Cayin’s YB04 sports 4 drivers per side, two from Sonion, and 2 from Knowles. It has one of the nicest laid out boxes I’ve seen, a great accessory set, and super comfy ear pieces. It goes for 499$ USD. You can find out all about it here: Cayin YB04 - Discover the Extraordinary .
Read moreohmage to the Shanling Q1
The Q1 is smaller, cheaper, and, at normal listening levels, it sounds just as good as the M2X. Sure, it lacks the M2X’s rubber port gaskets, balanced output, wifi, Tidal (and on and on and on), but its simplified graphical and physical UI are just what my doctor ordered.
Read moreohmage to the Cayin N6ii
I’ve had the N6MKII since late October last year. In quick succession I tore apart its boxes and took a handful of purdy photos of it. But software problems (my end, not Cayin’s), kept me from doing much testing. (Apologies to both Cayin and to those next in the review queue.) Those issues are long gone.
Read moreohmage to the Sony WF-1000XM3
Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with Sony. I also no longer have the 230 buckeroos or so that went toward the WF1000XM3. Amazon and Sony got them. The WF1000XM3 houses a single 6mm dynamic driver per channel, a pretty advanced noise cancelling engine, and a quality wireless signal. Want to know more? Hit up Sony, here: WF-1000XM3 - Only Music, Nothing Else.
The WF1000XM3 is about as pretty as a car crash. And like a good country collision you’ll find half a bike helmet across its grill. The other half dredges up fuzzy memories of of jawbone BT units from the early 2000s. By the way, back in the jawbone days, a mate of mine hot got hit by a douche jabbering into one behind the wheel. Half a helmet indeed.
Read moreohmage to the BGVP DMS
Not so subtle BGVP branding.
To me, the DM7 defined what BGVP (BigVip) can do. But the DMS, both cheaper and cooler looking than its brothers, is my current BigVip favourite. I like its lines, its slim cable, its slim plug, its awesome metalwork, and more. I like it so much that I’m questioning my support for a few key Chi-Fi earphones out there.
Read moreohmage to the BGVP DM7
Too sensitive for MD players
BGVP’s DM6 was lotsa good, but not full of everything that Nathan Wright craved. The sort of thing Nathan Wright craved was spacier, had a brighter upper mid range, and bristled with gobs of stereo detail in every frequency band.
What Nathan craved was the DM7. It is fortuitous that, thanks to Begin Audio, he got ahold of one mere weeks after reviewing the DM6. If you want to see my longer-form review, check it out at Headfonics.
Read moreohmage to the Yinyoo D2B4
I knew nothing about Yinyoo before the D2B4 arrived on my doorstep. Yinyoo are fine Chi-Fi fare. The D2B4’s been in my studio for a month or more and in my ears for a little less than that. It is made well, and it sounds damn good.
Relevant links:
OHMAGE TO THE HIDIZS MS1 AND MS4
OHMAGE TO THE CAMPFIRE AUDIO ATLAS
ohmage to the JVC HA-FW10000
The HA-FW10000 works with Hi-MD well, pre-MDLP units a bit less well.
Before earphones really blew up, I publicly flirted with a number of then-obscure Japanese earphones. FitEar was my biggest break. Final Audio was on its heals. In 2008 I snagged the HP-FX500, JVC’s first wood-dome earphone. I loved it. I hated it. Eventually I broke it. In its wake I was left with an FX500-shaped hole, defined by out-of-head staging and other wordly texture detail. I was also left with a weariness for its piercing highs. More than that, I was left with an ardent dedication to the dynamic driver. I’ve since scoured the market for dynamic driver earphones as impactful and detailed as the FX500. Sadly, not even JVC’s follow ups: the HA-FW02 (which I reviewed here), and the like, did the trick.
Read moreohmage to the Hidizs MS1 and MS4
In 2014 the AP100 DAP introduced me to Hidizs. The AP100 was a fascinating DAP. It boasted an antiquated, yet blazingly-fast GUI, robust build, and a nice, warm sound signature. Unfortunately it hissed. A lot.
Today’s Hidizs subject, Mermaid MS1 and MS4, are sensitive earphones and would have magnified every audible flaw in the AP100. Attached to the right source, they are brilliant-sounding earphones. Each is built around a proprietary 10,3mm dynamic driver, which powers the MS1 all on its lonesome. To it, the MS4 adds three balanced armature drivers to round out the highs and mids.
Read moreohmage to the Fiio M6 Hi-Res DAP
FiiO’s M6 Hi-Res DAP is compact and well constructed. It has decent battery life, a small but good selection of hardware buttons, a somewhat programmable interface, and good sound. But it’s not a player that moves me, nor is it one I think that will move you.
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