To LARPers, Alien looks like a sword hilt; to Wing Commander heads, it is the TCS Tiger's Claw. The former is part of a human-killing machine, the latter is an alien-killing machine. Either way, it is most certainly Terran.
Read moreRMAA: Cowon Plenue D 24-bit
Even tacked down, my still-shiny Plenue D slid off my photography table, hit the tripid, hit the c-stand, hit the floor. Thank the gods the screen didn’t shatter. The series of accidents gave me and excuse to pinch and prod, the summary of which is this: Plenue D isn't as solidly built as the original AK100. It is nicely machined though, and attacks its user with fewer Korean corners. More so than the Astell&Kern, plates in its face and ass flex under mild thumb-and-finger pressure. Cowon prettied up little D by adding glitter to its polished flanks before sliding it in a brushed back capping it in a fully polished cap. Basically, they covered portable audio design trope but the serrated logo.
Read moreRMAA: 2012 27" iMac 24-bit
Since early 2013 my iMac has shepherded every last yenny into my business. And though I trust it almost implicitly in matters of heavy image processing, I don’t plug my headphones into it. Why? Two reasons:
Read moreRMAA: Essence HDACC 24-bit
My 2016 Headfonia review queue kicked off with a cost/performance skyscraper from Bob Rapaport. It’s the Essence HDACC. It goes for 499$ (down from 699$) and basically does everything you wish it would. Plus HDMI.
Read moreRMAA: FiiO M3 24-bit
This iPod nano guy flipped out when he saw Fiio's first Facebook advert for the M3. It is my strong opinion that portable players should come in all sizes. Shirking high-quality, comfortably pocketable players for kludgy touch UIs, massive screens, and evaporating battery life is poor form. My readers know my better than I do.
Read moreRMAA: Pioneer XDP-100R 24-bit
It looks like a Jeep designed by a man worried about his manhood. It performs like an Onkyo DP-X1. It’s got enough 00’s in its name to qualify it for an MI6 franchise of its own. And no way is it sexy enough that the handsomely epilated people on its marketing page would touch it for less than a model's wage. Strangely though, despite all its 00’s and other other idiotic geekified nomenclature, I find it easier to type XDP-100R than DP-X1. What gives?
Read moreRMAA: Sony NW-ZX2 24-bit
After dinking around with poor interfaces (Onkyo DP-X1, Pioneer), massive players (Astell&Kern AK380), and exploring the gory world of staunching bandages (Astell&Kern AK Jr, Astell&Kern AK380), I was so happy to fit the ZX2 in my palm. Its interface is clearly organised. It is generally responsive. Its body doesn’t draw blood. It’s a Sony. Whatever else it means, at minimum the name suggests a decent focus on human-oriented design. Indeed, both the ZX2's hardware and software UIs are revelations among all high-end players.
Read moreRMAA: ALO Audio Rx 24-bit
My history with the Rx is long. I leaked an original design piccie at TouchMyApps (ALO’s Prescription for good sound: the Rx for portable music). That was 6 years ago. And while I’ve not reviewed every iteration, I’m more than familiar with the lineup. By and large it is excellent.
Read moreRMAA: Chord Mojo 24-bit
And to be honest, handling Mojo is a bit alien. While large and unmistakable, its buttons have obvious central axes. Miss them and they do nothing. Whilst setting my Fujifilm GX680 to 2s and mirror up, and my Hasselblad CFV-50c to something similar, I had to on turn and off turn the thing because it wouldn't respond to off-centre jams.
Read moreRMAA: Onkyo DP-X1 24-bit single-ended and balanced
Why didn't I listen to it? Simple: I don't care. The DP-X1 is too big, too awkward, and too slaved to an unfathomly music-unfriendly and ugly interface that I would never consider owning it. It feels bad in the hand, and whose interface relies more on glitz than it does on gravitas. Getting music to register to it was even more difficult than for the Astell&Kern AK380 (RMAA'd here - reviewed here), primarily because it is new and its firmware doesn't do ID3 tags well.
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