u/Steka68

Just bought this budget (today, not so much yesteryear) bad boy! The Denon DRA-F109. I used to have this full unit back in 2019 but sold it on and cannot for the life of me remember how it sounds. It was not used that much. I bought it as I literally have no gear at the moment and saw this on eBay for less than £90! The unit in the picture is the actual purchase, it looks untouched and comes with original remote.

The full stack, consists of a network player and a CD player both of with are not included and the network player is outdated. This is just the FM receiver amp which has two RCA in, one optical, two coaxial, one FM antenna, detachable power cable. Full class D design with seperate circuitry to keep things clean. It's a half size amp too like the Rega Brio which is great for the small room it's intended for.

The full rig when released in 2012 was around £800. For now I am going to run my Android tablet to the SMSL PO100 then to the optical input. Later I might change this source for the Fosi Audio S3 lite. Only posted this up here in case anybody has ever owned one. This is the Euro version which differs from the UK version which includes DAB/+ radio. Still, can't complain FM is good going into the 2030's and still sounds better than the overly diluted DAB of the UK airwaves.

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As far as BT speakers fair JBL has always hit the spot for me. Other brands do a good job and on the odd occasion prefer the sound signature of some but JBL is my default.

Build quality is workman friendly with robust construction all round these latter units. The Xtreme 5 size is super practical in every sense, small enough to travel with, walk with and everything else with....the power output is enough to hold a small group in the joy of a like-minded understanding of whatever it pumps out and can it not pump!

So what would I change? Well, I looked at my two week old X5 this morning and the design of the lights hit me. The two thin strips are good for battery and just a subtle bit of visual candy. I looked at it and thought it would be extra nice if that little strip on the front top and bottom followed all the way round the track of the top control panel and bottom stand. So it would be two thin complete rings which would light the bottom up like a neon rigged underneath of a street race car and the top the same so we would have a 360 degree strip of light.

The handle on my X5 is from the Charge 6/Xtreme 4 and it works perfectly. Ordered off Ali Express and it's not fake. Very tough and with matching logo. All colours are available.

If you are looking for a case for your nice 'n' shiny Nothing (a) headphone then this should be in your scope. Warning: NOT FOR VEGANS!! This is a hand crafted real leather case primarily built for the Apple Max 'phones but as you can see the Nothing fit in there naturally. The headphone does not move much at all and laying them down pads up keeps the plastic body safe from the zip. Even when they are plastic side up they don't move.

The whole of the interior is soft suede and the pocketed lid presses down slightly on the headphone and keeps the headphones where they are generally with only a very slight movement which is great for keeping them away from the exposed zip. The plastic ear cups sit 12mm below the zip line when upside so no chance of scratching. I found this on Ali Express and it took around 1 week to get to the UK. The quality is very high, very sturdy brass zip with an antique finish with Coffee coloured real leather. It comes with a detachable leather handle too.

Most Apple Airpod Max cases will fit the Nothing (a) 'phones but if you want something a little more robust and one that will age well then this is a prime choice. Price wise it's not terribly expensive. I managed to get a discount on Ali Express and this case came in just short of £20, so not a bank buster! I thought I would post only as I see many posts reflecting the need for a case as Nothing only supply one with their (1) headphones.

Here's a link to check out the case: https://a.aliexpress.com/_EJX0ABg

Dual 6.5 woofer, 210 watts, class d amp, LFE, RCA and available soon in black and white. I was going to go for the T5s for my M90 but space was holding my finger from the trigger but the new MW6T is a great size for under my desk. The active subwoofer measures just 27.1 x 24.9 x 25.5. The upper cutoff frequency can be set between 50 and 160 hertz, and the phase can be adjusted between 0 and 180 degrees, frequency response is 38 to 180 hertz. A good thickness to the cab with the enclosure combining 35-millimeter-thick MDF baffles with an 18-millimeter-thick outer shell. 

Looks a doozy!

This is hardly a timely review considering the Questyle M12i has been around for a couple of years now and the Sennhieser ie200 for longer. In my somewhat limited resources presently I find this combo to be a fines solution to achieving a more than reasonable answer to a good quality audio reproduction.

Firstly, I looked into the tape modding of the ie200 but after actually hearing them for the first time with the aforementioned dac I find the claims that these iems lack bass misleading. I listen to a lot of Gospel music in all forms, shapes and sizes including a lot of bass centric styles. The ie200 provides plenty of balanced bass and to my ears these iems have no trouble in conveying full and rich low frequency power. I find no trouble in my ears from the rest of the frequency range either, nothing piercing, too recessed or lacking. This maybe my novice ears where iem’s are concerned but having being used to £2000 Hifi setups for the last few years, these iem’s are not far off at all of that particular level of detail and balance. These ie200’s with the M12i reminds me a lot of my Q Acoustic 5020 speakers with my old Audiolab M-PWR amp with digital sources, very close indeed.

The cable issue is also one of those things that to some degree maybe have been overly targeted. I understand that h the ere are better options available and I have even ordered some myself but honestly the microphonics on the stock cable maybe a touch sensitive comparatively speaking but it’s easily a liveable addition. I mean unless you are deliberately sat there rubbing the cable nears to the iems themselves it’s pretty hard to notice and noise and who would sit there doing such a thing?

In 2026 the ie200 is probably a better deal than it was upon first release with the price today at around £100! I know that the M12i is also now alot less than initial release day price so it’s probably a good time to buy either or both. The M12i is also an excellent small dac. It has a touch more of a refined presentation over my Fosi Audio DS2 with a more balanced sound signature. Detail are fine, delicate and bass is nicely balanced. Built well and a snazzy window for peek-a-boo factor like a Swatch Watch from the late 80’s. The amplification of this unit is baffling to my current level of knowledge and how can such a low powered (on paper) dac produce so much power? I have plenty of headroom on my iPhone with this little unit so this is a good match for my new iems without a doubt.

I almost bout the Astell and Kern AK HC4 but after digging around a little I found that it does not support the iPhone 17! Astell & Kern asked to send the dac to them so the motherboard can be changed to accommodate iPhone after the 16. I’m not sure what they would charge for that but imo it’s a tall order for such an expensive unit. AK HC4 units made after January 2026 will be fitted with the new internals to accolade the new protocols of iPhone 17. So, if you are thinking about buying a second hand AK HC4 then this is something to be aware of.

The M12i has this possible predicament covered with their MFI certification from Apple themselves with provides a future proof choice for us. So, this is great value for money here coupled with excellent performance and ample power.

I’m not sure if the Fosi DS2 may suffer the same fate as the A&K dac but I would say it’s unlikely.

God bless.

Ok, around 6 months ago my accommodation was condemned through neglect by the local council. This was a predicament that saw all tenants homeless within 4 hours of the councils inspection of the property. Thankfully, the council showed mercy and we were effectively given 72hrs grace to relocate. To cut a long story short, most including myself were placed into emergency housing (HMO) and others into hostels. The place that I found myself in is decent, clean and with good facilities but my system which was built for a bigger room had to go. I could not use it in an HMO.

After much ado flogging most of my mid-Hifi gear off I needed (wanted?) a pair of powered speakers for the sake of space and peace with the neighbours, landlord and the law. I tried a few options ranging around £200-250 region but could not settle on any of them and while they were good speakers (JBL 305mk2, MAudio BX5BT) they still were just a little too much for the room.

In come the M60 from Edifier (oak). The room size is around 3 x 4m with a slant to one of the walls and a tall ceiling, softly furnished with good carpet and full length curtains. A nice smallish room. So after moving the aforementioned monitors on I took a punt on the M60. They seemed to impress a lot of people, even Erin at Erin’s Corner whom is a reliable point of view on YouTube concerning audio gear, speakers specifically.

After unboxing and setting up I went through all the connections and Bluetooth comparing each to each other using a iFi Zen Dac Air (1st black version). The 1st version of the Air specifically the black one is the one to get imo. It’s half the price of the new V2 with USB B connection (more robust) and its own power port. The V2 has a combined USB C port for power/date and doesn’t have the Burr Brown chip! The V2 has the Cirrus Logic basic CS43131 chip which can be found in most entry level stuff these days including Fiio’s KA11 dongle! It’s not a bad chip but the Burr Brown is better, anyway I digress, the M60 is now up and running.

I have some upgraded cables leftover from my more expensive previous set up, I don’t like to sell on good cables, they make a big difference to any system and the M60 to my surprise, was resolving enough to prove my point, again, looking at you Audio Science Review! I used a Transieth 7n OCC power cord and a 7n OCC 4 pin din (Nancys Integrity Store - Ali Express) to connect master and slave. It’s important to remember that is you are going to feed the master speaker with a quality power cord the connecting the slave speaker should be on a par with the power cords quality otherwise, SQ weakness!

Well, what can I say? For the room size and circumstance the M60 hit the sweet spot and very well! They delivered an excellent tonality and delivered it with easily enough grunt to fill this smaller room but without destroying my neighbour’s life with a the swing of the bass bat!
The bass is ample, tuneful, punchy and highly entertaining while the rest of the frequency’s knit into the spectrum with a cordiality that one would wish for in more areas of life. Very well balanced sound. These are an excellent little speaker from Edifier and for a small room I find myself humbled by what these can actually provide without any degradation of sound quality or increase in footprint!

Some have said they wish for a sub out on these but I find no need for that sub out. I’m a big fan of mid bass and Edifier have tuned these deliciously in that area. Vocals are clean and the centre image (while not quite mid-fi) is sharp and accurate enough to pinpoint various aspects of the music.

Very good build quality, quite a solid feel to the little box indeed.

So it’s a result! It’s a win for me and for my circumstance and even the budget Audiophile in me. Job well done Edifier and thanks to Jesus and the local council.

Just picked up this TV and checking it out I found a strange liquid like blob on the top of the screen (internal). It’s barely notable to be fair but does anybody have any idea what it maybe and if it’s worth a repair….which it’s probably not.

I purchased an ifi Defender + a while ago for a noisy PC (Lenovo) and used it with great results. Since then I have sold my PC and currently am using a iPad A16 11th gen. Using an iPad without a desktop dac to feed an amp can be tricky. My other dac is XLR only which is predominantly design for studio monitors and allocated to such. So with that dac on duties elsewhere I am using a simple Fiio KA11 feeding a Douk Audio A5 via 3.5mm to twin RCA. This is all well and good and to be honest sounds great and is not vastly different in sound quality to my more expensive Studio dac. The problem is with a set up like this is power. As we know dongle dacs draw juice and the KA11 likes to drink enough to have made me choose the workaround you see in the photo. The iFi defender now serving as an entirely seperate power supply for the KA11 and this the iPad barely gives up 5% over a couple of hours! The black connecting cable is an Audioquest Carbon Dragontail which now are quite hard to find but if you do grab it, they are excellent too.

So the new Firestick U/I arrived here in the UK with more screen space for apps etc and massive setting page but since the highly anticipated update has arrived my 4k Max has been performing worse than before the update.

On start up only half the screen content is loading with 50% screen blacked out. This is not a one off either, it’s happening quite often with a second reboot fixing the issue. I doubt I am the only one with this problem and apart from a reboot there does not seem to be another fix. I have cleared caches etc but it’s still happening so it’s down to Amazon to address this issue. The screen in the photo is where it hangs before a second reboot. The Firestick itself is literally 2 months old.