HEDD Type 07 MK2
Softears Turii
Softears RSV
DUNU Luna
final A8000
NF Audio NA1
HiFiMAN Ananda-BT
AZLA Horizon
64 Audio U18t
Romantic Autumn
Lypertek TEVI
Wedgwood
Travel Companion
Oriveti OH500
SoundMAGIC Vento V3
Mini Desktop Setup
Orange
Campfire Solaris
Rainy Days
Nothing but Gold
SoundMAGIC E11BT
SoundMAGIC E11C
Shanling M0
Black & White
MoonDrop Kanas Pro
Asian Studies
beyerdynamic DT 240 Pro
Empty Glass
What does the Fox say?
Astrotec AM850
Softears Turii
High-Fidelity is a science. I always try to present myself as a conservative user who prefers linearity. But I also do not forget what music is for, like the time I described what it’s like to be an audiophile. I wrote a feature on the 64 Audio Fourté on how a design not following the textbook can add to musicality and, ultimately, realism in audio reproduction. The Turii is just such a case. It brings the audio to life!
The design is bold, though the size is much smaller than it appears on images. Nonetheless, there will be a few ears that will find discomfort in the heavy metal build, but I have to recommend that you give the Turii and its complex absorber chamber a shot. In my mind, it is the best single dynamic IEM I have yet heard!
Whether I want pure music, all the details, a tight and punchy bass, to notice audio compression in a track, hear a producer’s signature or have a dynamic sound to swallow me completely, I pick Turii. This is an outstanding sound performance! Respect!
DUNU Luna
The Luna are without a doubt an excellent high-end product. DUNU have created a flagship for showcasing a new driver technology. The beryllium driver has amazing speed, punch, and texture. Reference level separation and resolution have rarely felt this effortless. I can highly recommend the Luna for Vocal, Rock, and Jazz. From my experience, the Luna perform better than equally priced contenders in this regard. The full potential doesn’t really show with modern music, though, so that’s when the focus on the midrange can feel like the bass is lacking. Playing acoustic strings successfully remedies this thought.
The DUNU Luna are also extremely well built and surprised me by being some of the most comfortable IEM in the high-end realm. Not to mention, that they come equipped with the single best cable I have yet experienced. Anyone on the lookout for a top performer that oozes musicality with natural-sounding recordings definitely has to closely consider this new flagship reference earphone.
Full review is here: Flavor of the Month: DUNU Luna
klauseulenbach.de
final A8000
The actual review process is never finished. I plan to gain more experience with further comparisons and subsequent source pairing. But for now, the final A8000 are clearly some of the technically most amazing IEMs I had yet the fortune of testing. The experience with the A8000 is nothing but sensational, which is also due to the dynamic tuning. Many will appreciate the energetic presentation that can put itself before the music sometimes, although high quality recordings are rewarded with immersive details. The treble is the star of the show, so best avoid audio with clipping, strong compression, noise or recording errors to forego annoyances.
The A8000 look gorgeous, too. I’ll admit that there are more ergonomic earphones available, but the polished steel and heavy weight make these feel luxurious and force the user to take great care of them. The design sets the mood for the special listening sessions and the mirrored finish nicely matches the sound signature too.
Ultimately, the final A8000 are a pair of unique high-end reference IEM that arguably have the best sonic performance in its price range.
Full review: Flavor of the Month: final A8000
klauseulenbach.de
NF Audio NA1
Now this is an unconventional review. I stepped right in and started discussing the NA1’s weakness first. Because apart from that, I am thoroughly impressed. The speed of the single dynamic driver is simply delicious. The tightness of the bass can make any drummer drool and the body feels just right with most recordings. The midrange is accurate and once one gets past the slight hollowness, voices sound realistic too. The treble is snappy and fast in decay. It actually all comes together when you have a perfect seal and no surrounding that would drown out the lows. Under these conditions, the NA1 is formidable. But when I step outside, I personally either need better isolation or less treble emphasis.
HiFiMAN Ananda-BT
All in all, the Hifiman Ananda-BT excel at where it matters most: sound quality. However, I feel like the overall product design needs more attention. Some decisions, like omitting a passive mode or adding a mediocre bulky travelling case, make the headphones a hard recommendation for the asking price. I am sure people would be willing to pay 100 € more if that would help to create a more complete package. More so, the bulky design does not really help with mobility at all. In conclusion, I think the Ananda headphones have top-tier sonics but the Bluetooth version is pretty much a very niche product. I recommend to check out the original Ananda instead.
AZLA Horizon
I wouldn’t grant the AZLA Horizon a feature as FOTM if I wouldn’t really like these IEMs. I bought them out of sheer interest and I wasn’t disappointed. These are really easy to get into thanks to their good timbre and great soundstage. Pairing them with a good amp can smooth out the treble that otherwise might be shrill at times.
The Horizon prove their worth by a high quality cable, genius ear tips and an advanced dynamic driver that allows for high resolution. In conclusion, I can absolutely recommend them!
64 Audio U18t
The U18 are an incredibly powerful monitoring tool that effortlessly shake out an insane amount of details. They’re tuned to not have their own character and are thus not too exciting for the most part. 64 Audio mainly lets the music talk for itself. Nevertheless, playing through the U18, attention is often drawn to the treble as it impresses with its particularly high resolution.
Do note that if you really want to unleash the almost infinite potential of these earphones, you also have to make sure that your audio chain is up for the task and, above all, that the audio material used is suitable for hi-fi use. If the conditions are met, the U18t blasts the music completely apart in its every atom, allows deepest immersion and often even insights into the production. 64 Audio has created an absolute technical miracle that won’t leave us aghast.
Romantic Autumn
Autumn is arguably the most romantic season. The shift in colors, the rainy days, coming home with cold feet and slowly warming back up. Most noticeable is the change of pace in which the world seems to turn. It’s the best time to get lost in music.
Lypertek TEVI
Lypertek has succeeded in creating a completely impressive overall package, which is just as impressive as the Oriveti Hi-Fi earphones according to their price range. The sound is sensational, the operation super simple and the comfort better than with any TWS I have yet had in my ears. The TEVI surpass many more expensive earphones in sound and function. Lypertek heralds a new era in which even True Wireless is no longer compromised.
Wedgwood
The Chord Mojo and Poly have a very characteristic design, yet they also do not draw the attention too much. Next to a set of Wedgwood cups, the DAC might go unnoticed.
Travel Companion
The Mojo & Poly combo are a trusty travel companion for the true audiophile. There are multiple ways to access the inserted microSD card.
Oriveti OH500
The Oriveti OH500 are a great package for the aspiring audiophile. (Depending on the budget, the OH300 punch that value even higher, though the small refinements to the OH500 are very appreciated by the careful listener and worth the price difference.) The OH500 are comfortable, beautiful, easy to use and – most importantly – great sounding. They create an enjoyable warmth with a relaxed presentation that doesn’t omit any details and also has an amazing soundstage. I have spent a great amount of time with the OH500 and I am sure I will continue to do so.
SoundMAGIC Vento V3
The SoundMAGIC Vento P55 V3 has amazing value. I should not have any interest in “cheap” headphones anymore, have my demands continuously risen in the past years. But upon first auditioning the demo of the V3, I already knew I’d have to take one home and take a closer listen. I do not regret my purchase at all. It has become my preferred choice when I don’t feel like using IEMs or setting up a complex audio chain. I highly recommend these headphones!
Mini Desktop Setup
The Mojo is a very capable DAC and head-amp. It can really help to clean up your desk space.
Orange
When the headphone design matches the color lights.
Campfire Solaris
The Campfire Solaris is a real star in the Head-Fi galaxy! Not only is it sensationally crafted and looks great, but it’s also musically balanced. It provides a very addicting signature and manages to assert itself as one of the best high-end listening experiences thanks to its very high resolution.
Rainy Days
It’s the rainy days when music can be the most emotional. Water drops also make for a nice bokeh.
Nothing but Gold
The Mojo remains as one of the best portable DACs yet and it continues to win one gold award after another. The Mojo deserves a matching pair of IEMs to go with it.
SoundMAGIC E11BT
My verdict after 4 weeks is very positive. The SoundMAGIC E11BT offer reliable features that ensure carefree use in everyday life. The Bluetooth connection is stable and transmits the sound cleanly without audible artifacts. The sound offers a pleasant warmth with potent low bass, homogeneous mid-range and a soft and transparent treble. Especially the headset functions are a welcome enrichment thanks to the high-quality microphone.
SoundMAGIC E11C
For the price called, what is offered is more than impressive. Although some savings have been made in regards to the accessories, the build quality is convincing all the way. The sound isn’t revolutionary, but SoundMAGIC pushes the price/performance ratio even further down than ever before. Here, the manufacturer really shows its muscles and offers skillful tuning, exemplary channel balance, low distortion and wide frequency range. You won’t find “more sound” for the same price!
Shanling M0
Buy it. I would like to keep the conclusion this brief. Of course, the Shanling M0 is not perfect and perhaps it’s not the audiophile high-end nirvana in terms of data specs, but realistically speaking, you don’t need much more unless you like to fire particularly hungry headphones. For the moment, I’m hard to press to recommend any cheaper device on the road.
The workmanship is impeccable, the operation functional, the touch display sufficient and the form factor absolutely ingenious! Meanwhile, whenever I leave the house, I have to check for a fourth item in my jacket and trouser pockets: smartphone, keys, wallet and the M0.
Thanks to bluetooth connectivity, it no longer hurts to say goodbye to the smartphone’s headphone jack and compatible bluetooth headphones have also been considered. The “real” audiophile is also served a delicious dish: DSD and HD files are played back without a hitch and the finest gold ears can select an appropriate filter to get the maximum out of the information. However, low distortion and high signal-to-noise ratio are particularly important and Shanling succeeds.
We are talking about 99 € and the application possibilities are extremely varied. There is absolutely no reason not to recommend buying the M0. If you are looking for an inexpensive DAP, or have higher demands and still want to save money, you can easily get it from here.
Black & White
My last apartment had but few colors. Most of my furniture was either black or white. It matched well with my audio gear and especially the black Hugo 2.
MoonDrop Kanas Pro
In short, I like the MoonDrop Kanas Pro Edition a lot! For my preferences, the Kanas beats all known IEM with dynamic driver. The price is an understatement.
One can get used to the slight (sub-) bass boost very quickly, and the relaxed dip in the upper midrange and lower treble is fortunately tuned for many songs. For monitoring I would still prefer one of the many alternatives with balanced armature drivers, but as a daily companion for pure music consumption across all genres, it even exceeds my fairly high demands. For tracks with vocals and sub- bass the KPE is now my first choice. When faced with the challenges of complex Jazz, however, I fall back to other IEM.
In regards to product design I am a big fan of the Bauhaus style: “form follows function.” That’s why I’m less convinced by the metal bling bling design. I would prefer a (more ergonomic) housing à la StageDiver and also the cable doesn’t fully suit my taste either. But these are at most nagging things in an otherwise functioning relationship. Overall, I’ve got a lot of praise!
Asian Studies
This is what I do. Read expert publications on China while listening to audiophile music and enjoying either a hot coffee or a cold drink. This photo is a personal time stamp from the summer of 2018.
beyerdynamic DT 240 Pro
The beyerdynamic DT 240 Pro are a good set of portable cans in the budget-tier category below 100 $. I think the monitoring purpose advertised by BYR is a bit too enthusiastic, but they do sound enjoyable especially with Pop and Rock music. They are not ground-breaking in any way. You will find pairs that are more comfortable, more fashionable, more neutral, more expansive and more detailed, but not all of it at once for the same price. With the DT 240 Pro, the whole is more than the sum of its parts.
Empty Glass
The bokeh up front is from an empty wine glass. A very simple trick to fill up some empty space if you use an open lens. In hindsight, I should have pulled it closer…
What does the Fox say?
It would probably say that a day listening to music and reading photography magazines is a day well spent.
Astrotec AM850
The AM850 enter an extremely crowded market with an abundance of choices among sub-100$ priced IEMs. This is quite a challenge and for that Astrotec did well. The AM850 feature good build quality and an attractive design. The sound has an authoritative low-end with nicely tuned mids and highs. Ultimately, it is not enough to stand out as the single best choice, but nonetheless, they are a good addition to a pool of similarly priced IEMs.
