own right! I have to say everything, as Tim mentions, came in nice and neat and very well packaged. I saw mention of a black velvet case version also but I can’t confirm this, the current bag is upright and made of strong material though not a hard case for total protection.

The Cans

Taking the headphones out of the box for the first time I literally had to caress and inspect the headband to believe it was a real piece of wood, the finish is immaculate and the stain really emphasizes the grain beautifully, this story was continued throughout the rest of the product. The Suede headband is well stitched and feels lovely and the braided cord balances a fine line between being a little gaudy and being quite classy and in my opinion manages to stay on the classy side despite its Rastafarian colours. I was not 100% sure on the cups and pads to begin with, due to the cups feeling a little light and cheap at first and the pleather on the pads felt thin and fragile, unfortunately only a number of years of testing would prove whether these parts would stand the test of time.

Nice organic and natural design

The headphones are non-adjustable and are designed as a one size fits all solution by utilising the flexible wooden headband, however this may well be these cans biggest downfall. The suede headband pushes down too much on the top of your head forcing the cups over your ears, this was not only a problem for me with my giant pumpkin of a head but also my girlfriend who’s head appears to be a lot smaller than an average adult’s noggin. The only cure for this for me appeared to be to tie the suede headband up against the wooden headband and after doing so the cans were incredibly comfy indeed with a moderate but very acceptable clamping pressure on my ears.

The headphones incorporated a 40mm driver and a microphone built into the cable along with some basic controls for phone functionality, the rest of the technical specs are rather lacking.

I must have a small head, or smaller than Tim’s girlfriend’s head because they clamped well on my ears and did’t move so much though I did find that from time to time I had to do a slight adjustment to get it just right. The clamp is pretty strong without the slight band modification. They do indeed look immaculately well designed with lots of nice touches. In particular the leather and steel button finish over the cup was really classy. I am a big fan of organics and natural design so this gets the two thumbs up from me. I do wish the on ear was slightly over the ear as the cups are a little stiff on the ear but no biggie.

Rasta!

The can is a dual entry can and as Tim mention’s the braid is finished in a nice rasta tone. I would have preferred a much thicker cable with a little less memory again I am nitpicking on what is a really great artistic design and build.

Sound

For testing I use 2 sources, the first being my trusty Sansa Clip+ for use out on the move and my pc hooked up to an M-Audio Audiophile soundcard for my home listening. I find both products to be class leading in sound quality on a regular Joe’s budget.

When I opened up the box, grinning like a kid at Christmas, then plugged them in I was greeted with sour disappointment, they sounded almost shockingly bad and my face went a little white as I considered how I was going to write up this review without hurting anyone’s feelings. Luckily I’ve learnt to let headphones break in before making a real judgement; a couple of hours later with some pink noise playing through and things were starting to look up – a lot! Seeing that these were clearly going to keep improving I decided to let them burn in for a further 6 hours or so before finally sitting down and having a real listen. Read on to find out what changed.

I experience the same as Tim, you really do have to let these babies burn in just a touch – out of the box they are veiled and recessed but after about 10 hours the veiled lifted and was able to get right into quality listening.

After the mentioned break in period the first thing that I would have to say is how dynamic and involving these headphones are, this is no laid back listening but a tub-thumping barrel of fun that will get your feet tapping every time. Snares were brilliantly precise without being piercing, the kick was solid and thick and cymbals had plenty of sparkle and space. This wasn’t your usual case of pump the bass and highs then forget about the midrange, vocals were forward and engaging and listening to Florence and the Machine’s anthemic selection of festival tunes really set my hairs on end. Obviously these are not a purist’s fantasy and there was a slight sibilance apparent. The bass, although full and with plenty of kick did not drop down terribly low, there was also a bit of a lack of space around instruments, I wouldn’t go as far as saying they sounded congested but were definitely typical of a closed back can.

Did they work well on the slightly weedy Sansa Clip+ portable player? Amazingly, yes, even when pushed hard with some heavy metal or dubstep they rarely lost their composure and retained 90% of the fun and intensity as when connected up to the much more powerful M-Audio unit. These cans have definitely been designed with portable players and phones in mind, which is surprisingly rare to see, especially from some of the larger manufacturers.

The cups

I went for a small desktop setup – nothing too fancy but certainly powerful and clean with the Kingrex UD384 DAC and the uPower module and the Bravo Audio Ocean tube amp. Certainly affordable but one of my favorites for on the go testing without loss of quality. I took a mixture of quality (ahem) 80′s rock with The Cult’s 1990 Sonic Temple album and moving up to Buika for vocals, some Major Lazer for those bass lines and then finally Goldfrapp’s Head First album from 2010 which I always though to be a bit of a bright recording for most headphones.

The overall tone is a dark headphone with a warm sound though not overly laid back – as Tim describes it – lively, but in no way fatiguing. For me the Exodus is more at home with modern R&B than classic rock but I did enjoy the way it gave a beefy presentation of the rhythm guitar work on The Cult’s Sonic Temple. More complex mids it does struggle a touch due to the condensed imaging but once you throw in some heavy dance floor or ragga beats and switch to tracks such as Major Lazer’s “When You Hear The Bassline” of their 2009 album “Gun’s don’t kill People Lazers Do” then the Exodus really starts playing to it’s strengths. This track pumps out bassline after bassline and the Exodus just sucks it up and churns out punch after punch without any undue bloat or boom.

Conclusions

To come to my conclusion I’ve decided to carefully consider the market these headphones are aimed at, with their fun design and microphone I think we can agree that most people buying these will be of a young demographic and using them with portable players. With this in mind I would say that these are fantastic at consistently delivering an engaging and exciting performance that I would wear on my daily walk to work every day. There are however a couple of gripes, the ill-fitting headband that even after a couple of months tied up failed to sit on my head properly after being released and the ear cups feel a bit too fragile where they connect to the headband.

The House of Marley Exodus currently retail at just under £100 and when you consider the materials used, the attention to detail, beautiful design and the decent sound they offer I would say this is a fantastic package for anyone seeking a pair of fun cans for under a ton.

Thanks Tim! I think you are certainly going to notice the bottom end more than the top end with these headphones. This is not a neutral headphone, this is a fun and musical headphone with a bit of classy styling and certainly a headphone people will notice when out and about. If you want something cool and better than ‘da beats’ then this is a pretty good option if you ask me

For more information you can inquire with:

www.hifiheadphones.co.uk
www.advancedheadphones.co.uk
http://www.thehouseofmarley.co.uk/

To get the attractive price point Burson Audio had to do a bit of tweaking with the original HA-160D. In the HA-160D you got a real box of tricks with a USB DAC, preamp capabilities, high AND low gain headphone outputs – especially useful when trying to use a high and low impedance headphone at the same time 24 stepped volume control. Essentially the D was designed to be a key part in a high end system and being priced over $1200 it was certainly not to be taken lightly. The D, as reviewed back in November 2011 by Kyle, was really something special. We had the chance to take the D out with us to KenJam2 in December 2011 and it was very well received indeed. The HA-160D was generally viewed as an excellent, aggressive DAC/AMP combo with plenty of impact. A discreet amp and DAC such as this is a real keeper in my book.

So why produce a ‘budget’ version of the D in the shape of the DS? Well from what I can gather this was a result of a ton of feedback from customers – headphone customers! Yup that’s us guys in case you are wondering. What Burson decided to do was shoot for compromise price and took out the pre-amp, high and low resistance headphone jacks, (now one jack with impedance ‘somewhere in between’ both high and low), and most of the system orientated outputs from the back of the DS. They also made a very big move in taking out the Burson stepped attenuator and replacing it with an ALPS Blue Velvet potentiometer or ‘volume control’ to the layman. The stepped attenuator is a heap more expensive than the ALPS Blue pot so plenty of saving to be had there. The ALPS to most will also feel more accurate than the stepped version as it has a smooth turn rather than the more snappy step by step feel that many headphone users might dislike given it is slightly less accurate in many respects to fine volume tuning. Both methods give their own unique spin on the end product – the sound itself, so you might want to audition both given the fact many who first demoed the HA-160D noted it for it’s ‘impact’.

The second key difference to note comparing the HA-160D to the DS is the fact this is basically an enclosed headphone system rather than a link in the chain like the HD-160D was. On the back you have USB input, digital and analog inputs only. No outputs. The only output is the headphone jack itself at the front. So you can hook this right up to your source and go straight to the headphones as an all-in-one solution. Some may like that for simplicity sake and some who have existing high end amps for specific reasons may not (ortho people in particular with the HE6). I can see both sides of the coin on this one and in some respects I would prefer at least one set of analog outs for choice but considering the amp itself is essentially the same amp as the celebrated HA-160 (on paper) then most people wont suffer any loss. Certainly if you want just one high end solution the Burson Audio HA-160DS is a very high contender indeed in that respect.

There are also some slight cosmetic difference in the build quality. The initial HA-160D was a schooling on amp casing with beautiful thick plates and almost total heat isolation, the same also with the standalone HA-160 amp. Now to get that competitive pricing the DS has gone with thinner build on the enclosure. From the outside it looks just as great as the old design but its slightly less efficient at blocking out the latent heat and does feel thinner. On the plus side the big nuts and bolts on the HA-160 has is no longer present so the top is a bit smoother and less industrial looking. It is not a biggie though, just a minor note.

So on a technical level I think Burson did a fantastic job here answering the call of headphone users. For those with high end demands and choice issues I would say stick with the 160D but for those with a lust for simple headphone orientated setup solutions and still want a high end product, on paper, the 160DS fits the mark.

All that and I have not even talked about its performance. Goodness where are my manners! OK so I did note before that comparing the D and the DS and even the regular 160 amp side by side there are some differences in sound presentation and ultimately you might want to choose your camp because this is not a case of better or worse quality but just slightly different emphasis.

Straight off the ALPS pot made life a lot easier on the volume control but I did find coming from the twin jack outputs of the HA-160 and the DS to the single jack a bit challenging in terms of what headphone would match and what would not. I opted for the Senn HD800 initially and got to about 10am on the dial for safe listening on FLAC so for sure 300ohms is well within its capability and I would dare say it will easily cope with 600ohm also. The sound itself was very smooth with a very balanced and neutral presentation the scales very nicely indeed with the HD800 without every getting out of control.

It is a not a laid back amp in it’s own right but here is my sticking point, it is not as impactful as the HA-160 or the DS. There are no issues at all with bass presentation. It extends wonderfully and gets you to where you want to go but the ‘hit’ was slightly more polite than the bigger D and the 160 amp. Plenty of pace and and it is still a punchy presentation but for me personally I still veered to the D and 160 amp sound. It is really just a question of taste to be honest. What camp are you in? The holistic balanced and smooth presentation of the DS or the punchy more aggressive D/HA-160.

Putting aside the comparison I really enjoyed the DS – bass extension was fabulous, the sound is very smooth and warm and the articulation is a notch or two higher than many amps in the sub $1k range. There is a slight degree of roll off at the very top end but this only serves to give a much more non -fatiguing and pleasurable listening experience. Comparing it to the Lyr was really a schooling in everything but power. The Lyr maybe one of the last words in pure grunt with 6 watts per channel but for sheer aggression and forwardness without any shrillness the Burson HA-160DS was king. The Lyr actually sounded a little polite and cold in some ways compared to the 160DS – made me think which one was the actual tube amp! Of course the Lyr comes into it’s own when using the HE6 and in my mind the HE6 did not work as well with the DS so hats off to Schiit for putting out something there that they knew would stand the test for headphone amp power demands. Don’t even get me started on the match with the ATH W3000ANV – this was just pure perfection to my ears.

Conclusions

So where do I stand on the DS? If you want a link in the system – this is not it. If you want this as your system and your a headphone nut then this is it. If your looking for warm amp, natural tonality with great attack and articulation combined with solid aggression and a non-fatiguing presentation then the HA-160DS is going to serve it to you in buckets. If you want a bit more impact I would say save a few hundred bucks more and grab the HA-160D or the HA-160 amp and plug it into your existing system. Both will serve you well.

Tech specs

Measurement:

Input impedance: 36.5 KOhms
Frequency response: ± 1 dB 0 – 20Khz
Signal to noise ratio: 110dB
THD: <0.12% at 150mW , 0.06% at 100mW
Channel separation: <54dB
Output power: 250mW (less than 1% distortion)
Output impedance: phones out 5.6 Ohms
Power dissipation: >20W, internal, regulated power supply

Inputs:

1 x USB Connection (Support up to 24bit @ 96Khz with 10ppm low jitter clock)
1 x Coaxial RCA (Support up to 24bit @ 192Khz)
1 x gold plated RCA (line level input)

Outputs:

1 x headphone jacks 6.35mm

Package Content

1 x HA-160DS Headphone amp / DAC
1 x Power cable
1 x RCA pair input cable
1 x RCA coaxial digital cable
1 x USB cable
1 x User Manual (including 24 months warranty registration information)

General:

Weight: app. 4.5 kg
Colour: silver anodized aluminium

Dimensions:

240 mm x 220 mm x 80 mm

You can contact Burson Audio in SE Asia through D&A International Singapore at:

David & Associates International
Email: dnaintl@pacific.net.sg
Contact: +65 9818 6448
Fax: +65 6234 3364

or visit www.bursonaudio.com

The W3000ANV to all extents and purposes is the flagship of the Audio Technica line and it is a stunning example of workmanship to look at. Packaged in a fine leather but lightweight box with a welcome card and a pouch the W3000ANV reeks of class from the moment you bring it out of the box. There are some excellent materials gone into the construction of the cups with a traditional Echizen lacquer-finished housing, made from Hokkaido Asada Cherry hardwood that is dark in appearance. You do not want to scratch these cups under any circumstances. The pads are finished in a smooth and flexible lambskin sourced in Spain (well from the PR fluff) and the jack is a specially designed 6.3mm gold-plated wooden plug with the Audio-Technica 50th Anniversary logo on it. It does not get any better than that for ATH fans.

The W3000ANV deploys the 3D wing system for the headband long since favored by Audio Technica for its higher end headphones and this will be a controversial one. If you have a small or thin head these might not work for you. The materials are high grade plastic and have a small amount of flex in them to shape them to your head but I found myself initially pushing down real hard as I already had them as far down as possible on the band. Those with larger heads won’t have an issue. Some lucky owners have mentioned the 3d wing system does not seem quite as strong as previous limited edition 3D systems but they seem durable enough to me.

The cable is cloth covered and 4 strand by all accounts meaning a balanced option is readily available for those of you daring enough to tinker.

Comfort levels

Weight wise its comparable to the HD800 being only 20g heavier so it exerts little or no pressure when wearing them. The W3000ANV being a closed headphone exerts above average isolation but not on the levels of say the Ultrasone Ed8. The pads are extremely comfortable though and perhaps the 3D wing system’s lack of pressure for my head lost a bit of the isolation. Not a deal breaker by any stretch as I highly doubt these headphones will ever see the light of day outside of the house given it’s lofty price tag.

Technical Specifications

Type Closed-back Dynamic
Driver 53mm
Output Sound 102dB/mW
Freq Response 5~42,000Hz
Max Input Power 2,000mW
Impedance 40ohms (note easy to drive folks!)
Weight Approximately 350g
Plug 6.3mm gold-plated stereo standard plug
Accessories Furnished Carrying pouch
Cable Length 3.0m

So how does it sound?

When you buy an Audio Technica headphone you are basically buying sound reproduction as the guys at Audio Technica want you to hear it in their own unique way. Just about every ATH headphone I have heard as been colored in some way another to achieve a particular sound quality. Such is the diversity it is often hard to pinpoint an ATH House sound from the woody mellow tones of the ESW9, the punchy ES10, the uber bass of the Pro700MK2 to the meaty mids of the Ad2000, the bass light and airy W5000 and the bassier closed W1000x. Often with every new release from ATH you have to prepare yourself and wonder what new SQ will it adopt. I have found over time though with some of the higher end ATH headphones is that the amp in your armory will ultimately decide how good an ATH headphone will sound. Our guys at the local meets have been most insistent on ensuring I picked the right amp whenever I grabbed the Raffinito’s for a session.

So out comes the HA-160 Burson once again and off we go with the W3000ANV. Out of the box I have to say I got an initial mixed reaction even with the impactful HA-160. The bass was certainly there over the W5000 but things ran a bit hot on the treble and the bass didn’t quite reach as deep as I was hoping for. I was a bit worried initially that it was going to be a bit of a flop but then this was less than 30 minutes burn in so patience is a virtue on this one. Thankfully a night’s burn in changed my initial underwhelming perception completely.

The W3000ANV is a mid-centric can with good bass extension, better than say the W5000 (not hard) but without going too deep or impactful to the point where it bleeds into the mids. I would actually say that although by no means tonally accurate they are indeed a more neutral headphone (note gets warmer through burn-in though) than I had imagined with nice clear treble, that gets smoother by the hour. These are surprisingly detailed headphones in the mids and treble – just don’t expect LCD-2/3 levels of sub bass.

Also after a night’s burn I felt the bass though fitted in much better giving a much more convincing and coherent sound than when fresh out of the box. It felt much more focused and certainly its presence is felt. The overall presentation became much more muscular, warmer, lush and involving – Masterplan’s reworked ‘Black Dog’ off their 2011 “MKIII” album just sounds so manly and detailed without losing a beat. You are not in the back row with this headphone, but neither are you suffocating for air sometimes like a Grado. This headphone does guitar and metal for that matter very well indeed. In fact I don’t think I have heard metal sound this good in a long time.

The overall presentation of the W3000ANV really just works so well despite the fact the sound is rather unique. The sound stage is very impressive with great detail and imaging. What grabbed me most was the very lush presentation of vocals, particularly male vocals. Richard Marx’s “Hazard” was sublime, focused and for the first time in a long time had me listening to every word in the song, not for the technical perfections but the wonderful emotional tones in the vocals that somehow missed me before on previous listening sessions. Moving onto Radiohead’s Fake Plastic Trees and yes confirmed, again nothing technical – pure emotion. This headphone conveys emotion better than any other headphone I have in my collection right now – this is musicality to the nth degree.

I have noticed a few commentate how in comparing these to Stax they sound them equal if not better in traditionally strong Stax areas such as attack, speed and detail. Whilst I don’t quite think its quite on that level I can well empathize with the sentiment. This is one fast detailed headphone with plenty of texture; they belie their closed headphone status somewhat in that respect sounding at times not very closed at all. It’s ability to mix raw aggression in metal with beautiful intimate vocals on softer or acoustic tracks just give me the goosebumps. Guitar sounds particularly alive and impactful on the W3000ANV.

This unit was loaned to me from Audio Technica Philippines and initially I was going to pass up on the chance to buy it outright but now I am seriously going to have to hang back on that and give it some thought – some serious thought indeed!

For those on the local scene you will be pleased to know that there are 5 units of these soon to be very rare headphones up for grabs (pay for them mind you) and you contact Audio Techncia Philippines here:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/AUDIO-TECHNICA-PHILIPPINES/108873999153897

Quite simply the HE400 bucks the trend of the previous planers and is built from the bottom up in terms of tonality instead of top down. It is not an analytical headphone and does take it’s cue from some of the warmer elements that have been creeping into Hifiman headphones over the last year but in every other respect this is a departure from the Hifiman house sound in a real big way for me. I often found myself in local meets having to push a Hifiman headphone under the noses of the K701 lover’s and the LCD-2 love-fest team and whilst they have all remarked that the Hifiman headphone is technically excellent they have never quite grabbed my fellow forum members in the same way as say an M50 (quite apart from the costs) and of course the historical power hungry needs of Hifiman planers has made it an even harder sell. The HE series did away with the power problem and gave a much easier to drive headphone but I will take the Pepsi challenge now and say the HE400 is the one that will grab a few by the ears and get them listening a bit more to what Hifiman can offer. I just wish it was not made in blue! Is there a black option?

A word on packaging

The $399 does come at the cost of some of the dressing though that was previously present. Gone is the decorative black box of previous Hifiman’s and in comes a more standard box type garden variety favored by the likes of Audio Technica. I can understand the thinking on this and it does seem economically sound but I did like those old elegant black boxes. Gone are the extra connectors and the extra pads also. Oh well its the headphone that counts and it is not as if the likes of AKG and Beyerdynamic have not released plain old vanilla boxes either for their mid-fi cans. The cables are once again Canare (HE300 stock also) and do play a big role in the darker sounding sq from the cans.

The build quality

The Hifiman HE400

As I write this we are in the middle of a batch recall of some sorts. Sadly the first batch of HE400 had driver issues in terms of how they were packed in the cups. The DIY fix is moderately simple and in fact I had to do that to both cups when they arrived being a first batch headphone but since then no issues. The initial problem was a loss of sound in one or both cups. Thankfully Hifiman have reacted with a new design second batch being worked on, an extended warranty on the HE400 for those who choose to keep theirs and if not a $150 upgrade to the HE500 which is by far their most popularly received headphone to date.

Outside of that I am also not sure why it is blue to be honest. I just got used to the black casing in all variants and the silver for the dynamic HE300 then along comes the blue one. I would prefer it to be black but it is not the worst color in the world and I am getting used to it.

Apart from the odd choice in color everything is business as usual in terms of design, fit and comfort. It is a slightly heavier headphone than the HE300, and about on par with the HE4 in terms of weight. The pleather pads are now as standard instead of the old velour pads with the improved locking system for taking them off and on and I must say I much prefer these over the velours; comfier, better isolation and contributes to a more solid and settled feel on my head.

Technical Specifications

Sensitivity: 92.5 DB

Frequency response: 20Hz to 35 KHz

Impedance: 35 Ohm

Weight: about 440 gram or 14.5 Oz

The Sound

OK for a start this is not an HE500 or one of the high end planers. It is not the last word in detail, black background or nimble treble, but it has taken what the HE4 hinted at to it’s logical inclusion and went for musicality and fun in a big way. This headphone was tuned with bass in mind. Not bloated slow bass, but tight impactful bass with decent extension backed up by solid mids and clean treble that is in no way sharp or sibilant. The overall impression if that of a U-shaped frequency with emphasized bass and smooth but clear trebles though without any crazy recessed mids.

Comparing this with the HE4 the improvements are very obvious. The mild v curve and sharp highes are replaced by a smoother response without any serious loss of clarity. The more forward tones of the HE400 are a step up from the HE300 and in many respects I found the presentation to be much more coherent and well thought out compared to the HE300. That is not to say it is a more balanced and neutral offering than the HE300, the tonality is anything but neutral but in every respect the sound is simply more convincing and confident in what it wants to achieve. The HE400, though smaller in sound stage than the higher up planners still retains a nice black background and better than average transients.

Genre wise the tonality is now much more suitable for heavy hitting tracks such as dance, rock, R&B and the likes. The heavier hitting bottom end is entirely more satisfying. There is a loss of sound stage compared to the higher end planers by Hifiman and the dark tonality only adds to that closed feeling. I couldn’t help but smile though as I ran though my standard reference tracks such as Deadmau5′s ‘I remember” and The Cult’s ‘Lil’ Angle” with a raucous beat orientated undertone, clean highs and great control. The laid back nature of the upper mids gives an added sparkle to the high end that is so suitable for electronica but unlike the HE4 I didn’t find this fatiguing. I think my first listening session was 3 hours before I felt I needed a break.

Some variations on amping

HE400 with Burson Audio HA-160

This was my standard setup for most of the main review. The scaling of the HE400 was pretty limited over smaller amps but I found the already impactful and aggressive Burson house sound to really match well with the HE400 tonality. The Burson added plenty of zip and pop to the HE400′s mid bass and drove them pretty well without any loss of clarity. Though being relatively easy to drive I doubt though a Burson Audio HA-160 is the answer to your amping needs unless you already have one in your collection. Though rating at 35ohms I preferred the high impedance jack socket over the low impedance. The planer really does need just a little more control volume wise and the low impedance jack just didn’t cut it. This is still not dynamic easy to drive territory just yet in some respects.

HE400 with the FiiO E17 and E9

On flat EQ it’s not as punchy as the Burson Audio HA-160 but then that would have been an impressive feat if it could. The E17 brings its own unique flavor to play with a slight downplay of the bass (read slight folks) and a more airy tone to vocals. The HE400 still retains its dark tonality but its not as visceral as out of the HA-160. Perhaps even a bit laid back. Enter the EQ equation of the e17 and any issues you have with impact can be solved right there. Sticking the bass up to 6 was more than enough for me – more low end than even the Burson when eq’ed. The sound was very thick and bassy though and for most discerning audiophiles probably an affront to nature but the closet basshead in me couldn’t help but giggle. I really admire the E17′s capabilities when merged with the E9 to add something over and above the stock sound when required.

HE400 with Schiit Lyr

Much better than I expected. I initially thought the power might be too much but the HE400 warmed to the task quite well. The bass presentation is back to being tight and punchy and less bloated than on the e9/e17 (eq version) but maybe not as impactful as the Burson HA-160. The Burson is one tough nut when it comes to aggression and made my Lyr seem a tad polite by comparison using the HE400. The Lyr did bring out the highs and injected a little bit more articulation than the previous two with slightly more defined sound stage. I kind of missed the fun factor of the Burson after coming off the Lyr but this is way more accurate than the E9 and E17.

HE400 with Ibasso PB2

The world’s most powerful portable amp and most suitable for ortho on the run so they say. Though not in the same league as say a Burson or even a Lyr the PB2 did pretty well with the HE400 but the SQ IMHO was quite different – mush sparkier in the highs and much less extension in the bass and a small bass hump. The thickness of the sound was also gone a little also in comparison to the table top setups. Overall my impression of the Pb2 was something of cleaner more agile presentation than the e17 and E9 but lacking the oomph of the Burson.

Conclusions

I really enjoyed the HE400 more than I thought I would. I rate it the most consumer-centric headphone to date from Hifiman and one I would happily bring to forums and say try that with electronica. No sharp highs, plenty of deep impactful mid-bass and clean mids. It’s not a class leader of any sorts but it brings the unique ortho sound to the masses in a way I think most would rate quite highly and may even dump their ‘beats’ for one (I hope!).

You can pick this beauty up at www.head-direct.com

I will admit I have never been a fan of what Skullcandy have offered to date for various reasons but when I saw the initial promotional poster and video’s of the Aviator I blinked and paused. I really digged the design and loved the color scheme, in particular the brown version. It howls of retro mixed with bling and by golly it manages to be extreme yet graceful enough for even us older generation not to feel like an ass with it on our head. It’s kind of cool actually.

But of course all those pretty looks won’t mean a thing unless it sounds good right? Well honestly I have to admit it sounds way better than I expected. That’s 2-0 already to Skullcandy and I have only had it for a few days.

Packaging

Skullcandy do interesting packaging and in the Aviator this is no different. Whilst by no means boutique or high end the sold plastic casing is durable, well presented and the accessories and manuals are well thought out. The package includes a really nice wash bag style leather case with subtle ‘Rocnation’ branding. The bag is arched to match the folding nature of the Aviator and everything fits in quite well (after a few tries first time round). It is not really designed to protect so don’t be too rough with the bag but it does tidy everything up considerably and is nicely color coded. In this case mine is brown but the others are black and white to match the other product color variations in the Aviator range.

The Cans

First up they are unique, bold and hard to forget without being cheesy or outlandish. I think full marks here to Skullcandy for trying something new out and actually making it work in the closed headphone segment. They look just as good in real life as they do in the pictures. They are a tad smaller and lighter than I had imagined and are not as sturdy as a HD25-1 II or Aiaiai TMA-1 so handle with a bit more care. The cups are made of really nice translucent plastic that look like they could scratch a bit easy and can be a dust or fingerprint magnet. Of course the cups when close together do indeed look very much like a pair of aviator sunglasses!

They have a fold action for a small carry footprint and the rather interesting reverse triangle shape of the cups (that sunglasses look) are quite comfy for me. One thing to note the cable could have been a bit beefier for my tastes and I am not sure if they can be recabled without some level of nerve and expertise. On the head there is a decent amount of clamp and give in the bands to fit most heads without too much difficulty and they are very comfy also. The usual skull motif on the sides are actually better than I expected. The whole design just works for me. For those into stealth or Apple I suggest you go black or white mode as all the accessories are made to match.

Technical specs

Speaker Diameter: 40mm
Driver Type: Mylar
Magnet Type: Neodymium
Frequency Response: 20-20k Hz
Impedance: 65 ohms
Nominal Input Power: 40mW
Max Input Power: 100mW
Cable Type: Nylon Braided
Cable Length: 1.3m
Plug Type: 3.5mm Gold Plated

Sound

For this I used portable gear only assuming the interested buyer will be a mobile orientated DAP wielding dude or dudette. I paired them with an Ipod 5.5g and ran it across as range of amps from the expensive – Ibasso PB2, to the mid, the C&C X02 and the budget friendly but stellar FiiO E17 and the evil darker twin – the FiiO E11.

With the IBasso Pb2

When I was burning in the Aviators my initial impressions where a bit muted to say the least. They felt congested and squeezed and a bit recessed. I think overall I gave it another 25 hours on the grill before trying them again and this time I started with the powerful iBasso PB2. The Pb2 is a neutral to bright headphone amp known for outstanding clarity and can drive even the HE6 to satisfying levels. Overkill on the Aviator? Actually no, not at all. In fact the Aviator and the Pb2 was my favorite match up of all the amps I tested. What I noticed immediately about the Aviator was its rather balanced tonality and presentation with a tinge of warmth and slightly rolled highs. I felt right away that the amp match had to ensure none of that smoothness was lost and it didn’t tip the headphone into a very dark place and sure enough the Pb2 did a wonderful job. The bass was punchy and the clarity was very good in the uppers without any hint of spikes or nasty edges. Overall the Pb2 for me was a great match sonically. What struck me using the Pb2 was the ability for the Aviator to sound equally at home with dance, acoustic and rock.

With the C&C X02

The X02 is a clever little amp shaped like a hip flask and known for its powerful warm tones and a high degree of hardware EQ tweaking. A house favorite among our local forum members. But would it match the already warm tones of the Aviator? Sadly not as good a match as the PB2, its just too warm and muffled – like a veil has come right across the sound from the get go compared to the cleaner and more visceral PB2. Yes its gone analogue and very tube-like but for an already smooth headphone the end result is too extreme, even with all the hard eq effects turned off. Of course it is super non fatiguing but simply too muted in the highs for my own tastes. The C&C X02 really does mesh better with colder headphones with a bigger sound stage. That being said if you like your sound analog, warm and very rolled off then by all means get this match up.

With the FiiO E17

FiiO’s latest entry into the mobile market and I have high hopes for this paring. In short this is a great match up also. The software eq mode on the FiiO was the tipping point. Upping the treble to 4, the gain to 6 and the bass to 2 gave me exactly what I wanted – more sparkle in the top end, a little bass oomph and smooth mids with great vocals. Not quite as forward sounding as the powerful PB2 nevertheless the E17 amp did a great job with nice separation, better than average sound stage and a very high degree of musicality. On a price and performance this is the match for me but the Pb2 just edges out for me if you happen to have that in your collection.

With the FiiO E11

The dark one, the Sith lord of budget quality mobile audio, the E11. Quite possibly the most powerful amp under $100 on the market today. How did the Aviator react to it? Volume wise as expected no issues and actually it did not have the same extreme tube warmth of the X02 which was a relief. With the bass boost set to 0 the aviator had a pleasant tonality though the sound stage was smaller and more congested than the e17 or the PB2. Throwing up the bass boost to 2 and 3 really was overkill unless your a complete basshead. Compared to the Pb2 the presentation was slightly more aggressive and forward sounding but with a bigger loss of finesse and nimbleness in the upper range.

Conclusions

Ok I am very surprised and happy Skullcandy have release this headphone. Whilst it still looses out to some of the more established players in the market such as the ATH M50 and the HD25-1 II, its nevertheless a warm and balanced sounding headphone with unique looks, good packing and with the right amp and source I could listen to this and easily enjoy it. Don’t buy this thinking bass monsters though because they are technically a bit bass light but can respond with nice impact if needed. I did have some concerns about the durability of the cabling and the cups and band look like they need handled with a bit of care but overall a big step up from the lower end Skullycandy units and step in the right direction for me.

Currently they retail for around $150 in the States and Php8,900 locally and can be bought at Go Gadgets in Brown, Black and White.