The legend lives on. In much the same spirit as ATH-M50X, Audio-Technica release ATH-R50x as THE affordable, accurate, open-back headphone. As potentially the budding audiophile's first open-back headphone, ATH-R50x will go down in time as another classic. "There's very little to not like about this studio-reference headphone" said PC Gamer. Answering a decade-long question on how an open-back reference like the ATH-M50X would sound, Audio-Technica's ATH-R50x are engineered to provide a natural listening experience characterised by an expansive soundstage. [See Product Desc. For More] With headphone drivers based on those found in the ATH-R70X – but re-engineered to produce a powerful bass response for an open-back design – the ATH-R50x are a complete entry into audiophilia for new listeners. Coupled with an accurate upper midrange that maintains vocal and lead instrument clarity without compromising overall tonal balance, Audio-Technica have potentially produced another audiophile classic in ATH-R50x, set to define the decade ahead. A core element of Audio-Technica's full-spectrum sound reproduction is ATH-R50x's pure open-back design.  Inspired by Core Mount Technology from the ATH-ADX5000 and ATH-ADX3000 flagships, Audio-Technica's new design avoids artificial enhancement of the driver's output.  ATH-R50x will deliver dynamic and detailed audio directly from the drivers without supplementary acoustic tuning. Its fully open earcups also contribute to increased comfort compared to closed-back designs. Audio-Technica's enhanced comfort is further supported by a newly designed headband and a durable, lightweight construction. Engineered for mixing and mastering, this won't stop music lovers from enjoying ATH-R50x’s precise and reliable reference quality – it’s a true gateway drug into the headphone hobby scene. This versatility makes the ATH-R50x unparalleled as a potential icon, introducing newcomers to Head-Fi for years on end. That's aided by one of our DAC/amp dongles that will help you reap the best sound, until you're ready for your next move to the ATH-R70xa here.  Also check out all of Audio-Technica's other beginner-friendly hits here, or view our other headphones here.

The loved and respected M15 format was perfect for Questyle Audio to debut its first Cirrus Logic DAC. M15C employs the increasingly popular CS43198 DAC/amp and partners it with its trademark current-mode amplification. With MFi certification for guaranteed compatibility with Apple products, and the power needed to drive the low impedances of the latest flagship earphones, M15C could be the only dongle you'll need. Unlike any other dongle DAC/amp, Questyle's current-mode amplification eliminates the lag time of the signal that might otherwise occur, as it builds up at the capacitances in the circuit – current signal passes through unhindered as compared to voltage, with speed and ease. [See Product Desc. For More] By doing away with the issue of transmission delay in M15C, Questyle virtually eliminates any of the harshness caused by the intermodulation distortion associated with high capacitance, solid-state circuits. M15C decodes digital via its Cirrus Logic CS43198 DAC smoothly and organically, without exaggerated warmth or bloat.  That small signal then takes advantage of being unhindered by capacitance in the signal path. An added benefit from current-mode amplification is that huge signal bandwidth is possible, leading to phase response being accurately preserved in the human hearing range. Indeed, to hear current-mode is to hear a naturalness to music not encountered before in a conventional circuit, and Questyle build M15C as an affordable entry to such a topology. Happily use with any low-impedance device (current signals excel the closer a load is to ground) such as Rosson Audio Designs, the Vision Ears Elysium EXT, plus CIEM heavyweights Craft Ears and Empire Ears – particularly the latter's Triton, Odin and Legend Evo. Driving low impedances is M15C's forte. But bridge-tied load balanced operation now means this dongle also doubles voltage swing compared to single-ended operation, to drive higher impedances credibly too. For an ESS Technology flavour, you can look to Questyle's M15i here. Or, explore how Questyle's current-mode scheme in can further benefit your planar-magnetic headphones in CMA18P, or browse our other mobile DAC/amps here.

For the first time since 2021, a new Cirrus Logic player with a discrete output stage. HiBy Music's R6III formula pairs the incredibly-popular CS43198 with a Class A discrete transistor balanced amplifier at a new low in price-point. HiBy have "a tastefully refreshed version of an already impressive DAP ... incorporates a more capable array of DACs for enhanced performance and a darker background that is easily discernable, synergising well with IEMs of higher resolving power" says Headfonics. The Cirrus Logic-Class A combo shows up in R6III's sound, with a sense of vibrancy and vigour delivering notes with charged energy. There's a trademark HiBy accuracy to frequency response too, coloured yet always correct keeping budding music enthusiasts keeping them entertained – always. HiBy's latest release packs refinement amidst a black background attained from a low noise floor, capable of exposing all the detail flagship IEMs and headphones are capable of today.  Four CS43198 DACs supply the increasingly-popular Cirrus Logic package as R6III's decoding backbone, allowing you to play back Apple Music Hi-Res Lossless, 16X Tidal Masters and Spotify with no shortage of mobile fidelity on Android 12's modern OS. [See Product Desc. For More] R6III brings its Cirrus Logic workhorses, and accompanying assortment of digital reconstruction filters for sonic tweaking, to a new level of affordability. The converted analog, decoded with the backing of a FPGA leashed to R6III's DACs generating I2S, yields up to 127dB of dynamic range via CS43198's dedicated Class H voltage outputs – not compromised as ESS or AKM chips treat the voltage path. This audio flows as an accurate waveform on to a series of 16 discrete bipolar power transistors working in Class AB or an optimally pure Class A. A continuation of its junior R4's high output device count, and differentiating itself from so many others who use op-amp ICs with inordinate amounts of gain, R6III's open-loop linearity remains excellent before application of feedback. That's owed to its Class A bias ensuring individual output transistors are working in optimum condition – aided by an operating voltage of five volts. Distortion and noise are kept low, without resorting to the excessive use of negative feedback. HiBy designed a true-balanced differential amplifier to further improve R6III's linearity, and you can count on common-mode rejection at its best whenever you plug in via 4.4mm. R6III's current handling is impressive given its number of output transistors in parallel, meaning this HiBy remains unfazed driving even the punishing low impedances of Raven, Odin and Legend Evo from Empire Ears, the Vision Ears EXT and the Oriolus Szalayi. And even this baby HiBy is able to supply its clean small-signal to the likes of outboard amps such as Cayin Audio's C9II, via a dedicated 4.4mm line-out port. By putting such a high-performance circuit in the palms of people's hands and offering them a Snapdragon 665 with full Google Play support, HiBy grant you the ability to bypass Android 12's sample-rate conversion for bit-perfect playback. Music is truly accessible to anyone and everyone.  Discussing the above, it's so easy to forget we're talking about R6III as HiBy's entry-level offering. See what these forward-thinkers can really do higher up the range here, or view our other music players here.

After the success that was DC Elite, the hybrid tube/solid-state Nunchaku DAC/amp is the one-two knockout punch from iBasso Audio in the dongle world. iBasso's flagship dongle's own one-two are dual Cirrus Logic CS43198s and JAN6418 tubes to bring your phone, tablet and laptop listening to new heights.  iBasso's hybrid DAC/amp "has now become my favourite USB DAC dongle" to ichos-reviews, who said "Nunchaku is the most natural sounding USB DAC dongle I have tested thus far and the perfect way to experience tube sound on the go". With a voltage gain stage of Raytheon valves feeding a power stage built upon Chi-Fi's favourite power op-amp, the BUF634A, Nunchaku's kung-fu could truly elevate dongle DACs to music player levels of fidelity in 2025... [See Product Desc. For More] The story of Nunchacku begins and perhaps ends at its dual Raytheon JAN6418 triodes. Placed at the voltage gain stage where they will yield the biggest sonic impact, the small output of these pentodes makes its presence heard on its 4.4mm balanced headphone out. iBasso count on the square law function of Nunchacku's tubes to push down distortion at the drawing board. The huge operating voltages of this valve section in a device as small as this DAC/amp means that open-loop linearity exceeds virtually every other non-tube dongle or DAP ... at any price. The signal that goes in, comes out amplified the same. You'll hear from Nunchacku the kind of effortlessness yielded only by high 22.5 volt operating voltages and the non-existent capacitance of tubes. These factors allow minimum negative feedback to be applied, as what enters iBasso's JAN6418s has little error that needs correction. Nunchaku also allowed iBasso to showcase their attention to circuit detail by incorporating a JRC electronically controlled analog volume control after its tube gain stage. This resistor ladder volume control is implemented only after Nunchaku's tubes, kept far from the input signal for maximum integrity, and the best signal-to-noise performance. iBasso's single-ended operation of Nunchacku's valves emphasises even-order harmonics for natural, engaging and warm sound. And the small quantity of tube feedback means distortion remains low order, rather than complex intermodulation. Nunchaku's tubes can also be bypassed for you to enjoy a purely solid-state mode and impart a more dynamic and odd-harmonic focused signature. This way, you can discover your favourite synergies and additionally conserve battery power on your mobile source device. iBasso's highly-linear small signal is then converted to balanced and flows into the player's balanced solid-state output stage for muscle. These Texas Instrument op-amp buffers are the highly-fancied BUF634As of recent iBasso, Lotoo and Shanling Audio flagship fame – they'll do their job of supplying the grunt behind Nunchaku's delicate tube signal, guaranteed. The hybrid combination of tube gain and solid-state power is a well-tried combination. And the BUF634As are ideal voltage sources and stable into capacitive loads, with their gain bandwidth product ensuring frequency response extends well beyond the human hearing range for excellent phase response and taut, impactful and life-like dynamics. They promise high damping factor while maintaining its low distortion into low impedances typical of IEMs, Focals, Fostexs and Rosson Audio Designs, supplying over 1 watt of power in such cases! Still the closed-loop internal gain remaining after the mandatory application of negative feedback around iBasso's analog circuit remains high, so Nunchaku can open up the sound of any high-impedance Audio-Technica, Sennheiser and ZMF Headphones. In fact, give this triple wonder of Cirrus Logic, tube and BUF634A sound a go into any of your favourite transducers – the results will be surprising, never has it been done before. Check out how you can upgrade via iBasso's music players when you're done here, or view all our other DAC/amp dongles here.

Halfway up towards the ATH-ADX3000 – ATH-R70xa distills Audio-Technica's know-how into a complete, mid-range open-back reference headphone.  This enhanced iteration of the wildly-popular ATH-R70x retains the natural and balanced sonic characteristics of its predecessor while incorporating refined accuracy and detail. Mixdown Magazine praised "no matter how hard I pushed them they just kept on giving". All Audio-Technica's innovation, coupled with its friendly asking price for new audiophiles, results in an elevated listening experience with improved imaging and depth perception. [See Product Desc. For More] The fully open-back design of ATH-R70xa counts on an uninhibited path to the listener's ears for its quality. Each diaphragm movement translates directly into audible output, without the use of acoustic cavities or resonance to artificially enhance specific frequencies. In contrast to the preceding ATH-R70x, which employed damping and acoustic design to emphasise low-frequency response, the ATH-R70xa delivers pure, unadulterated sound directly from the transducer, providing a truly authentic open-back experience and minimising distortion. Descended from the flagship ATH-ADX5000 and ATH-ADX3000's Core Mount Technology, Audio-Technica's direct approach ensures accurate and natural sound reproduction, complete with a realistic and spacious soundstage. Designed specifically for critical listening, the ATH-R70xa headphones empower audiophiles to excavate every detail their favourite artists put into the music. The extended frequency range of the headphones ensures transparent reproduction of every nuance within a mix. ATH-R70xa's unrestricted airflow, inherent in the open-back design, coupled with the absence of internal resonance, facilitates an exceptionally fast transient response. This rapid response is crucial for maintaining clarity and separation when working with complex contemporary mixes. Audio-Technica's newcomers are remarkably lightweight, weighing just 199 grams without the detachable cable. The streamlined construction, combined with a newly designed headband, contributes to a comfortable fit that allows the headphones to virtually disappear during use, making them ideal for extended listening. ATH-R70xa is a low-distortion affair always, with its voice coil kept thin and light by its 470ohm impedance. Inertia is low and Audio-Technica's driver reacts instantly to the smallest voltage impulses. Indeed, it's a 470ohm load that's simultaneously easy to drive for any partnering amplifier, such that a tube amplifier mates comfortably with suitable damping factor and impedance matching.  ATH-R70xa's high impedance doesn't place current demands on the many modern bridge-tied load outputs on music players. Those won't grind their gears pushing into inordinately low impedances, small power supplies and output stages producing less in the way of distortion and noise as a result. It will make for a happy result running from iBasso Audio's DC07 Pro and DX180, but high output impedance, imperfect voltage sources from FiiO and Shanling will not be tested untowardly either – music players from the latter both having enough mettle to push ATH-R70xa very satisfactorily. Each ATH-R70xa is meticulously handcrafted in Audio-Technica's Machida Japan facility. The assembly process involves in-house manufactured components ensuring quality and performance standards are met. For a $500 headphone, it's a remarkable labour of love – enough till you step up to ATH-ADX3000 here next, one of Audio-Technica's other releases here, or our other headphones here.

M18i: a truly smart Bluetooth 5.4 Qualcomm® aptX™ HD and LDAC DAC/amp for 2025. Questyle Audio's current-mode amplification is so well established by now, the only way to improve it was to build up the capability of the decoding section around this USB-C wired and Bluetooth unwired overachiever. In addition to Bluetooth, gaining over its M15C and M15i brethren – even taking the fight to the flagship CMA18P – is M18i's dual DAC. Leveraging Questyle's intimate relationship with ESS Technology, two ES9219Q DACs appear in dual-mono design.  Coupled with Questyle's proprietary Three-Tier Architecture (TTA) DAC framework, M18i leverages the internal analog volume controls aboard its ES9219Q pair to deliver exceptional channel separation, minimal distortion and an expansive dynamic range, helped by the clean supply from its onboard battery. Take advantage of this superb decoding backbone to get your music aboard M18i. On top of achieving Apple's Made For iPhone (MFi) USB certification, M18i marks a significant milestone as Questyle's inaugural product to incorporate Qualcomm's cutting-edge Snapdragon Sound technology delivering high-resolution audio with low latency and robust connectivity. All this, so you can enjoy Questyle's now-legendary current-mode amplification in a maximum of ways. Perfect for driving the intimidating low impedances of flagship earphones from Empire Ears, Nightjar Acoustics, Subtonic Audio and Symphonium Audio. [See Product Desc. For More] For the first time, you'll be able to enjoy a Questyle dongle that promises leading signal-to-noise ratio numbers. Helped by the analog volume controls aboard its ESS DACs, increasing and decreasing both signal and noise at the same time, M18i counts on a small-signal that is a lot more linear than the average Questyle, and certainly other dongles. You'll want to get your music aboard M18i. Integrating Qualcomm's advanced next-generation Snapdragon Sound™ technology, a feature rigorously certified by both Qualcomm and Sony LDAC, M18i delivers an exceptional wireless audio experience. Questyle have unlocked the potential of Qualcomm's aptX Adaptive and aptX HD audio codecs, enabling the transmission of wireless lossless Bluetooth audio at CD-quality 16-bit 44.1kHz, and high-resolution audio at 24-bit 48kHz and 96kHz, suitable for a wide range of wireless earbuds and headphones. M18i further enhances user flexibility by supporting seamless transitions between lossless Bluetooth and USB DAC modes, catering to both wired and wireless listening preferences. Equipped with Bluetooth 5.4, M18i supports a comprehensive suite of audio codecs, including AAC, SBC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX™ Adaptive, LE AUDIO, and 24bit/96kHz LDAC, ensuring compatibility with a diverse array of devices. Questyle's extensive codec support empowers users to enjoy wireless, high-fidelity Bluetooth audio across all devices that support these codecs, providing a truly versatile and premium listening experience. Whether you feed M18i by USB or Bluetooth, you'll count upon the advantages of Questyle's current mode amplification. By doing away with the issue of transmission delay in M18i, Questyle virtually eliminates any of the harshness caused by the intermodulation distortion associated with high capacitance, solid-state circuits. That small signal then takes advantage of being unhindered by capacitance in the signal path. An added benefit from current-mode amplification is that huge signal bandwidth is possible, leading to phase response being accurately preserved in the human hearing range. Indeed, to hear current-mode is to hear a naturalness to music not encountered before in a conventional circuit, and Questyle build M18i as a premium example of such a topology. Happily use with any low-impedance device (current signals excel the closer a load is to ground) such as Rosson Audio Designs, the Vision Ears Elysium EXT, plus CIEM heavyweights Craft Ears and Empire Ears – particularly the latter's Triton and Odin. Driving low impedances is M18i's forte. But bridge-tied load balanced operation now means this dongle also doubles voltage swing compared to single-ended operation, to drive higher impedances credibly too. It's the complete taste of what modern Bluetooth technology, advanced DACs and a clean battery power supply can add to ever-reliable USB-C connection and current mode amplification.  To step up is to further benefit your big planar-magnetic headphones in CMA18P here, Otherwise, check out Questyle's other offerings here, or browse all our other mobile DAC/amps here.

Mecha in name, mega in sound. Dita Audio returns to the single dynamic driver earphone niche they defined so well. Mecha features a big 10mm lithium-magnesium dynamic driver with a dual magnet system, enhancing macro-dynamics and effortless scale.  For the inner bass-head in you, Mecha moves copious amounts of air to produce bass that plumbs deep, giving you quality and quantity in that arena. Svelte in size, Mecha is absolutely massive in sonic proportions. "From the moment I first put the Dita Audio Mecha in my ears, it has been a delight" to Headfonics. However, this low-frequency monster is not just a brute. Capable of bringing Dita's well-known traits of detail and transparency to the fore as well, Mecha is the complete listening experience. While its bass will immediately grab and shake you, over time its balance across all frequencies could well be what discerning listeners end up appreciating the most. [See Product Desc. For More] Housings are constructed from a single block of precision-machined titanium. Dita designed Mecha to seamlessly integrate all components and design choices, creating an immersive listening experience that is both carefully engineered and dynamic. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Zeppelin & Co. 🎧☕️🤍 (@zeppelinandco) Continuing the tradition of incorporating a new generation of dynamic driver in each titanium product, Mecha introduces the 10mm LiMa-Carbide driver. This driver is directly mounted to the titanium chassis, positioned as close as possible to the sound output nozzle to minimise internal reflections. The 9mm diaphragm, a composite of lithium and magnesium, is more challenging to manufacture than materials like lithium aluminum or standard aluminum. Dita's LiMa-Carbide driver utilises dual magnets to improve efficiency and power handling, resulting in perceptible enhancements across the frequency spectrum, particularly in low-frequency response. A 1mm wide Carbide surround further enhances driver performance through increased linearity, enabling cleaner instrument separation. This design allows for greater extension with minimal distortion, emphasising low frequencies without overshadowing the mid-range response crucial to Mecha's sound signature. Dual venting within the driver design optimises the acoustic chamber. These vents, in conjunction with the chamber volume, achieve a balance between bass response, delicate high frequencies, and rich tonality. Consistent with Dita's practice of including custom-designed cables with its mainline products, Mecha features the "Churro" cable. Named for the anti-tangle ridges along its length, the Churro employs a soft-touch, tangle-free TPE sleeve chosen for its low microphonics and minimal signal degradation. Dita's magic cable – including swappable plugs – comprises monofilament, single-crystal, high-purity, silver-plated copper conductors encased in PE insulation. Perfect for appreciating Mecha through Navigator, any other DAC/amp or music player.  Check out the rest of Dita's releases here, or view all our other earphones here.

The next chapter in iBasso Audio's DX340 odyssey arrives in the hybrid JAN6418 tube/solid-state Amp16. Adding to the strengths of its mothership's 1-bit DSD DAC, the rich and natural soundstage of Amp16's tubes enhances the overtones of a wonderfully immersive and transparent music player. Amp16 is still a tale of beauty and brawn, though. DX340's ability to drive difficult loads is unchanged with Texas Instruments' big BUF634A buffers present once more to push difficult loads. Its DC-input power supply continues to allow you to operate DX340 in Desktop Mode too, allowing Amp16 to output a total of 4 watts. Add the magic of tubes to iBasso's 1-bit flagship today, and enjoy countless years of enjoyment with earphones on the go, and headphones at the desk! [See Product Desc. For More] The story of Amp16 begins and perhaps ends at its dual Raytheon JAN6418 triodes. Placed at the voltage gain stage where they will yield the biggest sonic impact, the small output of these pentodes makes its presence heard on its 4.4mm balanced headphone out. iBasso count on the square law function of Amp16's tubes to push down distortion at the drawing board. The huge operating voltages of this valve section means that open-loop linearity exceeds virtually every other non-tube DAP ... at any price. The signal that goes in, comes out amplified the same. You'll hear from Amp16 the kind of effortlessness yielded only by a huge operating voltages and the non-existent capacitance of tubes. These factors allow minimum negative feedback to be applied, as what enters iBasso's JAN6418s has little error that needs correction. Amp16 also allowed iBasso to showcase their attention to circuit detail by incorporating a JRC electronically controlled analog volume control after its tube gain stage. This resistor ladder volume control part is implemented only after Amp16's tubes, kept far from the input signal for maximum integrity, and the best signal-to-noise performance. iBasso's single-ended operation of Amp16's valves emphasises even-order harmonics for natural, engaging and warm sound. And the small quantity of tube feedback means distortion remains low order, rather than complex intermodulation. Amp16's tubes can also be bypassed for you to enjoy a purely solid-state mode and impart a more dynamic and odd-harmonic focused signature. This way, you can discover your favourite synergies and additionally conserve battery power on your mobile source device. iBasso's highly-linear small signal is then converted to balanced and flows into the player's balanced solid-state output stage for muscle. These Texas Instrument op-amp buffers are the highly-fancied BUF634As of recent iBasso, Lotoo and Shanling Audio flagship fame – they'll do their job of supplying the grunt behind Amp16's delicate tube signal, guaranteed. This hybrid combination of tube gain and solid-state power is a well-tried combination. And the BUF634As are ideal voltage sources and stable into capacitive loads, with their gain bandwidth product ensuring frequency response extends well beyond the human hearing range for excellent phase response and taut, impactful and life-like dynamics. They promise high damping factor while maintaining its low distortion into low impedances typical of IEMs, Focals, Fostexs and Rosson Audio Designs, supplying 4 watts of power when connected to its DC power supply! Still the closed-loop internal gain remaining after the mandatory application of negative feedback around iBasso's analog circuit remains high, so Amp16 can open up the sound of any high-impedance Audio-Technica, Sennheiser and ZMF Headphones. Where Amp16 exceeds all others who use the BUF634A is its ability to accept a 12 volt DC input, bypassing nominal battery and internal 8 volt rails to increase headroom and linearity, thus directly boosting the amount of swing DX340 is capable of. In fact, give this triple wonder of 1-bit, tubes and BUF634A sound a go into any of your favourite transducers at the desk. Never has a portable device at this price or size mixed immersion, natural transparency and power as convincingly in all use cases – all thanks to Amp16! Also browse DX340 here, the rest of iBasso's releases here, or view all our other music players here.

Technics' best wireless buds till date gets the audiophile stamp in the clarity that is often absent in majority of the wireless earbuds in the market. Using the Magnetic Fluid Driver technology from their legendary 2019 TZ700 wired earphones, the EAH-AZ100 is completely re-engineered to outperform present day requirements. Focus AI gives you clearer calls, Dolby Head Tracking works on spatial audio for cinephiles, and the smaller fit (10% smaller, 16% lighter than AZ80) allows more comfort and better ergonomics. Lastly, EAH-AZ100 can deliver up to 10 hours of playback with ANC turned on, and up to 28hours with the extra charges held in its storage case. Driver Unit (mm) : 10 mm (3/8 in) Frequency Response: 20 Hz - 40 kHz (LDAC 96 kHz/990 kbps) Weight: Approx. 5.9 g (0.21 oz) per side Bluetooth® Wireless Technology: Version 5.3 Supported Profiles A2DP, AVRCP, HSP, HFP, TMAP, PBP

Vision Ears unleash Elysium EXT MK II, the same dynamic-electrostatic flagship with enhanced performance and a slimmer nozzle for an easier, more universal fit. It lands right on Headfonia's Recommended Buys list, with Headfonics applauding "the company's most bombastic and 'fun-sounding' IEM ... produces one of the best bass performances in the market". The hype remains about this hybrid, because a big bass dynamic driver and four electrostatic driver complement yield extreme performance at the frequency extremes. Enhanced bass and treble units flank the ever-reliable mid-range dynamic driver that's tuned with an enhanced High-precision Acoustic Levelling Chamber (HALC), featuring Side Tuning Chamber (STC). EXT MK II's mid dynamic driver is where the whole experience meets in the middle, tying the performance of this six-driver Vision Ears flagship together seamlessly. [See Product Desc. For More] Two years were what Vision Ears needed to develop their dream dynamic driver for bass reproduction. Selecting aluminium-magnesium to form a generous 9.2mm diameter, this bass driver works as advertised, providing plenty of presence, drive and rumble in the depths of your music. Hard and stiff as a diaphragm held securely in place by a liquid silicone rubber surround, EXT MK II's bass unit is capable of plenty of excursion while under the full control of a N52 neodymium magnet. Movement remains pistonic till it's time to transition to its smaller 6mm mid-range counterpart. HALC optimises EXT MK II to produce the same mid-range meat that defined Elysium, and STC aids further bringing an enhanced richness to vocals and definition to instruments.  The optimisations to shell shape with EXT MK II adopts the ergonomic work Vision Ears put into VE10 to increase the effectiveness of these acoustic implements. With a more svelte nozzle shape, and a narrower bore accomodating a wider set of ears, a more universally perfect seal is ensured on EXT MK II, allowing HALC and STC to make their effect heard more as intended. Crafted for mid-range frequencies, EXT MK II's 6mm aluminium-magnesium mid driver pushed by double N52 magnets is up to the task. At the optimum size and stiffness to come down in frequency to take over from its bass sibling, before being small and damped enough in turn to pass up to four treble electrostats, this specialised unit gets the job done with minimal cone or modal break-up. That's also thanks to the use of a high-order crossover keeping drivers in their frequency comfort zone without overlap. Finishing the show at the top are four second-generation Sonion tweeters found right at the spout to yield maximum SPL and the most direct path to your ears. Indeed, EXT MK II's unique design isn't just style without substance. Vision Ears were deliberate with placement for the best acoustic network, and the vented rear of their flagship is encased with acoustically-open metal mesh for the largest perception of headspace and soundstage.  Enjoy EXT MK II with the best modern sources to date more than capable of handling its three-way crossover, with Questyle Audio's M15I, the Cayin Audio N6III, HiBy Music R6 Pro II and R8II, as well as iBasso Audio D16, PB5 and DX340.  And what a new arrow to the Vision Ears bow EXT MK II is proving to be, another great way to enjoy the house sound of these personal audio artisans. Browse the rest of our VE collection here, or our other IEMs here.

When building the ultimate budget earphone, fewer drivers are your friend. And for Advanced AcousticWerks and Z02, that also means better drivers throughout. Z02's highlight is the inclusion of a planar-magnetic driver and all the benefits it brings. Z02's planar-magnetic driver tweeter excels delivering exceptional resolution and a high degree of emotional engagement – backed by a big 10mm graphene dynamic driver that covers a lot of ground. [See Product Desc. For More] AAW has effectively leveraged the capabilities of its driver technology to reproduce each frequency range with remarkable realism and precision, making the planar-magnetic midrange driver the focal point of the Z02's design. Despite the driver's relatively large surface area, AAW' planar unit maintains precise control under its magnetic array, resulting in instantaneous and effortless transient response. This precise control is facilitated by the planar driver's inherent resistance to modal breakup. Furthermore, the thin vibrating surface of the planar driver requires minimal excursion to displace a significant volume of air. Z02's planar driver thus promises a unique combination of presence and articulation that balanced armature drivers typically struggle to achieve. With the increasing prevalence of planar-magnetic drivers in multi-driver IEM configurations, AAW's contribution with the Z02 marks a significant advancement, defining a new era for their entry line. AAW's overall performance is not solely attributable to the planar driver, but rather arises from the synergistic interaction of all its components. A robust dynamic driver is dedicated to reproducing the low frequencies. This driver takes advantage of the dynamic driver technology's excellent excursion capabilities, particularly when coupled with its liquid-silicone rubber surround. AAW's driver's capacity for substantial pistonic motion makes it ideally suited for generating extended bass waves that reach very low frequencies and possess a reverberant quality, giving the Z02's lower registers significant presence and depth. Move higher up with the rest of AAW's range here, or check out our other IEMs here.

This is the open-back headphone from ZMF Headphones that everyone's been dreaming of. Bokeh is the next ZMF that can claim to be portable, its lightweight fidelity a dream companion for your workspace. It's the same ZMF quality and promise of durability sans unwieldy storage case. With customary lifetime ZMF driver warranty especially important as Bokeh Ioen gets put about the rigours of daily life, this is a build and tuning that will stand the test of time. Brought to a new and affordable price point, Bokeh Open is just the latest ZMF that stands to become a classic, bringing their cherished house sound with you on the go whether via USB dongle DAC/amp, music player or small desktop amp. [See Product Desc. For More] An alternative to Audio-Technica's ATH-ADX3000 and Focal's Hadenys, ZMF's new entry-level is greater than the sum of its parts. A new 80ohm Liquid Crystal Polymer driver is pushed to its acoustic limits with proprietary ZMF work, in their patented Atrium Damping System (ADS) first found in the flagship Atrium. All this tuning potential in earcup acoustics extends to Bokeh's owners with new Caldera earpads useful add-on options. Caldera pads bear a special fluted, tapered, horn-shaped design that take on the form of acoustic amplifiers. Leather or suede directly contribute to which frequencies you choose to enhance, making Bokeh such a pleasure because ADS makes it so versatile. Bokeh grants ZMF full control over a soundscape, with internal cavity design challenging the physical limits of linear full-range reproduction –  now with the help of an open-back grille. Acoustic dampers work closely together with driver mounting position for optimal diffusion effects, allowing ZMF to introduce greater perceived soundstage width and depth.  An incredible amount of fine-tuning took place selecting distances within the cup and damping material for optimal airflow, a five-year research and development process before ZMF deemed Bokeh ready to release to the public. Brought to a new point of cost-effectiveness is an 80ohm LCP driver that is the beating heart of Bokeh. It's a load that's simultaneously easy to drive for any partnering amplifier – such that a studio console, mixer or tube amplifier with varying output impedance mates comfortably with suitable damping factor. In fact, ZMF's newborn showcases a nominally flat impedance and thus exhibits the company's DNA, taking to tube amplification with exactly the same aplomb as its bigger siblings. Apart from frequency response being less prone to variation from impedance mismatch, Bokeh's easy load means many modern bridge-tied load outputs on music players won't grind their gears pushing into inordinately low impedances – small power supplies and output stages producing less in the way of distortion and noise as a result. Bokeh will make for a happy result running around the house from iBasso Audio's DC07 Pro, DC Elite and DX180, but high output impedance, imperfect voltage sources from FiiO and Shanling will not be tested untowardly either – music players from the latter both having enough mettle to push this ZMF very satisfactorily.  Settling down from its travels at its natural habitat that is the desk, Bokeh will continue to display sound that belies its cost, scaling into small desktop amps like HiBy Music's FD5, iFi Audio and HIFIMAN.  It's this versatility that really elevates Bokeh beyond the generic releases that otherwise dominates the mainstream. To find out how ZMF craft elevates the headphone hobby check out their other releases here, or view all our other headphones here.

It would have been enough for iBasso Audio to answer the market by throwing D16's DSD DAC into an Android music player. Instead the new flagship DX340 doesn't stop there, its innovation seeing it become Headfonia's reference portable source. The capability of iBasso's proprietary 1-bit, all-to-DSD, DAC is boosted by the arrival of FPGA-Master 3 to take DX340 above and beyond any other custom discrete decoder in a DAP. Totally transparent on a micro and particularly a macro level, portraying a soundstage filled with natural air and light, iBasso's fluid flagship reproduces digital with a life-like flow – a caress that presents dynamics sweetly without any hint of listener fatigue.  iBasso's impressive FPGA and DSD DAC are backed by Amp15 that answers another market call. A Desktop Mode is built in via 12V DC input, allowing DX340 to boost its max output power to 4.3 watts! All that, for you to take your Hi-Res Lossless Tidal and Apple Music anywhere with you on this Android 13 pinnacle. [See Product Desc. For More] DX340 takes advantage of its powerful new FPGA hardware to load original and even more advanced software algorithms on, giving listeners immediately audible DSP tweaks that control harmonic distortion profiles. When it comes to music playback, DX340 doesn't differentiate between CD rips, Hi-Res downloads and Android streaming. It upconverts all your normal PCM material into DSD before decoding your digital to analog. All formats are passed as DSD through DX340’s 1-bit decode.  Without irony, DX340 will yield the most improvement to collectors of SACD-rip, DSD64 files. As a heavily-upsampling DAC, iBasso take the honours as one of the first Head-Fi products to target and remove DSD64's terrible ultrasonic noise problems. iBasso build a 1-bit DSD DAC into DX340 because there's zero error at the point of conversion. There, DX340 relies on the total accuracy of DSD's 1-bit conversion to analog, taking advantage of DSD's sheer ease of decoding to boot. The pitch for DSD's 1-bit conversion is digital at its simplest and closest point to analog – level represented only either as a 1 or a 0, switching on or off.  To achieve analog, the bitstream is simply low-pass filtered. But there's work DX340 needs to do first, preparing incoming DSD and certainly PCM data aboard your player to emerge as the best possible 1-bit digital stream for conversion.  How DX340 alleviates said white noise issues of DSD64 – indeed, of any inherent problems to single-rate material be it DSD's noise or PCM's steep digital filtering, intersample overs and digital pre-emphasis – is that it applies heavy oversampling to incoming data. iBasso's DSP oversamples data to huge bit depth and sample rates synchronous to their new FPGA-Master 3 generating I2S. The new multibit data running many times DSD's base 2.8Mhz rate is then put through a Pulse-Width Modulated (PWM) process in preparation for 1-bit decoding. iBasso treats each of DX340's 32 resistors per DAC phase as individual entities, operating them at very specific moments in the time domain.  Ordinarily that might spell chaos co-ordinating a total count of 128 individual DAC elements, but it's iBasso's FPGA-Master 3 that grants a firm grip of how each resistor-capacitor low-pass filter outputs in the time and frequency domain. The result of the entirety of 128 DAC elements outputting at phased intervals leads to a coherent, continuous waveform with finer stairsteps in time. That captures more detail in your music and reduces errors, decoding your music back more accurately to the original waveform. DX340's PWM DSP pre-stage addresses the problems of conventional noise-shaped digital's inconsistent rise and fall edges at the frequency level, with adjustments made to facilitate more accurate, predictable switching. This approach results in a reduction of errors by avoiding intersymbol interference. Notably, non-linearities arising from rise and fall mismatches do not manifest as total harmonic distortion. iBasso's PWM DSP does not produce harmonic errors that vary with digital output levels.  And the processing power FPGA-Master 3 possesses allows listeners to experiment with digital harmonic distortion profiles in real-time. Dubbed 'Advanced Harmonic Adjustment', DX340 owners can switch between adding even-order harmonics – for smoother and more liquid sound – or odd-order harmonics – for greater dynamics and harder impact. Instant synergies with your headgear can be discovered in this way. Aboard DX340's logic is a digital volume control with large coefficients to trim levels and add datastream width. This high bit and sample rate headroom is free from overload issues when it is eventually brought back down to the required 1-bit DSD signal for low-pass filtered conversion – but now at a bandwidth of 49Mhz, moving DSD's white noise issues far, far out of the audible band. iBasso's discrete proprietary tech immediately differentiates itself from commercial DAC chips, where IC packages are often too small to perform an ideal 1-bit DSD conversion. DX340 also avoids the errors of dynamic element matching inherent to 2-7 bit delta-sigma decoders. This high-fidelity is amplified and flows on to DX340's Amp15 and powerful op-amp output buffers that supply current and mean iBasso's flagship promises high damping factor while maintaining its low distortion into low impedances typical of IEMs, Focals, Fostexs and Rosson Audio Designs. Up to 4.3 watts output is power enough to drive many demanding headphones at the desk. And on the go, DX340 leverages iBasso's dual battery system that supplies digital and analog stages separately for clean, abundant reserves Specially selected by iBasso, DX340 boasts eight Texas Instrument devices that are ideal voltage sources and stable into capacitive loads, with their gain bandwidth product ensuring frequency response extends well beyond the human hearing range for excellent phase response and taut, impactful and life-like dynamics. Still the closed-loop internal gain remaining after the mandatory application of negative feedback around iBasso's analog circuit remains high, so where she really can shine is in swinging voltage, opening up the sound of any high-impedance Audio-Technica, Sennheiser and ZMF Headphones while barely breaking sweat. But where DX340 exceeds all others who use this TI buffer is its ability to accept a 12 volt DC input into Amp15, bypassing its battery and internal 8 volt rails to increase headroom and linearity, directly boosting the amount of swing DX340 is capable of.  With Desktop Mode activated by inserting said DC power supply, Amp15 is capable of outputting over 2 watts per channel, effortlessly running big headphones at the desk! But discrete audio amplification will always still have its day, and previous owners of the DX300, DX320 and their relevant amplifier cards are not left hung out to dry.  Amps 12 thru 14 are adaptable to DX340's new structural housing via card adapters, meaning you can enjoy Amp12's discrete current-handling and reduced feedback of such topologies with the most demanding low-impedance flagship IEMs around today. While the Nutube gain stages of Amp13 and Amp14 can also transfer their lush goodness to DX340, grab the JAN6418/BUF634A Amp16 now to enjoy incredible power output with its valve flavour! Away from the desk, you'll enjoy clean power for whichever card you load up, with separate battery systems – one for digital and one for analog circuits – meaning you'll never risk one side dirtying the other. This battle against obsolescence through swappable amp cards and dual batteries is aided by DX340's enclosure being easy for you to access and change any parts that you need, without returning to the factory.  iBasso's future-proofing is complete with the loading of Android 13 aboard a Snapdragon 665 SOC backed by 8GB of RAM. And a coaxial output also means DX340's FPGA-Master 3 makes for a wonderful source with iBasso's own D16 and D17, should you want to stack DX340 is the pinnacle of iBasso engineering, a testament to how far they've brought Head-Fi. Upgrade yours today with Amp16 ... or, if you seek other simpler DAC and DAP solutions, check out iBasso's other releases here, or view our other music players here.

It was time for a HiBy Music MAX. R6 Pro Max takes their well-loved R6 Pro II and nearly doubles its power output, for big headphones and big sound in a small pocketable package! Twister6 praised "sound performance change on a whole different level". Headfonics "liked how the vocal is delicately presented with sufficient weight and control ... enhanced power benefits the soundstage and vocal line to sound more natural". In fact, R6 Pro Max is the smallest portable player that packs two of ESS Technology's flagship ES9039MPro DAC chips. HiBy's implementation sees richness accompany the resolution, so your music's soul remains at the forefront as you uncover all the details through arguably the most detailed DAC chip available today. R6 Pro Max's renewed form factor allows HiBy to stuff in bigger power supplies and an analog output stage that then transfers all the detail dual ES9039Pros can produce into a huge range of head gear loads – especially high-impedance headphones. Freely pair with an Audio-Technica, Sennheiser or ZMF Headphones then – R6 Pro Max extends HiBy's tremendous value to the realm of big cans in 2025! [See Product Desc. For More] The rich and soulful R6 Pro Max is advertisement for HiBy, and also ESS. ES9039Pro's patented Hyperstream pulse-width modulation technology was already a one-up on standard delta-sigma modulation, and now enters its fourth iteration pushing nigh inaudible high-order distortion levels post-conversion further down.  These eight-channel DACs bring five new digital filters – many with low in-band ripple – to the party for new flavours of sonic reproduction. ES9039Pros pack enough computational horsepower to run their 8x oversampling process in just two passes thus minimising rounding errors – an upgrade on other attempts that use a concatenation of three stacked 2x oversampling passes which compound errors. Perfectly exploiting the dynamic range and distortion headroom these futuristic ESS DACs provide is HiBy's implementation. An eight-channel current-to-voltage I/V conversion stage is built in to preserve the full information from R6 Pro Max's digital decode.  This overbuilt stage is befitting of ESS chips that output in current for best distortion performance, and indeed more expensive players. By treating each of the eight channel current outputs separately before stereo summing, R6 Pro II yields a small-signal stage that is transparent and, most importantly, accurate. HiBy's analog signal is then amplified by powerful op-amp buffers that count on their high open-loop gain to boost power over the preceding R6 Pro II by 80 per cent! This output stage supplies current and means HiBy's muscleman promises high damping factor while maintaining its low distortion into low impedances typical of IEMs, Focals, Fostexs and Rosson Audio Designs. A separately regulated inductor-based power supply ably backs up this potent voltage source. Still the closed-loop internal gain remaining after the application of negative feedback around R6 Pro Max's op-amp IC analog circuit remains high. So where she really shines is in swinging voltage, opening up the sound of any high-impedance, 300ohm Sennheiser and ZMF while barely breaking sweat. All while R6 Pro Max's big 8,200mAH battery keeps you playing back happily for up to 10 hours. While Android 12 software means it's future-proof for Google Play Store app support of Tidal, Spotify and Apple Music, backed by a Snapdragon 665 SOC processor and 6GB of RAM. Explore this ESS attempt at the top for all your needs today, or check out the sister – and still just as relevant – R6 Pro II here if you're eyeing pure IEM listening. Also check out all of HiBy's other gear here, or view our music players here.

Cayin Audio's N6III continues with E203. The latest DAC/amp module is built around ESS Technology's ES9039Pro and a Class A discrete transistor output stage with Hyper mode, to yield some of the most complete portable amplification known to modern Head-Fi. Nothing else this side of $2,000 will drive a Nightjar Acoustics Duality, Subtonic Audio Storm and Symphonium Audio Crimson without compromise. Twister6 noted E203's "deeper sub-bass rumble, fuller body textured mids, and a more relaxed treble". Headfonia placed this motherboard on their Recommended Buys list for "a dynamic and complete sound profile with controlled, impactful bass, crisp mids, capable tonality, and well-extended treble". Headfonics drew attention to “Hyper mode standing tall over Class A and Class AB". ESS DACs saw arguably the most popular modules with the preceding N6II. In the time since, N6III has been able to take inspiration from C9II to invent a whole new analog circuit utilising this generation's 30 per cent increased board space, designing a great platform to debut the ES9039Pro in a Cayin DAP. [See Product Desc. For More] Hyper modern, this ESS flagship's Hyperstream IV technology is good to go for the next decade. ES9039Pro's patented pulse-width modulation technology is already a one-up on standard delta-sigma modulation, now pushing nigh inaudible high-order distortion levels post-conversion further down. This eight-channel DAC bring five new digital filters – many with low in-band ripple – to the party for new flavours of sonic reproduction. ES9039Pros pack enough computational horsepower to run their 8x oversampling process in just two passes thus minimising rounding errors – an upgrade on other attempts that use a concatenation of three stacked 2x oversampling passes which compound errors. Perfectly exploiting the dynamic range and distortion headroom these futuristic ESS DACs provide is Cayin's implementation. An eight-channel current-to-voltage I/V conversion stage is built in to preserve the full information from N6III/E203's digital decode. This overbuilt stage is befitting of ESS chips that output in current for best distortion performance, and indeed more expensive players. By treating each of the eight channel current outputs separately before stereo summing, N6III/E203 yields a small-signal stage that is transparent and, most importantly, accurate. The sheer resolution the ES9039Pro is capable of in E203 is the stuff of legend. But in the spirit of innovation, Cayin may be the first ones to tame this chip for personal audio use, drawing upon their experience developing the wildly-popular C9II tube/solid-state hybrid tube portable amplifier. Plenty of C9II's feats focused on beefing up its small-signal voltage stages, where the majority of an analog circuit's sonic signature is shaped. Cayin focused on reinforcing the current-delivery capabilities of said small-signal stages, ultimately allowing them to drive C9II's big discrete output transistors – and more importantly, the challenging capacitive loads they represented. Results spoke for themselves for C9II, and that's now trickled down into N6III/E203. This module likewise overbuilds its differential, balanced small-signal stage – where E203's sound signature is defined – packing in the venerable Texas Instruments OPA1612 that has been respected in line-stages for over a decade. How E203 overcomes its internal lag circuit capacitance is audible, resulting in an extended high-frequency performance that enables excellent phase response in the human hearing range for realistic dynamics. An airy, open, precise soundstage is possible as a result. Overcoming circuit capacitance also leads to voltage signals traveling through without lag behind current, leading to a more natural sound that does not descend into harshness. Cayin desire for you to enjoy this performance into a wide variety of gear. That's why E203 packs a Hyper mode, where operating voltages for its power section rise above 10 volts – the headroom and linearity of its discrete output devices assured as a result.  This open-loop linearity will particularly reward listening to the highest fidelity IEMs from Elysian Acoustic Labs, Empire Ears, PlusSound and Vision Ears available today, especially with E203's discrete headphone amplifier.  Indeed, Cayin's big output devices can be operated in Class AB or an optimal Class A, for sonic tweaking with your favourite earphones and headphones. Differentiating itself from its peers built with op-amps yet with inordinate amounts of gain and negative feedback, E203's linearity remains excellent already before correction is applied, owing to its high operating voltages and bias. Those ensure individual transistors are working in optimum condition. Distortion and noise are kept low, without resorting to the excessive use of negative feedback. Cayin designed a true-balanced differential amplifier to further improve N6III/E203's linearity, and you can count on common-mode rejection at its best whenever you plug in via 4.4mm preserving its resolution. At the tip of the power stage's spear, unconventionally large 3 ampere output transistors common to C9II and HiBy Music's RS8 ensure excellent current-handling. These are output transistors that can withstand high voltages – facilitating Hyper mode and a total of almost 2 watts for big headphones too. Capable of following the impedances of today's flagship IEMs low, Cayin's tradition building amplifiers that provide actual power as proper voltage sources continues. Rarely will a single device be as complete as N6III/E203 at this size, form factor and price point. The combination of the ES9039Pro's neutral, ultra-high-resolution capabilities, combined with an airy, delicate voltage-gain stage and an output section that effortlessly drives a wide range of demanding headphones, ensures this modular marvel will remain an exceptional performer for years to come. As you await the launch of their next audio motherboard, check out N6III's companion C201 module here, the rest of Cayin's gear here, or view our other music players here.

Take your desktop and Hi-Fi systems to new heights with the Non-Oversampling (NOS) R2R Morpheus DAC from Sonnet Audio, affordable excellence from renowned digital designer Cees Ruijtenberg. Hear NOS R2R as it should be, discarding artificial soupy warmth for a clear, uncoloured pasture to music at frequency's extremes. Clear as water, the individual ripples of music are perfectly laid out for you without any murkiness. Stereophile loved Morpheus so much they bought the review unit. Darko.Audio "boldly asserts that the Morpheus is the most significant DAC Ruijtenberg has brought us to date". It's a Twittering Machines Favourite Digital nominee, and Alpha Audio praise Sonnet's "insane insight" into the music. You'll discover the natural micro and macro-dynamics of premium Dutch NOS R2R technology, reproduced faithful to the original file's samples by Sonnet's four in-house SDA-2 discrete resistor ladder modules. [See Product Desc. For More] No oversampling digital filter stands in the way of music, giving you near-perfect time-domain impulse with excellent phase response, helped by frequency response that doesn't truncate abruptly confined to obeying Nyquist laws. But don't let Sonnet's unprocessed lack of digital additives detract from its technical prowess – Ruijtenberg's and Co-Founder Lion Kwaaijtaal's technique of splitting a datastream's Most-Significant Bits (MSB) from its Least-Significant Bits (LSB) and decoding them separately for extreme dynamic range is proprietary. With a forward correction technique first employed to great effect at Metrum Acoustics, Ruijtenberg repeated the trick at Sonnet. Each of Morpheus' four SDA-2 DACs contains an FPGA that separates the LSBs from the MSBs. Then, Morpheus increases the level of LSBs and decodes them as if they were MSBs, routed to the same, optimal top half of the SDA-2's resistor ladders. In this way, Sonnet's LSBs are not forced to be decoded at the nominally low bit level where they struggle and are otherwise swamped by switching noise. Splitting and boosting LSB level to be the same as the MSBs – before the former's very loud output is attenuated post-decoding and sewn seamlessly back together to form the whole signal at the right volume – yields an extremely linear DAC. Ruijtenberg's proprietary take led to a DAC that resolves a digital signal down to -140dB, effectively making Morpheus capable of achieving 24 bits of dynamic range without the use of DSP trickery like dither or noise-shaping. This additive-free approach yields a sense of real quiet and realistic space between notes, as well as top-to-bottom phase correctness. Micro and macro-dynamics snap into place helped by the slew rate prowess of Morpheus. This kind of natural transparency is preserved by Sonnet's special volume control, achieved by adjusting the reference voltage of its SDA-2 DACs instead of normal attenuation, to preserve its resolution no matter how low or high its pre-amp is set. The extremely analog nature of Sonnet's operation extends to a jumper switch that lowers output by -10dB for use with downstream amplifiers that suffer from excessive gain. Direct-coupled outputs from Morpheus also means frequency response extends down to DC for deep, natural and taut bass plus all its harmonics. Clever Dutch decoder design continues to keep discrete R2R DACs at the cutting-edge of digital audio in 2025, something only surpassed by the flagship Pasithea here. Check out all of Sonnet's products here, or our other DACs here.

Lotoo have yet another chance to showcase their DSP code mastery, bringing AKM's AK4191-AK4499EXEQ DAC ecosystem in the Paw Gold Touch (LPGT) 2 music player to new heights. After taking the original Paw Gold Touch as far as they could with constant Digital Signal Processing evolution, Lotoo acknowledge the strides digital audio has made in the six years since, bringing its flagship up to 2024 standards. Knowing what AKM's own AK4191 delta-sigma modulator is capable of, and Lotoo's own track record of proprietary software upgrades down the years, LPGT2 is good to go for a decade on its own on the digital front. It's backed up by a 4.4mm output capable of producing 1,000mW balanced power per channel. In addition to the Analog Devices Blackfin DSP microprocessor, LPGT2 adds the wireless Lotoo Teleport Protocol (LTTP) that allows your everyday smart device to transmit streaming of up to 24/96Khz high-res lossless audio to your player. Via a USB-C attachment to your phone, LTTP brings the improvements Lotoo's techniques bring to your favourite streaming content from Tidal and Apple Music. [See Product Desc. For More] Lotoo's use of the Analog Devices Blackfin BF706 DSP microprocessor is the stuff of legend by now, with the code written and loaded up over multiple firmware upgrades and several years a technique these Taiwanese coding innovators have made their own – so much of how each of Lotoo's classic DAPs sound is owed to this. The generation of pristine I2S is the ultimate goal for LPGT2's DSP. But even the best digital trickery in the world needs a hardware platform sufficiently capable to execute software. Enter Asahi Kasei Microdevices (AKM)’s resurgent flagship DACs.  These Japanese giants, back on their feet with a clean slate, started afresh expanding the basic footprint of a single DAC chip IC into three separate parts – to similarly multiply capabilities by a factor of three. AKM’s AK4191EQ is the brains of the operation, receiving pristine I2S clocking and data from LPGT2's Blackfin. Aboard, AK4191EQ’s delta-sigma modulator takes advantage of its expanded, dedicated, silicone footprint to lay claim to the title of the first chip IC working at seven bits. These seven single-bit modulators flow on into LPGT2's dual AK4499EXEQ DACs, one for each channel and built with a single purpose in mind: to turn the interpolated, noise-shaped, digital data it receives into the most precise analog waveform possible afforded by its large footprint. Silicone size matters when it comes to a great DAC IC, and AK4499EXEQ has it. Enabled by much more exact, matched resistors and capacitors aboard for precise DC single-bit decoding, and dynamic element matching that is less burdened by switching errors – granted by parts accuracy from a bigger footprint. Any conversion errors from AK4499EXEQs outputting in current manifests as DC offset, and not total harmonic distortion, that is easily filtered out. That's expected of any source claiming to be high performance. A high-quality current-to-voltage I/V section follows these AK4499EXEQs, befitting of chips that output in current for best distortion performance and indeed flagships like LPGT2. The second Lotoo device after Mjolnir this decade to boast such a circuit, LPGT2 brings those benefits to a portable device 10 years after the first generation LPG in 2014. Once again, LTTP allows you to get high-res lossless from your favourite streaming app on your smartphone to LPGT2, adding to its versatility beyond its 2TB SD card capacity. Running on Lotoo OS 1.6, LPGT2 once again eschews Android operation for the cleanest, lowest interference and CPU noise for a black background. That's only helped by an eight-layer PCB with shielding for the analog circuit, preserving all the analog resolution dual AK4499EXEQs can produce. This high-fidelity is amplified and flows on to powerful op-amp output buffers that supply current and mean Lotoo's flagship promises high damping factor while maintaining its low distortion into low impedances typical of IEMs, Focals, Fostexs and Rosson Audio Designs. Specially selected by Lotoo, LPGT2 boasts Texas Instrument parts that are ideal voltage sources and stable into capacitive loads, with their gain bandwidth product ensuring frequency response extends well beyond the human hearing range for excellent phase response and taut, impactful and life-like dynamics. Still the closed-loop internal gain remaining after the mandatory application of negative feedback around Lotoo's analog circuit remains high, so where she really can shine is in swinging +20.3 dBu of voltage, opening up the sound of any high-impedance Audio-Technica, Sennheiser and ZMF Headphones while barely breaking sweat. Indeed, this latest evolution of Lotoo's beloved Paw Gold concept ensures it's totally future-proof, ready for whatever the bright future of the rapidly-advancing world of Head-Fi throws at it, on the digital and analog fronts. After LPGT2, keep up to date with the fantastic staying power Lotoo releases have here, or view all our other music players here.

Third time's the charm for Cayin Audio with N6III. They've perfected the formula for the ideal Android 12 platform – one music player that truly will keep up with all your audio needs. The trilogy continues with the C201 module built around eight Cirrus Logic CS43198 DAC chips to yield neutral, high-resolution headphone playback, or E203 with the mighty ESS Technology ES9039Pro flagship for supreme detail and low-impedance flagship IEM driving power. It goes onto Headfonia's Recommended Buys list. N6III's "very appealing sound signatures suit a wide range of IEMs and headphones" writes Headfonics.  Twister6 praised it for filling the modular niche, with the "ability to order N6iii with either of the modules" being a rare one. That versatility was echoed by ichos-reviews in their assessment of C201. Choose which module you'll start your N6III journey with here, and never fear about missing out. After all, you can continue to develop your collection with any of the new DAC/amp motherboards that are subsequently released. [See Product Desc. For Individual Module Info] It's easy for another Cayin to follow in the footsteps of the N6II – the first interchangeable audio motherboard that contained the entire DAC and its corresponding analog audio circuit in one whole swappable module. View all info on the stock C201 module – Eight Cirrus Logic CS43198s with precision analog volume control View all info on the stock E203 module – One ESS Technology ES9039Pro with Class A/AB/Hyper mode discrete transistor output stage First never follows, but in the case of N6III there's a strong foundation laid down by its groundbreaking mid-priced predecessor. Never wanting for sound quality – even inspiring other manufacturers to produce their own copies – Cayin have taken steps forward to modernise the N6 modular concept with a Snapdragon 665, 6GB of RAM, an external long-range Wi-Fi antenna and a 50 per cent larger battery. Modules can now also be changed without separate tools. Need we mention that the signal path is fully shielded from parasitic wireless interference housed in its own isolated aluminum chassis. N6III's build only increases the noise rejection immunity of modules that are each already top-notch audio performers in their own right. View the futuristic N6III's respective C201 and E203 modules as well as all our other Cayin music players here, and our other DAPs here.

The next steps for Audio-Technica’s ATH-ADX5000 didn’t lie in the creation of another flagship, but arguably something more important in ATH-ADX3000. Those TOTL technologies trickled down to birth this mid-tier marvel, placing its affordable exploits into the hands of more. Audio-Technica’s claim of being “the best sound for everyone” really comes to fruition here, with ADX3000 priced and performing at the sweet spot in 2025 between ATH-R70xa and ADX5000. ADX3000 brings forth neutral, Harman-emphasised mids that clearly benefit from Audio-Technica’s Core Mount Technology – state-of-the-art on the ADX5000 in 2017 – being built of the same architecture to enable a truly open, undamped flow of air. Another exploit is it packing a 58mm dynamic driver, the largest this side of SGD$2,000 and joint runner-up for sheer size in all Head-Fi already. Never will one hear as open or effortless a soundstage, cast in front of them with nary an effort. ADX3000’s pristine, immaculate soundscape breathes naturally, materialising before you. But don’t mistake this as a bloodless affair devoid of guts. Paired with anything on up from iBasso Audio’s DC Elite, ADX3000 gains a gravitas and purpose in the low frequencies that make you pay attention, to a headphone that’s meant to do it all, for the long haul. [See Product Desc. For More] It’s no small feat that Audio-Technica were able to reproduce such a large 58mm driver that’s able to climb in high frequencies seemingly devoid of intermodulation and modal break-up. ADX3000 is an audibly low-distortion affair throughout, seemingly able to move pistonically at all frequencies. That achievement is only made more remarkable by the apparent absence of any damping material in ADX3000 apart from its earpads. Its driver starts with a sandwich driver core of softer material for effective damping at higher frequencies. This surface is coated with tungsten for the metal's stiffness, lightness and air acceleration properties moving at low frequencies. This means ADX3000's driver moves as a perfect piston over all frequencies up to and above its working range, keeping distortion down due to cone and modal break-up. Given Audio-Technica’s design goal of providing a clean, totally clear path of air towards the ear via a streamlined, svelte baffle with no acoustic impediments hanging off its inside, it’s remarkable what the company’s engineers did on a relatively small budget. That’s what 60 years of Audio-Technica’s audio know-how, and construction at their Japanese Naruse Machida plant, sounds like. The allowances for such a large driver were not for mere bragging rights.  By being built big, ADX3000’s 58mm driver’s cone can move less – by going large, the radiating driver surface area is increased exponentially on a comparable 40mm driver while reducing the requirement for excursion substantially. That allows it to move the same amount of air and sound with better cone control.  ADX3000’s development period was a lengthy one, if one considers the seven years its ADX5000 sibling was on the market, and how Audio-Technica have churned out hits for six decades.  The former’s metallic material driver performs as effectively in the time domain as the frequency one, ADX3000’s ideal Q-factor not depending on tons of damping material that leads to a deader sound. Rather, transients zip and snap naturally and organically, without acoustic crutches. ADX3000’s purist construction means that this headphone can be nudged out of its comfort zone too, playing beyond the kind its creators directly intended for it. The extra ability to grant it sub and mis-bass response from sources is another feather to Audio-Technica’s versatile bow, responding and adapting to your listening needs, and chain. This is a heavyweight performance, from a 257 gram featherweight. Its 50ohm impedance gives it ability to scale with power, without fear of overdamping, so treat it to your ideal voltage sources such as Questyle Audio’s M15i and CMA18P too. Indeed, here’s a mid-price treat that really behaves like Audio-Technica’s co-flagship. Apt, that a 60-year-old company produces such a potentially timeless, made-in-Japan, heirloom. Check out the higher-specced ADX5000 that will love tube gear on the other hand here, all of Audio-Technica’s other classics here, and our other headphones here.

Available in a fetching jade teal, this limited edition DITA Audio x Zeppelin & Co. Project M embraces a philosophy of continual progress and innovation.  Headfonics hail its "exceptional resolution and technical prowess". Everyday Listening says Dita's "usual strengths of their earphones are on full display here". Like the original Project M, this collaboration departs from DITA's previous designs with a redesigned, ergonomic form that strikes a balance between familiarity and distinctiveness, embodying a new era for the brand. Equipped with DITA's revolutionary PM1+ Dynamic Driver and a balanced armature driver, the Project M showcases the prowess of the PM1+ Driver – a 9.8mm dynamic driver exclusively crafted for this model. Serving as the sonic heart of the Project M, the PM1+ Driver imparts the earphones with a signature characterised by texture, clarity, speed, and punchy bass, delivering a full-range sound experience.In a special collaboration, the limited Teal edition with Zeppelin & Co. is definitely something to add to your collection of IEMs.

It's the bone conduction takeover at Empire Ears with Triton! The third generation of Dean and Jack Vang's Dual Conduction Architecture (DCA) distils the lessons learnt from Empire Ears' own W10. The tri-brid Triton introduces a new level of cost – and sonic – effectiveness after Legend EVO and Raven. Far from being the bass cannon everyone taught it might be, Triton in fact puts in a good word for entertaining neutrality. Here, it sports a pair of new Sonion bone conduction units – that are already carving a reputation for themselves for uncoloured transparency – alongside one custom Empire Ears mids balanced armature and a trademark W9+ bass dynamic driver.  Operated efficiently, the latter pair operate conventionally as pressure-based transducers, with Triton's bone conductors literally making their presence felt. These bone conductors are the driving force behind DCA, enhancing both Triton's auditory and tactile elements of music. This fusion works with an expertly designed SynX crossover to ensure that every note resonates with unparalleled precision assigning drivers to the right frequencies. And, thorough tweaks like Anti-Resonance Compound (ARC) and tri-port ventilation are the Empire Ears signature on Triton, truly standing it apart from anything else on the market. [See Product Desc. For More] The benefits of bone conduction are discernible, particularly the way Empire Ears operates them full-range. Music gains a new found solidity as the bone conductors reach one's inner hearing structure through vibration. Music is propelled at you, but the lack of distortion – a benefit of not needing to tax Triton's pressure-based drivers for SPL to generate intangible listener engagement and immersion – is clear. Certainly, without needing to punch too hard by way of artificially overemphasising micro and macro dynamics, combines with Triton's lack of transducer distortion to reduce listener fatigue. Notes are portrayed sweetly and effortlessly. And by not trying too hard, Triton actually fills in the blanks in your music more effectively, conveying emotion. Triton's earth-shaking performance indeed amplifies the performance of the premium dynamic driver and balanced armature Empire Ears chose. ARC aids in the resonance, amplification, and dispersion of sound waves, synergising with other elements to achieve a distinctive sound signature and optimise Triton's acoustic performance. To optimise sound quality, Empire Ears meticulously engineered the enclosure's ventilation system. Precise adjustments to vent size and placement were crucial, as even minor changes significantly impacted audio performance. By carefully calibrating the vented drivers to their ideal volume, Triton's full sonic potential was unlocked. With bone conductors performing for many other conventional pressure-based drivers, the SPL demands on the other cast members was lessened. Triton's Weapon 9+ dynamic woofer for low-frequencies can stick to its assigned range without needing to overcompensate. And Triton's balanced armature particularly benefits as the reduced need to produce SPL leads to less distortion and an edge-less body to their detail. Triton is a show of Empire Ears maturity and is possible also because of the state of maturity the Head-Fi ecosystem is at. DAC/amp and music player sources show up in abundance to drive Triton's very difficult 3ohm load. It starts as simply as Questyle Audio's M15i, with this flagship current-mode DAC/amp ever happier as a voltage source the more it detects a dead short. And the potent output devices of HiBy Music's Class A entry R4, FD5 and R6III are more than up to the task despite their budget status. And then there are the discrete DAC music players which output plenty of juice. Cayin's DSD N7 with its 5 ampere output devices, and HiBy's PWM R8II plus R2R RS8 with inductor power supplies and large, paralleled transistors, promise natural tone, gravitas, soundstage and imaging for audio fireworks.  Because Triton is the party that brings all of Head-Fi together; and also every Empire Ears technology – synX crossovers, DCA, ARC, tri-port exhaust vents – under one roof. Whet your appetites for Triton with every other Empire Ears release here, or view all our other earphones here.

PlusSound's Volta is an evolution of Allegro alongside Sonora, and a step further in their mission to develop world-beating IEMs. After a decade of releasing cables to tune the work of other earphone manufacturers, PlusSound have now released a new generation to hit the desired frequency targets themselves. The tri-brid Volta is a new concept redefining what you can expect from six drivers. Tuned neutrally with respect to the Harman curve with elevated isobaric dual dyanamic driver sub-bass, upper mids and electrostatic highs, Volta benefits from PlusSound's experience with tweeter integration. Achieving better integration with the rest of the frequency spectrum, Volta's electrostatic pair benefit from a crossover that's a work of art. Placed within a new ergonomic shell that ensures Volta's drivers always perform as intended into a multitude of ear shapes and sizes, all three types are kept ticking over as one sound, and quietly showcases PlusSound's pedigree as an IEM builder [See Product Desc. For More] PlusSound's brilliance here was designing a crossover that operates at a virtually flat 10ohm impedance and electrical phase. Indeed, said crossover is the platform to perform for Volta's drivers. PlusSound's low-order network feeds both dynamic driver bass and electrostatic treble sections. Their slow frequency roll-off slopes ensure accurate phase reproduction and maximum cohesion in their assigned audible band. And these simpler, lower-order signal paths utilise fewer components such that the crossover saps as little power as possible, ensuring maximum transparency, dynamics and detail reach the bass and treble units. Volta's dual dynamic drivers, operating in push-pull isobaric fashion, are more than capable of keeping up with the extended range they operate in. Both stiff yet well-damped as they rise higher in frequency, these large 10mm drivers are mounted in a 3D-printed acoustic enclosure with a massive rear vent. That aids decompression out of phase, lowering air resistance within their chamber for greater excursion and better drive. PlusSound similarly mounted Volta's electrostat tweeters where they would have maximum effectiveness, albeit with smoother integration with her mid-range balanced armatures. Placed coaxially against the IEM spout for the best directivity, their wide-frequency bandwidth extends up into the ether. Their low-order crossover sees these Sonion electrets enjoy the best sensitivity and power-to-SPL conversion, for audibly excellent dynamic ability. In between are two mid-range balanced armature drivers, this time working under high-order slopes to keep them in their ideal range of reproduction to avoid unduly taxing them. All six drivers are masterfully placed in Volta's shell for maximum frequency and time-domain performance. PlusSound's attention to detail extended to their accessorisation, with custom-designed silicone eartips for ideal acoustics beyond the shell showcasing the technical potential of Volta. The team significantly refined Volta's shape, resulting in a much more comfortable and better-fitting design. Production has also been enhanced with the incorporation of engraving machinery, allowing for intricate patterns to be precisely etched onto each model. PlusSound pushed the boundaries of manufacturing by utilizing advanced 7-axis CNC and engraving machines to create one of the most intricate earphone designs to date. Each shell undergoes a meticulous finishing process, including polishing, anodising, and cryogenic treatment to enhance surface durability and protect against damage from drops.  Volta's all-aluminum housing provides an acoustically inert environment, effectively reducing unwanted vibrations and resonances that can distort the sound. While you're enjoying Volta, experience Allegro here, how you can cable up your other transducers with PlusSound here, or view our other favourite IEMs here.