Latest Additions

Tyll Hertsens Blog
Tyll Hertsens Feb 25, 2013 64 comments
Alrighty then, I've listened for hours and hours, read dozens of threads, talked with experts on the phone, and I'm now ready to wrap this thing up.

Don't expect a miracle.

Steve Guttenberg Feb 21, 2013 12 comments

Emotiva is always full of surprises. They first made their name with a series of high-performance/high-value power amps and home theater surround processors, and their Airmotiv 4 speaker knocked me for a loop last year. The little speaker set a new standard for affordable desktop speakers, and Airmotiv 4 became my go-to reference. Now they've done it again with the XDA-2. The beautifully finished, full-size (17 x 2.25 x 14 inch) $399 component boasts a generous assortment of inputs and outputs. Getting acquainted with the sound with my Hifiman HE-400 headphones was a treat for my ears.

Tyll Hertsens Blog
Tyll Hertsens Feb 19, 2013 36 comments

Wanting to spend a lot of time listening to headphone cables, I decided to return to the task of programming my amp measurement routine. Damn, can't listen and program at the same time.

Skylab Feb 13, 2013 1 comments
Skylab takes a listen to Cary Audio's first dedicated headphone amplifier, a hybrid 6DJ8/6922 gain stage with MOSFET output at a cool $1599. Sounds good already, doesn't it?
News
Tyll Hertsens Feb 11, 2013 4 comments

Oh my! Great news week. Gizmodo dishes the dirt on Dre and Monster. Dre sues Yamaha, Monster sues Dolby---sheesh! Onkyo releases new cans. Meridian puts their brains in a tiny aluminum tube. And 1964 Ears has a cool new video.

Tyll Hertsens Blog
Tyll Hertsens Feb 08, 2013 47 comments

I've been avoiding this for quite a while now. I knew it wouldn't show a damn thing. Puts me in a pickle because I can hear differences between cables...I'm pretty sure. Ah well, you gotta throw the objectivists a bone every now and then.

Tyll Hertsens Blog
Tyll Hertsens Feb 06, 2013 27 comments

It's the middle of winter here in Montana. I can tell because the deer come out of the mountains and start living in the neighborhood. There's a whole herd that live in the neighbor's back yard under two large Fir trees. Fortunately they're quiet, so there's no problems measuring headphones.

John Grandberg Feb 04, 2013 3 comments

Consonance probably intended for this EL34 based tube integrated to be used in a dedicated listening room driving some high-efficiency speakers. And it does that quite well. Thanks to its relatively compact size and built-in headphone amp, it works perfectly for desktop audio too, which is why it fits here at InnerFidelity.

Tyll Hertsens Feb 02, 2013 18 comments

The bad news is that there's been a bit of a manufacturing glitch with Focal's introduction of their first headphone: The Spirit One. The good news is they've stepped up to the plate and fixed it, and the cans perform quite nicely.

Wanna hear the whole story?

n_maher Jan 29, 2013 16 comments

As an engineer I have a great deal of respect for any thing (product, device, tool, whatever) that's able to serve multiple functions and more importantly do them all well. I understand the need for laser-focused, niche products (and own a few) but there is something very valuable about a device that can serve multiple masters without disappointing any of them. And so it was with no small amount anticipation that I unboxed the final pre-production prototype of Headamp's (www.headamp.com) latest portable offering, the Pico Power.