Virgo

FIDUE A85 Virgo Review

Marcus
$301-400, Hybrid Universal, IEM & Earphones
Hybrids are a theme with Fidue and the A85 Virgo is no exception to that theme. Our first Fidue review was way back in mid-2014 with the A83 which I found quite alright actually with a top-heavy sound signature fitting for treble heads.  I am also still a mas...
ES-5

Earsonics ES-5 Review

Marcus
$1000+, Balanced Armature, IEM & Earphones
1
Truth be told I was not expecting the Earsonics ES-5 given the S-EM6 V2 was out in their Music line already. However, given the stellar performance of the 5-driver Campfire Andromeda and the close price point of the 5-driver ES-5 it did pique my interest. If ...
C10

Colorfly C10 Review

Marcus
$201-300, DAP's
19
The Colorfly C10 digital media player has been out for a while actually so this review is not about a new product launch. In fact, the whole process of this DAP ending up in my hands was more of a perchance situation when I visited the Guangzhou Audio Show ba...
R6

HiBy Music R6 Review

Marcus
$501-1000, DAP's
89
Disclaimer: The HiBy Music R6 sent to us uses the domestic market firmware. Some features that will be in the international version are missing on this unit at the time of review. As such we will revisit this review as and when those additional features are ad...
FIBAE 2

Custom Art FIBAE 2 Review

Marcus
$501-1000, Custom Monitors, IEM & Earphones
2
There were a few IEMs that caught my "ear" at CanJam Singapore 2017 at relatively affordable levels. The first was the Nightingale YK1 from Vietnam that we reviewed in mid-2017. The second memorable choice was the FIBAE 2 from Custom Art. At the time the ide...
Zenith

Audio Zenith PMx2 Review

Klaus
$501-1000, Headphones, Orthodynamic
Back in 2014 Kyle reviewed the Oppo PM-2 (https://headfonics.com/2014/11/the-pm-2-planer-headphone-by-oppo/) and concluded that the PM2 were an amazing set of headphones with only but a few flaws. Kyle was not the only person to notice their potential. Luckil...
FIBAE 1

Custom Art FIBAE 1 Review

Marcus
$301-400, Custom Monitors, IEM & Earphones
7
I am a firm admirer of Custom Art's approach to CIEM designs. They either do something unusual or cutting-edge such as silicone molded 8 driver models like the Harmony 8.2 or they price point on a very competitive basis. The new FIBAE 1 is no different in that...

Hifiman RE2000 Review

Marcus
$1000+, Dynamic, IEM & Earphones
The RE2000 is Hifiman's latest flagship IEM and by all accounts calling it a single dynamic driver IEM would be an oversimplification in the extreme. Truth be told, dynamic drive technology, despite the long history, has been bypassed in favor of multiple BA ...
DSC02879

The Evo X By Advanced

Marcus
Dynamic, IEM & Earphones, Up To $100
Advanced (formerly known as ADV) have cropped up on our radar before with the M4 single DD IEM. We reviewed it last year and gave it a healthy 8.0 overall score given its price to performance ratio was quite good. This time around Advanced have sent us their ...
DSC02825

The W80 By Westone Audio

Marcus
$1000+, Balanced Armature, IEM & Earphones
11
I remember reading a few times the concept of the Westone Audio product numbers being akin to the Star Trek movie franchise with the odd numbered ones never being as good as the even numbers. Certainly, I was not a fan of the W50 nor even the UM10 but I absol...
Title2

The VE8 By Vision Ears

Marcus
$1000+, Custom Monitors, IEM & Earphones
6
It has been almost 2 years since we last reviewed a Vision Ears CIEM, that being the VE5 and 6 months beforehand the awesome VE6 XControl which held the top spot in our reviews rankings until 2016. Both of these IEMs took our wholehearted attention for nailin...
Titleopus3no1

The OPUS#3 By The Bit

Marcus
$501-1000, DAP's
3
Three is greater than one but less than two. Or so it is according to Korean DAP specialists, The BIT. This counting conundrum caught me out by surprise when I met the team earlier this year in CanJam Singapore simply because as marketing roadmaps go this one...
Title

The AP60 By Hidizs

Marcus
DAP's, Up To $100
3
There isn't a whole lot going with credible DAPs sub $100 these days. Outside of the M3 from FiiO, you have, well, ...FiiO at $99. Everything else in-between is a mixture of legacy used gear like the venerable clip or a host of small time brands like Xudoo or...
Title 6

The N3 By Cayin

Marcus
$101-200, DAP's
146
The N3 is officially the fourth release in the Cayin DAP lineup and priced at $149. It is also the cheapest making Cayin's entry level DAP and a direct competitor against the likes of the FiiO X1 gen 1 or 2 or the Shanling M1. Perhaps even (at a stretch) the H...
Title 5

The Finder X1 By Echobox

Marcus
$101-200, Dynamic, IEM & Earphones
I am coming a bit late to the Echobox experience and it all started with a chance discussion with CCO Sam McKinney on the joys of outdoors adventure, weight loss, and tropical islands. Somewhere in the middle, we talked about the gear from his company and the ...
Title 1

The ES-2 By Earsonics

Marcus
$201-300, Balanced Armature, IEM & Earphones
We reviewed the ES-3 in the last quarter of 2016 and I gave it a healthy 8.5. I wasn't sure what to expect as I had not reviewed Earsonics before but the sound blew me away for the price. The ES-3 is an outstanding performer with a very listener friendly tonal...
Title 4

The X5 3rd Gen By FiiO

Marcus
$301-400, DAP's
84
Generational revisions are usually evolutionary in nature with often a well-advised approach to retaining legacy plus points from previous technological "wins" as a core production and marketing process. It is safe, keep the fans on board and keeps the sales t...
Title 3

The Austru By Cypher Labs

Marcus
$501-1000, Hybrid Universal, IEM & Earphones
4
The $799 Austru by Cypher Labs is their second major IEM release and is positioned a step higher than the previous C6IEM v1 and v2 triple driver IEMs which we reviewed almost 2 years ago. At the time the C6IEM represented a confident, if somewhat colored, for...