REVIEW: MODULAR WORKSHOP WOOD CABLE (2pin, MMCX)

Modular Workshop is a company based in Singapore, that is involved both in head-fi with their Element Series aftermarket cables and Hi-Fi with very interesting products ( last release is “Swing” that is quite useful when ripping CDs).
This is a young company and so I would like to start from their philosophy: “Modular Workshop (MW) is a Singapore brand which is created by a Hong Kong audiophile who had been migrated to Singapore for many years. Our aim is to provide the best audio experience to our customer with dedicated design product and competitive pricing.

With the support of our working partners and factories in Taiwan, each product is constructed from high grade material and professionally designed modules. Hopefully, we would make a difference to the current head-fi trend.”
Today I am going to review Wood Cable with 2pin and MMCX connectors, also you can find other two aftermarket cables in their Element Series: Fire and Water.
I would like to thank Gawin for sending me the samples in exchange of this review and for his kindness. I loved to talk with him and I was really happy and surprised to find out his sincere interest in reviewer’s opinions. I am not affiliated with the company and all observations and opinions will be only my own.

PRICE: 380 USD
OFFCIAL FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/ModularWorkshop/
SPECS:
Material: OCC
Purity: 6N (99.9999%)
No. of cores: 4 Cores

PACKAGING, BUILD QUALITY:
Wood Cable comes in a simple, yet elegant wooden box that from what I read, can be customized for special events. They can do name stamping, special packing to suit your theme. But it all subject to additional charges.
If packaging is quite simple, the cable will give you a premium feeling since the first unboxing.
I will review cables with 2-pin/MMCX connectors with 3.5jack, but you can choose 2.5 balanced jack too.
I tested it for 2 weeks, with different IEMs and can easily tell you that not only sounds very good, but has really a great build quality.
Each connector has high quality silver housing with blue and red stripe(for two pin connector) on the left and right side, plus there is a memory area that will help you to wear the IEMs in a really comfortable way. From my experience Wood cable hasn’t microphonic issues and has a very good craftsmanship.
Ergonomic is quite good, but I found the under y-slit area a bit heavy and, sometimes, can create some problems particularly on the go.

SOUND:
I tested Wood Cable with many IEMs and I have to admit, never imagined that a cable could give such a big improvement in sound quality terms. I am not expert and I am not interested in specs, materials and other things, so will give you only my audio opinions. Since the first moment, I noticed a big improvement that slightly improved after 48 hours( maybe brain burn-in).
Overall Wood Cable has a natural sound signature, with a good clarity and definition. Thanks to its natural tune, I found a good synergy with a lot of IEMs.
Bass slightly improves: this cable will not give you more bass quantity, but better quality with a more refined and tighter response. Bass gains a better control and definition with a slightly fast and impact response. Wood Cable has a very natural and high quality bass.
What really surprised me, is how vocals improved with this cable: voices are very natural with a great resolution and details. I found a perfect combination of organic and clean sound, so you will have great response both for female and male voices.
Highs slightly improves, with a good clarity and resolution. Eventhough highs gain more clarity, will never found any harshness or sibilants.
The natural tone with a touch of clarity will give you a good instrumental separation and definition. Positioning of instruments gain a better accuracy.
Soundstage improves a lot, in particular in width with a good holographic sense of space.

PAIRINGS:
Wood Cable with Aroma Audio Yao: Wood Cable has a great synergy with this IEM: mid-bass is tighter and gains more body. Vocals are fantastic. Yao just with its stock cable has great vocals very organic and realistic; with this cable voices are a bit less organic but gains more clarity and resolution, this thing help to have a more refined female vocals. Wood Cable gives a cleaner high response, with the stock cable highs are a bit behind. This thing helps to have a more open feel. Soundstage improves a lot, with a greater holographic space.

Wood Cable with Rhapsodio Infinity: bass doesn’t improve a lot, but you will have a better clarity and more air between voices and instruments. Overall you will get a more refined sound, but not upsetting improvements.

Wood Cable with Unique Melody ME.1: bass gains more impact and definition. Vocal improves a lot with more texture and resolution. Highs doesn’t change too much, but has better clarity and extension. Soundstage improves a bit in particular in width.
Wood Cable with Custom Art Fibae 2: overall sound doesn’t change too much, but voices have more details and clarity. You will notice a better instrument separation. But I think Fibae 2 will improve a lot with a colder cable.

Wood Cable with Rhapsodio Saturn: overall this cable has a great synergy with this IEM. Giving better control and a more natural sound, in particular bass response is more accurate and articulate. Voices improves a lot gaining more body and presence. With the stock cable Saturn has voices a bit behind lacking fullness and definition.

Wood Cable with iBasso ITO1: in a certain way Wood Cable gives a more natural sound to the V-shaped IT01. Bass are more controlled with a better resolution. Voices are more forward and have more body and presence. Highs gain a more natural presence with a more natural response.

CONCLUSION: Wood Cable really impressed me: it really improves sound quality of IEMs giving a natural sound signature with a good clarity and resolution. I want to be honest, you will easily notice the improvements, but just want to suggest you to think about a cable upgrade only if you already have a good source and your favorite IEM. I write this, since cables can give you better sound, but they are part of a chain, so don’t disregard sources, IEMs and file quality(FLAC).

REVIEW AMBIENT ACOUSTICS AM7LAM-U

Ambient Acoustics is a quite famous company among European audiophiles, in particular for their custom IEMs. Today I am going to review their AM7LAM universal model. They approached to the universal world just recently, so just read what they have to say about this thing: For many, it is not a secret that our laboratory work a long time for producing the fifth and seventh LAM monitors. For us, producing of universal monitors has never been a priority. We work with customs products. But the demand and popularity of AM5LAM and AM7LAM have forced us to make adjustments in production as soon as possible.
We are often asked, are universals harder to make than customs and why is so long?
YES! Originally the task was to make not only the original sound for the real audiophiles, which can be configured under any sound taste, but also to put all this in a miniature body. It was all miniature: from a shell that would fit even in little women’s ears, and ending with mini switches and acoustic elements with cross placed in the black body! Monitors are harmoniously supplemented by a replacement wire with hybrid connectors – our screw and 2-pin.
We are very glad that we have not lowered our hands and led to the logical conclusion these products. Naturally, over time LAM monitors will be improve and show up new functionality, but at the moment it’s the most cool our monitors for audiophiles.

AM7LAM unit was sent me for the purpose of this review, I am not affiliated with the company and all observations and opinions will be only my own. Would like to thanks Ambient Acoustics team for sending me this unit giving me the opportunity to test it( hope to test one of their custom models in the future).

DRIVER CONFIGURATION: Seven BA drivers per ear
PRICE: 868 EURO
LINK TO THE OFFICIAL SHOP: https://ambient-acoustics.ua/5/eng/index.ht
LINK TO THE OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/AmbientAcoustics/

LAM TECHNOLOGY:
I was really interested in LAM7, since integrates many interesting technologies. So what is this LAM innovation?
LAM (live acoustic mod) consists in that when switching modes total earphone resistance substantially unchanged and therefore the amplifiers in players do not change the mode from a low impedance amplification to high-impedance load. A unique development of Ambient Acoustics is the use of Impedance and Phase correction , it reduces the impact of the internal circuitry of the amplifiers on the final sound signature of the earphones by raising the linearity of the electrical impedance and electrical phase curves of earphones, which, in turn, significantly increases the “naturalness” and “fusion” of sound(a similar thing like FLAT IMPEDANCE BALANCED ARMATURE used by Custom Art).
Another interesting innovation adopted by this company is that a manual adjustment for user is available in a stepwise control of low frequencies in four positions: 0, +6, +10 and + 14dB and adjustment of the level of the vocal zone: 0 and + 5dB.

PACKAGING: LAM7 comes in a hard black case ( a typical case for custom IEMs). In the black case you can find the IEM, a manual, triple flange eartips, an IEM wax tool(that can be used both for clean your earphone, both to insert the filters) and 4 filters that can be used to modify the high frequencies response of the headphone.
The construction is very solid and lightweight.
Comfort wise LAM 7 is very comfortable with a small nozzle that fits very well with my small ear canal( here you can see all the experience of Ambient Acoustics in creating custom IEMs).
Speaking of isolation, it is very good in this department and if you can find the right eartips you will enjoy your playlist without any annoying external noise.
The cable is very solid and just to be honest really nice. The Silver detachable Ambient Cord uses not a two normal pin plugs, but screw ones, so will not be compatible with aftermarket cables( talking with Ambient Acoustics Lab, they told me customers can ask them for hybrid connectors in order to use both their silver cable both two-pin aftermarket cables. These hybrid connectors are always used for their custom monitors).

SOUND: All my sound consideration has been made after 50 hours of burn in as suggested by Ambient Acoustics team, with different DAPs such as Opus1s, fiio x3, x5, iFi Nano Idsd black label and my iphone 6 too.

if you are interested in LAM7, you should be aware of one thing: this is not a common IEM.
Out of the box, the sound was tuned to be the more possible natural without any emphasis on the frequency range( they will be natural like water). For this reason, Ambient Acoustics will give you the possibility to tune the sound signature of the IEM, according to your tastes and musical genres you usually listen to, with manual switchers and acoustic filters. You will call me crazy, but I loved the perfect balanced and natural sound just out of the box( a sound that can be boring for a lot of people).
On the shell of LAM7 you can find three bores, marked with three different colors: red, blue and yellow.
You can change mid and bass freq. by using manual switchers and change high freq. with the acoustic filters.
I have to be honest, usually I don’t like to equalize the sound with my DAP, but for this IEM I played a lot with the switchers and the acoustic filters, so here is my impressions:

Manual switchers really change the sound, not drastically, but surely better than the EQ of my DAP with less distorsion( it’s due to a passive crossover that gives less distorsion than the ones in many other DAPs) and they give a wider soundstage and better layering.
I used and enjoyed a lot three configurations: analytical( switching +5 decibels for highs), rock and balanced configurations.
Usually I like to write comparisons with other IEMs, but this time I don’t think will be useful, since LAM7 doesn’t have a tuning out of the box, so will be just you and your musical tastes to modify its sound.
Overall LAM7 offered me always a great dynamic and transient response, with a coherent soundstage and great vocals thanks to the seven BA configuration.
Thanks to its low impedance, this IEM is quite easy to drive and I found a perfect synergy with my Opus 1s that gives a lot of power and a great dynamic to the sound.

CONCLUSION: LAM7 is a particular IEM: it is a special monitor for audiophile, that offers a lot of innovative technologies. Out of the box, you have to play a bit with manual switchers and acoustic filters in order to have a signature nearer to your tastes. This thing can be both a good or bad thing: I really loved this IEM for its sound, comfort and the possibility to change the frequency response, but if you want a “finished” product” or don’t have the patience to try different configurations, most probably this IEM will not be for you. On the other side, if you listened to a lot of IEMs and there was always something wrong ( too much bass or highs, or a sound sig. that didn’t match with your tastes) LAM7 definitely needs a try.

TECHNICAL SPECS:

7 BA drivers per ear
3 sound bores
5-way passive crossover
Frequency Response: 10Hz – 22kHz
Sensivity (50Hz): 110dB/mVt,116dB/mVt,120dB/mVt и 124dB/mVt
Impedance (50Hz): 12 Ohm
Fixing the drivers and crossover inside shells without air cavities

REVIEW OPUS 1S: A SIMPLE YET A GREAT SOUNDING DAP

In a world where DAP companies follow the route of WiFi and streaming apps like Spotify and Tidal , the Bit with its new Opus 1s choosed a more traditional approach for its audio portable device.
Yeah, streaming gives you more possibilities and access to millions of tracks, but for me and hope is the same for you, the most important thing is audio quality, and under this point Opus 1s will not surely disappoint you.
The Bit is a company based in Korea, quite famous in the audiophile world, in particular with its previous models: Opus1, Opus2, Opus 3.
I have never had the opportunity to test the original Opus 1, but as stated by the company 1s will retain the sound of the audio-opus series praised by users, enhancing ultra low range and high range sound compared to the existing Opus1, giving you a more dynamic sound.
Opus1s is based on Android operation systems compatible with the ARM Cortex-A9, up to 1.4GHz with the Quad-Core CPU DDR3 1GB to express the best possible sound, providing bit to bit decoding and supporting wide variety of audio formats. This DAP uses two CS43198 DACs released by Cirrus Logic in 2017. Each DAC manages the left and right channels separately to produce the best sound with the higher resolution and wider spacious feel. At the end of this review you can find all the specs about this product.
Opus 1s unit was sent me as a sample unit, I am not affiliated with the company and all observations and opinions will be only my own. Would like to thanks the Bit team for sending me this unit giving me the opportunity to experience such a powerful and dynamic sound .

PRICE: 399 USD
LINK OFFICIAL SITE: http://www.audio-opus.com/?page_id=17532
LINK MUSICKETECK: https://shop.musicteck.com/collections/opus/products/opus-1s-hi-res-portable-digital-audio-player

FIRST IMPRESSION:
Just to be honest, I was really interested in this new product and when the courier knocked to my door giving me the pack and “customs taxes”, I couldn’t wait to plug my favourite headphones and get involved in a musical pleasure.
I plugged in my microSD card and started to listen to my favourite palylists. First impression was surely excellent: its construction is excellent giving you a premium feeling since the first moment.
Listening to Lana Del Rey “Lust For Life” I was just amazed how powerful and dynamic the sound was.
Voices were very natural and visceral with a great amount of details. The first thing you will notice listening to Opus 1s will be the dynamic and rithm.

PACKAGING: packaging is quite simple and elegant at the same time. In the box you can find the DAP, manuals, warranty card, a USB cable and an extra screen protector in the box, with one applied on 1s from the factory. In my box there was a leather case, but don’t know if you will find it right out of the box.
The leather case is sent for 69 USD and, to be honest, it’s a bit overpriced, but it fits very good with 1s and has a real premium feeling( it doesn’t compromise pressure level of the volume or play/pause buttons). I usually don’t like to talk much about packaging and other staff cause my main focus is on the sound quality, but overall the unboxing experience of this DAP surely will not disappoint you.

BUILD QUALITY/UI:
Build quality is excellent, and to be honest is a really nice-looking product: it combines an elegant outline with smooth shape lines. The shell is made from ABS plastic, the 4-inch 400×800 IPS touch panel is covered with a sheet of tempered glass that gives a premium feeling to the product. On the right corner there are three buttons for pause/go on or behind with the tracks; on the left corner two volume buttons and memory card slot. The BIT has also installed 32GB of internal memory, which would mean a theoretical maximum of around 540GB of space will be available if utilising dual 256GB microSD cards as well (actual space will be lower due to space required by the operating system, etc).

On the bottom there is a microUSB port, you can find 3.5 Headphone Line Out with the power button and the 2.5mm Balanced Out on the top.
The Opus 1s is available in 2 colors, namely Lapis Blue and deep Purple. What really impressed me was the Display: it’s very bright and well calibrated, thanks to this, you will easily use it on the go. Resolution is quite good and touch is very fast. What really love of this company is that they offer always great sound and build quality at the right price. You may think 399 USD for a DAP without streaming services are too much, but if not so, cause if you really love Music and sound quality you surely will not regret to buy one.

The software is based on a highly-customized version of Android 5 which has apparently been optimised for portable audio devices. The Bit made a wonderful job with the UI, that is clean and really fast and I never found a bug or a slowdowns ( will update my review, if will find any in the future).

The internal 4000mAh battery requires around 4 hours to charge from dead flat, and should give the OPUS1S as stated by the company a maximum playback time of roughly 11 hours. For me battery is quite good, and was able to use it for more or less 4 straight days without charging ( my typical use is 3/4 hours per day at 75 volume level and half level brightness).
Construction is solid and it is not too much big or heavy, this thing combined with the bright screen makes this DAP a must-have for portable use.

SOUND:
Audio impressions have been taken after 100 hours of burn-in testing with different premium IEMs and headphones: Rhapsodio Infinity, Unique Melody Me.1, Aroma Audio Yao, Custom Art Fibae 2, Rhapsodio Saturn, iBasso IT01, Periodic Audio Mg,Be,Ti, Meze 99 Neo/Classics and Mitchell and Johnson Mj2.
A phrase to describe Opus 1s could be: strong, full-body and dynamic sound. Its sound signature is more on warm side than natural one. I usually prefer a natural or clean reproduction, but with the time I am really enjoying this approach to music. Opus 1s has a perfect combination of warm and natural sound resulting in an enjoyable and extremely engaging signature capable to bring tons of details in particular with 24bit tracks. First time I used it, Damn!! was really amazed how powerful is and wasn’t expecting it to be so.

BASS:
Bass response is excellent, very full and punchy. It doesn’t cover other frequencies, but stays here with a muscular and authoritative approach to the music giving a great dynamic to the sound reproduction.
Rumble and impact are outstanding with that slam that always bring me to move at the rhythm of music.

MIDS: voices on Opus 1s are extremely clean and near-to-life. They are neither too much in face or behind, but they are well placed in the centre. Both male and female vocals are well portayed and they are very detailed( in certain tracks I can really listen and feel the throat vibration and lips movement from the singer.

HIGHS: I could say that treble response is “relaxed”, stays a bit behind, but with a good clarity and details. You will get an extended treble response but without harshness and sibilance issues, but if you are a treble-ish man and lover of sparkles, this DAP will not be a great choice for you. If you need an organic and full sound Opus 1s will be surely a great choice.

SOUNDSTAGE:
Soundstage is quite good and well extended in all directions, with a great width and height and excellent depth. It will give you a good holographic space, but never an “out of the head sound”. I could say that Opus 1s is able to bring a realistic and coherent space around you with a good layering. What really impressed me was the right/left channel separation: in certain tracks you will easily and clearly listen to instruments playing on the right channel and at the same time other instruments on the left one.

OPUS 1S WITH RHAPSODIO INFINITY: they have excellent synergy. Overall I found the Opus 1s to do a great job with multi-balanced IEMs. You will find a great instrumental separation with a lot of “hair” between mids, highs and bass. This DAP gives a better dynamic and overall a punchier and faster bass response. Voices are very clean and detailed, but not so much natural. Highs are very clean and airy. Soundstage improves a bit in particular in depth.

OPUS 1S WITH Aroma Audio Yao: Opus1s enhances what I loved of this IEM: voices reproduction and dynamic. Bass improves a lot, portraying a more rounded and fuller bass response, this is a very good thing, since this IEM lacks a bit in bass quantity. Voices are very organic and natural with an incredible life-like feeling. Highs are clear, but a bit behind, so you will get a very enjoyable and relaxed sound.
If you love sparkles and highs in evidence this combo will not be a good choice for you. Opus 1s drives very well this IEM and never found any needs of more power.
Overall this setup will give you a very full and organic sound.

OPUS 1S WITH UNIQUE MELODY ME.1: they have a good synergy, but not excellent: I found other setup to have a better sound, in particular wider soundstage with this IEM. Overall Opus can drive quite well ME.1 ( this planar IEM requires a good source to really shine) giving you a good bass response, full and with a lot of slam and rumbles. Mids are more organic and fuller.

OPUS 1S WITH CUSTOM ART FIBAE 2: this combo is one of the best sound I have ever experienced in mid-fi price range. Reproduction is very fast with a great dynamic and excellent instrument separation.
Soundstage improves a lot, in particular in width. The great right/left channel separation of the Opus 1s gives a great synergy to this combo.

OPUS 1S WITH RHAPSODIO SATURN: Soundstage improves a lot, giving a wider and very coherent sense of space around you. This Dap gives a fuller and more quantity bass response to this IEM( maybe too much for my tastes). Voices are more present and detailed and very organic.

OPUS 1S WITH iBasso IT01: this combo will give you a spectacular dynamic and transient response.
Overall reproduction will be very fun and engaging.

OPUS 1S WITH PERIODIC AUDIO Be: this setup really impressed me. Be needs a good source and amplification to really shine and Opus 1s will give all the power output you will need. Damn! This is really audiophile sound: everything is coherent and well balanced, with a full and organic sound and excellent dynamic. Both female and male voices are very full and organic. Soundstage is not massive, but very coherent and natural.

OPUS 1S WITH MITCHELL AND JOHNSON MJ2: I found better sources for this headphone, cause Opus 1s is prone to give a more relaxed high response and doesn’t give justice to the electrostatz technology that really shines with a more clean source.(MJ2 thanks to its electrostatz technology has one of the most natural and extended highs I have ever listened on this price range).

OPUS 1S WITH MEZE 99 NEO/CLASSICS: if you bought these headphones for their organic and full sound, Opus 1s will enhance these characteristics giving you a fuller and faster bass response, with clean a detailed voices and a more organic sound. Soundstage improves a lot, in particular in width.
Dynamic is very good, with a great sense of rhythm and tempo.

CONCLUSION: OPUS 1S is one of the best mid-fi DAP I have ever tried( is surely better than my Fiio x5 iii, yes Fiioiii has more features with wifi and so is able to work with streaming apps like Spotify or Tidal, but can’t compete under sound quality with 1S, in particular the last one has a better dynamic, a fuller sound and a bit wider soundstage.
This DAP is simple, but has everything you will need to enjoy your playlists. The fast UI, the great build quality and first of all the sound quality will not surely disappoint you.

PROS:

DYNAMIC

POWERFUL SOUND

SIMPLE AND FAST UI

BATTERY LIFE( CONSIDERING THE SCREEN RESOLUTION AND BRIGHTNESS WITH THE POWERFUL OUTPUS)

RIGHT AND LEFT CHANNEL SEPARATION

CONS:

NOT ONE OF THE MOST NATURAL SOUND( A BIT FUN FOR MY TASTE)

FEATURES( BUT IF FOR YOU SOUND QUALITY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN FEATURES WILL NOT BE A PROBLEM)

SPECS:

DAC Cirrus Logic CS43198 x 2 Cirrus Logic CS4398 x 2
Output Bal. 3.4Vrms
Unbal. 3.1Vrms Bal. 2.3Vrms
Unbal. 2.1Vrms
SNR Bal. 125dB @1KHz
Unbal. 123dB @1KHz Bal. 115dB @1kHz
Unbal. 114dB @1kHz
Crosstalk Bal. 142dB @1KHz
Unbal. 140dB @1KHz Bal. 135dB @1kHz
Unbal. 130dB @1kHz
THD+N Bal. 0.0005%@1KHz
Unbal . 0.0007% @1KHz Bal. 0.0007% @ 1kHz
Unbal. 0.0007% @ 1kHz

COMPARISON TIME: PLANAR VS 1DD VS 12BA

Trying to do a comparison about audio products is always a tall order in particular if you don’t use measures and provide frequency graphs, but sometimes is nice to share your own opinions and your own earing experiences. These three great IEMs belongs to different price range and works with totally different technology, so is really interesting how is their different approach to music.
Will try my best to write an understandable review since I usually write for my Italian public and English is not my first language. I decided to write this article cause a lot of my readers worldwide asked me to do so, hope you will enjoy my quick comparison and will help you to do the right choice if you are interested in one of these IEMs.
PRICE:
UNIQUE MELODY ME.1: 759 USD
RHAPSODIO GALAXY V2:1450 USD
AROMA AUDIO YAO: 2280 USD

Galaxy v2 incorporates a single dynamic driver( one of the best I have ever heard), ME.1 shows the latest planar technology and YAO uses 12 BA (2 driver unit for High frequency, 2 driver units for cross-section Super High frequency, 4 Driver units for Mid frequency and 4 Driver units for Low frequency)

BUILD QUALITY:
Galaxy v2 with its brass housings has a great and refined build quality and premium feel but it isn’t one of the most comfortable IEM cause they are on the heavy side, so if you can’t get a proper seal you will not be able to enjoy your music. Try a lot of eartips! only in this way you can bring out the best of this IEM. For example I found a good synergy with spinfit ones gaining a comfortable fit and so a better sound. Once found the right eartip for your ear-canal weight will not be a problem and you will find a good sound isolation.
On the other hand YAO shows quite a modern and elegant look, construction seems very solid: the shell is made up of transparent acrylic and the faceplate of metal material.
Comfort wise YAO IEM is very comfortable thanks to its rounded shape and nozzle angle; it’s lightweight considering that mounts 12 armature IEM and I was able to find a perfect fit with Acoustune silicon eartips out of the box. Speaking of isolation, it is very good in this department and if you can find the right eartips you will enjoy your playlist without any annoying external noise.
ME.1 has an interesting design: the shell is made up of acrylic and has a CNC grid at the end, surely this IEM with its unique open back design will catch the attention and interest of people around you in a good manner.
ME.1 is not one of the smallest premium IEM you can find, but its lightweight and comfortable.
I tried a lot of eartips and found a good synergy with double flange ones giving me a stable fit and improving sound isolation that is quite good considering their open-back design.
Unique Melody engineers made a nice work in realize planar technology in a such small body. Very compliment.

CABLES:
Galaxy V2 comes with 2pin Pandora Dwarf cable(6N OCC litz) quite a nice looking and well built cable, that has a warmish sound so has a great synergy with hiss problems typical of this IEM.
On the other hand YAO comes with a golden cable that is different from the other two Musical Box series IEMS: EARLY and TWINS. It is well built and lightweight and gives quite a natural sound with a touch of warmth and focus on mids reproduction.
Unique Melody 8-braided 6N Single Crystal Copper cable is really nice looking and well built with new protruding 0.78mm 2-pin will not match every IEM.
It has a premium and stylish feeling and it is quite neutral having a perfect synergy with ME.1.
It is not one of the lightest I have ever tried and I don’t understand why Unique Melody made this choice after all the efforts to realize planar technology in a small and comfortable body.

SOUND:
ME.1 has quite a U-shaped sound signature with organic and full-body sound, sometimes gives a fair romantic and engaging reproduction.
Galaxy V2 has a V-shaped sound signature with incredible resolution and details retrieval, but at the same time a fun and engaging sound.
YAO is quite a magic IEM with its voice reproduction so near-to-life and natural, it is a product capable to bring an audiophile and correct sound, but at the same time with a lot of emotions and details.

ME.1 has a very high quality bass response : very fast but a bit smoothed, so you will not have a strong bass, but you will get the right amount for a nicely timing and rhythm. Voices are well portrayed and fits good both for male and female vocals. Highs are detailed and clean, but will not find a lot of sparkles.
Dynamic and transient response is excellent thanks to planar technology and sounds great with a lot of musical genres.
What really makes incredible this IEM is its wide soundstage: it is not one of the widest or one of the most holographic, but it is really natural and airy.
On the other hand YAO has one of the best vocal I have ever listened: very detailed and natural, mids are in focus and are so vivid with a lot of emotions. This IEM is capable to bring “the emotions of your singer”.
Bass response adds a touch of warmth and gives a nice timing to tracks, highs are just a bit laid back but they are very detailed and refined. I think Aroma Audio created really a fantastic product: a perfect combination of audiophile and natural sound.
Dynamic is quite good and have a good instrument separation.
Soundstage is not one of the widest or tallest, but it is coherent and natural.
Galaxy V2 is pure resolution with a lot of details. Bass is really fast and strong (one of the best you can find in a single dynamic driver), vocals are little laid back, but they are very clean and detailed in particular with female voices. Highs are incredible detailed with a lot of sparkles, but if you have hiss problem, maybe this is not the IEM for you.
Dynamic and transient response is stellar. Galaxy has just a bit wider soundstage than YAO but is not so precise and coherent.

As you can imagine there isn’t a clean winner, all depends on your sound signature and musical genres tastes: if you want a smooth and organic audiophile sound with a great soundstage ME.1 is for you, if your looking vocal emotions and quite a neutral sound YAO will be perfect for you, if for you resolution, details and engaging sound is your priority Galaxy V2 will be a perfect friend for your ears.

REVIEW VERUS AUDIO: CUSTOM 6/4/2 BA

Verus Audio is quite a young and not so much famous company in the audiophile world; I had to opportunity to test their three new released IEMs with 6,4 and 2 balanced armatures.
The test units was sent me as a samples , I am not affiliated with the company and all observations and opinions will be only my own. Would like to thank again Verus Audio team for sending me this unit giving me the opportunity to test their products.
PRICE:
6DRIVERS: 769 USD
4DRIVERS: 499 USD
2DRIVERS:249 USD

LINK TO THE OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/verusaudio2017/?ref=br_rs

PACKAGING: the product comes in a hard case of black color with surely a premium feel. In the hard case you will find various silicon eartips, that are not of high quality, in particular are not adequate to their price range. I tried different eartips that already had and found a perfect fit with double flange ones.
I have a small ear canal, so with double flange eartips I gained a better fit and so a more natural sound with better bass impact and a wider soundstage.
IEMs come with detachable 2pin cable.
The construction seems very solid: the shell is made up of transparent colored acrylic. The 6BA model I received comes with a particular and customized color, in fact Verus Audio offers universal fit IEMs with customizable color and faceplate, I have to admit that 6BA model, as you can see in the images I attached to this review, is a really nice looking IEM.
Comfort wise the three products are very comfortable thanks to its rounded shape and nozzle angled, they are lightweight considering that mounts balanced armatures and have detachable 2 pin cable.
Speaking of isolation, they are very good in this department and if you can find the right eartips you will enjoy your playlist without any annoying external noise.

SOUND: overall they are good sounding IEMs , in particular 6BA and 4 BA models. All my sound consideration has been made after 100 hours of burn in , with different DAPs such as fiio x3, x5, iFi Nano Idsd black label, Audirect whistle DAC/AMP and my iphone 6 too.
This sound impression refers only to the 6 BA model, I will share a quick comparison with 4 and 2 BA models too at the end of this review.
Sound signature is not V-shaped, but they are not much linear and neutral, there is a slightly bass emphasis.
Bass is too much in quantity for my preferences, but 6BA has quality bass response: strong and fast bass that gives a good dynamic to the sound reproduction.
Mids are the star of the show, so vivid and detailed with a lot of emotions. I would say that mids are “in focus and intimate side” but never overwhelming, simply are in the middle and around are played all the other instruments.
Highs are clean and detailed but stay a bit behind . They are very controlled, but you can’t find a lot of sparkles, so you will get an extended treble response but without harshness and sibilance issues, indeed, i could be able to listen to this IEM and never find any listening fatigue. Surely this is not a treble-ish IEM.

Dynamic is very good and so is transient response.
This IEM has a good synergy with a lot of musical genres in particular with vocal ones and classic music thanks to its big soundstage, but they are very good with pop, rock and jazz music too.
Soundstage is excellent with a coherent sense of space in particular width, you will get a “speaker-like” soundstage with a good holographic sense of space.
With its low impedance is quite easy to drive, you can drive easily with your Smartphone, but obviously with a good DAP you get an overall better sound, with better dynamic and a stronger bass response.
Using with a good DAP bass response get more fast and controlled.

6BA VS 4BA: 6BA is more detailed and has a better dynamic with a better and wider soundstage.
On 4BA model you will find the same quality in mids, with less bass quantity and a more intimate sound reproduction.

6 BA VS 2 BA: 2 BA model was quite a disappointment for me, in particular it has not the same quality in mids and soundstage is too intimate for my tastes.

FINAL WORDS: Verus Audio is a young company and not so much famous, but with 6BA and 4BA models surely can compete against the big competitors in the audio world, in particular mid reproduction is excellent with very detailed and natural voices and an incredible “speaker-like” soundstage.
Very compliment Verus Audio.

RHAPSODIO SATURN REVIEW: A BUDGET ALL-ROUNDER

After reviewing Galaxy v2 and Infinity model, i am really happy to test the budget IEM in the Rhapsodio catalogue: Rhapsodio Saturn .
As stated by the company “ Saturn is made with an 11 mm dynamic driver with titanium diaphragm, focusing on providing deep bass and high clarity with excellent layering that makes it an all-rounder.
Apart from that, Saturn weighs only one-third of the other dynamic driver in-ear monitors of the brand, providing a light and comfortable feeling”.
Saturn unit was sent me as a sample unit, I am not affiliated with the company and all observations and opinions will be only my own. Would like to thanks Sammy and Rhapsodio team for sending me this unit giving me the opportunity to test this product.

LINK TO RHAPSODIO SHOP: https://www.rhapsodiostore.com/products

LINK SATURN: https://www.rhapsodiostore.com/products/saturn

LINK TO DARK KNIGHT CABLE: https://www.rhapsodiostore.com/products/dark-knight

PACKAGING: Saturn comes in hard case with some silicon tips, that I really don’t understand why Rhapsodio persists with this type of eartips with all their models, I couldn’t find a good fit with them.
Trying a lot of mine, I found a perfect fit with double flange tips, they not only provided me a better fit, but overall a better sound and isolation.
Out of the box Saturn comes with a white two pin cable, I tested this IEM both with Pandora Dwarf and Dark Knight cable and found a perfect synergy with the second one.

Dark Knight offers more details and a more neutral sound signature.
Build quality is excellent, with a shell made up of transparent acrylic and a wood-style faceplate color, this model is really nice.
Saturn is one of the most lightweight and comfortable two-pin IEM I have ever tried and I could listen for hours and never find any troubles or listening fatigues.
Isolation is above average, if you can find the right eartip, but it is not excellent, I think it’s due to the big bore in the shell, that will provide you a big soundstage and imaging.

SOUND:
All my sound consideration has been made after 50 hours of burn in , with different DAPs such as fiio x3, x5, iFi Nano Idsd black label and my iphone 6 too.

a word to describe this IEM could be an all-rounder: everything you will put in will sound great.
Saturn shows quite a neutral sound, but on the warmish side, it’s not so clean and polite as the Galaxy V2 or Infinity models.
In terms of bass, Saturn has a good impact thanks to the 11 mm dynamic driver with titanium diaphragm, it’s not one of the fastest I have heard but it’s very good for its price range.
You can find enough bass quantity and surely cannot be considered as a bass-heavy IEM.
Afterall, bass response gives a good dynamic and musical impact to the track, but will never cover other frequencies.
Mids are not in face or too much laid back, I could say it has a U-shaped sound signature.
Vocals are quite neutral and detailed, but in certain tracks they lack body and could be just a little thiny.

Saturn is not a treble-ish IEM such as GALAXY V2 model, but offers a good clarity without harshness and sibilance issues, indeed, i could be able to listen to this IEM and never find any listening fatigue.
The star of the show is the soundstage: is one of the widest I have ever heard.
Still in the 1000 USD price range, it is difficult to find such a big soundstage and imaging: everything surrounds you and you can pinpoint every instrument.
If you loved Dunu Titan 1 or fiio ex1 soundstage, this IEM will be a nice upgrade for you.
With its low impedance is quite easy to drive, you can drive easily with your Smartphone, but I found a perfect synergy with Whistle DAC/AMP offering a better focus on mids and a stronger bass response.

CABLES:
I tested Saturn IEM with both Dark Knight and Pandora Dwarf cable and found a good synergy with the first one: Black Knight gives you better detailes and instrument separation with quite a neutral sound signature.
Pandora Dwarf give you too much warmth to the sound, for this has a perfect synergy with the hissing problems of Galaxy V2.

SATURN VS ORIVETI NEW PRIMACY: ORIVETI has a more detailed and better “near to life” vocals with a lovely romantic sound signature, on the other side Saturn gives you a better dynamic, a stronger and faster bass response and a bigger soundstage, it is surprising since ORIVETI shows quite a good soundstage for its price range.

SATURN VS PERIODIC AUDIO Be: Periodic Audio Be has a more mature sound, I could consider a more audiophile sound signature with very detailed voices but maybe too much bass quantity.
On the other side Saturn shows a more fun sound signature, with better clarity and much bigger soundstage.
SATURN VS GALAXY V2: absolutely the winner is GALAXY for its better dynamic and transient response with a stronger and faster bass response ( one of the best I have ever found in a single dynamic driver), but is a good battle considering their different price range.
Saturn has a more warm sound signature, with more details on vocals and in particular without any harshness and sibilance issues and with a bigger soundstage.

FINAL WORDS: overall Saturn is a fantastic IEM for its price range, with a good dynamic and detailed sound, it is lightweight and comfortable and will suit well any musical genres.

FINAL RATING: 8,8
Frequency response: 20-20,000 Hz
Sensitivity: 106 dB/Mv
Impedance: 16 ohm

RHAPSODIO INFINITY: FIRST AUDIO IMPRESSIONS AND QUICK COMPARISON WITH GALAXY V2

Right now it’s three days that i am listening my favourite playlist with rhapsodio infinity and would like to show my first audio impressions.
Rhapsodio infinity is the top model of balanced armature in-ear monitor of this company, it is built in with 20 drivers , in 8 high, 2 mid-high, 2 mid, 4 mid-low and 4 low setting.

Infinity comes with the typical Rhapsodio black box . In the box you can find a hard case with different silicon eartips that I didn’ like so much cause they are too big for my ear canal. I tried a lot of different type of ear tips and I find a perfect fit and so a better sound quality with spinfit ones.
Construction is very good and solid, infinity is not too much heavy, so if you have had this type of problem with Rhapsodio Galaxy v2 maybe Infinity is a better choice for you.

So how does this little beauty sound?
Infinity shows a very neutral and clean sound with a lot of details. I would say that the focus is on mids and voices that are very detailed and natural with a life-like sense of reproduction.
Bass has a good impact and fullness but never cover other frequencies and gives a nice tempo and rhythm to the music. I like the bass reproduction of infinity, but usually prefer a faster and tighter bass.
Highs are natural and well extended with good control and offers a very detailed and airy reproduction.
I would say that Infinity has a natural, detailed and airy sound: you can find a lot of “air” between voices and the other instruments.

Dynamic and transient response isn’t one of the best I have ever heard, but this IEM offers a relaxed sound without any sibilance or harshness in sound reproduction so you will be able to have long audio session without any fatigue.
Soundstage really impressed me, is not like a speaker-like one, you will not find an “out of the head” sound, but coherent and natural soundstage. What really impressed me is the “air” and space between every single instrument that this IEM can bring to the listener .
Infinity is a very detailed IEM, so obviously I suggest you to use only with lossless tracks and a good Dac.
With its low impedance Infinity is easy to drive, but if you will use with a good dac/amp (I just used iFi nano DAC/AMP) will benefit dynamic, bass response and you will get better layering , instrument separation and a more coherent soundstage.

QUICK COMPARISON: INFINITY VS GALAXY V2:
Only a single dynamic driver?
Galaxy v2 is the clear example that a good implemented single dynamic driver can be as good as a tons of balanced armatures.
There isn’t a clear winner, but they have a totally different approach to the musical reproduction:
Galaxy has a better dynamic and transient response thanks to the Titanium driver, a stronger and faster bass response but has too much treble for my taste, so if you have hiss problems Galaxy IEM is not for you.
Infinity offers a more mature sound reproduction with a natural, airy and more controlled sound, on the other hand Galaxy has a V-shaped signature and offers more fun to the listener.
Infinity is a clear winner in soundstage( it’s more coherent but not so much wider and taller), can brings more space between instruments, Galaxy has a more intimate sound presentation.
At the end there isn’t a clear winner, everything depends on your taste: if you need a more controlled, refined sound and have hiss problems go for Infinity, if you need a more fun and engaging sound reproduction with a best-class transient response Galaxy V2 is perfect for you.

REVIEW AROMA AUDIO MUSICAL BOX YAO

Aroma Audio is quite a young company, founded in 2015 has an independent R & D and design department dedicated to the design and development of portable and desktop audio product.
Talking with Antony, I think the marketing manager of Aroma Audio, I understood their philosophy and the origin of their brand name: “Our philosophy is to make the sound as like as the variations of aroma.
Our team members are experienced in audio products. From the perspective of market demand, we create unique products to meet consumer expectations by our philosophy”.

This company received quite a good response in the audiophile world both for their desktop amp both for their Witch Girl IEM models. Now they released their new Musical Box headphone with these three models:
EARLY, TWINS AND YAO. Today I am going to review the Yao model with 12 armature units.
Hope you will understand my review, since I usually write for my Italian public, but when I find the audio product that really impresses me, I am really happy to share my opinions worldwide. Hope you will enjoy my review.
YAO unit was sent me as a loaner unit, I am not affiliated with the company and all observations and opinions will be only my own. Would like to thanks Aroma team for sending me this unit giving me the opportunity to test this musical gem.

LINK TO THE OFFICIAL SHOP: http://www.aromaaudio.shop/
LINK TO THE OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/aromaaudio.hongkong/

PACKAGING: the musical box packaging is really nice and particular: a wooden case that is really cool.
In the wooden case you can find warranty card, instruction manual ( instruction explaining how attach the cable to the earphones in the correct way), Acoustune original silicon tips, hard aluminium case, soft pouch and obviously YAO IEM with a golden cable.
The construction seems very solid: the shell is made up of transparent acrylic and the faceplate of metal material. I have to admit that YAO model, as you can see in the images I attached to this review, is a really nice looking IEM.
Comfort wise YAO IEM is very comfortable thanks to its rounded shape and nozzle angle; it’s lightweight considering that mounts 12 armature IEM and I was able to find a perfect fit with Acoustune silicon eartips out of the box.
Speaking of isolation, it is very good in this department and if you can find the right eartips you will enjoy your playlist without any annoying external noise.

This model comes with a golden cable that is different from the other two black cable for EARLY and TWINS.
Talking with Aroma Audio team they told me that this gold cable was created and tuned for a perfect match and synergy for Yao earphone.
I was just curious how this cable changes the sound quality of the earphones, so I decided to use it with different IEMs such as Rhapsodio and Unique Melody models and found that changes the sound in a very good way: it adds a neutral sound with a touch of warmth, a solid bass response and a particular focus on mids.

SOUND: overall the YAO model is a great sounding IEM, a phrase to describe its sound signature could be : a natural sound with a touch of warmth and delicacy. I liked so much this headphone and I tried a lot of high quality IEMs, for this I decided to share my opinions not only in Italian language.
All my sound consideration has been made after 200 hours of burn in as suggested from the Aroma Audio company, with different DAPs such as fiio x3, x5, iFi Nano Idsd black label and my iphone 6 too.
I tried different eartips such as Acoustune original silicon out of the box, sony hybrid silicon, foam eartips and found that this IEM is very sensitive to the different eartips.
With Acoustone ones you get a clean and very detailed sound, instead with sony hybrid you get a bit warmer sound with a more focus on mids and punchier buss.
Overall this IEM offers a natural sound with a very quality bass rich of depth, but not the faster I have ever heard. Bass is strong but never overwhelming and respectful of the track.
Mids are so vivid and detailed with a lot of emotions, for example in Lana Del Rey “Get Free” you can hear all the sensuality of this singer. With male vocals I found a lack of body in certain tracks, but with female voices this IEM can bring all the delicacy and sensuality typical of a female voice.
I could say that mids are “in focus” but never overwhelming, simply are in the middle and around are played all the other instruments.
Highs are very clean and detailed but stay a bit behind . They are very controlled and refined but you can’t find a lot of sparkles, so you will get an extended treble response but without harshness and sibilance issues, indeed, i could be able to listen to this IEM and never find any listening fatigue. Surely this is not a treble-ish IEM.
Dynamic is very good. I was really surprised on how Aroma Audio created an IEM with such a natural and controlled but still a musical and engaging sound.
Soundstage is very good with a coherent sense of space both in width and depth, you will not get a “speaker-like” soundstage, but a natural and coherent one.
With its low impedance of 26 ohm is quite easy to drive, you can drive easily with your Smartphone, but obviously with a good DAP you get an overall better sound, with better dynamic and a stronger bass response.

AROMA AUDIO YAO VS UNIQUE MELODY MIRACLE V2 UNIVERSAL MODEL: Miracle has a stronger bass response and maybe can reproduce more details in high frequencies, but cannot have a natural sound such as AROMS AUDIO YAO. I could say that YAO has a very audiophile and natural sound, but at the same time brings an enjoyable fun signature.
Yao is more lightweight than Miracle and has a more comfortable fit.

AROMA AUDIO YAO VS RHAPSODIO GALAXY V2: GALAXY V2 is heavier and big than Yao, so it is not so comfortable. Rhapsodio has a better dynamic and transient response thanks to the single dynamic driver in titan, a stronger bass response, but too much highs so can cause listening fatigue.
As before, Yao is a winner for me, cause is able to bring a natural and controlled sound. When you listen to this IEM, don’t pay attention to the highs, mids or bass you only enjoy your music and afterall this should be the goal for a great musical product.

FINAL WORDS: if you are looking for a natural, coherent and detailed sound with a touch of warmth and delicacy this IEM is the perfect one for you.

（Yao）Specification
4 ways 4 frequency division Driver Type：12 * Armatured
Units Sensitiviy：113dB/mW
Impedance：26Ω Frequency Response：20-20000Hz 2)
Corss-section Super High frequency: 2 Driver unit (Knowles driver)
High frequency: 2 Driver units (Knowles driver)
Mid frequency: 4 Driver units (Sonion composite driver)
Low frequency: 4 Driver units (Sonion composite driver)

BASS: 9
MIDS: 9.4
HIGH: 8.9
SOUNDSTAGE: 9
SOUND SIGNATURE: 9.7
FINAL RATING: 9,2