iFi Pro iCAN Signature meets the TOTLs In this review, I will try to draw a picture of how the @iFi audio Pro iCAN Signature (how-many-barreled-name is that?) performs under pressure i.e., when driving very difficult loads such as the Susvara, Abyss AB1266 TC, HE-560, HD800s. This is where the Pro iCAN Signature meets the TOTLs. For the uninitiated, this is the latest flagship headphone amplifier/preamp from iFi's Pro line. In the olden days they asked about PCs, “… but can it play Crysis?” and in headphone amps, it translates to, “… but can it...

The Benchmark AHB2 is a power amp meant to power speakers. There seems to be an interest in it for hard to power headphone enthusiasts on the forum even though Benchmark makes the HPA4 which is a headphone amp. That said, folks trying to drive the Hifiman HE-6 and Susvara gravitates towards this piece of gear. If you have frequented the Susvara thread, you’ll see the growing pains of finding a good/sufficiently powerful amp spanning over 200 pages last time I checked. Finally, I pulled the trigger on the AHB2 and couldn’t be happier. This review and...

The TL;DR: This is the most feature-rich DAP I have used till date (and I have used quite a few). The best screen among all – yes ALL DAPs in my view. Should you buy it? If you are into clean reproduction of music and the smoothest UI experience (and watch Netflix on a DAP)? Then yes – this is the only one in the market right now that does all that. Intro Let’s start with the typical disclaimer – I bought the iBasso DX300 w/ Amp 11 mk2 from @MoonAudio at full retail price, hence I have no incentive in saying anything good or bad about it. The...

The Fearless S8F was my first serious purchase in the chifi several years ago. It was my maiden foray into the detailed segment of the IEMs in general and boy, was I hooked. It was one of my most cherished IEMs until I knew better - more on that later. Unboxing/Packaging I won't dwell on this one very long because, back when I bought the S8F, it was a "new" IEM and Fearless did not have the fancy box - rather it came in a plain cardboard box. Inside the box there was a black plastic hard case, which housed the IEMs, some tips, a 3.5mm terminated...

The TL;DR: This is the best-sounding audio device I have heard among all that were released between January 2020 till the time of writing this (July 2021) for IEM listening. Should you buy it? Yes. Intro Let’s start with the typical disclaimer – I bought the @Shanling M8 from @MusicTeck at full retail price, hence my wallet has spoken. Even so, I cannot thank Andrew from Musicteck enough for being one of the most supportive people in the hobby. Appreciate all your hard work. I know the TL;DR part above reads more like an ad, but I stand by it...

Hakone is from the premium line of IEM cables from the Singapore based company Null Audio under their sub-brand “Symphonym”. I bought the Hakone in its 8 braid (Herringbone braid) upgraded variant four months ago and I cannot be more impressed. Previously, I had used some high-end cables from Effect Audio and Satin audio but these have served me way more than any of the others. Build: One of the most beautiful cables you can come across in this hobby is the Hakone. The braids are more prominent than regular Litz. You can see 4 cores of golden copper...

Details here: https://www.null-audio.com/products/symphony-tiburon-upocc-cryo-copper-headphone-iem-cable [This was NOT a review sample. I just bought it like the regular folk] I bought the Tiburon couple of weeks ago and was extremely impressed. I got the Herringbone 8 braid upgrade so that upped the cost quite a bit. But it was worth it. I am pairing it with my Andromeda now. It's copper in its all goodness. Sound: I don't believe a cable can drastically change the sound of an IEM but it does clear out imperfections, noises, micro-phonics etc...

This is not an advertisement but it is definitely a recommendation. Nothing was handed to me for free. I bought these cables with my money and on top of that, I don't even know the guy who makes these cables but I know that he is probably the best IEM cable maker I have tried - and believe me, I have tried a lot including stuff from Moon Audio. Okay, so it was a giveaway right there that this has to do with IEM cables. I came across one (just a single review) of this Asian guy Gu who makes good cables. Thought I might give it a try. Went for his...