Posts by author
Trav Wilson
In Part 2 of our “Introduction to DACs” guide, we explore how DACs work, including sampling, filters, features, and chipsets. In Part 1 of “Introduction to DACs: Headphones Enthusiast’s Guide”,…
Introduction to DACs: Headphones Enthusiast’s Guide | Part 1
In Part 1 of this DAC guide, we learn how digital files are converted to analog audio, including file formats, hi-res, inputs, and outputs. I listen to music, so do…
Review: Chord Mojo Portable DAC / Amp
Groovy baby. Yeah! How portable audio got its mojo back. With reportedly more than 70,000 units sold since its October 2015 release, Chord’s Mo(bile) Jo(y) has become a personal Hi-Fi…
Review: KZ ZSX ‘Terminator’ IEMs
There was no question KZ would ‘be back’, but is the ZSX a worthy sequel for the franchise? Pop quiz. How many KZ IEMs are there? Name them all. “30?…
Review: MEE Audio MX4 PRO
In the crowded land of IEMs, is the MEE Audio MX4 Pro just another case of me too? Founded in 2005, MEE Audio, a subsidiary of S2E, Inc. is located…
Building the Starving Student II Hybrid Headphone Amplifier
The popular DIY budget amp has graduated and fully realized its potential. The first Starving Student hybrid headphone amplifier originally debuted in 2008 on Pete Millett’s DIY Audio Pages. Pete…
Review: Hagerman Audio Labs Tuba Headphone Amplifier
Quality over Quantity. Hagerman Audio Labs is a one-man company, located in Honolulu, Hawaii, and dedicated to the design and creation of high-quality audio products. It is the brainchild and…
How to Mod the Fostex T50RP MK3
Today we are taking a look at the famous Fostex RP series of headphones where many headphone enthusiasts and audiophiles were introduced to the fun world of modding. We will…
Review: KZ AS16 [16 Drivers]
A higher-priced KZ IEM with elevated aspirations. But where’s the fun in that? It seems like only days ago that I was writing about the newest Knowledge Zenith (KZ) flagship…
Building the Millett NuHybrid Headphone Amplifier
How a Fluorescent Display became a Triode Vacuum Tube for Audio The NuHybrid is (as you may have guessed from the name) a new type of hybrid tube headphone amplifier.…
Review: Douk Audio Little Bear B4-X
A Curiosity full of Tubes and Compromises Douk Audio (also known as Nobsound), a subsidiary of Shenzhen Cavins Technology Co., Ltd., was founded in 2013 in Shenzhen China. The company…
Review: KZ ZS10 PRO | Long Live The New King
Perhaps Practice Makes Perfect – The KZ ZS10 Pro Review Another day, another new IEM from Knowledge Zenith (KZ). Seriously, I’m doubting whether KZ employees can keep the product lineup…
Balanced vs Unbalanced Audio Connections
Getting the best sound from your headphone setup can be a balancing act, but does it have to be? A typical headphone source (amplifier, DAP, etc.) supports an unbalanced headphone…
Headphone Impedance Demystified: Do I Need a Headphone Amp?
The importance of matching headphones with audio sources in the pursuit of high fidelity audio. Impedance is one of the basic specifications included with almost every quality pair of headphones…
Upgrading the Bottlehead Crack Headphone Amplifier: A Comprehensive Guide
oSo now you have assembled your stock Bottlehead Crack OTL amplifier. You could stop now and live in personal audio bliss. The Crack sounds so good, there really isn’t a…