This is the personal blog by Klaus Eulenbach. It mostly features portable audio products, reviews and editorial content. Hope you enjoy it!
The Audio Genie’s One Wish
Disclaimer: Before you read this article, be sure to read my (updated) introductory post. Imagine you found a weird lamp and, for some reason, you gave it a good rub. POOF! Suddenly emerges the audio genie! A spectral figure in the form of a silver-haired...
Sennheiser HDB 630: Consumerphile
I use the online alias 16BitAudiophile because I consider myself an ambitious enthusiast who cares as little about voodoo audio as unreasonably priced ultra high-end gear. Give me a good quality CD and I can enjoy it on mid-tier headphones – even over Bluetooth. And...
Softears RSV-MKII Review
This is a full written review of the new Softears RSV-MKII – the 2025 revision of the original “Reference Sound” RSV from 2021. The previous generation is one of my all-time favorite IEMs and I have used it nearly daily since my full review that...
Oriveti Supremacy: The Grand Flagship You Never Considered Buying
Let me be straight with you right away: the Grand Oriveti Supremacy is an excellent IEM, and I wholeheartedly recommend it! Apologies if the title was misleading (on purpose – let’s just call it clickbait). However, it’s been almost a year since I posted my...
Introducing the Softears RSV MKII: A First Look
While the brand-new Softears RSV MKII has yet to see a global release, I was fortunate enough to secure a first-run unit from the Project Gotham store in China. A Personal History with Softears My journey with Softears has deep roots, beginning in 2018 when...
IEM Targets: One Last Word
Let’s discuss IEM frequency response targets — probably for the last time on this blog. I’ve previously touched on this topic before. Many fellow headphone fans are putting a lot of effort into making sound objective and finding the ideal frequency response target. But I...
Sennheiser HD 650 in 2025
Lately, I noticed the availability and pricing of the Sennheiser HD 650 became unstable. Prices are on the rise and I heard a rumour about what could be the cause. So to add this classic headphone to my collection (again), I ordered one very recently...
Unboxing: IO Audio Sogno
I had teased and mentioned the IO AUDIO (I\O Audio) Sogno in my SIAS impressions. On that day, I think it had the best-tuned upper mids and transition into treble that I have heard in a very long time. So I went ahead and purchased a pair from...
First Impressions: Grand Oriveti Supremacy
Intro These are my first impressions of the Grand Oriveti Supremacy high-end IEM preceding a full review. The Supremacy has a 4-way crossover design with dynamic, BA and EST drivers. Spoiler: It sounds fantastic, is stunningly beautiful and is one of the most comfortable IEMs...
SIAS: Celebrating the Success of Chi-Fi
An Introduction to SIAS Welcome to Shenzhen, the most famous city for the “Made in China” tag on electronic devices and the source for all of your IEM dreams. For the 18th time, Shenzhen invited audio fans and especially IEM nerds to the SIAS (Shenzhen International Audio Show) event. Just recently,...
CIHE Beijing 2024 Show Impressions
In a spontaneous decision, I attended the 2024 China International Headphone Expo (CIHE) in Beijing this past weekend. I had not prepared for the show and was just informed about the event a few days earlier. So I went on a 1-day-trip to Beijing and...
First Impressions: Softears Enigma
I received a review unit of the Enigma from Softears and want to share some early impressions. I am currently traveling so I neither have access to my main camera nor my measurement setup. So please excuse my lazy snapshots using my wife‘s (highly portable)...