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A few months ago, Hifiman reached out to me, and asked if I would be interested in reviewing the Ananda BT. I was intrigued because I traditionally avoid wireless headphones, but curiosity got the better of me. I have had the pleasure of having the Ananda BT in my house for the last few months.... Read More »

Known for its industrial designs and commitment to sound tuning, Campfire Audio represent a bold and daring personal audio company in the midst of an already populated marketplace. Headed by Ken Ball, who oversees both Campfire and its parent company ALO audio, the boutique brands have earned a solid reputation amongst both audiophiles and the... Read More »

I started my audiophile journey in 2011 with the purchase of a Sennheiser HD 600 and a Yulong D100 headphone AMP/DAC combo. The total cost for that system was $400 all in. My feelings on the purchase were mixed to say the least, I loved the performance, but the cost also seemed silly to both... Read More »

I've owned a number of decent headphones over the course of my life as an audiophile, and I always generally have a couple of pairs on hand. Mostly for listening when my wife, Beth, has control of the television and has landed on HGTV or some insanely sick horror flick that I could care less... Read More »

The Grado Labs GH4 in place at Chez Levi (photograph by Bob Levi) The GH4 is Grado's second foray into creating headphones using Norwegian pine, upping the ante and overall headphone performance quite nicely along the way. By my count, Grado has used two types of mahogany, maple, oak wood treated by a whiskey barrel... Read More »

With a vibrant commerce scene and international trading links, Singapore is a country where personal audio and high-fidelity sound are significantly valued. Planning to capitalize on these national traits, Dita Audio are a Singaporean brand striving to seek perfection without conforming to market trends. The latest in their rather impressive line-up is the new Twins... Read More »

As an audiophile and headphone aficionado for over half a century, I was only aware of two ways headphones could be operated until 2008:dynamic headphones and electrostatic headphones. Grado, Beyer, Sennheiser, and Sony owned most of the market share of dynamic cans, while Stax and Koss produced electrostatic models. Headamps dedicated to either format was... Read More »

Fiio are a Chinese audio firm who have been well-regarded within audiophile circles. With an enthusiasm to bring affordable offerings to the mass-market, their products have received critical acclaim, and they have many awards under their belts. Hence, their vision to improve the "Made in China" reputation has certainly come a long way, owing to... Read More »

New York based audio company Master & Dynamic have always pushed the envelope in product design where styling and aesthetics are concerned. This, coupled with their striving for audiophile sound, has earned them acclaim from many a critic. It is not surprising then that their latest creation—the MW65 active noise-cancelling headphones—have been eagerly anticipated in... Read More »

Meze Audio first received its true breakthrough in 2015 with the release of the well-received 99 Classics, which had earned the company many awards and recognition. Part of their appeal stemmed from budget-friendly creations that married comfort, aesthetics, and sound—something which helped to propel HiFiMAN during their early years. However, unlike the latter company, Meze... Read More »

Born out of curiosity and experimentation, the Campfire Audio brand have come a long way since the initial release of the well-received Jupiter, Orion, and Lyra earphones. With a keen passion for all things audio, Ken Ball has spent hours of time perfecting releases from rigorous performance testing to tuning iterations. It is thus not... Read More »

New York based audio company Master & Dynamic are a vision of class, delivering beautiful and well-thought out products in their impressive line-up of headphones and IEMs. Although a newcomer to the world of audio, they have quickly learned the ropes through releasing precision-designed boutique headphones with a sound to match. Their website itself shows... Read More »

This note reflects, essentially, my first toe in the water of a higher end headphone setup, at least as a reviewer. I've heard high end speaker systems for decades. My first "high end" headphone setup was sometime in the late 1970s, an unknown model of magical Stax "earspeakers." At the time I thought them better... Read More »

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to experience the Aerosmith: Deuces are Wild in-residence concert at the Park MGM hotel in Las Vegas. In addition to the show being one of the most extraordinary rock concerts of my life, I was treated to a direct feed from the band's mixing board to a... Read More »

Ye Olde Editor in action at RMAF 2015 (photograph by Jeff Day) Three things for you… As AXPONA 2019 is looming next week, I have three items that I need to write about briefly before I hit that trail to Chicago. These will be short and to the point…not everything needs to be War and... Read More »

Just when you would figure John Grado would take some time off with his vivacious wife and spend time at their pied-à-terre in Paris, (if they have one, they should go there!), Grado's new and improved creations keep rolling in. With the improvements wrought by balanced armatures to IEM's and a few other engineering tweaks, the improved... Read More »

Yon Olde Editor (portrait by John Robinson) A prologue:  of memories, music, and dreams… To start:  An extended and quite famous passage from Proust. Just read it, it will do you good. Many years had elapsed during which nothing of Combray, save what was comprised in the theatre and the drama of my going to... Read More »

The STAX T80009S system package So, this set of impressions will be (relatively) short. Sweet, though. Several years ago, I got a chance to spend a few months with the STAX SRM-007tII tubed electrostatic headphone amp driven by the SR-009 combination. At the time the SR-009 ‘phones were the reference for STAX. They were modern... Read More »

I am hearing through the grapevine from high-end in-ear monitor users that finally, a manufacturer has produced a model so extremely detailed and comfortable, you are not still hungry for more after using them. That it has totally achieved the important criteria of true continuity of frequency response from 20-20,000Hz, definition at all frequencies equivalent to state... Read More »