Category: Portable Audio
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SIMGOT EM1 IEM Review
A refined taste of high-end sound SIMGOT has distinguished itself amongst headphone manufacturers by making beautiful products with refined sound and attention to detail. Their flagship EN700 IEM in all its variants epitomizes this with a solid aluminum build and striking grill design. It has garnered them much praise, and today I am excited to…
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iFi xCAN Portable Headphone Amp Review
Powerful Portable Audiophile Amp with Excellent Wireless Sound Judging from my research and general discussion about the xCAN, it seems like people are really confused about what it actually is. I guess part of the confusion is the existence of the xDSD, a portable headphone amp/DAC that is more along the lines of what people…
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HiBy R3 Digital Audio Player Review
Bluetooth, Budget, DACs, Headphones, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, MQA, Music, Portable Audio, Reviews, Streaming, WirelessGreat sound, Build Quality and Tons of Useful Features Makes This Player An Excellent Value. When the HiBy R3 campaign landed on Kickstarter early last year, it was leaps and bounds ahead of any audiophile music player in terms of features at the $200 price point. While they may have overshot the mark a bit,…
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Deivvox High Performance In-Ear Earphones Review
Great sounding budget earphones for your everyday carry. If you search for “in-ear headphones” on Amazon, the number of models that pop up are mind boggling. Many of those earphones are from companies that are definitely not household names, hence the reason why customer reviews, accurate or not, hold so much weight when selecting a…
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Grado Releases Next Generation Of Their $99 Earbuds, The iGe3
Grado Labs iconic on-ear headphones have made them a household name amongst audiophiles, a legacy jumpstarted by their sub-$100 SR-60 headphones that wowed the writers of Stereophile Magazine back in the 90’s with high-end sound at a very low price. I have owned several pairs of the SR-60’s since they came out and they still…
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Status Audio Introduces BT ONE Headphone, Get Free IEMs With Pre-Order
Best Buys, Bluetooth, Budget, Deals, First Impressions, Headphones, Hi-Fi, News, Portable Audio, Streaming, WirelessStatus Audio is a company that shuns the use of flashy models and celebrities to promote their products, instead relying on word of mouth regarding their value pricing and quality products to propel their sales. For example, their $69 CB-1 Studio Monitor Headphones got rave reviews all over the internet for their great sound and…
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Koss KPH30i Review: Lush Audiophile Sound for Only 30 Bucks!
Like many young and broke budding audiophiles, my interactions with Koss headphones back in the early 2000s was my first opportunity to hear what decent headphones sounded like. At that time, the KSC75 ear clip phones were considered to be the gateway drug of the headphone hobby, and after plugging them into my portable CD…
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Technics Releases Two Premium Headphones with apt-X HD and LDAC Bluetooth
Bluetooth, Headphone Amps, Headphones, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, Music, News, Noise Cancelling, Portable Audio, Streaming, WirelessAt CES 2019 in Las Vegas, Technics released two premium over-ear wireless headphones, the EAH-F70N and EAH-F50B. Both models are aiming for audiophile sound quality, incorporating high-resolution Bluetooth codecs (both apt-x HD and LDAC) along with custom 40mm diaphragms. The F70N model adds active Noise Cancelling with an Ambient Awareness feature that will allow you to…
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Optoma NuForce and Massdrop Unveil New Wireless Earphones for Audiophiles
Bluetooth, Budget, Deals, Headphones, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, MQA, Music, News, Portable Audio, Streaming, WirelessThe following is courtesy of Optoma Technology: FREMONT, Calif., Jan. 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Optoma NuForce, a world-leading manufacturer of audio products, today unveiled the new Massdrop x NuForce STRIDE Bluetooth® In-ear Monitors (IEMs), the latest product innovation stemming from the company’s collaboration with Massdrop, the popular community-driven commerce platform. The versatile lifestyle earphones mark Massdrop’s entry into the Bluetooth wireless…
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1MORE Receives CES Award For New Flagship Penta Driver In-Ear Headphones
Bluetooth, DACs, Headphone Amps, Headphones, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Music, News, Portable Audio, Streaming, Wireless1MORE just announced a new flagship in-ear headphone at CES for which they have earned the CES 2019 Innovation Honoree Award. The new neckband-style Penta Driver In-Ear Headphones feature 5 balanced armatures per side, and have the option of either wireless listening via Bluetooth or wired via an included adapter. They also support the Apt-X…
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iFi xCAN: Bluetooth Audiophile Headphone Amp In The House!
Bluetooth, Budget, First Impressions, Headphone Amps, Headphones, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, Music, Portable Audio, Power Amps, Streaming, WirelessThanks again to iFi for sending me another product to review! After checking out their nano iDSD Black Label last year, I was very impressed with the build quality, feature set, sound, and just overall value for the money! Highly recommended, and if you don’t believe me, then check out the million other favorable reviews…
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USB Audio Player PRO Adds MQA Support
Bluetooth, DACs, Downloads, Headphone Amps, Headphones, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, MQA, Music, News, Portable Audio, Power Amps, WirelessUSB Audio Player Pro, the popular music playback app from eXtream software, now supports MQA decoding, but you will have to pay a little extra for the option. The upgrade comes in the form of an in-app purchase which costs $3.99. Once purchased, it unlocks the ability for UAPP to function as an MQA core…
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2018 Budget Hi-Fi Holiday Gift Guide
Best Buys, Bluetooth, Budget, DACs, Deals, Headphone Amps, Headphones, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, Integrated Amps, MQA, Music, News, Portable Audio, Power Amps, SpeakersLast-Minute Gifts for the Audiophile/Music Junkie in your life! Christmas is approaching fast, and if you are ordering online, then the time to order your gifts and have them delivered in time is approaching even faster! Here are some last minute gifts for the Audiophile in your life that won’t break the bank! 1MORE Triple…
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1MORE Releases New True Wireless, ANC Earphones
Best Buys, Bluetooth, Budget, Headphones, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, News, Portable Audio, Streaming, UncategorizedI’m a big fan of 1MORE earphones and headphones, especially the Triple Driver Over Ear headphone, which I use with my LG V40 smartphone on a daily basis. So whenever they release a new product, I get very excited. In this case they have two new products, one being their first true wireless model, the…
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Review: Nano iDSD Black Label by iFi
Best Buys, Budget, DACs, Headphone Amps, Headphones, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, MQA, Portable Audio, ReviewsMQA and Native DSD playback set this mini powerhouse apart. Looking for a powerful, great sounding, DAC/headphone amp combo that handles MQA rendering and native DSD playback? Want it to be smaller than a pack of cigarettes? Want to pay less than $200? Then the Nano iDSD Black Label by iFi is not only the…
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2018 Black Friday & Cyber Monday Hi-Fi Audio Deals! (Check Back for Updates)
Best Buys, Budget, DACs, Deals, Headphone Amps, Headphones, Hi-Fi, Home Audio, News, Portable Audio, Power Amps, UncategorizedBlack Friday is almost upon us, and hi-fi audio brands like Fiio and Q Acoustics are looking to get in on the action. We have scoured the internet for these deals so you don’t have to! So be sure to check back here as we constantly update this page with new Black Friday and Cyber…
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AXPONA 2018: Sunday At The Ear Gear Expo (HiFiMAN, Acoustic Research,Dekoni,Cleer,MEZE Audio,Campfire Audio, MYTEK)
With all the ground I had to cover at the show on Saturday, by Sunday morning my feet were absolutely killing me. But that didn’t stop me from checking out my favorite part of any audio show and that is the headphone demos. AXPONA calls it the Ear Gear Expo, and it shares the Expo…
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Portable Hi-Res: MQA Streaming With Tidal Masters On the LG V30!
In January, I wrote a post called “LG V30: The Ultimate Hi-Fi Audiophile Review”, and in that post, I talked about MQA (Click here if you don’t know what it is), and how the V30 was the first smartphone to support that hi-res format. I fully understand that MQA, like hi-res music playback as a…
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Hi-Fi Deals: Get This Highly Recommended Digital Audio Player/DAC for $148! (That’s over $40 off)
Best Buys, Budget, DACs, Deals, Headphone Amps, Headphones, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, Integrated Amps, Music, Portable Audio, Streaming, WirelessThis week Fry’s Electronics is offering the FiiO X3 Mark III Portable High-Resolution Lossless Music Player – Black for only $148 this week with a Fry’s Promocode. That’s over $40 off the lowest price we could find for a new unit, which is $189 at Amazon. The well-reviewed X3 Mark III is a budget DAP full of…
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KZ ZST & ZSR IEMS…Real Good Sound, Real Cheap!
Update: The ZST and ZSR are still great earphones for the money, but the new ZSN is even better…better tonal balance, and more refined sound…check out my comments on my other post, Best Affordable/Budget Audiophile Headphones (2019)! As an unabashed audio junkie, I’m always in online audiophile groups chatting about the next big audio thing. As…
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