The Q1 is smaller, cheaper, and, at normal listening levels, it sounds just as good as the M2X. Sure, it lacks the M2X’s rubber port gaskets, balanced output, wifi, Tidal (and on and on and on), but its simplified graphical and physical UI are just what my doctor ordered.
Read moreohmage to the Cayin N6ii
I’ve had the N6MKII since late October last year. In quick succession I tore apart its boxes and took a handful of purdy photos of it. But software problems (my end, not Cayin’s), kept me from doing much testing. (Apologies to both Cayin and to those next in the review queue.) Those issues are long gone.
Read moreohmage to the Fiio M6 Hi-Res DAP
FiiO’s M6 Hi-Res DAP is compact and well constructed. It has decent battery life, a small but good selection of hardware buttons, a somewhat programmable interface, and good sound. But it’s not a player that moves me, nor is it one I think that will move you.
Read moreUnder Ryuzoh's mod knife: my Plenue D and AK100 mkii
In Ryuzoh’s clutches are a Plenue D and an AK100 mkii, mine both. The latter is scheduled to return by 22 May along with my newly-balanced Chord Mojo. The former- well, that depends.
Read moreBlack to Gold - evolutionary changes to Shozy's Alien
While Alien Gold’s audible improvements are moot, the ways in which its machine quality has, vis-à-vis the original, improved, are obvious.
Read moreAdvantages of 24-bit audio and hi-res players dissolve prior to and after hitting play
Prior to reading this article, please check out Lachlan’s critique of 24-bit audio, in which he distills the important bits about 24-bits. Whether or not you read this article, and especially if cool-aid isn’t your thing, watch his video.
If you’re a metaphysicist, no amount of evidence will convince you of anything. You probably also believe that stair steps represent discrete sampled signals. This Xiph video may help disabuse of that belief. If it does not, remember: your god or spirit guide, or whatever, tells you to forgive.
Apology and RMAA comparison: MS-AK100, AK Jr, AK380
I don’t swear a lot. But when I do, I swear hard. Like when I swore the following in my review of the MS-AK100:
Read moreSize comparison of 9 audiophile DAPs and the iPhone 4
The above graphic appeared in the Soundaware M1 (Esther) thread at head-fi. What cued me into the M1 was Musica Acoustics's posting a picture of it on their Facebook page.
Read moreMusashi Sound Technology's AK240 mod: AK240 R
Now that the AK380 is out and the AK480 is on the horizon, the question on many people's mind is: is it worth upgrading my AK240? After all, the AK380 is defined by Astell&Kern's own maladroit marketing department as the evolution of a masterpiece (and that masterpiece itself being an end-game prodcut). If advertising copy were the measure of performance, the AK240, Be[ing] The Ultimate, couldn't be bested.
Read moreRumour: the mighty Astell & Kern AK480
Disclaimer: ohm image generally doesn't host rumours, but with a scoop this big, and this mofo is BIG, ohm makes a jump. I was approached by an anonymous source deeply familiar with, or employed by, Astell & Kern.
That the recently announced AK380 doesn't feature Ultimate in its copy was the first hint that it wasn't their top model. That was the first clue that something else was coming. Last year, Head-fi fooled everyone with a mockup of an AK480 on 1 April.
Read more