u/notsoquietlyamused

Pros: Desktop level power in a portable form factor
Predominantly clean reproduction with a slight bass boost
Has a Lineout and headphone outs and a mic for gaming
Will drive anything

Cons: It's not exactly portable
Will need external power if using with a phone

The recurrent theme in the VE universe is naming things after Transformers. Galvatron is, in Transformers lore, an upgraded Megatron and this one is no different.
We present to you the genie in the bottle that is the Venture Electronics Galvatron. I thank Venture Electronics and Audio Geek India for making it possible to trial this beast out. The views and impressions are my own.

VE continues to impress with how they pack so much power into spaces that seem impossible. Almost every device of theirs seems like the Tardis from Dr Who - larger on the inside than the outside. The Galvatron is able to toss out 3000mW at 32 ohms in the form factor slightly larger than the powerbank I’m using to juice it up.
The unit is built solid. An Aluminium chassis with ports in the front and the back. The front has a wonderfully tactile volume knob in shiny brass and 3.5, 4.4 and a 3.5mm mic port for gaming and a really cute gain toggle. The back has 2 usb c ports for data and charge. It is a demanding dac in the power department so powering it with just a phone may be a little difficult. A powerbank works best and also effectively eliminates the need for an additional linear power supply. In addition to the c-type ports, there’s a 3.5mm SPDIF in, and 4.4 and 3.5 lineouts. Because why not?

The Galvatron is able to dish out desktop set up level power to be able to run almost anything I throw at it. It works best with the VE ZhuanXu where, on the VE Prime stack and Fosi ZH3 I felt that while the mids were great, the bass lacked a little punch. That completely changes with the Galvatron. This audio source is able to inject an authoritative bass texture and weight without significantly affecting the overall nature of the IEM or the sound profile in the higher frequencies.
With more sensitive IEMs, the Galvatron demonstrates a pitch black background with no hiss at all. This is a tad different from the Devastator Pro Max which has a bit of noise floor and occasionally has a little “click” or a bit of static between tracks.This isn’t a dealbreaker but we aren't talking about the Devastator family.
The Galvatron is able to push crazy levels of volume with complete clarity and that trademark VE warmth. There is no noise floor that I could hear across all my IEMs - IE600, Kima 2, Twilight, Astralis, ZhuanXu. All were also easily driven at low gain with the volume dial not over the 25-30% mark. With headphones, both the Arya Stealth and HD600 are driven easily but the Sennheiser really shines on high gain. I would really like to try the ATH R90XA on this given its crazy impedance but that’s for another day.

From the music perspective, the Galvatron alters the bass just enough to make sub-bass rumbles more “feelable” and the mid-bass has a little added weight. This doesn't spill into the midrange and there’s no change in the character of male or female vocals and instruments on the equipment tested and with my regular test playlist. On more energetic tracks, like EDM and pop, the galvatron holds the treble just a tad to prevent the sound from tripping into sibilant territory or making the experience fatiguing.
The best comparison for me was with the VE Prime Stack, which I have reviewed earlier. On paper the two have that 3000mW balanced output at 32 ohms but the Galvatron just feels a lot more powerful and for lack of a better phrase, it appears to pack a lot more brute force. In the best way possible. The Prime + RA2BFE is a more sophisticated presentation of the music. Cleaner, more neutral and with all honesty, less fun.

Now there’s a couple of issues with the Galvatron and primarily it’s a brick. You can stick it in a bag and roam the countryside, I’m sure, but it looks and feels more at home on a desk. Currently I’m listening to it being powered by a power bank and connected to my macbook and tidal and the Dunu Kima 2. The practicality of using this one as a truly portable device is a bit lacking. To truly enjoy it via a phone, a power bank is essential and then the stack becomes a complete pain to carry. The devastator family is definitely more portable and I would stick with that for the times I want to be mobile. At home, this is very close to replacing my existing dac/amp.

Oh and the lineout works really nice with the 4.4 in on the back of the APOS Gremlin making the output beautifully warm and comforting, if you like your music that way.

At $200 this is a very easy dac to recommend. It holds its own against more expensive and larger desktop setups and drives almost anything with little or no effort and a lovely analog tilt to the music that makes it enjoyable and sometimes that’s all you want.

Pros: Desktop level power in a portable form factor
Predominantly clean reproduction with a slight bass boost
Has a Lineout and headphone outs and a mic for gaming
Will drive anything

Cons: It's not exactly portable
Will need external power if using with a phone

The recurrent theme in the VE universe is naming things after Transformers. Galvatron is, in Transformers lore, an upgraded Megatron and this one is no different.
We present to you the genie in the bottle that is the Venture Electronics Galvatron. I thank Venture Electronics and Audio Geek India for making it possible to trial this beast out. The views and impressions are my own.

VE continues to impress with how they pack so much power into spaces that seem impossible. Almost every device of theirs seems like the Tardis from Dr Who - larger on the inside than the outside. The Galvatron is able to toss out 3000mW at 32 ohms in the form factor slightly larger than the powerbank I’m using to juice it up.
The unit is built solid. An Aluminium chassis with ports in the front and the back. The front has a wonderfully tactile volume knob in shiny brass and 3.5, 4.4 and a 3.5mm mic port for gaming and a really cute gain toggle. The back has 2 usb c ports for data and charge. It is a demanding dac in the power department so powering it with just a phone may be a little difficult. A powerbank works best and also effectively eliminates the need for an additional linear power supply. In addition to the c-type ports, there’s a 3.5mm SPDIF in, and 4.4 and 3.5 lineouts. Because why not?

The Galvatron is able to dish out desktop set up level power to be able to run almost anything I throw at it. It works best with the VE ZhuanXu where, on the VE Prime stack and Fosi ZH3 I felt that while the mids were great, the bass lacked a little punch. That completely changes with the Galvatron. This audio source is able to inject an authoritative bass texture and weight without significantly affecting the overall nature of the IEM or the sound profile in the higher frequencies.
With more sensitive IEMs, the Galvatron demonstrates a pitch black background with no hiss at all. This is a tad different from the Devastator Pro Max which has a bit of noise floor and occasionally has a little “click” or a bit of static between tracks.This isn’t a dealbreaker but we aren't talking about the Devastator family.
The Galvatron is able to push crazy levels of volume with complete clarity and that trademark VE warmth. There is no noise floor that I could hear across all my IEMs - IE600, Kima 2, Twilight, Astralis, ZhuanXu. All were also easily driven at low gain with the volume dial not over the 25-30% mark. With headphones, both the Arya Stealth and HD600 are driven easily but the Sennheiser really shines on high gain. I would really like to try the ATH R90XA on this given its crazy impedance but that’s for another day.

From the music perspective, the Galvatron alters the bass just enough to make sub-bass rumbles more “feelable” and the mid-bass has a little added weight. This doesn't spill into the midrange and there’s no change in the character of male or female vocals and instruments on the equipment tested and with my regular test playlist. On more energetic tracks, like EDM and pop, the galvatron holds the treble just a tad to prevent the sound from tripping into sibilant territory or making the experience fatiguing.
The best comparison for me was with the VE Prime Stack, which I have reviewed earlier. On paper the two have that 3000mW balanced output at 32 ohms but the Galvatron just feels a lot more powerful and for lack of a better phrase, it appears to pack a lot more brute force. In the best way possible. The Prime + RA2BFE is a more sophisticated presentation of the music. Cleaner, more neutral and with all honesty, less fun.

Now there’s a couple of issues with the Galvatron and primarily it’s a brick. You can stick it in a bag and roam the countryside, I’m sure, but it looks and feels more at home on a desk. Currently I’m listening to it being powered by a power bank and connected to my macbook and tidal and the Dunu Kima 2. The practicality of using this one as a truly portable device is a bit lacking. To truly enjoy it via a phone, a power bank is essential and then the stack becomes a complete pain to carry. The devastator family is definitely more portable and I would stick with that for the times I want to be mobile. At home, this is very close to replacing my existing dac/amp.

Oh and the lineout works really nice with the 4.4 in on the back of the APOS Gremlin making the output beautifully warm and comforting, if you like your music that way.

At $200 this is a very easy dac to recommend. It holds its own against more expensive and larger desktop setups and drives almost anything with little or no effort and a lovely analog tilt to the music that makes it enjoyable and sometimes that’s all you want.

Pros: Desktop level power in a portable form factor
Predominantly clean reproduction with a slight bass boost
Has a Lineout and headphone outs and a mic for gaming
Will drive anything

Cons: It's not exactly portable
Will need external power if using with a phone

The recurrent theme in the VE universe is naming things after Transformers. Galvatron is, in Transformers lore, an upgraded Megatron and this one is no different.
We present to you the genie in the bottle that is the Venture Electronics Galvatron. I thank Venture Electronics and Audio Geek India for making it possible to trial this beast out. The views and impressions are my own.

VE continues to impress with how they pack so much power into spaces that seem impossible. Almost every device of theirs seems like the Tardis from Dr Who - larger on the inside than the outside. The Galvatron is able to toss out 3000mW at 32 ohms in the form factor slightly larger than the powerbank I’m using to juice it up.
The unit is built solid. An Aluminium chassis with ports in the front and the back. The front has a wonderfully tactile volume knob in shiny brass and 3.5, 4.4 and a 3.5mm mic port for gaming and a really cute gain toggle. The back has 2 usb c ports for data and charge. It is a demanding dac in the power department so powering it with just a phone may be a little difficult. A powerbank works best and also effectively eliminates the need for an additional linear power supply. In addition to the c-type ports, there’s a 3.5mm SPDIF in, and 4.4 and 3.5 lineouts. Because why not?

The Galvatron is able to dish out desktop set up level power to be able to run almost anything I throw at it. It works best with the VE ZhuanXu where, on the VE Prime stack and Fosi ZH3 I felt that while the mids were great, the bass lacked a little punch. That completely changes with the Galvatron. This audio source is able to inject an authoritative bass texture and weight without significantly affecting the overall nature of the IEM or the sound profile in the higher frequencies.
With more sensitive IEMs, the Galvatron demonstrates a pitch black background with no hiss at all. This is a tad different from the Devastator Pro Max which has a bit of noise floor and occasionally has a little “click” or a bit of static between tracks.This isn’t a dealbreaker but we aren't talking about the Devastator family.
The Galvatron is able to push crazy levels of volume with complete clarity and that trademark VE warmth. There is no noise floor that I could hear across all my IEMs - IE600, Kima 2, Twilight, Astralis, ZhuanXu. All were also easily driven at low gain with the volume dial not over the 25-30% mark. With headphones, both the Arya Stealth and HD600 are driven easily but the Sennheiser really shines on high gain. I would really like to try the ATH R90XA on this given its crazy impedance but that’s for another day.

From the music perspective, the Galvatron alters the bass just enough to make sub-bass rumbles more “feelable” and the mid-bass has a little added weight. This doesn't spill into the midrange and there’s no change in the character of male or female vocals and instruments on the equipment tested and with my regular test playlist. On more energetic tracks, like EDM and pop, the galvatron holds the treble just a tad to prevent the sound from tripping into sibilant territory or making the experience fatiguing.
The best comparison for me was with the VE Prime Stack, which I have reviewed earlier. On paper the two have that 3000mW balanced output at 32 ohms but the Galvatron just feels a lot more powerful and for lack of a better phrase, it appears to pack a lot more brute force. In the best way possible. The Prime + RA2BFE is a more sophisticated presentation of the music. Cleaner, more neutral and with all honesty, less fun.

Now there’s a couple of issues with the Galvatron and primarily it’s a brick. You can stick it in a bag and roam the countryside, I’m sure, but it looks and feels more at home on a desk. Currently I’m listening to it being powered by a power bank and connected to my macbook and tidal and the Dunu Kima 2. The practicality of using this one as a truly portable device is a bit lacking. To truly enjoy it via a phone, a power bank is essential and then the stack becomes a complete pain to carry. The devastator family is definitely more portable and I would stick with that for the times I want to be mobile. At home, this is very close to replacing my existing dac/amp.

Oh and the lineout works really nice with the 4.4 in on the back of the APOS Gremlin making the output beautifully warm and comforting, if you like your music that way.

At $200 this is a very easy dac to recommend. It holds its own against more expensive and larger desktop setups and drives almost anything with little or no effort and a lovely analog tilt to the music that makes it enjoyable and sometimes that’s all you want.

Pros: Incredible vocals and midrange
Detail retrieval is top-notch
Looks are stunning
Punches well above it's price point
Great source synergy

Cons: The passive radiator may be doing very little for the sub-bass
Unforgiving to poor mastering and recording
Cable is meh, and not modular
Included tips are also just about ok

I got the Binary Acoustics 1900 to try out courtesy u/Clear-Lingonberry122 as an option to demo. So thank you brother and thank you Hifigo for making this happen. The views and impressions, however, are mine and mine alone.

The set comes in a nice box that comes with the iems and cable nestled in foam with a box full of tips. Under the foam is a storage case - sizable and useful. It would store the IEMs and a dongle dac with no trouble. The cable seems a tad cheapish. Silver plated OFC with either 4.4 or 3.5 options. I would have liked the option for it to be modular and maybe just a better cable at this price point (~$235). It is however a standard 2 pin, so the world is your oyster in the cable department.
But just out the box it is gorgeous. Black resin shells with a 316 stainless steel faceplate with an interesting design inspired by “the legend of 1900”, which after reading the wiki about I really want to watch. Also Tim Roth. The design depicts musical notes flowing into one another and looks striking and oddly reminiscent of the glyphs in 5th Element.
The set up is a single 10mm with a 6mm passive radiator for the lows, and 4 balanced armatures for everything else. The IEM comes with a 6mm nozzle with the 3 holes, not unlike the EM10 from Simgot. It is fairly comfortable for longish sessions despite a little lip (that I honestly am beginning to have a love-hate relationship with). I managed to use these for a 2-3 hour session with only a mild pressure in my right pinna, that got better with a small adjustment. That sounds like a chiropractor but it is what it is.
Tips - stock but not really great tips, so Divinus Velvet, Dunu Candy, Sancai, Final E
Sources - Fiio M33, Musehifi M3Ultra, VE Prime stack.

Overall impression - this is a midrange tuned set that sounds incredible for vocals and acoustics. The tuning is musical but at the same doesn't scrimp on details and resolution. There is a slightly tame sub-bass, that may make “feeling” the music a little less exciting than other sets.

Bass
This IEM shares the same technology as the Faith Audio E1000 (which is basically an arm and a leg and both kidneys more expensive than this one) which is an active dynamic driver and a smaller passive radiator to augment the low end. Now I haven't spent as much time with the E1000 than I have with this one and definitely have not done an A-B comparison, but there is a difference in the sub-bass quality. I’ve heard the words visceral, moving, impactful, emotive thrown in when describing the sub-bass rumble but the best I can say is the 1900 doesn’t have that. It gets better with adding a small bass shelf on EQ, more power and Final E tips. The sub-bass seems to disappear before it registers into the emotional parts of the brain (amygdala for those who ask). The mid-bass is, on the other hand, beautifully done. Punchy kick drums and bass which are authoritative and extend up to the low mids without bleeding bloating. On Got A Match by the Chick Corea Elektric Band, and YYZ by Rush, the kick and bass work hand to hold those tracks together. The rhythm section is clear with great separation of the kicks and bass with each note cleanly heard. Same with Hell’s Kitchen and Dance of Eternity by Dream Theater. On the whole, an enjoyable bass with no bloat and great clarity. But this is NOT a bass head IEM.

Mids
This is where this IEM pulls out all the stops. Male vocals have a solid foundation and sound natural. Pianos, synths, acoustic guitars have a natural timbre and are presented front and centre. Helplessly Hoping by Girl Named Tom showcases both voice and guitars. Hanuman by Rodrigo y Gabriela is a 2 guitar high energy track and the interplay of both guitars is crystal clear and thoroughly enjoyable. Jazz fusion also sounds incredible. And female vocals. Not shouty and both Stevie Nicks and Christie McVie sound delightful, natural and moving. And this passes the Playing God test with no weird timbre on that track.

Treble
Cymbals and hi-hat work are clean and clear with some air and shimmer. There is a slight sibilance in tracks where the mastering is shifted to the right on the FR curve. But this disappears with the portable tubes of the M3 Ultra. But on the whole if listening to well mastered music, there’s little or no fatigue. The detail retrieval is also quite good without edging into the sibilant territory. There are treble peaks which irk me occasionally but again the M3 takes care of that. On the r2r architecture of the M33 these peaks are less perceptible. The set responds well to source variations and EQ. Hotel California had almost no sibilance. When compared with the absolutely neutral VE stack.

Staging, imaging
The staging is decent. Wide enough to not be claustrophobia inducing and not big enough to store an Airbus A320. The imaging, however, is spot on. Africa by Toto, YYZ by Rush and People Everywhere by Khruangbin show perfect imaging and placement of instruments and vocals. In addition, detail retrieval is also comparable to more expensive sets with the 1900 punching well above its weight in almost all genres.

I’ll still put the VE Zhuanxu over this set just for the sub-bass and the little treble peak that could make this set fatiguing for more energetically recorded and mastered albums (Linkin Park, yes you).

At its rather crowded price point, I would still recommend it if it was your first foray past the budget tier, if you were looking for a set that vocals really, really well, and you aren’t a bass or treble-head and don't mind a little tweakery. And if you think it looks great.

Pros: Incredible vocals and midrange
Detail retrieval is top-notch
Looks are stunning
Punches well above it's price point
Great source synergy

Cons: The passive radiator may be doing very little for the sub-bass
Unforgiving to poor mastering and recording
Cable is meh, and not modular
Included tips are also just about ok

I got the Binary Acoustics 1900 to try out courtesy u/Clear-Lingonberry122 as an option to demo. So thank you brother and thank you Hifigo for making this happen. The views and impressions, however, are mine and mine alone.

The set comes in a nice box that comes with the iems and cable nestled in foam with a box full of tips. Under the foam is a storage case - sizable and useful. It would store the IEMs and a dongle dac with no trouble. The cable seems a tad cheapish. Silver plated OFC with either 4.4 or 3.5 options. I would have liked the option for it to be modular and maybe just a better cable at this price point (~$235). It is however a standard 2 pin, so the world is your oyster in the cable department.
But just out the box it is gorgeous. Black resin shells with a 316 stainless steel faceplate with an interesting design inspired by “the legend of 1900”, which after reading the wiki about I really want to watch. Also Tim Roth. The design depicts musical notes flowing into one another and looks striking and oddly reminiscent of the glyphs in 5th Element.
The set up is a single 10mm with a 6mm passive radiator for the lows, and 4 balanced armatures for everything else. The IEM comes with a 6mm nozzle with the 3 holes, not unlike the EM10 from Simgot. It is fairly comfortable for longish sessions despite a little lip (that I honestly am beginning to have a love-hate relationship with). I managed to use these for a 2-3 hour session with only a mild pressure in my right pinna, that got better with a small adjustment. That sounds like a chiropractor but it is what it is.
Tips - stock but not really great tips, so Divinus Velvet, Dunu Candy, Sancai, Final E
Sources - Fiio M33, Musehifi M3Ultra, VE Prime stack.

Overall impression - this is a midrange tuned set that sounds incredible for vocals and acoustics. The tuning is musical but at the same doesn't scrimp on details and resolution. There is a slightly tame sub-bass, that may make “feeling” the music a little less exciting than other sets.

Bass
This IEM shares the same technology as the Faith Audio E1000 (which is basically an arm and a leg and both kidneys more expensive than this one) which is an active dynamic driver and a smaller passive radiator to augment the low end. Now I haven't spent as much time with the E1000 than I have with this one and definitely have not done an A-B comparison, but there is a difference in the sub-bass quality. I’ve heard the words visceral, moving, impactful, emotive thrown in when describing the sub-bass rumble but the best I can say is the 1900 doesn’t have that. It gets better with adding a small bass shelf on EQ, more power and Final E tips. The sub-bass seems to disappear before it registers into the emotional parts of the brain (amygdala for those who ask). The mid-bass is, on the other hand, beautifully done. Punchy kick drums and bass which are authoritative and extend up to the low mids without bleeding bloating. On Got A Match by the Chick Corea Elektric Band, and YYZ by Rush, the kick and bass work hand to hold those tracks together. The rhythm section is clear with great separation of the kicks and bass with each note cleanly heard. Same with Hell’s Kitchen and Dance of Eternity by Dream Theater. On the whole, an enjoyable bass with no bloat and great clarity. But this is NOT a bass head IEM.

Mids
This is where this IEM pulls out all the stops. Male vocals have a solid foundation and sound natural. Pianos, synths, acoustic guitars have a natural timbre and are presented front and centre. Helplessly Hoping by Girl Named Tom showcases both voice and guitars. Hanuman by Rodrigo y Gabriela is a 2 guitar high energy track and the interplay of both guitars is crystal clear and thoroughly enjoyable. Jazz fusion also sounds incredible. And female vocals. Not shouty and both Stevie Nicks and Christie McVie sound delightful, natural and moving. And this passes the Playing God test with no weird timbre on that track.

Treble
Cymbals and hi-hat work are clean and clear with some air and shimmer. There is a slight sibilance in tracks where the mastering is shifted to the right on the FR curve. But this disappears with the portable tubes of the M3 Ultra. But on the whole if listening to well mastered music, there’s little or no fatigue. The detail retrieval is also quite good without edging into the sibilant territory. There are treble peaks which irk me occasionally but again the M3 takes care of that. On the r2r architecture of the M33 these peaks are less perceptible. The set responds well to source variations and EQ. Hotel California had almost no sibilance. When compared with the absolutely neutral VE stack.

Staging, imaging
The staging is decent. Wide enough to not be claustrophobia inducing and not big enough to store an Airbus A320. The imaging, however, is spot on. Africa by Toto, YYZ by Rush and People Everywhere by Khruangbin show perfect imaging and placement of instruments and vocals. In addition, detail retrieval is also comparable to more expensive sets with the 1900 punching well above its weight in almost all genres.

I’ll still put the VE Zhuanxu over this set just for the sub-bass and the little treble peak that could make this set fatiguing for more energetically recorded and mastered albums (Linkin Park, yes you).

At its rather crowded price point, I would still recommend it if it was your first foray past the budget tier, if you were looking for a set that vocals really, really well, and you aren’t a bass or treble-head and don't mind a little tweakery. And if you think it looks great.

Pros: Incredible vocals and midrange
Detail retrieval is top-notch
Looks are stunning
Punches well above it's price point
Great source synergy

Cons: The passive radiator may be doing very little for the sub-bass
Unforgiving to poor mastering and recording
Cable is meh, and not modular
Included tips are also just about ok

I got the Binary Acoustics 1900 to try out courtesy u/Clear-Lingonberry122 as an option to demo. So thank you brother and thank you Hifigo for making this happen. The views and impressions, however, are mine and mine alone.

The set comes in a nice box that comes with the iems and cable nestled in foam with a box full of tips. Under the foam is a storage case - sizable and useful. It would store the IEMs and a dongle dac with no trouble. The cable seems a tad cheapish. Silver plated OFC with either 4.4 or 3.5 options. I would have liked the option for it to be modular and maybe just a better cable at this price point (~$235). It is however a standard 2 pin, so the world is your oyster in the cable department.
But just out the box it is gorgeous. Black resin shells with a 316 stainless steel faceplate with an interesting design inspired by “the legend of 1900”, which after reading the wiki about I really want to watch. Also Tim Roth. The design depicts musical notes flowing into one another and looks striking and oddly reminiscent of the glyphs in 5th Element.
The set up is a single 10mm with a 6mm passive radiator for the lows, and 4 balanced armatures for everything else. The IEM comes with a 6mm nozzle with the 3 holes, not unlike the EM10 from Simgot. It is fairly comfortable for longish sessions despite a little lip (that I honestly am beginning to have a love-hate relationship with). I managed to use these for a 2-3 hour session with only a mild pressure in my right pinna, that got better with a small adjustment. That sounds like a chiropractor but it is what it is.
Tips - stock but not really great tips, so Divinus Velvet, Dunu Candy, Sancai, Final E
Sources - Fiio M33, Musehifi M3Ultra, VE Prime stack.

Overall impression - this is a midrange tuned set that sounds incredible for vocals and acoustics. The tuning is musical but at the same doesn't scrimp on details and resolution. There is a slightly tame sub-bass, that may make “feeling” the music a little less exciting than other sets.

Bass
This IEM shares the same technology as the Faith Audio E1000 (which is basically an arm and a leg and both kidneys more expensive than this one) which is an active dynamic driver and a smaller passive radiator to augment the low end. Now I haven't spent as much time with the E1000 than I have with this one and definitely have not done an A-B comparison, but there is a difference in the sub-bass quality. I’ve heard the words visceral, moving, impactful, emotive thrown in when describing the sub-bass rumble but the best I can say is the 1900 doesn’t have that. It gets better with adding a small bass shelf on EQ, more power and Final E tips. The sub-bass seems to disappear before it registers into the emotional parts of the brain (amygdala for those who ask). The mid-bass is, on the other hand, beautifully done. Punchy kick drums and bass which are authoritative and extend up to the low mids without bleeding bloating. On Got A Match by the Chick Corea Elektric Band, and YYZ by Rush, the kick and bass work hand to hold those tracks together. The rhythm section is clear with great separation of the kicks and bass with each note cleanly heard. Same with Hell’s Kitchen and Dance of Eternity by Dream Theater. On the whole, an enjoyable bass with no bloat and great clarity. But this is NOT a bass head IEM.

Mids
This is where this IEM pulls out all the stops. Male vocals have a solid foundation and sound natural. Pianos, synths, acoustic guitars have a natural timbre and are presented front and centre. Helplessly Hoping by Girl Named Tom showcases both voice and guitars. Hanuman by Rodrigo y Gabriela is a 2 guitar high energy track and the interplay of both guitars is crystal clear and thoroughly enjoyable. Jazz fusion also sounds incredible. And female vocals. Not shouty and both Stevie Nicks and Christie McVie sound delightful, natural and moving. And this passes the Playing God test with no weird timbre on that track.

Treble
Cymbals and hi-hat work are clean and clear with some air and shimmer. There is a slight sibilance in tracks where the mastering is shifted to the right on the FR curve. But this disappears with the portable tubes of the M3 Ultra. But on the whole if listening to well mastered music, there’s little or no fatigue. The detail retrieval is also quite good without edging into the sibilant territory. There are treble peaks which irk me occasionally but again the M3 takes care of that. On the r2r architecture of the M33 these peaks are less perceptible. The set responds well to source variations and EQ. Hotel California had almost no sibilance. When compared with the absolutely neutral VE stack.

Staging, imaging
The staging is decent. Wide enough to not be claustrophobia inducing and not big enough to store an Airbus A320. The imaging, however, is spot on. Africa by Toto, YYZ by Rush and People Everywhere by Khruangbin show perfect imaging and placement of instruments and vocals. In addition, detail retrieval is also comparable to more expensive sets with the 1900 punching well above its weight in almost all genres.

I’ll still put the VE Zhuanxu over this set just for the sub-bass and the little treble peak that could make this set fatiguing for more energetically recorded and mastered albums (Linkin Park, yes you).

At its rather crowded price point, I would still recommend it if it was your first foray past the budget tier, if you were looking for a set that vocals really, really well, and you aren’t a bass or treble-head and don't mind a little tweakery. And if you think it looks great.

Pros: Absolutely great sound out the gate
Swappable nozzles that work
Very pretty and unusual in the world of resin shells
Mids from heaven

Cons: That faceplate is beautiful but will attract lint and dust eventually
The gold nozzles are not my favorite
The multitude of tips and I’ll still use a third party
Lacks a little fun on both ends of the frequency curve

Specs
Drivers - 14.5mm planar + Knowles BA
Impedance 13 ohm
Sensitivity 107 +/- 3 dB
2 pin modular cable with 3.5/4.4 terminations

Every once in a while I’ll listen to an iem for 30 seconds and just pick it up because I think there’s nothing wrong with them. The DUNU Kima 2 was one and the Arnar from the house of Kefine is another. The first time I heard it, my first thought was this is the most inoffensively tuned earphone I’ve heard in a long time. Not a single note that put me off. These are rare to come by and so I procured them and here we go, excited and joyous!
The Arnar is an interesting looking IEM. Precisely manufactured CNC aluminium shells with smooth inner contours and a very open looking faceplate (which is a design element, not a true open design). A cross hatch pattern on the front of the shells is meant to represent a window, a symbol of luck in Chinese culture. And it’s pretty so yay! The unboxing is a straightforward cardboard affair till it opens and reveals a fairly nice case, that Kefine does with all its offerings, a robust looking cable with 2 pins at one and modular 3.5/4.4 terminations on the other. I’m told there is a dsp-usb c termination which I didn’t buy, because - dongle. And there’s about 12pairs of tips. In boxes, I love it. White and grey and sort of semi wide bore and narrow. As always, I swapped out to Final e, velvets, Sancai and candy. The velvet standard seemed to work best for me. There’s also my favorite Schrodinger-esque addition - tuning nozzles, which you don't know if they will work till you try them. These do. There are 3 pairs - gold (energetic), silver (balanced) and black (warm) and these are my descriptions. These were there with the Klean SV as well and worked very similarly. The IEM fits really well in my small ear and the cable is not prone to tangling or microphonics.
The faceplate feels different to touch because of the metal work on it and is prone to becoming an itch that can’t be scratched and a compulsion that borders on pathological. It’s also good fun.
I used predominantly the Silver (in the middle) nozzles for this with some swaps to compare the three.
Sources - VE stack, VE devastator, M33, Fosi ZH3, iPod 7th gen

So I pulled the rockboxed iPod out for this because why not. It has a great stage and is neutral enough to give me a clear idea of what things sound like.
On the whole the Arnar has one of the least offensive tunings I’ve heard. This basically means I can leave them in my ears and not know what is happening around me for hours. It’s comfy, it doesn’t jar, sounds really nice and enjoyable.

Bass

The planar driver gives the Arnar a tight, precise sub-bass. There's a rumble but no “feel”. This extends on to the mid-bass as well. On the silver nozzles, the kicks and bass notes are quick and precise but lack the body that other dynamic driver IEMs or even more bass tuned planars like the Letshuoer Astralis or even the Kiwi Melody. This makes for a more precise imaging and resolution of the rhythm section of fairly busy progressive rock or jazz fusion. But the drums lack the punch that makes them fun. Islands by XX has a fantastic sub-bass opening that sounds delightful on the Arnar, but as the track continues, the kicks and bass that pull the song along could do with more weight. The black nozzles do better in this regard. And the low end improves a fraction and responds to some amount of tip rolling and power. I tried them with the Final E, Velvet Standard and Dunu Candy. The Velvets somehow had great synergy and the finals, gave the bass a little more oomph. And the Arnar is more than willing to bend to slight EQ to boost the lows.

Mids
Vocals and instruments on the Arnar are the most enjoyable. Both male and female vocals have natural timbre and are not recessed. They are not pushed obnoxiously forward either. It’s hard to not keep saying inoffensive with regard to the Arnar, but that’s exactly what they are. Very clean representations of vocals. The vocal harmonies in Rosanna by Toto come through perfectly with great separation and clarity. Female vocals from Makeba by Jain to Linger by the Cranberries and Subcity by Tracy Chapman, all showcase the singers’ incredible voices in their natural best. Out the box with stock cables and velvet standards and no EQ with the absolutely neutral VE Prime + Roundabout stack, the entire midrange where the meat of most songs lies is near perfect. Also this is all with the Silver Nozzles. The black ones do have some dampening on the clarity of the mids. Vocal Jazz, Jazz fusion, rock, pop work really well with no shoutiness or weird timbre from the drivers. A testament to a great harmony between the planar and the Knowles.

Highs
Here’s where even I with my distaste for sibilance in the highs was craving for a little more air and sparkle in the treble. Nothing that can't be fixed with EQ but I have a healthy affection towards being lazy. The gold nozzles, again mitigate this to a small extent.This doesn't make music less enjoyable, let me be clear, it only makes it less analytical sounding. Larnell Lewis’ hi-hat work on the We Like It Here album by Snarky Puppy, is one of life’s little miracles that have to be experienced on a great set and the Arnar, while being very easy to listen to, leaves me wishing for just that little bit of extra shimmer.
Try as I did I couldn't get any harsh sibilance even on some of my aggressive (read poorly, at times) mastered tracks.

Staging, Imaging
The stage is more intimate and if you’ve seen the Snarky Puppy (I know, it’s just that time) videos of their live shows, it feels like you’re sitting in the middle of the band, surrounded by their music. The compressed stage makes imaging not as definite as a gaming set but it is decent enough to know where sounds are coming from. Instrument and vocal separation in the bass and midrange are more than adequate but the treble could do with a little more detail. Even with the Gold nozzles.

I would a 100% recommend this as a blind buy for an effortless, long listening session to almost any genre of music. Bassheads and analytical listeners would not enjoy this set as much but they have plenty others to choose from. The Arnar’s strengths lie in comfort and a very easy, enjoyable tuning. It is not fatiguing in any manner and at the same time responds to EQ, tips and scales beautifully.
No shame in it, I really like this IEM. For its price of ~$190 it is a no-brainer.

Pros: Absolutely great sound out the gate
Swappable nozzles that work
Very pretty and unusual in the world of resin shells
Mids from heaven

Cons: That faceplate is beautiful but will attract lint and dust eventually
The gold nozzles are not my favorite
The multitude of tips and I’ll still use a third party
Lacks a little fun on both ends of the frequency curve

Specs
Drivers - 14.5mm planar + Knowles BA
Impedance 13 ohm
Sensitivity 107 +/- 3 dB
2 pin modular cable with 3.5/4.4 terminations

Every once in a while I’ll listen to an iem for 30 seconds and just pick it up because I think there’s nothing wrong with them. The DUNU Kima 2 was one and the Arnar from the house of Kefine is another. The first time I heard it, my first thought was this is the most inoffensively tuned earphone I’ve heard in a long time. Not a single note that put me off. These are rare to come by and so I procured them and here we go, excited and joyous!
The Arnar is an interesting looking IEM. Precisely manufactured CNC aluminium shells with smooth inner contours and a very open looking faceplate (which is a design element, not a true open design). A cross hatch pattern on the front of the shells is meant to represent a window, a symbol of luck in Chinese culture. And it’s pretty so yay! The unboxing is a straightforward cardboard affair till it opens and reveals a fairly nice case, that Kefine does with all its offerings, a robust looking cable with 2 pins at one and modular 3.5/4.4 terminations on the other. I’m told there is a dsp-usb c termination which I didn’t buy, because - dongle. And there’s about 12pairs of tips. In boxes, I love it. White and grey and sort of semi wide bore and narrow. As always, I swapped out to Final e, velvets, Sancai and candy. The velvet standard seemed to work best for me. There’s also my favorite Schrodinger-esque addition - tuning nozzles, which you don't know if they will work till you try them. These do. There are 3 pairs - gold (energetic), silver (balanced) and black (warm) and these are my descriptions. These were there with the Klean SV as well and worked very similarly. The IEM fits really well in my small ear and the cable is not prone to tangling or microphonics.
The faceplate feels different to touch because of the metal work on it and is prone to becoming an itch that can’t be scratched and a compulsion that borders on pathological. It’s also good fun.
I used predominantly the Silver (in the middle) nozzles for this with some swaps to compare the three.
Sources - VE stack, VE devastator, M33, Fosi ZH3, iPod 7th gen

So I pulled the rockboxed iPod out for this because why not. It has a great stage and is neutral enough to give me a clear idea of what things sound like.
On the whole the Arnar has one of the least offensive tunings I’ve heard. This basically means I can leave them in my ears and not know what is happening around me for hours. It’s comfy, it doesn’t jar, sounds really nice and enjoyable.

Bass

The planar driver gives the Arnar a tight, precise sub-bass. There's a rumble but no “feel”. This extends on to the mid-bass as well. On the silver nozzles, the kicks and bass notes are quick and precise but lack the body that other dynamic driver IEMs or even more bass tuned planars like the Letshuoer Astralis or even the Kiwi Melody. This makes for a more precise imaging and resolution of the rhythm section of fairly busy progressive rock or jazz fusion. But the drums lack the punch that makes them fun. Islands by XX has a fantastic sub-bass opening that sounds delightful on the Arnar, but as the track continues, the kicks and bass that pull the song along could do with more weight. The black nozzles do better in this regard. And the low end improves a fraction and responds to some amount of tip rolling and power. I tried them with the Final E, Velvet Standard and Dunu Candy. The Velvets somehow had great synergy and the finals, gave the bass a little more oomph. And the Arnar is more than willing to bend to slight EQ to boost the lows.

Mids
Vocals and instruments on the Arnar are the most enjoyable. Both male and female vocals have natural timbre and are not recessed. They are not pushed obnoxiously forward either. It’s hard to not keep saying inoffensive with regard to the Arnar, but that’s exactly what they are. Very clean representations of vocals. The vocal harmonies in Rosanna by Toto come through perfectly with great separation and clarity. Female vocals from Makeba by Jain to Linger by the Cranberries and Subcity by Tracy Chapman, all showcase the singers’ incredible voices in their natural best. Out the box with stock cables and velvet standards and no EQ with the absolutely neutral VE Prime + Roundabout stack, the entire midrange where the meat of most songs lies is near perfect. Also this is all with the Silver Nozzles. The black ones do have some dampening on the clarity of the mids. Vocal Jazz, Jazz fusion, rock, pop work really well with no shoutiness or weird timbre from the drivers. A testament to a great harmony between the planar and the Knowles.

Highs
Here’s where even I with my distaste for sibilance in the highs was craving for a little more air and sparkle in the treble. Nothing that can't be fixed with EQ but I have a healthy affection towards being lazy. The gold nozzles, again mitigate this to a small extent.This doesn't make music less enjoyable, let me be clear, it only makes it less analytical sounding. Larnell Lewis’ hi-hat work on the We Like It Here album by Snarky Puppy, is one of life’s little miracles that have to be experienced on a great set and the Arnar, while being very easy to listen to, leaves me wishing for just that little bit of extra shimmer.
Try as I did I couldn't get any harsh sibilance even on some of my aggressive (read poorly, at times) mastered tracks.

Staging, Imaging
The stage is more intimate and if you’ve seen the Snarky Puppy (I know, it’s just that time) videos of their live shows, it feels like you’re sitting in the middle of the band, surrounded by their music. The compressed stage makes imaging not as definite as a gaming set but it is decent enough to know where sounds are coming from. Instrument and vocal separation in the bass and midrange are more than adequate but the treble could do with a little more detail. Even with the Gold nozzles.

I would a 100% recommend this as a blind buy for an effortless, long listening session to almost any genre of music. Bassheads and analytical listeners would not enjoy this set as much but they have plenty others to choose from. The Arnar’s strengths lie in comfort and a very easy, enjoyable tuning. It is not fatiguing in any manner and at the same time responds to EQ, tips and scales beautifully.
No shame in it, I really like this IEM. For its price of ~$190 it is a no-brainer.

Pros: Absolutely great sound out the gate
Swappable nozzles that work
Very pretty and unusual in the world of resin shells
Mids from heaven

Cons: That faceplate is beautiful but will attract lint and dust eventually
The gold nozzles are not my favorite
The multitude of tips and I’ll still use a third party
Lacks a little fun on both ends of the frequency curve

Specs
Drivers - 14.5mm planar + Knowles BA
Impedance 13 ohm
Sensitivity 107 +/- 3 dB
2 pin modular cable with 3.5/4.4 terminations

Every once in a while I’ll listen to an iem for 30 seconds and just pick it up because I think there’s nothing wrong with them. The DUNU Kima 2 was one and the Arnar from the house of Kefine is another. The first time I heard it, my first thought was this is the most inoffensively tuned earphone I’ve heard in a long time. Not a single note that put me off. These are rare to come by and so I procured them and here we go, excited and joyous!
The Arnar is an interesting looking IEM. Precisely manufactured CNC aluminium shells with smooth inner contours and a very open looking faceplate (which is a design element, not a true open design). A cross hatch pattern on the front of the shells is meant to represent a window, a symbol of luck in Chinese culture. And it’s pretty so yay! The unboxing is a straightforward cardboard affair till it opens and reveals a fairly nice case, that Kefine does with all its offerings, a robust looking cable with 2 pins at one and modular 3.5/4.4 terminations on the other. I’m told there is a dsp-usb c termination which I didn’t buy, because - dongle. And there’s about 12pairs of tips. In boxes, I love it. White and grey and sort of semi wide bore and narrow. As always, I swapped out to Final e, velvets, Sancai and candy. The velvet standard seemed to work best for me. There’s also my favorite Schrodinger-esque addition - tuning nozzles, which you don't know if they will work till you try them. These do. There are 3 pairs - gold (energetic), silver (balanced) and black (warm) and these are my descriptions. These were there with the Klean SV as well and worked very similarly. The IEM fits really well in my small ear and the cable is not prone to tangling or microphonics.
The faceplate feels different to touch because of the metal work on it and is prone to becoming an itch that can’t be scratched and a compulsion that borders on pathological. It’s also good fun.
I used predominantly the Silver (in the middle) nozzles for this with some swaps to compare the three.
Sources - VE stack, VE devastator, M33, Fosi ZH3, iPod 7th gen

So I pulled the rockboxed iPod out for this because why not. It has a great stage and is neutral enough to give me a clear idea of what things sound like.
On the whole the Arnar has one of the least offensive tunings I’ve heard. This basically means I can leave them in my ears and not know what is happening around me for hours. It’s comfy, it doesn’t jar, sounds really nice and enjoyable.

Bass

The planar driver gives the Arnar a tight, precise sub-bass. There's a rumble but no “feel”. This extends on to the mid-bass as well. On the silver nozzles, the kicks and bass notes are quick and precise but lack the body that other dynamic driver IEMs or even more bass tuned planars like the Letshuoer Astralis or even the Kiwi Melody. This makes for a more precise imaging and resolution of the rhythm section of fairly busy progressive rock or jazz fusion. But the drums lack the punch that makes them fun. Islands by XX has a fantastic sub-bass opening that sounds delightful on the Arnar, but as the track continues, the kicks and bass that pull the song along could do with more weight. The black nozzles do better in this regard. And the low end improves a fraction and responds to some amount of tip rolling and power. I tried them with the Final E, Velvet Standard and Dunu Candy. The Velvets somehow had great synergy and the finals, gave the bass a little more oomph. And the Arnar is more than willing to bend to slight EQ to boost the lows.

Mids
Vocals and instruments on the Arnar are the most enjoyable. Both male and female vocals have natural timbre and are not recessed. They are not pushed obnoxiously forward either. It’s hard to not keep saying inoffensive with regard to the Arnar, but that’s exactly what they are. Very clean representations of vocals. The vocal harmonies in Rosanna by Toto come through perfectly with great separation and clarity. Female vocals from Makeba by Jain to Linger by the Cranberries and Subcity by Tracy Chapman, all showcase the singers’ incredible voices in their natural best. Out the box with stock cables and velvet standards and no EQ with the absolutely neutral VE Prime + Roundabout stack, the entire midrange where the meat of most songs lies is near perfect. Also this is all with the Silver Nozzles. The black ones do have some dampening on the clarity of the mids. Vocal Jazz, Jazz fusion, rock, pop work really well with no shoutiness or weird timbre from the drivers. A testament to a great harmony between the planar and the Knowles.

Highs
Here’s where even I with my distaste for sibilance in the highs was craving for a little more air and sparkle in the treble. Nothing that can't be fixed with EQ but I have a healthy affection towards being lazy. The gold nozzles, again mitigate this to a small extent.This doesn't make music less enjoyable, let me be clear, it only makes it less analytical sounding. Larnell Lewis’ hi-hat work on the We Like It Here album by Snarky Puppy, is one of life’s little miracles that have to be experienced on a great set and the Arnar, while being very easy to listen to, leaves me wishing for just that little bit of extra shimmer.
Try as I did I couldn't get any harsh sibilance even on some of my aggressive (read poorly, at times) mastered tracks.

Staging, Imaging
The stage is more intimate and if you’ve seen the Snarky Puppy (I know, it’s just that time) videos of their live shows, it feels like you’re sitting in the middle of the band, surrounded by their music. The compressed stage makes imaging not as definite as a gaming set but it is decent enough to know where sounds are coming from. Instrument and vocal separation in the bass and midrange are more than adequate but the treble could do with a little more detail. Even with the Gold nozzles.

I would a 100% recommend this as a blind buy for an effortless, long listening session to almost any genre of music. Bassheads and analytical listeners would not enjoy this set as much but they have plenty others to choose from. The Arnar’s strengths lie in comfort and a very easy, enjoyable tuning. It is not fatiguing in any manner and at the same time responds to EQ, tips and scales beautifully.
No shame in it, I really like this IEM. For its price of ~$190 it is a no-brainer.

Pros: Great form factor
Good sound
Swiss Army Knife of features

Cons: The touch response can be better
Some UI/UX gripes

The snowsky disc is a strange one. A delightfully cute one, but an unusual, strange, and pleasantly surprising one.
My love of music outdates most DAPs I remember my first sansa clip, my first Zune and I have my 5th and 7th gen ipods (modded) and have dabbled through the Echo mini, the retro nano (different but same same), Shanling M1 plus and my current Fiio M33.
The Disc landed in my hands when I saw it at a friend’s and legally stole it after offering a combination of gratitude, a piece of my soul, the promise of beer and money.
The disc is unusual in multiple respects, the size and aspect ratio being the first 2. It is a deviation from the rounded corner rectangles that have plagued cell phones and the linux/stripped down android based Hiby’s and Shanlings.
The last interesting looking player was the Shanling M0 I guess which was a rounded square.
This on the other hand looks like a minidisc player with the large round touch screen (which has a really cute graphic of the album art rotating) with not so rounded edges.
The unboxing is fairly straight forward with a guide, some stickers, the device and a generic USB C cable. The leather case is an add on purchase and comes with a screen protector as well. The internet is already full of 3D printed aftermarket cases and belt clips but to be honest not all are really worth the trouble.
The device itself is easily pocketable at under 80 grams, with the top edge having an on/off button, the bottom housing a 3.5, 4.4, usb C and SD card slot, with play/pause and volume rockers to one side (the right, in this case).
The entire orientation of the screen is modifiable by 90/180/270 degrees so you can do you.

The interface is simple, a swipe through menu, and a swipe down one as well. The swipe through takes one through folders and genres and other methods of picking a song and settings and airplay options. I tend to pick via digging through the file system because I’m just that kind of person who has his offline database neatly organized by artist name/album etc. the swipe down menu has wifi, bluetooth, home, gain, SPDIF, working mode, to name a few.
The interface takes some getting used to but is intuitive enough to not be difficult and there have been enough times when the swipe to return gesture has been misinterpreted especially when the track timeline is on screen. And times when the back gesture needs to be repeated for the device to do your bidding. And there are no physical skip/ track navigation buttons but some jiggery-pokery is possible with the volume buttons.
Soundwise there is little to complain about. The dual Cirrus logic CS43131 DACs in the Snowsky Disc are tuned to have a warm-ish signature with the DRE option on and slightly more analytical with the option turned off, with an immersive but not expansive stage. At about 280mW it runs pretty much any IEM I could throw at it at a reasonable volume. And is capable of natively decoding PCM 384 kHz/32 bit and DSD128. Which is honestly more than enough for a portable device that you can use on your work journeys and even the gym.

The 1450 mAH battery is touted to last 12H but practically I’ve found it to be a little less. There is a programmable idle-off timer that can help but it gets annoying when one has to restart the device ever so often. It’s a trade off and YMMV.
Where the disc scores over any other device, for me, was its swiss army knife functionality. Following a recent software update, it can be a player, a usb dac, a usb source for another dac, a bluetooth dac, and a storage device. And I think that is amazing for the price.
I’ve also used it as all of the above and without a hitch.
It’s hard to not to recommend this as the first player someone wants to buy while getting into the hobby or as a backup player, or if someone was looking to get one device that does many things reasonably well.
It’s cute, easily pocketable, comes with a really nice case, lasts the day on reasonable use and can do pretty much the job of 2 or 3 devices.
This one is a winner in my book.
In full disclosure, however, the disc will be passed on to someone who will use it more since I have too many sources and I have gear acquisition syndrome and every once in a while my rational brain will point out that I’ve too much.

Pros: No shame in the bass - In your face boosted
Visceral is a good word.
Well controlled with no bleed
Great mids and treble
Sweet unboxing

Cons: Sometimes you want less bass.
Accessories are so-so esp tips
Snares and some upper mids/treble frequencies including vocals have that weird BA timbre

Specs
Drivers: 10-driver tribrid setup on each side with one dynamic driver, eight balanced armature drivers, and one piezoelectric ceramic driver
Shell - 3D printed with Metal plates
Cable oxygen-free copper silver-plated cable with a 0.78mm 2-pin connector - modular
Impedance 41.6 Ohm, Sensitivity 120dB

When Simgot released EM10, I had already been burned by multi-BA implementations that simply felt like a waste of technology. So when a set passed by my hands on en route from one friend to another, I had to extract my pound of flesh for being the mule and write a review as a sort of tax deduction at source.
This IEM retails at about $420-480 at the time of writing this review and is not currently in stock in India, where this review is being written. This is a little important in the lines to come. It comes in a monster of a cube. Makes for a nightmare to pack and repack and ship, I’m sure. The cube opens up not unlike sci-fi to reveal the IEMs nestled in foam. One silver (left) and one black. A white, braided cable that does catch the light beautifully thanks to a sliver of shiny that runs along the strands, and has both 3.5 and 4.4mm terminations. There are nondescript ear tips and a reasonably nice rectangular leatherette case. This could have been a smaller box, methinks.
The shells are 3D printed resin with what I think is metal plate on the outside though I could be wrong, given the kind of stuff that can be printed these days. They are chunky and have a longish nozzle that doesn’t come with any mesh guard and terminates as 3 holes to let the refreshment through. I used them with Spinfit Neo, Azla Origin, Dunu Candy and Sancai Tips - the most comfortable were the Spinfits, the Azla gave the best seal. They also have that lip on the back to fit all those extra drivers and this for me, is a pain point. Literally. It doesn’t allow for really long listening sessions without some periodic adjustments or rest breaks. But that said this was tested on the Venture Electronics Stack, Fiio M33, Fosi ZH3, Snowsky Disc.

Bass
This is why this IEM was made. The single DD makes like Atlas and holds up and lifts the low end and how! The unapologetic tuning to push the sub-bass and mid-bass up, as a friend described, makes this a fun implementation of the 2019 Harman Target. In almost any track the kick drums and bass notes feel visceral. They literally resonate all over the middle ear and you can if you really really concentrate feel your brain going a little jiggly with each beat. The bass is all this, and tight, and controlled, and doesn’t move far up the frequency response. The sub-bass rumble is there, palpable, like if you stuck a spoon in the sub-bass, it would stand up. This shows up with all the usual suspects in that department - Milan by Karsh Kale, Angel by Massive Attack and Doing it Right with Daft Punk. At the same time with all these tracks the midbass clarity of the kicks and bass lines is very much there, holding its own against the waves of sub-bass drones trying, unsuccessfully, to come out on top. There are genres where this works - EDM, Pop, Bollywood, Rock (some). Jazz tracks tend to be a little more fastidious in how much bass they like emphasized and this IEM may require some tip rolling and switching to maybe wide bores for those genres - the harmonic empires wide and velvet widebores do help.
Mids
The mids are very very nicely done. The lower mids have weight and are lush and warm. There is some recession in vocals and the upper mids aggression that Simgot injects in the EW300 is thankfully missing, though the balanced armatures have that weird timbre in the upper mids which are hard to really put down in words. Tracy Chapman doesn’t sound exactly like I have known her to sound. It’s not shoutiness, it’s just different. My acid test for all things mids is Playing God by Polyphia, the one that the EM6L failed miserably. To be fair, the mixing of this track leaves a ton to be desired. The EM10 does far better in this regard. The issues on this track stem more from the piezoelectric driver. That being said, the weird BA thing seems to be source and volume dependent. Fast Car, and Talkin’ ‘bout a Revolution by Tracy Chapman sound every so slightly different between the R2R of M33 and the Snowsky Disc, with the shoutiness actually increasing with the M33. On The Chain by Fleetwood Mac and Helplessly Hoping by Girl Named Tom, the vocals come out clean albeit just a little recessed in the latter.
Highs
For the most part, the EM10 does well on the details and highs. But there are instances (Playing God, that enemy of Simgot) that I’ve had to wince with the way the piezo handles most hi-hats and cymbals, especially in aggressively mastered tracks. There is sibilance in certain tracks and those sensitive to that 4k peak may have trouble on longer sessions and brighter tracks. But again nothing that a balanced ear tip can’t fix. Gavin Harrison’s drums entering the mix in the middle of Trains by Porcupine Tree is handled with precision and were thoroughly enjoyable largely due to in-your-face kick drums, even though the highs did get piercing. I would not be able to do an entire album with these given their size and tuning but that would largely be a me-problem, I think.

Staging and Imaging
The staging in this IEM is wide and deep, with imaging improving with power delivery to the IEM. On Bubbles by Yosi Horikawa, Big Country by Bela Fleck and the Flecktones the stage widens to a beautiful arena with near exact imagining of the sounds and where they are coming from. Instrument separation and resolution are spot on with this set, as it should be with the number of drivers packed in. The piezo does manage to provide those details without becoming annoyingly sibilant.

Overall the EM10 takes on a host of bass head IEMs at this range. It certainly has better bass implementation than the DUNU DaVinci and the higher frequencies are cleaner than the Cano Cristales that I have heard and am listening to. It works for most genres that require technicalities, vocal pop, some jazz fusion. The booming bass may make some of the tracks in these genres seem a bit too much and this is mastering and source dependent and can be mitigated with wider bore tips and a little EQ. It again would make a fantastic gaming IEM if the fit works for your ears. I couldn’t due to my small pinnae. If you can get a good fit, find it comfy, love nicely implemented bass and highs and don’t mind the occasional BA timbre, this is a great set to own. It should be a little less expensive or have more premium accessories or materials to really justify the near $500 price tag.

Pros: No shame in the bass - In your face boosted
Visceral is a good word.
Well controlled with no bleed
Great mids and treble
Sweet unboxing

Cons: Sometimes you want less bass.
Accessories are so-so esp tips
Snares and some upper mids/treble frequencies including vocals have that weird BA timbre

Specs
Drivers: 10-driver tribrid setup on each side with one dynamic driver, eight balanced armature drivers, and one piezoelectric ceramic driver
Shell - 3D printed with Metal plates
Cable oxygen-free copper silver-plated cable with a 0.78mm 2-pin connector - modular
Impedance 41.6 Ohm, Sensitivity 120dB

When Simgot released EM10, I had already been burned by multi-BA implementations that simply felt like a waste of technology. So when a set passed by my hands on en route from one friend to another, I had to extract my pound of flesh for being the mule and write a review as a sort of tax deduction at source.
This IEM retails at about $420-480 at the time of writing this review and is not currently in stock in India, where this review is being written. This is a little important in the lines to come. It comes in a monster of a cube. Makes for a nightmare to pack and repack and ship, I’m sure. The cube opens up not unlike sci-fi to reveal the IEMs nestled in foam. One silver (left) and one black. A white, braided cable that does catch the light beautifully thanks to a sliver of shiny that runs along the strands, and has both 3.5 and 4.4mm terminations. There are nondescript ear tips and a reasonably nice rectangular leatherette case. This could have been a smaller box, methinks.
The shells are 3D printed resin with what I think is metal plate on the outside though I could be wrong, given the kind of stuff that can be printed these days. They are chunky and have a longish nozzle that doesn’t come with any mesh guard and terminates as 3 holes to let the refreshment through. I used them with Spinfit Neo, Azla Origin, Dunu Candy and Sancai Tips - the most comfortable were the Spinfits, the Azla gave the best seal. They also have that lip on the back to fit all those extra drivers and this for me, is a pain point. Literally. It doesn’t allow for really long listening sessions without some periodic adjustments or rest breaks. But that said this was tested on the Venture Electronics Stack, Fiio M33, Fosi ZH3, Snowsky Disc.

Bass
This is why this IEM was made. The single DD makes like Atlas and holds up and lifts the low end and how! The unapologetic tuning to push the sub-bass and mid-bass up, as a friend described, makes this a fun implementation of the 2019 Harman Target. In almost any track the kick drums and bass notes feel visceral. They literally resonate all over the middle ear and you can if you really really concentrate feel your brain going a little jiggly with each beat. The bass is all this, and tight, and controlled, and doesn’t move far up the frequency response. The sub-bass rumble is there, palpable, like if you stuck a spoon in the sub-bass, it would stand up. This shows up with all the usual suspects in that department - Milan by Karsh Kale, Angel by Massive Attack and Doing it Right with Daft Punk. At the same time with all these tracks the midbass clarity of the kicks and bass lines is very much there, holding its own against the waves of sub-bass drones trying, unsuccessfully, to come out on top. There are genres where this works - EDM, Pop, Bollywood, Rock (some). Jazz tracks tend to be a little more fastidious in how much bass they like emphasized and this IEM may require some tip rolling and switching to maybe wide bores for those genres - the harmonic empires wide and velvet widebores do help.
Mids
The mids are very very nicely done. The lower mids have weight and are lush and warm. There is some recession in vocals and the upper mids aggression that Simgot injects in the EW300 is thankfully missing, though the balanced armatures have that weird timbre in the upper mids which are hard to really put down in words. Tracy Chapman doesn’t sound exactly like I have known her to sound. It’s not shoutiness, it’s just different. My acid test for all things mids is Playing God by Polyphia, the one that the EM6L failed miserably. To be fair, the mixing of this track leaves a ton to be desired. The EM10 does far better in this regard. The issues on this track stem more from the piezoelectric driver. That being said, the weird BA thing seems to be source and volume dependent. Fast Car, and Talkin’ ‘bout a Revolution by Tracy Chapman sound every so slightly different between the R2R of M33 and the Snowsky Disc, with the shoutiness actually increasing with the M33. On The Chain by Fleetwood Mac and Helplessly Hoping by Girl Named Tom, the vocals come out clean albeit just a little recessed in the latter.
Highs
For the most part, the EM10 does well on the details and highs. But there are instances (Playing God, that enemy of Simgot) that I’ve had to wince with the way the piezo handles most hi-hats and cymbals, especially in aggressively mastered tracks. There is sibilance in certain tracks and those sensitive to that 4k peak may have trouble on longer sessions and brighter tracks. But again nothing that a balanced ear tip can’t fix. Gavin Harrison’s drums entering the mix in the middle of Trains by Porcupine Tree is handled with precision and were thoroughly enjoyable largely due to in-your-face kick drums, even though the highs did get piercing. I would not be able to do an entire album with these given their size and tuning but that would largely be a me-problem, I think.

Staging and Imaging
The staging in this IEM is wide and deep, with imaging improving with power delivery to the IEM. On Bubbles by Yosi Horikawa, Big Country by Bela Fleck and the Flecktones the stage widens to a beautiful arena with near exact imagining of the sounds and where they are coming from. Instrument separation and resolution are spot on with this set, as it should be with the number of drivers packed in. The piezo does manage to provide those details without becoming annoyingly sibilant.

Overall the EM10 takes on a host of bass head IEMs at this range. It certainly has better bass implementation than the DUNU DaVinci and the higher frequencies are cleaner than the Cano Cristales that I have heard and am listening to. It works for most genres that require technicalities, vocal pop, some jazz fusion. The booming bass may make some of the tracks in these genres seem a bit too much and this is mastering and source dependent and can be mitigated with wider bore tips and a little EQ. It again would make a fantastic gaming IEM if the fit works for your ears. I couldn’t due to my small pinnae. If you can get a good fit, find it comfy, love nicely implemented bass and highs and don’t mind the occasional BA timbre, this is a great set to own. It should be a little less expensive or have more premium accessories or materials to really justify the near $500 price tag.

Pros: No shame in the bass - In your face boosted
Visceral is a good word.
Well controlled with no bleed
Great mids and treble
Sweet unboxing

Cons: Sometimes you want less bass.
Accessories are so-so esp tips
Snares and some upper mids/treble frequencies including vocals have that weird BA timbre

Specs
Drivers: 10-driver tribrid setup on each side with one dynamic driver, eight balanced armature drivers, and one piezoelectric ceramic driver
Shell - 3D printed with Metal plates
Cable oxygen-free copper silver-plated cable with a 0.78mm 2-pin connector - modular
Impedance 41.6 Ohm, Sensitivity 120dB

When Simgot released EM10, I had already been burned by multi-BA implementations that simply felt like a waste of technology. So when a set passed by my hands on en route from one friend to another, I had to extract my pound of flesh for being the mule and write a review as a sort of tax deduction at source.
This IEM retails at about $420-480 at the time of writing this review and is not currently in stock in India, where this review is being written. This is a little important in the lines to come. It comes in a monster of a cube. Makes for a nightmare to pack and repack and ship, I’m sure. The cube opens up not unlike sci-fi to reveal the IEMs nestled in foam. One silver (left) and one black. A white, braided cable that does catch the light beautifully thanks to a sliver of shiny that runs along the strands, and has both 3.5 and 4.4mm terminations. There are nondescript ear tips and a reasonably nice rectangular leatherette case. This could have been a smaller box, methinks.
The shells are 3D printed resin with what I think is metal plate on the outside though I could be wrong, given the kind of stuff that can be printed these days. They are chunky and have a longish nozzle that doesn’t come with any mesh guard and terminates as 3 holes to let the refreshment through. I used them with Spinfit Neo, Azla Origin, Dunu Candy and Sancai Tips - the most comfortable were the Spinfits, the Azla gave the best seal. They also have that lip on the back to fit all those extra drivers and this for me, is a pain point. Literally. It doesn’t allow for really long listening sessions without some periodic adjustments or rest breaks. But that said this was tested on the Venture Electronics Stack, Fiio M33, Fosi ZH3, Snowsky Disc.

Bass
This is why this IEM was made. The single DD makes like Atlas and holds up and lifts the low end and how! The unapologetic tuning to push the sub-bass and mid-bass up, as a friend described, makes this a fun implementation of the 2019 Harman Target. In almost any track the kick drums and bass notes feel visceral. They literally resonate all over the middle ear and you can if you really really concentrate feel your brain going a little jiggly with each beat. The bass is all this, and tight, and controlled, and doesn’t move far up the frequency response. The sub-bass rumble is there, palpable, like if you stuck a spoon in the sub-bass, it would stand up. This shows up with all the usual suspects in that department - Milan by Karsh Kale, Angel by Massive Attack and Doing it Right with Daft Punk. At the same time with all these tracks the midbass clarity of the kicks and bass lines is very much there, holding its own against the waves of sub-bass drones trying, unsuccessfully, to come out on top. There are genres where this works - EDM, Pop, Bollywood, Rock (some). Jazz tracks tend to be a little more fastidious in how much bass they like emphasized and this IEM may require some tip rolling and switching to maybe wide bores for those genres - the harmonic empires wide and velvet widebores do help.
Mids
The mids are very very nicely done. The lower mids have weight and are lush and warm. There is some recession in vocals and the upper mids aggression that Simgot injects in the EW300 is thankfully missing, though the balanced armatures have that weird timbre in the upper mids which are hard to really put down in words. Tracy Chapman doesn’t sound exactly like I have known her to sound. It’s not shoutiness, it’s just different. My acid test for all things mids is Playing God by Polyphia, the one that the EM6L failed miserably. To be fair, the mixing of this track leaves a ton to be desired. The EM10 does far better in this regard. The issues on this track stem more from the piezoelectric driver. That being said, the weird BA thing seems to be source and volume dependent. Fast Car, and Talkin’ ‘bout a Revolution by Tracy Chapman sound every so slightly different between the R2R of M33 and the Snowsky Disc, with the shoutiness actually increasing with the M33. On The Chain by Fleetwood Mac and Helplessly Hoping by Girl Named Tom, the vocals come out clean albeit just a little recessed in the latter.
Highs
For the most part, the EM10 does well on the details and highs. But there are instances (Playing God, that enemy of Simgot) that I’ve had to wince with the way the piezo handles most hi-hats and cymbals, especially in aggressively mastered tracks. There is sibilance in certain tracks and those sensitive to that 4k peak may have trouble on longer sessions and brighter tracks. But again nothing that a balanced ear tip can’t fix. Gavin Harrison’s drums entering the mix in the middle of Trains by Porcupine Tree is handled with precision and were thoroughly enjoyable largely due to in-your-face kick drums, even though the highs did get piercing. I would not be able to do an entire album with these given their size and tuning but that would largely be a me-problem, I think.

Staging and Imaging
The staging in this IEM is wide and deep, with imaging improving with power delivery to the IEM. On Bubbles by Yosi Horikawa, Big Country by Bela Fleck and the Flecktones the stage widens to a beautiful arena with near exact imagining of the sounds and where they are coming from. Instrument separation and resolution are spot on with this set, as it should be with the number of drivers packed in. The piezo does manage to provide those details without becoming annoyingly sibilant.

Overall the EM10 takes on a host of bass head IEMs at this range. It certainly has better bass implementation than the DUNU DaVinci and the higher frequencies are cleaner than the Cano Cristales that I have heard and am listening to. It works for most genres that require technicalities, vocal pop, some jazz fusion. The booming bass may make some of the tracks in these genres seem a bit too much and this is mastering and source dependent and can be mitigated with wider bore tips and a little EQ. It again would make a fantastic gaming IEM if the fit works for your ears. I couldn’t due to my small pinnae. If you can get a good fit, find it comfy, love nicely implemented bass and highs and don’t mind the occasional BA timbre, this is a great set to own. It should be a little less expensive or have more premium accessories or materials to really justify the near $500 price tag.

Pros

• Thumping Bass Response
• Well-crafted Shells, each is distinct
• The dunu accessory package (has to stop being a pro at some point)

Cons

• Fit takes some work - nozzles are wide 
• Male vocals feel recessed
• Midbass bleeds into everything except treble
• BA timbre creeps into upper registers

Specs

• Drivers: 2 DD + 4 BA
• Impedance: 35Ω
• Sensitivity: 109 - 112dB
• Pin Type: 2-pin
• Plug Type: Modular 2.5mm 3.5mm,4.4mm

Dunu x Gizaudio Davinci was a semi blind buy for me since I had a fleeting flirtation with a friend’s set and I thought it was a really fun sound to try out.  A few months into this, and having heard the refinement of the Kima 2, I do have some slightly different thoughts. Not all bad and some realizations that not all tunings work for me. And this just might be a me problem and not a you problem. I’ll do my best though to keep this as useful as possible.

The IEMS looks beautiful. I’m liking the wood esthetic that I’ve seen on this and the VE ZhuanXu. The shells come nestled in foam in the standard-sized Dunu Box. Under that is the bigger-than-Altoid-tin sized case. Now this case is super convenient and will house most IEMs safely, but the mesh on the inside of the lid is ridiculously tight and I think the only thing that can fit there is the modular connector for the cable. Anything else becomes a thumb-wrestling match. The case also houses the famous Dunu Davinci cable - LEO. Silver-coated, crystal-copper, 4-strands, and modular with 3.5, and 4.4, and a 6.3mm adapter. And the full complement of 10 pairs of tips - standard/balance, S & S and Candy. Overall, a satisfying ensemble and this is soon becoming an expected inclusion to any Dunu purchase. 

The fit takes some finger calisthenics to get standard sized tips onto the just enough to be annoyingly big-sized nozzles. Candy and Sancai tips worked best for me. Once I got the fit right it’s good for a long session without pressing on any part of my ears and causing discomfort.

Right off the cuff it felt this set needed a different set of songs to give it a fighting chance against the sets I own and the kind of music I really enjoy listening to. 

This is such a bass forward IEM, it does a lot correct but misses the point in a few areas. The Sub-bass rumble is present but on songs like Angel, the rumble is overpowered by the throb and thump of the kicks and bass notes. The same is the case with Makeba by Jain. The sub-bass is there, you can just about reach for it and feel it when the thump of the kick drum in the mid-bass pushes your fingers away from that feeling. The mid-bass sits like a troll on a bridge guarding everything that goes past and impossible to ignore. Pop and EDM have every beat pounding with weight and authority. But with great weight comes great distortion of the space-time continuum. The prominent midbass bleeds upwards into the midrange, giving notes some weight but also reducing the clarity of notes of instruments like keys and guitar. Male vocals tend to sound recessed and over heavy by the midbass bloat. Come Together (the original) by the Beatles demonstrates this. In the verse the bass slide continues to be heard over the vocals and drums. In the chorus where the bass is not sliding over the song, the guitar rhythm comes through, though with each strum holding its own. On Africa by Toto, the keyboard rhythm similarly has weight and pulls the song along. But overpowers the vocals making them feel less important than what they truly are. 

Upper mids are a little better especially in better mastered tracks than Come Together (I’m also not a huge fan of the Beatles). On Africa, again, the vocal harmonies are better represented than the lower mids but suffer from lack of clarity. On the VE ZhuanXu, for instance, the details in the individual vocal parts are crystal clear. 

On Fast Car by Tracy Chapman, her voice sounds lovely and smooth but lacks a little richness that I’ve heard on other vocal forward sets. But it is not shouty (which is also something that’s seen with some BA sets) and fine for long listens of Joss Stone (though on Right to be Wrong, the midbass does cast its evil shadow over her voice). On an aside this may become the theme of this review unless something changes.

Treble, I have no complaints with. On even tracks aggressively mastered, like Holler by the Spice Girls (hey stop judging, I’m that old) the Davinci focusses on the fun bits of the song. The fun beat and bass, and the all star cast of female vocals. There’s a mad amount of tinny, shimmery accoutrements that the track has that finally sound like the stellar supporting cast that they are meant to be. 

But let’s not be all horrible towards the Davinci. On really well mastered music the Davinci is able to reproduce an enjoyable amount of bass and details to make music really worth it. Aja by Steely Dan, is a great example. But Coming Back to Life by Pink Floyd sounds like you’re in a concert and in front of the stack and you can see/hear the woofer/speaker membrane move with every kick. Take Five by Dave Brubeck has some spectacular mastering and do some Japanese Jazz records from the 60s like the entire album Cat by Hiroshi Suzuki. The Davinci makes for some great, albeit slightly warm listening, since the details are not completely lost, there are moments when the bass note booms, but not deal-breaking. But seriously, if you haven’t heard the Suzuki album please do - it’s on tidal,spotify and apple music. 

The Davinci has a moderately wide stage, I feel that the decay of the bass seems to hint at the reverb akin to a hall rather than a room. Imaging is also adequate for a normal listen, I wouldn’t hope to last a competitive fps session especially if there is an EDM soundtrack to the game. 

This is a fun IEM if “baby ko bass pasand hai” (if you like the bass). I wouldn't recommend it to listeners who like a little warmth and details (me). If the genres are hiphop, EDM, new Bollywood, pop, then for sure. Rock, metal, jazz fusion may not be as enjoyable as the others simply because of the bass bleed. A little more refinement would have made this a good recommendation from my side, but that’s only my opinion. I would definitely suggest trying these out on your playlist before jumping in.

Gear

Fiio M33, Snowsky Disc, Musehifi M3 ultra, VE Devastator Pro Max, Fosi ZH3, Gremlin.

Local Flac, Apple Music Lossless, Tidal.

Playlist with most of the songs I play around with -

https://tidal.com/playlist/3078c9b9-a1c0-4fde-8ce7-81f0e34b426c

Pros

• Thumping Bass Response
• Well-crafted Shells, each is distinct
• The dunu accessory package (has to stop being a pro at some point)

Cons

• Fit takes some work - nozzles are wide 
• Male vocals feel recessed
• Midbass bleeds into everything except treble
• BA timbre creeps into upper registers

Specs

• Drivers: 2 DD + 4 BA
• Impedance: 35Ω
• Sensitivity: 109 - 112dB
• Pin Type: 2-pin
• Plug Type: Modular 2.5mm 3.5mm,4.4mm

Dunu x Gizaudio Davinci was a semi blind buy for me since I had a fleeting flirtation with a friend’s set and I thought it was a really fun sound to try out.  A few months into this, and having heard the refinement of the Kima 2, I do have some slightly different thoughts. Not all bad and some realizations that not all tunings work for me. And this just might be a me problem and not a you problem. I’ll do my best though to keep this as useful as possible.

The IEMS looks beautiful. I’m liking the wood esthetic that I’ve seen on this and the VE ZhuanXu. The shells come nestled in foam in the standard-sized Dunu Box. Under that is the bigger-than-Altoid-tin sized case. Now this case is super convenient and will house most IEMs safely, but the mesh on the inside of the lid is ridiculously tight and I think the only thing that can fit there is the modular connector for the cable. Anything else becomes a thumb-wrestling match. The case also houses the famous Dunu Davinci cable - LEO. Silver-coated, crystal-copper, 4-strands, and modular with 3.5, and 4.4, and a 6.3mm adapter. And the full complement of 10 pairs of tips - standard/balance, S & S and Candy. Overall, a satisfying ensemble and this is soon becoming an expected inclusion to any Dunu purchase. 

The fit takes some finger calisthenics to get standard sized tips onto the just enough to be annoyingly big-sized nozzles. Candy and Sancai tips worked best for me. Once I got the fit right it’s good for a long session without pressing on any part of my ears and causing discomfort.

Right off the cuff it felt this set needed a different set of songs to give it a fighting chance against the sets I own and the kind of music I really enjoy listening to. 

This is such a bass forward IEM, it does a lot correct but misses the point in a few areas. The Sub-bass rumble is present but on songs like Angel, the rumble is overpowered by the throb and thump of the kicks and bass notes. The same is the case with Makeba by Jain. The sub-bass is there, you can just about reach for it and feel it when the thump of the kick drum in the mid-bass pushes your fingers away from that feeling. The mid-bass sits like a troll on a bridge guarding everything that goes past and impossible to ignore. Pop and EDM have every beat pounding with weight and authority. But with great weight comes great distortion of the space-time continuum. The prominent midbass bleeds upwards into the midrange, giving notes some weight but also reducing the clarity of notes of instruments like keys and guitar. Male vocals tend to sound recessed and over heavy by the midbass bloat. Come Together (the original) by the Beatles demonstrates this. In the verse the bass slide continues to be heard over the vocals and drums. In the chorus where the bass is not sliding over the song, the guitar rhythm comes through, though with each strum holding its own. On Africa by Toto, the keyboard rhythm similarly has weight and pulls the song along. But overpowers the vocals making them feel less important than what they truly are. 

Upper mids are a little better especially in better mastered tracks than Come Together (I’m also not a huge fan of the Beatles). On Africa, again, the vocal harmonies are better represented than the lower mids but suffer from lack of clarity. On the VE ZhuanXu, for instance, the details in the individual vocal parts are crystal clear. 

On Fast Car by Tracy Chapman, her voice sounds lovely and smooth but lacks a little richness that I’ve heard on other vocal forward sets. But it is not shouty (which is also something that’s seen with some BA sets) and fine for long listens of Joss Stone (though on Right to be Wrong, the midbass does cast its evil shadow over her voice). On an aside this may become the theme of this review unless something changes.

Treble, I have no complaints with. On even tracks aggressively mastered, like Holler by the Spice Girls (hey stop judging, I’m that old) the Davinci focusses on the fun bits of the song. The fun beat and bass, and the all star cast of female vocals. There’s a mad amount of tinny, shimmery accoutrements that the track has that finally sound like the stellar supporting cast that they are meant to be. 

But let’s not be all horrible towards the Davinci. On really well mastered music the Davinci is able to reproduce an enjoyable amount of bass and details to make music really worth it. Aja by Steely Dan, is a great example. But Coming Back to Life by Pink Floyd sounds like you’re in a concert and in front of the stack and you can see/hear the woofer/speaker membrane move with every kick. Take Five by Dave Brubeck has some spectacular mastering and do some Japanese Jazz records from the 60s like the entire album Cat by Hiroshi Suzuki. The Davinci makes for some great, albeit slightly warm listening, since the details are not completely lost, there are moments when the bass note booms, but not deal-breaking. But seriously, if you haven’t heard the Suzuki album please do - it’s on tidal,spotify and apple music. 

The Davinci has a moderately wide stage, I feel that the decay of the bass seems to hint at the reverb akin to a hall rather than a room. Imaging is also adequate for a normal listen, I wouldn’t hope to last a competitive fps session especially if there is an EDM soundtrack to the game. 

This is a fun IEM if “baby ko bass pasand hai” (if you like the bass). I wouldn't recommend it to listeners who like a little warmth and details (me). If the genres are hiphop, EDM, new Bollywood, pop, then for sure. Rock, metal, jazz fusion may not be as enjoyable as the others simply because of the bass bleed. A little more refinement would have made this a good recommendation from my side, but that’s only my opinion. I would definitely suggest trying these out on your playlist before jumping in.

Gear

Fiio M33, Snowsky Disc, Musehifi M3 ultra, VE Devastator Pro Max, Fosi ZH3, Gremlin.

Local Flac, Apple Music Lossless, Tidal.

Playlist with most of the songs I play around with -

https://tidal.com/playlist/3078c9b9-a1c0-4fde-8ce7-81f0e34b426c

Pros

• Thumping Bass Response
• Well-crafted Shells, each is distinct
• The dunu accessory package (has to stop being a pro at some point)

Cons

• Fit takes some work - nozzles are wide 
• Male vocals feel recessed
• Midbass bleeds into everything except treble
• BA timbre creeps into upper registers

Specs

• Drivers: 2 DD + 4 BA
• Impedance: 35Ω
• Sensitivity: 109 - 112dB
• Pin Type: 2-pin
• Plug Type: Modular 2.5mm 3.5mm,4.4mm

Dunu x Gizaudio Davinci was a semi blind buy for me since I had a fleeting flirtation with a friend’s set and I thought it was a really fun sound to try out.  A few months into this, and having heard the refinement of the Kima 2, I do have some slightly different thoughts. Not all bad and some realizations that not all tunings work for me. And this just might be a me problem and not a you problem. I’ll do my best though to keep this as useful as possible.

The IEMS looks beautiful. I’m liking the wood esthetic that I’ve seen on this and the VE ZhuanXu. The shells come nestled in foam in the standard-sized Dunu Box. Under that is the bigger-than-Altoid-tin sized case. Now this case is super convenient and will house most IEMs safely, but the mesh on the inside of the lid is ridiculously tight and I think the only thing that can fit there is the modular connector for the cable. Anything else becomes a thumb-wrestling match. The case also houses the famous Dunu Davinci cable - LEO. Silver-coated, crystal-copper, 4-strands, and modular with 3.5, and 4.4, and a 6.3mm adapter. And the full complement of 10 pairs of tips - standard/balance, S & S and Candy. Overall, a satisfying ensemble and this is soon becoming an expected inclusion to any Dunu purchase. 

The fit takes some finger calisthenics to get standard sized tips onto the just enough to be annoyingly big-sized nozzles. Candy and Sancai tips worked best for me. Once I got the fit right it’s good for a long session without pressing on any part of my ears and causing discomfort.

Right off the cuff it felt this set needed a different set of songs to give it a fighting chance against the sets I own and the kind of music I really enjoy listening to. 

This is such a bass forward IEM, it does a lot correct but misses the point in a few areas. The Sub-bass rumble is present but on songs like Angel, the rumble is overpowered by the throb and thump of the kicks and bass notes. The same is the case with Makeba by Jain. The sub-bass is there, you can just about reach for it and feel it when the thump of the kick drum in the mid-bass pushes your fingers away from that feeling. The mid-bass sits like a troll on a bridge guarding everything that goes past and impossible to ignore. Pop and EDM have every beat pounding with weight and authority. But with great weight comes great distortion of the space-time continuum. The prominent midbass bleeds upwards into the midrange, giving notes some weight but also reducing the clarity of notes of instruments like keys and guitar. Male vocals tend to sound recessed and over heavy by the midbass bloat. Come Together (the original) by the Beatles demonstrates this. In the verse the bass slide continues to be heard over the vocals and drums. In the chorus where the bass is not sliding over the song, the guitar rhythm comes through, though with each strum holding its own. On Africa by Toto, the keyboard rhythm similarly has weight and pulls the song along. But overpowers the vocals making them feel less important than what they truly are. 

Upper mids are a little better especially in better mastered tracks than Come Together (I’m also not a huge fan of the Beatles). On Africa, again, the vocal harmonies are better represented than the lower mids but suffer from lack of clarity. On the VE ZhuanXu, for instance, the details in the individual vocal parts are crystal clear. 

On Fast Car by Tracy Chapman, her voice sounds lovely and smooth but lacks a little richness that I’ve heard on other vocal forward sets. But it is not shouty (which is also something that’s seen with some BA sets) and fine for long listens of Joss Stone (though on Right to be Wrong, the midbass does cast its evil shadow over her voice). On an aside this may become the theme of this review unless something changes.

Treble, I have no complaints with. On even tracks aggressively mastered, like Holler by the Spice Girls (hey stop judging, I’m that old) the Davinci focusses on the fun bits of the song. The fun beat and bass, and the all star cast of female vocals. There’s a mad amount of tinny, shimmery accoutrements that the track has that finally sound like the stellar supporting cast that they are meant to be. 

But let’s not be all horrible towards the Davinci. On really well mastered music the Davinci is able to reproduce an enjoyable amount of bass and details to make music really worth it. Aja by Steely Dan, is a great example. But Coming Back to Life by Pink Floyd sounds like you’re in a concert and in front of the stack and you can see/hear the woofer/speaker membrane move with every kick. Take Five by Dave Brubeck has some spectacular mastering and do some Japanese Jazz records from the 60s like the entire album Cat by Hiroshi Suzuki. The Davinci makes for some great, albeit slightly warm listening, since the details are not completely lost, there are moments when the bass note booms, but not deal-breaking. But seriously, if you haven’t heard the Suzuki album please do - it’s on tidal,spotify and apple music. 

The Davinci has a moderately wide stage, I feel that the decay of the bass seems to hint at the reverb akin to a hall rather than a room. Imaging is also adequate for a normal listen, I wouldn’t hope to last a competitive fps session especially if there is an EDM soundtrack to the game. 

This is a fun IEM if “baby ko bass pasand hai” (if you like the bass). I wouldn't recommend it to listeners who like a little warmth and details (me). If the genres are hiphop, EDM, new Bollywood, pop, then for sure. Rock, metal, jazz fusion may not be as enjoyable as the others simply because of the bass bleed. A little more refinement would have made this a good recommendation from my side, but that’s only my opinion. I would definitely suggest trying these out on your playlist before jumping in.

Gear

Fiio M33, Snowsky Disc, Musehifi M3 ultra, VE Devastator Pro Max, Fosi ZH3, Gremlin.

Local Flac, Apple Music Lossless, Tidal.

Playlist with most of the songs I play around with -

https://tidal.com/playlist/3078c9b9-a1c0-4fde-8ce7-81f0e34b426c

Pros

• Thumping Bass Response
• Well-crafted Shells, each is distinct
• The dunu accessory package (has to stop being a pro at some point)

Cons

• Fit takes some work - nozzles are wide 
• Male vocals feel recessed
• Midbass bleeds into everything except treble
• BA timbre creeps into upper registers

Specs

• Drivers: 2 DD + 4 BA
• Impedance: 35Ω
• Sensitivity: 109 - 112dB
• Pin Type: 2-pin
• Plug Type: Modular 2.5mm 3.5mm,4.4mm

Dunu x Gizaudio Davinci was a semi blind buy for me since I had a fleeting flirtation with a friend’s set and I thought it was a really fun sound to try out.  A few months into this, and having heard the refinement of the Kima 2, I do have some slightly different thoughts. Not all bad and some realizations that not all tunings work for me. And this just might be a me problem and not a you problem. I’ll do my best though to keep this as useful as possible.

The IEMS looks beautiful. I’m liking the wood esthetic that I’ve seen on this and the VE ZhuanXu. The shells come nestled in foam in the standard-sized Dunu Box. Under that is the bigger-than-Altoid-tin sized case. Now this case is super convenient and will house most IEMs safely, but the mesh on the inside of the lid is ridiculously tight and I think the only thing that can fit there is the modular connector for the cable. Anything else becomes a thumb-wrestling match. The case also houses the famous Dunu Davinci cable - LEO. Silver-coated, crystal-copper, 4-strands, and modular with 3.5, and 4.4, and a 6.3mm adapter. And the full complement of 10 pairs of tips - standard/balance, S & S and Candy. Overall, a satisfying ensemble and this is soon becoming an expected inclusion to any Dunu purchase. 

The fit takes some finger calisthenics to get standard sized tips onto the just enough to be annoyingly big-sized nozzles. Candy and Sancai tips worked best for me. Once I got the fit right it’s good for a long session without pressing on any part of my ears and causing discomfort.

Right off the cuff it felt this set needed a different set of songs to give it a fighting chance against the sets I own and the kind of music I really enjoy listening to. 

This is such a bass forward IEM, it does a lot correct but misses the point in a few areas. The Sub-bass rumble is present but on songs like Angel, the rumble is overpowered by the throb and thump of the kicks and bass notes. The same is the case with Makeba by Jain. The sub-bass is there, you can just about reach for it and feel it when the thump of the kick drum in the mid-bass pushes your fingers away from that feeling. The mid-bass sits like a troll on a bridge guarding everything that goes past and impossible to ignore. Pop and EDM have every beat pounding with weight and authority. But with great weight comes great distortion of the space-time continuum. The prominent midbass bleeds upwards into the midrange, giving notes some weight but also reducing the clarity of notes of instruments like keys and guitar. Male vocals tend to sound recessed and over heavy by the midbass bloat. Come Together (the original) by the Beatles demonstrates this. In the verse the bass slide continues to be heard over the vocals and drums. In the chorus where the bass is not sliding over the song, the guitar rhythm comes through, though with each strum holding its own. On Africa by Toto, the keyboard rhythm similarly has weight and pulls the song along. But overpowers the vocals making them feel less important than what they truly are. 

Upper mids are a little better especially in better mastered tracks than Come Together (I’m also not a huge fan of the Beatles). On Africa, again, the vocal harmonies are better represented than the lower mids but suffer from lack of clarity. On the VE ZhuanXu, for instance, the details in the individual vocal parts are crystal clear. 

On Fast Car by Tracy Chapman, her voice sounds lovely and smooth but lacks a little richness that I’ve heard on other vocal forward sets. But it is not shouty (which is also something that’s seen with some BA sets) and fine for long listens of Joss Stone (though on Right to be Wrong, the midbass does cast its evil shadow over her voice). On an aside this may become the theme of this review unless something changes.

Treble, I have no complaints with. On even tracks aggressively mastered, like Holler by the Spice Girls (hey stop judging, I’m that old) the Davinci focusses on the fun bits of the song. The fun beat and bass, and the all star cast of female vocals. There’s a mad amount of tinny, shimmery accoutrements that the track has that finally sound like the stellar supporting cast that they are meant to be. 

But let’s not be all horrible towards the Davinci. On really well mastered music the Davinci is able to reproduce an enjoyable amount of bass and details to make music really worth it. Aja by Steely Dan, is a great example. But Coming Back to Life by Pink Floyd sounds like you’re in a concert and in front of the stack and you can see/hear the woofer/speaker membrane move with every kick. Take Five by Dave Brubeck has some spectacular mastering and do some Japanese Jazz records from the 60s like the entire album Cat by Hiroshi Suzuki. The Davinci makes for some great, albeit slightly warm listening, since the details are not completely lost, there are moments when the bass note booms, but not deal-breaking. But seriously, if you haven’t heard the Suzuki album please do - it’s on tidal,spotify and apple music. 

The Davinci has a moderately wide stage, I feel that the decay of the bass seems to hint at the reverb akin to a hall rather than a room. Imaging is also adequate for a normal listen, I wouldn’t hope to last a competitive fps session especially if there is an EDM soundtrack to the game. 

This is a fun IEM if “baby ko bass pasand hai” (if you like the bass). I wouldn't recommend it to listeners who like a little warmth and details (me). If the genres are hiphop, EDM, new Bollywood, pop, then for sure. Rock, metal, jazz fusion may not be as enjoyable as the others simply because of the bass bleed. A little more refinement would have made this a good recommendation from my side, but that’s only my opinion. I would definitely suggest trying these out on your playlist before jumping in.

Gear

Fiio M33, Snowsky Disc, Musehifi M3 ultra, VE Devastator Pro Max, Fosi ZH3, Gremlin.

Local Flac, Apple Music Lossless, Tidal.

Playlist with most of the songs I play around with -

https://tidal.com/playlist/3078c9b9-a1c0-4fde-8ce7-81f0e34b426c

Pros: Dark, neutral
Solid Build - It's a tank

Cons: Is not meant to be a standalone
Needs significant amplification from its line out
And secondary power preferable if playing from a phone

More love from Venture Electronics and Audio Geek India - the VE stack consisting of the Prime, Runabout, and the Warp Core Slim.
Thank you guys, this review would not have been possible without the help.

There’s a disclaimer - I’m not sure how best to review a dac. But I do know how to listen to music and write so here goes. It also is not possible to review the Prime without the RA2B-FE so this review goes on to both threads.
It's been a while since the last transformer movie so when I was researching VE for this review and found all the usual suspects there, it was a lovely call back. And right on top, above Megatron and Galvatron, sits the Prime.
But the Prime does not sit alone and needs the help of the other autobots (if you have seen Jetfire lend his wings and weapons to Optimus in Revenge of the Fallen, you know what I mean). That being said -
The stack is just that - a stack of three rugged aluminium chassis-ed components. At the bottom is a battery that can in a pinch jumpstart a small automobile. It’s about 13 cm long, 2cm thick and about 7cm wide. That battery charges via a 12V DC adapter and lasts a really long time of reasonable use on a single charge. On top of that adherent with some magical polymer that VE provides is the Runabout. This is a pure balanced amplifier. It has power in at the back a switch and a balanced 4.4 input at the back. The front is a broze-ish volume knob and a 3.5 and 4.4 output each. And a reassuring green LED depicting power. Above these two, similarly magically adherent is the Prime DAC. Same breadth and thickness but a tad smaller at 11cm. It takes USB C data input and a separate USB C power input and a 3.5 SPDIF in. With 2x3.5mm female outputs (I know) for a mic and single ended and a 4.4.
Now setting this monster up is a bit elaborate. Not as crazy what some coffee influencers do with spritzing their beans. A small power cable connects the Warp Core to the Runabout at the back. Then a longish 4.4 to 4.4 interconnect goes from the front of the Prime to the back of the Runabout. A usb-c power source goes into the back of the Prime and plug in your favorite device into the back of the prime to the data port via a usb-C cable of choice and voila. We’re in business.
And after all this you realise the DAC does nothing. In the best way possible. The output is absolutely unsullied. Not unlike Geryworm. Crystal clean with an extremely low noise floor so the background is dark as the coffee of the aforementioned influencer. In the interest of science however I had to see why this stack was even necessary. So plugged directly into the Prime. Note there is no volume control on it so everything was controlled from the laptop. And on full volume, the output from the dac is, by itself, quiet. So we need an amplifier. That’s why this becomes something you cannot carry around. If you thought carrying and Xduoo XD05 Pro was bit much, you’re in for a surprise.
The headphone amplifier setup is like the Prime absolutely clear, allowing for great dynamics but the music sounds exactly as it comes in. Only just louder.
The Prime DAC by itself is not meant to exist. I believe its clarity and neutral reproduction comes at the cost of volume and power and thats where the Runabout comes in. Now I have not delved deep into the technicalities of the device but the website warns of not trying to lest you unleash the Balrog of Moria. Lets just say there are dual ESS9018K2M chips and an extremely low SNR. The output is a line out signal so what I understand is that it can’t handle any impedance and that’s why it needs the Roundabout - RA2B FE.
This is a monster of an amp that pushes out 3W per channel at 32 Ohms from its balanced port. Which in itself is crazy for something so small. But there’s some clean energy wizardry happening with using the DC battery of the Warp Core to power the amplifiers directly.
The result of all of this is an immaculate signal that made everything I threw at it sing. Be it easy to run iems like the Blon bl 03 II or the Softears Twilight or VE’s own Zhanxu, or full size cans like the Arya Stealth or the HD600. Hell even the Final e5000 had a blast with that much clean power and uncoloured sound.
The only real comparisons I could do were with VE’s own devastator pro max that is just ridiculously strong for it;s size, and the Fosi ZH3. A portable tube like the M3ultra didn’t make any sense. The DevProMax injects a warm analog feel to the music but has a definite noise floor with the occasional snap,crackle and pop between tracks on sensitive IEMs. The zh3 has about 2.5W per channel at 32 Ohms balanced so it stacks up ok against this but loses in the colouration and of course size and portability. The zh3 comes with a bunch of software filters that can be bypassed and my device is running the OP2134 opamps so that may explain the difference in the colour of the sound and I will change the opamps to Burson V7s if I can lay my hands on them but I digress. The VE Prime stack remains a fantastic device for its clarity.
It clocks in at about $400 on the VE website, though for that amount you get a Megatron and a pair of VE’s famous buds thrown in.
It’s still cheaper than the Xduoo XD05 Pro, less portable than it too but louder for sure.
Would I buy it? If I had heard it before I got my current desktop DAC I would. The Roundabout’s Output does play well with my Gremlin with very careful volume tweakery so I would choose it over the ZH3 purely from the sound perspective. But the Fosi does allow an RCA input additionally to USB and Coax, so that’s a plus. It also has multiple outputs so I can run speakers as well. So the VE stack is best recommendable if you want to listen to pure unadulterated music on maybe a small desk. Or you want to carry that unadulterated from home to work and back (I would argue for getting 2 in that case to be honest).

Pros: Dark, neutral
Solid Build - It's a tank

Cons: Is not meant to be a standalone
Needs significant amplification from its line out
And secondary power preferable if playing from a phone

More love from Venture Electronics and Audio Geek India - the VE stack consisting of the Prime, Runabout, and the Warp Core Slim.
Thank you guys, this review would not have been possible without the help.

There’s a disclaimer - I’m not sure how best to review a dac. But I do know how to listen to music and write so here goes. It also is not possible to review the Prime without the RA2B-FE so this review goes on to both threads.
It's been a while since the last transformer movie so when I was researching VE for this review and found all the usual suspects there, it was a lovely call back. And right on top, above Megatron and Galvatron, sits the Prime.
But the Prime does not sit alone and needs the help of the other autobots (if you have seen Jetfire lend his wings and weapons to Optimus in Revenge of the Fallen, you know what I mean). That being said -
The stack is just that - a stack of three rugged aluminium chassis-ed components. At the bottom is a battery that can in a pinch jumpstart a small automobile. It’s about 13 cm long, 2cm thick and about 7cm wide. That battery charges via a 12V DC adapter and lasts a really long time of reasonable use on a single charge. On top of that adherent with some magical polymer that VE provides is the Runabout. This is a pure balanced amplifier. It has power in at the back a switch and a balanced 4.4 input at the back. The front is a broze-ish volume knob and a 3.5 and 4.4 output each. And a reassuring green LED depicting power. Above these two, similarly magically adherent is the Prime DAC. Same breadth and thickness but a tad smaller at 11cm. It takes USB C data input and a separate USB C power input and a 3.5 SPDIF in. With 2x3.5mm female outputs (I know) for a mic and single ended and a 4.4.
Now setting this monster up is a bit elaborate. Not as crazy what some coffee influencers do with spritzing their beans. A small power cable connects the Warp Core to the Runabout at the back. Then a longish 4.4 to 4.4 interconnect goes from the front of the Prime to the back of the Runabout. A usb-c power source goes into the back of the Prime and plug in your favorite device into the back of the prime to the data port via a usb-C cable of choice and voila. We’re in business.
And after all this you realise the DAC does nothing. In the best way possible. The output is absolutely unsullied. Not unlike Geryworm. Crystal clean with an extremely low noise floor so the background is dark as the coffee of the aforementioned influencer. In the interest of science however I had to see why this stack was even necessary. So plugged directly into the Prime. Note there is no volume control on it so everything was controlled from the laptop. And on full volume, the output from the dac is, by itself, quiet. So we need an amplifier. That’s why this becomes something you cannot carry around. If you thought carrying and Xduoo XD05 Pro was bit much, you’re in for a surprise.
The headphone amplifier setup is like the Prime absolutely clear, allowing for great dynamics but the music sounds exactly as it comes in. Only just louder.
The Prime DAC by itself is not meant to exist. I believe its clarity and neutral reproduction comes at the cost of volume and power and thats where the Runabout comes in. Now I have not delved deep into the technicalities of the device but the website warns of not trying to lest you unleash the Balrog of Moria. Lets just say there are dual ESS9018K2M chips and an extremely low SNR. The output is a line out signal so what I understand is that it can’t handle any impedance and that’s why it needs the Roundabout - RA2B FE.
This is a monster of an amp that pushes out 3W per channel at 32 Ohms from its balanced port. Which in itself is crazy for something so small. But there’s some clean energy wizardry happening with using the DC battery of the Warp Core to power the amplifiers directly.
The result of all of this is an immaculate signal that made everything I threw at it sing. Be it easy to run iems like the Blon bl 03 II or the Softears Twilight or VE’s own Zhanxu, or full size cans like the Arya Stealth or the HD600. Hell even the Final e5000 had a blast with that much clean power and uncoloured sound.
The only real comparisons I could do were with VE’s own devastator pro max that is just ridiculously strong for it;s size, and the Fosi ZH3. A portable tube like the M3ultra didn’t make any sense. The DevProMax injects a warm analog feel to the music but has a definite noise floor with the occasional snap,crackle and pop between tracks on sensitive IEMs. The zh3 has about 2.5W per channel at 32 Ohms balanced so it stacks up ok against this but loses in the colouration and of course size and portability. The zh3 comes with a bunch of software filters that can be bypassed and my device is running the OP2134 opamps so that may explain the difference in the colour of the sound and I will change the opamps to Burson V7s if I can lay my hands on them but I digress. The VE Prime stack remains a fantastic device for its clarity.
It clocks in at about $400 on the VE website, though for that amount you get a Megatron and a pair of VE’s famous buds thrown in.
It’s still cheaper than the Xduoo XD05 Pro, less portable than it too but louder for sure.
Would I buy it? If I had heard it before I got my current desktop DAC I would. The Roundabout’s Output does play well with my Gremlin with very careful volume tweakery so I would choose it over the ZH3 purely from the sound perspective. But the Fosi does allow an RCA input additionally to USB and Coax, so that’s a plus. It also has multiple outputs so I can run speakers as well. So the VE stack is best recommendable if you want to listen to pure unadulterated music on maybe a small desk. Or you want to carry that unadulterated from home to work and back (I would argue for getting 2 in that case to be honest).

Pros: Dark, neutral
Solid Build - It's a tank

Cons: Is not meant to be a standalone
Needs significant amplification from its line out
And secondary power preferable if playing from a phone

More love from Venture Electronics and Audio Geek India - the VE stack consisting of the Prime, Runabout, and the Warp Core Slim.
Thank you guys, this review would not have been possible without the help.

There’s a disclaimer - I’m not sure how best to review a dac. But I do know how to listen to music and write so here goes. It also is not possible to review the Prime without the RA2B-FE so this review goes on to both threads.
It's been a while since the last transformer movie so when I was researching VE for this review and found all the usual suspects there, it was a lovely call back. And right on top, above Megatron and Galvatron, sits the Prime.
But the Prime does not sit alone and needs the help of the other autobots (if you have seen Jetfire lend his wings and weapons to Optimus in Revenge of the Fallen, you know what I mean). That being said -
The stack is just that - a stack of three rugged aluminium chassis-ed components. At the bottom is a battery that can in a pinch jumpstart a small automobile. It’s about 13 cm long, 2cm thick and about 7cm wide. That battery charges via a 12V DC adapter and lasts a really long time of reasonable use on a single charge. On top of that adherent with some magical polymer that VE provides is the Runabout. This is a pure balanced amplifier. It has power in at the back a switch and a balanced 4.4 input at the back. The front is a broze-ish volume knob and a 3.5 and 4.4 output each. And a reassuring green LED depicting power. Above these two, similarly magically adherent is the Prime DAC. Same breadth and thickness but a tad smaller at 11cm. It takes USB C data input and a separate USB C power input and a 3.5 SPDIF in. With 2x3.5mm female outputs (I know) for a mic and single ended and a 4.4.
Now setting this monster up is a bit elaborate. Not as crazy what some coffee influencers do with spritzing their beans. A small power cable connects the Warp Core to the Runabout at the back. Then a longish 4.4 to 4.4 interconnect goes from the front of the Prime to the back of the Runabout. A usb-c power source goes into the back of the Prime and plug in your favorite device into the back of the prime to the data port via a usb-C cable of choice and voila. We’re in business.
And after all this you realise the DAC does nothing. In the best way possible. The output is absolutely unsullied. Not unlike Geryworm. Crystal clean with an extremely low noise floor so the background is dark as the coffee of the aforementioned influencer. In the interest of science however I had to see why this stack was even necessary. So plugged directly into the Prime. Note there is no volume control on it so everything was controlled from the laptop. And on full volume, the output from the dac is, by itself, quiet. So we need an amplifier. That’s why this becomes something you cannot carry around. If you thought carrying and Xduoo XD05 Pro was bit much, you’re in for a surprise.
The headphone amplifier setup is like the Prime absolutely clear, allowing for great dynamics but the music sounds exactly as it comes in. Only just louder.
The Prime DAC by itself is not meant to exist. I believe its clarity and neutral reproduction comes at the cost of volume and power and thats where the Runabout comes in. Now I have not delved deep into the technicalities of the device but the website warns of not trying to lest you unleash the Balrog of Moria. Lets just say there are dual ESS9018K2M chips and an extremely low SNR. The output is a line out signal so what I understand is that it can’t handle any impedance and that’s why it needs the Roundabout - RA2B FE.
This is a monster of an amp that pushes out 3W per channel at 32 Ohms from its balanced port. Which in itself is crazy for something so small. But there’s some clean energy wizardry happening with using the DC battery of the Warp Core to power the amplifiers directly.
The result of all of this is an immaculate signal that made everything I threw at it sing. Be it easy to run iems like the Blon bl 03 II or the Softears Twilight or VE’s own Zhanxu, or full size cans like the Arya Stealth or the HD600. Hell even the Final e5000 had a blast with that much clean power and uncoloured sound.
The only real comparisons I could do were with VE’s own devastator pro max that is just ridiculously strong for it;s size, and the Fosi ZH3. A portable tube like the M3ultra didn’t make any sense. The DevProMax injects a warm analog feel to the music but has a definite noise floor with the occasional snap,crackle and pop between tracks on sensitive IEMs. The zh3 has about 2.5W per channel at 32 Ohms balanced so it stacks up ok against this but loses in the colouration and of course size and portability. The zh3 comes with a bunch of software filters that can be bypassed and my device is running the OP2134 opamps so that may explain the difference in the colour of the sound and I will change the opamps to Burson V7s if I can lay my hands on them but I digress. The VE Prime stack remains a fantastic device for its clarity.
It clocks in at about $400 on the VE website, though for that amount you get a Megatron and a pair of VE’s famous buds thrown in.
It’s still cheaper than the Xduoo XD05 Pro, less portable than it too but louder for sure.
Would I buy it? If I had heard it before I got my current desktop DAC I would. The Roundabout’s Output does play well with my Gremlin with very careful volume tweakery so I would choose it over the ZH3 purely from the sound perspective. But the Fosi does allow an RCA input additionally to USB and Coax, so that’s a plus. It also has multiple outputs so I can run speakers as well. So the VE stack is best recommendable if you want to listen to pure unadulterated music on maybe a small desk. Or you want to carry that unadulterated from home to work and back (I would argue for getting 2 in that case to be honest).