Hippo CriCri+ Review

The hippo cricri+ is a 24bit 96khz capable DAC+ Amp, with an internal battery to run on, has line in audio, and that makes it one hell of a complete package. The question is, is it good in sound? FYI it packs a TI USB DAC, so should be a not bad one.

Outlook

At first glance, the unit looks real solid, with a brushed metal type look  on it. The power button is by a click away. Volume button is easily controlled, and can maneuver precisely.

Weight

The unit actually is quite light, and can be pocketed without you actually caring about the weight.

Accesories

3.5mm interconnect

USB cable for PC use or charging

Sound

Basically I will be reviewing it as a DAC+ AMP, since it will be more optimal.

Treble

The treble in the cricri+ is quite clean and not sharply spiked. Just a decent quality treble i must say.

Mid

The vocals is quite "in the middle". Not very strongly forward but yet cant be called laid back. Background vocals are quite muffled bits though, but still can be heard.

Bass

Bass on the cricri+ is quite strong I must say, and packs some punches, BUT it will not satisfy basshead's craving for an ear massage. 

Soundstage

Somehow, I really like the amount of width that the cricri+ is able to project. It has a certain extent of airiness, though still not the best of all. 

Conclusion

I would really recommend this unit for people who seeks these in one pack: 1. portable amp 2. home headamp but dislikes bulkiness 3. has an easy drive IEM or headphone. If you fulfil the 3 terms, this is for you.

Burson Audio Soloist + LCD-3 review

Burson Audio Soloist SL

The Soloist SL is one amp that I am quite impressed with. 

Design + build

Burson Audio Soloist SL

Well I can say that I am totally loving the whole aluminium casing idea and it looks really really classy. All the socket connection secures tightly despite frequent plug unplugging. 

One thing that bothers me though is the only rca input, which I did not have the cable for, and had to go out and find one 3.5mm to RCA. Although so, the 2 inputs are quite appreciated so that users can switch between inputs. Great for AB-ing too.

Audeze LCD-3

This headphone is one heavy one i must say, and overall the build is real classy looking, with the comfort of leather that I find wearing a whole day without breaking a sweat. With the package comes along these accessories:

• Ruggedized travel case

• 4-pin to 2x3-pin XLR adapter (for balanced cables)

• Leather care kit
• 4-pin to 6.5mm adapter

Sound

I always love to simplify sound description and not over boast it. In here, I will just directly make judgement and not split them up into 2 sections, since this review is about the synergy of this both.

Treble

The pairing really brought out major detailing that I have yet to hear from what I had, which made me really impressed. All the clear audio really got me going on and on boasting how good the sound is to my surrounding fellow mates.

Vocal / Mids

The mids are quite forward in this pairing, and I can really feel it quite close to me, so I dont miss a single word out of the singer's lyrics. Background vocals are well separated with the main singer, and doesn't get overly mashed up, which also depends on the mastering of the audio.

Bass

The amount of bass in this pair is short and full of power, but not boasting the ear shattering amount. They do little to the bass and is quite focused on the quality of audio and not letting the bass getting all over the music. 

Soundstage

The soundstage is also one of the point that really got me going on boasting. It is really wide, and is one of the best I have heard so far. Nothing came even close to what this pair had to offer. Having listening to some live concert masterings and instrumental ones, I am quite sure this pair will do remarkable experience to classic lovers.

Conclusions:

Well, all thanks to the sponsor, Burson Audio, I had one hell of an experience, and will definitely get this setup once I hit a jackpot. Now the next person in line, get your ears all ready for hell of an experience, mate! And lastly, as always ,  test everything, leave nothing behind.

Big Guns are here

I have finally received the long awaited (at my side at least) for the Audeze LCD-3 and Burson Audio Soloist SL unit. I'll be starting to test it after i get the things set up, for now, pictures of a few

Burson Audio Soloist SL

Audeze LCD-3

Open up

Special  thanks to Burson Audio and Audeze for this wonderful opportunity, I wouldn't be ablke to afford these rigs anyways :/

thinksound MS01

The thinksound MS01 is an IEM brand that I have not heard before till recently. Mr Su from earmass.com was gladly open up, and sent me his pair of MS01 for testing. No packaging was attached along so no review on that section.

Build

The overall build of ThinkSound MS01 is quite cosmetically attractive. With part of the IEM wooden covered, it gives a very nice touch to aesthetics. Cable is quite thin, but it will still not be broken as simply. The Y splitter ensures that the cables do not split all the way to the socket.

Sound

Treble

The treble on the MS01 is quite sharp, but not until the clipping limit. It just shows the crispiness of the music, with the "s" sound hissing around in the music.

Mids / Vocals

The vocals are quite in the middle, not very forward yet not a laid back type. It is can only be said as "you can hear it clearly". It feels like a mixture into the whole music, and not the very appearing.

The mids especially piano type music is quite impressive to speak. Background vocal separation is also very clear cut. 

Bass

Bass in the MS01 has an extend of power, and accuracy, but not too bloated out or heavy that causes noxious feelings. 

Thought on MS01

The MS01 is quite a nice piece of IEM, with clear accurate bass, mid centric vocals. The only thing i wished for a slight tone down would be the trebles. After that, this IEM will be very ready to be mainstream. Lastly, as always,  test everything, leave nothing behind.

HiFiMan RE-400

Credits to: HiFiMan.com

HiFiMan has been one of the most reputable "underdog" in the audiophile industry. Most of us will go o.0 when you hear HiFiMan, and the word China. Yeah, China brand. Neverr underestimate HiFiMan though, they make very little but real serious equipment that are meant to fly high and not break the bank. One of them is the RE-400 IEM, code name "Waterline".

Design

The RE-400 is one of the IEM which is quite small in size, and fits almost fully inside your ears, snuggling comfortably. You can literally take it on a day without any misfits or fatigues.

 The IEM uses a 45 angle jack, which some may appreciate, some not so.

Packaging

What you see in the image below is what you will get inside.

4 sets of tips, 1 single flange, 3 double flanges, cable holder, 10 filters, a carrying case

Sound

The RE-400 has a relatively relaxing type of sound signature. Overall I can say it fits multiple genre, and excel in most of them.

Treble

Treble in RE-400 does not give that ear piercing high, instead it keeps it there and with just sufficient amount to mix with the whole genre. Drums can be clearly heard, and not miss any details on guitars or percussions.

Mid / Vocals

Vocals are quite forward and placed quite evenly among the musical instruments. It doesnt give the Grado feel of mid, but yet is not the Beyerdynamic laid back. It's somewhere in between.

Bass

Bass on RE-400 is one of the thing that I am most impressed with. Not much mass on the bass, but they can give a short and darn accurate bass hits that I could get some slight goosebumps. Note: not for bassheads.

Conclusion

Well, what can I say, for USD99.00, this is one hell of a bargain not to be missed. Everyone ranging from new and learning audiophiles to old-timers, recommended to get this bastard right away. This is one low cost high grade IEM that should be in every one's pockets.My usual motto will keep going : " test everything, leave nothing behind."

Sansa Clip+ Review

Clip+ has been with me for quite some time, and made a review in a local audio forum, so i extreacted it and put it here:

here is how i view this clip+

Interface:

Since i rockbox directly cause of Rockbox's reputation, i dont even bother with the AMS (stock sansa firmware), but during the installation, i still had to go through the default interface, and startup time was waay slower than of RB. Navigation on stock took me some time to get used to, and now the RB part, that is what i like. Very straightforward, startup within a second or two, file browsing is so damm easy i can relate it to windows navigation, it's that easy.

RB features are very comprehensive and will only show what u wanna know on the playing interface, not eye candies!! Files are separated into SD directory and the internal storage, and from there, separated again to audiobooks, FM etc etc u get the point..

Configuration section is where it gets a bit technical, u get a series of audio configurations like compression, crossfade time, forward time configurable to span between tracks, and seconds. EQ has much more customization from stock. Heck it even has channel configuration, stereo/mono/custom/mono left or right/karaoke (triple LOL). I am lazy now to list out all the configuration list, but it is damm complex inside.

Best thing on the interface is u can save it into a cfg file, nice one!

Audio quality

Provided now that all the audio configuration left untouched, i am using UM Miracle as reference here, which is my favorite IEM and no other i had is better. Bass is quite packing a punch, and can clearly listen to the tone of each bass and where the tone start and stop clearly. Mid is very forward and vocals are clear and the speech (or singing) of the artist is clearly what u can decipher, no blur spots. But it dies get cramped up when there are background vocals. High tones are not very highly pitched, i say is a bit flat and not much crystality, good for me that it does not create ear fatigue/ear pain due to overly high trebles.

Done with bass mid treble, now soundstage.. not much wide to say, quite feels like the orchestra is around me, and im not seating at the spectator seats.. more like the center mike i think..

Some other features i dont bother to try yet, cause i will less likely be using them, i only focus on why we buy DAP, to listen music, top priority! well not to mention that this thing is puny but can really bring out details in music i listen to. Oh yaa, forgot to mention, this although is a 2 tone display - it can display JPG !! Ugly but still.. can be viewed..

Oh and err, i used to have cube c30 and x19HD, both dies and are in the bins now, but if they were alive, i still take sansa clip+ as preference number 1

Summary:

Advantage:

Good SQ
Dirt Cheap
Lots of customizability - themes, games, comprehensive configurations
Image viewer
Puny small
Clip on
Simple navigation buttons
microSD expansion
long battery life as they claim compared to stock firmware
while playing, displays only what u need to know, no garbage
plays 24bit/48

Disadvantage:

Plug in to PC to transfer files to SD = speed loss slightly
too technical configurations for some
ugly 2 tone images
Sound configuration may cause bad SQ to appear if not set correctly
cant display chinese on default RB
chances of losing it is higher

I will definitely push people to find this rare item now, if they need a player, no matter what they want!

Songs used:

On strangers tide OST - for orchestral
Black Shelton - Red river blue - vocals and mixtures
Limp Bizkit - Gold Cobra- Bass test and mids
Minutes to midnight - High pitch test < - 24 bit FLAC
David guetta- nothing but the beat - bass and highs test, techno style
Chinese orchestra - soundstage test

Okay, that's all for the day, and as always, test everything, leave nothing behind.

Shure SE535 reviewed

Well, this unit i got is a relatively used one, so it has some flaws in the cosmetic looks, but still works fine and is eligible for a review.Instead of using this IEM image, I suggest you google around for the looks of the IEM.

SE535 specifications:
Driver: Triple Balanced Armature

Design

As all other universal fit IEM, the design is rather similar, the unit I got is a clear colour variation. Wearing it was very simple and hassle free. You folks might want to take note on the small nozzle when picking a tip for it. It is much smaller than the other normal tip nozzle you might have. 

Cable

Since I got the clear cable along with the IEM(which I am not sure if it is the stock cable), I will comment a two on this cable and the flaws. One thing I observed is the greening of the cable from the inside, and will ruin the cosmetic beauty of the cable, but still is quite functional.

SE535, as with other Shure SE IEMs, use their in-house socket, sort of a round clip, which makes the search for after-market cable be challenging.

Notice the socket SE uses

Sound 

Bass

Bass on the SE535 was short and accurate. I really quite liked how they portray the amount of bass mix with the music. It doesn't go over board and doesn't cause fatigue from over power.

Mid

The mids and vocals on SE535 is quite pronounced and very appearing. I would also call it a forward mid IEM. Something that bothers me is the occasional over power of the background vocals, making the main vocal getting pushed behind. YMMV.

Treble

SE535 has one of the trebles that I find is quite appealing. It doesn't get over sharp or crisped. This will definitely suit long hours of music listening comfortably. You still can hear all the details but they don't get very annoying after long hours listening.

Soundstage

The soundstage is quite wide, leaving echo trails quite long, and I could feel the airiness in the music. Totally loving the relax and wide soundstage.

Conclusion

Besides the depreciation from the cable, I seriously think this is one juicy piece of IEM really worth considering, with that subtle amount of bass, appearing vocals and clean treble, wide soundstage, I do not see anything wrong with this IEM except addiction problems :P This IEM gets my first IEM stamp of approval. As always, test everything, leave nothing behind.