Now that the AK380 is out and the AK480 is on the horizon, the question on many people's mind is: is it worth upgrading my AK240? After all, the AK380 is defined by Astell&Kern's own maladroit marketing department as the evolution of a masterpiece (and that masterpiece itself being an end-game prodcut). If advertising copy were the measure of performance, the AK240, Be[ing] The Ultimate, couldn't be bested.
Read moreSpotify vs. Apple Music: Is there a difference in sound quality?
Ty Pendlebury's comparative review of Spotify and Apple Music is getting eaten alive by pedantic commenters. Why? Broad, sweeping statements:
Read moreLynx Studio HILO review
I was a bit slow publishing full RMAA tests of the Lynx HILO. You can find them here: RMAA: Lynx Studio HILO.
Read moreRumour: the mighty Astell & Kern AK480
Disclaimer: ohm image generally doesn't host rumours, but with a scoop this big, and this mofo is BIG, ohm makes a jump. I was approached by an anonymous source deeply familiar with, or employed by, Astell & Kern.
That the recently announced AK380 doesn't feature Ultimate in its copy was the first hint that it wasn't their top model. That was the first clue that something else was coming. Last year, Head-fi fooled everyone with a mockup of an AK480 on 1 April.
Read moreMassdropping brand value
The PS Audio Sprout is a unique do-it-all machine with two great amp stages. But Head-fi discussion about it is minor. Some, like Headphoneus Supremus, Shaffer, suggest that in targeting the Mass Drop audience, PS Audio are going about it wrong:
Read moreNoble BTS bluetooth showdown: iPhone 6, iPod nano 7G, & Mezzo Hifi MZAK100
Not all bluetooth implementations are created equal. Few, if any, are capable of bumping the theoretical limits of 16-bit audio. Then there's compression: AAC or SBC. Apt-X solves some of the issues, but isn't all there yet. (The Headphone List's article on each is worth a read.)
Read moreLynx Studio Technology Hilo Review
Edd Harris's Pro Audio Web Blog's review of the Lynx Studio Technology Hilo Reference Converter is long - as it should be: Hilo is packed with features too numerous to cover in less than a doctoral thesis. I am now trying to suss a small fraction of them for a full review at Headfonia. My unit is on loan from Lynx's Japanese distributor, Hook Up. Yes, Hook Up.
Read moreMy Thoughts On Spotify, Tidal and the Future of the Music Industry
MH40: DYNAMIC DIFFERENCES
Head-fi made the right move in promoting the above video from this thread to the front page. From day one, Master & Dynamic's MH40 amazed.
Read moreRMAA: iPod nano 7G running various loads
While the iPod nano doesn't get everything right, it nails many, if not most, of the important bits (pun!) necessary to play your expensive earphones and headphones back really well. Follow the below link for full RMAA results of the iPod nano 7G running various loads.
RMAA: iPod nano 7G various loads