Kirin are TRN’s latest attempt at a planar-based IEM. Modestly priced (for a planar), they retail for just above $120. I got a sample to assess and here are my notes. At-a-glance Card PROs CONs Well calibrated, inoffensive, pleasant musical tuning. Some might find tuning too relaxed. Easy to drive within the planar category. Average…
Kinera Hodur review
In this article we discuss one of the most recent models by Kinera: the Hodur. Featuring a triple tech driver configuration, these seem interesting also in view of the not too modest asking price of $299. Here are my audition notes presented in my usual schematic format. At-a-glance Card PROs CONs Energetic presentation delivering listening…
Questyle M15
After a very unfortunate first try (the review unit which was kindfully sent to me by the manufacturer was stolen at my door), I finally got an M15 unit which I quite oddly found for a very good price 2nd hand in Japan. This second package reached me regularly so I can finally assess this…
Final F7200 – telling voices apart
My readers know that unlike what happens to so many other amateur audiophiles my quest for better audio gear is not apriori orientated towards current or future releases, indeed encompassing whatever “sounds” good – be that a just-released novelty or a legacy device is irrelevant to me. Amongst the best drivers in my collection there’s…
Ikko OH5 Asgard – music better than the rest
It’s with great interest that I received a sample of Ikko’s latest OH5 “Asgard” model, considering the very high consideration I have for the other 2 models I assessed in the past, being OH10 (read here) and OH1S (read here). OH5 can be bought from Ikko’s website for approx $495 before promos. There’s a nice…
Intime Miyabi – speciale unicità
Come alcuni dei miei 18 lettori ricorderanno, un modello di IEM Intime mi ha particolarmente colpito in passato: le SORA 2, a cui ho dedicato un pezzo circa un anno e mezzo fa. E’ alla fine questo il motivo per il quale quando l’estate scorsa ho avuto notizia che Watanabe-san aveva rilasciato alcuni nuovi modelli,…
Intime Miyabi – uniquely special
As some of my 18 readers may recall, I’ve been quite impressed by a prior Intime IEM model called SORA 2, which I wrote about one and a half year ago. That’s surely why when last summer I got notified that mr Watanabe had released some new IEM models, and in particular one supposed to…
iFi GO Bar review – feature packed
GO Bar is iFi Audio’s first and long awaited take on a battery-less mobile dac-amp (a “dongle”). As I will try to outline, from multiple standpoints GO Bar fully partakes into iFi’s overall general product philosophy both in terms of components and general application. It promises outstanding results, and surely comes with a price tag…
E1DA 9038SG3 and 9038D – they know what they are doing
I took my sweetest time on this, but here I finally am with my first article about E1DA dongles. This one is about the two models called 9038SG3 and 9038D. A subsequent article will cover PowerDAC V2.1. 9038SG3 is E1DA’s latest iteration of the 9038S model, which over time went through 3 generations – this…
Reconstruction Filters For Dummies
Where the dummy is me! It took me so long to make myself a decently clear idea about this topic that I eventually took a breath and put it down in form of a single (hopefully) organised story. Enjoy! The problem we have, and how does it matter DACs’ business is receiving digital files and…