Had a great first day at the High-End Munich 2022. Met up with a lot of people, especially Vitalie Sandu of SoundNews.net. Couldn’t meet Resolve and Cameron because it was almost afternoon by the time I got there and I had to talk with some people quickly.

Tried the Kann Alpha Max, proper upgrade over OG Kann Alpha. The OS is still sluggish but the mids on these are noticeably more organic. Has the same bass punch and crystalline treble as the original so I think this is a good upgrade.

Then met the awesome people at Final Audio, and tried their latest TWS which I forgot the model number of (will take note tomorrow). They also had Stax SR-X9000 which is a phenomenal headphone. The driver is a thing of beauty, just check the picture.

Spirit Torino from Italy had the Mistral which sounds “grand” for a wireless headphone. Will check it out even further tomorrow. On the DAC side, DCS Bartok Rossini is a good one that I tried today but yeah well it didn’t sound like something exorbitantly exceptional. Need a closer listen tomorrow (today I listened the Meze Elite and DCA Ether 2 on them).

Spirit Torino also had the craziest headphones I’ve seen till now: Spirit Torino Valkyria. Costs $12K, made to order, Titanium housings, weighs like 800gms or so, and of course the cable is fixed. There are also some ruby-like materials inside and a carbon-fiber driver housing because why not.

As for the sound: these slam like a freight-train. One of the most energetic headphones I’ve heard, even though there was no sibilance or harshness upon initial listen. Also they have a very “grand” sense of stage height, though stage depth and width didn’t seem as impressive as the Stax X9000 or the good ol’ HD800S.

Also tried Campfire Audio’s new flagship, the triple-dynamic one. It has very good bass and an energetic signature. Gotta listen again tomorrow to form longer impressions. Mr. Ken Ball was also very welcoming and we had a good chat about the pricing of this, which is more about the exclusivity than sheer performance over the Solaris 2020.

Met with the legend Mr. Axel Grell himself (he came up with the legendary Sennheiser HD-series models as well as the Sennheiser HE-1). 

Had a really nice discussion with him regarding his tuning philosophy and how he looks at the recent trend of “target-hitting” headphones and earphones. Needless to say, he’s one of the coolest guys around.

Also had the chance to try out the Heavys headphones, that are marketed towards metal-heads. I have pre-ordered one already so couldn’t help trying the current prototype out. In terms of sound, the tuning is nearly finalized. I offered some feedback regarding certain design decisions as they wanted to hear my thoughts. Let’s see how the final unit turns out.

As for the sound of the Heavys, they were quite coherent for multi-driver headphones. Upper-mids are not drowned out at all, distortion guitars are put forward. Vocals also come through well. Cymbals are present without being sharp or spiky. Decent separation in fast section, with double pedals being separated from snare hits.

Surprise of the High-End Munich show for me was the Meze 109 Pro (I think that’s the model number). They are still in prototype stage but if the final thing sounds even slightly better than this one, well, we got a potential winner.

I asked the Meze Audio reps about some technical details and they’ve shared some information. So far, it’s using a 50mm bio-cellulose dynamic driver. The driver housing is also encased in a Beryllium-plated metal that probably does something, did not get into those details since I was running short of time.

As for the sound, it’s got really nice bass with rich texturing and excellent layering. The mids were warm and smooth but didn’t lack detail. Staging was impressive with surprisingly good depth and height.

Couldn’t test these further but knowing that the pricing will be under $1000, I am really excited to try them out once they hit the market. Planned release: Q3 2022. Looking forward to these.

The Stax SR-X9000 are stupendously good. One of the best headphones out there, without a doubt. They have incredibly lifelike stage depth that rivals that of Susvara. In terms of bass and raw resolution, I think they are better than the Susvara, with the SR-X9000 having a bit more snap in the treble. Susvara still has that romantic smoothness, but the Stax are just as good, in a different way.

I also met up with iFi Audio reps, courtesy of WODAudio where Werner was very welcoming and we had a great discussion about headphones and gear in general. I listened to the new iFi Pro iDSD and Pro iCAN stack, paired with the ZMF Atrium. Needless to say, this was an excellent setup and I look forward to reviewing the iFi Pro stack in the near future.

High End Munich 2022 – Photographic Impressions

The post HIGH END Munich 2022 Audio Show Impressions appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Below are the top 20 articles listed by number of views.

But, hold it, this ranking is statistically unsound as an article published in January had more time to accumulate views than one released in December. The statistics are further skewed by some manufacturers linking back to our articles.

The real measure would be the average read time of an article per visitor….which we don’t know.

Another complicating factor is the crowding starting at #8. From there on, the hits per article as so close together that they make the chart deceptive. One would have to go down to #50 to do justice.

But some observations may be allowed: First, some of the articles on this list were published before 2021, as early as 2019. Second, not all articles are reviews. Third, some ancient ChiFi is here to stay, but the big days of budget ChiFi iems are over (on this blog). Fifth, long retired Slater still has a couple of evergreens. Sixth, only one product on the below list made it onto our Wall of Excellence, and only another one onto our Gear of the Year list.

Last but not least, we started a transition last March to incorporate higher-quality gear…which naturally attracts less interest than hyped budget iems.

Enjoy the list below!

Until next time…keep on listening!

1. Tweaking Tips – A Simplified Guide To IEM Silicone Eartips

2. Apple Audio Adapter Review – The One To Beat

3. KZ ZSN Pro X

4. Conexant CX Pro

5. ifi Audio iPower & iPower X

6. Shanling UA2

7. Hidizs S9 Pro

8. KZ EDX

9. Moondrop Aria (1)

10. Sennheiser IE 300/IE 400 Photography

11. SMSL SU-9 DAC/Preamp

12. Moondrop Aria (2)

13. Tempotec Sonata HD Pro

14. HZSound Heart Mirror (2)

15. Tanchjim Tanya (1)

16. ifi Audio Zen Phono RIAA Preamplifier

17. Reversing Starlines

18. Sennheiser Comparison

19. Spinfit Eartips Roundup: A Comprehensive Comparison Between 8 Variants

20. KZ ZSN Pro

Contact us!

Gear Of The Year 2021 – Our Personal Favourites

The post Our Top 20 List of Blog Articles of 2021…By Numbers Only appeared first on Audio Reviews.

We have no commercial interests. Our goal is to inform our readership while being learner drivers. We strive to deliver quality. We are not interested in freebies but in accessing interesting gear – and in reporting about it. Your stuff will be returned as long as you cover cost. And we have borrowed a lot, also from private sources, to build the portfolios we are proud of.

We started almost exclusively with iems (currently about 300) but later branched out into essentially everything portable audio, including desktop devices.

But we never intended to earn money through our reviews – it has always been a labour of love – and we will keep it like that.

One thing that always put a bad taste in our mouths is affiliate links: having an incentive to write favourable reviews is an absolute no for each one of us. I’d rather chew my hand off before succumbing to such blatant conflict of interest. Sorry, can’t do it.

Nevertheless, some companies insisted on such – simply to track their sales. In these rare cases, we donated the complete revenue to a Chicago charity supporting stage musicians through covid 19.

I am personally of the opinion we should drop these links altogether. After all, we are no salespeople, be it with commission or without. We see ourselves as consumer advocates, audio aficionados, and…geeks.

And since we are not guided by generating income, we can focus on less popular (but important) products such as power supplies or USB decrappifiers.

However, the blog has a basic operating cost (web hosting, domain name…). And we may need a better web template to improve our appearance. So far, I have been stuck with these expenses. These do not include DHL/UPS/Fedex processing fees, imports taxes, or shipping gear between us for a second review…which affect all of us.

We learn, blogging costs money.

How to offset these costs? Paypal has generated $0 in the last year. Nada. Zilch. I tried Google advertising on their auto setting…absolutely horrible. Google took this site completely hostage – at a meagre return of <$40 (needs to be topped up to $100 to be paid out). Scrap it.

What are the alternatives ? I was thinking of approaching companies we “like” to sponsor us with ads. Companies that, in our collective opinion, produce or sell quality gear. We would put advertising only in the right sidebar or footer but NOT into the main body of text (to sustain the flow of reading), NOT near the top banner, and NOT as aggravating popups of any kind.

Nothing annoying. Nothing into your face. It has to be subtle – and classy. And you, the reader, should be given the opportunity to avoid it altogether.

Any excess money, after hosting and taxes, would go at 100% back into the blog, be it for postage, import fees, or review gear acquisition. None of us will stuff their pockets.

In the end, despite advertising, www.audioreviews.org will remain entirely non profit. And cool as f***!

Let’s see whether I can convince everybody involved.

Until next time…keep on listening!

Contact us!

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Gear of the Year: 2021 marks the blog’s third year and the second with 8 contributors. We collectively published almost 200 articles, mainly product reviews, but also technical information. Apart from receiving review units from manufacturers and sellers, we also purchased a lot…and we borrowed from audiophile friends and colleagues.

We are a heterogeneous bunch not pressed into templates by commercialism. Each of us enjoys maximum freedom. None of us gets paid. And it is this variety that makes this blog interesting. Two of us, Baskingshark and Kazi, have been drafted to also write for Headphonesty, which gives them more exposure and also access to very interesting gear.

We are currently experimenting with generic advertisements to recover our operating cost (Paypal does not work at all)…any money raised will go back into the blog. We remain non commercial.

Our main focus has traditionally been on earphones – we have reviewed almost 300 – but particularly DACs and amps also caught our attention this year.

As at the end of the previous years, we list our our personal favourites of 2021 – the portable audio we personally enjoyed most. There are no rules, we just tell you what we like. After all, the gear we use most is our best. And we attached some of this gear to our newly created Wall of Excellence, which averages all our opinions.

Enjoy this read and we wish you a happy and successful 2023!

We thank

Most of our reviews would have not been possible without our 2021 cooperating partners. We thank:

ADV, Allo, Apos Audio, Astell & Kern, AudioQuest, Azla, Blon, BQEYZ, Burson Audio, Campfire Audio, Cayin, CCA, Dekoni, Dunu, ddHiFi, EarMen, Easy Earphones, Fiil, Helm Audio, Hidizs, HifiGo, ifi Audio, IKKO Audio, KBEAR/TRI Audio, Keephifi, Khadas, Knowledge Zenith, Meze, Moondrop, Musicteck, NiceHCK, OneOdio, Penon Official Store, Pergear, Sennheiser, Shanling, Shenzhenaudio, Smabat, Snake Oil Sound, SpinFit, Tempotec, Tin Hifi, TRN Official Store, Unique Melody, Venture Electronics, Whizzer Official Store, Yaotiger Hifi Audio Store. Don’tkillusifweforgotyoujustsendusanotandwefixit. 

For the companies: you can check for your products/yourself in the search field on the right-hand side.

We also thank the private sources that supplied us with loaners.

And here we go…that’s what we enjoyed in 2021…

Alberto Pittaluga…Bologna, ITALY

I’ve come accross quite a few interesting pieces of gear in 2021, mixed / hidden amongst piles of shameful crap. Nothing new, is it ? I’ll try to make a succint list of the most significant stuff I auditioned here. Most of these devices are also now part of my operative audio gear.

IEMS

Dunu ZEN (discountinued, was $ 699,00) : beyond spectacular microdynamics, resolution, layering and technicalities in general. A masterpiece.

iBasso IT07 ($899) : the sole real “direct upgrade” to Ikko OH10 I encountered as of yet. Same presentation, twice the refinement, at more than four times the price.

Oriolus Isabellae ($ 599) : somewhat “more V-shaped” alternative to Zen, delivering very similar technical prowess.

Ikko OH1S ($143) : a potential new join into the our World of Excellence roster as a sub-200$ allrounder

Headphones

Final Sonorous-II  (€ 300) : arguably by far the best neutral-tuned closebacks in their price category, staging and imaging easily compete with many lower tier openback alternatives.

Sennheiser HD600 (€ 310) : not a novelty for anybody but me, I’m sure. Quite simply: I got my first HD600 pair in 2021 and that’s why I’m listing it here. I presume no one needs a description. Do you?

Earbuds

Rose Mojito ($259) : superbly neutral-tuned high end earbuds with strong bilateral extention, beyond spectacular mids and vivid, refined highs in a fully holographic stage, with plenty of resolution and dynamics.

K’s Earphone Bell-LBS (€ 59,25) : mid centric buds delivering superbly organic vocals – both male and female – and very good trebles

K’s Earphone K300 (€ 28,59) : unreal sub-bass extension for an earbud, they deliver a very nice V shaped presentation while drawing an incredibly sizeable 3D stage. Presentation remembers a bit Ikko OH10, but in earbud form.

DAC/AMPs

Ifi Micro iDSD Signature (€ 749) : top sub-$1K mobile dac-amp. Very high quality DAC reconstruction paired with superbly transparent amping stage with power to spare for the most demanding planars and power deflation options to optimise low impedance IEM biasing. Truly a full step ahead of the competitors’ pack.

DAPs

Cowon Plenue 2 MK-I (€ 835) : hopped on this recently when I found a impossible to turndown openbox deal. Starting from my direct experience proving that there’s pretty much no game between proprietary-OS DAPs vs commercial-OS (read Android) DAPs, the former being in by far better position to achieve superior output sound quality, Plenue 2 represents a great companion to my QP1R offering a different / alternative optimal pairing opportunity for a few of my preferred IEM drivers.

DAC/AMP Dongles

This year’s experience proved to me that exclusively higher-tier (and price) dongles are able to deliver sound qualities worth the comparison with battery-equipped alternatives. Simply put: pretty much nothing until an Apogee Groove ($200) is really worth the price difference compared to the super-cheap Apple Dongle ($9), and even on the Groove some caveats apply (power needs, amp stage competibility).  That said, I really had pick one device “in the midfield” I’d pick the :

Questyle M12 ($139,99): while still not worth an inclusion on our Wall of Excellence, yet M12 runs circles around pretty much all similar or lower priced competitors I assessed in terms of extension, note weight, clarity and technicalities.

Biodegraded…Vancouver, CANADA

Doesn’t have anything to report this year.

Durwood…Chicago, USA

Shozy Form 1.4 has still been my go to earphone due to it’s warm inviting nature, great technical abilities and it feels great in my ears.

7Hz Timeless is another good buy late in the year for me, it’s a little more sub-bass plus analytical counterpart to the Shozy that has nudged the BQEYZ Spring 2 out of the way. A more detailed review is coming.

I rediscovered the Senfer UES for a quick throw around set, was hoping the Senfer DT9 was a slight improvement, but alas the Senfer UES sticks around instead. Sony MH755 is also perfect for quick on the go usage where I don’t need the universal fit in-ears.

Tempotec impressed me enough to consider the Sonata E35 for when good phone DAP’s are finally dead. Other than that, dongles are not my thing, and I have issues with some of Sony’s GUI decisions on the NW-A55 mainly related to playlist creation and long text support.

Lastly, the Questyle CMA Twelve would be an awesome DAC/amp combo to have, but my needs are more mobile. Perhaps when life slows down, but there are other bucket list items such as the Burson Playmate 2, RebelAmp, the Ruebert Neve RNHP, or RME ADI-2 that look interesting as well. Maybe someone will loan me one in 2022?

Jürgen Kraus…Calgary, CANADA

Earphones have traditionally been our main trade and there’s not many that stuck with me this year. First and foremost, I was impressed by the immersive and engaging sound of the single DD Dunu Zen that further excel in microdynamics. They are still very popular within our team.

Moondrop finally got it right with their tuning in the smooth and very pleasant sounding Moondrop KATO single dynamic driver. This model is generally well received. The JVC HA-FDX1 are still my standard iems for equipment testing, and an honourable mention goes to the Unique Melody 3DT for the clean implementation of 3 (!) dynamic drivers.

Another iem that fascinated me is the Japanese Final E5000. On the market since 2018, and very source demanding, this iem can produce a bass texture beyond belief. I have become a bit of a Final fanboy, as their products are unpretentious and natural sounding…and they fit my ears very well. I also purchased the Final E1000, E3000, and A3000…which get a lot of usage. No surprise that our Wall of Excellence is decorated like a Christmas tree by quite a few of these Japanese earphones and headphones.

Expanding my horizon into other devices, the Sony NW-A55 is a user-friendly digital audio player with great sonic characteristics and signature-altering 3rd party firmware options. But, most of all, it updates its music library within a minute or two. For the ultimate portable enjoyment, I discovered the Questyle QP1R dap...sounds simply amazing with the Final E5000. Found the dap on Canuck Audio Mart.

Dongles, battery-less headphone DAC/amps that turn any cheap phone into a decent music player, were big in 2021. Around since 2016, the market caught on to these devices. But out of the mass of dongles tested, the 2019 AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt was the most musical to my ears. I also like the AudioQuest DragonFly Red and the EarMen Eagle (replacing the EarMen Sparrow which I sent to Biodegraded). For earphone testing (and bigger cans), I still use the excellent Earstudio HUD100.

For my full-sized headphone needs with my notebook, I discovered the powerful Apogee Groove, a current-hungry dongle DAC/amp that has been around since 2015. I am even portable around the house. As to headphones themselves, I am still happy with the Sennheiser HD 600 and HD 25, but also with the Koss Porta Pro.

For my desktop setup, I identified the EarMen Tradutto as being a fantastic DAC in combination with the Burson Funk amp. Currently testing the Tradutto with my big stereo system.

In summary, I learnt a lot in 2021…

My Take Home this Year

• The latest is barely the greatest…many old brooms get better into the corners
• Influencers are not always right (…to say it nicely)
• Measurements are overrated
• Timbre (degree of naturalness of sound) is underrated
• Source is super important and also underrated
• Group pressure through hype may become a sobering experience
• That groomed YouTube stuff is boring

Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir…Munich, GERMANY

This year was very educational for me when it came to audiophilia. I got the chance to try out truly summit-fi setups and realized how good a system can sound. This also resulted in a sense of yearning where you keep comparing the gears you own with the ones you cannot own, at least not yet. Nonetheless, without further ado.

Headphones: The one headphone that has stuck with me throughout the year is the Hifiman Susvara. They won’t flatter anyone with the build quality but when paired with the right amp they sound astonishing. One of the most natural sounding headphones out there with exceptional timbre. A must listen.

Honorable mention goes to the Final D8000. Supreme bass that’s pretty much unmatched. On the budget side, I really liked the Final Sonorous-III. They are underrated and under-appreciated.

IEMs: When it comes to in-ear monitors, I have a hard time picking any single one of them as all of them fall short in one area or another. Nonetheless, the one IEM I’ve used the most throughout the year is the Dunu Zen. There is something truly addicting about their sound that makes me come back to them time and again.

However, the Zen is not the best IEM that I have heard throughout the year. That would probably be the Sony IER-Z1R or the 64Audio U12t. In the relatively budget realm, the 7Hz Timeless took me by surprise with their planar speed and excellent bass slam.

Source: Instead of going with separate sections for amps, DACs and such, I will just consolidate them into one.

Best desktop amp I’ve tried: Accuphase E380. One of those rare speaker amps that sound great with headphones.

Best portable amp I’ve tried: Cayin C9. It is the only review loaner in the past year that I have wanted to buy with my own money. I probably will, soon, budget permitting.

Best DAP: Lotoo PAW 6000, even though it can’t power difficult loads.

Best dongle: L&P W2. The only dongle that I found to be good enough to replace some DAPs.

Best DAC: Holo May L2. The price is extremely high but so is the sound quality. Exceptionally natural and neutral tuning. Another must listen.

And that’s a wrap. Have a great Christmas, and see you on the other side!

KopiOkaya…SINGAPORE

Too many lists…I focus on eartips…

Best EARTIPS of 2021

Most versatile eartips: SpinFit CP-100+
Best budget eartips: Audiosense S400
Best eartips for bass: FAudio “Instrument” Premium Silicone Earphone Tips
Best eartips for vocal: Azla SednaEarFit Crystal (Standard)
Best eartips for treble: BGVP S01
Best eartips for soundstage: Whizzer Easytips SS20
Most comfortable eartips: EarrBond New Hybrid Design

Loomis Johnson…Chicago, USA

Gear of the Year (and other Favorite Things)

SMSL SU-9 DAC/Preamp—one of those pieces that makes you seriously question why anyone would spend more. A seriously good DAC which is even better as digital preamp.

Hidisz S3 Pro DAC/Dongle—lacks the juice to power challenging loads, but has an uncanny knack for enlivening and improving more efficient phones. Very refined, with impeccable bass control.

Cambridge Melomania TWS—ancient by TWS standards, and its rivals have more features and tech, but this may still be the best-sounding TWS you can buy.

Shozy Rouge IEM—like a really hot girl you get smitten by the beauty before you even delve into the substance. Properly driven, however, these sound just as good as they look, with estimable staging and clarity.

The Beatles, “Get Back” Documentary—as probably the only person on earth who hasn’t seen Lord of the Rings I was gobsmacked by how brilliant this film looked and sounded. The real surprise for me, however, was how natural  a musician John was—unburdened by technique, but soulful and  exploratory.  Poor George invokes your pity—a good writer forced to compete with two great ones– while Ringo wins the award for Best Attitude.

Bob Dylan, “Desolation Row”—I always found the lyrics impenetrable and a bit sophomoric, but the Spanish-influenced lead guitar part is incredible, with scarcely a phrase repeated throughout the full 11 minutes. I’d always assumed it was Mike Bloomfield, but it’s actually the harmonica virtuoso Charlie McCoy, who also plays the trumpet part of “Rainy Day Women”.

Reds, Pinks and Purples, “Uncommon Weather” In hope of finding something genuinely fresh I dutifully listened to the most-touted 2021 releases before fixating on this one, which (predictably) sounds exactly like 80s Flying Nun and Sarah bands.

And This Was The Previous Year:

The post Gear Of The Year 2021 – Our Personal Favourites appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Introduction

The Apogee Groove is a very good sounding “dongle” DAC/amp that replaces a desktop stack for many. It draws its current from the source device and has a rather high output impedance of 20 ohm (the competition is typically < 1 ohm), which makes it problematic for use with low-impedance iems. The manufacturer does not recommend using it with multidriver iems either.

Whilst the laws of physics appear to limit the Apogee Groove’s use, there are some welcome exceptions to the rule(s)…which will be discussed in the following.

General Considerations

The 1/8 Rule

If you multiply the output impedance of your source by eight, that’s the lowest impedance headphones you should use with that source. For example, the Apogee Groove with its 20 ohm output impedance should be paired with  >160 ohm headphones.

What if the Output Impedance violates the 1/8 Rule? 

There will be variations in the headphone’s frequency response. With some headphones, especially balanced armature or multi driver designs, these variations can be rather extreme. Typical is bloated, boomy bass as the headphone does not get enough power.

Why are BA Drivers problematic (Multis and even single BAs)? 

With some headphones, especially balanced armature or multidriver designs, these variations can be rather extreme. Example: these headphones usually have a rated impedance between 16 and 32 ohm but their actual impedance typically varies greatly with frequency. The 21 ohm Ultimate Ears SuperFi 5, for example, ranges from 10 ohms to 90 ohms. These wide variations frequently interact in unfavourable ways with the output Impedance of the source. 

What about single DD Drivers? 

The impedance variations across the frequency spectrum are not as severe as with BAs…or there is no variation at all.

Apogee Groove only

What is different for the Apogee Groove with single DDs?

The 1/8 rule can be disregarded for single DDs with the Apogee Groove, thanks to Apogee’s special “Constant Current Drive” tech, and not even “in every single pair case”.  The CCD technology compensates for impedance mismatches between source and headphones. Without CCD tech all sub 100 ohm drivers you’d connect would have a very noticeable mid bass bump. Apogee Groove won’t alter FR when driving low impedance loads, or higher impedance ones featuring wild impedance swings.

What is different for the Apogee Groove with BAs and Multidrivers?

We would expect the Groove’s high output impedance to alter the BA’s/multidrivers’ frequency responses.

Apogee themselves advise against the use of multidriver BAs and crossover networks as their “Constant Current Drive” technology may result in uneven frequency response when used with certain models.”

Their impedance mismatch compensation does not work with many multidriver BAs. But why? 

There may be a conflict between crossover filters (using capacitors) and CCD. The technology may work with non-capacitive filters …or some other trick. 

I speculate the the Groove has a better chance of compensating for impedance variations in BAs, if these are not extravagant. Would be interesting to compare the impedance profiles of such BAs that work and some that don’t.

BUT: unless you compare frequency responses measured using Apogee Groove against a low-impedance amp, you don’t know wether your frequency response was skewed, as the deviations may not be that audibly obvious in some cases…considering our generally poor auditory memory and our expectation bias.

Hope this all makes sense to you.

Until next time…keep on listening!

Sources used

Discussion with Alberto and Kazi. Photos by Kazi.

http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/02/headphone-impedance-explained.html

http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/02/headphone-amp-impedance.html

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The post The 1/8 Rule And The Apogee Groove – A Tech Discussion appeared first on Audio Reviews.

It has been long overdue. After all, 8 contributors have a lot to say. We there our own DAILY NEWS page. It serves the purpose of informing you with internals at audioreviews.org, but also of reporting interesting industry developments and trends. It may also feature the odd opinion piece, and our FIRST IMPRESSIONS of a product.

You find a link to the NEWS page in the toolbar above.

Until next time…keep on listening!

Contact us!

The post Introducing Our DAILY NEWS Page appeared first on Audio Reviews.

We pursue a different approach and have “built” this “Wall of Excellence” brick by brick to list portable audio gear of all types that has been doing a great job for us. And “us” means eight authors. Reconciling such a large number of informed opinions means rigorous and effective filtering. Our selections are therefore relatively safe. We do not compare on our WoE and therefore do not rank. If is’s on it’s on.

This is not a shopping list either and we will not accept requests for additions from third parties. Our wall is strictly personal. Info on all contributors is appended below.

It should be noted that we cannot know every product and therefore our list has holes. But we always strive to keep these as small as possible.

Please bookmark our dynamic Wall of Excellence and keep checking back as it will always be work in progress. You find it easily in the top toolbar.

Now it is time to dip in. Please enjoy yourself.

And don’t forget: If it ain’t here, WE don’t want it :). Check out your eight “bricklayers” below.

Until next time…keep on listening!

Contact us!

The post Introducing Our Wall Of Excellence appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Executive Summary

Not all (premium) dongles are equal – and not all are equally useful for the consumer. A real dilemma. This note discusses the applicability of the different kinds for everybody’s unique needs.

Introduction

There have been hot discussions of dongles (battery-less, source-driven DAC/amps) lately. Two principal endmembers exist, the AudioQuest DragonFly type that minimizes current draw, and the Luxury & Precision W2 type, that draws multiple times the DragonFly’s current, but maximizes power output.

All dongles have their small form factor in common, which is aiming for portable use. Computer applications are not considered in this article (there are additional choices), neither are sound qualities of the individual models, and we focus on the more upscale models.

Technical Aspects

I had already discussed the limitations of low-current-draw dongles in detail in this article.

Co-blogger Alberto Pittaluga writes: price aside, it technically boils down to…little power/current draw = limited output power & quality. 

So pick your poison:

a) If low power/battery preservation is your top priority (i.e.: don’t want to buy a different phone, want minuscule size, etc. —> you have to accept sound and/or pairing compromises)

b) If output power/quality is your top priority (“need” to drive cans, low sensitivity IEMs, planars, etc.) you need phones with bigger batteries.

Both together is *not* (technically) possible, whatever marketing says. And – let’s face it, any device that is limited by its small form factor and without a battery can only be a compromise.

Little current draw/power = limited output power/quality but longer battery life

Which User Type are You?

The participants in the discussion come from three principal groups and therefore from different angles: Android users, iPhone users, and DAP users. All phone users use dongles to improve their device’s sound quality and/or to run iems/headphones not driven by the integrated audio circuits or the basic stock dongles.

iPhone Users

These have the least choice as iPhones throttle current consumption to 100 mA. They are limited to low-current dongles of the DragonFly type. They are also restricted in their pairings but get lots of use between charges.

Android Users

These phones have typically no current-draw limitations and host large batteries as big as 5000 mAh. They can therefore operate the W2-type dongles, too. And whereas these W2-types are the most powerful dongles, they still do not drive power-hungry headphones perfectly well, according to Headphonesty. The price to pay is much higher battery consumption.

DAP Users (downgrading to phone)

Whereas dongles are upgrades for all phone users, they are damage limitation for the sonically indulged DAP crowd. Some people sold their DAPs to go with the powerful W2-type dongle which comes sonically closest to their DAP.

Concluding Remarks

Since no dongle does everything we want, it comes down to need of what it should do for us, depending on our perspective. And all the points of the different user groups are valid. But what works for the goose may not work for the gander in this case, for technical reasons.

The consumer has choices: some want small and powerful, some small and low current, others don’t mind strapping an internally powered monster to their phone, and the rest wants DAPs. Before buying, we may want to define our requirements in order to get full enjoyment out of our new device.

Until next time…keep on listening!

Contact us!

Disclaimer

This article is a summary of discussions with co-bloggers Kazi Muhbab Mutakabbir, Alberto Pittaluga, and members of our marvellous Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/audioreviews.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

The post The #1Dongle Dilemma – Power Vs. Compatiblity appeared first on Audio Reviews.

What Is…

“Dongle” is the casual term for a tiny portable USB DAC/amp that is sourced by its host device (phone/tablet, dap, computer). It is derived from software keys of this kind of shape.

Early Steps

The idea of a small, portable DAC/amp in the shape of a USB “thumb drive” goes back to a conversation between some industry reps and consulting audio engineer Gordon Rankin at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest 2010. Gordon had been designing DACs since the early 2000s and had lots of experience with asynchronous code, needed to minimize timing errors (“jitter”) that compromise an USB-audio signal. You find details of the dongle inception in my AudioQuest Dragonfly Red review.

The device was designed for larger headphones and with iPhone portability in mind – but iPhone limits the current draw to 100 mA to protect battery life. One of the challenges was therefore to minimize current draw, which, unfortunately, limits performance as we will see below.

In 2015, Apogee released their famous “Groove“, a very powerful and large device that draws 340 mA, and it has an output impedance of 20 Ω. This is not a dongle sensu stricto as it only works with computers and mainly with high-impedance headphones (with some exceptions).

It took until 2016 until the first USB devices had a current draw small enough to work with iPhone: AudioQuest’s DragonFly Black v.1.5 and DragonFly Red. Timing was right as Apple removed the headphone jack in the same year, as of iPhone 7. And most Android phones followed suit.

Apple offers a decent low-priced dongle of their own that is good value but is limited in power. My review of the “Apple Audio Adapter” is one of the evergreens of our blog.

The DragonFlys have an output impedance of <1 Ω, which makes them work well with headphones and iems alike. They do not have any physical controls and are operated through their host devices.

DragonFlys Black and Red still lead the pack in terms of low-current drain (if exempting the Apple Audio Adapter). You find drain comparisons between some models here.

Most dongles need a Windows driver, but all of them are plug’n’play with phones , tablets, and Apple computers.

From Thumb Drive to Dongle

The very first external iPhone DAC/amp, the Apple Audio Adapter, was physically a true dongle, and a seamless headphone/earphone cable extension.

The first non-Apple devices (the AudioQuest DragonFlys) had/have a USB-A plug and resemble a thumb drive. The USB-A pug works seamlessly with the Apple camera adapter and any computer. Android phones had no preference with developers as they had no standardized socket at the time and still do not produce music bit perfect (they resample a 44.1 kHz signal to 48 kHz).

Most of the Android devices had micro-USB ports until the USB-C port (finalized in 2014) was slowly spreading starting in 2015. Today, there are more than 100 dongles on the market, most of them featuring a USB-C port. And so do the latest Macs.

DAC/amp and music/power source are connected by a short USB-C to USB-C cable, most of them coming with an additional USB-A adapter. None of these has a USB-C plug, probably for the purpose of stability (the USB-C plug could break off easily). But the need for this additional cable turned the original thumb-drive into a true “dongle”.

Some devices have a fixed USB-C cable, and iPhone users are horrified by the snakes they produce when connected to the Apple camera adapter. Third-party USB-C to lightning cables may come in handy, but their MFI chip draws “healthy” additional current.

Technology – What makes a Dongle’s Sound?

There are many variables that contribute to the sound, such as the dac implementation which includes software coding and filtering, the analog output stage, and the amp design and implementation.

Therefore, same dac chip does not mean same sound in different devices. In my case, The Khadas Tone2 Pro, EarMen TR-amp, Hizids S9 Pro, Shanling UA2, and DragonFly Cobalt feature the ESS ES9038Q2M dac chip – and they do not sound even remotely close.

So it does not surprise that some high-end dacs and some budget dongles have the same dac chip, which are a relatively cheap ingredient. Some high-end manufacturers therefore do not disclose the dac-chip used in their specifications.

Characteristic Chip Sound?

Since buyers cannot audition dongles in most cases, many buying decisions are based on chip brand and model. Descriptions of characteristic sonic signatures based on chips by certain manufacturers echo through the blogosphere. Co-audioreviewer KopiOkaya summarizes them for us:

1. ESS Sabre (US/China) – neutral to neutral-cool, analytical, detailed, fast punchy bass, great dynamics, impressive soundstage and separation. Modern sound. “ESS glare”.

2. AKM (Japan) – neutral to neutral-warm, vocal-centric, laid-back/mellow, bodied. Can sound forward on some models. Some dislike the “AKM Velvet Sound” claiming that it sounds flat and lifeless. Modern sound with a classic twist.

3. Burr Brown/Texas Instruments (US): Natural tone with very good music texture. Generally sound neutral to neutral-warm. Their earlier multibit models (for example: PCM1704UK, PCM63P, etc.) sound extremely musical and dynamic at the same time. Can sound forward with average soundstage on some models. Traditional analog “solid-state” sound.

4. Cirrus-Logic/Wolfson (US/India/UK) – A staple of Apple products since their first generation iPod. Natural tone with warmth and body. Vocal-centric with good dynamics and music texture. Earlier Wolfson DACs can sound wooly and lacks resolution. Traditional analog “tube” sound.

As KopiOkaya points out to me, this does not consider the jitter-reduction and error-correction clock, LPF/IV stages, and power supply.

DragonFly creator (and therefore “dongle inventor”) Gordon Rankin told me that these four points are “totally off“, and “you could not classify these brands that way. There is too many factors to pigeon hole a sound for any DAC: power, filters, analog design, digital design, software etc.”. And that’s what I experienced with my devices featuring the ESS ES9038Q2M dac chip.

According to Gordon, “the difference [for example] between DragonFly Red and Cobalt is more than the dac chip. Power, filtering and new controller make up a big part of the difference in sound. More so than the dac chip itself“.

So, maybe the four points above apply to poorly implement dac chips?

Technical Limitations and Realistic Expectations

The dongle DAC/amps are limited by their (portable) source – and by Ohm’s law. Transducers are moved by current. Such devices that are optimized for low current drain/little battery consumption do not work well with low impedance/low sensitivity iems/headphones, as such require a lot of current.

Dongles optimized for low-current draw lack certain features: for example high-speed USB and balanced circuits that would add to the current draw.

If the required current cannot be provided, the iems/headphones start distorting, which first becomes evident at the low end as it needs the most current. The right pairing is therefore important and I am surprised that some experienced testers ignore this.

It’s the current, stupid (and not the power)!

Such dongles that draw lots of current from the host device may provide more amplification power and less distortion (and balanced outputs etc.), but they will drain your phone’s battery in no time – or don’t work with some phones at all.

Examples of popular powerful dongles are the Shanling UA2 and Hidizs S9 Pro, that consume twice as much battery as the DragonFly Red – which defies the idea of portability. You find a power drain comparison between selected models here.

The real current hogs are limited to operation with a computer, but what is the point of a small form factor for stationary use?

Not every small device is portable!

Decoding Acrobatics

Most dongles decode MQA, which is apparently a useless format. And even the cheaper models manage sample rates up to PCM 32-bit 384 kHz and DSD128 (DoP), as offered by some streaming services.

This may be interesting for $$$$ desktop DAC/amps, but why does anybody need such sample rates in a $50-100 device with limited sound quality to begin with – while forking out that monthly subscription fee? Sounds like a “gimmick” to me.

Most renowned reviewers such as Steve Guttenberg are perfectly happy with CD quality, even on their $$$$ devices. Works for me, too.

Rigour in Dongle Evaluations

Dongles underlie the same standard evaluation criteria as self-powered DAC/amps when it comes to sound quality, but there are some special considerations adherent to their lack of battery. As they were designed to drive headphones from smartphones on the go, portability is the main criterium. And portability is defined by size/weight and synergy with the host device. Not every small device is portable.

There are compromises between:

• small size and performance
• source’s battery consumption and dongle performance

The small form factor limits the size of the logic board and therefore the space for electrical components – which requires shortcuts that take away from performance (but add to the price).

The other compromise comes from the aforementioned current limitation that restricts technical features, amplification power, and headphone pairing.

Such devices that are not designed with energy conservation (and hence portability) in mind do not work well or not at all with phones. They are not (very) portable and essentially restricted to computers.

In this case, their small form factor is pointless and even disadvantageous, as these dongles have to stand comparison with self-powered, larger DAC/amps that offer better performance at similar prices – and therefore better value.

Since dongles have limited power, much of their value lies in the sound quality.

In summary, when evaluating dongles, the analyst must have a good understanding of what these devices are supposed to do and how they achieve it.

Consumer Choices

As elaborated on above, the user has choices: either low-battery drain or high power and additional features – but not both. Many popular powerful dongles with lots of features are rather useless with a phone, and many low-current dongles are problematic with current-hungry transducers.

The choice is yours, but my dongles have to be as portable as possible.

Concluding Remarks

OK, “1001 Facts” may be an exaggeration, but now you probably have a better idea what dongles are about. I personally use a phone with dongle as I do not want to carry a dap, and because the small DAC/amp can be swapped between my current and future devices.

Over time, my dongles may have a higher life expectancy than my phone and also battery-operated DAC-amps such as the hip-dac or ifi Nano BL.

Until next time…keep on listening!

Contact us!

Disclaimer

My knowledge of these devices benefitted greatly from discussions with the USB-audio pioneer Gordon Rankin of Wavelength Audio Ltd., co-bloggers Alberto Pittaluga & KopiOkaya & Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir & Biodegraded, and Chiqui Vásquez from hiendportable.com. AudioQuest’s Stephen Mejias provided the historical details. I thank them all.

Our generic standard disclaimer.

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

The post 1001 Critical Facts About Dongles (Source-Powered Portable DAC/Amps) appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Continuously updated. Originally posted 2019/12/17.

This article describes the significance of the test music I use for analytical listening — approx. 85 tracks (with some input by fellow aficionados – thanks)….and all available tracks are accessible in a Spotify Playlist. Try this music yourself. Feel free to contribute to this list by giving your recommendations in the comments section below. Which ones are your most useful test tracks and why? Feel inspired to create your own list.

The most important tracks (for me) are in blue.

You find links to Audio Glossaries (that explain these terms) on our TECH 101 PAGE.

I highly recommend the audio test files from audiocheck.net (some of which are also included in this list). $5 well spent.

JÜRGEN’S TEST PLAYLIST – BOOKMARK IT

The Spotify List…don’t miss the detailed explanations below.

Here this Spotify playlist as URL...opens in a new window.

In detail…

Diana Krall — Boy From Ipanema (from “Quiet Nights”, 2009 ): vocals timbre, imaging, and (after 1:50 for 30 seconds) cymbals timbre, treble resolution, and transients.

The Housemartins — Build (remastered; from “Soup”, 2007): bass extension in the first 20 seconds and cymbals timbre all through the track.

Basia — Matteo (from “Butterflies”, 2018): bass extension in the first 10 seconds, bass line and and vocals reproduction thereafter.

Sons of Kemet — My Queen Is Ada Eastman (from “Your Queen Is A Reptile”, 2018): transients, depth of soundstage, clarity, timbre of brass instruments.

The Specials — The Lunatics (from “Encore”, 2019): bass speed in a recording with muddy bass to begin with.

New Order — Paradise (from “Brotherhood, 2008 Deluxe Edition”): Bass speed, attack at the lower end, separation.

Bee Gees — You Should Be Dancing (from “Ultimate Collection”, 2017): Bass speed, soundstage in a mediocre recording.

Konstantin Wecker — Anna R. Chie (from “Sage Nein!”, 2018): drums attack, male voice definition and intimacy.

Marillion — The Web (from “Script From a Jester’s Tear”, 2020 remaster): bass, attack, impact.

Genesis — Abacab (from “Abacab”, 1981): attack, dynamics.

Fleetwood Mac — Dreams (from “Rumours”, 1975): bass quantity/attack/decay, vocals timbre/definition/intimacy, cymbals/transients, depth of soundstage.

George Strait — Amarillo By Morning (from “Country Music – The Soundtrack”, 2019): male voice sculpture, density, and sharpness in a non-optimal recording.

Midland — Cheatin’ Songs & Fourteen Gears (from “Let It Roll”, 2019): density and sculpturing of male voice.

The Bow Djangos — C’est Si Bon (from “Forward Into Yesterday”, 2015): male voice density and sharpness that is naturally recessed in the recording.

Schmidbauer, Pollina, Kälberer — D’altro Canto (from “Süden II”, 2019): richness and sharpness of two male voices that are naturally recessed in this recording.

The Smiths — Frankly, Mr. Shankly (from “The Queen Is Dead”, 2017 Remaster): bass attack and decay, transients, degree of vocals recession. Guitar at 0:37 is a reliable “shoutiness” meter.

The Beatles – Something (from “Abbey Road”, 2019 Remaster): general imaging in an ancient recording.

Neneh Cherry – Buffalo Stance (from “Raw Like Sushi 30th Anniversary Edition”, 2020): treble recession/forwardness of hi-hats and cymbals, transients.

Oscar Jerome — Misty Head / Sunny Street (from “Live In Amsterdam”, 2019): treble recession/forwardness of hi-hats and cymbals, transients, bass quantity and speed.

Chester Thompson Trio — Follow You, Follow Me (from “Approved”, 2013): treble recession/forwardness of hi-hats and cymbals; spatial cues, transparency of image; separation. Good indicator of top-end roll off.

The Ed Palermo Big Band — Laurie Frink (from “A Lousy Day In Harlem”, 2019): brightness, transients, treble, resolution in complex instrumentations. Good indicator of top-end roll off.

Tool — Chocolate Chip Trip (from “Fear Inoculum”, 2019): treble, treble treble…upper treble extension and lower treble peakiness.

Baritone Madness — Remembering the Aramo (from “Baritone Madness”, 2019): saxophone timbre, treble.

Astrud Gilberto — Corcovado (from “Verve Jazz Masters 9”, 1994): transients, separation, soundstage, treble quality, and the ability to cry because of such beauty.

Cowboy Junkies — I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry (from “The Trinity Sessions”, 2017 Remaster): three-dimensionality of soundstage, vocals, transients in this binaural recording.

Frank Sinatra — Nice ‘N’ Easy (2020 Mix) (from “Nice ‘N’ Easy”, 2020 Mix): width of soundstage, vocals reproduction in an older but excellent recording.

Roxy Music — Avalon (from “Avalon”, Dolby Headphone version): soundstage, spatial cues, fullness/richness of vocals, detail resolution.

Jethro Tull — Hunting Girl (from “Songs From The Wood”, 1976): flute timbre and treble resolution.

A-Ha — Hunting High And Low & Take On Me (from “Greatest Hits – Japanese Singles Collection”, 2019): soundstage, dynamics.

Sade — Smooth Operator (from “Diamond Life”, 1984): bass quantity and speed, cymbals timbre.

András Schiff — 4 Impromptus, Op. 90, D. 899: 2. Allegro (from “Franz Schubert: Sonatas & Impromptus”, 2019 “): treble extension on piano.

Queen — Another One Bites The Dust (remastered; from “Bohemian Rhapsody” Soundtrack, 2019): bass dynamics/attack/decay, firmness and shape of vocals.

Queen — Bohemian Rhapsody, Live At Wembley (from “Bohemian Rhapsody” Soundtrack, 2019): depth of soundstage/sense of space, instrument separation, quantity of upper midrange/degree of shoutiness.

David Byrne — Every Day Is A Miracle (from “American Utopia On Broadway Original Cast Recording”, 2019): soundstage, congestion at busy instrumentations from upper midrange peak(s).

Coco Schumann Quartet – The Girl From Ipanema (from “Coco Now!”, 1999): separation and layering, timbre, staging.

Roland Kaiser & Dresdner Philharmonie – Alles Was Du Willst (from “Stromaufwärts – Kaiser singt Kaiser”): degree of shoutiness, voice reproduction, separation and layering, soundstage.

Howard Carpendale & The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – Hello Again (from “Symphonie Meines Lebens”, 2019): soundstage, timbre.

Hildegard Knef — Herr Kalecke an der Ecke (from “17 Millimeter”, 1999): (bass) temperature, vocal intimacy and definition, timbre. Great temperature indicator.

Peter Maffay — Morgen (from “Jetzt”, 2019): voice density and positioning.

Heinz Rudolf Kunze & Herman van Veen — In aller Herren Länder (from “Ich bin”, 2012): separation of the two voices.

The Beautiful South – Rotterdam (Or Anywhere) (from “Soup”, 2007): transparency, clarity, and cleanliness of image, soundstage.

Natalie Merchant — Don’t Talk (from “In Isolation”, 2020): female-voice reproduction and positioning.

Tahiti 80 — Seven Seas (from “Fear Of An Acoustic Planet”, 2019): general imaging, soundstage, and separation.

Bee Gees — How Deep Is Your Love (from “Ultimate Collection”, 2017): timbre, temperature, colouration.

The King’s Singers — After The Gold Rush (from “Music From Jarvis Cocker’s Sunday Service”, 2019): reproduction of multiple male voices.

Steven Isserlis, Dénes Várjon — Chopin Cello Sonata in G minor, Op 65 – 4: Finale: Allegro (from “Chopin: Cello Sonata; Schubert: Arpeggione Sonata”, 2017): timbre, note weight, bass realism, transients, separation, layering. Cello is a good indicator of timbre and natural dynamics.

Daniel Hope — Liebesleid (from “Belle Époque”, 2020): violin timbre, spatial cues.

Trio Zimmermann — Goldberg Variations, Var. 1 (from “BWV 988 (Arr. Trio Zimmermann for Violin, Viola & Cello”, 2019): staging, timbre, separation, layering.

Leopold String Trio — Goldberg Variations – Variation 1 (from “Bach-Sitkovetsky – Goldberg Variations, BWV988”, 2011): staging, timbre, separation, layering.

Beethoven — Septet In E Flat, Op. 20 – 5. Scherzo (from” Septet In E Flat, Sextet In E Flat” By The Gaudier Ensemble”, 1991): imaging, timbre, reproduction of brass instruments.

Albrecht Mayer & King’s Singers — Abends wenn ich schlafen geh (Humperdinck: Hänsel und Gretel; from “Vocalise”, 2016): treble resolution of oboe, timbre, vocal separation, detail resolution, layering, quantity of upper midrange/degree of shoutiness.

Patricia Petibon — Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen (W.A. Mozart, “Die Zauberflöte”; from “Amoureuses”, 2008): orchestral and vocal timbre, treble extension of coloratura soprano.

Ian Bostridge (Europa Galante, Fabio Bondi) — Ich Freue Mich Auf Meinen Tod (from “Bach, Cantatas and Arias”, 2001): voice timbre, spatial cues.

Anne-Sophie Mutter, Yo-Yo Ma, Daniel Barenboim, West-Eastern Divan Orchestra — Beethoven: Triple Concerto in C Major, Op. 56 – 3. Rondo alla Polacca (from “Beethoven: Triple Concerto & Symphony No. 7 (Live)”, 2020): separation, layering, soundstage, timbre.

Louis Spohr — Nonet in F, Op.31 – 1. Allegro (from “Spohr: Octet and Nonet” by the Gaudier Ensemble, 1991): timbre of orchestral instruments, layering and instrument separation, (micro) detail, treble extension, instrument placement and soundstage.

Los Angeles Philharmonic — Theme From Jurassic Park & Throne Room and Finale (from “Celebrating John Williams”, 2019): timbre, resolution of busy instrumentations, treble resolution, orchestral dynamics.

Anne Sophie Mutter, John Williams — Luke And Leia & Yoda’s Theme (from “Across The Stars”, 2019): treble and treble resolution, timbre.

Baritone Madness — Moaning (from “Baritone Madness”, 2019): saxophone timbre.

Los Angeles Philharmonic — Theme From Schindler’s List (from: “Celebrating John Williams”, 2019): violin timbre, treble.

Johnny Strauss I — Radetzky-Marsch Op. 228 (Wiener Philharmoniker & Christian Thielemann; from “New Year’s Concert 2019”): soundstage, orchestral timbre, instrument separation, layering.

Audio Stax — Kunstkopfumgang im IRT, Dr. Theile, Sabine, Mike (from “Die Raumklang CD”, 1987): spatial cues; transparency.

Channel Identification

Channel Phasing

Kinky Friedman – A Dog Named Freedom (from “Circus Of Life”, 2018)”: voice density and richness.

Yiddish Glory — Shpatsir im Vald (from “The Lost Songs Of WWII”, 2018): speech intelligibility.

Unifaun – Quest For The Last Virtue (from “Unifaun”, 2008): soundstage, clarity, separation, spatial cues.

Steve Hackett – Beasts In Our Time (from “At the The Edge Of Time”, 2019): soundstage, attack, dynamics.

Genesis — Dancing With The Moonlit Knight (from “Selling England By The Pound”, 1973): spatial cues, soundstage, vocals density, and degree of recession.

Robert Plant — Big Log (from “Heaven Knows”, 1988): transparency and clarity of image.

Led Zeppelin — Hey Hey What Can I Do? (from “Coda”, 2015 Remaster): drum attack, transients, treble.

Joe Bonamassa – Boogie With Stu (from “British Blues Explosion Live”, 2018): drum attack/impact, soundstage, separation.

Phil Collins — Easy Lover (Extended Dance Remix) (from “Remixed Sides”, 2019): width of stage, reproduction of dense instrumentations/sounds.

Eloy — Master Of Sensation (from “Silent Cries And Mighty Echoes”, 1979): soundstage, particularly depth.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds — Spinning Song (from “Ghosteen”, 2019): soundstage, imaging, transparency/clarity, male vocals.

Genesis — Cinema Show (from “Seconds Out, 1977): clarity, spatial cues, separation, soundstage.

Bad Company — Rock “N’ Roll Fantasy (from “Desolation Angels 40th Anniversary Edition”, 2019 Remaster): attack, impact, midrange clarity and transparency.

Porridge Radio — Born Confused (from “Every Bad”, 2020): general imaging, female voice, impact.

Biff Byford — School Of Hard Rocks (from “School Of Hard Rocks”, 2020): attack, impact, dynamics, tightness of bass, imaging of hard rock.

Biff Byford — Scarborough Fair (from “School Of Hard Rocks”, 2020): temperature, tightness of bass.

John Prine & Allison Krauss — Falling In Love Again (from “For Better Or Worse”, 2018): voice densities and separation.

Manfred Maurenbrecher — Rolle, Rolle, Rolle (from: “Rotes Tuch”, 2015): soundstage, attack, dynamics.

Toto — 99 (from “Greatest Hits — 40 Trips Around The Sun”, 2018): bass dosage and balance between bass, mids, and treble after bass-reduction modding…it reveals shouty/screamy higher vocals.

Toto — Africa (from “Greatest Hits — 40 Trips Around The Sun”, 2018): drums at the beginning to test bass quantity and speed. Refrain after a good minute for identifying shouty 3kHz peaks that may congest the image and artificially inflate and sharpen vocals.

Bachman-Turner Overdrive — Four Wheel Drive (from “four Wheel Drive”, 1975): impact, heft, and realism of raunchy Gretsch guitar with Garnet amp (“Winnipeg Sound”). Muscle and sonic-realism test for balanced armature drivers. Test of THD.

White Noise (from audiocheck.net)

…to be continued and updated. DON’T FORGET TO BOOKMARK THIS PAGE!

Keep on listening!

Here my latest music picks…

You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

EXPLANATION

When I wrote my first review in early 2018, I proudly wanted to include my test tracks, as seen in many reviews. My experienced one-time proofreader said “no, irrelevant”. And how right he was. The reasons are obvious: an earphone should appeal to all ages but much of the test music used does not. Many listeners don’t know or like the music listed and therefore may have problems following the reviewer’s argument. Second, there is no information supplied inhowfar a given track is relevant for the evaluation of the quality of sound reproduction. Third, long lists hamper the flow of reading and/or if repeated at every review can be outright annoying to the regular reader. Generally, earphones should work universally, ideally with all genres of music.

Music lovers listen to music, audiophiles listen to gear — anonymous

I rather created a useful set of general personal guidelines for testing. And I left a link in every review to give the reader the choice to look at it. After all, these guidelines are always the same and I try to avoid repetition. But, at least initially, I had to compile a suite of test music and define the purpose of each track, simply to guide myself through the analytical-listening process. I actually received some help from more experienced reviewers.

Considering the additional information accompanying each track (purpose of tonality and technicalities characterization), I should get away with listing my basic selection once…after all, my music choices come with the required context.

The post (JK’s) IEM/Headphone/DAC/Amp Test Tracks Explained! UPDATED With Spotify Playlist 2021-05-28 appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Introduction

The world of portable music changed forever with the arrival of the first iPod in 2001. But it took earphone manufacturers beyond the 2008 release of the first iPhone to offer some premium alternatives to the stock buds at a grand scale. And where are we today in terms of iems? Yes, more or less saturated.

With the advent of the AudioQuest DragonFly Black v1.5 portable headphone amp/dac in 2016, any smartphone could be upgraded to a premium music player (albeit some dap fans may disagree). v1.5 was the first “dongle” to draw so little current that it could be sourced by a phone’s battery (and it still leads the pack in this respect, jointly with the Dragonfly Red).

Again, it took a while for manufacturers catch on, but the market is currently flooded with tens of models so that it is difficult to keep the overview.

Purpose of this Guide

This writeup is foremost a small encyclopedia for my own comparison purposes and will always be work in progress. Feel free to bookmark this page and come back from time to time. I do not claim that it offers complete information – and it is highly subjective as it caters to my personal preferences.

In the future, I will not only add more models but also update and refine the individual entries. I hope it will grow into a representative database with time.

In Q1 2020, mostly by coincidence, I started having a closer look at dongles – and analyzed some. I focused on listening while ignoring tech specs and chip models as manufacturers report amplification power inconsistently…and not always correctly. All of the models tested work even with my power hungry 300 Ω Sennheiser HD 600 headphones, so the details are irrelevant for my daily usage.

In this guide, I also do not worry about special features offered in the individual models, build, drivers, digital filters, Hi Res decoding, or operation…which is your homework. All I focus on in my descriptions is perceived sound quality. But I care about battery consumption – we don’t want to run out of “juice” on the road – which is listed independently below.

Note: when looking at a dongle, don’t forget one of its main purposes: preserving portability. Fixed cables (typically with USB-c connector) can be awkward for use with iPhones and may result in cable snakes. And good adapters are pricey and cumbersome. I am hesitant with dongles featuring fixed cables – and for good reasons.

If you have tested these models and arrive at a different opinion, please drop a line in the comments section.

Spoiler alert: I identified clear trends in my results that are not surprising:

• The pricier models sound better, sorry for the lack of fantasy. No, they may not have stronger amplification or better features but they sound better.
• It is the other way round with value: the cheaper models offer better bang for the buck.

But to keep you happy: all of the models currently tested are very good in their own way and and each one of them is worthy to be used even with premium iems. Yep, I am mainly evaluating these dongles with iems (and not headphones): both are most portable.

When it comes to value, I intuitively compare to what you get in terms of iem for your money…and feel the dongles fare generally better. Nevertheless do many believe, a good dongle should not cost more than $100.

Equipment used: MacBook Air; BQEYZ Summer (32 Ω), Sennnheiser IE300/400 (16Ω)…this list will also grow to consolidate my findings.

The Lineup

I have no humour and arrange my list according to price from high to low.

AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt ($300)

US design. The smoothie of the dongle world and the dongle with the best sound quality by a long shot. Has simply the biggest note weight, most natural/organic sonic reproduction, and best musicality. It is not its power or resolution or staging that puts it ahead (by $100), it just sounds better. Voices are richer and fuller compared to the other models below.

For people who do not want to make compromises. Received criticism for being overpriced by people looking at the specs/measurements only. You pay for the sound quality, not sound quantity. Output is the same as in the DragonFly Red. Review.

AudioQuest DragonFly Red ($200)

Is somewhat more dynamic and edgier than the Cobalt. In fact, it is the most dynamic dongle I have tested. The most visceral of this lineup. Both DragonFlys have a slight bass boost compared to the other models. Vocals are still richer and fuller than in the Sparrow and HUD 100, but not as smooth as in the Cobalt, which is simply richer sounding. Has by far the smallest battery draw of the lineup. Review.

EarMen Sparrow ($200)

European design. Features two circuits (3.5 mm single ended and 2.5 mm balanced) of which the balanced excels and offers the widest staging and biggest headroom of the competition, beating both DragonFlys in this respect (you need a balanced cable to use this circuit). But the midrange reproduction is not quite a rich as in the DragonFly Red…though pretty impressive. Natural sound.

The Sparrow is more linear, less bassy, and less punchy than the Red and cleaner through the whole frequency range. Review.

EarMen Eagle ($130)

Features essentially the same sound as the Sparrow’s single-ended circuit. Less bassy and with slightly leaner vocals department than the DragonFly Red. Comes close to the “Red” in terms of sound quality, but has a substantially higher battery drain. Natural sound. The lowest-price premium sounding dongle imo. Review.

Earstudio HUD100 ($120)

Korean design. Offers two single-ended circuits with different output powers and three digital filters (I used the “bypass” filter for testing). A bit less dynamic than the Sparrow but very linear with no elevations and a nice wide, stage.

The HUD100 is the most polite of the lot, which is a good thing for taming punchy iems. Received a lot of flack on drop.com for being overpriced, which is simply not warranted. It is the best deal of this selection and worth every penny imo.

Gains richness and depth with the AudioQuest Jitterbug FMJ. HUD100 Review.

This is only a start. There are some upscale favourites that were highly recommended to me such as the Luxury & Precision W2 and the Lotoo Paw S1…but I have yet to get my hands on these. Co-blogger KopiOkaya auditioned these and let me know that they sound technically good but not musically good , and that the DragonFly Cobalt (he bought one in Q1 2021) sounds more natural.

Power Consumption

This is an important aspect when using the dongle on the go. The DragonFly Red wins the “power saving” contest comfortably.

Power Consumption Test: Parameters and Results

I tested the power consumption of several portable headphone amps connected to my iPhone 5S. The conditions were as identical as possible: 3 h test, volume calibrated to 85 dB  ± 0.5 dB white noise with Dayton microphone, no sim card, BT off, no other apps open; network on, 32 ohm Blon BL-03 iem, Genesis’s Supper’s Ready (from the Seconds Out album) played in an endless loop.

The iPhone’s battery was fully charged at the start of the test and the remaining charge was measured thereafter. The result is shown in the table below. Since the tests were performed at different times and considering the ongoing battery deterioration, the results have to be seen with a grain of salt.

[collapse]

Sneak Peak into the <$100 Realm

That’s where the biggest crowding is, currently, although it appears to shift toward the $150 – $200 category with the recent releases by interesting companies (Astell & Kern, Razer…). Of the sub-$100 dongles I can really only offer the Shanling UA2 right now, which is not any less powerful than the >$100 models listed above, sounds natural, features a second balanced circuit and the same dac chip as the DragonFly Cobalt (and even more power).

But where it falls short in comparison even to the (admittedly much pricier) Earstudio HUD 100 is its less linear response, particularly its leaner, sharper midrange and elevated bass.

This is in line with my observations that the more expensive models offer a richer, thicker, fuller, smoother sound. That said the Shanling UA2 offers tremendous value alone for its natural sound. Review.

Concluding Remarks

My preliminary observations (based on the few available data points) appear to correlate somewhat with desktop equipment: more money buys you a better sounding dac. But where it does not compare well is the amp part, at least in terms of power. You can get a lot for less in this respect. Your choice will depend on your budget and personal preference.

Oh, and the EarMen Eagle is about to arrive for analysis. And the Helm Bolt is also somewhere in limbo.

Until next time…keep on listening!

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Thomas Wilson alias HungryPanda was an avid Head-Fier and Facebooker, who passed away from complications with covid-19 a year ago, on 15 April 2020. Hailing from Scotland, he was an electrician at Guy’s hospital in the City of London, working mainly nights.

Thomas was a very nice and supportive guy. I had the great honour to meet him at the famous “Hope and Anchor Pub” in Islington, North London, in March 2019. At the time, this blog was not even 2 weeks old.

Thomas loved earbuds. He assembled them himself. He probably liked them because he could listen to music at work and still be receptive for phone calls. At our meeting, Thomas handed me three pairs of DIY earbuds, which I treasure so much that I gave all my other earbuds away. You find photos of these earbuds appended below.

Thomas also loved daps. He had 16 of them.

Thomas Wilson’s email address is lost.ontheprairie@gmail.com. It still works. You can probably reach him in the Elysian Fields where he currently enjoys perfect happiness.

As the Talking Heads sang: “Heaven Is The Place”. Rock on, HungryPanda.

Until next time…keep on listening!

GALLERY: HungryPanda DIY Earbuds

1. The HungryPanda Spirit (Shell: MX500; Driver: 32 Ω Fengru LCK1296 15.4 mm)

2. The HungryPanda HP760 (Shell: MX7600; Driver: 16 Ω QIGOM 15.4 mm)

3. The HungryPanda EMX500 V1 (Shell: MX500; Driver: 32 Ω Fengru LCK1308 15.4 mm)

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Audioreviews.org also took over Crin’s patrons and advertisement partners. We now collect cash from the likes of ChifiGo, Crinsoul, and Flop.com totalling $1.07 [Singapore dollars] per month.

Our team showed particular interest in Crin’s graph-comparison tool. We dismantled it and re-built is as a reviewer-comparison tool. As the name implies, we are now comparing audio bloggers and YouTubers instead of boring graphs. We also modified Crin’s ranking scheme. It now looks like:

• S: Shoddy
• A: Awful
• B: Boring
• C: Crappy
• D: Daft
• E: Eeeeeh
• F: Fukc

And we changed our slogan to: “Don’t be pissed, if your stuff’s not on the list. Sponsorship money brings reviewing honey“.

Crinacle will be our 9th author and third Singaporian on the team. In recognition of his merits for the audio community, we will rename our blog to audionaclereviews.org soon.

Welcome to our team, Crin! And thank you for approving this post.

Until next April fool’s day…keep on listening!

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You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

The post Crinacle To Join Audioreviews.org – Share The News appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Alberto, in his own words…

Bologna, Italy. Head-Fier “Hooga” since 2020. Alberto is a part-time music and audio lover. He’s got limited time to concede himself to listening to music, and that’s why his primary focus is min-maxing his audio enjoyment sessions. To  make things further complicated, due to family compromises he stays away from airing music on room speakers and dedicates himself exclusively to in- or over-ear drivers.

Be as it may, min-maxing audio enjoyment is not an easy task: the market is flooded with ever developing new products and finding the “good” ones – adequate to one’s tastes, well built, and subjectively affordable – is a problem.

A technology enthusiast since he was a kid, Alberto is not overly attracted by novelties for the sake of themselves, he’s indeed not a compulsive gear roller, and is indeed mainly interested in understanding why and how a given piece of equipment produces better or worse results.  His articles are about sharing his experience with the hope that it may be useful to others on the same quest.  

In real life he is Italian, in his mid fifties, works as a sales&marketing executive, and his other main technical competence is IT.

Alberto’s Tonal Preference

Alberto is mainly fond of acoustic jazz, and even more in particular of cool jazz, bebop, and its developments (hard bop, post bop, avantgarde). He also listens to a few other genres mainly progrock, folk, and songwriters, and some pop, yet cool jazz plays the lion’s part and as a consequence he strives for his primary gear timbre to be as neutral as possible, with carefully calibrated fast transients, extremely controlled mibass, extended sub-bass as as airy and defined trebles as possible, without scanting into screechy exagerations – in short, not an easy target at all.

The post Welcome To The Team Alberto Pittaluga, Thank You Slater! appeared first on Audio Reviews.

Written articles have advantages: the reader can come back anytime to look things up quickly (specs, box content etc.). But a reader has to be attentive to extract and digest the information.

YouTube is more “eye candy” and easier to consume, but once the clip is over, it is water down the bridge. The information is buried and hard to find again. There is also more style over substance in YouTube, window dressing and marketing play a much bigger role, simply because videos attract much larger crowds than write-ups. Many YouTubers are first and foremost influencers.

We at audioreviews.org see ourselves as tech geeks on one hand, and as consumer advocates on the other. We like the intellectual challenge of writing and we want to have fun. The written medium fits us better. I first used YouTube for unboxing spoofs, as unboxing is marketing and irrelevant for the performance of a product. My co-bloggers did not follow suit, so I have remained the blog’s only YouTuber and pose in character as “Dr. Schweinsgruber”…a name that goes back to 2010.

You have to structure a written review, you have to lay out your arguments, and you have to give good reasons to back up your conclusions. In YouTube videos, you get away with rambling as long as you can distract from your lack of depth with optics.

This does of course not mean all YouTubers lack substance or that reviewers with fancy setups are bad. But window dressing is not necessary at all considering that superstars such as Steve Guttenberg of the Audiophiliac Daily Show and, previously, Tyll Hertsens of innerfidelity lead the pack without it.

These guys are down to earth, it is entirely their knowledge and trust that attracts crowds. They are true role models. But they have been around for decades, maybe even for centuries. It obviously takes time to create a relationship with your audience.

So how did I approach YouTube? Really cluelessly but very enthusiastically – and on a shoestring budget.

I used an iPhone SE (first generation) without even a Tripod, and deployed the microphones of the remotes in earphone cables (Focal Spark worked quite well), had no artificial lighting…and all that in the worst lit places of the house. My videos were grainy and sounded tinny. And the crowd stayed away. No surprise.

I then ordered some microphones (partially financed by you Paypal supporters – thank you very much), a phone rack, a stand, some LED lights…and I started moving around the house to find the perfect spot. It took some time until I found my current setup. Now we had good sound and ok picture quality.

And the viewers still stayed away.

On the other hand, our blog has taken off and is attracting more and more interest.

From the start, I have based my videos on my written reviews, which can be a bit of double dipping. But you, the reader, can always look things up in the respective article – very fast. And I try to keep my videos below 8 minutes, which should be enough to convey the message.

With my academic background, I will always prefer written reviews even if this genre attracts less attention than moving pictures. As a consolation for us blog writers, an attentive reader has more depth than the average YouTube consumer.

The future looks bright and I will become a better YouTuber with time. Please subscribe to the audioreviews.org channel and push the like button. For now we remain “the world’s smallest quality Youtube channel”.

Until next time…keep on listening!

THE LAST FOUR YOUTUBE VIDEOS

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THE STORY SO FAR

Our blog audioreviews.org was established in February 2019. I reported of our beginnings 10 months into our journey. At the time, we had grown to six contributors and mainly wrote about earphones.

2019 — 2020: NOT A SMOOTH TRANSITION

The year 2019 ended on a bang. In December, Head-Fi moderators attempted to extort money from us. When I fully complied on something that was entirely not their business, they nevertheless tacitly censored my posts for 2-3 months into 2020. They left me alone thereafter. And, to put this to rest for once and for all: we don’t receive money or gear as favours for our help. Right now, we do not need Head-Fi anymore as we have more traffic than they have in our realm. And many competent people have turned their backs on them.

(ANTI)SOCIAL MEDIA: FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, TWITTER

After having had enough of Head-Fi’s stifling environment, I established an audioreviews.org Facebook group on 1st January 2020. The idea was to have friendly and fruitful discussions without censorship and commercial interests. And it worked. The group reached a spectacular 5000 members before Christmas 2020. Our members come from all over the world. We are truly multicultural – united by our love of music reproduction. And our Facebook group constitutes a huge readership for the blog.

I also established Twitter and Instagram accounts but have yet to value their usefulness. I essentially scrapped Reddit and Discord right away as they are for angry teenagers imo.

YOUTUBE CHANNEL

A YouTube channel was established in early summer accompanying our written reviews. “YouTube is by people who cannot write for people who cannot read“, I tend to say (based on observation). It is entirely tended by me in the character of Dr Schweinsgruber. For the first few videos, I did not even have a tripod to hold my phone used for filming. The interest in this channel is (still) limited as it is not as fluffy as YouTube watchers are used to, but more technical. I tried something different such as screen recordings and hope it will catch on. Soon, the YouTube crowd will figure out that they can get an earphone or headphone sufficiently characterized in 7 minutes or less. The best and most effective of all, Tyll Hertsens, just used a simple camera and next to no editing. No window dressing required to convey a complete message.

NEW BLOOD FOR THE TEAM

We also welcomed two new keen and competent contributors to the blog: Head-Fiers Baskingshark (Joshua Teng, Singapore) and Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir (kmmbd, Germany). This raised our number to eight: USA (3), Canada (2), Singapore (2), Germany (1). Each of us has their different writing style.

DIVERSIFICATION AND ADVANCEMENT

We diversified in both co-operators and product types. We dealt with over 30 companies in 2020 in order to stay as independent as possible. And we branched out in our reviewing into Bluetooth gear, microphones, headphones, cables, dacs/amps incl. phono preamps, earpads, and eartips. We are also broadened our exposure to include the premium crowd by participating in loaner tours on Head-Fi and Audiotiers. And we will continue contributing useful technical articles. KopiOkaya continued to help companies tune earphones.

OUTPUT: TOGETHER WE ARE STRONG

The eight of us had a prolific output of statistically an article in less than every two days, 186 over the year (including this one). Apart from reviewing gear, we continued publishing technical articles and posting our music picks.

USER APPRECIATION

The audience started appreciating our efforts – we have more than doubled our daily individual users this year to typically 500-700 per day, currently. Tendency is up as also seen below in our daily page views since February 2019.

THE SONG PHILOSOPHY REMAINS THE SAME

We will continue sticking to our mission of providing unbiased, competent, concise, thorough, and accurate accounts of the technical, sonic, and practical capabilities of any product analyzed. We see ourselves primarily as consumer advocates – which is the whole idea of product reviews in our opinion. After all, it is our money that is at stake when purchasing gear that does not work for us. While this has cost us dearly with some manufacturers, it may have given us the respect from most others.

We will continue to stay out of conflicts of interest as far as possible. And while we won’t monetize the products we review through affiliate links, we hope to cover our operating costs through PayPal….which, admittedly, has not worked well yet.

OUTLOOK: THE FUTURE IS EVEN BRIGHTER

In the last two years, we have established audioreviews.org as a recognizable entity in the blogosphere. We have a distinctive logo, a clear and clean layout, and we bring our message across pragmatically and concisely. Our different styles offer interesting reads for different folks.

In 2021, we hope to diversify our activities further while climbing up the reputation ladder to include more mid-tier and premium gear. We continue doing this step by step as we learn going along. There is no hurry. We hope that the positive feedbag loop created by the interaction of blog, Facebook group, and YouTube will bring us even more exposure.

We eight wish you a happy and better 2021…keep on listening!

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RELATED…

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The story behind BLON BL-05s is quite an interesting one but earphone development is an extremely boring subject thus I don’t want to bore you with too much detail. Let’s keep it short and sweet. All-in-all, its development stretched a total period of about 10 months.

Life of the BLON BL-05s did not begin after BL-05, rather it started after BLON BL-03. The idea was conceived when BLON wanted Jurgen’s and mine input on how to improve the BL-03. Both Crinacle and Hawaii Bad Boy contributed their valuable opinions as well. The intention of this tuning was meant to be an upgrade from BLON BL-03.

So how did the original BLON BL-05 come into the picture? During the fourth quarter of 2019, BLON was experimenting with the idea of piezoelectric drivers and they included it into their BL-05 earliest prototype… Which we know turned out to be a total flop thanks to a well-known friend’s over-enthusiastic YouTube review. The idea of a piezoelectric-equipped BLON BL-05 thus disappeared into thin air.

To cash-in on a higher-priced earphone, BLON banked on the success of BLON BL-03, dropped the piezoelectric driver and sold BLON BL-05 for almost 2x the price. Yes, the BLON BL-05 had cleaner bass and midbass compared to BLON BL-03 but was cursed by the “see-saw effect”. That is whenever bass is lowered, treble MUST be reduced if not the tuning will sound bright and harsh – similar to levelling a balancing scale beam. Eventually, the BL-05 was mercilessly bashed by both Crinacle and HBB… Of course BLON wasn’t pleased at all.

Aggrieved by the outcome, BLON decided to engage help from a close friend. This close friend contacted both Jurgen and myself (also our close friend) to re-tune the BL-05. After experimenting with their 3rd generation CNT driver (which has a thicker CCAW voice coil compared to 2nd generation), BLON sent us the “BL-05 MK2”, which sounded quite good… Almost Hana-like… Both Jürgen and I liked it… BUT… A slip of my tongue triggered BLON to scrap the tuning, and that is “Hana-like”. As we know Tanchjim is a business client of BLON’s, so it is definitely a no-go.

After a few WeChat correspondence with our common friend, BLON finally decided to base the final tuning of the BL-05s on my BL-03 improvement proposal “blueprint”. Hence, BLON BL-05s can be considered a BLON BL-03 “Mark 2”. 

If you wonder what the future of BLON BL-03 lies… Will there be a “real” BL-03 Mark 2 or BL-03s (whichever name it shall be called)… Well, I can’t foresee the future but there is a plan for a BL-03 successor. Meanwhile, enjoy your BLONBL-05s… It is worth waiting 10 months!

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You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.

RELATED…

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A note on Beryllium drivers in earphones.

The upcoming US Presidential Election, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the frequent AliExpress packages delay aside, 2020 is a great year for the audiophile community. The technology of beryllium diaphragm is currently in its matured state. Several headphone manufacturers have re-ignited the interest in the material by bringing more affordable beryllium driver-based products to the masses. Beryllium is renowned for its low density, high tensile strength and high flexural rigidity – an ideal material for transducers. This article will explore beryllium as a high performance material in audio applications.

Beryllium is a material with the symbol Be and its atomic number is 4 on the Periodic Table of the Elements, atomic weight 9.012182, is the lightest alkaline earth metal. As a free element, it is a steel-grey, strong, lightweight metal; lighter than commonly used aluminum and titanium, and its strength is 4 times that of steel. An indispensable and precious material with applications ranging from x-ray tubes to scientific instruments and precision components. It is also widely-used extensively in aerospace, telecommunications and metallurgical industries.

Beryllium has a reputation for being brittle. At room temperature, beryllium is inherently a “hard” metal with closely-packed hexagonal crystal structure. However, the level of brittleness is process related. There are two processes that are currently used to manufacture beryllium transducers – Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) and Powder Metallurgy (Powdered Metal).

Beryllium has exceptional stiffness of a Young’s modulus 287 GPA. The modulus of elasticity of beryllium is approximately 50% greater than that of steel. The combination of its stiffness and a relatively low density results in an unusually fast sound conduction speed in beryllium at about 12.6km/s under ambient conditions.

The advantages  of beryllium as a diaphragm material have long been acknowledged. Its exceptionally high stiffness-to-mass ratio is far beyond that of polymer or carbon-based materials, allowing beryllium to deliver even tighter, faster and cleaner bass response. A midrange that is natural-sounding, fuller with exceptional details and texture. With the rigidity and elasticity of beryllium, the treble can be extend even further without harshness or grain, resulting in a transparent, crisp sound that is comfortable for long listening sessions.

A diaphragm, for example, should move in a perfect pistonic motion (like a piston), with all points moving in uniform and only in the desired direction. Breakup occurs when the forces acting upon the diaphragm overpower its structural integrity and different points on the surface begin moving in different times relative to one another. Because beryllium is extremely light and stiff, it does a better job of maintaining its structural integrity under load, avoiding breakups when compared to conventional diaphragm materials. Beryllium stays pistonic throughout the same frequency range which tracks signal more accurately when an equalisation is applied. Thus making it more responsive to tone adjustments.

Even more critical, however, is the efficiency at which sound travels through beryllium. This is important because the frequency at which the first breakup occurs in any metal, is analogous to the speed of sound through that metal. The speed of sound through beryllium is nearly 2.5 times faster than that of aluminum or titanium. This means the first breakup will occur at a much higher frequency – well outside the audible range in most cases. What is more, when breakup does occur, beryllium’s greater stiffness ultimately reduces the amplitude of those breakups, resulting in very low harmonic distortion.

High frequency breakups cause rough and “peaky” frequency response that typically resulting in a long decay in the time domain (also referred to as ringing). This effect is particularly evident in the top octave response and decay differences between the smooth, fast-decaying beryllium driver and the peaky, long-ringing ribbed titanium driver.

Over the years, companies such as Focal, Periodic Audio, Dunu, Campfire Audio, Final Audio and Master & Dynamic, etc, have offered beryllium-based headphones. Despite its many benefits, beryllium has never been adopted as widely as polymer or carbon-based drivers, and has mostly been relegated to esoteric head-fi components. This is due largely to expense and complexity, since beryllium is rarer and traditionally more difficult to isolate and refine. But modern day refining and manufacturing techniques are reducing the cost of beryllium, while at the same time further enhancing its performance and reliability.

With recent launches such as Dunu Luna and Final Audio A8000, as well as the-soon-to-release KBEAR BElieve, audiophiles will have more choices for affordable beryllium-based earphones. Indeed, 2020 is a year to rejoice! 

References

Article & Graphics:

Adams, Michael., & Berger, Ken. (2012). Growing The Loudspeaker Ecosystem: A discussion of the use of beryllium in transducers. Live Sound International, 56-60. www.ProSoundWeb.com

Other sources:

D.W., Jr., and Burke, J.E. (Editors) (1955), The Metal Beryllium, The American Society of Metals.

Hausner, H.H. (Editor) (1965), Beryllium – Its Metallurgy and Properties, University of California Press.

Schetky, L. M. and Johnson, H.A. (Editors) (1966), Beryllium Technology, Vol. I and II, Gordon and Beach Science Publishers, Inc.

Hausner, H.H. (Editor) (1967), The Beryllium Metals Handbook, General Astrometals Corporation (1967).

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